Use prior knowledge of a topic or subject from within the text to predict what will happen next. You can also use background knowledge from other sources to predict what will occur later in the reading. You can practice this by reading a paragraph and stopping to predict what will happen next. If you predict correctly, your comprehension of the content will be reinforced. If you predicted incorrectly, your brain will attempt to make the connection between what was predicted and what really happened in the reading. Therefore, even if you inferred incorrectly, stimulation in the brain will heighten your awareness of the text and increase comprehension.
Readers with difficulty comprehending the text can attempt to create a mental visualization of what they are reading. Teachers use pictures in storybooks to help students, at an early age, bridge the gap between words and a mental image. Visualizing how characters look and act, the actions taking place in the story, and developing themes can help the reader bring the text to life.
While the sea of text and words can seem endless, it is key for readers to sort out what is important and what is excess information. It takes practice to be able to detect descriptive words and phrases that distract the reader from the central idea of the excerpt. Analyze the headers and titles of nonfiction text, which generally gives an indication what the following passage will be about. Strong action verbs used in stories can help you detect important actions and information that will soon follow. Use a highlighter to mark an important concept such as relevant quotes and reoccurring ideas for future references.