Authors build suspense using foreshadowing, symbolism, and other devices to keep readers guessing. An active listener will focus intently on an author's word choice in order to pick up these hints. By taking note of things like change in tone or foreshadowing, a listener may predict upcoming events. For example, by noting in "The Pearl," by John Steinbeck, the character Juana's claim that the pearl will be the ruin of Coyotito as foreshadowing, the reader may be able to predict his death later on in the novella. That "I knew it!" moment is what readers crave and can only be experienced by those who have mastered predicting.
Most authors utilize ambiguity in their writing, and it is that quality that makes reading fun and interesting. However, this ambiguity does require the listener or reader to constantly ask questions. By asking questions both verbally and mentally, the reader will know what to listen for later on. It is helpful to question things, such as word choice, word meaning and author purpose. For example, one may wonder about the origin of the name Coyotito and discover that it means "little coyote." This will enhance the reading experience when Coyotito is mistaken for a coyote and shot in the end of the story.
People often form deep connections with stories because of the images the tales provoke. A villain like Madame Defarge from "A Tale of Two Cities" may be forever ingrained in a reader's memory because of her cryptic description. By creating mental images, a listener or reader will be able to better imagine events from a text. A great way to practice this technique is drawing small pictures of the people, places and things described in a story. For example, by drawing a picture of the fat pearl buyer in Steinbeck's "The Pearl," his greed and malice will be captured.
While retelling is the most basic level of comprehension, it is an essential skill for listeners. Active listeners are exposed to a lot of complex information in a short amount of time and must be able to make sense of it all. A good way to sharpen this comprehension skill is to retell the events in a particularly active part of a story. If the listener is not sure what really occurred because of the language, he should go back and try to recapture every heart-pounding detail.
A skilled listener is able to form opinions, draw conclusions and detect patterns in information as he hears it. While this is the highest level of comprehension, it can be achieved through practice. For example, in "The Pearl," the main character Kino eventually realizes that the pearl is the source of misery for his family and throws it into the ocean. A skilled listener should not only be paying attention to the events, but forming his own opinion of whether this redeems Kino or whether his murderous actions have proven him to be a bad person. Without this skill, a listener is merely hearing, not listening or experiencing the story.