Noticing When It Does Not Make Sense

Listen to yourself and catch it when a sentence sounds wrong.

Good readers listen to themselves while they read. If something sounds silly or wrong, they notice. Suppose the book says 'The girl rode her horse to the barn,' but you read 'The girl rode her house to the barn. ' Stop! Can a girl ride a house? No.

That is your signal that a word went wrong. Noticing is the first step to fixing. Ask yourself after each sentence, 'Did that make sense? Did it sound right? ' If the answer is no, look back at the words.

• 1Listen to yourself as you read.
• 2If it sounds silly, a word may be wrong.
• 3Ask: Did that make sense?