Reading in Phrases, Not Word by Word

Group words that belong together so sentences sound natural.

Our ears understand speech in chunks called phrases, not in single words. When you read aloud, group words that belong together. Phrases often start with words like 'in', 'on', 'under', 'after', 'with', and 'because'. Look at this sentence: 'After lunch / the class walked / to the museum / in the rain. ' Each slash marks a natural chunk. Reading it word by word, 'After. Lunch. The. Class.

', breaks the meaning apart. Reading it in chunks lets the listener picture the scene: a time, an action, a place, and a condition. A good trick is to scoop the phrase with your eyes before you say it. With practice, your eyes start reading a little ahead of your voice, so you always know where the chunk ends.

• 1A phrase is a group of words that belong together.
• 2Phrases often begin with words like in, after, or with.
• 3Let your eyes scoop the phrase before your voice reads it.