Question for English wizards

Post by **_asbestosman** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 4:04 am

What's the fastest way to increase my language skills if I've never been much for readnig fiction? Whenever I take practice GRE tests I always do very poorly on anything dealing with English (analogies, definitions, reading comprehension, etc.). If I must read books, which ones?

Post by **_moksha** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 5:57 am

Hopefully someone from Hogwarts School will respond.

Post by **_Bond...James Bond** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:09 am

Read Foucault. Crazy dense prose and you'll go "whoa" alot.

Post by **_ludwigm** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:18 am

Bond...James Bond wrote:Read Foucault. Crazy dense prose and you'll go "whoa" alot.

Do You think about Umberto Eco? (The Foucault's Pendulum?)

.

Post by **_Bond...James Bond** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:20 am

ludwigm wrote:
Bond...James Bond wrote:Read Foucault. Crazy dense prose and you'll go "whoa" alot.

Do You think about Umberto Eco? (The Foucault's Pendulum?)

Nah. Too busy thinking about surveillance systems coercing my behavior.

Post by **_Blixa** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 2:55 pm

I have no idea. Reading a lot and reading a lot of different kinds of writing is the only way I know of to become truly fluent in written language. It's hard to obtain "on its own," so to speak.

That said, Bond's idea of tackling dense prose is not a bad idea...

Post by **_Moniker** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 6:00 pm

Abman, go to a bookstore and linger. Pick up a variety of books and see which ones seem interesting to you. Sit down read the first few pages even. See if it catches your attention and you want to know what happens next. When I work with kids that hate to read I start them off with comics and get them to merely understand how stimulating it can be to flip a page and find out what happens next. Cliff hangers are good and they can't wait to run to my box to get the next in the series. Find something that you would enjoy that would be entertaining.

Post by **_Imwashingmypirate** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:47 pm

I was adopted by the wizards, I was made a "cone" so I could enter their room. How cool?

Post by **_Blixa** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 8:47 pm

Imwashingmypirate wrote:I was adopted by the wizards, I was made a "cone" so I could enter their room. How cool?

I would say very even though I don't know what you're talking about. : )

Post by **_asbestosman** » Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:11 pm

There are two kinds of books I like to read: math/computer books (which do nothing for my vocabulary), and the Hitchhiker's trilogy by Douglas Adams.

Anyhow, I've been looking around and it looks like I've screwed myself in that department. There is no way I can effectively cheat and pretend that I've obtained a great vocabulary when I have never really enjoyed reading fiction (or history or biographies) save a very few examles.