Comprehension strategies

Prediction is an informed expectation about what a text will communicate. It prepares you to read, view or listen actively. Before reading every sentence, inspect the title, headings, arrangement and opening. A heading such as Changed opening hours suggests an update to practical information. A numbered list suggests steps in an order. A question followed by several paragraphs may introduce an explanation. These structural clues help you anticipate both the content and the way you should approach it.

A prediction remains provisional until the complete text supports it.

Written language supplies clues through particular words. Temporary suggests that a change will end; compulsory indicates a requirement. Visual language also contributes meaning. A diagram with arrows may show a route, while a crossed-out doorway can indicate an entrance that is unavailable. Describe the actual feature before interpreting it. Red might signal urgency in one notice, but it might simply be a club colour elsewhere. Do not give every colour a fixed meaning regardless of context.

Audio language includes words as well as pace, volume, emphasis and pauses. A speaker who slows down before giving a meeting location may be highlighting information listeners must remember. A repeated instruction may signal importance. Background music can establish a welcoming or serious mood, but it cannot supply facts that the words do not state. When only a transcript and performance directions are supplied, use those directions as the available evidence.

Use a three-part reading record: clue, prediction and check. After reading, state whether the expectation was confirmed, refined or rejected. Revising a prediction shows comprehension, not failure. Strong answers explain the relationship between evidence and expectation rather than merely naming a feature. They also keep uncertainty visible through phrases such as likely to explain or suggests that until the full message establishes what is happening.