Reading Comprehension

Understanding Texts

Identify Main Ideas: Spot the central idea or theme in any given passage. Authors organise and structure their thoughts around main ideas.
Look for Details: Carefully analyse the text to find supporting points which explain or reinforce the main idea.
Reading between the Lines: Aim to comprehend information that the author has implied but not clearly written. This requires one to make inferences.

Context Clues: Use context clues to decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words. These clues can be definitions, examples, or pieces of information that appear near the word and provide hints about its meaning.
Deductive Approach: Try to guess the meaning of complex sentences or jargon from its simplest components. Decompose the sentences into smaller parts to understand better.
Common words and Phrases: Learn the common words and phrases used in Swahili literature. A strong vocabulary equips one with tools to understand texts.

Author’s Purpose: The key to understanding any piece of writing is knowing why the author wrote it. Reasons could range from informing, persuading or just entertaining the reader.
Reacting to the Text: make opinions about the text, agree or disagree with it. It’s essential to develop a critical mindset.
Drawing Conclusions: Combine the facts from the text and your understanding to make conclusions about the ideas presented.

Frequent Reading: Regular reading helps to familiarise oneself with the structure and common phrases of Swahili.
Note Making: Taking concise notes aids in capturing important points, which makes revision straightforward.
Discuss and Share: Sharing your understanding of a text with others can enlighten different perspectives and improve your comprehension.
Active Use of Language: Try to incorporate new vocabulary or phrases into your daily conversations or writings.