I continue to try to find the most effective way to read efficiently. Recently, I have been frustrated with both my reading speed and comprehension. This morning, while reading the news, I found that both were improved by focusing on verbs. By pointing my attention to verbs, the grammatical structure of the sentence becomes clear. My mind automatically starts analyzing the sentence by checking who or what is the verb’s subject. That is a quick route to understanding, and fast comprehension leads to faster reading speed.

Reading for the verb also brings into awareness the balance of a sentence. The verb is a sentence’s fulcrum. Subject and object sit on either side like weights on a scale. Not all sentences must be level, but too many sentences which have odd distribution will make for difficult reading. On the other hand, too many sentences of the exact same structure can be boring. Judging how the words balance around the verb is a good practice which leads to more interesting writing.