Previewing a written text

A-5

Previewing—looking through a text before you read—helps you understand its basic features and structures. A text’s title, for example, may reveal an author’s purpose; a text’s format or design may reveal what kind of text it is—a book, a report, or a policy memo. The more you know about a text before you read it, the easier it will be to dig deeper into it.

Some of these questions may help you preview a text.

Guidelines for actively reading a written text