Word Comprehension Kinds of Reading Comprehension

2.2.1 Word Comprehension

The basic level of reading comprehension is word comprehension. According to Grellet 1981:15, inability to guess the meaning from unknown elements often makes discouragement and anxiety to students when they face a new text. The unknown elements here are the words in the text. The students should master the words that are stated in the text in order to make them comprehend the text easily. Therefore, understanding word meaning is crucial for the students to comprehend the text they read. The use of scanning technique in comprehending the words can be done by looking at the key words of every item in reading test. The students do not require reading all the words in the text. They only locate to the key words in the text they read and they get the information needed directly without wasting their time. Here is an example of questions of word comprehension: On Saturday 23 October, I went to Sarah’s birthday party. I was very excited. I went there with George and Tina. We wore fancy dress because it was a fancy dress party. I wore a ghost costume, Tina became Xena, the warrior princess, and George went as a vampire. The party started at 7. First, w e sang “Happy Birthday”. Then, Sarah blew the candles. After that, we ate some food and drank Coke. Later on, we did some games. Everybody enjoyed them. I cheered so hard that I nearly lost my voice. While we were playing “Hide and Seek”, the lights suddenly went out. Some girls screamed because they were afraid of the dark. Fortunately, it didn’t take long. In ten minutes, the lights went on again and we continued the games. Before the party was over, the MC announced the best costume of the party. George got the first prize. He looked so happy. …………………………………………………………………………… Taken from: Practice Your English Competence for SMPMTS Class VIII, Erlangga Publisher, 2013:51 Questions: 1. “George got the first prize” paragraph 4. The underlined word mean s…… a. award b. price c. place d. fun Answer : a. award 2. “Some girls screamed because they were afraid of the dark.” Paragraph 3. What is the opposite meaning from the italic word? a. Anxious b. Fearful c. Brave d. Scared Answer : c. Brave

2.2.2 Sentence Comprehension