How to comment on a book in 9 important steps (2023)

When you comment on a text, it becomes yours. By commenting you agree toTo writeforksAuthor. You turn it into a conversation.

Don't you just read thoseWordsadvance; You interact with them to better understand and benefit from what you learn.

To help you out, we've created this short but powerful guide to commenting on a book. feel free to studyapply your new skillsmoney is fasting

What does it mean to comment on a book?

Annotating a book means adding your own notes where they fit on the page or in a separate notebook to connect your own thoughts to what you are reading or to clarify something in the text.

But why annotate a book?

• To highlight unfamiliar words and phrases (and find their meaning).
• Argue with a pointAuthorcan
• To force you to support your argument (opinions only get you so far)
• Understand the material well enough to take a test.
• To find and highlight hidden gems for your own research

Whatever your reasons for commenting on a book, you'll likely use the same tools (highlighter, favorite pen, masking tape, etc.) before taking the plunge. So how will you best use them?

What's the best way to comment on a book?

Simply put, the best way to annotate a book is the one that best suits your needs. You are the one talking to the text, and you are the one using your annotated copy as a reference.

However, to get the most benefit, it's helpful to know what to look for when reviewing a book:

• QuestionsYou have, and the answers you'll find
• Unknown words or phrases
• SignificantOthersor tickets
• Connections with other works (text for text)
• Connections to the real world (text to the world)
• Connections to your own knowledge and experience (text for yourself)
• Known or recurring themes/symbols

If you are looking for things to write abuchKeep your own goals in mind. What do you most want to achieve by reading this? What do you hope to learn?

In addition to your questions, clarify your end goal, whether it's passing an exam, understanding something better, or being able to speak knowledgeably about the subject.main idea.

You can write down anything that catches your eye, whether it's useful, fun, or difficult to understand. Add your own comment to capture the thoughts you want to remember.

When the book is finished, there should be evidence of an active and reflective conversation between you and them.Wordsinside of. And the next time you flip through the book, echoes of that conversation will come back to you.

How to comment on a book: the 9 most important steps

The following nine steps for commenting on a book are as simple and straightforward as they can be tailored to your specific situation. Your ideal active reading space (and time) will likely be different from someone else's, just as your conversation with a book will be different.

What you bring to each book is unique. Make it a worthwhile conversation.

1. Eliminate distractions.

Work in a place where nothing and no one will sabotage your focus. Next time you are offside and unavailable. Mute the phone, lock the door, or do whatever is necessary (within reason) to ensure privacy and silence.

Think of it as setting aside time and space for meaningful conversations.

2. Gather your tools

Gather your favorite markers or pens (in different colors), your favorite pen or pencil, some sticky notes or strips, a stack of note cards, and even a separate notebook or notepad. The more prepared you are to interact with text, the more fun it will be.

Gathering your engagement tools is a way to remind yourself that you take this seriously (but also expect it).

3. Create your own key with symbols.

A symbol can contain multiple staves. Using your own key symbols makes it easy to add quick but meaningful notes.

Consider the following examples of book notation using familiar symbols:

• ? — "This needs to be clarified" or "I don't know what that word means."
• ! - "O!" or "I agree 100% with this sentence!"
• * — (Inserted after a word or phrase) “See footnote/below”
• &? - "So what?" or "This seems incomplete".
• @ — "Don't let me get started (or do it at your own risk)."

As you work on text, you'll probably think of other symbols to add.

4. Read the book carefully.

Do not hurry. They are looking for meaning; This is not a race. Active reading is slow enough to extract everything you need from the text.

If you read faster than you can digest the information, you are more likely to use the bullet indiscriminately, making it difficult to find key phrases when reviewing the text later.

Reading slower and more consciously allows you to comment more effectively.

More related articles:

37 diction words to use in your writing

15 Common Grammar Mistakes That Destroy Your Writing Credibility

Frontline Generator: 101 sentences to write

5. Highlight the text.

If this is your copy of the book and there's nothing stopping you from bookmarking the pages, here are some great ways to do it:

• underline or highlightpassages or keywords. You'll do this mostly with short passages, not ones that take up a third or more of the page.
• use square bracketsto separate larger passages (a third or more of the page).
• keyword circle or fieldor unknown words. Perhaps you are using a specific ink color.
• use arrowsto link to ideas or keywords on the page.

6. Make notes in the margin.

Write thoughtful questions or comments next to the highlighted textexternal edge. This is where you interact with certain parts of the site.

you can use the...Upper limitfor that too. Or save it for quick notes or keywords to speed your search for the right page when searching for specific content.

Use olower railto summarize the entire page with key points or helpful questions or comments. You can also list related texts or ideas to search.

7. Use sticky notes or guides.

Make them more valuable by adding keywords to make your notes easier to find. Sticky notes give you more space for your own short notes, including cross-references and keywords.

With glue guides, you are limited to that.only wordso References to page numbers o Chapters.

Their goal is to create a system of tab tabs or reference guides to make it easier to find information on specific topics or keywords.

8. Use the "Notes" feature in your reader/e-reader application.

This applies whether you are reading this book on an e-reader or an e-book app. Unless your reading device and app allow you to add handwritten notes with a pen, click on the note you want, select the note function, and write the note you want to leave.

E-readers and e-book apps also have a highlight function, often with different colors, and a bookmark function to make it quick and easy to get to the most important pages.

9. Create a follow-up notebook.

If you're allowed to tag your sentence, it's not strictly necessary, but it does provide a separate record of important passages or quotes, along with your own responses to them.

Working with a borrowed text is your personal record of everything you've learned in the book.

You can then highlight your written notes and add sticky tabs with keywords or chapter numbers to create a valuable reference and study guide.

How to comment on a soap opera

Writing a novel is similar to writing a novel.nonfiction. The differences depend on itgoodyou read the novel

If you areRead for your fun, you can't score too much. But once you get into the habit of actively reading, you'll probably want to have your tools handy just in case.

If you areReading for a class or book club, the stakes are higher. you wantsabrethe novel well enough to write or speak.

So you want to have a closer connection to the story, its characters and its world.

For that reason alone, it is a strong recommendation for book clubs. You'll read more carefully, knowing it will make book club meetings more enjoyable. Plus, you'll remember the story better than if you hadn't bothered to read it.

Commenting on a novel can include all of the steps listed fora non-fiction book, although it might not create an accompanying notebook (but it wouldn't hurt). Just think about the following:

• This is not a test.It's a way to get the most out of what you read.
• You can still enjoy the story.In fact, you'll probably like it even more.
• When you type something, your brain does itmore connections.

Ready to annotate a book?

Now that you know how to review a book, what titles come to mind? What annotation techniques have you used so far?

And what did you learn from this post you'll be promoting this week?

Don't be disappointed if you find that your conversation with a particular book wasn't as satisfying or insightful as you'd hoped. If you take it again at a different time, your results may be different.

Why are you going.