I often have to search for the meaning of new words and I feel like I will never truly be able to grasp literature because of my limited vocabulary. I can read… but I will never be one with a piece of writing. I find myself spending minutes figuring out if a metaphor is speaking to me literally or figuratively, man I shouldn’t of picked linguistics over literature I am completely fked. Please someone tell me if it gets better 😔
by LuvCatmi
5 Comments
Keep trying. Do you have a local library you can join? Borrow all sorts of books – contemporary lit, romance, poetry, horror, graphic novels, YA, etc. Maybe ebooks or audiobooks are a better fit. It might take some time, but you’ll find a style or an author you enjoy. And talk to the librarians. They’d love to help you.
Remember to be kind to yourself. I read a lot, and often look up words and unfamiliar phrases, because that’s what they are: unfamiliar to me. It’s not a measure of intelligence.
Good luck!
Don’t worry about it, it comes with time ! How old are you ? Are you reading in your native language ? Those are factors that will determine your level of comprehension in a text.
It’s perfectly normal to have to reread sentences or paragraphs, sometimes authors like to write in such a manner to sound smart or poetic. Most of the times, it confuses the reader.
If you don’t feel comfortable with a book, put it down and pick it up in a few years when you feel more confident in your language abilities.
You read this and were able to type and navigate Reddit. You’re not too dumb. You just need practice.
If you can write, then you can read. No you are not ‘dumb’, just give yourself credit and work on your self esteem.
Vocabulary can be easily learned so thats nothing at all to worry about, I think that the fact youre actively thinking about your reading ability probably makes you stress about it more when in actuality youre probably already better than you think, plus with a bit more practice and gaining comfortability and competency youll get much better in no time.