The most rewarding personal activity (7) - Reading aloud can boost our memory of language and text

By Xiaolai Li, rewritten in English by Mr. Y

Reading aloud can boost our memory of language and text without us even realizing it. The methods and patterns we use to memorize faces, song melodies, or paragraphs are all different. Because we can't repeatedly read the same sentence or article our entire lives, we will inevitably encounter various writing patterns, rhythms, and combinations. A certain amount of repetition will inevitably produce deep memory. Therefore, through extensive reading aloud training, we will naturally utilize all available memory techniques, such as pattern memory, auditory memory, and text memory.

When learning any language, the ultimate goal is to be able to freely recall passages and retell the main points in that language. This requires a fundamental ability: memory. When learning English, that's English memory. When I interviewed English teachers, I basically only asked them to do one thing: recite a passage they've already memorized. If you were me, you'd quickly find that such a simple requirement would filter out most applicants - most people can't even recite a passage longer than 100 words. Without this basic English memory ability, how can someone possibly use English fluently?

Years of professional work experience have turned me into an "exam machine". Many people were surprised by how quickly I completed reading comprehension sections in an exam. In the past, when I took the TOEFL, I could finish the questions that were commonly completed in 55 minutes in about 25 minutes. Why? Actually, my reading speed isn't fast; it's just that I can understand something after reading it once and remember most of it. So, I can answer the questions quickly. When I saw a question and option A, I knew it was wrong because it's clearly the opposite of what I just read. Then I saw option B, and I immediately knew it couldn’t be chosen because it wasn't mentioned in the passage. Then I saw option C, and that's it - it looks like just a paraphrase of a sentence from the original text. At this point, I didn’t even need to look at option D, since it’s a single-choice question and the correct answer had already been identified - the remaining options must be incorrect.

Let me explain why many examine-takers feel they never have enough time. The truth is, they don't read slowly; however, they can’t fully understand what they read, let alone remember it. When it comes to answering the questions, they saw option A and thought, "I think I've seen this before, but where is it?" So they went back to the passage, searching and scanning the article again, but still couldn’t find it! Then they panicked… In reality, their reading speed was fast, but they couldn’t fully understand, let alone remember, so they read the article repeatedly, still unable to determine the correct answer.

The TOEFL exam is one of the most authoritative English proficiency tests. The current TOEFL exam includes four sections: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In any section, sufficient English memory is essential for achieving a high score. Many people perform poorly in the TOEFL listening section not because they "didn't understand", but because "they actually understood, but couldn't recall what they understood when they heard the questions." We've already discussed the impact of memory on the score of the reading section; now let's look at its impact on the section of speaking and writing. Both speaking and writing sections include a “comprehensive test”, which requires you to output what you've heard (either first listening and then reading, or first reading and then listening) based on the input. A key ability assessed in this "comprehensive test" is "accurate and comprehensive retelling of details". Without basic memory, how can you retell a story?

If you're taking an exam like the GMAT (which is essentially a logic test, not an English test, just conducted in English), those with poor memory will fare even worse. Those questions have five options (instead of four), each potentially a complex sentence three or four lines long, and the question might ask something like: "Which of the following five options, A, B, C, D, and E, if true, would severely weaken the argument in the passage?" Without at least a basic level of memory, how can you possibly answer these questions correctly? - Don't even think about it.

It's difficult to remember meaningless or unrelated information. For example, memorizing more than 100 digits of π is very difficult, likely much harder than memorizing a 200-word article. A person's ability to memorize text largely depends on their ability to understand text. When you read aloud, not only does your understanding of the text improve subtly, but your capacity to memorize text also improves significantly. We've all had the experience of repeatedly reading the same article many times, and then we will naturally memorize it. This is because "reading a thousand times reveals its meaning"- once understood, it's easy to remember. Reading aloud many different articles will result in many similar "patterns" being repeated in our brains. As a result, we are subtly storing information in our memory bank.

Conversely, a person's memory also affects their comprehension. If previously input information cannot be remembered, it cannot be connected with subsequent input. Without sufficient connections between pieces of information, comprehension becomes difficult. Therefore, improved memory promotes enhanced comprehension, and conversely, the development of comprehension also promotes the development of memory. Memory works this way: the more you have already remembered, the more you can remember. The potential for development in a person's memory depends on their current memory capacity. Similarly, the potential for development in comprehension also depends on one's current comprehension capacity. 

Copyright & Republication

Original Chinese text by Xiaolai Li (copyright released). English translation ©2025 Mr. Y.

Republication of this translation is permitted, provided that both the original author (Xiaolai Li) and the translator (Mr. Y) are credited, and a link to the original translation on blossomsblog.com is included.

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