One of the hardest parts about English is annotating books! Sometimes it is hard to know what to write, or to know if you’re writing too much or too little in your annotations. I struggle with this too, but I have figured out some things that help me. Here they are for you too use too! Enjoy!
1. Symbols for common themes
Instead of having to constantly write annotations every time you notice something in a book, use a simple symbol! (ex: If a character is consistently very kind and caring in your book, instead of writing it out every time you can draw a simple heart next to the sentence or paragraph.) This can also help you develop common themes and characteristics in your book. If you do this, make sure to write a key so you know what the symbol means!
2. Figurative language
We were all taught to mark figurative language, but I still find myself not always doing this! It might seem unnecessary, but this practice can deepen your understanding of the text and help you better visualize the setting or the character’s emotions. Some examples of figurative language to keep note of include similes, metaphors, and personification.
3. Vocabulary words
Vocabulary words might also seem unnecessary to mark. But, like figurative language, learning what a word means can really deepen your understanding of the text. If you just assume what an unfamiliar word means, your assumption might be completely wrong! Learning the right definition of a word can change the whole context of a sentence. This is especially true if the text is in another language.
4. Mark key events and emotions
Make sure that if something big has happened in your book, you mark it. This might not seem essential, but it can really help you get that moment into your brain and remember it! Also, if you have a reading check or a test on what you read, you can quickly refresh your memory on the main points by looking at what you marked. Reading without taking note of these events and emotions won’t prepare you for assignments on the books. Lastly, many essays that you will need to write are on a character’s emotions. It will make your life so much easier too go ahead and keep note of them!
5. Write and it’s never too much!
These tips may seem obvious, but I know so many people who just highlight in their book instead of actually writing notes. Highlighting is really not even annotating. When you find an important detail in the text, try to annotate at least something about it because it will help you so, so much! Lastly, just know that there’s never really such thing as too much annotating. For some people who make few annotations, this isn’t an issue, but I sometimes think I annotate too much. But annotating while reading actually really helps you out, so don’t worry about it!
Annotating is such an important part of reading books for school. Your level of understanding in a book can change so much by annotating!
Thank you for reading and I hope this helps!
