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reading

reading

121 1.4
An event where someone speaks aloud from a poem or book to an audience
  • noun
  • /ˈriːdɪŋ/
  • Literature
translation icon : lectura
  • Are you here for a reading as well or just along for the ride?
  • poetry readings
  • reading event
  • oral readings

The next one is poetry and improv readings and classes.

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Examples

  • On Saturday, I watched a room full of adults transfixed by your reading of your wonderful books.

    Academic text (2013)
  • I had, however, been to a number of readings, some quite memorable.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Well, there is a reading at the end of the year.

  • Well, then I demand a public reading.

  • And so after the reading, I'm going upstairs to pack.

  • Many credited their love of poetry and literature to her special reading programs and poetry collections.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • You've heard some of that because we did a reading at the Clayman Institute.

  • Parents expressed appreciation for the receipt of the storybooks for use in reading with their child at home.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Dialogical storybook reading is an effective parental tool in support of their children's language skills.

    Academic text (2013)
  • Tonight, she will give her inaugural public reading at the Library of Congress.

Synonyms

recitation
vsreading
9 5.3

Saying something memorized out loud as a performance

is a public event that can be performed without memorizing
recital
vsreading
3 4.3

A public performance of memorized poems or speeches

is a public event that often does not require memorization
play reading
vsreading
1 4.5

A group performance where actors read a play aloud without full sets or learning lines

is a public event that often includes staged or solo presentations
lection
vsreading
  • Formal
9.9

A public talk given by a teacher or scholar to an audience

is a public performance aimed at sharing literature rather than teaching

Compounds

Things like books and magazines to read for information or enjoyment

5 2.6

A quiet room in a library where people read or study

A course of activities that helps students learn to read

first reading
  • Formal
3 6.2

Members of parliament read a bill for the first time before full debate

A task a teacher gives to read a specific text

Helping beginners learn to read

2 7.7

The second time lawmakers discuss and vote on a proposed law

1 1.3

A small lamp that gives direct light for books or papers

1 4.9

A way to tell someone's future by looking at the lines and shape of their hand

Reading text much faster than usual while still understanding it

A teacher who helps students learn to read

1 3.0

A small comfortable corner with a chair and lamp for reading

1 2.3

A quiet place to sit and read, like by a window or in a park

1 4.5

A group performance where actors read a play aloud without full sets or learning lines

The number on a meter that shows how much electricity or gas you used

Measuring and writing down the number shown on a meter

reading program
  • Specialized
3.5

Software that reads on-screen text aloud for people with sight or reading problems

A place that gives special help to people who have trouble reading

A stand with a slanted top that holds a book at a good height for reading or giving a talk

How Public

reading
  • Literature
121 1.4

Surface Forms

reading singular
readings plural

Morphology

reading = read (semi-transparent) = read + ing

It is a normal -ing noun from 'read', but the countable event sense 'a public literary performance' is more specific than a simple act of reading.

Etymology

Reading comes from the verb read, which originally meant 'to say words from a text', so a reading is an event where someone publicly reads or performs their writing aloud.