Pause word-by-word reading, repeat a sentence, and see context
Pause word-by-word reading, repeat the current sentence, and view paragraph context on your phone or computer without losing your place.
When reading word by word, you may need to spend more time on a condition or check what a pronoun refers to. Fastreader provides a pause with the current paragraph, sentence repeat, and an ordinary text mode. Stopping does not reset your position.
How to pause word-by-word reading
Click the current word or the “Pause” button. On a computer, you can use the space bar when focus is outside fields and buttons. On a computer, the current paragraph appears below the word display with the current word highlighted; on a phone, open it with the “Context” button. Read the full sentence before continuing.
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Add these two sentences to the reader. Start “Word by word” and stop at “if”. Find the condition in the context and compare it with the second sentence. When you continue, the first word is the one you paused on. This helps you return to the sequence.
Repeat the sentence
The repeat button returns to the beginning of the current sentence and keeps the display paused. The previous-sentence button lets you go back one idea further. On a computer, use R to repeat and the left arrow to go to the previous sentence. Start the display separately afterward.
Sentence boundaries are detected automatically. Unusual abbreviations or complex punctuation can produce inaccurate breaks. In that case, switch to “Text” and select the sentence directly in its paragraph.
Look at a neighboring paragraph
The context arrows show neighboring paragraphs without changing your reading position. If you decide to continue from the paragraph you are viewing, use the action to read from there. Before starting, check the highlighted word and the position counter.
When pausing is not enough
A long argument or several linked conditions are better reread in ordinary text mode. In a study by Schotter and colleagues, restricting readers’ ability to look back at previous words reduced comprehension. The study examined particular experimental conditions and does not demonstrate the effectiveness of our application. It helps explain why rereading matters.
After a reload, a saved material opens paused. This lets you inspect the context first and decide which sentence to continue from.
Source: Schotter, Tran, and Rayner, study of reading regressions, 2014.
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