To highlight or not?
By wittygenie28
@wittygenie28 (92)
Philippines
March 23, 2013 10:13am CST
I came from a family who loves to read. We have different interests in reading materials and different techniques as well. We have been discussing the tendency of the women in our family to highlight texts that caught their attention. For us, the purpose is for easier referencing when the need arises. However, my brother thinks that it is not necessary. How about you folks? What do you think of highlighting texts from the reading material? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
10 responses
@dogsnme (1264)
• United States
24 Mar 13
I don't highlight fiction. I do highlight non-fiction, such as history books. Highlighting makes it easier to find points of interest in books if I refer back to them later on. I have thought about using different colors to highlight different things. For example, if I wanted to recall a particular date I could use one color, and for a particular person I could use another color and for a particular event I could use yet another color. I haven't started using that highlighting system yet but may do so in the future.
1 person likes this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
24 Mar 13
Hi Wittygenie, if the book is meant for whole family to read, I think it is very selfish to highlight the book.
It spoils the reading for everyone.
The only place where highlighting is done should be the textbooks.
It is hard to study if you do not highlight the main points.
But for books on motivation or other things, everyone has different takes on things, and each should discover the motivation and wisdom on their own.
@wittygenie28 (92)
• Philippines
25 Mar 13
Hi scheng1! The books intended for the whole family are practically clean :-). The problem lies with the books we personally buy such as novels, self-help books and the likes. The questions starts when you recommend what a good book you've just read and they borrow it. They don't really complain - they just ask the big WHY???. It's kind of funny actually. I agree that academic books should be highlighted. In my case, I never planned on selling them after the semester is over so it wasn't a problem. My Anatomy and Physiology book back in the university looked like a notebook because I took down notes right on the margins. :-)
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
25 Mar 13
In a reference book, highlighting might be OK, but I would not do it in any other type of book.
@toyota4k (1208)
• Philippines
24 Mar 13
Well, I never highlighted texts of importance or relevance. I think it's up to the individual whatever his options. I think, however that it is a good suggestion and I would love to do that. It would help when one day you need to go over the material again especially since getting older makes you bound to be forgetful.
@michellegogo (79)
• China
24 Mar 13
I am a highlighter too. I love colorful things so I would usually buy lots of hightlight pens with different colors. Highlighting useful or critical lines can definitely help me remember them and what's more, re-find them easily.
It is said if you are looking at colorful things, your brain would get stimulated and hence has better memory. I read about the tips from micro blog and I believe it. It motives me to do more highlighting since then.
@rosa880906 (80)
• China
24 Mar 13
To catch interest or focus on the reading,I think it's good to highlight the text.
@stealthy (8181)
• United States
23 Mar 13
I have never highlighted text in books. I might be because I am male although I have known of guys back in my college days who did it to books. I don't highlight because I don't want to mess up the books. They get worn and stuff as it is without purposely damaging them.
@anklesmash (1412)
•
23 Mar 13
I have never highlighted a book,though perhaps it is because I am male.Maybe the female mind responds better to the visual nature of highlighting.If I ever need to reference a book I would write down the page number that has the information I need and make notes about it on a separate piece of paper.When I am working on an assignment and reading lots of books I end up with pages and pages of notes.Most of which I keep in a file on my book shelf.
@asyria51 (2861)
• United States
23 Mar 13
I was a big highlighter in college, especially if it was for an important paper. A lot of my classes did not have a traditional text book, but were instead lots of articles that the professor put together for us to read, I did not feel as bad highlighting up a "book" that could not be re-sold for book money the following semester.
@Liliac26 (557)
• Romania
23 Mar 13
I used to highlight when I studied from a textbook, so when I did revision, I could go back to the important stuff and leave out the unnecessary. But I never highlight when I'm not studying. If a like a passage, I may write it down somewhere or paste it in my diary. I like to get lost in a book, and it'd be hard for me to that with pen in hand, looking for things to highlight :)
