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Step Two - Pacing

One Word at a Time

The next paragraph is specially formatted. It may look odd, but there is a good reason for what you see. Please read it anyway, and you will soon understand why it looks the way it does.

Once you master the four speeds you are ready for the next step, which is to "read" while counting. If you want to know how and why this works, you will find explanations in The Rationale. If how and why are less important than getting started right away, then just start practicing by counting words at the different speeds. You can re-read this paragraph for practice as many times as you like.

Read the preceding paragraph once at the Slow speed, counting "One-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, ..." one count per word. You should take a little over a minute (81 seconds) to read the paragraph at Slow. Every time you start a new number, move your eyes to a new word, and leave them on that word for the full second. One count, one second, one word; always move forward at a smooth steady pace. This will train your eyes to move to the rhythm of the count. There are eighty-one words in the formatted paragraph, but you should never have counted higher than ten. You should have started with the count of "one" on each of the bolded words (Once, the, you, will, are, start, can, you.) Your only goal is to count out loud, to get your eyes used to moving word to word in time with the count.

Next, go back and read the formatted paragraph again, this time at Normal speed, counting, "One and Two and Three and..." still with one count per word. This time you should take a little under a minute (53 seconds) to read the paragraph. Just like before, you should read one word at a time, one word to each count, always moving your eyes steadily forward. After reading the paragraph at Normal, go back and read it at Fast (40 seconds) and then at Very Fast (27 seconds.) The times listed are only estimates. Moving your eyes smoothly one word at a time at each of the four speeds is your goal. Please don't move on until you master the four speeds and you master the trick of moving your eyes smoothly from word to word while counting out loud. Pacing your eyes at is an essential part of the method and must not be neglected.

Continue to Step 3