Scanning and skimming are two distinct reading techniques used for quickly extracting specific information or understanding the general idea of a text.

 1. **Scanning**:

Scanning involves searching through a text to find specific information without reading the entire document. This technique is helpful when you know what you're looking for, such as a date, a number, or a keyword.

Example 1:

Imagine you have a 20-page report, and you need to find the revenue figure for the second quarter of 2023. You don’t need to read the entire document but can scan through headings, tables, or specific sections to locate the exact number.

Example 2:

When browsing through a dictionary to find the meaning of the word "synergy," you scan through the alphabetical listings until you reach the correct page and entry.

2. **Skimming**:

Skimming involves reading through a text quickly to grasp the main ideas or the overall gist. This is useful when you want to get an overview without going into detailed reading.

 Example 1:

If you're given a 50-page research paper, but you only need to understand its key points and conclusions, you would skim through the abstract, introduction, conclusion, and possibly the subheadings to grasp the paper’s main ideas.

Example 2:

While browsing a news website, you may skim the headlines and the first few sentences of articles to get a sense of the current events without reading every article in full.

Both techniques are useful for efficient reading depending on your purpose—whether to find specific data (scanning) or to get an overview of a larger text (skimming).