Q&A for How to Annotate a Book

I would say to buy the book so you don't have to bring both the book and a separate notebook to class every day.

Put them at the top of the page upside-down so they hang out of the top. This allows you to quickly flip through them without having to open the book.

Yes, there can be a wrong interpretation, but that doesn't mean there's only ever one right answer. For example, if you read about a couple's fight, there might be several valid reasons for why they are fighting, but if you said the neighbor's dog was at fault, you'd probably be wrong.

It doesn't really matter. Annotate as much as you need to in order to facilitate your understanding of the book, character development, etc.

It's important if it pertains to the main plot of the story or is a key element in theme or character development, etc. Think of things you'd be questioned on in class.

No you do not, unless it is absolutely necessary to further enhance your understanding.

You could annotate in the margins of the book. If you do not like writing in your book, then you could mark the passage with a dot and then record your notes in another notebook. Make sure that you write the page number in the notebook as well. Alternatively, you could use post-its for the notes.

Review the original annotations and search for smaller details that you may have missed before, making sure that they are still relevant to the assignment or have significance in the book.

There's no ideal set amount. Annotate as much as you need to to understand what that section/chapter was about and all the important details.

There is no set standard for how you have to annotate. Your annotating pattern may be different from some else's. As long as you can get the information needed out of the text, you are doing fine. If you don't like how you annotate (even if it works), try looking at how other people do it. Other people may be able to give you ideas. Otherwise, try different ways until you find a way that's comfortable and helpful to you.

For me, it is easier to annotate when reading it, so I don't have to go back through the story to find the specific detail I am looking for or to remember my reaction to a passage a while after my first encounter with it.

You can use a pen to underline important passages instead of a highlighter.

Yes. Some people like to color coordinate their highlighters; for example, yellow for character information, light blue for favorite quotes and passages, green for things that seem important, and so on.

No. You can use the same method for any type of literature.

That's more of a personal preference. If it is important to the plot, contributes to the intended perception of the character, or seems like the author put it in there for a very specific reason, I would definitely make note of it.

An annotation is a metadatum (e.g. a post, explanation, markup) attached to location or other data.

You don't have to, but if there are key pieces of information on every page, then you probably should. It's a matter of personal preference.

If that works for you, sure. It sounds like a good system.

Unless your teacher/professor gives you a specific style for annotating, then there is no wrong way to annotate -- it's meant to be a system that helps you. As for the language, you should focus on making your notes useful and productive; if you are asked to look for figurative language, then you should comment on it, but otherwise it's a matter of personal preference.

It depends on how detailed the book is. Books with deeper meaning will take longer than those that are strictly narrative.

Annotations can provide you with details or quotes you might want to cite. They can also serve as a summary of the book if you don't have time to reread it.

This is completely up to your personal preference.

Try to notice and link together key themes in the story. Make note of questions you have while reading, and try to answer these questions.

If you think the notes you took will be of use later on in the year or class, then yes, put them in a notebook, folder, or anywhere that they won’t get lost.

You can use bookmarks, or blank sheets of paper, and divide the book into sections.

As you read, really think about the information and try to determine what is important and what is not. What’s important is what you annotate. It’s okay if you're not totally sure and your annotation gets a little excessive, because you can always go back, read through your notes, and get rid of anything that you don't think is important at a second glance.

Read one paragraph at a time. If nothing stands out, then move onto the next paragraph. There's really no way to annotate extremely fast, but if you read smaller sections of the book, then maybe you can focus more.

If you do not want to mark up your book, use post-it notes or sticky tabs. You can write which paragraph or sentence that it goes to.

Just start slowly. Experiment and see what works for you. Just begin marking important things from the story (plot, characters, major events, theme. figurative language, etc.). Try different methods such as highlighting, post-its, underlining, etc., to find out what you like most.

Describe the use of colour and onomatopoeias. Describe how certain thing draw the eye to other important words or pictures. Annotate the dialogue and any other text to show how the characters develop, interact and have conflict. Say how the use of pictures helps the reader understand the story better and how the layout/size of certain frames helps emphasise certain things/carry the plot.