LINGUISTIC INSIGHTS AND METHODS WERE APPLIED TO READING. SIX HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED--(1) THAT EARLY READERS RECOGNIZE WORDS IN CONTEXT WHICH THEY CANNOT RECOGNIZE IN LISTS, (2) THAT THE ABILITY TO READ WITH NATURAL INTONATION IS RELATED TO COMPREHENSION, (3) THAT REGRESSIONS IN READING ARE LARGELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPROVING COMPREHENSION, (4) THAT ERRORS IN READING ARE CUED, (5) THAT THE ARTIFICIAL LANGUAGE IN BASAL READERS CAUSES ERRORS BY MISCUING READERS, AND (6) THAT IN RETELLING A STORY, CHILDREN ALTER LANGUAGE TO MAKE IT SOUND MORE NATURAL. SUBJECTS WERE 100 RANDOMLY SELECTED FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD GRADERS IN MICHIGAN. MATERIALS WERE A SEQUENCE OF STORIES SELECTED FROM THE BETTS READING SERIES. WORD LISTS WERE MADE FROM THE STORIES. THE PROCEDURE CALLED FOR CHILDREN TO READ THE GRADED WORD LIST AND THEN THE STORY FROM WHICH THE WORDS WERE TAKEN. SUBJECTS RETOLD THE STORY WHICH WAS TAPE RECORDED. MANY WORDS READ IN CONTEXT WERE NOT READ FROM LISTS. SECOND AND THIRD GRADERS MADE ABOUT DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF REGRESSIONS PER LINE READ AS DID FIRST GRADERS. VERY FEW CHILDREN READ WITH NATURAL INTONATIONS. IN GENERAL, IT APPEARS THAT INTONATION INFLUENCED COMPREHENSION. A PRELIMINARY LINGUISTIC TAXONOMY OF CUES AND MISCUES IN READING IS INCLUDED. THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED AT THE AMERICAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATION MEETING (CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 19-21, 1964). (BK)