Reading encompasses a wide range of verbal processes, among them such simple verbal processes as word decoding, letter recognition, name retrieval, and semantic access. The question is whether simple verbal processing differences are adequate to account for general reading ability differences. Across different verbal domains and different ages, the hallmark of skilled verbal processing is efficient word retrieval from inactive memory. What varies across different verbal domains and verbal skill levels is the extent to which one or the other of these simple processes is rate limiting for an individual. Research studies have shown that among children, the rate limiting process is word decoding, whereas among college students it is name retrieval. However, verbal knowledge also makes a contribution to general verbal ability that cannot be easily reduced to simple verbal processes. Simple verbal processes cannot account for either differences in the ability to compose a text or to appreciate distinctions between semantically related words. The former entails a number of complex verbal abilities producing wide individual talents while the latter implies fairly simple but powerful semantic and morphological knowledge. Such abilities suggest cognitive components beyond simple verbal processes. (HOD)