There are a number of types of reading and reading strategies. Reading for total comprehension is usually appropriate only for classroom study or in crucial business and technical situations. Scanning for specific information, and skimming for general ideas are important skills that also contribute to languagedevelopment. Vocabulary Development Vocabulary development is probably the most obvious benefit of reading. Your passive vocabulary includes thosewords you understand in context but do not use.
Every word starts out as unknown.
Through numerous encounters, a word enters the passive vocabulary. Through further encounters, some words enter the active vocabulary. The borderline area indicated by slashes above represents words that are in transition. These are words that may come to mind when you are writing or speaking, but about which you are unsure. In such cases you may want to consult a dictionary.