Intensive Reading vs. Extensive Reading

 

Intensive Reading vs. Extensive Reading

1. Intensive Reading

Definition
Intensive reading focuses on close, careful, and detailed reading of short texts to understand specific language features and precise meaning.

Main Purpose

• Develop language accuracy

• Improve vocabulary, grammar, and discourse awareness

• Train reading strategies (skimming, scanning, inference)

Key Characteristics

• Short texts (paragraphs, excerpts, articles)

• Teacher-guided

• Slow and careful reading

• Focus on form and meaning

• Often done in class

Typical Activities

• Identifying main ideas and supporting details

• Analyzing vocabulary and grammar

• Answering comprehension questions

• Translating or paraphrasing sentences

Examples

• Analyzing a journal article abstract to identify research objectives

• Studying a news article paragraph to learn passive voice

• Close reading of a short story excerpt to interpret theme and language

• Reading an IELTS/TOEFL passage and answering detailed questions

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2. Extensive Reading

Definition
Extensive reading involves reading large amounts of text for general understanding, enjoyment, or information, with minimal focus on language form.

Main Purpose

• Develop reading fluency

• Increase vocabulary exposure naturally

• Build reading confidence and motivation

• Foster autonomous learning

Key Characteristics

• Long texts (books, novels, graded readers)

• Student-selected materials

• Faster, fluent reading

• Focus on meaning and enjoyment

• Mostly done outside class

Typical Activities

• Reading for pleasure

• Keeping reading journals

• Giving book reviews or summaries

• Sharing reading experiences in class

Examples

• Reading a graded novel over several weeks

• Reading English blogs or online articles of interest

• Reading novels, biographies, or magazines independently

• Participating in a class reading program (Drop Everything and Read)

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Key Differences at a Glance

Aspect	Intensive Reading	Extensive Reading
Text length	Short	Long
Focus	Accuracy & detail	Fluency & enjoyment
Speed	Slow	Faster
Teacher role	High guidance	Minimal guidance
Student choice	Limited	High
Main goal	Language development	Reading habit & confidence

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In EFL Classroom Practice

Both approaches are complementary:

• Intensive reading builds language competence

• Extensive reading builds fluency and motivation

👉 An effective EFL program combines both to develop balanced reading proficiency.