Do you know that reading is essentially an active process? One reader is better than another in proportion as he or she is capable of a greater range of activity in reading. We can easily see that writing and speaking are active processes; but sometimes we fail to realize that listening and reading are also active processes. In other words we wrongly think that listening and reading as passive reception from an active giver and suppose that receiving a communication is like receiving a gift or an injection. The truth is that reading is better or worse according to as it is more or less active.
Reading enables us to increase our word-power. It is exactly the same by reading we collect a large vocabulariy. A large vocabulary enables us to follow the thought of a writer more easily. The more words we know, the better and faster we understand. We cannot become an efficient reader upon a small vocabulary, especially in English, which has more words (about 600.000) than any other language, and which is continually swelling with additions from many other languages.
So make a note of words that we do not understand when we come across them. Try to figure out the meaning from the context, from the sense of the sentence or paragraph. We will find clues. Look them up later in a dictionary and when we do, take a good clear look at the word. That first “snapshot” of a new word is important.
Finally use these new words in our talk, if necessary we repeat again and again the same words in different context, and it is also important use these new words in our writings as soon as possible and as much as possible. I think it is good if we have a pocket book in which we can write new words and review them periodically. A wise people said, “if you use them three times, they got into your working vocabulary, they are yours for a lifetime and you are a better reader, an active reader. Do you believe it? If yes, then try it!
(summarized by Januarius Widyantarto).