The purpose of reading is important to be understood by readers because it is closely linked to what the reader need to gain from the material.
8
Basically, the essential purposes of reading are to get information and to get a pleasure. Readers
read differently when they read for pleasure than when they read to answer a specific question or summarize key information from a textbook.
One purpose in reading is reading or pleasure. Reading for pleasure is different from the reading readers do to study because in reading for pleasure
readers will not be tested about what they have read and remember every detail from the text. Mikulecky and Jeffries states that reading for pleasure can improve
vocabulary an d reading comprehension, increase reading speed, give reader a chance to gain more knowledge, and provide examples of the many different ways
people speak and write in English.
9
The other purpose of reading besides to get pleasure is reading for information. Grabe and Stoller identify that reading purposes can be as: “reading
to get simple information, to skim, to learn from text, to integrate information, to write and critique text, and reading for general comprehension”.
10
Based on ideas above, it can be concluded that people read for various different purposes. One reads a textbook, encyclopedia, newspaper, and the like to
get information or enhance knowledge. Other people read to get pleasure by reading novels, comics, magazines, and so forth. In brief, it can be believed that
people commonly read to get pleasure or enjoyment and to get information and understanding.
3. Kinds of Reading
There are a lot of theorists that proposed several kinds of reading. One of them is Francoise Grellet who classifies kinds of reading as extensive reading and
8
Karen Tankersley, The Threads of Reading: Strategies for Literacy Development, Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003, p. 94.
9
Beatrice S. Mikulecky and Linda Jeffries, More Reading Power, Boston: Addison- Wesley Publishing Company, 1996, p. 7.
10
William Grabe and Fredericka L. Stoller, Teaching and Researching Reading: Second Edition, New York: Routledge, 2013, p. 7—8.
intensive reading.
11
Good readers involve both intensive and extensive reading in their reading activity. These two activities help readers to develop their ability in
reading. Extensive reading can be defined as reading a large quantity of text for
general comprehension that helps vocabulary acquisition, content knowledge, familiarity with syntactic structure, knowledge of genres, and reading rate.
12
The overall comprehension of characters and events rather than on the specific details
of either language or story content is the main concern of this kind of reading. This activity encourages students to choose what they want to read and gives them
some opportunities to share their reading experiences. In contrast to this, intensive reading refers to the detailed focus on the
construction of reading texts which takes account in the classrooms. It focuses on linguistic, grammar, or semantic details of reading to be analyzed by the readers.
Intensive reading is characterized by study activities, such as the particular uses of grammar and vocabulary items.
Extensive reading and intensive reading are required by all readers to develop their ability in reading. Extensive reading can help readers to improve
their vocabulary, content knowledge, familiarity with syntactic structure, knowledge of genres, and reading rate. On the other hand, intensive reading
allows readers to improve their proficiency in linguistic, grammar, or semantic details of reading. It is important to employ these two kinds of reading in the
reading activity so that readers can get maximum benefit or reading activity.
4. Exposition Text
a. Concept of Exposition
Exposition etymologically means a definitive statement intended to give an explanation of a difficult material. Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary
provides the meaning of exposition as a full explanation of a theory, plan, etc..
11
Francoise Grellet, Developing Reading Skills: A Practical Guide to Reading Comprehension Exercises, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981, p. 4.
12
Kristin Lems, Leah D. Miller, and Tenena M. Soro, Teaching Reading to English Language Learners, New York: The Guilford Press, 2010, p. 183.
