Extensive reading means reading in quantity to gain a general understanding of the material read. The purpose of extensive reading is to train students to read directly and fluently in English as a foreign language (EFL) for pleasure without the help of their teacher. It aims to develop an interest in reading, reading for fun, reading independently, and good reading habits; to expand the students' knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures; to increase overall comprehension; and to familiarize the students with relevant socio-cultural material. The students read material of interest to them. They read at their own pace according to their individual reading and linguistic abilities. [This paper was published in: "Extensive Reading in English Language Teaching," edited by Andrzej Cirocki, LINCOM EUROPA, 2009, pp. 595-602.]