Watch and Learn English

Have you had this experience?  You tried very hard reading books on English (or grammar) and made some notes too.  Yet, somehow your English didn't improve much.  Do you know why?


I have the same experience too.  Then my friend told me one thing: if Plan A doesn't work, try Plan B. What is my Plan B?  Two words.




                                     
                                         Watch TV 









How to 'watch' TV

'Hey, come on!  I've tried it before'.  Is that what you are saying?  It didn't work for you.


Well how did you watch TV?  Yes, that's a real question: how.  How to watch TV to learn English is a big question today as you can easily watch any TV on YouTube.




Way 1: Don't just watch TV: Watch something you like.  

Why?  In this way, you learn English and most of all, you enjoy learning it.  So if you like detective stories, watch Mentalist.  Or if you like tennis, listen to what the commentators say.  For example, when tennis commentators talk about Nadal or Djokovic, they will use powerful adjectives with the adverb of 'absolutely' like:


               

                                ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL

Then you check 'absolutely' up from a grammar book or dictionary, and you may notice that 'absolutely' comes only with certain kind of adjectives such as:

BEAUTIFUL

WONDERFUL

And so you may also notice that those adjectives usually come with three or more-than-three 'sounds' (syllables).  

Way 2:  Don't just watch TV: Re-watch the part that you like most.  

Well, don't just watch TV.  Watch the same part again and again till you understand each and every word, including how to pronounce it and the grammar in it.  So, if there are words or expressions that you don't understand check it up from a grammar book (or dictionary).


For example, you can learn how to use 'duck' as a verb from watching Psych.  But first of all, do you know 'duck' can be used as a verb (if not, watch more TV.)

So what does 'duck' mean?  When a police officer wants to protect you from a war of guns, s/he will ask you to duck: lower your head or body very quickly.



Why it works: The sounds and images of TV help you remember English faster especially when you watch something you like.  In other words, you learn both the intonation and meaning at the same time.