It is common to hear learners of English as a second language say “I often watch English movies” when ask what they do to improve their English.
Is it really true that if you simply watch English movies you can improve your English? No, you need to do this with some skill. Here below is a carefully organized way to do it and expect good results:
1. Think of your favourite movie (in your mother tongue), I mean that movie that moved you so much that you watched it over and over and told the story to many of your friends without missing a thing.
2. Now go buy that same movie or check what you have for the English version.
3. Look for a friend (who is an English learner like you for best results) who has not yet watched the movie and set up a date for two of you to watch the movie together.
4. Play the movie with the audio in English and the subtitles in English.
Your friend will be a little disappointed but you won’t be because you know the story so well. Now comes the English learning and practice time. You have to explain the movie to your friend as it plays on.
If you can hold yourself from two things: switching to the subtitles in your first langauge and explaining to you friend in your first language, then you have fully paid the price and every time you do this your English will improve. In this exercise you improve listening, reading and speaking skills. The only skill that isn’t improved is writing which I will soon discuss in another article entitled “Improving your writing skills.”
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