 by Astrid Schmidhofer
Article in Spanish: Mantener tu nivel
Fortunately, there is a lot of interesting material in English
on the market that might help you not to lose contact with the
English language. I am not so much thinking of material written
for learners of English, but original films and books. Why?
If you have only some of your spare time in the evenings and
weekends for English, it’s best that you forget that you are
“learning” and rather try to turn it into an enjoyable free-time
activity.
Here are some suggestions:
Books: If you have an advanced level of English you should
have no major problems to understand an original novel written
in English, especially novels about every-day-topics. Although
at the beginning you might find it tedious to read in a foreign
language when you are travelling on the underground in the morning
or after work, always remember that it is enough to get the
gist and it is not necessary to understand the exact meaning
of every word (you can understand most words from the context
anyway). And as soon as you get into the book you might even
forget that you are reading in English! You might also choose
a simplified novel if you find an original too challenging,
but do not forget to look for a topic that appeals to you.
Audio books: Listening comprehensions are often the activities
that students dislike the most in language courses, so only
a few students make an effort to practice listening comprehension
after finishing a course unless they have to because of their
job. A very nice and relaxing way to maintain and even improve
listening skills is by listening to audio books (for example
on a portable CD-player or walkman). Most audio books are novels
that are read in a rather slow and easy to understand way and
if you do not understand something you can always go back –
but remember that you need not understand every single word
to get the gist of the story. And if you listen to a story again
and again you will find that each time you understand more.
DVDs: DVDs with their subtitles are one of the best sources
for language learners. You watch a film that you like and practise
your English at the same time! If you watch films at home and
can set the options yourself I strongly recommend choosing English
subtitles for the English audio version, so you read those things
in English that you do not understand in the audio. With English
subtitles you fully immerse yourself into the language while
watching the film without any interference from your native
language. As with books, after some film sessions you will find
it easier each time you try.
With these suggestions I have tried to pick out those options
that might be most enjoyable and entertaining. Of course, you
have many other options like text books, activity books, etc.
but watching films or reading books with engaging stories is
much more appealing to those who work all day long as is my
own experience. Do not set your English aside because you do
not want to study vocabulary or read text books, but try out
one of the suggestions above. I am sure you will enjoy it and
it might even change your attitude to the language from a classroom
subject to a new field for personal experiences.
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