How to Get the Most Out of Real-Life English Scenarios in Videos

Posted by seomypassion12 on November 5th, 2023

English media such as movies, TV shows and YouTube videos are a great way to learn authentic English in real-life contexts.

Showing these videos in class can be fun and engaging, especially when students practice listening for gist (general understanding) without subtitles by pausing the video periodically and imagining what is being said. 진료 영어로
4. The Language

For most people learning foreign languages, videos are one of the most powerful tools available. Whether it’s a movie, TV show, news segment, personal vlog or cartoon, a single video clip, episode or full-length movie can teach you a lot about your target language and its culture. But it’s important to milk a video for all its worth, and there are some things you can do to make sure you get everything out of a video that is possible.

First, watch the video as a normal person would. If you’re watching a movie, for example, familiarize yourself with the plot and take in all the information the video is giving you, without worrying about vocabulary or grammar. This will help you understand the general meaning of what’s being said.

Next, watch the video again, but this time with the intention of learning. Start off by reviewing the vocabulary and listening to the nuances in the voice of the speaker. If the video has subtitles, read them and see how many of the words you can match up with what’s being said. Then, after a few days of this, try to listen to the video again with the subtitles off, and try to repeat what you can without reading.

This process will take some practice, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can learn a lot from a single video. This is also a great way to improve your pronunciation and your comprehension of the fast-paced speech rhythm of native speakers.

Some researchers have found that captions can aid language learning by helping learners visualize what they are hearing. The use of different modalities is thought to facilitate vocabulary recognition and overall comprehension (Danan, 2004; Al-Seghayer, 2001; Bird & Williams, 2002).

However, it is important to note that these results are based on studies with foreign language students who were at an advanced level. For lower-level students, captions might not be useful and could actually distract from comprehension. Pujola (2002), for example, found that Spanish-speaking ESL students preferred to use captions rather than transcripts while watching Web-based multimedia videos.