Today, in the era of high technologies, English language skills are an important component of everyone’s competence. Text messages and documents are essential to effective communication, and literacy is a significant part of the modern person’s image. To improve my English language skills, I will need to watch movies and read books in English and allot enough time for writing and speaking practice.
Watching movies in the original might help me enrich my vocabulary and improve my listening comprehension. Furthermore, this solution would allow me to combine study and pleasure and improve my motivation. I can watch my favorite movies for hours. If I start with the movies which I have already watched, I will not have difficulties with understanding what the characters say. By the way, I would be able to find some differences between the English version and the translation. However, the next step would be to start watching new movies. By the way, I will be able to watch the recently released movies, which have not been translated into other languages yet. Even if I have problems with understanding certain episodes, I may turn on the subtitles that are frequently available. Therefore, by watching movies in the original, I will get a number of advantages, including not only the improvement of my language skills but also exciting leisure time.
Along with watching English movies, reading English books might also be helpful for improving my language skills. In the time of social networks, students frequently prefer texting with their friends to reading. Certainly, communicating and texting might be beneficial, but they are not worthy substitutes for reading. When reading books, I will be able to use my visual memory and improve not only the spelling of particular words but also sentence structures. By the way, by making notes of new words and most interesting phrases, I would become a thoughtful reader and get the maximum from my reading sessions. Certainly, reading for pleasure on a comfortable couch is relaxing. However, to gain the maximum effects of reading English books, I will need to pay special attention to new words and phrases so that I can include them in my active vocabulary.
Finally, I should allow enough time for writing and speaking practice, which are actually the most powerful tools for improving language skills. A lot of learners are afraid of making mistakes. This fear can lead to writer’s blocks and public speaking anxiety. However, practice is a critical element of language competence. Otherwise, the new words, phrases and constructions learnt by watching movies and reading books in English will be easily forgotten without using them in my papers and communication. Importantly, along with overcoming my fear of making mistakes, I will need to do everything possible to improve my grammar, learning the rules and carefully proofreading the papers. For example, when working on my English papers, I should use spell, grammar and style checkers. This would allow me to gain more confidence in my language skills. As to speaking practice, along with participating in class discussions, I might find an English-speaking friend. When communicating with my peer, I will not be preoccupied with my grammar, and it can be beneficial for my speaking practice.
By watching movies, reading books in English and paying attention to writing and speaking practice, I would be able to improve my language skills and make a valuable contribution to my competence. While reading and watching movies allow combining study and pleasure, substantial practice is required for exercising the received skills and enhancing my confidence.