I
love movies. Ever since I was a student at secondary school, I´ve
been watching lots of great productions and all-time classics (with
some
TV series thrown
in).
When
I started watching movies, I could only
get a vague idea of the
plot, even if I turned on the subtitles. As my English improved over
the years, I no longer watched my favourite movies with subtitles
(who wants to "read" a movie?). These days, unless the
accent is too
strong (some movies are difficult to follow even for native
speakers), I can understand and enjoy them from beginning to end.
I
will now tell you why advanced students should watch movies in
original version:
Real
English
Movies
are made for native speakers, not learners. This means they include
grammar, vocabulary and dialogue relevant to the plot and themes of
the movie rather than language adapted to English learners. The
actors, therefore, speak as they would in real life. As an advanced
student (C1), you should always watch movies without
subtitles.
Rapid
speech
When
you learn English at school, teachers usually speak to you slowly and
clearly so that you can understand what they say. In everyday English
conversations, however, the speech is not like that at all.
Similarly, actors say their lines in as natural a way as possible, so
their speech is usually fast. If you don't get used to fast speech,
you will never be able to effectively follow and take part in a
conversation with native speakers. That is why watching movies is
excellent practice to become familiar with that kind of speech.
Accents
Watching
movies in its original version will expose you to a variety of
English accents; you can even hear several accents in the same movie.
The more accents you are exposed to, the easier it will be for you to
understand and communicate with speakers from around the world. If
you only listen to, say, British English, you may have some
difficulty understanding people from America, South Africa,
Australia, Scotland, etc. The beauty of movies is that they allow you
to listen to people from all those countries (or at least to people
pretending to be from those countries!).
Slang
and colloquialisms
Some
movies include lots of slang terms and colloquialisms. This is a kind
of language that you are unlikely to learn at school, and yet, it is
very common in everyday informal conversations. Some of the slang in
movies may even not be listed in dictionaries or only in specialized
works.
Culture
When
you watch movies, you're not only having a good time and improving
your English, you're also learning about culture. Movies in English
reflect the customs, traditions and way of life of the people living
in certain countries or regions. For instance, you may have seen in
some movies (American
Pie,
There's
Something about Mary,
etc.) that high school students in America have a formal dance at the
end of the school year called "the prom". Or how every 4th
of July people celebrate the Declaration of Independence. So, by
watching movies you will also learn about the way Americans, Britons,
Australians and other English-speaking people live and organize their
lives.
Watch,
enjoy and learn
When
you do something enjoyable you are more likely to remember what you
are doing. Likewise, if you watch movies you really like, you will be
able to assimilate and remember more of its vocabulary and grammar
than by doing, for example, some boring exercises. This, in turn,
will increase your motivation to learn more so you will be
continually improving your English.
