SOFT SKILLS-IV (Elective)

Master English

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 SOFT SKILLS-IV (Elective)
Master English
Course Content
Unit 1 : Integrated Reading-Listening Skills

 Reading a variety of texts

 Comprehension and discussion
 Listening for effective communication
 Eliciting information through focused listening
 Initiate dialogues and debates based on reading and listening

Unit 2 : Building Vocabulary

 Identifying appropriate words for different situations/occasions

 Understand word roots and origins
 Most commonly used words
 Foreign words
 Idioms and phrases

Unit 3 : Media Medium

 Develop listening through news and current affairs

 Reading and discussing world affairs
 Film screening and reviewing
 Appreciation of online content
 Creating an awareness campaign on social media

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 MASTER ENGLISH
UNIT I

Integrated Reading- Listening Skills

Reading a variety of texts
Sharing lots of different kinds, or genres, of books exposes students to new words,
different kinds of images, and whole new worlds.

It's important to read a wide variety of books.

Fantasy/Science Fiction
From talking dogs to imaginary underground worlds, fantasy books contain
elements that are not possible in real life. Cornelia Funke, J. K. Rowling and
Lemony Snicket are all authors to consider within the fantasy genre.
Historical Fiction
Well written historical fiction helps past events come alive for students. With
topics as wide ranging as pioneer life and ancient civilizations, books within this
genre awakens the interest towards h
Biography
Biographies have a way of inspiring students. The best ones introduce famous
presidents, inventors, educators and scientists.
Informational Books
What makes a volcano erupt? How tall is the tallest man? Where does the word
pumpkin come from? Students ask many questions, and reference books help
them find the answers.

Poetry

Poetry just isn't as widely read as it should be. Poetry is often shorter too, which
makes the task of reading less overwhelming for new or reluctant readers.

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Nonfiction books present real information in engaging and interesting ways.

Talk about nonfiction

Begin by explaining that the book you're about to share is nonfiction. That means
that the book will give us information that is true. The book will be organized
around a specific topic or idea, and we may learn new facts through reading.

Be the reading boss

Nonfiction books do not have to be read from cover to cover. Readers can use the
table of contents and index to jump right to the information they are most
interested in. However, if your reader wants to read from cover to cover,
encourage him to use the table of contents to understand how the book is
organized. As natural learners, young readers are drawn to books that give
information about something or explain something they've always wondered
about. With a little help and guidance about reading nonfiction, you can feel good
about introducing students to a new world of information.

Comprehension and discussion

Classroom discussions about texts are thought to provide a powerful vehicle for
deepening students’ understanding of texts they read and for fostering their
general comprehension abilities.
The CCDD (Catalysing Comprehension through Discussion and Debate)
study focuses on reading for understanding. In our view, robust understanding
requires students to engage in perspective taking, complex reasoning, and
academic language skills.

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The CCDD study explored the potential of well-structured discussion to serve as
a context for acquiring deep comprehension skills and for motivating knowledge
construction from texts. We believe that discussion also offers a way to reveal
student understandings and progress to teachers. For students at all skill levels,
discussion provides opportunity for supported practice with perspective taking,
complex reasoning, and skilled use of academic language.

For students with below-grade-level reading skills, we believe that classroom

discussion is particularly important. It provides a critical opportunity for exposure
to the academic language and higher-order reasoning skills required in the middle
grades. These students struggle when their only contact with the necessary
academic language and higher-order reasoning skills is in written form, in their
textbooks. Classroom discourse is, we argue, the most promising leverage point
for supporting critical reasoning based on a text.

Listening for effective communication

Listening is a highly valued soft skill sought by all employers. After all, people
with this ability are more likely to understand tasks and projects, build strong
relationships with co-workers, and also be able to solve problems and resolve
conflicts.

Since it's such an in-demand skill, employers will look for you to demonstrate
your ability to listen during job interviews. Discover why good listening skills are
vital in the workplace, along with how to build good listening habits while
avoiding bad ones.

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Listening involves receiving sound, understanding the message conveyed in the
sounds you hear, evaluating the message, and responding to it. People with good
listening skills are able to comprehend what they hear and respond appropriately.
Active Listening

There are two components to active listening in the workplace: attention and
reflection.

Paying Attention

Attention involves holding eye contact, nodding, having good posture, and
mirroring the speaker’s body language to show genuine interest in what they're
saying.

Good listeners always strive to fully understand what others want to

communicate, particularly when the statement lacks clarity. Listening requires
the ability to decode and interpret verbal messages and nonverbal cues, like tone
of voice, facial expressions, and physical posture.

Active listeners also show their curiosity by asking questions. Do this, and you
will make a great impression.

Through body language and other cues, good listeners subtly communicate to the
speaker that they're listening. Additionally, they encourage and welcome the
thoughts, opinions, and feelings of others.

One way to demonstrate active listening is to allow the interviewer to complete

each question and statement before responding. Do not interrupt and be sure that
your response genuinely answers the question.

Here are examples of effective listening in the workplace:

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  A job candidate shares her understanding of an unclear question during an
interview and asks if she has it right.
 An interviewer notices that a candidate doesn't look her in the eye when
asserting a key strength.
 A customer service worker repeats a patron’s problem or complaint back
to her to reassure her that she has been heard.
 A counsellor nods and says, "I hear you," to encourage a client to continue
to talk about their traumatic experience.
 A meeting facilitator encourages a reticent group member to share her
views about a proposal.
 An interviewer asks a follow-up question to gain further clarification on
the ways in which a candidate has applied a critical skill in a past job.
 A manager summarizes what her team has said during a staff meeting and
asks them if she has heard things correctly.
 At the end of a performance review, an employee restates the specific areas
in which his supervisor asks he improve.
 At a client meeting, a salesperson asks an open-ended question like, "What
can I do to serve you better?" and encourages his counterpart to express
any concerns fully.
 A nurse informs a patient that she is aware of how scared they are about
their upcoming surgery and says she is there for her.
 An employee pays careful attention to a speaker at a training session and
asks clarifying questions about the information they are receiving.

When Your Listening Skills Need Improvement

Interrupting

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Interrupting indicates that your listening skills are underdeveloped. Likewise,
responding in a way that fails to answer the question will reflect poorly on your
listening skills, especially in a job interview.

Talking Too Much

Talking too much is also problematic, as proper conversations should be well

balanced, with every party involved getting equal time to speak. Monopolizing a
conversation prevents you from listening and the other party from fully
expressing what they want to say. In the end, this will lead to you making a poor
impression.

Being Distracted

Looking distracted is also a quality of a poor listener. This could involve anything
from avoiding eye contact to checking your phone or watch while someone else
is talking.

Focused Listening

There is a distinct difference between ‘listening’ and ‘hearing.’ Though

seemingly similar, the two words are different with emphasis on the
conscious effort taken by students. Hearing is a function of the ears, while
listening requires a conscious effort from our side to hear and understand
what is being said. With the entry of technology, students’ attention is
being diverted away from the lecture to texts and tweets. A student who is
not listening to a lecture is almost certainly not learning anything. Thus, in
order to ensure that learning occurs, it is essential that students are taught
the technique of active or focused listening.

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Focused listening is a strategy that guides students to listen closely to a text. It
helps students listen attentively with no distractions and to identify key points and
ideas.
Benefits of focused learning
Apart from developing the student’s listening abilities, focused listening also
improves their ability to generate stimulating questions, to critically analyze their
learning process and to reflect on what they have learned, all of which contributes
to positive learning in the classroom.
Initiate dialogues and debates based on reading and listening

The best place to start with any form of debate, is to first focus on the
listening skills. We’re all guilty of participating in a dialogue, but not really
being present for the content. In order to truly be involved, we must
remember that the listening is just as important as the speaking.

Encourage the ability to define a debate

When we consider the significance of listening, this is particularly important

when students begin to recognise that effective debates need to include an active
dialogue. This needs to be developed and formulated through research, prepared,
but also reactive responses that have been formulated based on the information
provided. Debate needs to be appreciated as fluid and interchangeable, as opposed
to stagnant and clear cut. By learning how to listen and adapt, this allows students
to gain an integral life skill that they will need to utilise in later life.

In order to support the development of a suitable climate for debate,

providing bespoke and prepared topic points can often be instrumental in
laying the foundations of communication. The more confident a student
feels about the subject that is being discussed, the more likely they are to

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 contribute in some form. However, once this confidence is developed, it is
important to expose students to a variety of topics and focus points.

As debate may cover particularly sensitive subjects, it is vital that students

are provided with an understanding of acceptance and tolerance. By
considering different opinions or thoughts, this will allow students to
approach these sessions in a manner that promotes equality, and respect
from all participants.

Preparation is the key

This is the element of debating that turns a rant into an argument; where chaos
becomes control, and interpretations can be justified.

The ability to prepare for a debate is integral to success. In the same way, the skill
of preparation and planning can then be transferred into all subjects and all
situations where someone is either required to provide an extended written or oral
response.

To provide outside contextualisation, various jobs are now requesting potential

applicants to provide a short presentation on a particular topic. Others,
particularly those participating in managerial interviews, are requested to
complete a written task that gauges their ability to articulate their competence.
The ability to prepare and plan ahead is crucial to success. Although we can often
be partial to the temptation to ‘wing it’, more often than not, these situations lead
to less clarity, less comprehension, and less of a high calibre response as opposed
to a calm and collected counterpart who has prepared and is ready for whatever
may come their way.

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 Building Vocabulary
UNIT II

Common Phrases for Different Situations

There are many ways to say the same thing. As English speakers, we play with
language to make it more interesting and descriptive. Here are some examples of
everyday phrases and some more natural ways to say those same phrases.

How are you?

When learning English, many people learn the question, ‘How are you?’ and the
response, ‘I’m fine, thank you. And you?’ This can sound robotic to native English
speakers. Here are some more common phrases.

What’s new?

What’s up? - These are all ways to ask there is anything

What have you been up to? new happening in life; new job, new clothes, or
a new experience like going to a museum.
What did you get up to
(yesterday)?
How are things? - These questions mean the same as ‘How are

How’s it going? you?’, just in a more natural way.

I’m fine, thank you. And you?

This response is very generic, and the listener may not believe that’s how you really
feel. Some more believable responses are:

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Great!
- Here, you would say these responses when
Excellent!
something has happened, and you want to share it.
Awesome!
Pretty good. - This means the same as good.
- These are neutral responses where things in your life
Same as always.
are okay.
Can’t complain.

Could be better. - Here are negative responses that tell the listener that

Not so good. you are going to share negative information.

Thank you.
The phrase, ‘Thank you’ is an acceptable response that people use often. Here are
some other ways to say thank you.

Thanks.
- You want to show that person that you want to do
I appreciate it. something for them because they did something for
you.
I owe you one.

You’re Welcome.
Again, many people respond to ‘Thank you’ with ‘You’re welcome.’ Here are some
other ways to say the same thing.

- We say this because we are trying to tell the person

Don’t mention it.
they don’t have to say ‘thank you.’

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My pleasure.

No problem. - We want to show that we enjoyed helping that person.

No worries.

I don’t know.
Here are some other phrases that mean the same as ‘I don’t know’.

I’m not sure.

I can’t help you.

I have no idea.

Beats me.

I agree.
It may sound a bit robotic to say, ‘I agree’. Here are some natural ways to show you’re
on the same page as the speaker.

Exactly.

Absolutely.

That’s so true.

That’s for sure.

I agree 100%.

I couldn’t agree more.

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I disagree.
Saying the phrase, ‘I disagree’, can sound too strong. Some more polite phrases to use
when disagreeing are:

I’m not so sure about that.

Not necessarily.

How’s the weather?

When answering this question, many people would say, ‘It’s hot’ or ‘It’s cold’. The
weather is a common topic, so having a variety of descriptive phrases is key.

It’s boiling

It’s a little chilly.

It’s freezing.
I can hardly keep my eyes open.

It’s expensive/It’s cheap.

People like to be more descriptive when talking about the price of something. Some
examples are:

It costs a fortune.
- We say this when we think the price of something is too
That’s a bit pricey.
high for its value.
That’s a rip-off.
That’s quite reasonable.
- This means the price is extremely low.
That’s a good deal.

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It’s dirt cheap.

I’m hungry.
We are also very descriptive when talking about food. Here are some sentences to use
when discussing food.

I’m starving. - We want to show that we need to eat very soon.

I’m stuffed. - We say this when we have eaten too much.

- We use these phrases when we want to get food from
Let’s grab a bite to eat.
a
Let’s eat out tonight.
restaurant.

Understand word roots and origins

What is a Root Word?

The English language can have some pretty big words
like unexpectedly and philanthropist, but many of those long words are really just
a smaller word or root with letters or other roots added to them to make a bigger
word. A root word is a word that does not have any other parts added to it like
prefixes, suffixes or other roots. A prefix is a group of letters that contain
meaning that is added to the beginning of a root word and a suffix is a group of
letters that contain meaning that is added to the end of a word. Prefixes and
suffixes are part of a grammar group called affixes. Root words can be further
placed into two categories: Base and root. Base words are English words with
affixes added to them. Roots are derived from Latin or Greek and do not stand

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alone as a word in English. Some examples of base roots words with and without
their affixes are:

Word Root Word

impossible possible

believable believe

jumped jump

skipping skip

unexpectedly expect

Roots that come from Greek or Latin words are combined with other roots or
affixes to make a word. These roots are harder to identify because they are not
not stand alone words used in English without adding other parts. The
word maternal means motherly in English. The root of maternal is the Latin
root mater which means mother. But mater does not stand alone as an English
word. The same can be said about the word dehydrate, which means; to cause a
loss of water. The root of dehydrate is the Greek root hydr which means water
and just like the Latin root from the previous example, hydr is not an English
word.

How to Find the Root of a Word?

Finding the root word of a long word can be tricky depending on what type of
root the word has. If the root word is a regular English word, then looking for
affixes on the end or beginning of the word is the first place to start. Think of the
root word like an old house that has some new additions added to it. It's usually
pretty easy to see what parts have been added to the original old house. The

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word maladjusted is a pretty long word, but it has a suffix of ed and a prefix
of mal., When those affixes are taken away, the root word is adjust.

Finding the root word when the root is Latin or Greek is more difficult because
the Latin and Greek roots don't usually stand up as their own word in English.
Take the word thermometer which has a Greek root. The initial thought would be
that the word meter must be the base with an affix of thermo added to it.
But thermo means heat in Greek so it's the root and meter is added to indicate
measuring. As a learner becomes more familiar with common Latin and Greek
roots, it will become easier to identify them in a word.

Common Latin Roots

Latin Root Definition Examples

ambi both ambiguous, ambidextrous

aqua water aquarium, aquamarine

aud to hear audience, audition

bene good benefactor, benevolent

cent one hundred century, percent

circum around circumference, circumstance

contra/counter against contradict, encounter

dict to say dictation, dictator

duc/duct to lead conduct, induce

fac to do; to make factory, manufacture

form shape conform, reform

fort strength fortitude, fortress

fract to break fracture, fraction

ject throw projection, rejection

jud judge judicial, prejudice

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Common Greek Roots

Greek Root Definition Examples

anthropo man; human; humanity anthropologist, philanthropy

auto self autobiography, automobile

bio life biology, biography

chron time chronological, chronic

dyna power dynamic, dynamite

dys bad; hard; unlucky dysfunctional, dyslexic

gram thing written epigram, telegram

graph writing graphic, phonograph

hetero different heteronym, heterogeneous

homo same homonym, homogenous

hydr water hydration, dehydrate

hypo below; beneath hypothermia, hypothetical

logy study of biology, psychology

meter/metr measure thermometer, perimeter

micro small microbe, microscope

mis/miso hate misanthrope, misogyny

mono one monologue, monotonous

morph form; shape morphology, morphing

nym name antonym, synonym

phil love philanthropist, philosophy

phobia fear claustrophobia, phobic

phon sound phone, symphony

photo/phos light photograph, phosphorous

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Foreign Words

Foreign words used in English www.teachingenglish.org.uk English was

originally brought to what is now called Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers from
northwest Germany, West Denmark and the Netherlands. But the language that
we nowadays call English has been changed almost out of recognition by the
passing of time, and even more influentially, the impact of other languages. It is
estimated that words borrowed from other languages make up around 80% of the
English language. As the author James D. Nicoll has noted: ‘We don't just borrow
words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.” One of the reasons
why English has such a huge vocabulary- estimated to be more than two million
words, though not all are in current use- is that English has borrowed words from
up to 350 other languages. Some of the biggest contributions come from Latin
and Greek, and French- via the Norman invasion of 1066. We easily recognise
such words as café and entrepreneur as being French, but a lot of much older
words are too. For example, most of the words for meat, such as beef, mutton and
pork come from French, and this explains why they are so different from the
words we use to describe the animals themselves. Arabic has given the language
many words that most people would not recognise as anything but English. For
example, admiral, caravan and candy. And the time the British spent in India, as
a colonial power, has given the language words Hindi or Urdu words such as
bungalow, pyjamas, khaki and shampoo. And then there are more modern
borrowings, such as anime, tsunami and rickshaw from Japanese, guerrilla and
cockroach (cucaracha) from Spanish, rucksack and delicatessen from German,
broccoli and graffiti from Italian and glitch and bagel from Yiddish. It is often
remarked that English spelling and pronunciation is confusing and unpredictable,
but once we start to recognise what a hotchpotch (derived from French) the
language actually is, it all starts to make more sense.

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FOREIGN
WORDS LANGUAGE & MEANING
Alma Latin. The school, college or a university that one has
mater attended
Au revoir French. Used to express farewell
Bona fide Latin. Made or carried out in good faith; sincere
French. A broad city street. Often tree-lined and
Boulevard landscaped
French. A characteristic manner or style of preparing
Cuisine food
De facto Latin. In reality or fact
En route French. On or along the way
Latin. Spoken, carried out or composed with little or
Extempore no preparation or forethought
Gourmet French. A connoisseur of fine food and drink
In absentia Latin. While or although not present; in absence.
In
memoriam Latin. In memory of; as a memorial to
Magnum Latin. A great work especially a literacy or artistic
opus masterpiece.
Prima
facie Latin. At first sight; before closer inspection
French. A brief account of one’s professional or work
Résumé experience and qualification
Versus Latin. Against
Via Latin. By way of
Latin. With the order or meaning reversed;
Vice versa conversely

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 Viva voce Latin. By word of mouth

English Words of Indian Origin

Bandana (Hindi) a large, colourful
handkerchief
Catamaran an early-17th
(Tamil) century word that
means a yacht or a
boat
Curry (Tamil) a gravy-based dish
made with meat
and/or vegetables
and strong spices.
Shampoo (Hindi) a liquid
preparation for
washing hair, a
common
household item.

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms and Phrases: Idioms and Phrases are an integral part of the English
language and are commonly used to make sentences fascinating. Idioms are often
used in stories, poems and even in spoken words. The origins of these idioms are
not always known, but they are said to originate from stories and creative writing
and are modified over time. Phrases are unlike idioms, they are actually direct

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and to the point. They do not have figurative meanings, the expression means
what the words indicate

Idioms Definition

Idioms are the combination of words that convey a separate meaning altogether.
Idioms are an expression or way of speaking that is used in the common
vocabulary. For example, If you say you “Smell a rat” you don't literally mean
that you are smelling a rat. “Smell a rat” is an idiom that means “to sense that
someone has caused something wrong.”

Idioms Examples

Let's understand Idioms with a few examples as below-

1. Be hand and foot means to complete any task In all possible ways or by all
means

2. Be in the swim means To keep oneself informed and up-to-date

3. Can’t cut the mustard means Someone who is not adequate enough to
compete or participate.

4. Beat around the bush means Trying to avoid a subject/person/situation

5. Kill two birds with one stone means Accomplish two things with the same
effort

6. Beating a Dead Horse means Giving time or energy to something that is

ended or over

7. Costs an Arm and a Leg means Something that is overpriced or very

expensive

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Phrases Definition

Phrases could be defined as a collection of words that stands together as a single

unit in a sentence, typically as part of a clause or a sentence. Phrases are just a
unit of a sentence; hence they do not express a complete statement.

Phrases Examples

Let's understand Phrases with a few examples as below-

1. The glass of water was on the shelf.

2. The employees were giggling and laughing when the manager left the room

3. The nice neighbour offered him a glass of juice.

4. There's a chemist around the corner.

5. My English teacher teaches the English language proficiently.

6. It has been raining heavily for the last few days.

Idioms and Phrases Examples

In the following table, we have enlisted some Idioms and Phrases along with the
meaning of the idiom/phrase.

Idioms/Phrases Meaning

Tie the knot to marry a mate

The ball is in your court one needs to take some action to keep something going

A piece of cake something easily achieved

A picture paints a thousand an image of a subject conveys its meaning or essence more effectively
words than a description does.

Bed of roses an easy, comfortable situation.

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To make a long story short used to end an account of events quickly

Smell a rat to sense that someone has caused something wrong

a supposed power to know or feel things that are not perceptible by the
Sixth sense
five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Rome was not built in a day Important work takes time

Turn a blind eye pretend not to notice.

Don't put all your eggs in a piece of advice which means that one should not concentrate all efforts
one basket and resources in one area.

Through thick and thin under all circumstances, no matter how difficult

Rise and shine Wake up and get out of bed promptly

Wet one’s whistle have a drink

Put the best foot forward Start impressively

Stick one’s neck out To take a risk

Bear the palm Be victorious

From the horse’s mouth From a reliable source

Fool’s errand Useless undertaking

Be hand and foot In all possible ways; by all means

Gray matter Intelligence

Hear it on grapevine To hear rumours about something or someone

Bend over backwards Do whatever it takes to help, willing to do anything

Get your walking papers Get fired from the job

For the time being Temporarily

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Lock and key In safe place

Cast a shadow on Spoil or let down

In the face of Regardless

Whole bag of tricks Make use of all the possibilities or techniques to achieve something.

Dog eat dog Ruthlessly competitive

Vote with one’s feet To show disapproval

Wipe the nose of To Cheat

Cork something up To stop up one's mouth and be quiet

Cook someone’s goose Spoil other person’s chances of success

Sink or swim Fail or succeed

Hit the road running Start something and proceed at a fast pace with enthusiasm

To accept the authority or policies of a particular group, especially

To toe the line
unwillingly

Spelled Out explain something explicitly

Throw caution to the wind do something without worrying about the risk or negative results

On thin ice in a precarious or risky situation

a wild goose chase a search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time

head over heels falling deeply in love with another person

at eleventh hour last moment or almost late

On cloud nine being extremely happy making the sentence contextually incorrect.

a person or thing with no protection against an attack or other source of

A sitting duck
danger

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Spilling the beans reveal secret information unintentionally or indiscreetly

Scot-free without suffering any punishment or injury

An arm and a leg phrase is used to refer something that is very expensive

Bread and butter in reference to something every day or ordinary

Grow into become as a result of natural development or gradual increase

Put Off to postpone or arrange a later date

Iron out to resolve by discussion

Tear up To destroy or severely damage something

Clam up To refuse to speak

Think back recall a past event or time

Wear off lose effectiveness or intensity

an act of catching up or matching someone or something in a particular

Catch up
activity

Too many cooks spoil the if too many people are involved in a task or activity, it will not be done
broth well.

said when something, especially money, is easily got and then soon spent
Easy come, easy go
or lost

To spin one's wheels waste one's time or efforts

To be pushing up daisies dead and buried

To kick the bucket: to die

All good things must come

everything that one is fond off comes to an end, eventually
to an end

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 family relationships and loyalties are the strongest and most important
Blood is thicker than water
ones

All bark and no bite threatening, aggressive, but not willing to engage in a fight

An axe to grind To have a complaint or dispute that one feels compelled to discuss

All in the same boat in the same situation; having the same problem

All Greek to me expressing that something is not understandable

To bend over backwards to work very hard to accomplish something for someone

No man is an island to require help from other every now and then because of one’s limitations

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 UNIT 3

Media Medium

Develop Listening through news and current affairs

Learning English through the news is a great way to improve your vocabulary,
listening and discussion skills. You can choose from written, audio, video and
live TV news with options both on- and offline.

CLEAR ENGLISH

Most journalists and newsreaders write and speak using Standard English and
express themselves well. Their job is to give facts and summarise events for the
public. English news can be easier for ESL learners to understand because it has
a clear context and presentation. It also provides you with unlimited access to the
modern language used by English native speakers today.

Modern news media is a constant stream of real-life English conversations and

fresh information! Even the word ‘news’ comes from the Latin term ‘nova’,
meaning ‘new things’. When you learn English through the news you have the
chance to find out what is happening in the world right now and to interact with
stories via comments, social media and discussion.

READ, WATCH, LISTEN

English news comes in many different forms and this gives you greater choice
when learning the language. If you prefer reading, there are online newspapers
and simpler news websites for ESL students. If you want to improve your
listening and vocabulary skills, there are also TV news channels, YouTube
videos, radio stations and podcasts. Popular stories often appear in all of these
formats

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The news media can be your own “personal classroom” as it helps you to learn
and understand real-life English. News writing is clear and uses sentences that
are short and direct. This makes it easier to understand and use for reading
practice. In contrast, literature and factual books use more complicated sentences
and vocabulary, which makes them harder to understand.

Let’s look at some useful tips to help you improve your English with news:

1. Write down new vocabulary (but not EVERY word!)

When you read, watch or listen to English news, you will find lots of unfamiliar
words and expressions. Keep a pen and notebook handy so you can write down
the best and most useful vocabulary. It is a good idea to group sets of vocab
together – e.g. politics, war/conflict, celebrity gossip (colloquial), sport, etc.
Make separate categories in your notebook to learn words thematically: topic,
word/expression, phonetic transcription, meaning in English, translation, and an
example in context.

NOTE: Only write down vocabulary that you see repeated several times. If you
try to learn every expression you find, you will not remember it! This is especially
true for vocabulary that is rarely used in English.

2. Read news articles aloud or use “shadowing”

This is a speaking exercise that can help you improve your pronunciation and
remember new vocabulary. Try reading a news article aloud and make pencil
notes on paper whenever you find a new word that is unfamiliar in meaning or
pronunciation. You can then look it up in a good online dictionary. If you are
listening to or watching news in English, then you can try “shadowing”: get the
text (transcript) and read along with the native speaker.

3. Make short news summaries

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This is a great way to test your understanding when reading news articles in
English. The exercise is to skim read a piece of news and pick out the main points.
It is easier to do this if you print the article and then use a highlighter pen. Once
you have your main points, you can rephrase them in short bullet points. Ask your
teacher or study buddy to check your summary.

4. Watch TV news to improve your listening

Watching TV news regularly 100% improves your listening comprehension

speed. The images on the screen tell the story and help you to understand what
the newsreader is saying. Listening to English news is like learning to play the
piano – you start by playing very slowly, but with practice your speed improves
a lot!

Live TV news and video clips offer you the opportunity to learn English in a more
visual way. Video news helps improve your listening skills, pronunciation and
vocabulary.

LIVE TV NEWS

If you want to understand live English TV news, then you need to watch it every
day. Just 15-20 minutes per day can help to develop your listening skills and
vocabulary. If possible, it is always a good idea to watch the news with English
subtitles. Newsreaders often speed quickly so transcripts are helpful.
Film reviews

The film review is a popular way for critics to assess a film’s overall quality and
determine whether or not they think the film is worth recommending. Film
reviews differ from scholarly film articles in that they encompass personal and
idiosyncratic reactions to and evaluations of a film, as well as objective analyses
of the film’s formal techniques and thematic content.

Preparing to Write the Review

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While film reviews tend to be fairly short (approximately 600 to 1200 words),
they require a lot of preparation before you begin writing. Prior to viewing the
film, you may want to get a sense of the bodies of work by the director, writer, or
individual actor. For instance, you may watch other films by the same director or
writer in order to get a sense of each individual style. This will enable you to
contextualize the film and determine whether it works as a continuation and/or
disruption within the broad trends of the director’s or writer’s work. Writing a
film review often requires multiple viewings of the film. Plan to watch the film
two or even three times. During the first viewing, surrender yourself to the
cinematic experience; in other words, get lost in the narrative and enjoy the film
without worrying about the argument you will eventually cultivate. During your
second viewing, try distancing yourself from the plot and instead focus on
interesting elements of the film that you can highlight in the review. You may
separate these elements into two broad categories: 1) formal techniques such as
cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene, lighting, diegetic and non-diegetic
sound, genre, or narratology, and 2) thematic content that resonates with issues
such as history, race, gender, sexuality, class, or the environment. After watching
the film a second time, take careful notes on the formal and thematic elements of
the film. Then attempt to create a central idea for your review that brings together
the film’s formal and thematic elements. If your second viewing does not yield a
strong central claim for the review or if you need to take more notes, you may
have to watch the film or parts of the film a third time.

Writing the Film Review

Although there is not a set formula to follow when writing a film review, the
genre does have certain common elements that most film reviews include.

1) Introduction - In the opening of your review, provide some basic information

about the film. You may include film’s name, year, director, screenwriter, and
major actors. - Your introduction, which may be longer than one paragraph,

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should also begin to evaluate the film, and it should allude to the central concept
of the review. A film review does not have to contain a thesis or main claim, but
it should focus on a central analysis and assessment.

2) Plot Summary - Remember that many readers of film reviews have not yet
seen the film. While you want to provide some plot summary, keep this brief and
avoid specific details that would spoil the viewing for others.

3) Description - While the plot summary will give the reader a general sense of
what the film is about, also include a more detailed description of your particular
cinematic experience watching the film. This may include your personal
impression of what the film looks, feels, and sounds like. In other words, what
stands out in your mind when you think about this particular film?

4) Analysis - In order to explain your impression of the film, consider how well
the film utilizes formal techniques and thematic content. How do the film’s
formal techniques (such as cinematography, editing, mise-en-scène, lighting,
diegetic and non-diegetic sound, genre, or narrative) affect the way the film looks,
feels, and sounds to you? How does the thematic content (such as history, race,
gender, sexuality, class, or the environment) affect your experience and
interpretation? Also, do the formal techniques work to forward the thematic
content?

5) Conclusion/Evaluation - The closing of your film review should remind the

reader of your general thoughts and impressions of the film. You may also
implicitly or explicitly state whether or not you recommend the film. Make sure
to remind the reader of why the film is or is not worth seeing.

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