Do you ever get bored while studying?

Well, there are ways to excite your brain cells without using up too much energy. Get a good grasp of the English language while having fun with these activities.

First off, why “acquire a language” and not “learn a language”?

Language learning and acquisition are commonly interchanged. However, there are some differences. On one hand, language learning is more volitional, meaning that the person makes an effort to study the language either using his or her own will or because a teacher is directly teaching him or her. This can be in the form of schooling and taking online classes.

Meanwhile, language acquisition is more passive. In a way, learning happens without the person intending to do it. Instead, understanding of the language happens subconsciously when the person is unaware of the rules of grammar. Here are some ways to acquire language.

TV shows don’t use a direct method to teach a language, so choose a program that you can relate to. When the story of the show is aligned to your real life, then the meaning of words become easier to understand. If you’re in elementary school, you might enjoy cartoons like Phineas and Ferb or Teen Titans. If you’re a teenager, you might relate to Glee or Gossip Girl. If you’re a businessman, you might learn a thing or two when you watch House of Lies or The Apprentice. The choices are endless.

Spoken language often uses common words. You can use the words or sentences you hear the characters say in real life because they are practical. You can use them to communicate with other people.

Even better, research shows that when you hear a word used in context, it makes you remember the word better. This is good to reinforce what you learn in your English class.

This takes the least effort to do. Just plug in your ear phones and walk your way to school or to the office.

Engaging in fun activities relaxes you. When you are relaxed, you have fewer worries, so learning comes naturally without you even knowing! Choose music that you like and listen to it whenever you get bored. If you have no clue what to start listening to, you can never go wrong with The Beatles.

Similar to when listening to conversations in TV shows, listening to music reinforces words and sentences you already learned before. Repetition in music also helps. When the song’s rhythm and the words become familiar, you start learning its meaning – if that’s your thing.

Or anything that has images, for that matter. You may choose to read a magazine, a picture book, or comics in English. Theory has it that images can clarify unfamiliar words. When you encounter an unfamiliar word in English, you can use both the image on the page and your own imagination to understand it. Of course, it can still help to have a dictionary handy. Even better, you can get an illustrated dictionary.

If you are new to comics, you can start with The Adventures of Tintin or read comic strips like Peanuts.

Putting your English-speaking skills into actual practice might be the toughest one in this list. However, chat rooms or comment sections (over on social media sites) are not as strict as your English teacher. Errors in grammar will not make you lose points. The important part is you say a keyword clearly.

Writing is easier than public speaking. You collect your thoughts first before you write, and you can still correct yourself once you are done writing. In a way, writing is an affirmation of the new words you acquired and the grammar patterns you learned. However, instead of being graded like when you write an essay for your homework, chat rooms do not score you. You can even gain new friends over on social networking sites like Facebook. Or you can use RareJob’s app, Chatty.

No matter what your current English proficiency is, these activities will help you become more interested in learning English and help reinforce your learnings from your classes.

A structured way of learning is still important. These are just ways to supplement your language learning and – at times – to help keep you awake when classes get boring.

References:

Derrick, Justine. (2008). Using Comics with ESL/EFL Students. The Internet TESL Journal, Volume XIV, No. 7. Retrieved from: http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Derrick-UsingComics.html

Medina, Suzanne L., et. Al. (2002). Using Music to Enhance Second Language Acquisition: From Theory to Practice. Scribd. Retrieved from: https://www.scribd.com/document/125157425/Using-Music-to-Enhance-Second-Language-Acquisition-From-Theory-to-Practice

Nagel, Donovan. (n.d.). How To Unintentionally Learn A Foreign Language. The Mezzofanti Guild. Retrieved from: http://www.mezzoguild.com/incidental-language-acquisition/