Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
Watch a movie repeatedly, with the appropriate language and subtitles, to fine tune your hearing to the nuances of the language in question. Of course, the source material should focus on a reasonable social setting... Medical dramas and police procedurals can be very useful, urban comedies... less so.  |
Thank you all! The quote above is a good example of those comments I've read here on MR which really brought me thrill and delight. You know, such phrases as "fine tune your hearing to the nuances of the language in question". How beautiful!
I'm particularly addicted to books written in Victorian period like "Frankenstein" or "Pride and Prejudice" (please correct me if I'm wrong) due to their flowery language use. But I'm afraid people do not really speak like that nowadays. How would you feel if I apply such language in my comments here? Would it sound natural?
I also heard that some people even learned by heart the sentences or even paragraphs they liked. Have anybody here ever done that?
Quote:
Originally Posted by induna
I have been learning Spanish as a third language since I was planning to move to Spanish speaking country. I found that reading was a huge help in acquiring vocabulary, internalizing gramatical constructions, and writing. I found novels to be the best for learning vocabulary, the best usage of the various past tenses, proper use of the subjunctive, and more subtle grammar. Newspapers are great for current usage, and, of course, many of the 'nuts and bolts' words you use day to day. I also think it is ideal to use a proper dictionary when possible, and not a translating dictionary, while reading. It also helps a lot to read good quality prose.
|
One problem in terms of vocabulary (maybe it's just me) is that they tend to be "passive" (not used in speech or writing). Do you practice with words/phrases you pick up in books or they just go into your head and become "active" after a while?