In our weekly Madrid Teacher video three teachers talk about the film The Shining, which gives us a great opportunity to get familiar with some of the features of spoken English native speakers use.
First of all, watch the video through to get the gist (the main idea) of the conversation.
Now watch the video again, paying attention to the following characteristics of the language the teachers use:
- Conversation fillers: Well; you know
- Reacting to what someone has just said: What?; echo questions (The Exorcist?)
- Introducing personal opinions: I personally think; for me
- Use of vague language: or anything like that
- Emphasizing what we are saying with adverbs: just; pretty; really
- Paraphrasing what we have just said to make ourselves clear: I mean
- Showing agreement: Yeah; Oh, yes, of course
Now it's over to you. If possible, get together with a friend or relative whose level of English is similar to yours and discuss a film that has made an impact on both of you. If you're the lone ranger sort of student, it would be a good idea that you recorded yourself talking about the film for, let's say, three minutes, and then go over the recording to try and spot any mistakes or any segments in which the words and sounds are not properly articulated.
Well, I’ve just read this article about how The Shining got voted as the best horror movie ever.
What?
I personally think it's, well, it’s my favorite horror movie. I can’t watch anything else, it’s gory or anything like that. For me The Shining is just great, it’s just that atmosphere.
I liked it [Yeah.] a lot too, I mean the acting was pretty good.
Yeah, Jack Nicholson he’s great, isn’t he?
Oh, yes, of course, Jack Nicholson is fantastic, and don't get me wrong, it's good, but the best? Such a superlative award for The Shining, with all the other films that are out there? Stephen King writes books for people who are flying or sitting in the park and they turn that into a film adaptation. It’s just one step further from the source. They…
So what, what film would you suggest or…?
The Exorcist.
The Exorcist?
The Exorcist.
That’s pretty good, that was pretty good.
But for me, for me The Shining just creates that atmosphere of tension and fear and it’s not explicit. I don't like these films, you know, that show a lot of blood and cutting of limbs and disgusting things… For me that’s not horror, that’s just disgusting.
Yeah.
That’s certainly catering to a specific audience.
Yeah but The Shining is… it’s the atmosphere it creates, you know, alone in the hotel and in the mountains with snow and… for me… I watch that film and I just feel like I’m really on edge…
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
… whereas another type of horror film with a lot of blood I just, I can’t watch that it’s just a, you know.
I can’t either. It’s disgusting.
I would say of all the films I've seen The Shining is probably the best.
