Question in understanding English · Let's Master English

12h (edited) • DDM Members

Question in understanding English

A phrasal word "throw tantrums" in DDM 1015 and my difficulty in understanding Alex's video suddenly remind me of something.

This phenomenon has been lingering in my mind for months. I'm afraid that'll be too long if I ask question in DDM document, so here it is.

Background:

I've been in LME for over a year, at least in DDM+PIRF for 13 months. Some friends might take my English as "good", not really, actually. My pronunciation in VIP live class, my performance in Camp's challenge and AE class, they all have huge potential, let's say it in a kind way to myself.

I scored my dictation since DDM 999, just out of curiosity. It ranges from 88% to 95%. This data can't be used to indicate anything, just my game, I love this. Or, it can provide me a vague impression, I'm getting better.

From DDM 1014, I begin to work on the blue ones. My mistake to show the score when uploading my dictation, no competition, plus, kind of ashamed. The blue ones are difficult, I once took them as monsters, now at least I have the courage to take this challenge, good for me.

Confusion:

I have this question a long time ago: I always try my best in dictation, let's say I got over 80% right in dictation, with the "active/analytical listening". The lost 20% include some very important or crucial information, which makes me not so easy to see the trees/branches. Yes, I'm not satified with just "forest".

But for other parts of our DDM videos, I only listen with "superficial listening", or "selective listening" at most. Then I couldn't understand much.

Trigger:

1.DDM 1015

We have "throw tantrums" in DDM 1015. When I did my homework, listening to it a lot of times, failed.

When I looked at the answer, light bulb in my mind: I know it! Not sure when, where, but I'm sure I know it! When I see this phrasal word in text, I know its meaning, but I can never write it correctly.

So, the levels of grasping a vocabulary in my mind:

<=20%, totally a stranger, can't understand it at all;

20%-40%, know the basic meaning when read it;

40%-60%, can write it down when hear it;

60%-80%, can think of it when I'm writing a passage or so;

>80%, can say it when communicate with someone instantly, no hesitation and thinking time.

Then "throw tantrums" is in my level two.

2. Alex's video

Alex creates and uploads a lot of excellent videos here, but without a script, I can't understand much. Forest of course, but I really want more.

He is kind to clarify anything if I have a question, but I don't have a specific question like Evelyne would ask whether he mentioned "Melpomene" the Muse of Tragedy? Evelyne is much more advanced, no competition still.

My question:

How could I understand English when listen to it superficially, or even passively?

If I read a word in one book, then 10 books, or 100 books of different themes and styles, will its level rise from 20% to 80%?

I'm not in a rush, not afraid of working hard, I just want to know the way.

My dream is, one day I could catch the sentence of others abroad randomly, maybe just pass by a couple and they're talking about something between them in a super casual way; laugh at the very second in a talk show/stand up; frown when some heavy news updated by the reporter on the line.

In brief, I want to get the meaning, emotion, core of any listening material without thinking about it, listening to it repetitively.

That's the destination of my English learning.

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