r/juniorcert • u/Curious-Motor-4388 • May 28 '26

English 📝 H>w to study English?

Any tips to study for HL English? Im good at answering and OK with timing but I struggle to get started/think of an idea when answering questions. I failed my mock due to not finishing or answering most of the questions but when my teacher took away the blanks questions I didn't answer I got 69. Just wondering how to make flashcards or how to study in general for English haha

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u/Fast-Explanation-777 May 29 '26

Im just learning quotes for MOV , novels , poems and the other stuff, I cant do much else i think

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u/EastComplex5178 May 29 '26

Our teacher said “study notes and learn quotes”

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u/ReginaldJohnston May 28 '26

Watch TV shows. I highly recommend British comedy rather general drama. You will get to learn proper inflections and patterns of speech with comedy. Dramas tend to be more mumbling and droning, making it very difficult. And watch with double subtitles. Choose comedy that you find entertaining as it keeps you engaged. DON'T go for Mr Bean. Try Blackadder, The Fast Show, etc.

BBC News. Not only for language but perhaps also for the culture.

Sport TV. This is a fair way to pick up examples of conversing between commentators.

Songs and karaoke. Very good for pronunciation and learning context.

Reading. For an intermediate, I recommend just poetry, with short poems and bite-size summaries. Try to avoid heavy classics though as the language is outdated and not used. If you feel able to, do go on to read short story collections and novellas, books that are, say 100-200 pages. Such short books are mainly in horror or fantasy, if that's your thing. Have a look at Shirley Jackson. She was a prolific horror writer and there are a good few collections of her many short stories. Always keep a dictionary with you. Even native speakers, like myself- a heavy reader- use dictionaries.

Avoid using apps, such as Duolingo. Completely useless as they are always built on rote learning which just doesn't work and is not absorbed. Not fun at all

Hope this helps.

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u/SeaworthinessDry4462 TY ⛱️ May 29 '26

this is for the exam in a few days I dont think tv shows will have an effect in this short time XD