3 TEDs a Month. Analysis on ESL point of view of the TED talk. Improve your English vocabulary and get inspired with new ideas!
Project Introduction
I am glad that I finally could start doing “3 TEDs a Month” plan. My plan is to post one TED talk every week on Tuesdays for this winter. I am going to select a talk that I particularly liked after watching a 10 talks or so in a month. They may be recent or classic one but, it will all be focused on one goal: to be a better English user, especially when you are college students or up. (Of course, myself is included in student list.)
Warning: the level of language used in Ted is usually advanced because speakers are experts who write journals so language level can be really hard for beginner level ESL speakers. However, if you are an advanced adult learner, it will help you a lot in improving vocabulary and getting some ideas on different fields of knowledge. I am going to give you a vocabulary list, a short summary marking key points, and review of the talk or comment. I am going to focus on three different themes a month, if that’s possible. Some of the themes include, science, psychology, politics, philosophy and so on. Hope it helps you to learn, and let’s get started on the first video.
Video
Watch this video. I recommend watching it twice. Once for content and twice with language goals.
Jane’s Summary
As the title tells, speaker talks about how you see yourself now is not how you will see yourself in the future, and the speaker calls this “illusion of continuity”. He gives an example, through what’s called “ship of Theseus”, which comes from Greek myth and throws a question, “If planks (creatures in the sea) all have covered the ship and the shape of the ship is not as it is before, is it a still a ship of Theseus?”. The answer is yes, you are not what you look like at one point, rather you are what you are made of and continuing changes associated with it. So, the lesson is thoughts that seem final now is actually not final, and you can do more than you think in the future, if you do three things, 1) stay curious, 2) practice humility (good heart), and 3) be brave.
Vocabulary/Expression List
- Ecstatic: fantastic, great
- Consider oneself: think about oneself as
- Be fan to: like something in great extent
- Incomprehensible: hard to understand
- Emerge from: start from or come from
- Anxiety: nervous feeling
- Upheavals: sudden and violent change
- Amorphous: not definitely shaped, you don’t know the shape of it
- Matter of life or death: very important, related to life and death span
- Prolong a suffering: to continue the pain
- Quantity and quality of life: how often you do things vs. good or bad result of things
- Fetal, incurable: usually used with disease, life-threatening and no way to get rid of the disease
- Advanced directive: medical document that you sign when you are unconscious.
- Die with dignity: to die with honor and not shame
- Thought experiment: thinking about what will happen.
- Profound: great and intense knowledge of.
- Views and perspectives: the way you see the world and ideas that drive this.
- Retribution and vengeance: thinking about past and being angry and thinking about revenge
- Antiquated: old-fashioned
- Absurd: stupid, unreasonable
- Wrestle with problem: try to solve problem
- Bewildered and resentful: being lost and regretting
- Avocation: your major job or major event of life
- Expand horizon: think outside the box or open up your views
- Capacities and strengths: what you can do and what you are good at.
I also made a vocabulary list on a website of words in the list. There are flashcards you can practice memorizing, listen to how the word sounds, and definitions from the dictionary. (Linked below):
https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/8652447
Comment
The speaker uses sophisticated and clear language, both academic and everyday English. Interesting ideas/philosophy related to psychology and how it changes our lives. The speaking speed is not too fast so it is easy to listen for ESL learners. I think it is great talk, especially because after pandemic that our thoughts and plans about future has shifted great time. – Jane
Level : high intermediate
I Hope it helped. Thanks. (Next post: Nov. 1st)