English 'English Interpretation through Rules and Patterns' (3)

7. What kind of study method is effective?

Concrete study methods

Considering the original radio course and the textbooks from that time, I think the following method is the most effective.

1. Create your own translation in a notebook
2. Prepare a copy of the problem text.
3. Copy the shaded parts of the explanation into your notebook. Of course, you can also print out what you typed on a computer.
For example, in the case of 《2》

I think it will look something like this.
4. While reading the main text, write the corresponding parts of the shaded sections (1), (2), etc., onto the copy you made in step 3.
For example, in the case of 《2》,

As shown above, write (1) under 'because'.

5. Check your own translation while reading through like this.
If you made a mistake, check where your translation went wrong and what kind of error caused the incorrect translation, then correct it.

6. Go back to the beginning again, and prepare a small notebook specifically for words and idioms you didn't remember, summarizing them with English on the left page and Japanese on the right page to memorize them.
Make sure to memorize them only by the meaning that appeared in the text. Be careful not to be greedy and spread yourself too thin, or you will end up with nothing.

7. Finally, let's read it aloud about 5 times.
Reading English aloud when you already understand the meaning will definitely improve your English proficiency.

8. Once you have finished going through it, try translating it yourself again the next day.

Let's do our best up to 《40》 in this way. Since 《26》, 《27》, 《28》, 《30》, 《33》, and 《35》 each have two English texts, it might be better to split them over two days. However, in that case (especially if you are an examinee), I think it is better to try your best to do the three in the 30s in one day. Of course, you can also work hard and keep a pace of one day per lecture.

Once you have finished going through it like this, try translating it all at once from the beginning again. You should find that you can translate the beginning so smoothly that it feels ridiculous.

After finishing 'English Interpretation through Rules and Patterns'

Once this is finished, 'English Translation Exercises' should be completed all at once. And if you have more time or want to make English your competitive subject, I think you should tackle 'English Interpretation Classroom'. If you don't have much time, finish the intermediate/advanced levels of 'English Translation Exercises' (or from the basic level if you are anxious) and solve as many past exam questions as possible.

8. A slightly unusual way to use it

Use it for listening and speaking

By the time you finish this book, you will have 45 passages that you have read thoroughly and understand well.

While having these read aloud by an English text-to-speech site or software, make sure not to rush and thoroughly perform overlapping starting from (2).

This is a learning method that is only possible in this day and age. In the past, no matter how wonderful a book was, if it didn't come with audio, you couldn't learn from it by listening. But things are different now. If you look, you can find free software and sites that will read text in natural English, and you could even have Gemini or ChatGPT read it for you.

About Overlapping

Overlapping is a method where you listen to English audio while following the English text (script) with your eyes and reading aloud "at the same time" as the audio. It's similar to the idea of singing along to a song while looking at the lyrics.

I used to recommend shadowing instead of overlapping, but for those who had just finished this book, the load was quite high, and many people ended up unable to do it. However, I have confirmed through having various people try it that overlapping can produce effects close to shadowing.

The Effects of Overlapping

1. You can internalize the native speaker's speed and intonation, allowing you to master pronunciation, rhythm, and connected sounds.

2. Since you can learn to hear sounds that you can pronounce yourself, your listening skills will improve.

3. Because you are pronouncing the words while looking at the text, even beginners can practice it without much strain.

When you try doing it all...

When you try doing it from (2) to (40), you will find that you can read them fluently, almost as if you have memorized them, just by looking at the English text occasionally. Moreover, you will be able to understand listening sections, such as those on the Common Test, with relative ease.

I truly hope that especially first-year and second-year high school students will practice this method.

And once you reach this point, your English writing and speaking skills will also level up. I think you will be able to feel the effects quite well even just from the first 10, from (2) to (11).

9. Finally

An Ito book you can finish to the end

As I mentioned earlier, "English Interpretation through Rules and Patterns" is the book that served as the foundation for the later "Visual English Interpretation" and "English Interpretation Classroom" series. Therefore, compared to those, there are parts that feel less polished or awkward, and it is also rough around the edges (though this is only if you compare them).

However, precisely because of that, it represents the starting point where Mr. Ito challenged himself with a new form even after he had already achieved success and fame, and for that reason, it speaks to the reader more than other books. If you can feel that, I think it will be the Ito book that is easiest to overcome for students who are not particularly good at English.

I have written at length, but thank you for reading to the end. Finally, to all the high school students and examinees studying with this book, I actually learned from this book (though it was a broadcast) and grew from a
deviation score in the 30s to, a few years later, being in charge of teaching a specialized course for University of Tokyo English at a prep school. So, if you master this book thoroughly, anyone can reach a decent level. At least one living proof of that is here. I know you might be concerned about various information, but once you decide on this book, please believe in it and do your best until the end.