TOEFL iBT Independent Writing, Do you think watching TV is a useful or enjoyable way of spending time? - rewrite -

Writing Topic

Some people think watching television is enjoyable and educational, while others think it is a complete waste of time to watch television. Do you think watching TV is a useful or enjoyable way of spending time? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

☆Let’s think

1.      What is the difference between the following two sentences?

a.    Listening to music is the best way to release stress.

b.    Listening to music is a good way to release stress.

2.      What are useful and enjoyable ways of spending time? What do you usually do when you have some free time and try not to waste it? Do you read, listen to music, watch a movie, work out, do something creative like painting, or hang around with your family or friends?

3.      Is watching TV as worth spending your precious time on as other choices?

Note: “A” useful or enjoyable way of spending time means that, although it is not “the” best, it is as useful or enjoyable as activities that are considered good.

☆Ideas and Expressions

TV watching is useful or enjoyable.

1.    As long as you keep an eye on how you use it, TV can be an inexpensive, handy tool for fun or relaxation.

2.    Through TV shows, you can learn the norm, culture, language, or trend of the society.

3.    Some special programs such as live broadcasts of sporting events, documentaries, and foreign language programs are hardly available elsewhere.

4.    Popular TV programs or ads provide conversation pieces, which are good icebreakers.

5.    One good thing about TV watching is that it allows you to learn things that you did not intend to. By keeping TV on or zapping channels, you can come across interesting people, useful information, or moving stories. It is like taking a walk in an unfamiliar neighborhood and finding a lovely garden or sitting among strangers and hearing an eye-opening story.

TV watching is a waste of time.

1.    Most of the time spent watching TV is spent watching TV ads, TV advertisement or TV commercials, which are aimed to make you want needless goods or follow fashion trends obsessively.

2.    It is a passive activity. You just sit and watch, while you should be doing something more important.

3.    TV can make you narrow-minded or brainwashed, not aware of what is really going on in the world because it is sponsored by corporations, which can manipulate the content.

4.    It is not a good information source anymore. The quality and quantity of information provided by most of the TV programs is inferior to those of other media. Also, TV news is not really new as the information on the Internet is updated by the minute although it might be more trustworthy.

☆Essay Structure

Sample

【Main Idea = Outline】In moderation, watching TV is useful and enjoyable.

【Good Point 1】Watching big events on a large screen at home is enjoyable.

【Good Point 2】 TV-watching is useful for spending time with others because it is inclusive.

【Counterargument-treatment】It is true that TV is addictive and time-wasting, but if you can control yourself, TV poses no problem just as alcohol and gambling helps you enjoy life unless you indulge yourself in them too much.

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】There are many TV programs that are good, educational, or only on TV. Therefore, TV can provide a good time if used wisely.

Your essay structure

【Main Idea = Outline】

【Good/Bad point 1】

【Good/Bad point 2】

【Counterargument-treatment】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

☆Paragraph development

Sample 1

【Main Idea】 TV-watching is useful for spending time with others because it is inclusive.

【Explanation】You can usually share the content of TV with others and with anyone.

【General Example】 You can enjoy an evening with your family or friends watching programs most people like.

【More Specific Example】TV is especially useful when you spend time with someone you know little about. Popular TV programs are often used to entertain guests. You just watch TV together, and in time you can laugh together or pick up a conversation piece from the content of the program such as an idol singer or a succor game result.

【Follow-up】If your guest says that the only program he watches is FoxNews, you could just watch the ultra-right-wing news show with him and learn what the Right have to say.

【Conclusion】 TV is a good medium for relationship-building.

Sample 2

【Main Idea】TV is addictive.

【Explanation】For many people, the act of watching TV itself is the objective.

【General Example】Many just automatically turn on TV when they have some free time and keep it on, without selecting programs.

【More Specific Example】 Even when they select a program, in a few minutes, they get hypnotized and keep staring at the screen for hours while remembering little of the content.

【Follow-up】Conscious use can avoid such behavior but the problem is that TV makes us believe doing something productive when in fact we could be doing something more memorable such as listening to a good piece of music or talking with someone.

【Conclusion】TV-watching is detrimental to our life itself.

Now let’s practice paragraph development. Choose one of the reasons you have come up with, make it the main idea, and develop it using the following form. As this is a sketch of a part of your real essay, use simple words and sentences for supporting details and focus on the logic and ideas.

【Main Idea】

【Explanation】

【General Example】

【More Specific Example】

【Follow-up】

【Conclusion】