TOEFL iBT Independent Writing Do you think watching television is a useful or enjoyable way of spending time?

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 television 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.

 

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.

 

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 television as worth spending your precious time on as other choices?

 

 

☆Ideas and Expressions

Television watching is useful or enjoyable.

1.     Television shows you what you usually cannot see such as famous people, political debates, or wild animals. Some special programs such as live broadcasts of sporting events, documentaries, and foreign language programs are hardly available elsewhere.

 

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

 

3.     Popular television programs or ads provide conversation pieces, which are good icebreakers.

 

4.     One good thing about television watching is that it allows you to learn things that you did not intend to. By keeping television 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.

 

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

 

 

TELEVISION watching is a waste of time.

1.     Most of the time spent watching television is spent watching the advertisement, 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.     Television can make you narrow-minded or brainwashed. You will 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 television programs are inferior to those of other media. Also, television news is not really new as the information on the Internet is updated.

 

 

☆Essay Structure

Sample

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

【Good Point 1】Watching big events on television is enjoyable.

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

【Counterargument-treatment】It is true that television is addictive and time-wasting, but if you can control yourself, TELEVISION 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 television programs that are good, educational, or only on television. Therefore, television 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】Watching television is useful for spending time with others because it is inclusive.

【Supporting Details】You can share the content of television with others. You can enjoy an evening with your family or friends watching programs everyone likes. Television is especially useful when you spend time with someone you do not know well. Popular television programs are often used to entertain guests. You just watch television together, and in time you can laugh together or pick up a conversation piece from the content of the program such as a singer or a succor game result.

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

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

 

Sample 2

【Main Idea】Television is addictive.

【Supporting Details】For many people, the act of watching television itself is the objective. Many just automatically turn on the set when they have some free time and keep it on, without selecting programs. 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 television makes us believe that by sitting in front of the screen, we are doing something productive when in fact we could be doing something more creative or memorable such as listening to a good piece of music or talking with someone.

【Conclusion】Television-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.

 

【Main Idea】

 

【Supporting Details】

 

 

 

 

 

【Follow-up】

 

 

【Conclusion】