It has been said that reading for pleasure is better in developing imagination and language skills than watching TV To what extent do you agree or disagree

The benefits of reading have been underlined by several research which have pointed out how reading is crucial in developing imagination and improving language learning. Many claim taht it is actually more efficient and proficient than watching TV. If this stance is to most extent true, TV shoul not been regarded as something useless. In this essay I will examine the minus and plus revolving about those two points of view.

Reading is not only the key which can open door of unexplored worlds, but it is first of all a basic a´skill that is necessary to face up to reality and every day life. Not being able of reading would have a detrimental impact on the existence of an individual, who would be condemned to a life of isolation and poverty. Reading rapresents also a delightful activity, that allows people to escape from reality, althoug for a brief time. Turning pages is not only a mechanical activity, there is more behind it: it is the curiosity which spurns us to stand up for a character in the story, to imagine the story with our mind, to depict landscapes and to imagine faces, cities, voices. It can be said that reading is a powerful tool to exercise our phantasy because it pushes us to create a parallel universe inhabitated by the characters of a story. In many cases, the reader can also suppose to be activ part of the story: who has never dreamed of being Robinson Crusoue stranded on a desert island? Who has never felt the terror of being host in Dracula´s Castle? Well, reading allows to set off for a journey without leaving home and despite of it to have an unforgettable experience. Furthermore, for people who aim to master a foreing language, reading a book is an outstanding way to touch firsthand the way native speakers communicate and to broaden their vocabulary.

Nevertheless, we cannot ignore another powerful mean of communication, which is TV. Movies industry and TV Shows are part of our day-to-day life and if movies cannot stimulate imagination as books can do, the silver lining of watching TV is that this habit could improve dramatically the listening and speaking skills - especially when it comes to learning a new language. Watching movies or the news is maybe the most effective way to get used with the accent and to learn some casual expressions which cannot be found in a grammar book.

In conclusion, if books are a tremendous weapon to stimulate our imagination, we should not forget that TV could also play a pivotal role in gaining language skills.