Using Codenames and TV series to Boost Your Vocabulary
Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. ?
In our previous post, Emily and I wrote about our struggles with acquiring vocabulary.
Emily hates getting stuck in the middle of a sentence and not finding the right word. Reusing the same small group of basic words can also make us sound like six-year-olds.
Then, Chinese TV series and Codenames came to our rescue.
TV series can be a useful source of colloquial, current expressions. At the same time, it is so natural for us to discuss intriguing plots and charismatic characters.
That gives us a real reason to learn specific vocabulary that matters to us.
A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.
Table of contents
Motivation and Goal
Inspired by Playing Codenames to learn Chinese written by Hacking Chinese, in the past two months, Emily and I watched Meteor Garden and played Codenames, hoping to collect more advanced words, acquiring them in a fun way, as well as using them in real conversations.
What Is Codenames?
Codenames is a word-association board game. The original game is competitive, while Codenames: Duet is cooperative. Both versions use a grid of 25 word cards, but the target words and roles differ.
In the team-versus-team mode, each team has a spymaster who can see which words belong to each team, which are innocent bystanders, and which word is the assassin. The spymaster gives a one-word clue and a number. A bystander or an opposing agent ends the turn; choosing the assassin loses the game.
In the Duet mode, each player sees one side of the key card and knows some of the agents their partner must identify. You win together by finding all 15 agents within the available turns while avoiding the assassins.
Emily and I use the online version and you can check the rules on their website. If you want more information on the board game, you can check this instruction video for Team VS Team mode. If you are interested, you can check my explanation in Chinese for the duet mode.
Why Do We Use Codenames To Practice New Vocabulary?
First of all, as mentioned earlier, you will be surrounded by 25 words throughout the game. In fact, to support your language learning, you can select words that you are not familiar with or the ones that you want to practice more.
Secondly, describing and connecting the word with related information can deepen your understanding of it. Since you can’t say the word out loud, all you can do is to give out keywords. For example, if the target word is “apple”, you might need to describe its color, shape, taste, and so on to help others make sense of it.
Thirdly, you need to guess 15 words within 9 rounds, which means you can’t describe only one word at a time like in Charades. You need to establish connections among those target words. When you think about how they are related, you may find things in common, you may want to create a story and thread them in. All of this brainwork unconsciously deepens your command of them.
Finally, this is a GAME! You don’t need to review by rote memorization, or looking at flashcards. You are learning by playing, having fun and engaging with others.
How to Combine Codenames Duet and TV Series
Emily and I played with the Duet mode because there were only two of us and we wanted it to make the game less intense. It is up to you which mode to play with since the processes are pretty similar.
- First, watch an episode that you are interested in. You can use any materials, e.g. an article, a movie, or lyrics. Interest and difficulty are important factors!
- Next, select a 1–3 minute clip from this episode, or choose a character you want to discuss. You can pick a paragraph from a book, a scene from a movie, a few lines from a song, or a character you’re fond of.
- Then, select the words that you want to continue practicing from this clip or the words used to describe a character during the discussion.
- Finally, here comes the game:
Step 1: Once you have prepared at least 25 words, add these 25 words to the game.
Step 2: Read these words out loud together. You might encounter words that you had forgotten, which is an authentic and motivating learning moment.
Step 3: Decide who will start first, then you will know your target words. Our description method for words is different from the official Codenames rules. The official rules suggest that only one or two keywords can be used, but I encourage Emily to tell a story or a long sentence to describe the word. Our goal is not to describe the word concisely, but to explain its meaning as clearly as possible.
Bonus Time!
Emily chose a short summary of her favorite scene from Meteor Garden. If you happen to be a fan of this TV series and your Chinese is at an intermediate level, feel free to try out the game. You can also watch our demo video in Chinese to get the gist.
Read Emily’s summary:
杉菜从道明寺家的门口走出来。在大雨中，她拉着她唯一的一个行李箱，自己走回家。“杉菜！不要走！”道明寺喊。不过，杉菜没回头看，继续往前走，她的心已经碎成了百万片。
道明寺在他房间里呆呆地看着墙壁，一直想着杉菜永远离开他了。如果杉菜是把他凝聚在一起的一块碎片，他怎么能没有她呢？杉菜是道明寺的世界。如果生活没意义，那为什么需要继续活着呢？
杉菜走时，想着道明枫说的话。“你不能继续跟我儿子约会。你们的生活太不同了，你们几乎生活在两个不同的宇宙。你们怎么能约会呢？”这些话不停地在杉菜的脑海里重播，困扰着她。
道明寺躺在他的床上，盯着天花板。他不懂他为什么不能跟杉菜约会。他为什么不能看到杉菜？从那天起，道明寺跟杉菜被禁止见面。虽然杉菜继续上学，但道明枫禁止道明寺去上学。因为道明枫怕她的儿子会跟杉菜偷偷地在学校约会。
随着几周的过去，道明寺慢慢地开始食欲不振；直到有一天，道明寺什么都没吃，连一口水也没喝，但是道明枫却不管他；只要道明寺不跟杉菜见面，其他的她都不管。
- Choose 25+ words you want to practice more
- Follow the 3 steps introduced above and have fun!
Social