Since I graduated from university 10 years ago, I have only used English a few times. So, I thought I should make some changes. Object one: understand the English movies without titles; Object two: improve my ability to speak English. In order to achieve the objects, I started listening and writing (dictating?) the TV show “Friends” three months ago and practiced almost every day. But now I feel depressed because the characters in the TV play are still speaking too fast to understand. I don’t know, was I wasting my time? So, this is the question: is the way I am learning English correct or effective? By the way, I’m living in a small city of China and don’t have the environment or friends to use English. And if there are mistakes in my expressions, please point out, it will be helpful to me. (edits included above. I tried to make the edits in color, but it didn't transfer. You're writing is very good!) TV has very fast dialogue. Have you tried listening to only a very small portion and practice repeating phrases after them?