Zusammenfassung der Ressource
The Complete
Guide to Instant
English Immersion
- 8 Great Tips to
Learn English
Through Songs and
Music
- How to Learn English
Phrases from Webcomics
- What are
webcomics?
- Webcomics are comics
(cartoons) that are
posted online.
- Webcomics are great for
learning commonly used
English phrases
- Once you find a new
phrase, try to listen for it in
other conversations by the
people around you, or
even on TV.
- Listen to how and
when that phrase is
used. Then try
using it yourself.
- Use the interactive subtitles,
flashcards and vocabulary
lists to learn English phrases
better than ever!
- Learn Casual,
Everyday English
Phrases from These 8
Awesome
Webcomics
- 1. Hyperbole and a
Half
- Is a blog that uses silly illustrations
to show the story
- The blogs here are about many
topics
- The blog is written in a friendly and conversational way
and uses many useful English phrases.
- For example, you might say a dog is
big but if you use a hyperbole, “that
dog was bigger than two school buses
stacked on top of one another.”
- 2. The Oatmeal
- This comic is also a
little different from
other web comics
- Focuses more on art
than writing blogs.
- Extremely colorful
images and a huge
variety of comics.
- There are silly comics
about cats and
dinosaurs.
- Sample phrase: “Forget that guy.”
This is usually said as “forget it” or
“forget about it.” It means don’t
worry about it.
- 3. Dinosaur
Comics
- He language can be a bit difficult to
understand, and the topics can get pretty
philosophical and thought-provoking.
- The conversations in the comics are great for
discovering interesting phrases and some more
academic language, if you can understand the slightly
more advanced English writing style.
- 50 AMAZING Facts to Blow
Your Mind.
- Here’s a song called “Blow
Your Mind.”
- 4. Dr.
McNinja
- Has crazy action scenes and even
crazier characters.
- Sample phrase: “Speak of the
devil.”
- It’s just another way of saying “Hey,
we were just talking about you!”
- 5. Doctor
Cat
- Sample phrase: “Now that you
mention it…”
- In this case, the phrase is used
sarcastically, pointing out something
obvious (that the man is probably
more bothered by his face peeling off
than by wearing contacts).
- 6. Girls With
Slingshots
- Girls With Slingshots is
what’s called a “slice of life”
webcomic.
- The comic uses a lot of sarcasm and
talks about some serious life issues,
22 The Complete Guide to Instant
English Immersion but it always
does so with a humorous tone.
- Sample phrase: “Thanks for
stepping up to bat.”
- In this comic, Jameson is thanking
Angel for helping him with his coffee
shop while he’s gone.
- Where else you can find it: Online, the
phrase is used a lot to thank a group of
people for helping a cause or a
company by donating or contributing in
some other way.
- 7. Two Guys and
Guy
- This comic is about three
friends who are “less than
perfect people.”
- The comics show them in situations that are
typical—trying to write a book, getting along
with others—and some that are much weirder,
like robots and cloning.
- Where else you can find it: You can see this
phrase in an excerpt from See Jane Run by
Joy Fielding. Here it’s actually used as a
way to deny that something is wrong.
Sometimes when a person says “don’t
worry,” the first thing you do is start to
worry!
- 8. Stick in the
Mud
- Rod’s bar is not a normal bar—some of
the people who hang out there aren’t
really people at all.
- It’s a comic about good drinks,
strange monsters and a guy just
trying to live his life and get over
his ex-girlfriend.
- Sample phrase: “Stick in the mud.” Yes, the
name of the comic is actually a phrase! A stick
in the mud is someone who doesn’t like trying
new or exciting things.
- Where else you can find it: In the Disney
movie “The Princess and the Frog,” the
frog calls the princess a stick in the mud.
He also calls her a killjoy.
- There are hundreds of other webcomics
online (you can find a nice long list here) but
these eight are a good place to start. Have
fun!
- 8 Great Tips to Learn
English Through Songs and
Music
- Why Learn English
Through Songs and
Music?
- So what is it about songs that make them
such effective English learning tools?
- It works.
- • Learn everyday
language and colloquial
speech
- Become familiar with
the sound of English.
- Get English stuck inside
your head.
- Songs are
emotional
- Music is an easy
habit
- Music teaches you English
culture
- How to Learn English Through
Songs and Music: 8 Great Tips
- Use difficult
language that isn’t
commonly used
- aren’t mainstream (nothing against niche
artists, but if part of the goal is to connect
with English speakers, it’s probably more
efficient to learn from music that would give
you a common language)
- are too fast (hard to
learn from)
- don’t have lyrics
readily available
- 1. Go to the right place to find songs
- 2. Select the right songs
- 3. Get “scaffolding” and vocab support to digest the lyrics.
- 4. Study the lyrics and vocab
- 5. Sing
along.
- 6. Try to sing from memory
- 7. Periodically
review.
- 8. Find new music that builds on top of what you’ve
learned.