The Complete Guide to Instant English Immersion

8 Great Tips to Learn English Through Songs and Music
1. How to Learn English Phrases from Webcomics
  1. What are webcomics?
    1. Webcomics are comics (cartoons) that are posted online.
    2. Webcomics are great for learning commonly used English phrases
    4. Once you find a new phrase, try to listen for it in other conversations by the people around you, or even on TV.
    5. Listen to how and when that phrase is used. Then try using it yourself.
    6. Use the interactive subtitles, flashcards and vocabulary lists to learn English phrases better than ever!
2. Learn Casual, Everyday English Phrases from These 8 Awesome Webcomics
  1. 1. Hyperbole and a Half
    1. Is a blog that uses silly illustrations to show the story
    2. The blogs here are about many topics
    3. The blog is written in a friendly and conversational way and uses many useful English phrases.
    4. 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. 2. The Oatmeal
    1. This comic is also a little different from other web comics
    2. Focuses more on art than writing blogs.
    3. Extremely colorful images and a huge variety of comics.
    4. There are silly comics about cats and dinosaurs.
    5. Sample phrase: “Forget that guy.” This is usually said as “forget it” or “forget about it.” It means don’t worry about it.
  3. 3. Dinosaur Comics
    1. He language can be a bit difficult to understand, and the topics can get pretty philosophical and thought-provoking.
    2. 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.
    3. 50 AMAZING Facts to Blow Your Mind.
    4. Here’s a song called “Blow Your Mind.”
  4. 4. Dr. McNinja
    1. Has crazy action scenes and even crazier characters.
    2. Sample phrase: “Speak of the devil.”
    3. It’s just another way of saying “Hey, we were just talking about you!”
  5. 5. Doctor Cat
    1. Sample phrase: “Now that you mention it…”
    2. 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. 6. Girls With Slingshots
    1. Girls With Slingshots is what’s called a “slice of life” webcomic.
    2. 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.
    3. Sample phrase: “Thanks for stepping up to bat.”
    4. In this comic, Jameson is thanking Angel for helping him with his coffee shop while he’s gone.
    5. 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. 7. Two Guys and Guy
    1. This comic is about three friends who are “less than perfect people.”
    2. 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.
    3. 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. 8. Stick in the Mud
    1. Rod’s bar is not a normal bar—some of the people who hang out there aren’t really people at all.
    2. It’s a comic about good drinks, strange monsters and a guy just trying to live his life and get over his ex-girlfriend.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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
1. Why Learn English Through Songs and Music?
  1. So what is it about songs that make them such effective English learning tools?
    1. It works.
    2. • Learn everyday language and colloquial speech
    3. Become familiar with the sound of English.
    4. Get English stuck inside your head.
    5. Songs are emotional
    6. Music is an easy habit
    7. Music teaches you English culture
  2. How to Learn English Through Songs and Music: 8 Great Tips
    1. Use difficult language that isn’t commonly used
    2. 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)
    3. are too fast (hard to learn from)
    4. don’t have lyrics readily available
    5. 1. Go to the right place to find songs
    6. 2. Select the right songs
    7. 3. Get “scaffolding” and vocab support to digest the lyrics.
    8. 4. Study the lyrics and vocab
    9. 5. Sing along.
    10. 6. Try to sing from memory
    11. 7. Periodically review.
    12. 8. Find new music that builds on top of what you’ve learned.

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	Created by Andres Fuertes almost 2 years ago