Let’s learn through songs

What’s the key to learning English well? Is it firmness and perseverance? Or is it something that people are just born with? In fact, it’s neither of those things. The key is to make learning English fun through the right tools and habits. And one of the best habits is sitting at a comfortable place and listening to your smart-phone.

If you haven’t already been doing it, it’s not too late to start – to learn English through songs and music. For example, “Lets Learn English Through Song” is 16 MP3 songs and 35 pdf worksheets. They are written for grammar comprehension with common vocabulary themes. Learners enhance their pronunciation by using the songs with rhythm and rhyme while subconsciously processing the grammatical structures. The result is accelerated learning.

What is it about songs that make them such effective English language learning tools? There is sizable scientific evidence that demonstrates how music can help second language learners acquire grammar and vocabulary and improve spelling. Then there is the so-called “Mozart Effect”, the concept that listening to classical music boosts the performance of mental tasks.

Songs and music almost always contain a lot of useful vocabulary, phrases and expressions. As the intended audience comprise of native speakers, songs and music include up-to-date language and colloquialisms. The language used in songs is casual and actually usable, if you pick the right music. Listening to songs will also allow you to focus on your pronunciation and understanding of the rhythm, tone and beat of English language. Music has an extraordinary ability to keep ringing in our heads. Tunes and lyrics will often penetrate our thoughts and play over and over in our minds.

Our relationship with music is deep, powerful and hugely rewarding. It is a key that unlocks our emotions, influences our moods and enhances our mental and physical well-being. By picking music you like, you can listen to the same material over and over again, without becoming bored. Music gives you insight into English-speaking culture and how English-speaking people think and feel. Familiarity with popular songs and artists gives you something to talk about with your English-speaking friends.

Small Talk

Catching Up After Class

Leela: Hey! How did your physics exam go?

Phani: Not bad, thanks. I’m just glad it’s over! How about you. How’d your presentation go?

Leela: Oh, it went really well. Thanks for helping me with it!

Phani: No problem. So do you feel like studying together for the math exam?

Leela: Yeah, sure! Come over around 10:00, after breakfast.

Phani: All right. I’ll bring my notes.

Notes

• Hey! is a friendly expression meaning “hello.”
• How did your physics exam go? is a way of saying “How was your physics exam?”
• I’m just glad ... Notice the stress on “glad.” “Just” is used for emphasis before an adjective here.
• How about you ... Notice the intonation falls here because the speaker is going to follow it up with a detailed question.
• How’d your presentation ... Notice the contraction for “How did” sounds like /howdj/ and “your” sounds like /yer/.
• Do you feel like here has the meaning of “do you want to.” Notice “do you feel like” is followed by an “-ing” verb (studying).
• Come over here has the meaning of “come to my house.”
• Notes. Students take notes about what the teacher says during a lecture.

Know Your Vocabulary

Choose the closest meaning and tick it.

1. Majority

a) smallest group b) greater part

c) amount less than half

2. Supreme

a) clear b) weak c) highest

3.symbol

a) cloak b) emblem c) waterway

4. Vow

a) deep wound b) tool for drawing

c) solemn promise

5. Combat

a) game b) riddle c) fight

6. Counterfeit

a) false b) below average

c) incomplete

7. Disciple

a) follower b) leader c) director

8. Disregard

a) treat with care b) wear down

c) pay no attention to

9. Deserve

a) receive punishment

b) be worthy of c) take care of

10. Fiction

a) great discovery b) made-up story

c) historical event

Key:

1-b; 2-c; 3-b; 4-c; 5-c; 6-a; 7-a; 8-c; 9-b; 10-b

Whys & Wherefores

Sir, I read an idiom called “At each other's throats”? How should we use it? Please explain. -Mr.Neelakanteshwar Reddy, Ananthpur

We normally use this idiom to talk about people or organizations who quarrel or fight persistently. This idiom means “Fighting or arguing all the time” or “quarrel persistently”. We may say “The neighbours are at each other's throats over who should repair the fence between their houses.” It means the neighbours always fight or argue regarding the repair of their fence.

We may simply say that any two persons are at each other’s throats when they argue or fight. If there is an altercation or fight between a husband and his wife, we can say that the husband and the wife are always at each other's throats. One more example... It was a very dramatic trial, with the prosecutor and the defense attorney constantly at each other's throats. This idiom, with its vivid image of two persons trying to strangle each other, is often applied to less physical forms of disagreement. If people are at each other's throats, they are fighting, arguing or competing ruthlessly. “Men of few words are the best men.”

THE SILLIEST BOY

Once there lived a silly boy called Nikhil. One day, his mother sent him to buy a bird from the market. He bought the bird and put it in his hat. Then he put his hat on his head. When he took his hat off, the bird flew away. His mother said to him, “You’re a silly boy. When you buy another bird, you must put it in a cage.”

Next day Nikhil went to buy some rice. He thought of what his mother had said, “Put it in a cage.” So he took a cage and put the rice into it. When he got home, his mother asked, “Where is the rice?” the boy answered, “I put it in the cage, but it fell out.” His mother said, “What a silly boy you are! When you buy rice you must put it in your pocket.”

The next day he went to buy some eggs. He remembered his mother’s words. So he put the eggs in his pocket and ran home. The eggs broke in his pocket and his mother said, “What a silly boy you are! When you buy eggs, you should put them in a basket.”

The next day he went to buy some oil. He remembered his mother’s words. “Next time put it in a basket.” So he took a basket and carefully put the oil into it. When he got home there was no oil in the basket. His mother was very angry. She said, “You are the silliest boy. I won't tell you what to do hereafter. I shall do my work all by myself.” Nikhil was very sad. He cried bitterly. Most of us want to do the things right but not the right things though the boy in this story did not do the things in a right way.

By:Dr Vangeepuram Sreenathachary