Let's learn English with Harry Potter. Anglo-Saxon!

1605

10 June 2024

English-learners

Женя Шульга

Авторка

It would be great to say loudly and solemnly “Anglogomor!” and everything would be solved – you know English, understand everything (even Adele's jokes and Mike Tyson's speeches), read books in the original non-stop, communicate fluently and confidently in English, and quote Shakespeare accurately.

Unfortunately, this method doesn't work yet. But adding a little magic to learning English wouldn’t hurt😉, says Yulia Kulina, a teacher at LSE Language School, and offers students to dive into the magical, enchanting world created by J.K. Rowling.

An engaging plot. The story of a young wizard, his friends, and adventures at Hogwarts is one of the favorite stories of children and adults in 80 countries around the world!
An impressive vocabulary. Rowling’s books contain diverse vocabulary, including rare words and interesting idioms.
A story that makes us better. According to numerous studies, the Harry Potter series positively affects readers' psychology, teaches empathy, responsibility, supporting friends, accepting “otherness,” and believing that evil will be defeated!
Grammar. The work contains rich grammatical material for language learning.
Cultural context. The Harry Potter story includes many aspects of British culture, which helps better understand the traditions and peculiarities of the English-speaking world.
A record-breaking book. Did you know that Muggles from all over the world have bought more than 500 million copies of the most popular book series in history? And they continue to buy.

Books.

Read in the original, even if you feel uncertain. By the way, the first book is written in simpler language compared to the subsequent parts, so start with it. When reading Harry Potter books in the original, pay attention to interesting set expressions and grammatical structures, write them down in a special dictionary, adding your explanations to help you remember them better. Here's an example of what this might look like:

Movies.

You can watch the Harry Potter film with subtitles, but then all your attention will be focused on the text. So try watching the episode first (or better yet, several times) without subtitles, try to catch the meaning, understand the words and phrases. Then you can check the subtitles if something remains unclear.

By the way, an effective way to remember new phrases and words is through flashcards. You can write them by hand or create them online (Canva, Quizlet, Tinycards by Duolingo).

Conversation Clubs

Potterverse is a separate universe of people fascinated by the Harry Potter story who gather to discuss books, movies, stories, and theories. Participating in these discussions will not only help you develop speaking skills but also give you the chance to find like-minded people.

However! There are marker phrases without which you cannot become part of the Harry Potter fandom community. And they are not just spells;)

By the way, at LSE Language School, conversation and grammar courses for teenagers are starting. There's a high chance that some participants will be Harry Potter fans.

*And finally, a tip for those who have already watched all the movies and read all the Harry Potter books.

Write fanfiction! Try to come up with your own story based on the Harry Potter world. It will not only help improve your writing skills but also stimulate your creative thinking.

We hope these tips help you add some magic to learning English and make this process not only effective but also as enjoyable as possible.

Let studying English with Harry Potter become a fantastic adventure for you, no matter your age or level of language proficiency. Anglogomor!