![]() To me, she’s the perfect example of someone fine tuning the pacing and pausing of their speech to keep a listener’s attention.īecause of her natural and confident flow of speech, RuPaul Charles is someone I’ll always introduce to English learners to exemplify the basic skills that underpin fluency in English. RuPaul has the glam, the glitter, the sass, but more importantly…she’s got timing, honey!īy effortlessly pairing her charming southern drawl to a cool Californian swag, RuPaul always keeps her audiences glued to their screen, basking in every last drop of her Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent! With her comedic flair and quick-witted repartie, RuPaul has charmed audiences worldwide, and opened uncountable opportunities for members of the LGBTQ community. RuPaul is unquestionably the most famous DragQueen in the world. “The time has come…For you to lipsync… FOR. That’s right… a baby-faced Hugh Laughrie, a.k.a Dr. (Oh yeah, forgot to mention…You might recognize Fry’s scene companion here. It’s something everyone should strive for…not just English learners!įor those of you interested in expanding their active vocabulary, make sure you take a leaf out of Stephen Fry’s book and make friends with a new word every single day! Of course that’s partly the point of the parody, but it’s this constant search for “the better word” I find impressive. For those of you who might not know this British icon (who also voiced the audiobooks of the Harry Potter series), sharpen your pencils and crack open a new notebook because Stephen Fry’s is firing on all cylinders!Ĭheck out one of his early sketches where he mocks the British intellectual elite.ĭuring this sketch, Fry’s use of “advanced vocabulary” (words labeled as C1 or C2 on the CEFR scale) is staggering. Stephen Fry’s entire life is a passionate love letter to the English language. So, as a tip of the hat (a bowler hat, surely) to his witty sense of humor and his amazing knowledge of English vocabulary, I decided to add the actor, writer, and comedian Stephen Fry to my roster of language influencers. Having lived in the UK for a while, I absolutely had to include British celebrity in this post. So, for dedicating over 3 minutes of expensive CBS airtime to the hidden joys of grammar, I had no choice but to introduce you all to this hilarious clip from Big Bang Theory! ![]() For me, ‘a spoonful of sugar always makes the medicine go down!’ It’s this type of playful engagement with grammar I love to cultivate in my students. In this scene, the cast of the popular American sitcom Big Bang Theory cleverly underlined the complexity of verb tenses one should use when traveling through time. So it’s after much research that I managed to dig up this clip of a well-known bunch taking on a unique grammar challenge. ![]() So, why the cold shoulder? I dream of a world where celebs and students alike bask in the secret joys of a well placed Past Perfect Progressive on Youtube. You’ll thank me for it!Īm I the only one that thinks Grammar has a bad rep? Yeah, it might be a bit boring and tedious to learn, but having a great control of English grammar will have a massive impact on the clarity and credibility of your ideas. Fancy a ride through the weird corners of her mind? No problem! Sit back, relax, and watch her discuss sneezing in public, and debating politics with white friends in Yogurtland. So for all you English students and budding communicators out there, I guarantee you’ll learn a thing or two by listening to Nancherla’s work. Her voice also rises and falls naturally and expressively.įinally the pacing of her delivery is always controlled, which allows her to be as playful and natural as she likes on stage (exactly what I’m looking for when I assess the intonation of an English learner during a presentation). ![]() Notice how she takes time to highlight important words when she speaks: Nancherla always modulates her voice freely and creatively to give surprising meaning to the subjects she addresses in her stand-up. In just a few years, she worked as a voiceover artist for a string of successful animated series such as Ginger Snaps, BoJack Horseman, and Mira, Royal Detective.Īparna Nancherla also happens to be an excellent source of inspiration for developing intonation skills in English. Hollywood was quick to pick up on Nancherla’s talents too. Since being selected as one of Variety magazine’s “Top 10 Comics to Watch” in 2016, this geeky and unassuming comedian took America by storm.
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