Singing for Your English May 1, 2013
Singing along with the written lyrics of a song can be an entertaining way to study grammar forms and to practice accurate pronunciation. For example, on YouTube you can follow Glen Campbell’s song “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” You will learn not only to sing in a standard Midwestern USA accent but also a way to use the future progressive/continuous tense. (It’s a bit of a sad song, so you should keep some tissues handy.)
“If I Were a Rich Man” from the old Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof and Peter, Paul, and Mary’s “If I Had a Hammer” from the early 1960s are easy to sing and demonstrate the use of a past tense verb form that is not used in the past tense, but for expressing a wish.
Many popular American songs from years ago were composed with less slang, unlike much pop music today. In the 1960s, the Duprees made an old standard hit song into a big hit: “Have You Heard” illustrates the present perfect tense put into question form.
If you want to practice English before you come to visit America, try to find songs with printed lyrics on the Internet and sing along with them over and over. You will be surprised how much easier it is to use correct pronunciation.
PC TECH: English Language School in New York City
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