Category Archives: Fun

Well, we all need some fun sometimes, don’t we? But fun has a didactic value, too: Things that made you smile when you learnt them are usually easy to remember.

Monty Python’s Flying Circus

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‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’ was a TV comedy series aired around 1970 on the BBC. Some of the sketches were translated and brought to the German public in the film ‘Monty Pythons wunderbare Welt der Schwerkraft’.

Now, is it just nonsense or can you learn something from it? I should say you can. Many of Python’s sketches revolve around language and logic. When you understand why people laugh at them, you’ll have understood a great deal about the language.

Then these guys are excellent actors. Often you will get the general idea without understanding much of the text. But some of the phrases they use will stick in your mind to be recalled later. Just be aware that they sometimes use offensive language.

The Smuggler

This is related to travel. A smuggler meets a customs officer.

Would you like to watch a Monty Python episode in class?

A tour of the British Isles in accents

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Have you ever talked to a British native speaker and wondered why you didn’t understand them at all? I bet you have. That’s because there are so many different accents on the British Isles. Here’s a video that demonstrates some of them.

It starts with RP, or Received Pronunciation, which is the kind of ‘standard English’ that corresponds with “Hochdeutsch” in German. The next thing is Cockney, the traditional working-class Londoners’ accent, and then the speaker sweeps up and down the map at a speed of nearly one accent per sentence. Have fun!

© Andrew Jack, taken from YouTube

Well done

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Congratulations! You all did very well in the exam. It was amazing to hear some of you speak near-native English. You should do this in class more often, but then it seems to depend on the situation. Or perhaps I’m to blame for not giving you enough of a challenge. We may try to change that.

Anyway, here is someone who, unlike you, is still desperately struggling with the English language. I don’t normally poke fun at people, but this man deserves it because he said he was very competent at speaking English. (“Ich bin in Englisch, was das Gespräch angeht, sehr sicher.”) Indeed!


My favourite lines are

I’m glad to be here in this dossieranarchy

and

We have all chances to bring anarchy on a good way.

Do you think Mr Oettinger would have passed the exam? What mark would you give him?

What the British say (and what they mean)

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British people don’t always say directly what they mean. Beware! As a traditional Brit, you want to be polite and restrained, but still be effective in conveying your message. The tool of your choice is understatement, and it works both ways: whether you are going to praise someone to heaven or tear them to pieces, always use moderate words.

To interpret these, here is a small phrase book that may help you understand British understatement (via BuzzFeed).

what-the-british-sayRelated: Swearing at work (The Poke).