Learn English by Radio: X Minus One - Episode 21: First Contact

Improve your English comprehension skills with Learn English by Radio, an innovative and engaging app that teaches you the nuances of spoken English via classic American radio shows.

Mastering homophones, idioms, and all the other quirks of the English language can take years of dedicated study, especially when your teacher is a boring textbook or stuffy professor.

But what if your English teacher was a Martian?

Learn English by Radio uses classic American radio shows such as X Minus One, a popular science fiction drama, to teach you English. Hear the language as spoken by space explorers and extraterrestrials. Master all the common obstacles to understanding spoken English, including idioms, slang, informal contractions and odd pronunciations. Work your way up to understanding conversational English by slowing it down and reading each of the words until they stick.

So put down your textbook and immerse yourself in one of the best stories ever told on American radio. Not only will you have more fun, but you’ll learn English more quickly. You’ll thank us the next time you find yourself lost on the dark side of Mars, and the only way to get directions home is by asking an English speaking alien.

Highlighted features include:

► Dual Speed Audio
Don’t you sometimes wish native English speakers would JUST SLOW DOWN? We do, so we’ve enabled Learn English by Radio to play audio at two different tempos: Original Speed, as it’s meant to be heard, and Slow Speed, which is much easier to understand. Slow Speed will help you develop an ear for spoken English. Once you develop that ear, you can listen to the episode at Original Speed.

► Transcript Displayed along with Audio with Replay Options
Asking a native English speaker to backtrack and repeat words that you missed can be a major pain in the you-know-what. But with Learn English by Radio, it’s no problem. If you miss something, simply pause the audio, scroll back through the transcript and replay it. Then fast-forward the transcript to your original position.

► Definitions, Idioms, Slang and Grammar Notes
Many ESL students have trouble understanding idioms, slang, complex vocabulary, and strange pronunciations. These issues are compounded by imperfect grammar, which some Martians (and earthly English speakers) regrettably suffer from. Learn English by Radio helps you master difficult words and phrases by highlighting and explaining them. Simply click on a highlighted word and the audio will pause while a definition or explanatory note appears on your screen. Close the link and the audio resumes.

► Additional Learning Materials
Once you’ve completed a chapter, you can review additional materials to reinforce your learning, including:

- a comprehensive list of all the vocabulary, slang and idioms

- a quiz to check your comprehension before proceeding to the next chapter