If you want to become familiar with American academic English, now you can – 5 minutes, or even 60 seconds, at a time!
I often see food advertisements that include the adjective “bite-sized.” If something is bite-sized, it can be eaten in one mouthful; you don’t have to cut it or break it into smaller pieces.
iTunes U recently introduced two sources for bite-sized academic English. The University of Wisconsin offers a series of 5-minute Lectures, and you can get 60-second Lectures from the University of Pennsylvania.
This is good news for those of you who want to become familiar with academic English. Now you can begin to listen to academic English without having to listen to long lectures, which are usually about an hour long.
I suggest that you begin by listening to lectures on subjects that you are already familiar with. Your knowledge of the subjects – from studying them in your first language – will help you understand the academic English.
Warren Ediger
warren [at] successfulenglish [dot] com
