Which singers do you suggest for English learners to listen to improve their listening and speaking whose songs are more understandable for an English learner?

Answer 1

There are many singers who sing their words clearly and who use good grammar.

Some Points to Consider when selecting good singers for English language learners:

• Perhaps solo female singers pronounce their words more clearly than male singers.

• If you want to speak with an American accent, listen to an American singer.

• Listening to singers with a British accent might be better if you want to speak using British-English pronunciation. However, some British singers adopt a slight American accent when singing. This will not matter.

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• Some song lyrics (words) use bad grammar and bad language. More advanced and mature students will be able to notice the bad grammar and can also be more selective in the vocabulary they chose to use themselves.

• Slow songs, with no shouting, will be easier for learners to follow than fast loud songs.

• Operatic and rap music styles might not help. The pronunciation is often

  "artificial" and does not reflect the everyday speech of most English speakers.

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• Lyrics that tell a story might be better than a song that has a lot of repeated lines.

• It is good to listen to a variety of accents and styles. This will help you to be more familiar with the different ways that the same English words are pronounced by different people. Listening to a variety of sources will help you to improve your listening skills.

• When you hear a song you like you can get a copy of the words from the Internet. After hearing the song you can check the written copy to see if you have heard it correctly! You can also say/sing the words as they are being sung. In this way you are learning to improve your listening, reading and speaking skills all at the same time!

Some singers with good pronunciation and good grammar etc:

1. Katie Melua
2. Eva Cassidy
3. Mariah Carey
4. Celine Dion
5. Annie Lennox
6. Lily Allen (Note: Lily was born in London, England, and sometimes uses an "East London" accent. Also, some of her song titles and lyrics use bad language.)

Of course, this list of good singers for English learners could be a lot longer. Many Song Lyrics themselves are an excellent source of material for English learners. For example, "Yesterday" by The Beatles can be used to see the usage of, and difference in meanings between, past and present tense forms. These lyrics also show use of the modal auxiliary verb, plus common idioms and contracted verb forms.

Suggestion:

• When you hear a song and singer you like and can understand some of their words, make a note of the singer's name, some key words, and the title of the song if possible.
• Then ask your teacher if they think that this singer would be good to listen to, to help you with listening, and speaking, good English.
• From the Internet you can download songs onto your iPod or similar type of digital music player.