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Learn English With Famous Quotes – Who Said What?

Try a different strategy for learning new words, thanks to our friends at ABA English!

Some famous quotes have become so popular and mainstream that they are now referred to as clichés. A cliché is a phrase or opinion that is overused and shows a lack of original thought. A cliché is a bit boring. Often, a cliché is very true, but because we have heard it so many times, we don’t stop to think too deeply about it.

Take John Lennon’s “All you need is love” quote. How many times have you heard it? We’re sure you’ve overheard people quoting it many, many times.

We all love a good quote; they have a unique ability to express a lot in a short sentence.

Today, we want to show you how you can use quotes to learn English. Here are three suggestions:

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1. Memorize them!

Who is your favorite artist? Favorite author? Favorite movie star? Favorite chef? We’re sure that if you search for his/her name in Google, you will find at least one of their quotes.

Write it down in your notebook and try to memorize it. It’s a great way to remember new words, new meanings AND sound interesting! It’s always cool to throw in a clever quote when you’re talking to someone.

2. Express them in your own words.

Ok, now that you’ve found a good quote, try and rewrite it, using your own words.

For example, take Churchill’s words, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat” and try to put them in your own words. You could say, “My biggest gift to the world and myself is to always make an effort. I will bleed, toil, cry and sweat in order to accomplish my dreams”. (To toil means to work). This will help you improve your writing skills!

3. Play the following game:

ABA English put together an infographic of some well-known quotes in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day. Here’s the challenge: we won’t tell you who said what! YOU have to try and guess. (Hint: the answer is at the bottom!).

Read each quote, making sure you understand the meaning and the vocabulary and then figure out which celebrity said what quote. You can choose to memorize your favorite ones or practice rewriting them!

UntitledWe’d love to know which quote you enjoyed the most, so tweet us with your favorite.

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Photo by Birilli

Author bio: This post was written by Kate, a teacher from ABA English. ABA English bases English language learning on short films about real life in Europe and the United States. Our course also contains 144 video classes on English grammar, which are available for free. Check out the ABA Teachers Blog for more tips on how to learn English every day.

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