ESL Podcast 337 - Reading Comic Books

graphic novel - a long and complex story where the words of the story are printed within a series of drawings that show what is happening, usually written for adults

Some people who don't enjoy reading regular books like to read graphic novels.

comic book - a short and simple story where the words of the story are printed within a series of drawings that show what is happening, usually written for children

Karrie had a lot of Wonder Woman comic books when she was a child.

literary - related to literature; related to things that are written and read

Many people think that Edgar Allen Poe was a literary genius.

art form - a type of art, such as writing, painting, drawing, music, or dance

Do you think that rap music is an art form?

mature audience - a group of older adults whom one writes or performs for

This movie is for mature audiences and I don't plan to take my kids to see it.

comic strip - a series of about four boxes with funny drawings and some words that are put next to each other in a rectangular shape and published in a newspaper or magazine every day or week

The Peanuts comic strip is very popular and is known for its characters like Charlie Brown and Snoopy.

bound - held together at one edge, especially when referring to the pages of a book

This book wasn't bound very well, so some of the pages are falling out.

storyline - the main story in a book, novel, movie, or play

The teacher asked the children to read the book at home, and the next day, he asked them if they liked the general storyline.

complex - complicated; not simple

It took the scientists several hours to explain their complex calculations.

panel - one square section with a drawing and some words in a comic book or graphic novel

On Sundays, each Doonesbury comic strip has at least six panels.

work of art - something that is artistic, imaginative, and creative, and deserves respect for those reasons

The Mona Lisa is one of the world's most famous works of art.

superhero - an imaginary person with special powers, such as the ability to fly or see through walls

Which superhero do you like better: Superman or Spider-Man?

sophisticated - elegant; refined; advanced; not simple or common

Computer technology becomes more sophisticated every day!

serialized - in a series; as one of many parts of something, especially when referring to TV shows or books

The movie was too long to show all at once, so the TV channel serialized it into five parts, showing one each night.

self-contained - as one piece; without additional parts; as a whole

The lessons in this book are self-contained, so that you can study each lesson independently, without needing to refer to the other lessons for more information.

genre - a specific style of literature, movies, or music

What genre of movies do you like? Horror or comedy?

preconceived - something that has been decided before one has all the information or experience needed to really know the truth

I had the preconceived idea that everyone in Texas knew how to ride a horse, but when I went there, I realized that this isn't true.

notion - idea; concept; opinion about something

Where did you get the notion that your great-grandparents were from Germany? They were all born in the U.S.

There's a first time for everything - a phrase used to show that one shouldn't be surprised by anything, because anything is possible and even things that are very unexpected can happen sometimes

Beatrice always says that she hates country music, but last night she went to a country music concert. There's a first time for everything!