Learning enough English to venture through the Canadian university system is key for foreign students to study at the University of Toronto. Knowing what those around them are talking about takes a different type of English instruction.
U of T offers a free 10-week course, "Sitcom English" to help those not from the Great White North to understand the world they are now in.
Parent Central reports on the importance this class has for those students studying aboard here in Canada.
"I can't understand what people are saying when they walk by me on the street," said Mei. "Learning the sitcoms means having an instructor who helps you with this kind of real-life English."
There is a difference between speaking perfect textbook English and being able to communicate with a world that has phrases like `Catch you later' or `Get out of here!' Telling someone to get out of here may have the foreign student feelings hurt and them standing up and leaving a room.
Using sitcoms though, English slang can be tackled fairly quickly. In Sitcom 101 the students go over plot and vocabulary, tackling phrases that baffle them until they can carry on conversations with anyone on campus.
Sitcom 101 Is a Valuable Course At The University Of Toronto
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