Learn English with Coraline

Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, 11-year-old Coraline discovers a hidden door to a strangely idealized version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.

Why learn English with Coraline?

"Coraline" is a fantastic movie for English learners! It tells the story of a young girl who moves to a new house and discovers a secret door to a seemingly perfect world. This other world has an "other mother" and "other father" who have buttons for eyes and offer Coraline everything she wants. However, things are not what they seem, and Coraline must be brave to save her real parents. You'll learn vocabulary related to family (mother, father, grandma), houses (door, window, well), emotions (bored, happy, scared), and descriptions (mangy, ordinary, barren). The movie also uses simple sentences, making it easy to follow the dialogue. The movie explores themes of family, belonging, and appreciating what you have. It shows a range of emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and sadness. You'll hear characters express these emotions in different ways, which can help you learn how to talk about your own feelings in English. The language used is mostly conversational, with some more descriptive passages, providing a good mix for learners. You'll also encounter some idiomatic expressions like "scared me to death" and "get a grip," which are common in everyday English. Watching "Coraline" can greatly benefit your English learning journey. The clear dialogue and simple story make it easy to understand, even for beginners. By following the subtitles, you can match the spoken words with the written text, improving your reading and listening comprehension. Paying attention to how the characters express their emotions can help you build your vocabulary and improve your communication skills. Plus, it's a visually stunning and engaging story that will keep you entertained while you learn!

Words from Coraline

Here are the first 15 of the more difficult words in Coraline:

mangy: dirty and in poor condition
dowser: a person who uses a forked stick or other tool to find water or minerals
someplace: a place that you do not know
barren: too poor to produce plants or crops
witch: a woman who is thought to have magic powers, usually evil
dowse: to search for underground water or minerals using a tool that reacts to their presence
stalk: a thin stem that supports a leaf, flower, or fruit and joins it to another part of the plant or tree; the main stem of a plant; a long, thin structure that supports something, especially an organ in some animals, and joins it on to another part
psycho: someone who is crazy, strange and frightening
nerd: a person who is very interested in computers, especially one who is not fashionable or socially skilled
feral: living wild, especially after escaping domestication
pontiac: a car brand previously owned by General Motors, named after a leader of the Odawa people in the 18th century
stomp: to walk, dance, or step heavily
palace: a large house where a king, queen, or other important person lives
saddle: a seat for a rider on the back of an animal, typically leather for horses and other shapes and materials for bicycles or motorcycles
grandma: a short form of the word grandmother