For a long time now, listening to popular songs and watching TV shows in English has been a proven method to expand learners’ vocabulary
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a famous reindeer that first appeared in 1939 in the coloring book that was written by an American, Robert L. May, and published by the Chicago-based department store Montgomery Ward.
Rudolph is usually depicted as a young reindeer with a glowing red nose, the lead reindeer pulling Santa Clause’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. Although his friends laugh at Rudolph’s luminous red nose, its brightness lights the team’s path through harsh winter weather.
The history of Rudolph
The first cartoon “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was broadcast in 1948. The famous song under the same title was written by Johnny Marks, May’s brother-in-law, and first broadcast the following year. Some of the legendary American singers, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, and Dean Martin, sang this well-loved holiday song in the years to come.
It helps you learn
For a long time now, listening to popular songs and watching TV shows in English has been a proven method to expand learners’ vocabulary.
So, this holiday season, you might decide to watch cartoons with your children or listen to this all-time favorite American holiday classic, all available on YouTube.
As always, parental guidance is advised on the Internet.
A bit of holiday grammar
We wouldn’t be teachers if we didn’t bring up a tiny bit of grammar into the holiday cheer: The plural form of the noun reindeer is the same as the singular form (and the same applies for deer). Rudolph is, therefore a red-nosed reindeer with lots of reindeer friends.
Also, the verb broadcast is commonly used as “broadcast” in the past form and past participle as well, therefore: This cartoon is broadcast every year in December. It broadcast for the first time in the 1940s. However, less often, the past form broadcasted is used as well.
Happy Holidays!
We hope you’ll enjoy the story of Rudolph, an essential part of the American holiday season.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year, from all of us at Languages and More!
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Lyrics
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve Santa came to say,
“Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You’ll go down in history”