The contentious sexually-charged video turned into an English lesson

“Weird Al” Yankovic turned Robin Thicke’s controversial Blurred Lines into something rather unexpected: an English lesson.

Taking one of the most talked-about pop songs and videos of its time and turning it into a lesson about grammar, spelling and word choice is exactly the kind of language learning we like – unexpected, memorable and difficult to ignore.

The satirist’s Word Crimes is a parody of Robin Thicke’s 2013 hit Blurred Lines. But while the original song and its sexually charged video generated plenty of controversy, Yankovic deliberately went in an entirely different direction. His subject was something much closer to the heart of every language teacher: bad grammar.

What could be more surprising than an English lesson hidden inside a pop hit?

A self-confessed “grammar nerd,” Yankovic uses the song to take aim at common English language mistakes, from confusing words that sound alike to questionable spelling, punctuation and sentence construction.

“Weird Al” Yankovic – Word Crimes

And that is also what makes Word Crimes interesting from a language-learning perspective.

Grammar exercises do not always need to look like grammar exercises. Songs, humor, films, advertising and even controversial moments in popular culture can give learners something memorable to connect a word, expression or language rule to. When language appears in a context that makes us laugh, react or argue, there is a good chance we will remember it.

That approach has always been part of the idea behind Verbalists Education: languages are not something that exist only in textbooks. We encounter them through music, travel, conversations, media and everyday culture. Sometimes even a parody of a controversial music video can turn into a surprisingly effective English lesson.

So, next time someone tells you that learning grammar has to be boring, Word Crimes may be a useful counterargument.

And perhaps a small language challenge: how many of the mistakes mentioned in the song have you made yourself?

---

With 100,000+ social network members, more than 500 trainers, and 20,000+ students supported, Verbalists Education, owned by PRODIREKT Group, is one of the world’s most reputable language networks.