Whether you believe in life on other planets or not, today’s vocabulary is going to help you talk about this subject, understand movies about outer space, or read a science fiction story.

So, let’s take a look at some “out of this world” vocabulary:

science fiction (n) – this is make believe scientific ideas, often futuristic ideas, or make believe worlds; science fiction is often related to space travel (this word is abbreviated as “sci-fi”)

alien (n) – a creature (animal or being) from a planet other than Earth
synonyms: extra terrestrial or ET

spaceship (n) – a vehicle used to travel in space
synonyms: spacecraft, flying saucer, unidentified flying object or UFO

abduct (v) – to capture or kidnap a person against his/her will; aliens are often accused of abducting people

teleport (v) – to move from one place to another instantly; often aliens are believed to move by teleporting

Area 51 – a place in the United States where aliens are reported to have landed, but their landing is suspected by some to have been covered up (or hidden) by the US government

Crop circles – elaborate pictures made in crops (like corn or wheat); these are often found in England and are believed by some people to be caused by alien spaceships

People generally imagine aliens to look very different from people.  Often aliens are thought to be green, small or short, with big heads, and big eyes.  Of course no one knows what aliens really look like or if there even are aliens at all.  What do you think aliens look like? Describe your idea of an alien in the comment box below for some English writing practice and I’ll give you some feedback.

Lastly take a look at this movie clip from the movie ‘ET: The Extra Terrestrial.’ In this video you’ll see an alien and his UFO as imagined by the famous director Steven Spielberg.  Oh, and you will also hear what an alien ESL speaker sounds like! Enjoy.