You’ll never forget how to pronounce “would”

Funny Stuff, Phonetics, The English language, , , ,

Learning and mastering English pronunciation can sometimes feel like a daunting task. I have been marking heaps of exams lately and now it’ s time  for the oral test and if you want to know the truth… I ‘m dreading  it!! Students insist on mispronouncing words they have heard a thousand times, like the word “since”, which they insistently pronounce as /sains/ and the “l” in words such as: walk, talk, should, half .… and would, when I’m well aware they know the “l” in these words is never pronounced.

By the time you finish watching this video, I bet you won’t forget how to pronounce “would”.

This clip from the movie “The Pink Panther”  is probably one of the funniest I have ever seen and Steve Martin is at one of his best performances

 

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Japanese Eye Test

General

Now that we are up to your eyes in exams and I have just what you need.  A good laugh!!

Look at this picture

If you cannot decipher anything, then try pulling the corner of your eyes as if you were Japanese. Keep
pulling until your eyes are almost closed. Can you see it now?

If you can see it without doing anything to your eyes, then … Congratulations!!

Howjsay.com : A Pronunciation Dictionary

Dictionaries, ,

I’ve been using this pronunciation dictionary for quite a long time and I love it for several reasons:

♥ You can find almost any word here and this includes proper names as it is the world’s largest English pronouncing dictionary.
♥ You enter the word and you submit it. When it appears in pink, mouse over it to hear it spoken as often as you want. You don’t have to wait a second as it is individually pre-recorded!!
♥ You can translate the word into Spanish or any other language using the Google Translate and then get the definition for the word .

I hope you like it as much as I do.

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An amazing dictionary online

And yet another way to improve your vocab

From London with love

Converting Text into Speech

The Weather: The British National Passion

Lesson Plan: Advanced, , , , ,

Isn’t it true that one of the first things that comes into your mind when you hear the word “England “is bad weather?

Contrary to the popular belief IT does NOT RAIN everyday but the thing is that talking about the weather is a national obsession and pastime. In England this is an ever-interesting, even thrilling topic, and you must be good at discussing the weather . It’s also important to learn this rule:”Never ever contradict anybody when discussing the weather”. Should it hail and snow, should hurricanes uproot the trees from the sides of the road, and should someone remark to you: “Nice day, isn’t it?” – answer without hesitation: “Isn’t it lovely?” (adapted from How to be an Alien)

It’s therefore important that you know how to respond to comments about weather as it often seems to be the device to start a conversation. Now that you have been warned, don’t miss the opportunity to do this lesson plan I have prepared for my Advanced students on The Weather. Click here to see the whole Lesson Plan

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This is real life: a cheeky customer

General, Students' Corner,

Thanks to Tatiana Baena , a student at Pre-intermediate level, for her  hilarious speech. We really had a nice laugh listening to you.

One day, in December, I don’t know if it was one or two years ago ,a lady came into the shop. This lady wanted a black coat; she needed the coat because she had a very important party. It was a business dinner.
She wanted a cheap coat because she had a very good, expensive and pretty coat; of course she was talking about her mink coat
Well, while we were talking about the business dinner she went to the changing room and tried the black coat on. She liked it and before paying she warned me if there were any problems she would take it back and I said:” .Of course .No problem” , so she bought the coat and paid cash.
After three or four days, the lady came back with the black coat. She changed it for a black t-shirt and black trousers, we said:” see you, bye, bye”, and I put the coat on the coat stand.
When I was alone, without customers, I put the coat on the clothes rail, and I don´t know why I looked into the pocket of the coat but I found a bus ticket and a 50€ note.
I don’t know how I felt, but the best is coming.

The lady came back again after one hour. I couldn´t believe it! She wanted to try the same coat again because when she arrived home, she thought the coat fitted her very well. I saw her put her hands into the pocket and then  she looked at me with a white or red face and I said with a beautiful smile :”What´s wrong?”. She didn´t tell me anything and she thanked me because I was so kind and she left.
After two months the lady came back and she asked me to forgive her for her behaviour and I returned her the 50€ note, since then she has been back to the shop every month.