Episode 87
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Read the Transcript
Follow the text while you listen, then repeat useful sentences aloud.
Today, I'll focus again on the English pronunciation, particularly on the vowels with some funny tongue twisters. I'm sure you remember that I made another episode about tongue twisters just recently.
If you missed it, just go to my website and listen to episode #083.
SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/podcast >
And in the second part of this episode, you'll learn English grammar without studying any rules with an exclusive point of view story.
Okay! Let's start!
But first, I'll remind you what a tongue twister is. It's usually a sentence that is difficult to say fast because the words in the sentence have very similar sounds.
For example: "Annie ate eight Arctic apples."
Tongue twisters allow us to practice pronunciation and, most importantly, agility when producing sounds in the language.
If you want to sound more like an American, it's vital to pronounce vowels correctly. The following tongue twisters will help you reduce your accent for the vowels "a," "e," "o," and "u."
Like any other tongue twister, your goal is to recite as fast as possible and with few mistakes.
Okay. Now let's see some tongue twisters. I'll start saying each tongue twister slowly and then continue faster.
And while it's true that that at first, they can seem very difficult. Don't worry about it. Make sure to have the text in front of you because, like that, you can follow it better.
1. Excited executioner exercising his excising powers excessively.
2. Annie ate eight Arctic apples.
3. Mary Mac's mother's making Mary Mac marry me. My mother's making me marry Mary Mac. Will I always be so merry when Mary's taking care of me? Will I always be so merry when I marry Mary Mac?
4. Picky people pick Peter Pan Peanut-Butter,' tis the peanut-butter picky people pick!
5. I wish to wish, I dream to dream, I try to try, and I live to live, and I'd die to die, and I cry to cry, but I don't know why.
6. Near an ear, the nearer ear a nearly eerie ear.
Speaking Practice
POV Story: Grammar in Context
Read the same story from different points of view and notice how grammar changes naturally.
First version
First Person · Present Tense
For most people, I seem like a regular guy. When they see me doing such mundane things as going to the movies, going to work, buying toilet paper, or eating noodles, they don't see anything extraordinary in me.
However, if you pay a little more attention, you'll notice that I have a skill that makes me unique: I'm the best tongue twister reciter in the world!
Over the last few months, I've been training hard bebebecause I'm determined to break my own record.
(During the test):
The test just started, and I try to recite as fast as possible. In fact, I'm moving my arms at the same time I'm reciting. During this considerable effort, my face gets redder and redder. Finally, the bell rings, and I achieve the world record for the fifth consecutive year! I'm thrilled even though my face is red like a tomato. Now I have to rest. Hooray for me!
Second version
Third Person · Past Tense
For most people, Bob was a regular guy. When they saw him doing such mundane things as going to the movies, going to work, buying toilet paper, or eating noodles, they didn't see anything extraordinary in him.
However, when they paid a little more attention, they noticed that he had a skill that made him unique: he was the best tongue twister reciter in the world!
Over the last few months, Bob had been training hard because he was determined to break his own record.
(During the test):
After the test just started, Bob tried to recite as fast as possible. In fact, he was moving his arms at the same time he was reciting. During this considerable effort, his face got redder and redder. Finally, the bell rang, and he achieved the world record for the fifth consecutive year! Bob was thrilled even though his face was red like a tomato. Now he had to rest. Hooray for him!
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary from This Episode
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
01 vowel
a speech sound made without blocking the airflow.
05 determined
strongly decided to achieve something.
02 tongue twister
a sentence that is difficult to say quickly.
06 break a record
achieve a result better than the previous best.
03 reciter
a person who says memorized words aloud.
07 consecutive
following continuously one after another.
04 mundane
ordinary and not unusual.
08 thrilled
extremely pleased and excited.
Hi,
I understand almost eighty percent, so I try to understand the rest. kk
That’s great Daniel!!
Your material is excellent.
It really helped me.
Thanks a lot.
Thank you teacher you are the best