Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! 1 - Gymnasts have broad, muscular backs. 2 - I worked in the garden all morning and now my back aches. 3 - He broke his back in a terrible car accident. 4 - Have you ever read The Hunchback of Notre Dame? 5 - My dog always stretches his back and yawns when he wakes up. 6 - My cat arched his back and hissed loud...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! There are some words in English which change their meaning when you change the stress. Here’s an example: Perfect - free of mistakes, problems, errors. 1 - The teacher said my homework was perfect. (PER-fect) 2 - She got a perfect score on the exam. 3 - Your pronunciation is perfect. 4 - It’s hard to be perfect...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!  1 - I enjoyed myself when I visited Mexico.  2 - She hurt herself playing basketball.  3 - You’re working too hard. Don’t kill yourself!  4 - John is going to make himself a sandwich.  5 - We encourage ourselves to practice English every day.  6 - I own my own small company. I pay myself four thousand dollars...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! The full text of this podcast along with additional information about job scams can be found on the US Federal Trade Commission website . Here are some sentences to use for pronunciation practice. They are at the end of the podcast. 1- Scammers advertise jobs the same way honest employers do — online (in ads, o...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! There are many collocations in English using the word “pain”. Here are a few to practice with. 1) He immersed himself in the music and for a little while forgot the pain of losing his father. 2) She took medications for a few days to ease the pain in her leg. 3) It took me a long time to get over the pain of ge...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived with her mother in a small house at the edge of a big forest. The girl had a bright red cape with a hood and it was so striking that everyone called her Little Red Riding Hood. One day her mother said, "Sweetie, I'm preparing a basket of treats for yo...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! 1) Our teacher gave us some grammar exercises for homework. 2) The translation exercises were difficult. 3) I do yoga exercises every morning. 4) His doctor recommended some exercises to strengthen his back. 5) Learning a new language is a good mental exercise. 6) Mary does daily breathing, stretching, and rela...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! 1) We go to dinner at a fancy restaurant when we’re feeling extravagant.  2) Spending $200 on a pair of shoes seems extravagant to me. 3) She’s only extravagant when she’s on vacation and then she throws caution to the winds. 4) After winning the lottery, he became the most extravagant person I know. He spent m...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Some sentences with "happy": 1) He has a successful business with many happy customers. 2) Meeting you here in the airport was a happy accident.  3) The boy was whistling a happy tune. 4) That movie had a happy ending.  5) Alex and Joanna are a very happy couple. 6) My grandson has had a happy childho...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Betty Botta bought some butter; “But,” said she, “this butter’s bitter! If I put it in my batter It will make my batter bitter. But a bit o’ better butter Will but make my batter better.” Then she bought a bit o’ butter Better than the bitter butter, Made her bitter batter better. So ’twas better Betty Botta Bo...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Where's Molly? The cat? I don't know. Where have you looked? Did you check the bedroom? She's not in the bedroom. Did you look in the fridge? How would a cat get into the fridge? I don't know. How about the washing machine? I just put laundry in the washer. She's not in there. Did you l...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! If you're not familiar with the word auction, A-U-C-T-I-O-N, I want you to stop this podcast, look at the notes, and go watch two parts of videos on YouTube. The first one is an example of an auction competition and the second one is a woman auctioneer talking about her patter, which is the way people talk...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Here are two home-made tongue twisters featuring "L". Lazy Lucy left languid Larry lingering in Louisiana. Lucille’s lizard lives happily in her yellow bungalow. (Note to Turkish speakers: look in a mirror and say English words beginning in "L". If you see the tip of your tongue sticking out...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Today's mini-cast discusses these two sentences: I used to work for a big company, but after a few years I quit. Now I'm self-employed. If there's a sentence or a couple of sentences you find tricky to pronounce, and you'd like me to use it or them in a mini-podcast, email me at fuzzy.moon86...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Another mini-cast: the sentence to practice here is: "I could take the bus to work, but I'd rather walk." Listen carefully as always, and notice how words pronounced in isolation may be pronounced differently when they're in a sentence. If you want to practice your speaking and correct gramm...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Here's another podcast where I dig into exactly how I pronounce a single sentence: "To tell you the truth, I was surprised by his attitude."  By the way: thank you to my supporters who contribute to help pay for the expenses of this podcast. You are greatly appreciated! Intro & Outro Music: L...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Note: the podcast recording is not identical to this short essay. But the topic is the same. Who knew? The "TH" sound in English does not exist in Turkish. And yet, the articulation of the "TH" sound does exist in Turkish. Really and truly. If you are a native speaker of Turkish, do this: 1)...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! This podcast contains a very close analysis of how I pronounce a few sentences: 1- I am so tired of waiting in the rain. 2- I'm so happy to be walking in the park. 3- I was so tired of waiting in the rain that I went to a restaurant. Remember:  Written English is not a good guide to pronunciation.  Believe...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!  There was once a young rat named Arthur, who could never take the trouble to make up his mind. Whenever his friends asked him if he would like to go out with them, he would only answer, ‘I don’t know.’ He wouldn’t say ‘yes’ and he wouldn’t say ‘no’ either. He could never learn to make a choice.  His aunt Helen...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! No text. This podcast is my quick report on how my Turkish studies are going after one month. It's definitely an adventure.  Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com Support the show Email me:  swift.water3883@fastmail.com You can now support my podcasts a...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! English has three nasal sounds. They are “M” as in “mama”, “N” as in “nine”, and /ŋ/ - the ‘ing’ sound, as in “ring.” In making each of these sounds, some air comes out through your nose which is why they are called ‘nasal’ sounds. If you pinch your nose shut while trying to make these sounds, you’ll find they...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! About a week ago I decided I would learn some Turkish. Why Turkish you might ask? And the answer is I don't really have a good reason. I'm 75 years old. I'm not going to travel to Turkey. I have no local friends who speak Turkish. So I have no good reason. I don't need it for work. I don&apo...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Listen to the following weather report read by an A.I. (artificial intelligence produced) voice. I'll play it twice and then I'll record the same report. Listen to the A.I. reading, then listen to my version, and see if you hear any important differences in pronunciation, rhythm or intonation.  “A cha...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! Hello, everybody. Barry is resting his voice and he asked me to record this podcast. My name is Hannah. Today’s sentences all include the verb “make” plus a noun. Listen to each sentence 3 or 4 times, and then repeat along with me.  1) Let me make you a fresh cup of hot coffee.  2) She tasted the soup and then...

Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks! A reminder: collocations are words that are commonly used together by native speakers. For example “brand” and “new” are a collocation, as in “Look at my brand new car,” or “All her clothes are brand new .” Here are some collocations using the word “book”. 1) Have you read her most recent book ? 2) I like to bu...