Episodit

  • Plans for November and December

    Plans for November and December

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    November 2, 2024

    Hello everybody. I've been meaning to record a short podcast to tell you what's going on, and here it is. I've been very busy the past month and November and December are shaping up to be even busier. So I'm not going to record any new podcasts during that time. I will continue to pay for the podcasts to be hosted so you can listen to any of them you like and download them. But I'm not planning to record new ones, at least for the next two months.

    However, if you follow me on Telegram, I have been putting up short recordings which you can play as loops. So if you start them playing, you can listen one time or ten times or a hundred times. I personally, for my own language practice, think loops are great. They let you really key in on the pronunciation and the rhythm and how something really sounds. Much better than anything else. Repetition, as far as I'm concerned, is magic. So if you're not following me on Telegram, the link is below. If you don't use Telegram, you might consider getting it. It's handy for this purpose. I know it's also used by all sorts of bad people to do bad things, but that's out of my control. So give it a try. Set up a little Telegram account and follow English with Barry.

    I have been posting two sentences a day most of the time on weekdays. So Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Two, I should say two loops because some of them are more than one or two sentences. So that's it. No new podcast planned for the next two months. And I will try to post at least one, if not two, new loops every weekday on my Telegram channel. If you have any questions, there's a link below for sending me a message. And I'll put an email so you can email me also if you want to. Thank you, and happy November and happy December. Take care!
    Barry


    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Consonant Blends

    Consonant Blends

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    If your native language doesn’t include many consonant blends, English can be a challenge. An example is “st” as in the word “test.” These blends can appear at the beginning of a word, in the middle, or at the end. Let’s practice.

    1- The first test was the worst test; the last test was the second worst.

    2- My task was to cover the disk on my desk with my mask.

    3- Old Mr. Gold told me he had a cold from the mold.

    4- I used my wand to send sand to the pond.

    5- Do you think I should dunk the skunk in the sink or the tank?

    6- I heard the sound of a hound running around and sniffing a mound.

    7- As a prank, the drunk drank his drink in a trunk.

    8- Would you, could you scold a child in a field?

    9- Mr. Smart stood apart in the court and held a chart of his heart.

    10- The bored blond was armed with a can of baked beans.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Puuttuva jakso?

    Paina tästä ja päivitä feedi.

  • Mad Tea Party -01

    Mad Tea Party -01

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    (From - Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: beginning of Chapter 7.)

    There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. “Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse,” thought Alice; “only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.”

    The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it:

    1- “No room! No room!” they cried out when they saw Alice coming. “There’s plenty of room!” said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

    2- “Have some wine,” the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

    Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. “I don’t see any wine,” she remarked.

    3- “There isn’t any,” said the March Hare.

    “Then it wasn’t very civil of you to offer it,” said Alice angrily.

    “It wasn’t very civil of you to sit down without being invited,” said the March Hare.

    4- “I didn’t know it was your table,” said Alice; “it’s laid for a great many more than three.”

    “Your hair wants cutting,” said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.

    “You should learn not to make personal remarks,” Alice said with some severity; “it’s very rude.”

    5- The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?”

    “Come, we shall have some fun now!” thought Alice. “I’m glad they’ve begun asking riddles.—I believe I can guess that,” she added aloud.

    6- “Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?” said the March Hare.

    “Exactly so,” said Alice.

    “Then you should say what you mean,” the March Hare went on.

    7- “I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least—at least I mean what I say—that’s the same thing, you know.”

    “Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “You might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is the same thing as ‘I eat what I see’!”

    8- “You might just as well say,” added the March Hare, “that ‘I like what I get’ is the same thing as ‘I get what I like’!”

    9- “You might just as well say,” added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, “that ‘I breathe when I sleep’ is the same thing as ‘I sleep when I breathe’!”

    10- “It is the same thing with you,” said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn’t much.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • more sentences with take

    more sentences with take

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Here are three more Phrasal Verbs based on “take”:

    1- As soon as all the passengers were seated and buckled in, the plane took off. [the plane left the ground]

    2- When the burglars heard our key in the lock, they took off through the back door and raced down the street. [They ran away quickly]

    3- The doctor told me to take off my shirt so he could listen to my heart and lungs. [to remove]

    4- I take after my mother. We have the same color hair and eyes, we are the same height, and we both wear glasses. [to resemble]

    5- John doesn’t take after his father. His dad likes to read and play guitar, while John enjoys playing sports and fixing old cars. They are very different from each other. [they don't resemble each other in their tastes]

    6- I took apart this old clock, but now I can’t put it back together again. [to take apart = disassemble]

    7- What happened to your car’s engine?
    —My friend and I took it apart. We’re going to rebuild it next week. [disassemble]

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Fake business names pron. exercise

    Fake business names pron. exercise

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Imaginary businesses with tricky-to-pronounce names. Use this podcast as an exercise to warm up your pronunciation. Go slowly before you try to go fast!

    1- Rudy’s Radioactive Radiator Repair

    2- Thea’s Thursday Seances Featuring Thinking, Theorizing, and Theremin Lessons

    3- Skip’s Sports Emporium and Unicycle Service Center

    4- Terry’s Tried-and-True Temporal Toaster Tinkering

    5- Harold’s Handcrafted Heated Hand Warmers

    6- Bob’s Refurbished Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers

    7- Joe’s Janky Junk Generators of New Jersey

    8- Carl’s Cardboard Carton Crushing Company

    9- Frank’s Infrared French Fries and Fricasseed Fertilizer Factory

    10- Arnold’s Ambling Artificial Alien Alligators

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Take over

    Take over

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    To “take over” has a couple of meanings. It can mean to “take control of” something, but it can also mean to control by being bossy.

    1- While I was sick, weeds took over the garden. Now it looks terrible.

    2- When my father died, I had to take over running the company.

    3- Our children have taken over my life. I have no free time for myself.

    4- One student in our class does most of the talking. He completely takes over our discussions.

    5- Every time we have a meeting, my boss takes over and doesn’t let anyone else speak.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • To take advantage of someone or something

    To take advantage of someone or something

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Another expression with the verb take. Let’s practice with “to take advantage of.”

    To “take advantage of” can be good or bad.

    Here’s an example of the bad kind: “He took advantage of his friend’s generosity by borrowing money and never paying it back.”

    And the good kind: “She took advantage of every opportunity to practice her English with fluent speakers.”

    1) My friend took advantage of my ignorance to sell me defective merchandise.

    2) The car salesman knew we didn’t know anything about cars. He really took advantage of us. Now we have no money and a crappy car.

    3) Our supermarket is having a sale on pasta. I’m going to take advantage of the low prices and stock up.

    4) My mother is friends with all the local politicians. If I ever decide to get into politics, I’ll take advantage of her connections.

    5) Let’s take advantage of the beautiful weather and go to the beach this afternoon.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Sentences with

    Sentences with "take place"

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Let’s continue our practice with the verb “take”, this time with “take place” which means to “happen”, usually for organized events.

    1) The next summer Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles. I hope it won’t be too hot.

    2) The next performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra will take place on September 8th.

    3) The 2024 US presidential election will take place on November 5.

    4) I would like our wedding to take place as soon as possible.

    5) We had a long business meeting, but the serious decisions took place later during dinner.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Take a look

    Take a look

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    The verb “take” is very common in English and it’s used in many ways. One of the expressions is to “take a look.” Here are some examples:

    1) “Doctor, please take a look at this X-ray.”

    2) He took one look at the snake and said, “It’s a Burmese Python.”

    3) “We need to take a look around your apartment,” said the policeman.

    4) She took one look at my hand and said, “That’s a nasty cut. You’re going to need some stitches.”

    5) My professor said he would take a look at my essay later.

    To get the most benefit from this podcast, practice it once or twice, then put it away for a day or two--and then practice it again. If you can, make a recording of yourself saying these sentences and compare your pronunciation with mine. Repeated listening and speaking is the key.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • So let's practice sentences with

    So let's practice sentences with "so"

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    August has been very busy but here's a podcast so you won't think I've run away somewhere. We use the word "so" in many ways. Here are some sample sentences.

    1- That is a beautiful painting?

    Do you really think so?

    2- Is it time for dinner? Is the food ready?

    I think so.

    3- She speaks French and so do I.

    4- And so off to the movies we went, arm in arm. (So = then)

    5- She had never felt so happy before in her life.

    6- I can only exercise so much in one day.

    7- I didn’t do it!

    You did so!

    8- I so don’t want to travel with him. (Informal)

    9- You can’t count on her. She is so unreliable.

    10- Most television shows are so boring.

    11- I lived in Spain not so long ago.

    12- She was so good in math and science that she became a chemist.

    13- He has perfect pitch, so he always sings in tune.

    14- My son says he hates broccoli so he won’t eat it.

    15- So here we go again: arguing about something stupid.

    16- You say I shouldn’t run a marathon and I say, “So what? It’s my decision.”

    17- “So THAT’S who ate all the cookies!”

    18- His room is very neat and he keeps all his things just so.

    19- If you need to talk to your teacher, do so as soon as possible.

    20- I’ll stay in Paris for a week or so.

    21- So now we’ve come to the end of this podcast. Bye!

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Practice with some 4-syllable words

    Practice with some 4-syllable words

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    This podcast contains 26 sentences. Each sentence includes at least one 4-syllable word. The words are in alphabetical order, so the 4-syllable word in the first sentence is “alligator” beginning with “A” and so on. Sentence number 26 contains the word “zoology”.

    Note that some of the sentences are silly and nonsensical while others are perfectly normal. Don’t worry about the ones that don’t make sense. Your job here is to practice pronouncing English. Let’s start:

    1. I was eaten by an alligator.

    2. She married a benevolent barbarian.

    3. He battled a cantankerous cauliflower.

    4. You can’t deactivate a dandelion.

    5. We rode up on an entertaining elevator.

    6. She was flabbergasted by my fettuccine.

    7. I donate generously to gastronomic startups.

    8. His harmonica playing was heartbreakingly sad.

    9. I will now introduce you to the isosceles triangle.

    10. She doesn’t put jellyfishes in her jambalaya.

    11. The kindergarten children of Kalamazoo are knowledgeable about Kookaburras.

    12. Our librarian spoke lyrically about her favorite books.

    13. Nobody wants to eat microscopic macaroni.

    14. The naturalist was also a skilled navigator.

    15. My grandmother was a phone operator in Oklahoma.

    16. I told the doctor about my peculiar palpitations.

    17. The politician’s quick-wittedness was questionable.

    18. We had to regularly repair our car’s radiator.

    19. When we put out their dinner dishes, the dogs began synchronizing their salivation.

    20. Who put the teriyaki in the terrarium?

    21. Her ukulele playing was unbearably bad.

    22. A vacationer from Venice vaccinated me.

    23. Our watermelon was wonderfully juicy.

    24. I don’t know what a xylotomist is.

    25. She used to work in Yosemite Park.

    26. Is zoology the study of zoos?

    If you need to translate any of the words in this podcast, DeepL is a good translator.

    This podcast took several hours to write, record, and edit. Whaddya think? Is it worth a few dollars to you? Should I continue this work or quit? Your support will answer that question. Thank you.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Practice with fixed expressions

    Practice with fixed expressions

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Fixed expressions are little English phrases that native speakers use all the time. If I were in your shoes, I would learn lots of fixed expressions.

    For variety, this podcast uses several synthetic voices to read the sentences.

    1. The fact that she speaks five languages doesn't mean she's qualified to be president.
    2. The fact that I just saw a rat means we're not eating dinner in this restaurant.
    3. The fact that our next door neighbor owns three cars proves that he has more money than sense.
    4. On the way to work, a bird flew into my car.
    5. On the way to Paris, our plane developed engine trouble.
    6. On the way to the beach, it started to rain cats and dogs.
    7. To my amazement, dinner was ready and waiting for me when I got home.
    8. To his amazement, he got a perfect score on his physics exam.
    9. To our amazement, the storm passed by quickly and the weather was perfect for our picnic.
    10. To their amazement, their new film won first prize at the film festival.

    Plea for support... I need help keeping wadjasay available. Details in the podcast.

    11. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't move to Bombay. It's too hot there.
    12. If I were in your shoes, I'd marry someone more intelligent than your current girlfriend.
    13. She said that if she were in my shoes, she'd quit her job and go to graduate school.
    14. Without warning, dishes began to rattle on the shelves. It was an earthquake!
    15. Without warning, his mother began to cry. "What's the matter?" asked Maria.
    16. Without warning, the car in front of us hit a patch of ice and skidded off the road.
    17. That's the kind of thing that drives me crazy.
    18. Poorly prepared food in a restaurant is the kind of thing I can't tolerate.
    19. Drinking alcohol and driving is the kind of thing that should be severely punished.
    20. I got off to a fast start but after a few kilometers, other runners began to catch up with me.
    21. She was out sick at the beginning of the semester, but after she returned to school she soon caught up with the other students in her class.
    22. I had to work late but I caught up with my friends at the mall later in the evening.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Practice with the 'dj' sound

    Practice with the 'dj' sound

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Practice with the DJ sound, as in “judge” and “ginger.”

    1 - His travel agency has a large budget for advertising.

    2 - Have you ever heard of an angel with an allergy?

    3 - The archaeologist apologized to the biologist.

    4 - She lives on the edge of Egypt.

    5 - The earthquake caused a lot of damage. It was a huge emergency.

    6 - The engineer decided to enlarge the bridge.

    7 - In general he is a generous man.

    8 - My geography professor is a genuine genius.

    9 - My grandmother baked a gigantic gingerbread man.

    10 - The doctor suggested a diet of more vegetables and extra oranges.

    Episodes of the wadjasay podcast have now been downloaded more than 50,000 times. I am amazed.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Dessert Time at the ZooQuarium

    Dessert Time at the ZooQuarium

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Here's a short poem to help you practice S, Z, and SH sounds.

    Dessert Time at the Zooquarium.

    A zebra sipped a milkshake.
    A serpent swam in cream.
    Hippos splashed and frolicked.
    In a gurgling chocolate stream.

    The zoo was full of visitors
    who buzzed like busy bees.
    And watched the sharks swim lazily
    through orange soda seas.

    The sounds were like an orchestra.
    As creatures chewed and slurped.
    At closing time, the whole place shook.
    An elephant had burped.

    © 2024 Barry Kahn

    Permission is hereby granted to use this poem for educational purposes only with attribution to the author.

    Please see the transcript for the full podcast text.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Mind Your Vs and Ws

    Mind Your Vs and Ws

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    English has V sounds and W sounds. But some languages only have one or the other. If your native language is missing one of these sounds, you need to learn it. Otherwise we won’t know if you want to say “wet” or “vet”. To help you practice, I wrote this poem:

    Mind Your Vs and Ws

    Our teacher is a vampire,

    He wobbles when he walks

    His voice is kind of funny

    But we like the way he talks.

    “I want to drink your blood,” he says,

    “It’s so invigorating.”

    But he says ‘vant’ instead of ‘want’

    And so ‘inwigerating’.

    “Mind your Vs and Ws,”

    We tell him with regret,

    “It’s ‘while’ and ‘went’ and ‘west’ and ‘wary’

    And ‘whale’ and ‘worse’ and ‘wet’.”

    “Just so!” he says, “I see, I see,

    I’ll get them right I bet:

    It’s ‘vile’ and ‘vent’ and ‘vest’ and ‘vary’

    And ‘veil’ and ‘verse’ and ‘vet’.”

    “No!” We shout, and laugh and yell

    And act like we will riot

    Until he shows his shiny fangs—

    And then—like graves—we’re quiet.

    © 2024 Barry Kahn

    Permission is hereby granted to use this poem for educational purposes only with attribution to the author.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • More reductions with 'and'

    More reductions with 'and'

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Let's continue with English reductions where the pronunciation of the word "and" changes to ’n.

    Here’s another example: “She’s out and about, shopping at the mall,” changes to 
”out ’n about”


    11. Our cat wandered off again but she’ll come home by and by.

    12. Now and then we like to eat dinner at a fancy restaurant.

    13. In this day and age, buying a house at the beach is asking for trouble.

    14. We have an off and on friendship.

    15. I explained the homework over and over again.

    16. After he fought with an alligator, he was black and blue all over his body.

    17. I’m willing and able to move to London for the right job.

    18. My brother arrived home safe and sound after six months traveling around Africa.

    19. The boat went up and down and up and down until everyone was seasick.

    20. He’s an up and coming young artist.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Up 'n down, over 'n over: reductions with

    Up 'n down, over 'n over: reductions with "and"

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    English is full of reductions. We write “going to” but we say “gonna” for example.

    The conjunction “and” is often reduced to an /n/ sound. So “hot and cold” becomes “hot ’n’ cold” and so on. Here are ten sentences to practice with.

    These phrases are sometimes called “fixed” and phrases. Ask any American to finish these:

    “Rock and _____.”

    “Bright and ______.”

    “Pros and ______.”

    Yes, they are effectively collocations.

    1. She often listens to rock and roll.

    2. My grandson like to eat bread and jam.

    3. “I now pronounce you man and wife.”

    4. They got up bright and early.

    5. She cared for her grandmother night and day.

    6. He wasn’t interested in the ins and outs of local politics.

    7. Professor Jones studied the rise and fall of ancient empires.

    8. It was a matter of life and death.

    9. I need to think about the pros and cons before I decide.

    10. There’s too much hustle and bustle in a big city. I prefer living in the country.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Past tense of regular verbs - MORE PRACTICE NEEDED!

    Past tense of regular verbs - MORE PRACTICE NEEDED!

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Regular verbs in English add “ed” to show past tense.

    So “walk” becomes “walked”, “cook” becomes “cooked”, etc.

    There are three ways the “ed” can be pronounced. In this podcast we will—again—practice verbs where the past tense ends with the /t/ sound. So in #1, look becomes looked [lookt] and drop becomes dropped [drohpt].

    Note: this podcast includes several synthetic voices. (Due to a bad cold and sore throat, my voice is on vacation.)

    If you need to practice this podcast, then you should also practice this one with the /d/ sound.

    1 . I looked for my phone but apparently I had dropped it into the lake.

    2 . We baked an apple pie and I brushed some butter on the crust.

    3 . I cracked some eggs into the pan and we cooked breakfast.

    4 . I kissed her hand and she dropped me a curtsy.

    5 . He finished work at six and then hiked home.

    6 . The prisoner jumped out the window and escaped.

    7 . I guessed what was wrong and then I fixed his car.

    8 . My uncle laughed as he smoked a cigar.

    9 . My sister and I talked as we shopped.

    10 . The man stopped and looked out the window.

    11 . Mr. Jones slipped on the ice, fell down, and knocked himself out.

    12 . He picked some flowers for his mother and pressed them into her hand.

    13 . We locked the door and hoped there were no burglars around.

    14 . The ballerina danced like an angel.

    15 . His car crashed into a tree.

    16 . What a crowd of people! The room was packed.

    17 . I missed the bus so I walked home from work.

    18 . I pushed the baby carriage. We passed lots of other carriages. So many babies!

    19 . He joked with me as he dressed in a tuxedo.

    20 . I relaxed and watched the men working across the street.

    21 . I thanked the doctor for his help.

    22 . She peeked into the oven. The cake was not baked yet.

    23 . I touched him on the shoulder and he jumped.

    24 . I passed him my binoculars so he could look at the lion.

    25 . Our websites are now linked.

    If you're listening to this, I assume you've practiced most or all of the sentences in this podcast. And if you've done that, you must believe it's helping you to improve your English. That's great!

    But Barry has a question for you: should this podcast be free? It's not free for him to create: it takes time to write and record, often 2-3 hours per podcast. He pays monthly fees to the company that hosts the podcasts. He pays monthly fees for the software that he uses to record and edit the software.

    As a business, this podcast is a failure. The money it costs Barry is much greater than the few dollars he gets every month from supporters. And that’s why he’s thinking of stopping. If you care, become a supporter or at least donate by buying the occasional cup of coffee. If you don’t care, then stopping the podcast won’t make any difference—except that Barry will have more free time.

    If you’d like to share your thoughts, please use the link at the top of the podcast text. And if you’re wondering why Barry didn’t record this in his own voice, it’s because he has a terrible cold and no voice to recor

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Consonant clusters with

    Consonant clusters with "R"

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    Final consonant clusters with "r"
    What's a consonant cluster? Simple: take the "r" sound, combine it with another consonant like "d", as in the word "yard" and you have a small group or cluster of two consonants. In the sentences below you'll find words like these: hard, guard, stirred, part, third, park, clerk, etc. Depending on your native language these may be easy to pronounce, or sometimes quite difficult. (In another podcast we'll practice some of the longer, harder clusters. Can you say "desks" for example?)

    1- English is not so hard to learn.

    2- The guard watched us as we approached the door.

    3- My mother stirred the pot of soup.

    4- My brother gave me part of his sandwich.

    5- Please spell the third word in that sentence.

    6- She parked her car in the dark.

    7- I work as a clerk.

    8- Slurp is a verb.

    9- The horse ran around the race course.

    10- The nurse was carrying a purse.

    11- There are no cars on Mars.

    12- My cat purrs all the time.

    13- His dog snarled at me.

    14- I called her the ‘Girl with the pearl earrings.’

    15- Did you hear the alarm at the farm?

    16- I warned them of the approaching storm.

    17- She lives on a farm.

    18- He walked away from the accident unharmed.

    19- My friends got divorced last year.

    20- My first job was the worst.

    21- The horse was pulling a cart full of garbage.

    22- I like the girl with the curly hair.

    23- She poured out her heart to her sister.

    24- The world is warming.

    25- How much is that diamond worth?

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Encounter with an alien part two

    Encounter with an alien part two

    · Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

    Send me a text message. Suggestions? Subjects for future podcasts? Let me know--thanks!

    See the transcript for the text of part 2.

    Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

    Support the show

    Email me: [email protected]

    You can now support my podcasts and classes:
    Help Barry pay for podcast expenses--thank you!

  • Näytä enemmän