Episode 225
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Read the Transcript
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Hi, everybody! I am Georgiana, your English teacher and founder of SpeakEnglishPodcast.com. My mission is to help you speak English fluently.
Ok, let's start!
Do you remember what a tongue twister is?
It can be a difficult phrase that we say quickly, usually because of a sequence of almost similar sounds.
For example, "Peter Piper picked a pickle of pickled peppers."
Many people use tongue twisters to speak clearly, including actors, politicians, etc.
These allow you to practice pronunciation and agility when it comes to producing sounds in English.
And for language learners, tongue twisters are very useful to use as accent reduction exercises.
So today, we are going to practice English pronunciation with new tongue twisters.
Are you ready?
Let's go!
I will start saying each tongue twister slowly, and then I will go faster.
At first, they may seem very difficult, so make sure you have the text in front of you to be able to follow it better.
Ok. So, I will say it very slowly:
1. I saw Esau kissing Kate. I saw Esau, he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.
Are you ready to speed it up? (Say it faster.)
I saw Esau kissing Kate. I saw Esau, he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.
Ok. Even faster!
I saw Esau kissing Kate. I saw Esau, he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.
I hope you're having fun. Let's continue!
2) Santa’s Short Suit Shrunk.
Ok. Now I'm gonna speed it up! (say it faster.)
Santa’s Short Suit Shrunk.
Ok. Even faster!
Santa’s Short Suit Shrunk.
3) You cuss, I cuss, we all cuss for asparagus.
Ok. Say it faster!
You cuss, I cuss, we all cuss for asparagus.
Even faster!
You cuss, I cuss, we all cuss for asparagus.
4) Thin sticks, thick bricks.
Ok. Say it faster!
Thin sticks, thick bricks.
Can you say it faster?
Thin sticks, thick bricks.
5) Systematically assisting Sisyphus’s stealthy cyst-susceptible sister.
Can you say it faster?
Systematically assisting Sisyphus’s stealthy cyst-susceptible sister.
Even faster!
Systematically assisting Sisyphus’s stealthy cyst-susceptible sister.
Ok, I know that was hard. But that's it for now; I really hope you're having fun practicing your English pronunciation, but before we continue…
Now, let’s practice.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING
Mini-Story: Speaking Practice
Answer the questions aloud with short and quick responses. Repeat the Mini-Story several times to improve your speaking and listening.
Smith won a trip to a faraway English-speaking country.
Did Smith win a trip, or did he pay for it?
He won a trip. He didn't pay for it.
What language did they speak in the country?
English. It was an English-speaking county. The locals spoke English.
What did Smith win?
Smith won a trip to a faraway country.
Was the country near or far away?
The country wasn't near. It was far away. Smith won a trip to a faraway country.
When he arrived, Smith found that the locals spoke only using tongue twisters.
Did he find that the locals spoke only using riddles?
No. No. He noticed that the locals spoke only using tongue twisters.
What did he notice?
He noticed that the locals spoke using tongue twisters.
How was everyone talking?
They were using tongue twisters. Everyone in this faraway country spoke using tongue twisters.
Unfortunately, when Smith tried using tongue twisters, he became tongue-tied.
Was Smith an expert in tongue twisters?
No. No. Smith wasn't an expert in tongue twisters.
Why couldn't Smith use tongue twisters?
Every time Smith tried using tongue twisters he became tongue-tied.
Who couldn't speak using tongue twisters? The locals?
No. No. Smith couldn't speak using tongue twisters. Not the locals.
Did the locals speak using tongue twisters?
Yes. The locals only spoke using tongue twisters.
Smith won a contest that required contestants to avoid using tongue twisters.
Did Smith lose the contest?
No. No. Smith didn't lose the contest. He won the contest.
Did he win a riddle contest?
No. No. Smith didn't win a riddle contest.
What kind of contest did he win?
Smith won a contest that required contestants to avoid using tongue twisters.
After winning the contest, Smith was crowned king of the country by the locals.
Did Smith get crowned emperor?
No. No. Smith didn't get crowned emperor. He was crowned king of the country.
Who was crowned king of the country?
Smith. For some mysterious reason, Smith was crowned king of the country.
Who crowned Smith king of the country?
The locals. The locals crowned Smith king of the country.
When did the locals crown Smith as king of the country? Before or after the contest?
After the contest, the locals crowned Smith as king of their country.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.
Review
Vocabulary
Review the most useful words and expressions before listening again.
tongue twister
a phrase designed to be difficult to say quickly.
S sound
the consonant sound heard at the start of “sun.”
accent reduction
practice intended to make pronunciation clearer.
pronounce
produce the sounds of a word.
deliberately
intentionally and with a specific purpose.
contest
a competition in which people try to win.
crown
officially make someone a king or queen.
locals
people who live in a particular place.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
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