Episode 226
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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!
Last week we started this accent reduction exercise by focusing on the S sound with the help of some fun tongue twisters.
So, let's remember the tongue twisters we used last week to help you improve your English pronunciation.
I will go fast, but if you want to practice them, you can do so by listening to the previous episode on my website.
Listen and repeat:
#1 I saw Esau kissing Kate. I saw Esau, he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.
#2 Santa's Short Suit Shrunk.
#3 You cuss, I cuss, we all cuss for asparagus.
#4 Thin sticks, thick bricks. #5 Systematically assisting Sisyphus's stealthy cyst-susceptible sister.
I hope you’re having fun.
Let’s practice 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. She saw Sharif's shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure those were Sharif's shoes she saw?
Now I will say it faster.
She saw Sharif's shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure those were Sharif's shoes she saw?
Ok. Even faster!
She saw Sharif's shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure those were Sharif's shoes she saw?
Let's continue!
2) The chic Sikh's sixty-sixth sheep is sick.
Let’s say it faster!
The chic Sikh's sixty-sixth sheep is sick.
Even faster!
The chic Sikh's sixty-sixth sheep is sick.
3) There’s a pessimistic pest amidst us.
Ok. Say it faster!
There’s a pessimistic pest amidst us.
Even faster!
There’s a pessimistic pest amidst us.
4) Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches?
Say it faster!
Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches?
Can you say it faster?
Which witch switched the Swiss wristwatches?
5) She sells seashells by the seashore.
Let’s say it faster!
She sells seashells by the seashore.
Even faster!
She sells seashells by the seashore.
Well, that's all for now; I hope you had fun practicing your English pronunciation and you didn't get tongue-tied like Smith. We’ll see what happened to him and why he was crowned king.
Now, let’s practice.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
GRAMMAR MADE EASY
POV Story: Grammar in Context
Read the same story in two different points of view and notice how the grammar changes naturally.
Past Tense - Third Person
Last year Smith won a trip to a faraway English-speaking country. Since he knew nothing about that country, Smith was relieved to learn that the locals spoke his language.
However, when he arrived, he was surprised to find that everyone spoke using only tongue twisters.
Smith tried to speak using tongue twisters in the past but couldn't because every time he attempted that, he got tongue-tied.
Strangest of all, someone invited him to a speech contest. Fortunately for Smith, the contestants had to succeed in speaking without using tongue twisters for as long as possible.
All the other people had difficulty expressing themselves without using tongue twisters. They could not last more than a few seconds without using them, except for Smith, who spoke for 1 hour without using tongue twisters.
So, as you can imagine, the country's residents were amazed by his strange ability. What's more, they crowned him king of the country.
Eventually, Smith learned that he had traveled to Tongue Twister Land. Thus, anyone who spoke without using tongue twisters for longer than a few seconds was considered extremely wise. And that's how Smith became the king of a faraway country.
Smith's Point of View
Last year I won a trip to a faraway English-speaking country. Since I knew nothing about that country, I was relieved to learn that the locals spoke my language.
However, when I arrived, I was surprised to find that everyone spoke using only tongue twisters.
I tried to speak using tongue twisters in the past but couldn't because every time I attempted that, I got tongue-tied.
Strangest of all, someone invited me to a speech contest. Fortunately for me, the contestants had to succeed in speaking without using tongue twisters for as long as possible.
All the other people had difficulty expressing themselves without using tongue twisters. They could not last more than a few seconds without using them. However, I spoke for 1 hour without using tongue twisters.
So, as you can imagine, the country's residents were amazed by my strange ability. What's more, they crowned me king of the country.
Eventually, I learned that I had traveled to Tongue Twister Land. Thus, anyone who spoke without using tongue twisters for longer than a few seconds was considered extremely wise. And that's how I became the king of a faraway 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 that is difficult to say quickly.
accent reduction
practice intended to make pronunciation clearer.
tongue-tied
temporarily unable to speak clearly.
speech contest
a competition involving public speaking.
crown
officially make someone a king or queen.
locals
people who live in a particular place.
relieved
feeling less worried after receiving good news.
faraway
located a long distance from a place.
Want more speaking practice? Continue with a complete audio course.
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