This video is an imitation exercise, where you’ll hear fragments of English conversation on a loop.
YouTube blocked?Video Text:
Coming soon!
This video is an imitation exercise, where you’ll hear fragments of English conversation on a loop.
Tagged With: Exercises, Imitation Exercises YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
Coming soon!
In this imitation exercise video, you’ll hear English conversation fragments on a loop. Repeat what you hear, focusing on matching and noticing the linking and melody of the voice.
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Video Text:
Rachel: Here with my friend Tom, my favorite Rachel’s English teacher, besides myself.
Tom: Of course.
Rachel: We’re going to have a little conversation and then turn it into an Imitation exercise.
Rachel: Are you stressed about anything, Tom? (3x)
Are you stressed about anything, Tom?
Tom: I guess I’m always a little stressed about something. (3x)
I guess I’m always a little stressed about something.
Rachel: Yeah.
Tom: Yeah.
Rachel: You just started a new course. (3x)
You just started a new course.
Tom: I did. (3x)
I did.
I started my second course of Rachel’s English. (3x)
I started my second course of Rachel’s English.
Um.
But that’s not so stressful as much as exciting. (3x)
But that’s not so stressful as much as exciting.
Because (‘cuz’) I learned a whole lot during the first course. (3x)
Because (‘cuz’) I learned a whole lot during the first course.
Rachel: Yeah.
Those students loved you. (3x)
Those students loved you.
Tom: I had a great time with them. (3x)
I had a great time with them.
Rachel: Yeah.
So what else might be stressing you out? (3x)
So what else might be stressing you out?
Tom: I guess some auditions. (3x)
I guess some auditions.
I’m an actor. (3x)
I’m an actor.
So heading out and putting yourself (3x)
So heading out and putting yourself
in front of casting directors and directors and (3x)
in front of casting directors and directors and
looking for a callback and hoping that you get it. (3x)
looking for a callback and hoping that you get it.
Things like that.
Rachel: Yeah.
I remember that (3x)
I remember that
from my days of auditioning as well. (3x)
from my days of auditioning as well.
Tom: Yeah.
Auditioning can be very stressful. (3x)
Auditioning can be very stressful.
Rachel: Yeah. (3x)
Yeah.
Rachel: You have to get so used to rejection. (3x)
You have to get so used to rejection.
Tom: You do. Rejection is (3x)
You do. Rejection is
happening on a weekly, if not daily, basis. (3x)
happening on a weekly, if not daily, basis.
Rachel: Right. (3x)
Right.
Rachel: But it’s actually a pretty good life lesson. (3x)
But it’s actually a pretty good life lesson.
Don’t you think? (3x)
Don’t you think?
Tom: Yeah. Absolutely.
Rachel: To be able to deal with that.
Tom: Definitely. You just have to go with the flow (3x)
Definitely. You just have to go with the flow
and know that (3x)
and know that
you’ll land what’s right for you. (3x)
you’ll land what’s right for you.
Rachel: Right.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
This video is an imitation exercise, where you’ll hear fragments of English conversation on a loop. Repeat exactly what you hear, match it as much as you can.
Tagged With: Exercises, Imitation Exercises YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
In this American English pronunciation exercise, we’re going to study some conversation. Today it’s going to be an imitation exercise, where we listen to speech on a loop, like this:
today I woke up…[3x]
Today’s topic: what did you do today?
For imitation exercises, I loop a sentence or a sentence fragment three times, then give you time to repeat. It’s more important to focus on imitating than what you’re saying. By looping it three times, I hope you’ll hear the speech in a different way: more as rhythm and pitch than as words and sounds. In fact, sometimes, you might want to repeat back only the rhythm and the pitch, no text at all. For example,
How are you? [3x]
Uhhh– instead of trying to say ‘how are you?’, just going with the rhythm and the pitch. Uhh. Other times, repeat the text. But don’t worry about how you think the words should be pronounced. Just think about what you’re hearing, and reproducing it exactly.
Great. Let’s get started.
>> Tom, what did you do today?
>> Today? >> Today.
>> Today I woke up…
>> …and I went for a run.
>> And, um, then I just worked.
>> So, where do you run?
>> I run in Fort Greene Park.
>> In Brooklyn.
>> That’s a nice park.
>> It is a nice park.
>> But, isn’t it really small?
>> It’s a very small park.
>> So, how, how do you run there?
>> Well, first of all, it’s on a hill,
>> Fort Greene is on a hill.
>> So, it’s very hilly terrain to run.
>> And you run around this dirt track around the outside.
>> So you just run loops.
>> Right. And you do, like, 50 loops?
>> I do 50-100
>> depending on how I’m feeling.
>> Right.
>> So, what are you doing after this?
>> After this,
>> Nothing.
>> No plans.
>> Should we get dinner?
>> Yeah.
>> Where should we get dinner?
>> I don’t know, somewhere in the neighborhood.
>> There’s good stuff around here.
>> Ok.
>> I’ll find us something.
>> We’re in Chelsea.
>> right now.
>> We are in Chelsea.
>> But we’re really close to the Union Square area.
>> Flatiron…
>> That’s true.
>> We have lots of options.
>> Rachel knows a lot about the Union Square area.
>> I used to live there.
>> She used to live there, for?
>> Like, four years.
>> Four years.
>> Yeah.
>> There’s a Barnes and Noble there.
>> And a very strange sculpture.
>> On the side of a building…
>> that used to be a Circuit City.
>> Wait, what sculpture?
>> There’s a sculpture,
>> A round sculpture that spews smoke
>> Oh right, right.
>> Or steam.
>> So that used to be a Circuit City?
>> It did.
>> What is it now?
>> Is it a Best Buy?
>> I’m not quite sure why we’re talking about this!
And now the whole conversation:
>> Tom, what did you do today?
>> Today?
>> Today.
>> Today I woke up and I went for a run.
>> And, um, then I just worked.
>> So, where do you run?
>> I run in Fort Greene Park, in Brooklyn.
>> That’s a nice park.
>> It is a nice park.
>> But, isn’t it really small?
>> It’s a very small park.
>> So, how, how do you run there?
>> Well, first of all, it’s on a hill, Fort Greene is on a hill. So, it’s very hilly terrain to run. And you run around this dirt track around the outside.
>> So you just run loops.
>> Right. And you do, like, 50 loops?
>> I do 50-100 depending on how I’m feeling.
>> Right.
>> So, what are you doing after this?
>> After this, nothing.
>> No plans.
>> No plans.
>> Should we get dinner?
>> Yeah.
>> Where should we get dinner?
>> I don’t know, somewhere in the neighborhood.
>> There’s good stuff around here.
>> Ok.
>> I’ll find us something.
>> We’re in Chelsea right now.
>> We are in Chelsea.
>> But we’re really close to the Union Square area.
>> Flatiron…
>> That’s true.
>> We have lots of options.
>> Rachel knows a lot about the Union Square area.
>> I used to live there.
>> She used to live there, for?
>> Like, four years.
>> Four years.
>> Yeah.
>> There’s a Barnes and Noble there. And a very strange sculpture on the side of a building that used to be a Circuit City.
>> Wait, what sculpture?
>> There’s a sculpture, a round sculpture that spews smoke
>> Oh right, right.
>> Or steam.
>> So that used to be a Circuit City?
>> It did.
>> What is it now?
>> Is it a Best Buy?
>> I’m not quite sure why we’re talking about this!
My question for you is: What did you do today? Practice your English by answering this question in the comments section underneath the video on YouTube. Or better yet, make a video and post it as a response! Can’t wait to watch it.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
Video:
This video is an imitation exercise, where you’ll hear fragments of English conversation on a loop. What can you learn about English when you hear it this way?
Tagged With: Exercises, Imitation Exercises YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
I’m here to make a video with my friend Tom.
>> We were in a show together.
>> It’s true.
>> About 10 years ago.
>> Mm-hmm. We were in love with each other in the show.
>> We were! Our characters—
>> Right.
>> —were in love with each other.
>> It was not a ‘show-mance’ situation.
>> We were not in love.
>> No.
>> No. Just the show.
>> That was beautiful.
>> Thanks.
>> Ok, no, we’re good. We’re good. Ok. Are you ready?
>> Are you ready?
>> I’m ready.
>> Ok, me too.
>> Hi everyone. I’m here with my friend Tom. Tom’s going to be teaching a course for me starting in February. Now, if you don’t care about the courses, don’t worry. This video is also going to have a pronunciation exercise at the end.
>> So, I’ve known Tom for 10, probably more than 10 years. More than 10.
>> It is more than 10.
>> A long time.
>> Yeah. It’s, like, 12, 13 years.
>> Anyway, he’s going to be a fantastic teacher, let me tell you why. First of all, he’s a musician. And, if you know anything about my background, that is also mine. My training was in classical singing. I didn’t train in linguistics or even in ESL. And, so he has the same background that I have. He thinks about rhythm and pitch the same way I do, and he also has a very good ear, to pick out specifically what’s not going right in a word or a phrase. Also, Tom’s an actor. He has a Master’s degree, which he got from Harvard University.
>> Very impressive.
>> And, tell me a little bit about, I mean, I assume you studied speech, and phonetics, that kind of thing.
>> Yes, absolutely. IPA was taught in speech class. Um, we had speech and voice class, which are two separate things. So, speech was about the articulation and mechanics of the mouth as you’re making the sounds, to be understood from the stage. And then voice was about opening up the body for more of a placement exercise, so that you were resonating in a way that got the sound out into the house, or the audience. Um, obviously speaking from stage and speaking in everyday is very different. Um, there’s some things you just don’t need to worry about, speaking everyday English.
>> But, can I say?
>> Yeah.
>> Placement is a huge issue that I’m always talking about with my students.
>> Absolutely.
>> So, I’m really glad to hear that you have a background in that too.
>> For sure. Yeah. And there’s lots of exercises to try and open up placement, for someone who comes from a language where, maybe things are nasalized, and you want to bring it down.
>> Yeah, that’s so important.
>> There are lots of exercises to try and open up the chest.
>> And Tom’s also been studying with me since September, so by the time the course starts it’ll be four, or four and half months. And, I just, I feel like you’ve learned a lot.
>> I have.
>> You’ve learned a lot about my style.
>> Yeah.
>> So, Tom. Take his course, and get to know him. You’ll love him as much as I do, I’m sure.
>> Please, we have five spots left and I would love to have you in the class.
I did promise there was going to be a pronunciation exercise component, so we’re going to turn that conversation into an imitation exercise. So you’ll hear little fragments of the conversation three times, then there will be a space for you to repeat. Now, you might not be able to get in every sound, but that’s ok. We’re actually focusing on the rhythm and the stress here. So, for example, if you were to hear the phrase: I don’t know [3x], and you thought, I don’t have time to say all those sounds, then just do the rhythm and the pitch: uh. We’re practicing getting that in our ear. It’s not about the sounds. It’s about the rhythm, and the pitch, and the character of American English. Have fun with it.
Hi everyone.
I’m here with my friend Tom.
Tom’s going to be teaching a course for me
starting in February.
Now, if you don’t care about the courses, don’t worry.
This video is also going to have
a pronunciation exercise at the end.
>> So, I’ve known Tom for
10, probably more than 10 years.
More than 10.
>> It is more than 10.
>> A long time.
>> Yeah. It’s, like, 12, 13 years.
>> Anyway, he’s going to be a fantastic teacher, let me tell you why.
First of all, he’s a musician.
And, if you know anything about my background,
that is also mine.
My training was in classical singing.
I didn’t train in linguistics or even in ESL. And, so he has the same background that I have.
He thinks about rhythm and pitch the same way I do,
and he also has a very good ear,
to pick out specifically what’s not going right in a word or a phrase. Also,
Tom’s an actor.
He has a Master’s degree, which he got from Harvard University.
>> Very impressive.
That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
This video is an imitation exercise, where you’ll hear fragments of English conversation on a loop. Repeat exactly what you hear, match it as much as you can pay attention to the linking and the melody of the voice.
Tagged With: Exercises, Holidays & Parties, Imitation Exercises YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
In this American English pronunciation video, I’m going to talk about Thanksgiving with my friend Sara.
She’s been in some videos before. [Sara, what is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?]
Um, my favorite Thanksgiving memory is when [my whole family, all my sisters] and their husbands…
[She has three sisters and one brother.] It’s a lot of people.
That’s a lot. [A couple years ago we got together]
[for my parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary], and so we [had Thanksgiving and had a good time together.]
Um, and every year I’m near my dad for Thanksgiving, I have to watch out because he likes to
[get involved in whatever I’m trying to cook.] Oh. [He tries to take over?]
Yes. So, that brings me to my next question:
which is, [what is your favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving?] Um, [my favorite thing is cranberry sauce, I love it.]
Love it too. [It goes with lots of things.]
So Rachel, [what are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?] Well, [for Thanksgiving on Thursday],
[I’m actually not planning on doing anything]. [I’m probably going to do a lot of video editing]
[for Rachel’s English. Gonna work.] [The reason why I’m doing that is because]
[on Friday I’m going up to Massachusetts], [and we’re going to have Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday.]
[Some friends that I used to live with when I lived in Boston.] [So I’m still getting Thanksgiving,] [just not on Thanksgiving Day.]
[Will you make anything?] [I am going to make a corn casserole.] [It’s been requested.]
[Apparently, I make a very memorable corn casserole.] Thanks so much Sara for being in my video.
And happy Thanksgiving to everybody out there. That’s, it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
My question for you is: what’s your favorite thing to eat for Thanksgiving, or your favorite Thanksgiving memory?
Leave a comment below the YouTube video. Or, better yet, record your answer and post it as a video response.
Next week, I’ll put a link to my favorite video response at the end of my new video. Don’t stop there. Keep learning with my fun American English in Real Life playlist, my Reduction and Linking playlist, or any of the playlists on my channel. And don’t forget to check out Rachel’s English.com, where there’s lots more to work with.
Learn about two different types of exercises you’ll find on the Rachel’s English website to improve your listening comprehension and help you sound like a native speaker.
Tagged With: Ben Franklin Exercises, Exercises, Imitation Exercises, Most Popular YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
A lot of people ask me if it’s possible to sound like a native speaker if you weren’t born in the US. They want to know how long it will take. That, of course, depends entirely upon the individual. Really focused pronunciation practice can yield great results. In this video, I’m going to go over two different ways to study English to perfect your pronunciation. All you need is the audio or video of a native speaker speaking.
First, we’re going to do a Ben Franklin exercise. This is when you write down everything you can about what you hear: whether or not you hear words being linked, or if you hear something being reduced, for example.
Now, we’ll do this together to help you get an idea of how to listen to and analyze what you hear. A lot of people ask me if it’s possible to sound like a native speaker– A lot of people ask me. So the first thing I notice is that this T is a flap T, it sounds like a D, a lot of, that’s because it’s coming between two vowel sounds. I also notice that I hear these three words as one unit: a lot of, a lot of, with the stress happening on the middle word. A lot of, a lot of people ask me– I also notice that this word ends in a consonant, this word begins with a vowel, there’s no punctuation in-between, a lot of people ask, and I do hear that L as really linking to the beginning vowel sound: people ask. Another thing you’ll want to note as you listen is any sounds that you know are difficult for you. For example, many of my students have problems integrating the AA sound into their speech. They know how to do it, but they just don’t use it in speech. So I would definitely, if was one of them, mark this AA vowel, so that I’ll be sure to note it. And then will hopefully begin to integrate AA into my speech when I see this word ‘ask.’ A lot of people ask me. Let’s keep going.
A lot of people ask me if it’s possible to sound like a native speaker– if it’s possible to sound, if it’s possible to sound– So, I notice the stress here: possible, first syllable is stressed, to sound, I notice that has stress too. …if it’s possible to sound… The word ‘to’ is definitely reduced to the schwa, so I may mark that so I don’t forget to reduce it. Possible to sound. If it’s, if it’s. Here’s another case where one word ends in a consonant sound, the next word begins with a vowel sound, if it’s, if it’s, and I do definitely hear those connecting together. If it’s possible to sound.
A lot of people ask me if it’s possible to sound like a native speaker– like a native speaker– I notice my voice goes up at the end here, speaker. That’s because the sentence isn’t over, the next word is if. I also notice the stress is big, small, big, small, big, small. Like a native speaker. DA da DA da DA da. Like a native speaker. Also, again here we have ending consonant sound/beginning vowel sound: like a, like a. I hear the K linking to the schwa. Like a. Like a native speaker. Native — I hear this T as a D because again, it’s a T coming between two vowel sounds: will be a flap T, sounds like a D. Like a native speaker. In the entire sentence, I don’t hear and gaps or pauses between words. So in some cases, there’s a very obvious link, like when one word ends with a consonant and the next word begins with a vowel. But even when there’s not a very obvious linking sound, there’s never a gap between the words.
A lot of people ask me if it’s possible to sound like a native speaker– We’ve been working for several minutes, and here we are only half way through one sentence. This is just an example of how you might take notes from the audio or video clip of your choice. After you’ve listened several times and taken thorough notes, you then put the audio or video away and, from your notes, try to speak the way the native speaker was speaking. If you can, record yourself, and then compare this to the native speaker. This is how you can figure out where you still need to work.
And now we’ll do an imitation exercise. In this video, you don’t look at the text. You’re not concerned with the actual words because you do already have ideas about how words should be pronounced. So in this exercise you’re just listening. And I loop things three times in an imitation exercise so that you begin to think about the pitch changes and the musicality of the speech, rather than the individual words themselves. Repeat it back exactly as you hear it, even if you’re not sure of the individual words. It’s ok, that’s not what we’re going for in this particular exercise.
A lot of people ask me [x3]
A lot of people ask me
if it’s possible to sound like a native speaker [x3]
if it’s possible to sound like a native speaker
if you weren’t born in the US. [x3]
Because of the internet, there really is an endless supply of audio and video where English is being spoken by native speakers. I know looping something over and over, as in the imitation exercise, can be more of a hassle on your own. That’s why, on my website, I do have both Ben Franklin and imitation exercises ready for you. So I encourage you to take a look at these, or any other audio or video clip that interests you, and turn it into a pronunciation exercise: study it this way. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.
This video is an imitation exercise, where you’ll hear fragments of English conversation on a loop. Repeat exactly what you hear, match it as much as you can.
Tagged With: Exercises, Imitation Exercises YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
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This video is a mimicry exercise. Listen to English conversation snippets on repeat. Repeat them precisely, focusing on matching the original. Pay close attention to linking and vocal melody.
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Coming Soon!
This video offers an imitation exercise featuring English conversation snippets on repeat. Learn by listening closely and mimicking precisely.
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Coming Soon!
In this imitation exercise, you’ll hear English conversation fragments on loop. Learn by repeating exactly what you hear, matching it as closely as possible.
Tagged With: Exercises, Imitation Exercises YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
Coming Soon!
This video is an imitation exercise, where you’ll hear fragments of English conversation on a loop. Repeat exactly what you hear, match it as much as you can.
Tagged With: Exercises, Imitation Exercises YouTube blocked? Click here to see the video.
Video Text:
Coming Soon!
Video:
https://60875a31ee079ef966cb-b7eea9689205a6672fd1aa00be922d89.r13.cf1.rackcdn.com/406%20-%20American%20English%20Imitation%20Exercise-%20Don’t%20Keep%20a%20Secret.mp4
This video offers an imitation exercise with English conversation fragments on loop. Listen closely, repeat exactly what you hear, and match it as closely as possible.
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Video Text:
Coming Soon!