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[Music]
Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr.
English channel where learning English
is easy and fun. I'm Emily.
>> Hello Emily. It's great to be here with
all of our amazing listeners. How are
you today? I'm fantastic, Paul. I'm so
excited about our topic today. It's a
big one.
>> Oh, yes. It's something many learners
ask about. So, what is our big topic?
>> Today, we are going to talk about how to
speak like a native.
>> Wow, that is a great topic. It's not
about being perfect, right? It's about
being clear and natural.
>> Exactly. It's about sounding more
relaxed and confident when you speak.
And we have some fun tips to share.
>> I'm ready. But before we start, we want
to say thank you for listening. If you
like our channel, please give this
episode a thumbs up.
>> Yes. And don't forget to subscribe and
share it with your friends. It helps us
a lot. Okay, Paul, let's begin.
>> Let's do it. So, what is our first point
for sounding more like a native speaker?
>> Our first topic is connected speech.
Ooh, that sounds serious.
>> It does sound a little serious, but it's
actually very simple and very natural.
Can you explain it, Emily?
>> Of course. Connected speech is when we
link words together. We don't say every
word one by one. For example, we don't
say an apple.
>> Ah, I see. The words flow together. So,
how does an apple sound with connected
speech?
>> It sounds like an apple. The two words
connect and sound like one word. It's
smooth.
>> That makes sense. It sounds much faster
and more natural. Do you have another
example?
>> Sure. How about good afternoon? We don't
say good afternoon. The D sound from
good connects to afternoon.
>> So it sounds more like good afternoon.
>> Yes, exactly. It makes the conversation
flow. It's a small change, but it makes
a big difference.
>> That's a great tip. So, listen for how
words connect. Cool. What's next on our
list?
>> Next up, we have reductions and
contractions.
This one is super common. Hm.
Reductions.
Does that mean we make words smaller?
>> That's a perfect way to say it. We make
some words shorter to speak faster. For
example, going to
>> Oh, I know this one. Many people say
going to like I'm going to go to the
store.
>> You got it. Going to is a reduction of
going to. It's very common in informal
spoken English.
>> And want to becomes w to. Like I want to
learn English.
>> Yes, you are on a roll, Paul. That's
another great one. It's all about making
speech easier and faster.
What about contractions?
Are they different?
>> They are very similar. Contractions are
when we combine two words often with an
apostrophe like I am becomes I'm
>> or you are becomes your and he is
becomes he's.
Good job. And we also have negative
contractions.
Do not becomes don't. Is not becomes
isn't. This is so helpful. Using
contractions like I'm and don't will
make our listeners sound much more
natural right away.
>> It really will. It's a key part of daily
conversation.
Okay, ready for our third tip?
>> I am ready. What is it?
>> It is stress and emphasis.
This is about which words we say with
more energy.
>> Ah, so not all words are equal.
Some words are more important in a
sentence.
>> That's right. We stress the important
words to give our sentence meaning. For
example, if I say, I love this podcast,
the stress is on I.
>> So the meaning is that you love the
podcast. Maybe someone else does not.
>> Exactly. Now what if I say I love this
podcast?
>> H. Now the stress is on love. So you are
saying you really really love it. You
feel it strongly.
>> Perfect. And one more. I love this
podcast.
>> Now you mean you love this specific
podcast, not another one. Wow. It's the
same sentence, but the meaning changes.
>> Isn't that cool? So paying attention to
which words native speakers make louder
or stress is very important for
understanding and for speaking.
>> It's like the music of the language.
That's a fantastic tip. Don't say
everything flat. Give some words more
power.
>> The music of the language. I love that,
Paul. Okay, what's next for our
listeners? The next topic is
interesting. It's about regional
accents. H
>> this is a big one because English is
spoken in so many countries. Right.
>> It is. And even in one country there are
many different accents. An accent from
London sounds different from an accent
from Scotland.
>> And an accent from New York sounds
different from an accent from Texas in
the United States. So the tip for our
listeners is don't worry. There is no
one correct accent.
>> That is so important. The goal is to be
clear, not to sound exactly like someone
from a movie,
>> right? It's good to listen to different
accents. It helps your brain understand
more people. You can listen to American
English, British English, Australian
English.
>> All of them are wonderful. Your own
accent is part of who you are, and
that's great. The goal is communication.
>> Well said, Emily. Be clear, be
confident, and don't worry about having
a perfect accent. What's our fifth tip?
>> Let's talk about something really fun.
Modern slang.
>> Okay, this is a tricky one. Slang
changes so fast.
>> It really does. Slang is very informal
language. It's what people use with
friends. For example, you might say
something is cool.
>> Cool is a classic. It means something is
good or great. Like this music is cool.
>> Exactly. Another one you hear a lot is
awesome.
>> Oh yes. That movie was awesome. It means
it was amazing. Fantastic. What's a new
slang word you have heard, Paul?
>> People sometimes say lit when something
is exciting or excellent, like the party
was lit, but it's very informal.
>> Very informal.
The advice here is to listen for slang,
but be careful using it. It's best to
start with very common and safe words
like cool or awesome.
>> I agree. You don't want to use slang in
a formal situation like a job interview.
>> No, definitely not. But it's good to
know what these words mean when you hear
them.
>> Great point. Listen first. Use later and
carefully.
What's after slang? Next we have set
phrases. These are groups of words that
often go together. They are like blocks.
>> Blocks? What do you mean by blocks?
>> I mean you can learn the whole phrase as
one thing. For example, how are you? You
learn it as one piece.
>> Ah, you don't think about how and are
and you as separate words. You just know
the phrase, "How are you?"
>> You got it. Another one is, "Have a nice
day."
>> Or, "See you later." We say these all
the time without thinking.
>> Yes. And learning these set phrases
makes you sound very natural. It also
makes speaking easier because you don't
have to build the sentence word by word.
>> That's so true. You just have the phrase
ready to go.
Can you give us a few more examples of
useful set phrases?
>> Of course. Phrases like, "What do you
think?" I'm not sure. And can you help
me, please?
>> Those are very useful in daily
conversation. So, the tip is to learn
common phrases as a whole unit.
>> Exactly. It's a great shortcut to
sounding more fluent.
>> I love shortcuts.
Okay. What's our next super tip?
>> Our next tip is about using power words.
>> Power words. Do they give you
superpowers?
>> In a way, yes. They make your English
stronger and more interesting. They are
more descriptive words.
>> So, instead of saying good all the time,
I can use a power word.
>> Yes. Instead of the food is good, you
could say the food is delicious or the
food is amazing.
>> Ah, delicious is a much stronger, more
powerful word than good. It paints a
better picture.
>> It does. What about bad? What's a power
word for bad?
H.
You could say something was terrible or
awful.
>> Perfect. The movie was awful is much
more expressive than the movie was bad.
>> I see. So instead of happy, I could say
joyful or ecstatic. Instead of big, I
could say huge or enormous.
Now you're thinking with power words.
Learning a few of these can make your
vocabulary so much richer.
>> It's a great way to be more specific and
interesting when you speak. I like this
tip a lot.
>> Me too. Now let's move on to speed and
pauses. This is about the rhythm of
speaking.
>> Right. Some learners think speaking very
very fast is good. But that's not always
true, is it?
>> Not at all. Native speakers don't always
speak fast. We change our speed and we
use pauses.
>> Pauses are the small silences between
words or sentences. They are important.
>> Very important. A pause can be used for
emphasis. For example, I have good news.
The pause builds excitement
>> and pauses give you a moment to think
about what you want to say next. It's
okay to pause.
>> It's more than okay. It's natural.
Nobody speaks like a robot without
stopping. I am a robot.
>> Please don't do that again. So, the
advice is to not rush. Speak at a
comfortable speed.
>> Yes. and listen to how native speakers
use pauses to make their speaking
clearer and more interesting. Don't be
afraid of silence.
>> That's excellent advice. Breathe. Pause.
Speak clearly. Don't just run.
>> Exactly. Okay, we have two more topics.
The next one is formal versus informal
English.
>> This is super important.
Using the wrong one can be awkward.
>> It can be. So, informal English is what
you use with friends and family. This is
where we use slang and contractions
>> like, "Hey, what's up? Want to grab a
coffee?"
>> That's perfectly informal. But you would
not say that to your new boss in a big
company.
>> Definitely not. So, what would formal
English sound like?
>> Formal English is more polite and uses
full words. You might say, "Good
morning. How are you today? Would you be
available for a meeting?"
>> I see. No, what's up? Or wanna? You use
complete sentences and more polite
vocabulary.
>> Right. So, the key is to know your
situation. Who are you talking to? Is it
a friend or is it a professional
situation?
>> That makes all the difference. Knowing
when to be casual and when to be formal
is a real skill.
>> It is a good way to learn is by watching
movies or TV shows. You can see how
characters talk to their friends versus
how they talk at work.
>> That's a great idea. Context is
everything.
Okay, Emily, we are at our last tip.
What is it?
>> Our final point today is about having
natural reactions.
>> Natural reactions.
You mean the small words we say when we
are listening?
>> Yes. Words like, "Oh, really? Wow, I
see." And, "Uh-huh." These show the
other person that you are listening and
you are interested. It makes the
conversation feel alive.
>> It really does. Imagine if I tell you,
"I bought a new car." And you just stay
silent.
>> That would be so strange. I would
probably say, "Wow, that's amazing." Or,
"Oh, really? What kind?"
>> Exactly. Those are natural reactions.
They are a big part of a real
conversation.
>> So when you're listening to someone,
it's good to make these small sounds and
ask small questions.
>> Yes, it shows you are engaged. You can
say hm to show you're thinking or write
to show you agree.
>> It's not just about speaking. It's about
how you listen and react.
That's a wonderful final tip.
>> I think so too. It connects all the
other points. It's about being part of a
natural flowing conversation.
>> Wow, Emily, these 10 tips are fantastic.
We talked about connected speech,
contractions,
stress, accents, slang, set phrases,
power words, speed, formal English, and
natural reactions.
>> It was a lot, but hopefully it was all
very helpful for our listeners.
Remember, you don't need to be perfect.
Just try one or two new things.
>> That's great advice. Start small. Maybe
try using more contractions this week,
like I'm and don't.
>> Or try using a power word like delicious
instead of good. Every little step
helps.
>> It really does. Well, that's all the
time we have for today's episode. This
was so much fun.
>> It was. We hope all of you enjoyed it.
If you found these tips helpful, please
let us know in the comments.
>> Yes, tell us which tip you are going to
practice first. We love reading your
comments
>> and don't forget to subscribe to Mr.
English channel and share this episode
with anyone who is learning English.
>> Thank you all for listening. Keep
practicing and we will see you in the
next episode.
>> Bye for now. Keep learning and have fun.
[Music]
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