– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

[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]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
natural /ˈnætʃərəl/ B1	adjective - existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind adjective - behaving in a way that is typical of someone or something
confident /ˈkɒnfɪdənt/ B2	adjective - feeling or showing confidence in oneself or one's abilities
relaxed /rɪˈlækst/ B1	adjective - free from tension and anxiety
connect /kəˈnekt/ A2	verb - join or link together
smooth /smuːθ/ A2	adjective - having an even and regular surface or consistency
faster /ˈfæstər/ A2	adjective - moving or capable of moving at high speed
reduction /rɪˈdʌkʃən/ B2	noun - the action or process of making something smaller or less in amount, degree, or size
contractions /kənˈtrækʃənz/ B2	noun - the shortening of a word or phrase by omitting certain letters or sounds
informal /ɪnˈfɔːrməl/ B1	adjective - not following the usual rules or conventions
formal /ˈfɔːrməl/ B1	adjective - following the usual rules or conventions
stress /stres/ B1	noun - emphasis verb - to emphasize
accents /ˈæksənts/ B2	noun - a distinctive way of pronouncing a language
slang /slæŋ/ B2	noun - very informal language typically used by people within a particular group
phrases /freɪzɪz/ A2	noun - a group of words that have a particular meaning when used together
power /ˈpaʊər/ B1	noun - ability to do something or act in a particular way
speed /spiːd/ A2	noun - how fast something is moving
pauses /pɔːzɪz/ A2	noun - a temporary stop in speech or activity