Pronunciation Challenge【TED-Ed】- Hayley Levitt and Bethany Rickwald (Would you opt for a life with no pain? - Hayley Levitt and Bethany Rickwald)

Since Betsy is in blissful ignorance about Xander's infidelity, hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure.

Since Betsy is in blissful ignorance about Xander's infidelity, hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure.

Since Besty is in blissful ignorance about Xander's infidelity, hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure.

Hello folks! It’s me again, Hubert, and I’m here today to pose a hypothetical situation to y’all. What is a hypothetical situation you say? Well, they are situations that we imagine! Today’s topic focuses on the concept of pain vs pleasure. If you can opt (meaning choose) for a life of absolutely no pain and all pleasure, will you? On paper this may sound like heaven but there are drawbacks (a feature that makes something less acceptable) to this argument. Have you guys ever watched Pixar’s Inside Out? For those that have seen the film, you know what I am talking about. For those that haven’t (and why haven’t you?), no worries, you have this video to watch! But then make sure you watch the film afterwards! (it’s a tear-jjerker, meaning the film will make you cry.) Alright, you know what’s next! Today’s featured sentence!

Today’s featured sentence:
“Since Betsy is in blissful ignorance about Xander's infidelity, hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure.”

I’ll say that again.

“Since Betsy is in blissful ignorance about Xander's infidelity, hedonists would say she's better off remaining in the dark and maintaining her high level of net pleasure.”

Ok, now time for the Pronunciation Tips.

Pronunciation Tips:

First word.
Ignorance (ig·nr·uhns)
Three syllables. ig (has the short i sound), nr (is pretty much the n, e, r, NER sound), uhns (instead of saying ignorANCE, try saying it with a u sound. UHNS). Ignorance.

Next word.
Infidelity (in·fuh·deh·luh·tee)
Oh, this one’s a long one. Five syllables! In, fuh (short u sound), del, luh (again, short u sound), tee (long e sound). Infidelity.

And our last one for pronunciation would be:
“Hedonist” (hee·duh·nuhst)
Three syllables. Hee (has a long e sound), duh (short u sound) and nuhst (sounds like “nest” but with a short u sound instead. Nuhst.). Hedonist.





Moving onto Vocabulary!

The first word is:
1. Blissful (adj.) KK[ˋblɪsfəl] IPA/ɔː/ˈblɪsfl/
Definition
extremely or completely happy
Used in a sentence you could say,
“I had nine blissful hours of sleep.”

Next word,
2. Ignorance (v.) KK[ˋɪgnərəns] IPA[ˈɪgnərəns]
Definition
lack of knowledge, understanding, or information about something
An example would be,
“Public ignorance about the disease is still a cause for concern.”

And lastly,
3. Hedonist (n.) KK[ˋhidnɪst] IPA [ˈhiːdənɪst]
Definition:
someone who tries to have as much pleasure as possible, according to the belief that the most important thing in life is to enjoy yourself: 快樂主義者
Used in a sentence you can say:
“She thinks that movie stars are self-absorbed hedonists who abuse alcohol and drugs.”

Outro
Lots of complicated terms in this one huh?! Well, that’s what we’re here for! If you continue to have trouble, simply come back to this video, do the recordings, and compare with the other listeners! It always helps to listen to your own playback to hear where your pronunciation needs work!
So did this video make you reconsider a world without pain? You guys know that famous saying right? No pain, no gain! I, for one, believe that we need pain in our lives to help us appreciate the happier moments. They need one another to exist. Light and darkness. Good and evil. Yin and Yang. There’s a balance to everything. The possibility of hurting loved ones also keeps people in check (sometimes). It’s not perfect but I believe a world without pain would be a world in chaos. What do you guys think? Perhaps you can include your thoughts after you finish your recordings!
Alright, that’s it for this week’s Pronunciation Challenge! See ya!