Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • Hello.

  • My name is Emma, and this is my friend Gizmo, and today we are going to help you learn English.

  • Today's English is all about dogs.

  • Okay?

  • So, let's ask some questions to Gizmo, and we can get some answers.

  • Our first question: Do we call pets "he", "she", or "it"?

  • What do you think, Gizmo?

  • Usually for pets we like to use "he" or "she".

  • Okay?

  • So you might ask somebody: "What's her name?" or "What's his name?" when you're talking

  • about a dog or a cat.

  • We usually use "it" for wild animals, although sometimes we also use "he" and "she" if we

  • want to personify them.

  • So, majority of the time we use "he" or "she" when we're talking about pets.

  • Okay, question number two: What is pet hair called?

  • Do you know the answer to this one, Gizmo?

  • It is called fur.

  • Okay?

  • F-u-r, fur.

  • As you can see, Gizmo has a lot of fur.

  • We use the word "fur" when we're talking about cat hair, dog hair, hamster hair.

  • It's what we call fur.

  • Okay, our next question: What are pet hands called?

  • Okay, let's show Gizmo's off.

  • So Gizmo, what is this called?

  • This is a paw.

  • So, dogs and cats have paws.

  • I'm just going to put Gizmo down for a second.

  • There you go.

  • Okay, so his hands are called paws.

  • Okay, our next question: What does "canine" mean?

  • "Canine" is another way to say "dog", but "canine" is more scientific sounding.

  • So if you're reading a science book or something that's formal writing, you will probably see

  • the word "canine".

  • It's the science...

  • Scientific word for dog.

  • We also have the word "puppy".

  • What does the word "puppy" mean?

  • "Puppy" means a baby dog.

  • Okay?

  • So, when a dog is very small and very young, usually around, you know,

  • two months to one year, we call it a puppy.

  • For kittens, that's what we call a baby cat, a kitten.

  • Okay, our next question is a very good one: What sound does a dog make?

  • Sounds are very cultural.

  • In different cultures, animals make different sounds.

  • For dogs, in English, dogs can either bark, they can say: "Woof woof", or they can say:

  • "Ruff ruff".

  • Is this different than what dogs say in your language?

  • If you're wondering with cats or with, you know, all sorts of other animals, you can

  • actually check out Ronnie's video which covers a lot of these different animal sounds if

  • you're interested.

  • Okay, finally, our last question for vocabulary: What do you call a dog with no home?

  • So a dog that lives in the streets.

  • We call a dog with no home a stray dog, or we can also say a street dog.

  • So we would say:

  • "That dog has no owner. He's without a family.

  • He's a stray dog."

  • Or: "He is a street dog."

  • So now let's look at some grammar and pronunciation, and cultural tips about talking about dogs.

  • Okay, so our next question is a grammar question, and it's a very important grammar question.

  • Okay, so let me hold Gizmo.

  • Okay.

  • So, Gizmo, you see these two things?

  • "I like dog", "I like dogs".

  • Do you know what the difference between these two sentences are?

  • No?

  • Okay, well, let me tell you.

  • "I like dog" is very different than: "I like dogs".

  • When you want to say you like dogs as in, you know, you think they're really cute and

  • funny, and you enjoy them, you say: "I like dogs" with an "s".

  • This is different from: "I like dog" with no "s".

  • If you say: "I like dog" it makes it sound like you like to eat dog.

  • Okay?

  • And this is true for a lot of animals.

  • If we say: "I like chicken", it means I like to eat chicken.

  • This is very different from: "I like chickens", which means: "I think chickens are cute.

  • I enjoy chickens, and I find them very interesting."

  • Okay, so the next question is a pronunciation question, and that is:

  • What is the pronunciation difference between "dogs" and "ducks"?

  • So a duck is an animal, you know, that says: "Quack quack", at least in English it does,

  • and a lot of students, when they say these words they pronounce them the same way.

  • So people don't know if you're talking about a dog or a duck.

  • So, what is the difference in pronunciation?

  • Well, "dog" has a different vowel sound than "duck".

  • "Dog" is longer, we say: "dawg".

  • Compare this to: "duck", which is very short and a bit sharp.

  • This is an "aw" sound: "dog", versus "uh": "duck".

  • Okay? So you notice the vowel sound here is short, whereas the vowel sound here is long.

  • When we add and "s" to "dog" and an "s" to "duck", we also have a different sound.

  • In "dog", because of the "g", the "s" becomes a "zz" sound, as in a "z".

  • So we say: "dawgz".

  • You might not hear it, but there's a little bit of a "zz" sound at the end of that.

  • "Dogs".

  • Now, this is different from "ducks", which has a "ss" sound or an "s" sound.

  • So there is a pronunciation difference.

  • Say this one short with a "ss" sound, and this one is longer with a "zz" sound.

  • Okay, great.

  • So now let's look at some cultural questions about dogs.

  • Okay, so our next question: What do North Americans think of dogs?

  • And a lot of people in England think about dogs this way, and Australia.

  • And this isn't everybody, but this is what a lot of the population think.

  • What is their opinion on dogs?

  • Well, let's get Gizmo to help me out.

  • Gizmo, come here.

  • Okay, I'm going to pick him up.

  • Ah, here we go.

  • Okay.

  • So, in North American culture, dogs like Gizmo are often treated like family members.

  • Some people even treat them as if they are their children, although this is not everybody,

  • but they really do care about their dogs and they treat them like family.

  • All right.

  • This is Gizmo's first time on camera, so if he's a little nervous, he's never been on

  • camera before.

  • All right, let's look at the next question, small talk.

  • So, dogs are actually a really, really good...?

  • Oh, you want down, buddy?

  • Okay, I'll put you down.

  • Sorry.

  • Okay, so dogs are actually really good topics for small talk.

  • If you ever have a conversation with somebody and you see they have a dog, talking about

  • their dog is a great thing to do.

  • So if you're in the elevator or at the park and you just want to meet somebody, you can

  • ask them about their dog.

  • Here are some great questions, you can ask them:

  • "What's your dog's name?", "What's his name?",

  • "Is your dog a boy or a girl?", "Is it a male or a female?",

  • "How old is your dog?"

  • "How long have you had your dog for?"

  • Okay, so another really good question is: "What kind of dog do you have?"

  • So in this case we're asking about the type or the breed.

  • So there are many different breeds or types of dogs.

  • There are Chihuahuas, there are German Shepherds, Poodles, you know, Dalmatians.

  • There are tons of different types of dogs.

  • Gizmo, in case you're wondering, is a Lhasa Apso-Papillion mix.

  • Okay?

  • Beautiful breed.

  • And so people do like talking about this.

  • You can ask them about their breed.

  • Are they mix?

  • Are they are purebred?

  • Which means they are only one kind of dog, like a Poodle.

  • And there is so many different questions you can ask about dogs, but it's something people

  • really love talking about.

  • So I highly recommend if you see a person who has a pet, it's something that's a good

  • thing to talk about.

  • Okay, so like I said, our pets are like our family, here.

  • Oh, thank you, Gizmo, for that kiss.

  • So, one thing I wanted to say is that a lot of the times in North American culture you'll

  • actually see that dogs are indoor dogs.

  • They're not outside a lot.

  • They're actually...

  • They actually stay inside with us a lot.

  • Sometimes, you know, they sit on our couches, and for some people they even...

  • Like might share, like, the same bed or they might sleep on the same bed that, you know,

  • their owner has.

  • One other cultural thing that you might notice if you ever come to Canada or North America

  • is that a lot of dogs actually wear clothes here.

  • Okay?

  • And Gizmo is also...

  • He wears clothes, too, especially in the wintertime because it does get very cold.

  • So a lot of dogs have winter boots and winter jackets.

  • So if you come here, don't be surprised to see that.

  • Sometimes people dress up their dogs for fun, other times it's a necessity because it is

  • very cold during the winter.

  • Okay, so Gizmo and I would like to thank you for watching.

  • You know, we've had a great time today I think.

  • Isn't that right, Gizmo?

  • Yeah, he's a bit sleepy now.

  • Oh. Okay.