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  • 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 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!

  • That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.

In this American English pronunciation exercise, we're going to study some conversation. Today

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