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  • Today, we're going to do one of the most effective exercises in improving your listening comprehension,

  • which in turn, improves your pronunciation,

  • your accent, and how natural you sound when speaking American English.

  • We're going to do a Ben Franklin exercise.

  • 00:00:23,660 --> 00:00:27,260 I've been doing these exercises for years with my students

  • and i've seen that they are truly one of the best ways to understand how Americans really speak.

  • So what we do is we take a bit of speech that a real American is speaking,

  • and then we do a full analysis of the pronunciation.

  • We'll look at the stress, we'll look at reductions, we'll look at things like a flap T,

  • so that you understand everything that's being said and how to say that yourself.

  • First, the speech that we're going to analyze.

  • I'm going to talk about a fall baking weekend that I had with my friend, Laura.

  • This year, the fall baking weekend was a little bit different.

  • because now we have not just one kid, not just two kids, but three kids, including a newborn.

  • So everything was a little chaotic when my friend Laura and her family came to visit.

  • We made a caramel custard tart.

  • It was delicious.

  • But most importantly, we had an amazing weekend spending time together with our families.

  • And now, the analysis.

  • This year, the fall baking weekend was a little bit different because

  • That was a long thought group.

  • I didn't take a breath or make a longer break until after the word because, but I did put a little bit of a lift.

  • Was a little bit different--

  • This year, the fall baking weekend was a little bit different because

  • This year, the fall baking weekend was a little bit different because

  • This year, the fall baking weekend was a little bit different because

  • And by just putting a little lift, a little tiny break in the voice, it brings those out more of those words,

  • it makes them more important.

  • Also 'was' I made that pretty long, I drew out the vowel a little bit.

  • Often, the word 'was' is reduced and then it's pronounced: wiz, wiz, said very quickly.

  • But I didn't do that. I fully pronounced it. Did not reduce to the schwa.

  • But I left the UH as in butter vowel.

  • Was, was, was a little bit different.

  • Was a little bit different

  • Was a little bit different

  • Was a little bit different

  • Was a little bit different

  • And we have flap T in the word 'little'.

  • That's always pronounced that way.

  • Little, da-da-da-da.

  • With the tongue flapping against the roof of the mouth.

  • And then we have a stop T in 'bit'.

  • A little bit different, different.

  • And also in different.

  • the stop T in bit, followed by a consonant.

  • same with the stop T in different.

  • The NT ending, whether it's in a word like this, or where it's N apostrophe T,

  • is often pronounced as a nasally stop T.

  • So we have two stops here.

  • A little bit different, nt-nt-nt-nt-nt--

  • With that nasal N sound coming to an abrupt stop in the nose.

  • A little bit different, a little bit different, a little bit different.

  • Notice how I'm pronouncing the word 'different'.

  • This is a word that can be pronounced with three syllables, diff-er-ent or two, diff-rent,

  • and I pronounce it as two. Its more common, it's easier.

  • So go ahead and just think of it as two syllables with the first syllable being stressed.

  • diff-rent, rent, rent, rent.

  • And notice this is a schwa, not much of a vowel, and the second syllable said very quickly.

  • Rent, diff-rent, different, different.

  • different, different, different.

  • What about the top line?

  • All of those words said really quickly, but there are important words there.

  • The fall baking weekend.

  • I'm talking about an event.

  • Why did I say these words so quickly?

  • Listen to how quickly I said them.

  • This year, the fall baking weekend--

  • This year, the fall baking weekend--

  • This year, the fall baking weekend--

  • Well, I had already introduced the idea that I was going to be talking about the fall baking weekend,

  • so that's why this second time, I said it more quickly.

  • I'm not introducing the idea, i've already told you that's what I'm going to talk about.

  • So what was the most important part about this sentence to me, was describing it, not introducing it.

  • You already know I'm talking about the fall baking weekend, that's why that ended up sounding faster.

  • That's why it was said more quickly.

  • and the information about it that it was a little bit different is what was more stressed and more clear.

  • This year, the fall baking weekend--

  • This year, the fall baking weekend--

  • This year, the fall baking weekend was a little bit different because--

  • So then I say because, because.

  • because, because, because.

  • It's not reduced.

  • Often this word is reduced, but I'm saying it more clearly here.

  • Be-- unstressed syllable with the IH as in sit vowel, then a stressed syllable, UH as in butter vowel.

  • Because, because.

  • Because, because.

  • Because now we have not just one kid--

  • Now we have-- And I put a break, not just one kid.

  • Now we have not just one kid--

  • Now we have not just one kid--

  • Now we have not just one kid--

  • And I really stress the first word of each of those thought groups.

  • Now we have not just one kid--

  • Now we have not just one kid--

  • Now we have not just one kid--

  • Now we have not just one kid--

  • And again, a stop T in 'not' because the next sound is a consonant.

  • Not just one kid--

  • What do you notice about the T in the word 'just'?

  • Not just one kid--

  • Not just one kid--

  • Not just one kid--

  • It's actually dropped.

  • I don't say it at all.

  • Why?

  • We often drop the T when it comes between two consonants.

  • So when the ST cluster is followed by a word that begins with a consonant, we drop it.

  • Now you're thinking, hold on, the letter O, that's a vowel.

  • You're right.

  • But the word 'one' is pronounced beginning with the W consonant.

  • Www-uhh-nn.

  • So whenever we're talking about rules with the T, we're talking about sounds, not letters.

  • The sound T here comes between two consonant sounds, the consonant sound S

  • and the consonant sound W.

  • Now, even though this word is spelled with the letter O at the beginning, that doesn't matter.

  • It still comes between two consonant sounds, and it's dropped.

  • Just one, just one.

  • T is dropped and the two words are linked together.

  • Just one, just one, just one kid.

  • Kid, this is a more casual way to say child, very common in English.

  • Just one kid, just one kid.

  • Just one kid, not just two kids.

  • Not just two kids.

  • Again, stressing not, and again, a stop T.

  • Not just two kids.

  • Now here, we have the T followed by a T.

  • Ok, those just combine just to make one true T.

  • because a T beginning a stressed word like 'two' will always be a true T.

  • Not just two kids.

  • So the S links right into that true T.

  • Not just two kids, not just two kids.

  • Not just two kids, but three kids.

  • But three kids.

  • So I'm stressing 'three'.

  • So I stressed not, not, and then three.

  • I'm saying first of all, what we didn't have, one kid, two kids. That would have been simple.

  • But we had three kids in the house.

  • Three. This is a tricky word, isn't it?

  • We have the unvoiced TH, thhh-- and then the R consonant, thr, thr.

  • So the tongue tip must come through the teeth for that unvoiced TH, then the tip pulls back

  • so it's not touching anything inside the mouth to make the R.

  • Thr-, thr-, three.

  • But three kids, but three kids, but three kids including a newborn.

  • Including a newborn.

  • So 'include', stress on the middle syllable there.

  • A, a schwa just linking these two words together.

  • Including a newborn.

  • In the word newborn, the first syllable of stress but I make my pitch go up at the end

  • to show that I'm not done talking about this.

  • What about the fact that we had three kids? Well, I'm about to tell you that.

  • Including a newborn, including a newborn, including a newborn.

  • newborn, newborn.

  • So the intonation goes up.

  • Well, what about that?

  • Well, that means everything was a little chaotic.

  • A newborn, a newborn, a newborn, so everything was a little chaotic.

  • So everything was a little chaotic.

  • A little chaotic, chaotic.

  • First syllable stress there, that's the most stressed word there, and we have a flap T.

  • Did I say first syllable? definitely meant middle syllable.

  • Cha-o-tic.

  • chaotic with a flap T beginning the third syllable.

  • Notice this CH here?

  • not pronounced ch--, also not pronounced sh-, but instead pronounced kk- like the K sound.

  • Chaotic, chaotic, chaotic.

  • So everything was a little chaotic.

  • So everything was a little chaotic.

  • So everything was a little chaotic.

  • A little chaotic.

  • Again, the word 'little'.

  • T's there pronounced as a flap T.

  • A little, a little, a little.

  • And the letter A, the word 'a', just a quick schwa.

  • A- a- A little, a little.

  • A little chaotic, little chaotic.

  • So everything was a little chaotic.

  • Everything was a little chaotic.

  • Ev-- First syllable stress, and also the word 'was' reduces here.

  • On the first screen, we talked about how it wasn't introduced, it was pronounced was,

  • but here, it's pronounced: was, was, was, said very quickly, linking into the next word.

  • Was a, was a, was a, everything was a little chaotic.

  • Ev-- and a, chao--, are the most stressed syllables there.

  • The other syllables said pretty quickly, maybe a reduction, like in was: was a, was a.

  • So everything was a little chaotic.

  • So everything was a little chaotic.

  • So everything was a little chaotic when my friend--

  • When my friend--

  • when my friend--

  • when my friend--

  • Okay the word 'when' definitely not pronounced.

  • Whe-- with a full EH as in bed vowel that's really sounding reduced.

  • When, when, when, when.

  • I would write that with the W, the schwa, and the N.

  • Also notice WH, that can be pronounced with a little escape of air.

  • When.

  • But I did not do that, and I don't do it, really.

  • I find it a little old-fashioned and my mom does it.

  • She's not old-fashioned, but she maybe talks that way sometimes,

  • but most people, more modern is just to do a clean W sound with no escape of air beforehand.

  • When my friend.

  • When my friend, when my friend Laura.

  • when my friend Laura--

  • So I then say her name, I put a tiny lift between the words 'friend' and 'Laura'.

  • and if I hadn't, I probably would have dropped the D, my friend Laura, my friend Laura,

  • because it's very common to drop the D between two consonants just like we did with the T in the words

  • 'just one'.

  • Just one, just one.

  • Friend Laura.

  • Would very often be pronounced: friend Laura, friend Laura, with no D,

  • but I put a little tiny break before her name to emphasize it, and so I do give a light D at the end of the word 'friend'.

  • When my friend Laura, when my friend Laura.

  • when my friend Laura and her family came to visit,

  • Laura and her family came to visit.

  • So what are the most stressed words there?

  • The clearest, the longest?

  • Laura and her family came to visit.

  • Laura and her family came to visit.

  • Laura and her family came to visit.

  • Laura and her family came to visit.

  • Two nouns and a verb.

  • What about the other words?

  • What about and and her?

  • They get reduced. Let's listen.

  • Laura and her family--

  • Laura and her family--

  • Laura and her family--

  • Laura and her family--

  • Laura and her family--

  • And her, and her, and her, and her, and her.

  • The word 'and' reduced to just schwa N: and, and, and.

  • The word 'her' reduced to just schwa R.

  • er, er, er.

  • So I dropped the H, I dropped the D, I reduced the vowels: And her, and her, and her, and her.

  • Laura and her family--

  • And her, and her, and her.

  • Said very quickly, very unclear, yet this is the pronunciation that Americans use

  • And that is clear to Americans because it makes the stressed words, the more important words.

  • stick out of the phrase more and be more clear.

  • It's like giving the listener the most important words.

  • So the contrast that we like in American English is only possible when we make some words less clear

  • like 'and' and 'her'.

  • These are function words.

  • Laura and her family.

  • Laura and her family--

  • Laura and her family--

  • Laura and her family--

  • Notice the word 'family'.

  • This could be a three-syllable word: fam-il-ly, family, family.

  • Maybe that's how you say it.

  • maybe that's how you learned it.

  • but I recommend going with a two-syllable pronunciation instead: fam-ly.

  • So the first syllable is stressed and the middle syllable is dropped.

  • Family, family.

  • That's more common and it's easier.

  • So try it out.

  • Family, family, family came to visit.

  • came to visit, came to visit.

  • So came, another verb, but less important than 'visit'.

  • It's not as clear, it's not as stressed, and the word 'to' reduced.

  • we turn that into more of a flap sound.

  • Came to, came to, came to visit, came to visit, came to visit.

  • We're after the M, the tongue just bounces quickly against the roof of the mouth, and the vowel is reduced.

  • Came to, came da-da-da.

  • You could also think of this as a D, if that works better for you, a very light quick D.

  • Came to visit.

  • And a stop T because this T comes at the end of a thought group.

  • Came to visit, Came to visit--

  • Came to visit.

  • We made a caramel custard tart--

  • We made a caramel custard tart.

  • We made, made, made.

  • I make the D sound here, I don't release it.

  • That would sound like this: made, made, but it's more of a stop: made, made.

  • Mmm-- Different from a stop T where I just stopped the air.

  • Here, I am actually making a little D sound with a vibration of the vocal cords.

  • Made.

  • dddd-

  • That makes the D.

  • I don't need dda-- the release.

  • Made, made, made a caramel custard tart.

  • A-- The letter A, the word 'a', a quick schwa.

  • A caramel custard tart, caramel custard tart.

  • Each one of those words stressed, but the stress is less clear as we go on because

  • the general trend in sentences is the energy is less in the voice towards the end.

  • We made a caramel custard tart.

  • We made a caramel custard tart.

  • We made a caramel custard tart.

  • Caramel custard tart.

  • So do you hear how the pitch is lower for each one of those?

  • Car-- cus-- tart--

  • Caramel custard tart.

  • That's what feels natural in American English.

  • The pitch goes down and the volume goes down towards the end of a sentence.

  • Caramel custard tart.

  • Caramel custard tart.

  • Caramel custard tart.

  • Did you hear I made a clear true T here at the end?

  • Tart, tart.

  • I wouldn't have had to, I could have said: tart, tart, tart, and made an abrupt stop there.

  • but we do often make a clearer true T sound in a cluster like the RT cluster.

  • Tart.

  • Tart, tart, tart.

  • It was delicious but--

  • It was delicious.

  • It was delicious.

  • I'm noticing something interesting here. I drop the T in 'it'.

  • I don't even make a stop T. That would be: it was, it, it,

  • but instead, I just make an IH vowel.

  • It was delicious, it was delicious.

  • There's no stop at all, and why is that?

  • It's because it's a common two-word sequence.

  • It was.

  • It's not stressed, it doesn't have to be that clear.

  • It was delicious.

  • It was delicious.

  • The important word there is the adjective.

  • It was delicious.

  • And here, my pitch goes up at the end.

  • Delicious.

  • Because again, I want to signify I'm not done talking.

  • I'm going to talk more about how that weekend was.

  • It was delicious.

  • It was delicious.

  • It was delicious.

  • The word 'was' here, reduced.

  • Was, was.

  • How quickly can you say that word?

  • Was, was.

  • It was, it was, it was, it was.

  • This little two-word phrase not very clear on its own but in the context of the whole sentence.

  • It was delicious.

  • It's very clear to native speakers.

  • It was, it was, it was, it was.

  • It was, it was, it was delicious but most importantly--

  • But most importantly.

  • The word 'but', it's own little thought group, stop T.

  • But, but, but.

  • but, but most importantly--

  • most importantly.

  • Okay, ST cluster.

  • Now you learned that we will very often drop that T if it's followed by a consonant.

  • Here, it's followed by a vowel.

  • The IH as in sit vowel.

  • but you know what?

  • I still drop it.

  • Most importantly, most importantly.

  • Why? It doesn't really follow a rule.

  • I'm doing it because it's so clear what I'm saying, most importantly, most importantly,

  • that I don't feel like I need the T sound.

  • Of course, I didn't think this but as I said, it, this is what came out.

  • Most importantly, most importantly.

  • Just connecting the S sound into the next word.

  • Most importantly, most importantly, most importantly.

  • importantly importantly.

  • Stressed syllable there. The second syllable, import, stop T, nntt-- stop T, ly.

  • So the two stop T's, we have a sequence here.

  • T schwa N, and whenever we have that sequence of T schwa N, it's a stop T,

  • that's the most common pronunciation.

  • Important, importantly.

  • Mountain, sentence.

  • All of these words have the T schwa N.

  • kitten, mitten.

  • and we make that a stop sound followed by N.

  • Mitt-nn.

  • import-nnt-ly.

  • This one's interesting because it's two stop T's in a row.

  • Impor-nnnt-ly.

  • So you put your tongue up into position for the T, import--, you stop the air, then you make an N sound,

  • stop the air, and make the 'ly' ending.

  • Importantly, importantly, importantly.

  • Importantly, importantly, importantly, we had an amazing weekend spending time together with our families.

  • We had an amazing weekend--

  • Amazing weekend--

  • Really stressing the stressed syllable there.

  • It was amazing.

  • with a word like this that has some drama and some intensity in it, we tend to really stress them.

  • We had an amazing weekend spending time together, also stressed, with our families, also stressed.

  • And notice fam-lies, just like fam-ly, I'm dropping the middle syllable.

  • Fam-lies.

  • So first syllable stress, fam-lies, fam-lies.

  • We had an amazing weekend spending time together with our families.

  • We had an amazing weekend spending time together with our families.

  • We had an amazing weekend spending time together with our families.

  • Let's look at the other words.

  • We have a couple unstressed words here in a row.

  • We had an, we had an, we had an.

  • Lower in pitch, flatter in pitch, a little less clear.

  • The word 'an', that's just schwa N said really quickly.

  • We had an, we had an.

  • D links into the schwa, and N links into the next vowel.

  • Had an amazing.

  • We had an amazing

  • We had an amazing

  • We had an amazing

  • we had an amazing, we had an amazing.

  • By linking the ending consonant of a word into the beginning vowel of the next word,

  • that helps us link things together smoothly.

  • It helps everything sound nice and smooth, and in American English, we really like smooth speech.

  • We had an amazing--

  • We had an amazing--

  • We had an amazing--

  • We had an amazing weekend spending time together.

  • We had an amazing weekend--

  • Very, very light D there.

  • Spending time together.

  • Crisp true T here, time, time.

  • That's because it's a stressed word and it begins with the T, so that's gonna be a true T.

  • We had an amazing weekend spending time together.

  • We had an amazing weekend spending time together.

  • We had an amazing weekend spending time together.

  • Time together--

  • And I did also a true T to begin 'together'.

  • Time together, together, together.

  • Notice it looks like the word 'to'.

  • We don't pronounce it too, we pronounce it: te, te, te, together.

  • Stress on the second syllable.

  • Together, time together.

  • time together, time together, time together with our families.

  • With our families, with our families.

  • With and our, a little bit less important, said a little bit more quickly.

  • With our, with our, with our, with our, with our.

  • with our families, with our families, with our families.

  • The word 'our' were sounds like the word 'are'.

  • With our, with our, with our, with our, with our, with our.

  • And you can think of it as being AH, R or or even you can make it the schwa R,

  • with our families, when you're pronouncing it extra quickly.

  • With our families, with our families.

  • with our families, with our families, with our families.

  • Let's listen to the whole speech one more time.

  • This year, the fall baking weekend was a little bit different because

  • now we have not just one kid, not just two kids, but three kids, including a newborn.

  • So everything was a little chaotic when my friend Laura and her family came to visit.

  • We made a caramel custard tart.

  • It was delicious.

  • But most importantly, we had an amazing weekend, spending time together with our families.

  • Now as a bonus, I'm going to put in a video that I made last year with Laura at our fall baking weekend

  • and you're going to learn some interesting things about American English pronunciation,

  • phrasal verbs, idioms, and more.

  • In this American English pronunciation video,

  • we're going to study real-life English while I make an apple pie with my dear friend Laura.

  • Okay, time to eat the caramel sauce.

  • Caramel. Caramel. Caramel.

  • They're all okay.

  • They're all okay.

  • Okay.

  • Hmm

  • this tasty word can be pronounced three ways.

  • Caramel. Caramel.

  • Or caramel.

  • Each pronunciation is accepted and you will find all three of these pronunciations listed in the dictionary.

  • Here's what it says.

  • Whisk in a medium saucepan.

  • Now it doesn't say over medium-low heat.

  • K.

  • Mkay.

  • >> I'll do that. >> Okay.

  • Notice how we respond to each other.

  • K and mkay.

  • These are both common variants of the word 'okay'.

  • This word is used a lot in conversational English.

  • It can be used to say 'I understand, I'm listening' which is how Laura and I both use it here.

  • Over medium-low heat.

  • K.

  • Mkay.

  • I've read a part of the recipe and we're both saying I understand that.

  • Then she offers to take care of it and I say 'mkay' again here meaning I understand.

  • -I'll do that. -Okay.

  • We also use it for 'yes'.

  • Will you add the sugar?

  • Okay.

  • Over a medium low heat.

  • K.

  • Mkay.

  • >> I'll do that. >> Okay.

  • Here's what it says.

  • So we do this until the sugar is dissolved then we add the butter which I put out on the counter

  • with a stick.

  • >> Just light on the butter. >> Yeah.

  • You know, it's notthis, this pie is not very high in calories

  • so that's false.

  • False.

  • I've said something here that's not true.

  • It's false.

  • I'm not being serious.

  • The pie is very high in calories.

  • Listen to the different ways you can say I'm not being serious.

  • False. Oh I'm joking. I'm being facetious.

  • I'm just kidding.

  • - How else could you say that? - She's joking.

  • You already say that?

  • - I did say that. I'm pulling my leg. -You're pulling your leg.

  • Yeah, I'm pulling your leg.

  • It's a high in calorie pie.

  • Okay so um...

  • - Just joshing… - I'm just joshing you.

  • Where does that one come from?

  • I'm just Joshin.

  • You could say that. I'm just joshing.

  • Hey, don't get upset. I'm just Joshin.

  • I'm joking.

  • I'm being facetious.

  • I'm just kidding.

  • I'm pulling your leg.

  • I'm just joshing.

  • All of these things mean what I'm saying should not be taken seriously or literally.

  • I could have also said I'm just playing or I'm playing.

  • The word 'just' in all of these phrases can be used but doesn't have to be used.

  • A note on the pronunciation of the word 'just', if it's followed by a word that begins with the consonant,

  • the T will usually be dropped.

  • For example, I'm just kidding.

  • Just kidding.

  • Straight from the S sound into the K with no T.

  • False. I'm joking.

  • I'm being facetious.

  • I'm just kidding. I'm pulling your leg. It's a high in calorie pie. I'm just joshing you.

  • Where does that one come from?

  • >> You want to grab the stick of butter? >> Yeah.

  • So every fall, for what, how many years have you been doing this?

  • Well we've lived here since 2010.

  • - Here? No way. - And it probably started...

  • No way.

  • Here no way.

  • What does that mean?

  • That means I can't believe what she's saying.

  • I don't think it's true and it turns out I misunderstood.

  • I thought she meant she had been living in that house since 2010

  • but she meant she'd been living in the town since then.

  • Well we've lived here since 2010.

  • - Here? No way. - And it probably started

  • - No. No. No. In North Hampton. - Oh, you mean North Hampton.

  • -Seven-ish. -6 or 7 years. Yeah.

  • I said seven-ish years while Laura said six or seven years.

  • 'Ish' is something you might hear put at the end of a word to show approximation.

  • -Seven-ish. -6 or 7 years. Yeah.

  • Every fall I come up to Laura's house and we have a fall baking weekend

  • and actually we've made lots of videos from the fall baking weekend so I'll put a link to that playlist

  • in the comments below.

  • Also right here, just click the I.

  • They're really fun.

  • They are.

  • At least we have fun.

  • We have fun.

  • We keep on working on the sauce for that pie adding butter and then adding cream.

  • Okay, are you ready to whisk?

  • - I think I'm supposed to add this really slowly. - Slowly.

  • Am I supposed to keep on whisking or stirring?

  • There we're both unsure of what the recipe says.

  • We both used the phrase 'supposed to'.

  • We both reduce this phrase to: spose ta.

  • We reduced it from three syllables to two.

  • This is really common.

  • The S and T can either be pronounced: sposta, or ZD, spose ta.

  • - I think I'm supposed to add this really slowly. - Slowly.

  • Am I supposed to keep on whisking or stirring?

  • Alright. Here we go.

  • >> Woah! >> Woah! Steam bomb! The camera!

  • Ok, so now we're slicing the apples.

  • We're using machine to make it a little easier.

  • You can put them in here then.

  • Yeah.

  • Okay.

  • There are always lots of reductions in American English.

  • Let's look at the ones I just used.

  • 'We are' contracts to 'we're' and is often pronounced 'were' in conversation.

  • It's really fast and it sounds just like this word: were.

  • I use that contraction twice here.

  • So now we're slicing the apples.

  • We're using a machine to make it a little easier.

  • You can put them in here then.

  • Yeah.

  • Okay.

  • You're going to put them in here then.

  • Some more reductions.

  • The word are at the beginning was dropped.

  • We need that word to be grammatically correct but it is sometimes dropped in spoken English.

  • 'Going to' became 'gonna' and the TH was dropped in them.

  • 'Put them' becomes: put 'emput 'emNo TH and a flap T to connect the two words.

  • Put 'emput 'em

  • You can put them in here then.

  • Yeah. Okay.

  • Right. Watch this do its magic.

  • Love it. They come out at the bottom. Totally thin slice.

  • Let's put the lemon juice in.

  • Let's put the lemon juice in.

  • The word 'let's' is really unclear.

  • It's very common to drop the beginning and basically just make the TS sound.

  • Let's put the lemon juice in. Ts- ts- ts-

  • That's, its, and what can also make this reduction.

  • We're just putting the TS sound in front of the next word.

  • See this video for further examples and explanation.

  • Let's put the lemon juice in.

  • And the baby's up. Let me go get him.

  • Let me go get him.

  • A couple reductions here.

  • Let me becomes lemme, and the H is dropped in 'him'.

  • Dropping the H in this word is a really common reduction.

  • When we do this, it sounds just like when we dropped the TH in them.

  • 'Get him' becomes 'get um'.

  • Just like 'put them' was 'put em'.

  • The flap T links the words and the reduction of 'them' and 'him' are the exact same sounds, schwa and M.

  • Get emput em

  • Let me go get him.

  • Can you look right there?

  • Say 'Hi! I just had a nice nap!'

  • Can you say 'Hey everybody!'

  • Can you try that?

  • 'Hey everybody!'

  • You want to try?

  • No. Okay.

  • Can I go ahead and put the apples in there?

  • Yeah, dump them in.

  • Dump them in.

  • 'Them' is reduced again.

  • Dump emdump em

  • Yeah, dump em in.

  • I'm going to take you down to daddy.

  • I'm going to take you down to daddy.

  • 'I'm going to' got reduced.

  • With our most common words and phrases, we tend to do the most dramatic reductions.

  • I'm gonna-- There's almost an idea of I in front of it but not really.

  • I'm gonna-- I'm gonna-- I'm gonna--

  • I'm gonna take you down to daddy.

  • I made a video where I go over this reduction and more examples.

  • Click here or in the description below to see that video.

  • I'm going to take you down to daddy.

  • Alright.

  • - All of them? - Let me read ahead.

  • Yeah, all of them.

  • I love how when you start paying attention to a particular reduction, you constantly hear it.

  • Did you catch the reductions of 'them' here?

  • We're talking about the apple slices.

  • - All of them? - Let me read ahead.

  • Yeah, all of them.

  • All of them. Nice 'them' reduction, Laura.

  • -All of them? -Mm-hmm.

  • I like it. Linking with the V.

  • Okay.

  • Then we mixed the apples in with the other dry ingredients.

  • We packed the apples into our pie shell and drizzled on the caramel sauce which got too thick as it cooled.

  • We overcooked it and finally we make the lattice top for the pie.

  • I had some problems and I kept messing it up.

  • I couldn't-- What is wrong with me?

  • I'm like really screwing up.

  • Really screwing up.

  • Screw up is a phrasal verb which means to do something the wrong way

  • or to do a bad job with something.

  • I screwed up the pie crust.

  • You could also say mess up.

  • I messed up the pie crust.

  • I'm really screwing up.

  • I have to wipe that off.

  • Oh darn.

  • I beat that caramel sauce.

  • This is weird, Laura. Last time I made this, it seeped in much more.

  • So when... because look when I'm doing the lattice now, when I pull it up, it's like bringing up all this goo.

  • - It's thicker. - It's weird.

  • I gotta say right now I'm like, I'm feeling embarrassed about how this is turning out.

  • Turn out.

  • Another phrasal verb.

  • As I'm using it here, it means how something develops or ends.

  • I'm not happy with how it's going, I'm embarrassed with the end result of my pie.

  • I got to say, right now, I'm like, I'm feeling embarrassed about how this is turning out.

  • I finished making the top and we put it in the oven and the final scene of course needs to be trying the pie.

  • It's out of the oven, looking good.

  • Laura, how are you feeling about it?

  • I'm feeling great!

  • Oh, also we made a pumpkin pie.

  • I'm also feeling great about that.

  • From scratch with a pumpkin.

  • We made whipped cream.

  • Big deal.

  • And Dana made chocolate-dipped macaroons.

  • Macaroon or Macaron?

  • To clarify, this is a macaroon and this is a macaron.

  • Which is also pronounced 'macaroon'.

  • I don't know, I'll look it up and I'll let everyone know.

  • Okay, let's cut this pie.

  • Who wants a little bit of apple?

  • If you'd like to recreate this pie, it really is amazingly delicious.

  • Please see the link in the video description below.

  • It's from my favorite pie book, the Four and Twenty Blackbirds book.

  • I'm going to have a caramely taste.

  • It turned out well.

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

Today, we're going to do one of the most effective exercises in improving your listening comprehension,

Subtitles and vocabulary

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