Pratique du Shadowing: American English Connected Reading | A Painting - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

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Hey, what's up?
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It's Alex.
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Today I'd like to talk about the connected sounds in a sample answer to the prompt, describe a painting you've seen.
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Let's take a look.
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I remember I was in Boston a couple of years ago.
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I remember.
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When we speak quickly, at the beginning of sentences, sometimes those short, unstressed sounds tend to become even shorter.
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I remember.
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I remember.
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I remember.
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I I remember, I remember, I remember I was in Boston.
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I was in, I was in Boston.
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We're gonna connect I was in into one little phrase and we're gonna reduce that uh in was.
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I was in Boston.
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I remember I was in Boston.
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At the end of in, before the b in Boston, it actually turns into a m sound to connect with the b sound.
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I was in Boston.
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I remember I was in Boston.
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I was in Boston.
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I remember I was in Boston a couple of years ago.
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A couple, a couple of years ago.
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Couple, so we take out the the in of.
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A couple of years ago.
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And I went to, and I went to.
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Almost every time you see and, you're gonna take out the D in connected speech.
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And I, and I went to.
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We're gonna connect the n, t, t here, went to.
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You can see that the NTT turns into just NT.
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Went to.
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Went to.
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I remember I was in Boston a couple of years ago and I went to one of the art museums there.
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One of the art museums.
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So here, the.
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We have the Y sound at the end of the in order to get ready for the AH in art.
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Then we have art museums.
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I'm not saying a T there at the end of the word art.
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I'm saying a glottal stop.
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Art.
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Art.
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museums.
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It's cutting off in my throat instead of finishing the T sound.
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Art museums.
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One of the art museums there.
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And don't forget to take the the out of the word of there.
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One of the art museums there.
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Huge place.
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Tons of paintings.
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We're going to take out the the in of.
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Tons of paintings.
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Tons of.
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And remember we're going to connect these sounds as much as we can.
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Ton zuh, zuh, zuh.
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I'm not adding anything between the z and uh sounds.
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Huge place, tons of paintings, and one I remember in particular, and one and one, take out that d and and,
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one nigh, nigh, we're going to connect one and I.
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One I remember in particular, in particular, in very fast speech, just like in Boston, in particular,
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that N turns into an M.
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In particular, in particular.
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One I remember in particular was a painting from the 1880s, was a painting from the 1880s.
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From the 18, the 18, we have that sound connecting the 18,
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the 1880s, of four young girls, of four.
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So here we have the in of, but it's connected to in four, so of four, of four.
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A painting from the 1880s of four young girls.
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Connect that ng sound at the end of young with g in girls.
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Four young girls.
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A painting from the 1880s of four young girls playing in a huge house.
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In a huge house.
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Connect in a into one little chunk.
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playing in a huge house.
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It's a little hard to describe.
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It's a little hard to connect the d
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and the t there hard to
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and we're going to reduce the vowel in two hard to
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hard to describe describe why describe why you can see
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that at the end of describe gets weakened before a sound hard to describe why it.. why?
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Why?
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Hard to describe why it was so memorable.
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It's kind of a funny sound when I slow down and say it in its connected form.
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Describe why?
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Why?
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Describe why it was so memorable.
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Why it was so.
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Why it?
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So here we have a glottal stop for the t in it.
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Why it was?
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So was, that vowel in the word was gets reduced, why it was so.
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Then we're going to connect the s in so with the z in the word before it was.
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Why it was so.
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Hard to describe why it was so memorable.
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The light was really impressive.
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Again we have a glottal stop for the t in light.
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The light was really impressive.
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Like the foreground was naturally lit that nd in foreground, foreground ones, reduces and it's just kind of like foreground was.
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foreground was naturally lit foreground was naturally lit and the background slowly faded
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so here lit we have a glottal stop there in lit lit lit
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and the background drop the D in and
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and connect the end of the th lit
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and the background slowly faded again we kind of drop
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that D or weaken
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that D at the end of background background slowly faded into darkness kind of showing how large the house was.
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Kinda showing.
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So here, kind of.
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We could connect that to kinda.
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You could also connect it even further to kinda.
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Kinda showing, kinda showing how large the house was.
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And the color was great too.
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And the, and the color.
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Drop the D, connect the end of the TH.
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And the color was great too.
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Great too.
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Connect the two T sounds there, the end of great and the beginning of too.
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and the color was great too.
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It looked very realistic.
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It looked.
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We have a glottal stop there for the T.
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It looked.
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It looked very realistic.
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Now if I say it looked a little faster, that L can kind of even delete the T entirely.
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No glottal stop.
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If I speak it at a regular pace, it looked.
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That's fine.
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But if I say it even faster, it looked.
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It looked.
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This goes to what I was talking about earlier with reducing the sounds at the beginning of sentences.
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ELUKED.
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ELUKED.
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No T.
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No glottal stop.
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ELUKED.
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Now we can't do that in regular speed speech.
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It sounds a little weird if we don't have the glottal stops.
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Don't have the glottal stops.
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We need to have those sounds, but in very fast speech for certain very common phrases, you can take out that T especially at the beginning of sentences like this.
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It looked, it looked very realistic, like a color photo even, color photo even.
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We add a little wha sound to connect these two vowels, like a color photo even, color photo even.
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I think the main thing, main thing, connect the N and TH, I think the main thing was its size, its size.
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Connect these two S sounds here.
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Its size.
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I think the main thing was its size.
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It was like seven feet tall.
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Here, it was, is another example.
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At the beginning of a sentence, we can take out that T and not even have a glottal stop.
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It was, it was like seven feet tall, seven feet tall.
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So here that N and F blend together, and it's almost more of an M sound.
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Seven feet tall, seven feet tall.
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We connect these two T sounds at the end too.
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Feet tall.
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It was like seven feet tall.
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It was like seven feet tall.
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It completely dominated the room.
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It completely.
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Glottal stop T before the K incompletely.
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It completely dominated the room.
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Connect the D and the TH here.
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It completely dominated the.
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Dominated the.
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Dominated the room.
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I wish I could remember its name.
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I wish I could remember.
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So that D before the R gets a little bit weaker.
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Could remember, could remember.
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You can say the full D there if you like too.
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It's totally fine.
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I wish I could remember, could remember, but you can also drop it.
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I wish I could remember its name.
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I remember I was in Boston a couple of years ago and I went to one of the art museums there.
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Huge place, tons of paintings, and what I remember in particular was a painting from the 1880s of four young girls playing in a huge house.
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It's a little hard to describe why it was so memorable.
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The light was really impressive, like the foreground was naturally lit and the background slowly faded into darkness, kind of showing how large the house was.
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And the color was great too.
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It looked very realistic, like a color photo even.
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I think the main thing was its size.
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It was like 7 feet tall.
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It completely dominated the room.
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I wish I could remember its name.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing speaking with this video is a fantastic opportunity for those looking to learn English with YouTube. The focus on connected speech highlights how native speakers often blend words together, making it crucial for learners to understand and imitate these patterns. This method not only enhances listening skills but also boosts confidence in speaking, vital for achieving fluency. By using this video, learners can effectively improve English pronunciation through repetition and shadowing techniques, which are essential for mastering the rhythm and intonation of American English. Moreover, this practice can significantly aid in preparing for exams like the IELTS speaking practice, where clarity and natural speech are key components of a successful performance.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this video, several grammatical structures and expressions are prevalent, demonstrating how they are used in casual conversation:

  • Reduction of unstressed sounds: The phrase “I remember” is often said quickly as “I 'member,” showcasing how native speakers often drop syllables to sound more fluid.
  • Connected phrases: Phrases like “I was in” turn into “I wasin,” where the sounds combine to create a smoother transition, emphasizing the need for learners to connect their speech for more natural delivery.
  • Omission of sounds: The phrase “I went to” is pronounced as “I wenta,” demonstrating the common practice of dropping the “d” in connected speech. This pattern shows how important it is for learners to practice shadowing to achieve more authentic pronunciations.
  • Glottal Stops: The term “art” is articulated with a glottal stop instead of a pronounced “t,” exemplifying a distinctive feature in American English that learners should focus on when practicing.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When engaging with the content, learners might encounter several pronunciation traps:

  • Art museums: The phrase contains a glottal sound where the “t” in “art” is not emphasized, which might confuse learners who are accustomed to clearly pronouncing all consonants.
  • Omitting “the”: In fast speech, “the” is often dropped in phrases like “one of the art museums,” which can hinder understanding if learners do not practice this articulation.
  • Going from “in” to “Boston”: The blending of sounds, where “in Boston” becomes “im Boston,” can challenge learners' auditory comprehension, necessitating focused practice in connected speech.

By acknowledging these pronunciation nuances and practicing them regularly, learners can significantly enhance their speaking abilities and overall communication skills in English. For effective results, utilize this information in shadowing exercises to reach your goals in fluency.

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.