Pratica di Shadowing: Stop Using "Very" in English Conversations | Real English Conversation Podcast - Impara a parlare inglese con i video
Creazione lezione...
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Welcome, welcome!
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You are listening to the Native English Podcast brought to you by Native English Stories, the podcast that helps you speak better English every single day.
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I am Sarah, and I am so excited to be here with you today.
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And I am John.
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Hello, everyone.
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Whether you are on the bus, walking in the park, or sitting with a cup of tea, we are so glad you tuned in today.
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This episode is going to be really useful, I promise.
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Haha, yes.
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And John, before we start, I want to say something.
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Today's topic is one that I personally needed to learn.
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It changed the way I speak English completely.
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Hmm, really?
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Okay, now I'm curious.
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So everyone, today we are talking about one very small word, a word that almost every English learner uses too much,
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and that word is very.
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But before we explain why, John, we have a very big reason to celebrate with our amazing audience on Facebook today.
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Thank you so much, everyone!
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Now, Sarah, let's get back to our topic and talk about why we shouldn't use very too much.
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Ah, yes, very.
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We say very good, very happy, very tired, very big, very small, very, very, very, all the time.
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Exactly.
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And listen, using very is not wrong.
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It is a correct English word.
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But when you use it in every single sentence, your English starts to sound basic and a little boring.
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Yes, native speakers have so many better, stronger words that they use instead of very plus adjective.
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And today, we're going to teach you those words.
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So by the end of this episode, you will sound more natural, more confident, and much more impressive in English.
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Let's go!
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Okay, John, let me ask you something first.
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Why do learners use very so much?
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Why is it such a habit?
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Hmm, great question.
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I think it is because very is one of the first words we learn in English.
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Our teachers say if something is more than normal, just add very.
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Very big, very nice, very cold, and it works.
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It's easy and everybody understands.
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Ah, yes.
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So we learn it early and then we just keep using it.
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It becomes automatic.
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Exactly.
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But the problem is, as you get better at English, you want to express yourself more precisely.
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You want people to really feel what you're saying.
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And very good does not give the same feeling as excellent or fantastic or brilliant.
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Hmm, that is so true.
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Like, imagine your friend cooks dinner for you.
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It's the most delicious meal you have ever eaten.
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And you say, this food is very good.
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How does that sound?
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It sounds so flat, so ordinary, like the food was just okay.
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Exactly.
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But if you say, this food is absolutely delicious, or this is outstanding, your friend feels so happy.
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The words carry so much more feeling.
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Yes, the right word does all the work.
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You do not need very when you choose a stronger word.
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Perfect.
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So let's start learning these stronger words, and we'll replace very plus adjective with one powerful word instead.
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Great.
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Let's start with a very common one.
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Very tired.
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Instead of saying, I'm very tired, you can say, I'm exhausted.
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Say it with me.
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Exhausted.
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Exhausted.
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And this word means extremely tired, like your whole body has no energy left.
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For example, I worked 12 hours today.
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I'm exhausted.
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Can we please just go home?
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Yes, I've said that many times.
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Okay, next one.
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Very happy.
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Instead of very happy, say, thrilled or overjoyed.
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For example, she got the job she wanted.
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She is absolutely thrilled.
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Ah, thrilled.
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That word has so much energy in it.
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You can feel the happiness when you say thrilled.
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Much better than very happy.
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Right.
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Now let's try very cold.
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Instead of very cold, say freezing.
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For example, I went outside without my jacket this morning.
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It was freezing.
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I couldn't feel my fingers.
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Haha, oh, I know that feeling.
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Freezing is so perfect for that.
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You say it and people immediately feel the cold.
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Yes.
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Next, very big.
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Instead of very big, say enormous or huge or massive.
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For example, have you seen that new shopping mall?
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It's enormous.
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I walked for one hour and still didn't see everything.
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Ah, enormous.
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That gives you a real picture in your head.
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Very big doesn't do that in the same way.
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Exactly.
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Okay, now very small.
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Instead of very small, say tiny.
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For example, my first apartment in the city was tiny.
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The kitchen, the bedroom, the living room, all in one little space.
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Tiny apartment.
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I know that life.
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Okay, what about very good?
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This is probably the most overused one.
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Yes, very good can be replaced with so many words.
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Excellent, brilliant, outstanding, fantastic, superb, wonderful.
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For example, your presentation today was outstanding.
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Everyone in the room was impressed.
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Ah, outstanding.
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That word makes you feel proud.
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Very good.
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Just sounds like a teacher giving you an average mark.
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But outstanding, wow.
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Exactly.
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Okay, very bad.
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Instead of very bad, you can say terrible, awful, dreadful, or horrible.
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For example, the traffic this morning was terrible.
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It took me two hours to go 10 kilometers.
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Hmm, terrible traffic.
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Yes, we all know that feeling.
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Terrible is so much stronger than very bad.
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And very fast.
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Instead of that, say rapid or quick or lightning fast.
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For example, the new train between the two cities is rapid.
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The journey takes only 30 minutes now.
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Ah, rapid.
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That sounds so much more professional and natural.
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And one more, very beautiful.
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Instead of that, say stunning or gorgeous or breathtaking.
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For example, we went to the mountains last weekend.
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The view was absolutely breathtaking.
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I just stood there and couldn't speak.
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Hmm, breathtaking.
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That's such a powerful word.
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It means so beautiful that it almost takes your breath away.
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Yes.
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Okay, so now let's look at some real-life examples.
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Situations where people used very and then switched to a stronger word, because this is where the learning really happens.
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Yes.
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Okay, real-life example number one.
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My friend Lena is learning English.
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She went on a trip to the beach last summer.
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When she came back, everyone asked, how was it?
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And she said it was very nice, and the water was very blue, and the food was very good.
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Hmm, that's okay.
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We understand her.
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But how does it sound?
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Flat, like reading a list.
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Now, after she learned stronger words, she said the same experience differently.
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She said it was absolutely gorgeous.
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The water was crystal clear, and the food was outstanding.
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We had the most wonderful time.
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Ah, what a difference.
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Same trip, same feelings, but completely different energy.
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The second version makes you want to go to that beach immediately.
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Exactly.
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Real-life example number two, my younger brother had a job interview last month.
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He was very nervous.
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Afterwards, he told me, the questions were very hard and I was very scared, but I think I did very well.
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Hmm, okay, I understand him, but it sounds like a child talking, not a professional.
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Right.
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Now, with stronger words, he could say, The questions were incredibly challenging and I was terrified, but I think I performed brilliantly.
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Doesn't that sound so much more confident?
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Ah, yes.
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Terrified instead of very scared.
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Challenging instead of very hard.
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Brilliantly instead of very well.
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Every word is doing real work.
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Exactly!
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And real life example number three, this one is from a classroom.
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A student is writing about his weekend for his teacher.
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He writes, I had a very good weekend.
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The weather was very sunny.
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We went to a very big park and ate very delicious food.
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Oh, that essay.
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Every sentence has very in it.
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The teacher reads five words and already feels tired.
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Yes.
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But if the student writes, I had a wonderful weekend.
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The weather was gloriously sunny.
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We went to an enormous park and ate absolutely delicious food.
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The teacher smiles.
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The essay has life.
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So much better.
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And the student shows the teacher, I know more words.
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I am growing.
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Yes.
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Using stronger words shows your vocabulary is improving.
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It is a sign of a better English speaker.
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Hmm.
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That is so motivating.
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OK, now let us do our useful phrases section.
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Yes.
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Phrase number one, less is more.
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This means sometimes using fewer words or simpler things gives a better result.
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In English, using one strong word is better than saying very plus a weak word.
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Less is more.
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Love it.
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Phrase number two, choose your words carefully.
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This means think before you speak or write.
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Do not just grab the first word that comes.
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Ask yourself, is there a better word?
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Choose your words carefully.
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Ah, great one.
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Phrase number three, paint a picture with words.
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This means use language that helps people see and feel what you are describing.
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When you say breathtaking instead of very beautiful, you paint a picture.
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Hmm, I love that phrase, paint a picture with words.
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Phrase number four, expand your vocabulary.
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This means learn new words every day and use them.
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For example, try to expand your vocabulary by learning two new words every morning.
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Great advice.
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And phrase number five, practice makes perfect.
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You know this one, but it is so true here.
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The more you use these new words, exhausted, stunning, enormous, terrified, the more natural they will feel.
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Practice makes perfect.
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Always true.
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So our five phrases today, less is more, choose your words carefully, paint a picture with words, expand your vocabulary, and practice makes perfect.
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Okay, friends, we are at the end of today's episode.
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Quick recap.
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Stop using very in every sentence.
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Replace very tired with exhausted, very happy with thrilled, very cold with freezing,
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very big with enormous, very small with tiny, very good with excellent or outstanding,
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very bad with terrible, very beautiful with stunning.
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And our five phrases, less is more, choose your words carefully, paint a picture with words, expand your vocabulary, and practice makes perfect.
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And our real-life examples showed us stronger words make you sound more confident and natural.
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What a great episode.
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Your challenge this week, every time you want to say very something, stop and think of one stronger word.
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Try it today.
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And also check out the pinned comment below.
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We have left some challenges there for you.
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We love reading your comments.
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Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and share this episode with a friend who is also struggling with very.
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Yes, you do not have to be perfect.
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Just keep trying.
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We are so proud of you.
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Ah, truly.
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Thank you for being here.
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Until next time, keep learning and speak with confidence.
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You are listening to the Native English Podcast.
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Brought to you by Native English Stories.
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I'm John.
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And I'm Sarah.
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Take care, everyone.
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See you in the next episode.
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Bye!
Informazioni su questa lezione
In questa lezione, gli studenti esploreranno l'importanza di diversificare il proprio vocabolario in inglese, evitando l'uso eccessivo della parola "very". Imparando a sostituire "very" con aggettivi più specifici e descrittivi, gli studenti miglioreranno la loro fluidità e l'impressione generale nelle conversazioni in inglese. Questo esercizio aiuterà a rendere il discorso più naturale e coinvolgente, aumentando così la fiducia nel parlare inglese.
Vocabolario e frasi chiave
- Very good - Molto buono
- Very happy - Molto felice
- Very tired - Molto stanco
- Very big - Molto grande
- Very small - Molto piccolo
- Basic - Basico
- Confident - Sicuro di sé
- Impressive - Impressionante
Consigli per la pratica
Per migliorare le tue competenze nel parlare inglese, ti consigliamo di praticare la tecnica del shadowspeak. Ascolta i dialoghi dell'episodio ad una velocità normale, cercando di ripetere immediatamente ciò che senti. Fai attenzione al tono e all'intensità con cui vengono pronunciate le parole. Ricorda che il shadowing in inglese non è solo ripetere, ma è anche cercare di catturare l'emozione e il contesto di ciò che stai ascoltando.
Infine, prova a creare delle frasi utilizzando i nuovi vocaboli appresi sostituendo "very" con aggettivi più forti o sinonimi. Ad esempio, invece di dire "very big", potresti dire "enormous" o "huge". Questo non solo renderà il tuo inglese più ricco, ma ti aiuterà anche a rimanere motivato e coinvolto nella tua pratica di conversazione in inglese.
Utilizzando imparare l'inglese con youtube come strumento per apprendere, potrai accedere a una vasta gamma di contenuti video per affinare ulteriormente le tue abilità. Sfrutta ogni opportunità per ascoltare e parlare, e non dimenticare che ogni piccola pratica ti avvicina al tuo obiettivo di comunicare fluentemente in inglese!
Cos'è la tecnica dello Shadowing?
Shadowing è una tecnica di apprendimento delle lingue supportata da studi scientifici, originariamente sviluppata per la formazione dei traduttori professionisti e resa popolare dal poliglotta Dr. Alexander Arguelles. Il metodo è semplice ma potente: ascolti un audio in inglese di madrelingua e lo ripeti immediatamente ad alta voce — come un'ombra che segue il parlante con un ritardo di solo 1–2 secondi. A differenza dell'ascolto passivo o degli esercizi di grammatica, lo shadowing costringe il tuo cervello e i muscoli della bocca a elaborare e riprodurre simultaneamente i modelli di discorso reale. La ricerca dimostra che migliora significativamente la precisione della pronuncia, l'intonazione, il ritmo, il discorso connesso, la comprensione dell'ascolto e la fluidità del parlato — rendendolo uno dei metodi più efficaci per la preparazione alla prova di speaking dell'IELTS e per la comunicazione reale in inglese.