Shadowing Practice: 12 Confusing English Verbs - Learn English Speaking with Video

Les maken...
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Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.
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Some English verbs are incredibly confusing.
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Some of them sound really similar, like the verbs wander and wonder.
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Some have really similar meanings, like see, watch, and look.
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Or it can be really tricky to choose the right preposition or adverb.
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Did he fall off, fall over or fall down?
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Well, today you are in luck.
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I have compiled some of the most commonly confused verbs and we are going to eliminate any doubts you might have.
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You are going to have some Eureka moments.
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As always, I have created a free PDF to go with this video.
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You'll find all of the information from this lesson with extra examples
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and a secret link to an interactive exercise pack for further practice
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if you'd like to download that pdf just click on the link in the description box
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or scan that qr code there enter your name your email address
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and choose your english level then you sign up to my mailing list
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and the pdf will arrive directly in your inbox after
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that you've joined my pdf club You will automatically receive my free weekly PDFs alongside my news,
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course updates, and offers.
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It's a totally free service and you can unsubscribe at any time with just one click.
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Let's get started with number one, hear versus listen.
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We use hear to describe the process of sounds coming into your ears, whether you want them to or not, and that's the key.
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For example, did you hear those dogs barking?
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The noise kept me up all night.
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No, I had earplugs in so I couldn't hear anything.
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We also use here with the meaning of to be told something.
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For example, Emma got the job, so I've heard, so I've been told.
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Now listening on the other hand is intentional.
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When you listen, you have to focus and pay attention.
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For example, I'm listening to a really good podcast at the moment, or he told me what the plan was,
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but I wasn't really listening.
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So hearing no effort, listening intentional requires effort.
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It's that simple.
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Number two, We have see, look, and watch, or I should really say see, look at, and watch.
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I get questions about these verbs all the time.
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See is similar to here.
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It's the process of noticing something, but this time with the eyes, no effort required.
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For example, we could see the Eiffel Tower from our hotel window, or I didn't see the person who snatched my phone.
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Look at means to move your eyes in a particular direction in order to see something.
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For example, look at that man dressed as a horse or look at me when I'm talking to you, please.
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The action of looking is generally quite short.
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Watch, on the other hand, is when you look at something or somebody for a longer period of time.
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What you're watching will usually be moving like a film, a YouTube video, a play, or a concert.
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The action generally involves more effort.
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For example, watch how I play it and then you can try and copy.
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Or did you watch the game last night?
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Now, you can see or watch a film, but be careful, we don't see television.
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We watch television.
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For example, we're going to watch or we're going to see Gladiator 2 if you fancy joining us, or I rarely watch TV these days,
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not I rarely see TV.
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Okay, number three, fit and suit.
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Here are two questions that I frequently ask my husband, but what's the difference in meaning?
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Number one, does this dress suit me?
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And number two, does this dress
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fit me
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and yes i said suit not sweet suit we pronounce suit
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with the long ooh as in boot suit okay we use
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the verb suit to ask about how attractive an item of clothing an accessory
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or even a hairstyle makes a person look
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if someone says wow those jeans really suit you they're saying
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those jeans look good on you you look attractive wearing them we use fit to talk about the size
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and shape of something.
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For example, you can have that T -shirt.
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It doesn't fit me anymore.
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It's too big or too small for my body.
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You'll often hear people say something fits well or nicely.
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And I love the idiomatic expression to fit like a glove, which means to fit perfectly.
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Oh, and I can't be on this topic and not mention go with.
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We use this phrase with the meaning of combine well.
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That bag goes really well with those shoes.
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Your bag matches your shoes or your bag combines well with your shoes.
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They look good together.
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It's a vibe.
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Okay, let's move on to number four.
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We have mind and matter.
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Now, these two verbs can cause a lot of confusion if we mix them up.
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What is the difference between these two sentences?
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Which one are you likely to say more often?
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I don't mind.
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I don't matter.
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So we usually use mind in questions and negatives.
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I don't mind means it's not a problem for me.
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For example, I don't mind doing the washing up.
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I'm happy to do it.
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Or we don't mind the noise from the traffic.
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It doesn't bother us.
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And in the question form, it can be used to make a polite request.
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Would you mind taking me to the airport?
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Notice how we can use a noun or the ing verb after mind.
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We also often use not mind to say that we are happy with any options offered to us.
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For example, do you fancy going out for dinner or should we stay in?
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I don't mind.
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I'd be happy doing either.
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And what about the second sentence?
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I don't matter.
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I really hope you never say this.
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If something matters to you, it's important to you.
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So if you say, I don't matter, you're saying, I'm not important.
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I recommend memorising these two phrases together.
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I don't mind, it doesn't matter.
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We use matter to reassure someone that something isn't important.
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Oh no, I forgot to buy the milk.
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It doesn't matter, we can do without it.
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Now, rather confusingly, you can also use the expression, nevermind here with the same meaning.
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And one final point here, don't mix, I don't mind up with, I don't care.
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If used with the wrong tone of voice, I don't care can make you sound angry or disinterested.
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Compare the responses to the question.
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What do you fancy for dinner?
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I don't mind.
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I'd genuinely be happy with anything you make for me.
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I don't care.
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That means, leave me alone.
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I don't want to have to think about this right now.
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I'm too busy.
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The difference is quite clear.
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Okay, number five.
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We're going to take a look at two verbs with very different meanings that sound ridiculously similar.
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Wonder and wonder.
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Can you hear the difference?
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I pronounced wonder with the O as in a, wonder with the a vowel sound in up, wonder.
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Lots of speakers in the North of England will use the a vowel sound like in put, wonder.
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Wonder spelt with an A is pronounced with the short off vowel,
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like in October and hot, wonder, wonder, wonder.
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Can you hear the difference?
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But what do they mean?
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Well, wonder is a very useful verb, which means to ask yourself something you wish you knew the answer to.
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I wonder what Diego's thinking right now.
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In fact, I know what he's thinking.
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It's his dinner time.
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We're nearly at the end of the lesson.
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Or I wonder what Will's bought me for my birthday.
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Wonder has nothing to do with wonder.
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Wonder means to walk around a place with no set plan or purpose.
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Like we wandered around the narrow streets of Venice for hours.
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Or the very famous line from the William Wordsworth poem, I wandered lonely as a cloud.
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Let's use them both in a sentence.
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I wonder where Diego wanders when Will and I are working.
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Next, we have fall off, fall over, and fall down.
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I cannot count the number of times
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that a student has told me they've fallen down their bike or fallen over the stairs.
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These are incorrect.
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Let's clear this one up once and for all.
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We use the verb fall when we suddenly drop from the position we are in towards the ground.
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We have a fight with gravity and gravity wins.
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Fall off can have an object, and this object is usually something we've been sitting on.
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For example, I fell off my bike, a horse, my chair, the roof, I hope not.
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Fall over is when you suddenly drop to the ground from a standing or upright position.
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and it doesn't need an object.
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I fell over and banged my knees.
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It doesn't need an object, but it can have one.
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For example, the dog fell over the cliff.
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Fall down is most commonly used for stairs or steps.
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It can be used with other inclined objects like a hill or a slope.
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My brother fell down the stairs and broke his ankle.
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Okay, I think it's time for a quiz to see what you remember.
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I have five sentences for you to complete with the correct verb.
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Make sure you conjugate the verbs.
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Make sure you use them in the correct form.
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Keep track of your score and let me know how you did in the comments.
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Number one, my baby's growing so fast, none of her clothes hurt anymore.
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Is it fit or suit? Did you say suit?
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I hope not, because the correct answer is fit.
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Her clothes are too small.
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They are no longer the right size or shape.
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Number two, I forgot to pick up your parcel.
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It, I can get it on my way home.
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Do we say it doesn't matter or it doesn't mind?
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You should say it doesn't matter.
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Number three, we spend hours, the streets of Seville.
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I want you to use wonder or wander.
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Did you say wandering with the oh sound?
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Well done.
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Wonder means to ask yourself a question.
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Number four, have you seen that reel of the girl dressed up as a ghost falling the stairs?
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Is it off, over, or down?
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That's right, we fall down the stairs, just like we do with other inclined places like hills and slopes.
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And last one now, number five.
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Sorry, I couldn't, you, I had my earphones in.
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Is it hear or listen to?
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It should be, I couldn't hear you.
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The earphones blocked the sound of your voice.
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Right.
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Let me know your score out of five.
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That's it for today.
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I hope the lesson has cleared up lots of doubts.
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I've included lots more interesting bits of information about these verbs and another quiz in the PDF.
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So don't forget to download it.
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The link is in the description box.
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I will see you soon for another lesson.

Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles is gebaseerd op de video “12 Confusing English Verbs”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: wonder, verb, example, fall, suit. Deze video bevat 188 zinnen en 1851 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 12:43. De spreker praat in een gelijkmatig tempo van ongeveer 146 woorden per minuut, prettig om te shadowen. 85% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

15 woorden uit de video die het leren waard zijn, met uitspraak en betekenis:

WoordUitspraakBetekenis
verb zelfstandig naamwoord/vɝb/werkwoord
wander werkwoord/ˈwɑndɚ/zwerven, rondtrekken
stairs zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈstɛɹz/trap
lesson zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈlɛs.ən/les
shoe zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈʃu/schoen
pronounce werkwoord/pɹəˈnaʊns/uitspreken, verklaren
rarely bijwoord/ˈɹɛəɹli/zelden
phrase zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/uitspraak
combine werkwoord/kəmˈbaɪn/combineren
cloth zelfstandig naamwoord/klɒθ/doek, kleed
slope zelfstandig naamwoord/sloʊp/helling
inclined bijvoeglijk naamwoord/ɪnˈklaɪnd/scheef, schuin
quiz zelfstandig naamwoord/kwɪz/kwis, quiz
intentional bijvoeglijk naamwoord/ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/opzettelijk
tone zelfstandig naamwoord/ˈtəʊn/toon, noot

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

WoordUitspraakBetekenis
fall down werkwoord/fɔl ˈdaʊn/neervallen
fall over werkwoordomvallen
dress up werkwoordverkleden
pick up werkwoordoppakken, optillen
wash up werkwoordzich opfrissen, zich wassen

Zinnen om te herhalen

Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:

  • For example, did you hear those dogs barking?
  • Number one, does this dress suit me?
  • Which one are you likely to say more often?
  • Would you mind taking me to the airport?
  • What do you fancy for dinner?

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

StructuurIn de video
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telthave compiled · have created · you've joined
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doetbe told · I've been told · is pronounced
Betrekkelijke bijzinnen who / which + zin — extra informatie over een persoon of dingperson who snatched · glove, which means · verb, which means
Advies met “should” should + werkwoord — zeggen wat een goed idee isshould really say · should we stay · should say

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 57 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals don't, doesn't, I'm. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

  • De “th”-klanken: cloth /klɒθ/, clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/
  • De klanken “sh” en “zh”: shoe /ˈʃu/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, wash /wɑʃ/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/, preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/
  • Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ɪ.neɪt/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, interactive /ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

  • Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: verb /vɝb/, stairs /ˈstɛɹz/, phrase /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/, jeans /d͡ʒiːnz/, inclined /ɪnˈklaɪnd/
  • /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: fancy /ˈfæn.si/, gravity /ˈɡɹævɪti/, narrow /ˈnæɹəʊ/, bang /ˈbæŋ/, podcast /ˈpɑdˌkæst/
  • /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: gravity /ˈɡɹævɪti/, ghost /ɡoʊst/, glove /ɡlʌv/, conjugate /ˈkɒn.d͡ʒə.ɡeɪt/, earplug /ˈɪəplʌɡ/

Zo oefen je met deze video

  1. Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
  2. Spreek zin voor zin na op normale snelheid en herhaal elke zin tot je ritme gelijk is aan dat van de spreker.
  3. Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als verb, wander, stairs.

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →