Shadowing Practice: English Word Stress - 5 Reasons you MUST learn to stress words correctly. - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hi, I'm Lisa.
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In this video, I would like to give you five reasons why it's important
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for you to speak English with the correct word stress and rhythm.
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And I will give you examples of what happens
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when people don't stress the right word in a sentence or when they don't stress the right syllable in a word.
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Knowing how to correctly stress and reduce words in English is such an important part of speaking English clearly and correctly.
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Here is the first reason why you need to know how to stress words correctly in English.
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You might be difficult to understand even if you're pronouncing each sound correctly in English.
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A native speaker's brain is used to a specific pattern, a specific melody when they're hearing other people speak.
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I will show you a video, an example of when I was teaching a group of students
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and I didn't understand what one of of my students said
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because he didn't follow the pattern of the melody that I was familiar with.
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I was teaching a group of Japanese students in Los Angeles.
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They were all graduate students at UCLA and USC, and they were talking about their profession.
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And let's listen to what happened when one of them was talking about his work as a lawyer in Japan.
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My specialty as a lawyer is corporate law and emanate.
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So what's your specialty?
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What's your specialty?
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My specialty as a lawyer is corporate law and M&A.
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M&A.
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M&A.
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Good.
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My Japanese student said that his specialty as a lawyer is corporate law and M&A.
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Listen to the stress.
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M&A.
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M&A means mergers and acquisitions, and this is a subspecialty within law.
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But I didn't understand what he said because he said it like this, M&A.
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The word stress pattern for abbreviations is that we stressed the last letter.
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So we say M&A, not M&A.
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We would also say LA, UCLA, FBI, and so on.
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And if people make a mistake in that type of pattern, the native speaker might get confused.
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So when he said M&A, I thought, what is M&A?
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What does that word mean?
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But when we changed it, M&A, the brain understands that this is an abbreviation.
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Let me give you one more example.
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I was working with a Russian doctor.
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She's working in the United States and she needs to speak English every day at work with her patients.
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And she said, Lisa, please help me with this sentence.
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Every time I say this sentence, my patients look at me and they don't understand what I'm saying.
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Please teach me how to say it correctly.
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And this was a sentence.
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She said it like this.
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Would you like a refill?
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Would you like a refill?
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And they didn't understand what she meant.
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Would you like what?
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And I explained to her that she was stressing the wrong part of the word.
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She was stressing the second syllable, but she should have been stressing the first syllable.
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Listen to this, Refill.
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Refill.
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So when she changed it and she started saying, would you like a refill?
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Everybody suddenly understood her.
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So you see, this is very, very important.
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Repeat after me.
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Would you like a refill?
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We stress the first part of the word, making that one small adjustment, that one small change in stress changed everything.
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From that point on, people can understand her.
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And here's a second reason why stressing the correct word is so important in English.
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If you stress a different word in a sentence, people might misunderstand your true intentions, the true meaning of what you're trying to communicate.
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Let me give you an example.
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Look at this sentence, I want to talk to you.
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Six little words.
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Listen to this.
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I want to talk to you.
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I stressed I.
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listen to this one I want to talk to you listen to this one I want to talk to you
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and listen to the next one I want to talk to
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you all of these sentences have a slightly different meaning
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if you say it like this I want to talk to you
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that means I don't want to talk to him I want to talk to you
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and sometimes that can sound dictatorial authoritarian angry even like you're in trouble I want to talk to you.
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Here's another example.
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Please fix this.
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If you say, please fix this, it's just kind of a natural sentence.
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It's a natural command.
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It's not too strong.
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It's not too aggressive.
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But if you stress please, and you say it like this, please fix this, it might sound more urgent or more passionate.
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And here's another example.
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Instead of saying, do you understand?
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If you say, do you understand?
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It might sound kind of aggressive, kind of hostile.
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Do you understand? Do you?
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Do you really?
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Or do you understand?
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That's a different meaning.
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Everyone else understands, but do you understand?
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When we change the words we stress, we change the meaning.
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Let's get back to the first example.
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If you say, I want to talk to you, it's I'm the one that wants to talk to you.
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The other people maybe don't.
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I want to talk to you.
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The natural way would be, I want to talk to you.
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We would stress talk the most.
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That's the key word.
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That's the word that holds the most meaning.
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You can also say it like this.
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I want to talk to you.
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In that case, it means I really do.
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I do want to talk to you.
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Don't you believe me?
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I want to.
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Why don't you think that I want to talk to you?
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Pay attention to this.
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Listen to the way native speakers stress words.
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In your native language, the stress could be very different.
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Maybe the first part of the sentence gets stressed or maybe the last part of the sentence gets stressed.
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Same thing for words.
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Maybe the stress is often on the first syllable
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and that's true of many languages and some languages have stress on the last syllable.
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That also can change the meaning.
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For example, if you say desert or dessert or if you say record or record.
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These are different meanings of words.
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Pay attention to this.
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Listen carefully.
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Listen actively and try to imitate native speakers and try to follow the melody of the speech, the music of the language.
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And you will start to hear which words they're stressing and which words they are reducing.
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Let's go on to reason number three.
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If you stress all words equally, your speech will probably sound boring and mechanical like a computer generated voice.
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You have reached area code 8182489321.
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It's difficult to listen to those types of voices.
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Also, your voice will not sound passionate.
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You will sound unenthusiastic.
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Let's pronounce that word.
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That's a difficult word to say.
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Unenthusiastic.
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We have a TH sound and then a Z sound and then a S sound.
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These three together are difficult to say quickly.
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Let's say them slowly first.
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Unenthusiastic.
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Let's say it more quickly.
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Unenthusiastic.
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So if you don't stress any word, you will sound unenthusiastic.
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You will sound like you're not really passionate about what you're talking about.
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Be careful about this.
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Maybe in your language, each word is stressed equally, and each word is pronounced separately.
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So when you're speaking English, this is not the kind of speech you should use when you're giving a presentation or when you're on a job interview.
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Also, in daily conversations with people, it's nice to have passion and enthusiasm when you speak.
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All right, let's go on to the fourth reason.
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Stressing words in English will force you to slow down.
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If you tend to speak quickly, whether it's in your language or in English, chances are people might have a hard time understanding you.
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Chances are you're not stressing any word.
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But when we stress words, we're automatically forced to slow down.
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We open our mouth more and we prolong the stressed vowel sound.
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So when I say, I want to talk to you, that ah in talk is big.
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And we do it like this.
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Ah, I want to talk to you.
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I want to talk to you.
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Instead of, I want to talk to you.
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Listen, I want to talk to you.
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It opens your mouth.
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It slows you down.
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Let's watch another video where I was teaching that same Japanese group of students.
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Takahiro is an MBA student at UCLA.
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I was correcting him and when he said the sentence correctly with the right stress, he sounded so much better.
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He slowed down and he was very easy to understand.
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Let's listen and then we will practice what he said.
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Perfect.
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Now, can you put the paper down and try to recognize this sentence?
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So, what happened when you joined the recruiting event?
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When I joined a recruiting event in Boston, I got a chance to talk with people from consulting companies.
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Wow, that's amazing.
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I think we should all say that sentence.
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When I joined the recruiting event in Boston, I got a chance to talk to people from consulting companies.
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People from consulting companies.
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People from consulting companies.
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People from consulting companies.
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People from consulting companies.
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Excellent.
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Good job.
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Takehiro said, when I joined a recruiting event in Boston, I got a chance to talk with people from consulting companies.
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So we stressed recruiting instead of event because that's a compound noun.
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The first word gets stressed and the second syllable of recruiting gets stressed.
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So we pronounce that oo clearly, recruiting event.
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Recruiting event, we slow down on the oo.
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That's the stressed syllable of the stressed word.
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When I joined a recruiting event in Boston, I got a chance to talk with people from consulting companies.
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Once again, we stressed the second syllable of the word consulting
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and we stressed the word consulting not companies because once again it's a compound noun consulting consulting companies
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consulting companies and let's say the whole sentence again
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when i joined a recruiting event in boston i got a chance to talk with people from consulting companies
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if word stress is difficult for you in the beginning keep practicing it'll get easier Takehiro made good progress on that day.
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And the final reason that you need to practice English word stress is sometimes
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when you change the stress you change the meaning.
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Listen to this.
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I live in the White House.
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I live in the White House.
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Listen again.
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I live in the White House.
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I live in the White House.
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When we stress white that means this is the place where the President of the United States lives.
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He lives in the White House.
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But I have a house in Los Angeles and my house is white.
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Therefore, I live in the White House.
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But the President of the United States lives in the White House.
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Two different meanings.
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If you would like to learn all of the rules of English word stress, you can get my course, the American Accent Course.
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I go into a lot of detail about this really important topic.
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Meanwhile, I want you to listen to native speakers and imitate the way they are stressing words.
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In the beginning, it might be difficult for you
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because most likely you have the patterns of your own language that are influencing how you are speaking English.
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And this takes time to change.
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The brain is familiar with certain patterns, but these patterns can be broken with lots of practice.
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The more you practice, the more quickly you can make changes.
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And then, these changes will be permanent
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and it will be natural for you to have the correct rhythm and melody of English.
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Thanks for watching and keep practicing your English.
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To get the two courses, the American Accent course and the 400 advanced words you must know for fluent English,
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go to AccurateEnglish.com.

Context & Background

In the realm of English learning, understanding word stress and rhythm is crucial for effective communication. English is a language that relies heavily on intonation patterns, and native speakers instinctively use these patterns to understand spoken language. The insights presented in the video by Lisa emphasize the importance of correct word stress, showcasing real examples from her teaching experiences with students from diverse backgrounds. For instance, when a Japanese student mispronounced “M&A” with incorrect stress, it resulted in confusion due to the deviation from the expected pattern. Similarly, a Russian doctor struggled with patient communication because of misplaced stress in the word "refill." These examples underline the necessity of mastering word stress for clarity in English speaking practice.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • Corporate law - Essential terminology for legal discussions, especially relevant in business contexts.
  • M&A - A common abbreviation for mergers and acquisitions that must be pronounced correctly: M&A.
  • Refill - A practical phrase often used in restaurants or pharmacies; stress the first syllable: REfill.
  • Would you like…? - A versatile question structure for invitations or offers.
  • Specialty - Important for professionals to describe their area of expertise.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

The shadowing technique can greatly improve your English pronunciation and rhythm. Here’s a step-by-step guide to practice effectively using the material from the video:

  1. Watch and Listen: Begin by watching the video and listening closely to how Lisa emphasizes the key phrases. Pay particular attention to her stress patterns.
  2. Pause and Imitate: Use the shadow speech technique by pausing the video after each phrase. Repeat it immediately after Lisa, mimicking her stress and intonation.
  3. Record Yourself: After practicing, record yourself saying the same phrases. This will help you identify areas where your stress may differ from the original.
  4. Playback for Comparison: Listen to your recordings alongside the original video. Compare the word stress and rhythm to refine your pronunciation.
  5. Daily Practice: Consistent practice is key. Set aside time each day for English speaking practice using the phrases you have learned. Regular focus on these patterns will enhance your ability to communicate clearly.

By utilizing these techniques and focusing on appropriate word stress, learners can significantly increase their comprehension and speaking skills in English. Embrace the shadowspeaks method and enrich your language journey with effective communication strategies!

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.