Shadowing Practice: How To Speak FAST ENGLISH: A Step-By-Step CONVERSATION LESSON - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Today we're going to study fast English.
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In today's video, we're looking at a conversation I had with friends, where we made my husband David taste watermelon, even though we know he hates watermelon.
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You'll hear words to describe qualities of food, whether you like it or hate it, and so on.
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As we go, we'll stop and talk about these terms, and also useful phrases or interesting pronunciations.
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This conversation is fast English.
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We're all native speakers speaking casually to each other, we're all friends, this is just the pace of it, but it is very fast.
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Together, we'll take a few of the sentences and break them down to figure out how we're speaking English fast, and also figure out why it's still easily understood by native speakers,
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and what you can do to speak fast English and sound natural speaking English.
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Um, David hates watermelon, he thinks.
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I know, but I want to try again.
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You said it was the best one you've ever had.
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I didn't say that.
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So we start here by debating what I said.
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If someone says you said something that you didn't, you can say, I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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The N apostrophe T ending can be pronounced several ways.
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I think I'm doing a really quick stop T.
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I didn't say that.
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I say this phrase pretty quickly, don't I?
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I didn't say that.
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But it wasn't too fast, it was the pace of conversational English.
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Let's listen again.
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The clearest, longer word was say.
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I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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When you listen to it on a loop, it's easier to hear all the pieces you need to simplify, isn't it?
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I did not is I didn't.
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Say is the peak of that sentence.
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Say.
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Say.
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I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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You can even completely drop the T in didn't if this helps with the simplification.
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You'll hear it again five times, then you try it.
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Don't think about the words, but think about what you hear.
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I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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I didn't say that.
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Okay, let's go back and listen to the beginning of the conversation again.
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Um, David hates watermelon, he thinks.
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I know, but I want to try again.
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You said it was the best one you've ever had.
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I didn't say that.
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You said one of the best?
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I probably said that.
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I said it's an amazing watermelon, and if you're going to try it again, now's the time to try it.
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So we've said a few words to describe food and if we like that food.
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David hates watermelon.
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We can say hates.
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We can also say it doesn't like, but it's not as strong, and David feels very strongly about watermelon.
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David hates watermelon.
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I called it an amazing watermelon.
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Very good.
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Don't you love amazing food?
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We had an amazing meal.
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The wine was amazing.
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I said it's an amazing watermelon and if you're gonna try it again, now's the time to try it.
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Oh, you're just gonna have a bite of mine?
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Yeah.
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Oh.
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So I kept waiting for him to cut a piece of watermelon, but he didn't do it because he didn't want a whole piece.
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He decided just to have a bite of mine.
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Listen to how I said that.
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Oh, you're just gonna have a bite of mine?
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Again, I feel like I'm speaking very quickly, and I am, but also, that's just conversational English.
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It is fast.
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Let's listen to this one on a loop, and see if we can figure out which words are the most stressed, and where you can simplify.
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Oh, you're just gonna have bite of mine?
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Oh, you're just gonna have bite of mine?
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Oh, you're just gonna have bite of mine?
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I hear more stress on O-yer and bite and mine.
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O-yer's gonna have a bite of mine.
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Notice how all the words run together smoothly with no breaks.
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That's an important characteristic of American English.
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The contraction you you are to your is pronounced your.
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That's how it's almost always pronounced in conversational English.
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That's a common reduction.
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Your, your.
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Oh, your.
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Oh, your.
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Oh, you're just gonna have by to mine?
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Oh, you're just gonna have by to mine?
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Oh, you're just gonna have by to mine?
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The word's just going to have a.
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We have a few reductions there.
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The T in just is dropped.
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We do that when the next word begins with a consonant.
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The vowel reduces to the schwa.
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It's not just, it's just.
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Going to becomes gonna.
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Have a is have a.
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All of these words are lower in pitch, flatter, and said very quickly.
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Just gonna have a.
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Just gonna have a.
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Just gonna have a.
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Just gonna have a.
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This is what happens in conversational English.
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Oh, you're just gonna have bite of mine?
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Oh, you're just gonna have bite of mine?
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Oh, So you're just gonna have by to mine.
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Byte of mine becomes by to mine.
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The word of is reduced to the schwa, and the T in byte is a flap T linking the two words together.
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By to mine.
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By to mine.
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Again, these changes are typical of conversational English.
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They're part of what helps us make English fast.
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A T is a flap T when it comes between two vowels or diphthongs.
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And that's true even in two different words when the T links the two words.
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Bite of mine.
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Oh, you're just gonna have bite of mine?
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Oh, you're just gonna have bite of mine?
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Oh, you're just gonna have bite of mine?
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Okay, let's move on.
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David will try the watermelon.
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Will he be convinced that this is an amazing watermelon?
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What?
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No!
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That's awful.
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No, David was not convinced.
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He called it awful.
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I have also heard him use the term disgusting.
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What foods do you think are awful or disgusting?
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Put them in the comments.
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What?
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I don't get it.
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The melaniness.
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Is it the texture or the...
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No, there's a flavor.
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Our friend off-camera asked if it was texture or taste.
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The texture of the food is how it feels in your mouth or in your hands.
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It can be hard, soft, mushy, crunchy, slippery, smooth, and so on.
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Some people might not like a food for its texture more than its taste.
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David said, in this case, it was not the texture, it was the taste, the flavor.
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Is it the texture or the taste?
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No, just the flavor.
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It's like, uh, I don't know.
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It's such a good one.
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You guys are crazy.
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Like you literally had to spit it out.
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Let's talk for a second about the word literally and how it's used.
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In British English, it sounds more like three syllables.
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Literally.
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In American English, it sounds like for and we flap the T.
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Literally.
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Literally.
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Now, this word is overused in American English.
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The meaning has morphed as a result.
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It's used often for emphasis.
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For example, I once heard someone say, I was so tired, I literally slept all day.
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Now, I know that person didn't sleep all day.
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She slept a lot of the day, certainly she was very tired, but she did not literally sleep all day.
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She did not actually sleep from sun up to sun down.
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She slept a lot that day.
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So she's using literally here for emphasis.
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I can also picture someone saying, I literally fell out of my chair when I heard the news.
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This would in no way mean that someone did literally fall out of a chair.
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It just adds emphasis to say how amazed they were, how caught off guard they were.
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I'm going to put a link in the video description to some articles about the word literally, and how its use has changed and its meaning has changed.
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Now how did I use it?
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Like you literally had to spit it out?
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There I am using it to mean actually.
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I'm not just adding emphasis.
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I'm asking you had no other options than to actually physically spit it out.
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He claims he didn't.
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Like you literally had to spit it out?
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Can you do it again without spitting it?
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No, no. I don't want any more time.
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Ever.
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I'm done trying.
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You'll never be convinced again.
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No, this is one of the best you've ever had, and I had a vomit reaction.
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Is there agreement here?
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He said he had a vomit reaction.
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Another way to say vomit is to say throw up, which is a phrasal verb, which means your food comes back up out of you.
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He had a vomit reaction to watermelon.
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This guy really hates watermelon.
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It's an excellent melon.
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It's a tasty watermelon.
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It's a tasty watermelon.
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So there we just heard two other opinions and two other descriptors.
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Excellent and tasty.
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Everyone else seems to really like this watermelon.
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I thought it was a very good watermelon.
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I only like watermelon really this time of year when they're the real sweet, juicy ones.
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I find, you know, watermelon in the off-season to be pretty terrible.
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More descriptors, very good, sweet, juicy, also terrible in the off-season in the US when they're imported from further away.
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I'm all in favor of this watermelon.
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She is all in favor of watermelon.
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She thinks it's a great one.
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We often use the term all in favor of when we need to challenge something or part of something.
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For example, I'm all in favor of less screen time for kids, but when we're flying, I do let him use my iPad.
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Or, I'm all in favor of exercising more, but I can't make myself do it five times a week.
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I'm all in favor of.
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I'm all in favor of this watermelon.
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I'm grateful that everyone liked the watermelon.
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I bought the watermelon at the Woods Edge Farm Stand, which is about a mile from here.
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It started out as a guy just selling stuff that he grew, sort of greenhouse, greens and vegetables, but now they also buy things from the produce auction,
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including from farther afield.
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So this is a Virginia-grown watermelon, but from the produce auction.
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And I found it pretty delicious.
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How did you choose it?
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I thought it was good.
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My friend Jacob used the phrase farther afield.
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You can also say further afield.
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This means not the nearest, closest, or most obvious place.
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For example, we didn't find a solution to the problem with our preliminary research, so we'll have to look further afield.
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Or, there isn't a pet adoption agency in our neighborhood, so we'll have to look farther afield.
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As Jacob used it, the watermelon was not grown there on that local farm, but brought in from somewhere farther afield, somewhere else in Virginia.
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But now they also buy things from the produce auction, including from farther afield, so So this is a Virginia-grown watermelon, but from the produce auction.
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And I found it pretty delicious.
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How did you choose it?
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I thought it was good.
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Two more positive descriptors for the watermelon.
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Delicious and good.
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So let's review our descriptors.
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The people who liked it said it was amazing.
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One of the best I've ever had.
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Excellent.
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Tasty.
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Very good.
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Words to describe not liking it were hate, awful, vomit reaction, disgusting, and terrible.
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Okay, now this video is not over, but since I'm hungry right now, I'm going to ask you one of your favorite foods.
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Put it in the comments below, and if there's a recipe involved, put a link to a YouTube video where someone is making that.
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I love watching YouTube videos of people making food, like pasta grannies and Joshua Weissman.
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Okay, now that we got that taken care of, let's review this whole short conversation again.
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Notice the descriptive words for food, and think about how you would talk about your very favorite and least favorite foods in English.
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Um, David hates watermelon, he thinks.
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I know, but I want to try again.
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You said it was the best one you've ever had.
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I didn't say that.
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You say one of the best?
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I probably said that.
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I said it's an amazing watermelon, and if you're going to try it again, now's the time to try it.
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Oh, you're just gonna have a bite of mine?
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Yeah.
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Oh.
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What?
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No!
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That's awful.
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What?
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I don't get it.
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The melaniness is...
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Is it the texture or the...
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No, there's a flavor.
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It's like, uh...
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I don't know.
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It's such a good one.
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No, you guys are crazy.
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Like you literally had to spit it out?
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Can you do it again without spinning it?
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No, no. I don't want any more shot.
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Ever.
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I'm done trying.
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You'll never be convinced again.
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No, this is one of the best you've ever had and I had a vomit reaction.
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Is there agreement here?
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It's an excellent melon.
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It's a tasty watermelon.
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It's a tasty watermelon.
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I thought it was a very good watermelon.
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I only like watermelon really this time of year when they're the real sweet, juicy ones.
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I find, you know, watermelon in the off-season to be pretty terrible.
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I'm all in favor of this watermelon.
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I'm grateful that everyone liked the watermelon.
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I bought the watermelon at the Woods Edge Farm Stand, which is about a mile from here.
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It started out as a guy just selling stuff that he grew, sort of greenhouse, greens and vegetables, but now they also buy things from the produce auction,
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including from farther afield.
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So this is a Virginia-grown watermelon, but from the produce auction.
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And I found it pretty delicious.
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How did you choose it?
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I thought it was good.
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That was fun.
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I love making food, and I love teaching English.
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Check out this video I made with my friend Laura, where we made an apple pie and an English lesson at the same time.
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If you've already seen that, please check out another Rachel's English video from the suggested videos.
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Keep the studying going.
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I love being here.
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I love teaching you English.
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That's it guys, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.
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Who Should Watch This Fast English Conversation Lesson?
This video is perfect for intermediate to advanced learners aiming to boost English speaking practice and sound more natural in casual conversations. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to keep up with native speakers, the lesson breaks down fast, conversational speech into actionable steps. It’s ideal for those ready to move beyond slow, textbook English and master real-world pacing.
Key Phrases to Add to Your Vocabulary
The dialogue is packed with practical expressions. Here are standout terms to steal:
- "I didn't say that": A common rebuttal when someone misquotes you, useful in debates or casual chats.
- "one of the best": A flexible phrase to describe something impressive without overstating (e.g., "It's one of the best movies I've seen").
- "now's the time to try it": A persuasive way to encourage action, great for suggesting plans or experiments.
Mastering Fast English Pronunciation: Tips for Natural Sounding Speech
Fast English isn’t just about speed—it’s about simplification. The video highlights how native speakers shorten words and soften sounds. For example, "I did not" becomes "I didn't", with the "t" in "didn't" often reduced to a quick stop or even dropped. To mimic this, try shadowspeak (repeating phrases immediately after the speaker) to train your mouth to move quickly. Focus on stressing key words like "say" in "I didn't say that"—this keeps your speech clear even at pace. Practice daily with the dialogue to improve your English pronunciation and get comfortable with conversational rhythm. Remember: fast speech is about flow, not rushing—so listen closely, shadow, and prioritize clarity over speed.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've ever had · we've said · have also heard |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | can be pronounced · is pronounced · is dropped |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | verb, which means · Stand, which is · people who liked |
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.