Shadowing Practice: The Rhythm for English Speaking (How Americans Really Speak) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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If you would like to improve your accent when you're speaking English,
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If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
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If you would like to improve your accent when you're speaking English,
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in this video, I'm going to give you a very important tip that will definitely transform your accent.
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You cannot neglect the melody of English.
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Even if you're pronouncing all of the individual words and the consonant and the vowel sounds correctly,
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but you're not paying attention to the rhythm and the melody of your words,
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your speech is going to sound choppy and unnatural.
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And you even might sound less fluent.
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In this video, I will teach you the secret to having a better accent and sounding more like a native speaker.
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I will also teach you some common everyday expressions that native speakers use.
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And I will teach you how to say them with the perfect American accent.
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And even if you prefer a British accent,
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this video will also help you.
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One of the fastest ways to reduce your foreign accent is for you to focus on these three things,
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word stress, word reduction, and connecting words,
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not pausing between thought groups.
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In this lesson, we will focus on word reduction.
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This is such an important topic,
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and it's not commonly taught in English classes.
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Maybe you've already thought about word stress,
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or maybe you've watched lessons on word stress,
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but have you thought about word reduction?
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That That topic is just as important as word stress for having a natural sounding and a native sounding flow.
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Native speakers don't pronounce every word clearly and fully.
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If you don't reduce some words in your sentences,
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your speech will sound choppy and robotic.
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You will speak like this with each word stressed the same way.
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Please pass the salt and pepper.
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Hello, I'm Mike.
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I am a robot.
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I am here to serve you.
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How can I help you?
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When we reduce words, the vowel sounds almost disappear.
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They become the schwa sound.
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It's the uh sound.
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And the consonants are also sometimes eliminated.
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Let's look at this pronoun.
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You have probably learned that the pronunciation is our.
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But let's listen to how native speakers are saying our house,
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our children, and our school.
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Listen carefully.
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And so we had tons of people over to our house.
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There's hospice at our house happen to our house.
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We have to talk to our children about it.
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The sort of planet we're going to leave behind for our children and grandchildren.
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But to really ingrain within our school.
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Notice that the O and the U are reduced.
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They're not saying ow, they're saying uh.
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It becomes a schwa sound.
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Our house.
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This is our house.
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Let's practice that together.
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Repeat after me.
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This is our house us.
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Do you like our new car?
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You say it.
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They're our friends.
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So, they are our friends sounds very similar to they're our friends.
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Remember, in natural sounding speech,
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pronouns are reduced, and they're connected to the words around them.
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For special emphasis, we make an exception,
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and we don't reduce the pronoun.
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This is ours.
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It's not yours.
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It's ours.
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But otherwise,
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we would simply say this is our house this is our
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car let's talk about the two ways to pronounce the conjunction
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and in the strong form it's pronounced as and
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but it's usually not pronounced that way in most situations you can pronounce it
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that way only in these cases when you need to speak especially slowly
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or when you're pausing to think for example i would like to order a sandwich and a salad.
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Or when you want to emphasize the fact that there's another thing.
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For example, you had pasta and pizza?
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You speak Italian and Japanese?
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Otherwise we say and in its weak form and it sounds like this.
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The A becomes a schwa sound and the D disappears.
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Let's practice.
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Black and white.
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Black and white.
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We wouldn't say black and white.
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and eggs.
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Bacon and eggs.
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Connect all of those three words and say them as one.
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Don't pause.
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Let's say that again.
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Bacon and eggs.
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These words are one unit and they belong together.
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Now it's your turn.
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How would you say these words?
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You say them.
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In-N-Out.
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I went to In-N-Out.
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Have you ever gone to In-N-Out Burgers in California?
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It's a really popular place.
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How would we say this?
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You say it.
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Again and again.
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Again and again.
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How about this?
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You say it.
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Better and better.
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Your English is getting better and better.
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How about this one?
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You say it?
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Husband and wife.
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Husband and wife.
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I didn't say husband and wife.
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That D disappeared.
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And wife.
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It's just a little N.
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And wife.
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Husband and wife.
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Are they husband and wife?
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Okay.
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Let's keep practicing.
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You will see some words on the screen and you say them as one unit.
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Don't pronounce the D and reduce the A of AND.
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How would we say this?
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You say it.
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Mom and Dad.
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Have you met my mom and dad?
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How about this one?
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You say it.
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Salt and pepper.
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Salt and pepper.
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Salt and pepper.
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Repeat after me.
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Please pass the salt and pepper.
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How about this one?
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You say it.
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Sweet and sour.
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I ordered sweet and sour chicken.
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Are you familiar with this one?
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You say it.
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Trial and error.
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And by the way, you will notice I'm primarily reducing the and,
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but I'm saying trial and error.
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I'm saying those words clearly and fully.
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Trial and error.
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And let's make a sentence.
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Repeat after me.
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We figured it out by trial and error.
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You say the next one.
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Peace and quiet.
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I went to the mountains for some peace and quiet.
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How about this one?
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You say it.
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Thunder and lightning.
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Thunder and lightning.
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We had thunder and lightning last night.
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And now let's learn some very common expressions with and.
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These are idiomatic expressions that will help you speak more fluently.
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I suggest that you learn them and that you practice saying them.
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Let's look at the first one.
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You say it.
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Repeat after me.
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Part and parcel.
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Part and parcel.
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And that means an essential or necessary part,
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an integral part of something.
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For example, we can say,
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hard work is part and parcel of success.
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Dealing with customers is part and parcel of running a business.
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Let's listen to how some native speakers used it.
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The division of labor is part and parcel of the rise of markets.
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I think it's, I think of it all as part
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and parcel of the same struggle do you know the meaning
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of this idiomatic expression let's pronounce it correctly first you say it first hustle and bustle
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notice the t is silent in hustle the t is silent in bustle
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and the d is silent in and three silent consonants.
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Let's say that again, hustle and bustle.
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That means busy and noisy activity, especially in a city.
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You can say, I like the hustle and bustle of a big city.
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Let's listen to how some native speakers used it.
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Makes for a tranquil place from the hustle and bustle of the city.
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Not everyone enjoys the hustle and bustle of city life.
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Let's look at the next expression,
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the ins and outs, the ins and outs.
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And that means the details or the complexities or the specifics of something.
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For example, we can say,
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I know all the ins and outs of this job.
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Before you start, you should learn the ins and outs of the system.
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Let's look at the next expression, by and large.
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And that means on the whole or generally speaking.
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By and large, I like living here.
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By and large, the meeting went smoothly.
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Maybe it wasn't perfect, but by and large, it went smoothly.
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Let's look at the next one.
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This is a really common one.
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Repeat after me.
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Safe and sound.
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And that means free from harm or from danger.
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Unharmed.
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The children arrived home safe and sound.
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We made it through the storm safe and sound.
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I'm so glad you are safe and sound.
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Do you know the meaning of this expression?
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On pins and needles.
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Repeat after me.
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On pins and needles.
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And that means feeling anxious or nervous or excited while waiting for something.
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I was on pins and needles while waiting for the news.
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She was on pins and needles before her job interview.
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When is the last time that you were on pins and needles?
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Let's listen to how some other people used it.
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We were on pins and needles waiting for that because we weren't really sure.
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Uh, I'm on pins and needles.
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And I guess we all are on pins and needles with our fingers crossed here that...
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Do you know the meaning of this expression?
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Wear and tear.
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You say it.
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Wear and tear.
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And that means damage or deterioration that naturally happens over time with use.
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When you use something, there is going to be wear and tear.
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We can say, the sofa shows signs of wear and tear.
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There's a lot of wear and tear on these tires.
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Let's look at the next one.
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You say it.
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Don't pronounce the D and say them all as one unit.
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Touch and go.
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If a situation is touch and go,
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it's uncertain and it could have either good results or bad results.
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We don't know yet.
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It's touch and go.
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We can say at one point the surgery was touch and go.
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It was touch and go whether our flight would leave on time.
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We weren't sure what was going to happen.
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It was touch and go.
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Let's look at the next one.
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Give and take.
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Give and take is when people make small sacrifices or compromises in order to get along.
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We can say marriage is all about give and take.
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It requires give and take.
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Let's look at the next one.
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Have you heard this expression before?
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Smoke and mirrors.
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You say it.
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Smoke and mirrors means tricks or deception used to make something appear better or more impressive than it really is.
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We can say this advertisement is all smoke and mirrors.
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His promises turned out to be nothing but smoke and mirrors.
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Let's listen to how some other people used it.
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It's purely smoke and mirrors to try to distract the Australian public.
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There's a great deal of smoke and mirrors involved.
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You don't know how much money these companies are really making.
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And so it's Hillicon Valley,
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it all lives on smoke and mirrors.
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Do you know the meaning of this expression?
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Spick and span.
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Spick and span.
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That means very clean, neat and tidy.
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We can say, I cleaned the house until it was spick and span.
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Let's listen to how some other people used it.
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His appearance was spick and span.
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So we're gonna get this whole boat, spick and span.
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They want the image of luxury.
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They want their airlines to look spick and span.
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Odds and ends.
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Do you know what that means?
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These are small items or leftover of random things that are not part of a set or a main group.
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They're just little scattered things.
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We can say, my cabinet is full of odds and ends.
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Let's listen to how some other people used it.
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With flowers, berries, and other colorful odds and ends.
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A miscellaneous stuff bag full of odds and ends.
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Ups and downs.
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The good times and the bad times.
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Successes and difficulties opportunities.
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Life is full of ups and downs.
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Or we can say, I've had a lot of ups and downs in my career.
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They've had a lot of ups and downs in their relationship.
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How do we say this expression?
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You say it.
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Night and day.
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Night and day.
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Night and day means completely different or in total contrast.
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You can say, the two brothers are night and day.
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They're completely different from each other.
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Or we can say, your English has improved a lot.
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It's like night and day compared to last year.
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Is that true about your English?
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The more expressions you know,
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the more confident you're going to feel about your English and the more you'll be able to understand native speakers.
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Remember, native speakers use idioms and expressions and phrasal verbs all the time.
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And these are things that are generally not taught at school.
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And make sure you get my online course,
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Phrasal Verbs for Fluent English.
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You will learn hundreds of expressions that native speakers use all the time.
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The course contains almost 1000 sample sentences with these expressions.
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That way you can listen and you can repeat.
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You can download the audio of all the video content
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so you can listen anytime and anywhere and practice your accent as well.
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Plus, there are quizzes to test your knowledge and conversation practice exercises
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so that you can use them naturally making your own sentences.
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To get the phrasal verbs for Fluent English course, go to accurateenglish.com.
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What are phrasal verbs?
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They are expressions such as to put up,
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to put off, to put on,
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to turn in, to turn into.
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When we change the preposition, the meaning completely changes.
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And this can be so frustrating when you're listening to native speakers and they're constantly using phrasal verbs.
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So this is why I created the course,
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to help you sound more fluent and to help you understand native speakers.
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Go to AccurateEnglish.com to learn more about the course.
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If some of these expressions were new to you,
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I suggest that you watch this video again,
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write the expressions down, make a list of them,
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and create your own sentences.
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And that way you're much more likely to remember them.
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Thanks for watching and keep practicing your English.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will focus on improving your English speaking skills by emphasizing the rhythm and melody of the language. You will learn how to master word reduction, which is essential for sounding more natural and fluent when speaking English. This practice will help you reduce your foreign accent and make your speech resemble that of a native speaker. With a focus on everyday expressions, this lesson will enhance your ability to communicate effectively and confidently in both casual and formal situations. Whether you're preparing for IELTS speaking practice or simply striving to learn English with YouTube, mastering these concepts will significantly elevate your speaking ability.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Word Stress: The emphasis placed on certain syllables or words in a sentence.
- Word Reduction: The process of shortening words in speech for a more natural flow.
- Connecting Words: Linking words together to maintain the rhythm in spoken English.
- Schwa Sound: The unstressed and relaxed vowel sound, represented as 'uh' in pronunciation.
- Thought Groups: Segments of speech that convey a single thought or idea.
- Cohesion: The quality of being logical and consistent in speech.
- Expressions: Common phrases used in everyday conversations.
- Natives: Refers to native speakers of a language.
Practice Tips
To effectively improve your accent and achieve fluent English speaking practice, follow these shadowing techniques:
- Shadow Speak: Listen closely to the video and try to repeat what you hear immediately after the speaker. Pay careful attention to the rhythm, melody, and intonation of their speech.
- Focus on Word Reduction: Notice how native speakers reduce words to create a more fluid conversation. Practice repeating sentences while mimicking these reductions, especially the schwa sound.
- Pace Yourself: Start by shadowing at a slower pace if necessary. As you grow more comfortable, gradually increase your speed to match that of the speaker without losing clarity.
- Record Yourself: Use your mobile device to record your shadowing practice. Playback the recording to identify areas for improvement, especially concerning word stress and reduction.
- Engage with Expressions: Incorporate everyday expressions you learn into your conversations. This will help you sound more like a native speaker and enhance your communicative skills.
- Consistency is Key: Dedicate time daily to practicing these techniques. Regular shadowing will lead to noticeable improvements in your English speaking skills.
By applying these tips, you will elevate your English speaking ability, making your practice more productive and enjoyable, whether you are preparing for the IELTS or simply looking to enhance your overall fluency.
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.
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