Listen to Natural Spoken English!

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Listen to a story about a problem I had with my passport!You’ll also learn how to say and hear the words “used to” in fast, natural spoken English.

Welcome to the English Teacher Melanie Podcast, a podcast for intermediate to advanced English learners who want to improve their English listening and speaking skills!

Each episode includes a story and a pronunciation tip. In the story, I use core vocabulary, the most common words in English, to tell a real world story. The pronunciation tip will help you understand natural spoken English.

You’ll hear the story twice. The first time, the story is a little slower than normal. It sounds funny because I used editing software to change the speed of the story and make it slower. After the pronunciation tip, you’ll hear the story again, but at a regular speed.

THE STORY
I used to work as a tour guide in Europe. For five summers starting in 2002, I led tours all over Europe. I crossed a lot of borders during that time, so I had a lot of entry and exit stamps in my passport plus a few visas. By the middle of 2005, my passport was full and there was no room for more stamps. I went to the Canadian embassy in London to apply for a new passport. It was going to take too long to get a new passport and I couldn’t wait because I only had a few days before my next tour. The woman at the embassy added extra pages to my passport and told me to get a new one when I was back in Canada.

Learn more: How to use “used to”

I flew home a few weeks later. I arrived at the Toronto airport and went to customs & immigration as usual. The border agent didn’t say anything while he looked at my passport, but I don’t think he had ever seen a passport full of stamps with extra pages in it. He made a mark on my declaration card, but the agents always do that, so I didn’t think anything of it. Before I could leave the customs and immigration area to go get my bags, I had to hand my card to another agent, and that was when I discovered the mark on my card meant something.It meant that I had to go to the immigration office, where they decide who gets into the country and who doesn’t.

Learn more: How to talk about transportation

I didn’t know why I was there, and that made me nervous. The immigration officer didn’t say anything while he was looking through my passport. I guess he just wanted to make sure it was legitimate. He started asking me questions about Canada and my life, but the questions were hard and I couldn’t answer some of them! I started panicking thinking I wasn’t going to be allowed into the country! He ended the investigation with an easy question that I could answer, and then he smiled and told me to go get a new passport.

Learn more: Planning a trip

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PRONUNCIATION TIP
HOW TO HEAR AND SAY USED TO IN FAST, NATURAL SPOKEN ENGLISH

This transcript uses IPA symbols to represent sounds and teach pronunciation. Learn more about the IPA here.

In the first sentence in the story, I used the verb “used to.” Listen to the sentence:

I used to work as a tour guide in Europe.

Did you hear the words used or to in that sentence?

There are four things that you need to know to hear used to in a spoken English.

This is a different verb than the verb use, even though they are spelled the same.

The S in used to is pronounced with the S [s] sound. This is different from the verb use, where the S is pronounced with a Z [z] sound.

The -ed at the end of used is pronounced with a T sound.

Used ends with a T sound, and to begins with a T sound, so you can link these two words together, and you only need to say the T sound once:

used to /ˈjustu/

Learn more: Episode 23: Linking same consonant sounds

The preposition to is a function word. It’s a grammar word. It needs to be in the sentence to make the sentence grammatically correct, but it’s not an important word. In fast, natural speech, the vowel in to is reduced to the sound /ə/. That sound is called the schwa and it’s the vowel sound in reduced syllables.

The preposition to is pronounced /tə/.

In fast, natural speech, used to is pronounced /ˈjustə/

Listen to the first part of the sentence again:

I used to work ...

Learn more: Episode 10: The reduced pronunciation of the preposition to

QUESTION
Do you have a fun travel story? A story about something that happened to you when you traveled to another city or country?
Leave me a comment below!

My New Hobby | Episode 26 | The English Teacher Melanie Podcast

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Listen to a story about my new hobby!You’ll also learn how the words “how to” become the sound /haʊt̬ə/ in fast, natural spoken English.

Welcome to the English Teacher Melanie Podcast, a podcast for intermediate to advanced English learners who want to improve their English listening and speaking skills!

Each episode includes a story and a pronunciation tip. In the story, I use core vocabulary, the most common words in English, to tell a real world story. The pronunciation tip will help you understand natural spoken English.

You’ll hear the story twice. The first time, the story is a little slower than normal. It sounds funny because I used editing software to change the speed of the story and make it slower. After the pronunciation tip, you’ll hear the story again, but at a regular speed.

THE STORY
I spend a lot of time at a craft store in my town because I’m really into scrapbooking. One day I was wandering around the aisles when I spotted what I thought was the greatest thing ever: A Star Wars crochet kit. It was in a box, and it included a book that explained how to crochet 12 mini-Star Wars characters. It also included a crochet hook and all the yarn & filling needed to make two of the characters. I didn’t actually know how to crochet, but I really wanted to learn because these Star Wars characters were so cute!

Crocheting is a craft. You make things by using yarn and a special hook. You create stitches and join them together to make things like blankets, hats, scarves, or cute Star Wars characters. The book in the kit contains patterns. A pattern tells you how many stitches and what kind of stitches you need to make to complete each character.

I learned how to crochet the same way everyone learns a new skill nowadays: by watching how-to videos on YouTube! I learned how to make the different stitches and how to crochet in a circle to make round shapes.

Crocheting requires patience, but it’s relaxing. Sometimes I can spend an hour working on one character. Of course, my eyes are blurry afterward because the stitches are really small, but that goes away eventually. My other problem is that I pull the stitches apart and start over again if I’m not satisfied with my work. It takes me a long time to finish one character, but I really enjoy crocheting!

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PRONUNCIATION TIP
HOW THE WORDS HOW TO BECOME THE SOUND /haʊt̬ə/ IN FAST, NATURAL SPOKEN ENGLISH

This transcript uses IPA symbols to represent sounds and teach pronunciation. Learn more about the IPA here.

It’s important to know how to say this sound so you can also hear this sound.

Listen to these sentences from the story:

I didn’t actually know how to crochet, but I really wanted to learn ...

I learned how to crochet the same way everyone learns a new skill nowadays ...

Did you hear the words how or to in those sentences? There are two things that happen when how is followed by the preposition to. In fast, natural speech, the two words are combined and reduced to the sound /haʊt̬ə/.

The preposition to is a function word. It’s a grammar word. In needs to be in the sentence to make the sentence grammatically correct, but it’s not an important word. In fast, natural speech, the vowel O is reduced to the schwa sound /ə/, and to is pronounced /tə/.

When the letter T is between two vowel sounds and it’s at the beginning of an unstressed syllable, it becomes the alveolar flap sound, which is also called flap T, tap T, flapped T or tapped T.

Learn more: Episode 24: How to pronounced the American T sound

It’s not a fully pronounced T sound, but it’s not a D sound either, as many students think it is.

There’s a bump behind your top teeth called the alveolar ridge. The tip of your tongue quickly taps, or hits, this ridge behind your top teeth.

Your tongue doesn’t stop in the middle of the sound as it normally does with a fully pronounced T sound. There is also no release of air after the T. It’s a quick tongue tap.

Listen carefully:
/haʊt̬ə/

How and to are not always pronounced /haʊt̬ə/. You will hear American English speakers say both /haʊ tu/ and /haʊ tə/

In fact, I said /haʊ tu/ in the story in this sentence:

I learned how to crochet by watching how-to /haʊ tu/ videos on YouTube.

In that sentence I used how-to as an adjective to describe the kind of videos I watched on YouTube.

Often when American English speakers are speaking slowly or when they...

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Listen to a story about looking for an important photo!You’ll also learn how to say “photograph,” “photography,” and “photographer,” and how to pronounce the American T sound.

Welcome to the English Teacher Melanie Podcast, a podcast for intermediate to advanced English learners who want to improve their English listening and speaking skills!

Each episode includes a story and a pronunciation tip. In the story, I use core vocabulary, the most common words in English, to tell a real world story. The pronunciation tip will help you understand natural spoken English.

You’ll hear the story twice. The first time, the story is a little slower than normal. It sounds funny because I used editing software to change the speed of the story and make it slower. After the pronunciation tip, you’ll hear the story again, but at a regular speed.

THE STORY

We love photos in my family. My mom has a huge collection of family photos, starting with photos taken in the 1950s. The most important photos are the ones of family members who have passed away. My mom has a really nice photo of me and my brother with my maternal grandmother, who passed away in 2000. My mom kept the photo in a frame on her desk, but it had been in the frame so long that it was stuck to the glass. She wanted to put the photo in a new frame, but she couldn’t remove it from the old frame without tearing it. She needed a new copy of this photo.

We left no stone unturned looking for a copy of this photo. My mom and I went through every photo album we have looking for a copy of it or a similar photo taken at the same time. We found ... nothing. We asked multiple people in my family if they took the photo, including my aunt, my cousin, and my brother’s girlfriend at the time. None of them remembered this photo, and they all said they didn’t take it. I tried taking a photo of the photo and the glass together, but the quality wasn’t very good.

We didn’t have a digital camera in 2000, so we know the photo was taken with a film camera. I looked through my mom’s giant box of negatives, which sounds easier than it was! The negatives are so small that it was hard to see the images. Again, I found nothing. I bought a scanner so I could start digitizing all the negatives. This is our last option. If I can’t find the photo after digitizing all the negatives, we may have to give up on ever finding this photo, unless a miracle happens and someone else discovers they have it!

PRONUNCIATION TIP

PART ONE: HOW TO SAY PHOTOGRAPH AND THE AMERICAN TAP T SOUND

This transcript uses IPA symbols to represents sounds and teach pronunciation. Learn more about the IPA here.

The first syllable in the word photograph is the stressed syllable. It’s said louder and longer than the other syllables and the vowel sound is fully pronounced: /foʊ/

The T sound is not a fully pronounced T sound. We don’t say /foʊtoʊ/, although people will understand you if you say /foʊtoʊ/. It’s not a D sound either, as many students think it is. We don’t say /’foʊdoʊ/.

It’s actually a third sound.

This sound has many names. The proper name is the alveolar tap or flap. It’s also called the flap T, tap T, flapped T or tapped T.

There’s a bump behind your top teeth called the alveolar ridge. We’ll just call it the ridge. The tip of your tongue quickly taps, or hits, the ridge behind your top teeth.

Your tongue doesn’t stop in the middle of the sound as it normally does with a fully pronounced T sound. There is also no release or puff of air after the T. It’s a quick tongue tap.

Listen carefully: /’foʊt̬oʊ/

This is the T sound that occurs when:

• the T is at the beginning of an unstressed syllable and
• it’s between two vowel sounds.

In the word photo, the second O is fully pronounced: /’foʊt̬oʊ/

However, the second O in photograph is reduced and it becomes the schwa sound /ə/: /’foʊt̬ə/

The fina...

A Diet Changed My Life | English Listening Lesson 21 – EnglishTeacherMelanie.com

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Listen to a story about how a diet changed my life!You’ll also learn how to say the word “diet” and how to link vowel sounds in a word.

Welcome to the English Teacher Melanie Podcast, a podcast for intermediate to advanced English learners who want to improve their English listening and speaking skills!

Each episode includes a story and a pronunciation tip. In the story, I use core vocabulary, the most common words in English, to tell a real world story. The pronunciation tip will help you understand natural spoken English.

You’ll hear the story twice. The first time, the story is a little slower than normal. It sounds funny because I used editing software to change the speed of the story and make it slower. After the pronunciation tip, you’ll hear the story again, but at a regular speed.

THE STORY

I’ve been sick for a long time. I was diagnosed with a chronic illness in 2009, but I’d been sick for many years before that. Over the years, I tried a lot of different things to improve my health, but nothing helped me fully recover. By the end of 2014, I was desperate. I decided to investigate if a radical change in my diet would improve my health.

I heard about a medical laboratory that does a blood test that checks for food intolerances or foods that might cause problems in your body. I decided to have the test done, even though there is no agreement among doctors that this test measures anything. My results showed that I had 32 intolerances to everything under the sun: milk, wheat, soy, ... you name it! I didn’t know what to do! What was I going to eat?

Learn more: When is it OK to use foods and fruits?.

I made an appointment with a dietician who specializes in food intolerances. I wanted to know what she thought about the results and if she thought a new diet could help me get better. She asked me to keep a diet diary. I had to write down everything I ate, how much I ate, what time I ate at, how hungry I felt, and any symptoms I experienced afterward. When I returned to the dietician, she knew right away what my problem was: sugar, specifically natural sugars in certain foods like milk, wheat, beans, and some fruits and vegetables. These sugars are poorly absorbed in the small intestine. For some people, this causes digestive problems and other problems throughout the body.

My next task was to stop eating all these foods. From the moment I started this diet, my life turned around. Most of my symptoms have disappeared. I have more energy, I sleep better, and I get more work done during the day. This is the best thing that has happened to me in years. This diet is not easy at all. I have to cook everything from scratch and eating out is difficult, but I couldn’t be happier.

Learn more: Travel English Vocabulary: In a Restaurant

PRONUNCIATION TIP

HOW TO SAY DIET AND HOW TO LINK VOWEL SOUNDS

This transcript uses IPA symbols to represent sounds and teach pronunciation. Learn more about the IPA here.

The word diet may be a little difficult to say, because the vowels I and E are in different syllables. Diet is a two-syllable word.

When one vowel sound comes after another vowel sound, it’s hard to say them smoothly without pausing between them.

There is a way to link or connect these sounds so that they flow together smoothly.

The first syllable DI /’daɪ/ is the stressed syllable and it is said louder and longer than the other syllable.

The second syllable is pronounced /ət/, wh...