English Corner – Session 4 The Macao New Chinese Youth Association

Session 3 Recap - Accent Reduction Don't leave off the final sound! Voiceless : p, t, s, k, f, th Voiced : b, d, z, g, v, th Sound Pairs: p – b, k – g T – d, f – v S – z, th – th

Session 3 Recap - Accent Reduction Don't leave off the final sound! Word Pairs: Bead - beatnab - nap Heed - heat tab - tap Bid - bit bathe - bath Robe - rope breathe - breath Bag - backhave - half Tag - tack save - safe Pig - pick live - life

Session 3 Recap - Accent Reduction Past tense “ED” Endings: cried, walked, chated How to add the “t”, “d”, and “ed” sound? Rule: If a word ends in “t”, or “d”, then you say the full “ed”. “ED” as full “ed”. For example: “waded”, “added”, “needed”

Session 3 Recap - Accent Reduction Past tense “ED” as “D”. For example: “cried”, “grabbed”, “moved”, “viewed” Voiceless: p, t, k, f, th “ED” as “T”. For example: “walked”, “passed”, “kissed”, “laughed”

Session 3 Recap - American Slang Expression Hey there! = used as a greeting in informal English Hold on a sec = used to ask someone to wait / Can you hold on a second? / Could (would) you please hold? / One moment, please.

Session 3 Recap - American Slang Pronunciation How ya doin? “you” sometimes changes to “ya” Verbs ending in “-ing”often lose the final “g” She’s commin’ now, okay? Again, the final “g” is dropped from the “-ing”

Session 3 Recap - American Slang Grammar As seen before, words are left out when the context is clear to all speakers: “Coming.”= I’m coming

Session 3 Recap - American Slang Expression Be up for (something) = be interested or in the mood for something Take in (something) = go see a move, play, etc. Say…? = used to make a specific suggestion (such as the time of an event or the type of something) For example: Let’s meet tonight. Say 7 o’clock?

Session 3 Recap - American Slang Pronunciation I dunno. = “don’t know”often change to “dunno” I’m kinda tired. = “kind of” often changs to “kinda” Grammar You up for a movie tonight? Auxiliary verbs (“helping verbs”) are sometimes dropped. Full question here: Are you up for a movie tonight?

Session 3 Recap - American Slang Grammar Say 6 o’clock? Again, words are ommitted. The full question is: Let’s say 6 o’clock. – OR – Shall we say 6 o’clock? (“Shall” would make the question very polite and more formal.)

Session 4 - Accent Reduction American Accent Training for Chinese First Language Speakers Articulators ( 發音器官 ) First step: Full range of the motion from side to side: jaw ( 顎 ), mouth, lips 1. Many Chinese speakers are moving only one side 2. If you keep your mouth relatively closed, it sounds different 3. Make sure your articulators are working before you go forward

Session 4 - Accent Reduction American Accent Training for Chinese First Language Speakers Next step: Air flow 1. You need to link the words, and you need to breath to do so 2. Get the air come out of the mouth when you speak 3. Record your speech 4. Many Chinese speakers tend to truncate, shorten, or take off the ending. A word like “Test” has become like “Tes”. Make the last sound loud so that your brain may know that it is important

Session 4 - Accent Reduction American Accent Training for Chinese First Language Speakers 5. It’s important to know the rule of “voiced” & “voiceless” 6. Suggestion: breathing, voicing, awareness 7. Keep working the air flow, keep working with the mouth 8. Use the mouth, jaw, air flow, and voicing

English Proverbs & Quotable Quotes Look before you leap Birds of a feather flock together Don’t kill the goose that lays the golden eggs Do in Rome as the Romans do. Seeing is believing A friend in need is a friend indead Action speaks louder than words Honesty is the best policy

Idioms

Free Talk Form a group of Time: 30 mins

Funny Little Video Clips I Speak English, I learn it from a book b7sw&feature=related I can’t speak English W0g&feature=related

Session 4 Recap 1. Listening and speaking skills 2. Proverbs 3. Idioms 4. Free talk

Learn English through songs Mandy - Barry Manilow Hard to say i'm sorry We are the world

Q & A