Learning to pronounce. Lesson 3. Fita course
If you can’t see the images click here.
Lesson 3 FITA course .docx in pdf (1)
You must watch this video in order to follow and understand this lesson.
This is a long lesson, so I have divided it into three parts:
Part one. What are the problems?
For Spanish speakers pronunciation is one of the hardest parts of learning English.
The problem begins in the early stages of the learning process. Too many young students start learning English the wrong way by only studying grammar and reading, without paying any attention to listening and speaking.
By the time they finish school, they have lost the ability to reproduce the sounds of the English language correctly.
So how can you correct this problem?
By doing the following:
1) Pay attention and practise pronouncing the difficult sounds
If you don’t know what you are doing wrong, how are you going to correct it?
You must pay attention to all the sounds that mess up your pronunciation.
Please, do not think you are not affected by it. I even make these mistakes if I don’t pay close enough attention.
Here is a list of some of the sounds that are difficult for Spanish speakers to pronounce. Try saying them aloud many times.
| Sound | Examples | What to do |
| “s” at the beginning of a word |
School Spain Spanish Special |
Do not pronounce an “e” before the “s”. It’s not “eskul”. It’s “sskul”. |
| “z” |
Is Was Does Flowers |
If I didn’t mention this sound, you’d be totally unaware of its existence because it doesn’t exist in Spanish. It is the buzz sound made by bees. Something like this: zzzzz Although it’s not as important as other sounds, if you start making this sound, your English will sound much better. |
| “v” |
Very Vest Van Various |
The sound is not “b”, but rather “v”. To make this sound you must bite your lower lip. |
| “able” |
Vegetable Available Reasonable Comfortable |
The sound is not “able” as in “table” but something more similar to “abó” where the “l” goes at the end. |
| “ed” |
Loved Played Worked Wanted |
The “e” that comes before the “d” is not pronounced. If you omit this sound at the end of word then you’ll get three kinds of sounds: “d” as in Loved→/lovd/; “id” as in Wanted→ /wantid/; and “t” as in Worked →/wuórkt/ |
| “ous” |
Nervous Various Serious Malicious |
To learn this sound first say: “for us”. /for as/ then- nervas, verias, sirias, malishas |
| “y” |
Yes Young Yesterday Yawn |
This is sound is not “y” is like the Spanish “i”. You should say “ies”, “iang”, “iesterdei”, “ion”. |
| “i” |
Is It His Sip |
I would say this sound is in between a Spanish “I” and “e”. Remember that it is NOT the Spanish “I”. |
| “h” |
How House Here Hair |
This sound is not the Spanish “J”. It is instead a very soft sound that you make when you breathe on your glasses and wipe them clean. |
| “sh” |
Show She Shop Shame |
Many Spanish speakers pronounce this sound as “ch” because this sound doesn’t exist in Spanish. The most similar sound is “ch”. However, this sound is much long and softer as when you are trying to make someone shut up and you say: “sssshhhh”. Compare = “chop” Cortar en rebanadas and “shop” tienda. |
| “W” |
Would Wood |
This sound is not equivalent to the Spanish “gu”. It’s much softer and to do it right you should try to put the lips as if you were going to give someone a kiss. |
| “a” |
Son Money Sun Nun |
I call this sound “la a del tonto”. In English, it’s pronounced like “uh”. It doesn’t exist in Spanish and its phonemic symbol is this“^” . It’s the “a” pronounced with your mouth a bit more open but not as much as when you say the Spanish “a”. |
|
ə |
Difficult//ˈdɪfɪkəlt/ A Around Present |
This is the “schwa” sound. Its phonemic symbol is like an inverted ə Actually, is very similar to the “a del tonto”represented by ^. In English they say “uh”.
In fact, some dictionaries make no distinction between these two sounds. As it is the most common English sound, we’ll talk more about it later. |
| “ae” |
Man Rat Sad Pad |
As this sound doesn’t exist in Spanish, the Spanish speaker pronounces it like a Spanish “a”. In reality it’s a sound between the “a” and the Spanish “e”. |
| m |
Some Come Mum Tom |
As in Spanish there are no words that end in “m” except for the name “Miriam” (I think), the “m” at the end of the words is normally pronounced as an “n”. To pronounce it, try to close your lips at the end of the word. |
2) Pay attention and practise connected speech
When we speak, we tend to link one word to the other. This is particularly true with certain structures.
For example, when “it” goes after a verb, we always link the two words together.
Examples:
- Do it- sounds something like /dúit/. The sound “du” links to “it”.
- Get it- sounds something like /gédit/. The sound “get” links to “it”.
- Read it- sounds something like /rídit/. The sound “rid” links to “it”
Connected speech also occurs when a word ends in a consonant sound and the following word also starts with the same, or a similar, consonant sound. In this case, we pronounce only one consonant trying to lengthen the sound.
- Good day- /Gudei/
- Best time- /Bestaim/
- I got tired- /Ai gataird/
3) Learn to speak with the right sounds and intonation
You are never going to improve your accent if you continue to speak English as if it were Spanish.
Apart from trying to correct the mistakes I’ve just mentioned, you should try to completely change your way of speaking.
Normally, when you succeed in doing this, your mouth will hurt. This pain is an indication that you are using some muscles in your mouth that you never used before; so it’s good news.
Here are some examples of what you can do in order to speak with the right sounds and intonation:
a) Emphasize consonants
In Spanish, every consonant goes with a vowel. In English, this is not always true. There are many words where vowels simply disappear.
Examples. Words ending en –ed (such as regular verbs)-
– Loved is not “lovEd”, but “lovd”.
– Worked is not “workEd, but “workt”.
When I say emphasize “consonants”, I mean “try to stress their sound”.
Let’s hear some examples:
- Dog- DDDogg- “D” and “g” are important. “O” isn’t
- Because- Bíkoss-notice the final “e” is not pronounced
- Before- Bífor – notice again that the final “e” is not pronounced.
- Sit- SSiT- “s” and “t” are very important. The “i” instead is very short.
b) Pay attention to the “schwa” sounds
I bet most of you have never heard of the “schwa” sound.
The paradox is that the “schwa” sound is the most common sound in the English language.
This sound appears when many vowels are together in an unstressed word or syllable in a phrase.
It is a very relaxed and short sound. The phonemic symbol for “schwa” is ə
It sounds like “ə”.
But let’s first try to get some basic concepts clear.
What are stressed words?
When we want to emphasize certain words in a phrase, we stress them. This means that we pronounce these words more carefully saying their sound in a very distinctive way. These stressed words are normally nouns, main verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
What are unstressed words?
These are words that don’t have too much importance in a phrase so we pronounce them faster and in a more relaxed way. Unstressed words are normally auxiliary verbs, pronouns, articles, linkers and prepositions.
Example of a sentence pronounced trying not to use “schwa”.
- We–started–our–first—day –on–the–island–by— having–a—delicious–breakfast–in–front–of–the–pool.
As you heard, I tried to pronounce every single syllable stressing the vowels. As a result the sentence sounded very slow and unnatural.
Let’s hear now the same sentence pronounced with “schwa”.
- We started our first day on the island by having a delicious breakfast in front of the pool.
- Phonetic transcription (“schwa” sound in red) wiː ˈstɑːtɪd ˈaʊə fɜːst deɪ ɒn ði ˈaɪlənd baɪ ˈhævɪŋ ə dɪˈlɪʃəs ˈbrɛkfəst ɪn frʌnt ɒv ðə puːl
This is the way people normally speak. As you can hear, the words are said so fast that some “vowels” almost disappear.
That reduced sound of the vowels is the “schwa”. It’s very clear in the word “for”. We don’t normally say: “for”- We say: “fər”
What should you do with the schwa sound?
Schwa usage varies greatly between dialects. In fact, Australians pronounce schwas in places where British and American speakers won’t.
So my advice is that you just try to be aware of its existence when you listen to English.
What does this mean in practice?
It means that you should know that when native speakers speak English they very often don’t pronounce the vowels very clearly.
As you become more used to the “schwa” sound, you can start trying to imitate it.
Remember every now and then to look for the phonemic symbol ə in syllables and phrases.
Here you have a link to a site that will help you check the phonetics of phrases.
And if you want to know more about the “schwa”, I recommend reading this article. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/teaching-schwa
c) Try to speak with a softer tone
Some Spanish accents, especially from Castillia and the north of Spain are very strong. They might occasionally sound like Arabic or Greek with a rolling “r” and strong stress. Especially in these cases, you will need to speak with a much softer tone in order to get the right sounds and intonation in English.
For example: What’s your name?
Sounds something like: wuáts iór néim?
All the sounds are soft and the “y” of “your” is pronounced like a Spanish “I”.
If I pronounce this question with a strong Spanish accent instead, I’ll say:
-Guats yor neim?
As can you can hear, all the words sound much harder.
d) Try to give to English the intonation a native English speaker gives to Spanish
This tip sounds like a joke, but I promise it will work if you start doing it.
Let’s see what I mean.
A native English speaker pronounces “Yo soy Pedro,” something like this: ío sóoi pé dro—
The sounds of some consonants are explosive.
If you think about it, you’ll see that to have the right intonation in English you need to do exactly the same; emphasize the consonants, which are in many cases explosive.
When I say “explosive” I mean that you have to release air through the mouth, which is something you never do in Spanish.
Examples:
-put-
-tea
-talk
-sit
Part two. Accents
What accent should you try to imitate?
I always say that you should try to imitate the accent you feel the most comfortable with: British, Irish, American, Australian or any other dialect.
If you have been living in any English speaking country, you’ll have a tendency to imitate the accent of the country you have lived in. That’s perfectly okay.
Take into account that in this course the audiobook “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is read with a British English. But many of the links to recordings that we have included here are in American or Australian accents. There is a mixture of accents that I consider beneficial because if you live in Europe, you’ll have to get used to many different ways of speaking.
If you live in Latin America, you’ll hear American English most of the time. However, it’s not a bad idea to learn the differences between the different accents because you’ll improve your listening skills.
I personally speak with a particular accent, which tends to sound more like American English, but I call it European accent. It’s actually a combination of several accents.
Remember that the important thing is NOT that you speak like a native – which is normally only possible to do if you start learning English at a very young age.
The important thing here is that you reduce your Spanish accent when you speak English.
If your Spanish accent is less strong, you will feel better as native speakers will understand you better.
Another important result of improving your accent will be that people will immediately think that you speak better English than you actually do, and this, in turn, will motivate you to continue learning.
That’s why it is so important for you to improve your accent.
Part three. Improving your pronunciation
Exercises to improve your pronunciation
Remembering all the rules I have mentioned above can be quite challenging.
In fact, most people forget them immediately and continue to speak English with the Spanish sounds.
Is there an easier way to improve your pronunciation?
Yes, of course there is.
This is the way all the native English speakers used when they started to learn their language: listening and speaking in English the whole day.
But how will we do it?
We will listen and repeat the sentences of our audiobook.
I will now show you how.
We will use chapter one as an example.
The idea is that you try to memorize these sentences by repeating them aloud as many times as necessary. In this process, you should use the phonetic alphabet and the approximate pronunciation, which I have included in the course material as a tool to help you.
I encourage you to start practising right now.
Chapter one. Audio. The Picture of Dorian Gray (adapted)
Chapter 1 “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
|
Sentence |
Phonetics |
Approximate Pronunciation |
|
Chapter 1
|
| ˈtʃæptə wʌn | |
Chápter wuán |
|
‘The soul in the picture’ |
ðə səʊl ɪn ðə ˈpɪktʃə | |
Dé sóul ín dé píksher |
|
There is only one thing in the world |
ðə z ˈəʊnli wʌn ˈθɪŋ ɪn ðə wɜːld | |
Dér íss óunli wuán zíng ín de wuórld |
|
worse than being talked about |
wɜːs ðən ˈbiːɪŋ ˈtɔːkt əˈbaʊt | |
Wuórs dán bíng tókt ábaut |
|
and that is not being talked about.” |
ənd ðət ɪz nɒt ˈbiːɪŋ ˈtɔːkt əˈbaʊt | |
Ánd dát íss nót bíng tókt ábaut |
|
The studio was filled with the intense smell of roses, |
ðə ˈstjuːdɪəʊ wəz fɪld wɪð ði ɪnˈtens smel əv ˈrəʊzɪz | |
Dé sstúdio wuás fíld wuíz dí íntens ssmél of róussess |
|
and when the gentle summer wind |
ənd wen ðə ˈdʒentl̩ ˈsʌmə wɪnd | |
Án wuén dé yéntel sámer wínd |
|
moved through the trees in the garden |
muːvd θruː ðə triːz ɪn ðə ˈɡɑːdn̩ | |
Múvd zrú dé trís ín dé gárden |
|
the strong essence of lilac entered the room |
ðə strɒŋ ˈesns əv ˈlaɪlək ˈentəd ðə ruːm | |
Dé stróng ésens óf láilak énterd dé rúm |
|
In the corner, |
ɪn ðə ˈkɔːnə | |
Ín dé kórner |
|
spread out over a divan |
spred aʊt ˈəʊvər ə dɪˈvæn | |
Spréd áut óver a divan |
|
and smoking one cigarette after another, |
ənd ˈsməʊkɪŋ wʌn ˌsɪɡəˈret ˈɑːftər əˈnʌðə | |
Án ssmóuking wuán sigáret áfter ánader |
|
Lord Henry Wotton contemplated the new honey-coloured flowers. |
lɔːd ˈhenri woton ˈkɒntəmpleɪtɪd ðə njuː ˈhʌni ˈkʌləd ˈflaʊəz | |
Lord hénri wuóton kóntempleitid dé níu háni kólord fláuwerss |
|
In the middle of the room, |
ɪn ðə ˈmɪdl̩ əv ðə ruːm | |
Ín dé mídel óf dé rúm |
|
on an easel, |
ɒn ən ɒn ən ˈiːz(ə)l |
Ón án íssel |
|
was the life-size portrait of a young man of extraordinary beauty, |
wəz ðə ˈlaɪf saɪz ˈpɔːtrɪt əv ə jʌŋ mæn əv ɪkˈstrɔːdn̩ri ˈbjuːti | |
Wuás dé láif sáiss pórtreitt óf á íang mán óf eks’traordinri biúti |
|
and standing in front of it, |
ənd ˈstændɪŋ ɪn frʌnt əv ɪt | |
Án sstánding ín frónt ófit |
|
a little further away, |
ə ˈlɪtl̩ ˈfɜːðər əˈweɪ | |
Á lítel férder owuéi |
|
the painter Basil Hallward was sitting, |
ðə ˈpeɪntə ˈbæzl̩ ˈhɒlwərd wəz ˈsɪtɪŋ | |
Dé péinter béissl hálwuard wuáss síting |
|
admiring the painting. |
ədˈmaɪərɪŋ ðə ˈpeɪntɪŋ | |
Ádmairing dé péinting |
|
This is your best work, Basil |
| ðɪs ɪz jə best ˈwɜːk | ˈbæzl̩ | |
Dís íss iór bést wuórk bássl |
|
It’s the best you’ve done’, |
ɪts ðə best juv dʌn |
Íts dé bes iúv dón |
|
Lord Henry told the painter. |
lɔːd ˈhenri təʊld ðə ˈpeɪntə | |
Lórd hénri tóld dé péinter |
|
Next year you must send it to the Grosvenor Exhibition.
|
nekst ˈjiə ju məst send ɪt tə ðə ˈɡrovnər ˌeksɪˈbɪʃn̩ |
Néks íer iú múst séndit tú dé grósvenor éxhibishion |
|
I don’t think so, |
| ˈaɪ dəʊnt ˈθɪŋk ˈsəʊ | |
Áid dóunt zínk sóu |
|
replied the painter. |
rɪˈplaɪd ðə ˈpeɪntə | |
Ríplaid dé péinter |
|
I will never send this anywhere.
|
ˈaɪ wl̩ ˈnevə send ðɪs ˈeniweə | |
Ái wuíl néver sénd dís éniwuer |
|
Lord Henry raised his eyebrows |
lɔːd ˈhenri reɪzd ˈaɪbraʊz |
Lórd henri réissd hís ráissd áibrauss |
|
and looked with astonishment |
ənd lʊkt wɪð əˈstɒnɪʃmənt | |
Ánd lúkt wuíz ástonishment |
|
through the blue smoke of the opium cigarette. |
θruː ðə bluː sməʊk əv ði ˈəʊpɪəm ˌsɪɡəˈret | |
Zrú dé blú ssmóuk of dí ópiem sigáret |
|
And why ever not, my dear friend? |
ənd waɪ ˈevə nɒt | maɪ dɪə ˈfrend | |
Ánd wuái éver nót mái dír frénd? |
|
Painters are such strange people. |
ˈpeɪntəz ɑː sʌʧ streɪnʤ ˈpiːpl. | peinters ar sach streinch pipol |
|
They seek fame |
ˈðeɪ siːk feɪm | |
Déi sík féim |
|
and then don’t want it. |
ənd ðen dəʊnt wɒnt ɪt | |
Ánd dén dóun wuántit |
|
It’s absurd. |
ɪts əbˈsɜːd | |
Íts ábserd |
|
It’s crazy because there is only one thing in the world |
ɪts ˈkreɪzi bɪˈkɒz ðə z ˈəʊnli wʌn ˈθɪŋ ɪn ðə wɜːld | |
Íts kréissi bíkoss dér íss ónli wuán zíng ín dé wuórld |
|
worse than being talked about, |
wɜːs ðən ˈbiːɪŋ ˈtɔːkt əˈbaʊt | |
Wuórs dán bíng tókt ábaut |
|
and that is not being talked about.
|
| ənd ðət s nɒt ˈbiːɪŋ ˈtɔːkt əˈbaʊt | |
Ánd dát íss nót bíng tókt ábaut |
|
I know you’re going to laugh |
ˈaɪ nəʊ jə ˈɡəʊɪŋ tə lɑːf | |
Ái nóu íur góing tú láf |
|
replied the painter |
rɪˈplaɪd ðə ˈpeɪntə | |
Ríplaid dé péinter |
|
but really |
bət ˈrɪəli | |
Bát ríli |
|
I can’t exhibit the painting |
ˈaɪ kɑːnt ɪɡˈzɪbɪt ðə ˈpeɪntɪŋ | |
Ái kánt igssíbit dé péinting |
|
there’s too much of myself in it
|
ðeəz tuː ˈmʌtʃ əv maɪˈself ɪn ɪt | |
Dérss tú mách óf mai’self ínit |
|
Lord Henry laughed
|
lɔːd ˈhenri lɑːft | |
Lórd hénri láft |
|
I don’t mind you laughing! |
ˈaɪ dəʊnt maɪnd ju ˈlɑːfɪŋ | |
Áid dóunt máind iu láfing |
|
said Basil
|
ˈsed ˈbæzl̩ | |
Séd bássl |
|
But it is nothing like you |
bət ɪt s ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈlaɪk ju | |
Bát ír íss názing láik iu |
|
You are an intelligent man |
ju ər ən ɪnˈtelɪdʒənt mæn | |
iu ár án intélichent mán |
|
but intelligence has nothing to do with beauty |
bət ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns həz ˈnʌθɪŋ tə də wɪð ˈbjuːti | |
Bát íntelichens hás názing tú dú wuíz bíuti |
|
I am sure that your mysterious young friend never thinks |
ˈaɪ əm ʃʊə ðət jə mɪˈstɪərɪəs jʌŋ ˈfrend ˈnevə ˈθɪŋks | |
Ái am shér dát íor místirias íang frénd néver zínks |
|
He is a beautiful, brainless creature |
hi z ə ˈbjuːtəfl̩ | ˈbreɪnləs ˈkriːtʃə | |
Hí iss á bíutiful bréinles krísher |
|
You are nothing like each other
|
ju ə ˈnʌθɪŋ ˈlaɪk iːtʃ ˈʌðə | |
Iú ár názing láik ích áder |
|
You don’t understand me |
ju dəʊnt ˌʌndəˈstænd miː | |
Iú doúnt ánderstandmí |
|
replied the painter |
rɪˈplaɪd ðə ˈpeɪntə | |
Ríplaid dé péinter |
|
I already know that Dorian Gray |
ˈaɪ ɔːlˈredi nəʊ ðət ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Ái ólredi nóu dát dórian grey |
|
and I are nothing alike
|
ənd ˈaɪ ə ˈnʌθɪŋ əˈlaɪk | |
Ánd ái ár názing álaik |
|
Dorian Gray? |
ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Dórian gréy? |
|
Is that his name? |
| ɪz ðət ɪz ˈneɪm | |
Íss dát híss néim? |
|
Asked Lord Henry
|
ˈɑːskt lɔːd ˈhenri | |
Áskt lórd hénri |
|
Yes, that’s his name |
jes | ðæts ɪz ˈneɪm | |
Íes, dáts híss néim |
|
I didn’t want you to know
|
ˈaɪ ˈdɪdnt wɒnt ju tə nəʊ | |
Ái didn’t wuánt tú nóu |
|
Why not?
|
waɪ nɒt | |
Wuáit nót? |
|
Because when I like someone a lot |
bɪˈkɒz wen ˈaɪ ˈlaɪk ˈsʌmwʌn ə lɒt | |
Bíkoss wuén ái láin sámwuan álot |
|
I don’t tell their name |
ˈaɪ dəʊnt tel ðeə ˈneɪm | |
Ái dóunt tél dér néim |
|
For me it’s betrayal |
fə miː ɪts bɪˈtreɪəl | |
Fór mí íts bétreial |
|
I love secrecy |
ˈaɪ lʌv ˈsiːkrəsi | |
Ái lóv síkresi |
|
When I leave this city |
wen ˈaɪ liːv ðɪs ˈsɪti | |
Wuén ái liiv dís síti |
|
I don’t tell anyone where I am going |
ˈaɪ dəʊnt tel ˈeniwʌn weər ˈaɪ əm ˈɡəʊɪŋ | |
Ái dóunt tél éniwuan wuér ái ám góing |
|
It is a bad habit |
ɪt s ə bæd ˈhæbɪt | |
Ít íss á bád hábit |
|
I know |
ˈaɪ nəʊ | |
Ái nóu |
|
but in that way |
bət ɪn ðət ˈweɪ | |
Bát ín dát wuéi |
|
life is like a novel |
laɪf s ˈlaɪk ə ˈnɒvl̩ | |
Láif láik á nóvel |
|
You must think I am mad |
ju məst ˈθɪŋk ˈaɪ əm mæd | |
Iu mást zínk ái ám mád |
|
No, my dear Basil |
nəʊ | maɪ dɪə ˈbæzl̩ | |
Nóu, mái dír béissl |
|
said Lord Henry |
ˈsed lɔːd ˈhenri | |
Séd lórd hénri |
|
Remember that I am married |
rɪˈmembə ðət ˈaɪ əm ˈmærɪd | |
Rimember dát ái ám méried |
|
and the only delight to be had in a marriage |
ənd ði ˈəʊnli dɪˈlaɪt tə bi həd ɪn ə ˈmærɪdʒ | |
Ánd dé óunli diláit tú bí had ín á mérich |
|
is that the partners cheat regularly. |
ɪz ðət ðə ˈpɑːtnəz tʃiːt ˈreɡjʊləli | |
Íss dát dé pártnerss chít régularli |
|
I never know where my wife is |
ˈaɪ ˈnevə nəʊ weə maɪ waɪf ɪz | |
Ái néve nóu wuér mái wuáif íss |
|
and my wife never knows what I am doing |
ənd maɪ waɪf ˈnevə nəʊz ˈwɒt ˈaɪ əm ˈduːɪŋ | |
Ánd mái wuáif néver nóuss wuát ái am dúing |
|
I don’t like you speaking like that |
ˈaɪ dəʊnt ˈlaɪk ju ˈspiːkɪŋ ˈlaɪk ðæt | |
Ái dóunt láik iú spíking láik dát |
|
replied Basil Hallward |
rɪˈplaɪd ˈbæzl̩ ˈhɒlwərd | |
Ríplaid bássl hálwuard |
|
as he walked towards the door |
əz hi ˈwɔːkt təˈwɔːdz ðə dɔː | |
Áss hi wóukt tórdss dé dóor |
|
that led to the garden. |
ðət led tə ðə ˈɡɑːdn̩ | |
Dát léd tú dé gárden |
|
I believe that you are a good husband. |
ˈaɪ bɪˈliːv ðət ju ər ə ɡʊd ˈhʌzbənd |
Ái bíliv dát iú ár a gúd hássband |
|
You are a great person |
| ju ər ə ˈɡreɪt ˈpɜːsn̩ | |
Iu ár gréit pérson |
|
Your shamelessness is just a front |
jə ˈʃeɪmləsnəs ɪz dʒəst ə frʌnt | |
Ior shéimlesness íss chás a frónt |
|
The two men walked together towards the garden |
ðə tuː men ˈwɔːkt təˈɡeðə təˈwɔːdz ðə ˈɡɑːdn̩ | |
Dé tú mén wuokt túgeder tordss dé gárden |
|
and sat on a bench |
ənd sæt ɒn ə bentʃ | |
Ánd sát ón a bénch |
|
under the shade of the trees |
ˈʌndə ðə ʃeɪd əv ðə triːz | |
Ánder dé shéid óf dé tríss |
|
Moments later |
ˈməʊmənts ˈleɪtə | |
Móments léiter |
|
Lord Henry looked at his watch.
|
lɔːd ˈhenri lʊkt ət ɪz wɒtʃ | |
Lórd hénri lukt át híss wuátch |
|
I must go, Basil |
ˈaɪ məst ɡəʊ | bæzl̩ | |
Ái mást góu béissl |
|
he said quietly |
hi ˈsed ˈkwaɪətli | |
Hí séd kuáietli |
|
but before I go I would like to know |
bət bɪˈfɔːr ˈaɪ ɡəʊ ˈaɪ wʊd ˈlaɪk tə nəʊ | |
Bát bífor ái góu ái wúd láik tú nóu |
|
why you don’t want to exhibit the picture of Dorian Gray |
waɪ ju dəʊnt wɒnt tu ɪɡˈzɪbɪt ðə ˈpɪktʃər əv ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Wuáit iu dóunt wuánt tú eggssíbit dé píksher óf dórian gréi |
|
I repeat |
ˈaɪ rɪˈpiːt | |
Ái ripít |
|
it scares me to show |
ɪt skeəz miː tə ʃəʊ | |
Its sskérss mit tú shóu |
|
the secret of my soul through a picture |
ðə ˈsiːkrɪt əv maɪ səʊl θruː ə ˈpɪktʃə | |
Dé síkret óf mái sóul zrú á píksher |
|
And what is it? |
ənd ˈwɒt s ɪt | |
Ánd wuát íss it? |
|
I’m going to tell you |
aɪm ˈɡəʊɪŋ tə tel ju | |
Áim góing tú tél iu |
|
I’m listening to you, Basil |
aɪm ˈlɪsn̩ɪŋ tə ju | bæzl̩ | |
Aim lístening tú iu béissl |
|
This is the story |
ðɪs ɪz ðə ˈstɔːri | |
Dís íss dé sstori |
|
said the painter |
ˈsed ðə ˈpeɪntə | |
Séd dé péinter |
|
Two months ago |
tuː mʌnθs əˈɡəʊ | |
Tú mónzs ágou |
|
I went to a meeting |
ˈaɪ ˈwent tu ə ˈmiːtɪŋ | |
Ái wuént tú á míting |
|
at Lady Brandon’s house |
ət ˈleɪdi ˈbrændənz ˈhaʊs | |
Át léidi brándonss háus |
|
I was in the drawing room talking to various old ladies |
ˈaɪ wəz ɪn ðə XXXXX ˈtɔːkɪŋ tə ˈveərɪəs əʊld ˈleɪdɪz | |
Ái wuáss ín dé droing room tóking tú várias óuld léidiss |
|
when I felt someone looking at me |
wen ˈaɪ felt ˈsʌmwʌn ˈlʊkɪŋ ət miː | |
Wuén ái félt sámwuan lúking át mí |
|
I turned and saw |
ˈaɪ tɜːnd ənd ˈsɔː | |
Ía térnd ánd só |
|
for the first time, Dorian Gray |
fə ðə ˈfɜːst ˈtaɪm | ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Fór dé férst tám, dórian gréi |
|
Our eyes met and I was scared |
ˈaʊər aɪz met ənd ˈaɪ wəz skeəd | |
Áuer áiss mét mét ánd ái wuáss skérd |
|
I knew instantly that he was fascinating. |
ˈaɪ njuː ˈɪnstəntli ðət hi wəz ˈfæsɪneɪtɪŋ | |
Ái níu ínstlanli dát hí wuáss fásineiting |
|
I felt that something terrible was going to happen to me. |
ˈaɪ felt ðət ˈsʌmθɪŋ ˈterəbl̩ wəz ˈɡəʊɪŋ tə ˈhæpən tə miː | |
Ái félt dár sámzing térbol wuás góing tú hápen tú mí |
|
I froze and wanted to leave the room. |
ˈaɪ frəʊz ənd ˈwɒntɪd tə liːv ðə ruːm | |
Ái fróuss ánd wuántid tú líiv dé rúm |
|
I ran towards the door, |
ˈaɪ ræn təˈwɔːdz ðə dɔː | |
Áir rán tórdss dé dóor |
|
but Lady Brandon wouldn’t leave me.
|
bət ˈleɪdi ˈbrændən ˈwʊdnt liːv miː | |
Bát léidi brándon wúdn’t líiv mí |
|
Suddenly I found myself face to face with Dorian Gray |
sʌdn̩li ˈaɪ faʊnd maɪˈself feɪs tə feɪs wɪð ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Sádenli ái fáund máiself féis tú féis wuíz dórian gréi |
|
We were almost touching |
wi wər ˈɔːlməʊst ˈtʌtʃɪŋ | |
Wuí wuér ólmoust táching |
|
We made eye contact. |
wi ˈmeɪd aɪ ˈkɒntækt | |
Wuí méid ái kóntakt |
|
Then I asked Lady Brandon to introduce us
|
ðen ˈaɪ ˈɑːskt ˈleɪdi ˈbrændən tu ˌɪntrəˈdjuːs əz | |
Dén ái askt léidi bránndon tú intróduss ass |
|
And what did Lady Brandon say |
ənd ˈwɒt dɪd ˈleɪdi ˈbrændən ˈseɪ | |
Ánd wuát díd léidi brándon séi |
|
of this marvellous young man?
|
əv ðɪs ˈmɑːvləs jʌŋ mæn | |
Óf dís márvelas íang mán |
|
She said that he was charming |
ʃi ˈsed ðət hi wəz ˈtʃɑːmɪŋ | |
Shí séd dát hí wuás chárming |
|
She said that she was a close friend of his mother |
ʃi ˈsed ðət ʃi wəz ə kləʊz frend əv ɪz ˈmʌðə | |
Shí sed dát shí wuás a klóuss frénd óf híss máder |
|
and that she had forgotten what he did. |
ənd ðət ʃi həd fəˈɡɒtn̩ ˈwɒt hi dɪd | |
Ánd dát shí hád forgáten wuát hí díd |
|
Dorian Gray and I both laughed |
ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ ənd ˈaɪ bəʊθ lɑːft | |
Dórian gréi ánd ái bóuz láft |
|
and suddenly we became friends |
ənd sʌdn̩li wi bɪˈkeɪm frendz | |
Ánd sádenli wuí bíkeim fréndss |
|
It’s a good start |
ɪts ə ɡʊd stɑːt | |
Its á gúd stárt |
|
said Lord Henry
|
ˈsed lɔːd ˈhenri | |
Séd lórd hénri |
|
Basil turned his head.
|
ˈbæzl̩ tɜːnd ɪz hed | |
Bássel térnd híss héd |
|
You don’t understand what friendship is, Harry |
ju dəʊnt ˌʌndəˈstænd ˈwɒt ˈfrendʃɪp ɪz | ˈhæri | |
Iú dóunt ánderstand wuát fréndship íss, hári |
|
nor what is enmity |
nɔː ˈwɒt s ˈenmɪti | |
Nór wuát ís énmiti |
|
You love everybody |
ju lʌv ˈevrɪˌbɒdi | |
Iu lóv evribodi |
|
which is the same as not loving anybody |
wɪtʃ ɪz ðə seɪm əz nɒt ˈlʌvɪŋ ˈenibɒdi | |
Wuich íss dé séim áss nót lóving énibodi |
|
That’s not fair! |
ðæts nɒt feə | |
Dáts nór fér |
|
said Lord Henry |
ˈsed lɔːd ˈhenri | |
Séd lórd hénri |
|
I know the difference between people. |
ˈaɪ nəʊ ðə ˈdɪfrəns bɪˈtwiːn ˈpiːpl̩ | |
Ái nóu dé díferens bitúin pípol |
|
I choose my best friends by their good looks |
ˈaɪ tʃuːz maɪ best frendz baɪ ðeə ɡʊd lʊks | |
Ái chús mái bést fréndss bái déir lúks |
|
my colleagues by their personality |
maɪ ˈkɒliːɡz baɪ ðeə ˌpɜːsəˈnælɪti | |
Mái koligss báid dér persónaliti |
|
and my enemies by their intelligence |
ənd maɪ ˈenəmɪz baɪ ðeər ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns | |
Ánd mái énemiss bái dér intélishens |
|
I don’t have stupid enemies. |
| ˈaɪ dəʊnt həv ˈstjuːpɪd ˈenəmɪz | |
Ái dóunt háv sstúpid énemis |
|
Let’s speak about Dorian Gray |
lets spiːk əˈbaʊt ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Léts sspík ábaut dórian grei |
|
Do you see him often?
|
də ju ˈsiː ɪm ˈɒfn̩ |
Dú iú sí im ófen? |
|
I see him every day |
ˈaɪ ˈsiː ɪm ˈevri deɪ | |
Ái sí im évri déi |
|
I must see him every day. |
ˈaɪ məst ˈsiː ɪm ˈevri deɪ | |
Ái mást sí im évri déi |
|
I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t see him. |
ˈaɪ ˈwʊdnt bi ˈhæpi ɪf ˈaɪ ˈdɪdnt ˈsiː ɪm | |
Ái wúdnt bí hápi íf ái dídnt sí im |
|
Amazing! |
əˈmeɪzɪŋ | |
Améissing |
|
I must meet Dorian Gray! |
ˈaɪ məst miːt ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Ái mást mít dórian gréi! |
|
Then Basil Hallward got up |
ðen ˈbæzl̩ ˈhɒlwərd ˈɡɒt ʌp | |
Dén béissl hólwuard gát áp |
|
and walked around the garden. |
ənd ˈwɔːkt əˈraʊnd ðə ˈɡɑːdn̩ | |
Ánd wuokt áraund dé gárden |
|
A few moments later he returned.
|
ə fjuː ˈməʊmənt ˈleɪtə hi rɪˈtɜːnd | |
Á fiú móments léiter hí ritérnd |
|
He is my work |
hi z maɪ xxxx| |
Híss mái wuórk |
|
said the painter seriously. |
ˈsed ðə ˈpeɪntə ˈsɪərɪəsli | |
Séd dé péinter síriasli |
|
I know that my work |
ˈaɪ nəʊ ðət maɪ ˈwɜːk | |
Ái nóu dát mái wuórk |
|
since I met Dorian Gray |
sɪns ˈaɪ met ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Síns ái mét dórian gréi |
|
is the best I have ever done |
ɪz ðə best ˈaɪ həv ˈevə dʌn | |
Íss dé bést ái háv éver dón |
|
The simple presence of this young man |
ðə ˈsɪmpl̩ ˈprezns əv ðɪs jʌŋ mæn | |
Dé símpel présens óf dís íang mán |
|
he is little over 20 years old |
hi z ˈlɪtl̩ ˈəʊvə ˈtwenti ˈjiəz əʊld | |
Híss lítel óver tuénti íers óuld |
|
makes one see things in another light |
ˈmeɪks wʌn ˈsiː ˈθɪŋz ɪn əˈnʌðə laɪt | |
Méiks wuán si zíngs ín anáder láit |
|
I think in a different way. |
ˈaɪ ˈθɪŋk ɪn ə ˈdɪfrənt ˈweɪ | |
Ái zínk ín á díferent wuéi |
|
Tell me |
tel miː | |
Tél mí |
|
does Dorian Gray affect you so much?’
|
dəz ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ əˈfekt ju ˈsəʊ ˈmʌtʃ | |
Dáss dórian gréi áfekt iu só mách? |
|
Yes, he replied after a silence |
jes | hi rɪˈplaɪd ˈɑːftər ə ˈsaɪləns | |
Íes, hí ríplaid áfter á sáilens |
|
I know he likes me. |
ˈaɪ nəʊ hi ˈlaɪks miː | |
Ái nóu hí láiks mí |
|
He is charming with me |
hi z ˈtʃɑːmɪŋ wɪð miː | |
Híss chárming wíz mí |
|
and we talk for days, in the studio, |
ənd wi ˈtɔːk fə deɪz | ɪn ðə ˈstjuːdɪəʊ | |
Ánd wuí tók fór déis, ín dé sstúdio |
|
although at times it seems that he enjoys hurting me. |
ɔːlˈðəʊ ət ˈtaɪmz ɪt ˈsiːmz ðət hi ɪnˈdʒɔɪz ˈhɜːtɪŋ miː | |
Áldou át táims ít síms dát hí enchóis hérting mí |
|
I think I have given my soul |
ˈaɪ ˈθɪŋk ˈaɪ həv ɡɪvn̩ maɪ səʊl | |
Ái zínk ái háv gíven mái sóul |
|
to a person who doesn’t appreciate it enough |
tu ə ˈpɜːsn̩ huː ˈdʌznt əˈpriːʃieɪt ɪt ɪˈnʌf | |
Tú a pérson hú dássent aprísheitit enáf |
|
My dear friend. |
maɪ dɪə ˈfrend | |
Máid dír frénd |
|
Now I remember… |
naʊ ˈaɪ rɪˈmembə | |
Náu ái rímember |
|
Remember what, Harry?
|
rɪˈmembə ˈwɒt | ˈhæri | |
Rímember wuát, hári |
|
Where I heard the name Dorian Gray!’
|
weər ˈaɪ hɜːd ðə ˈneɪm ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ ! |
Wuér ái hérd dé néim dórian gréi |
|
Where? asked the painter, a little angry.
|
weə?ˈɑːskt ðə ˈpeɪntə | ə ˈlɪtl̩ ˈæŋɡri | |
Wuér? Áskt dé péinter, á lítl ángri |
|
Don’t look at me like that, Basil. |
dəʊnt lʊk ət miː ˈlaɪk ðæt | ˈbæzl̩ | |
Dóunt lúk át mí láik dát, béissl |
|
It was at my aunt Agatha’s house |
ɪt wəz ət maɪ ɑːnt ˈæɡəθəɪz ˈhaʊs | |
Ít wuáss át mái óunt ágazass háus |
|
She told me that she had met a marvellous young man called Dorian Gray |
ʃi təʊld miː ðət ʃi həd met ə ˈmɑːvləs jʌŋ mæn kɔːld ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ | |
Shí tóuld mí dát shí had mét a márvelas íang mán kóld dórian gréi |
|
She didn’t tell me that he was beautiful. |
ʃi ˈdɪdnt tel miː ðət hi wəz ˈbjuːtəfl̩ | |
Shí dídnt tél dát hí wuás bíutifol |
|
She told me that he was very serious and was good-natured |
| ʃi təʊld miː ðət hi wəz ˈveri ˈsɪərɪəs ənd wəz ɡʊd ˈneɪtʃəd | |
Shí tóuld mí dát hí wuás véri sírias án wuás gúd neitsher |
|
I imagined a person with glasses, spots and enormous feet.
|
ˈaɪ ɪˈmædʒɪnd ə ˈpɜːsn̩ wɪð ˈɡlɑːsɪz | spɒts ənd ɪˈnɔːməs fiːt | |
Ái ímashind á pérson wuíss glásess, spóts ánd énormas fiit |
|
I don’t want you to meet him said Basil
|
ˈaɪ dəʊnt wɒnt ju tə miːt ɪm ˈsed ˈbæzl̩ | |
Áid dóunt wuánt iú tú mít hím séd béisl |
|
You don’t want me to meet him?
|
ju dəʊnt wɒnt miː tə miːt ɪm | |
Iu dóunt wuánt mí to mitim? |
|
No. |
nəʊ | |
Nóu |
|
Mister Dorian Gray is in the studio, sir |
ˈmɪstə ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ z ɪn ðə ˈstjuːdɪəʊ | sɜː | |
Míster dórian gréi íss ín dé sstudio, sér |
|
said the butler, coming into the garden.
|
ˈsed ðə ˈbʌtlə | ˈkʌmɪŋ ˈɪntə ðə ˈɡɑːdn̩ | |
Séd dé bátlet, káming intú dé gárden |
|
Well, now you will have to introduce him to me |
wel | naʊ ju wl̩ həv tu ˌɪntrəˈdjuːs ɪm tə miː | |
Wuél, naú iú wuíl háv tú íntrodus him tú mí |
|
Basil looked at Lord Henry.
|
ˈbæzl̩ ˈhɒlwərd lʊkt ət lɔːd ˈhenri | |
Béissl hálwuard lúkt át lórd hénri |
|
Dorian Gray is my dear friend, he said. |
ˈdɔːiən ɡreɪ z maɪ dɪə ˈfrend | hi ˈsed | |
Dórian gréi íss mái dír frénd, hí séd |
|
He has a pure and simple nature. |
hi həz ə pjʊər ənd ˈsɪmpl̩ ˈneɪtʃə | |
Hí hás á píur ánd símpel néisher |
|
You would be a bad influence. |
ju wʊd bi ə bæd ˈɪnflʊəns | |
Íu wúd bí a bád ínfluens |
|
The world is big and there are many interesting people. |
ðə wɜːld z bɪɡ ənd ðər ɑː ˈmeni ˈɪntrəstɪŋ ˈpiːpl̩ | |
Dé wuórld íss bíg ánd dér ár méni íntresting pípol |
|
Don’t take him away from me. |
dəʊnt teɪk ɪm əˈweɪ frəm miː | |
Dóun téikim ówuei fróm mí |
|
My life as an artist depends on him. |
maɪ laɪf əz ən ˈɑːtɪst dɪˈpendz ɒn ɪm | |
Mái láif áss án ártist dípendss ónim |
|
Please take it into account. I confide in you.
|
pliːz teɪk ɪt ˈɪntə əˈkaʊnt | ˈaɪ kənˈfaɪd ɪn ju |
Plíss téikit íntu ákáunt ái kónfaid ín iú |
|
Don’t talk rubbish’ replied Lord Henry |
dəʊnt ˈtɔːk ˈrʌbɪʃ rɪˈplaɪd lɔːd ˈhenri | |
Dóun tók rábish ríplaid lórd henri |
|
who took Hallward by the arm |
huː tʊk ˈhɒlwərd baɪ ði ɑːm | |
Hú túk hálwuard bái dí árm |
|
and led him into the house. |
ənd xxx ɪm ˈɪntə ðə ˈhaʊs | |
Ánd led íntu dé háus |
Quiz Lesson 3
1) What are some of the sounds that are difficult for Spanish speakers?
a) The schwa sound.
b) v, f, t, c, s, d
c) y, i, v, w, sh, able
d) They are all difficult
2) What is connected speech?
a) The linking of words in a sentence
b) When you connect one paragraph with another
c) When the meaning of a text has a special impact in the reader
d) There is no such a term in English
3) Try to speak with the right sounds
a) It’s not possible if you are not native
b) Means emphasizing consonants, using the schwa sound, speaking with a softer tone, trying to give English the intonation a native English speaker gives to Spanish
c) Memorising a list of sounds like the one an the beginning of this lesson
d) Imitating the accent the native speakers have
c) You repeat them so often that they won’t sound unfamiliar any longer
d) You make a sentence yours
4) What accent should you imitate?
a) British
b) American
c) The accent your more familiar with
d) You can’t imitate accents when you speak English as a second language
5) What is the schwa sound?
a) A German sound
b) The most common sound in the English language
c) It doesn’t exist
d) It appears in long sentences
2 comentarios
Hello Monica, ¡thank you very much for the lesson 3!
I started this course three weeks ago and it is very useful to improve my English.
I really appreciate your time and all the effort to share your knowledge with us.
Thanks and best regards!
Thank you very much for your nice comment Ross. I hope you can take advantage of this course.