English_with_Barry

where language learners hangout and speak

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on Telegram for more info and my Tandem class and discussion schedule. If you close your vocal cords, you stop the flow of air. In linguistics, this is called a glottal stop. Listen:Uh, oh. Uh, oh. Uh, oh. Hear the break in the sound after “Uh”? That’s a glottal stop. Repeat it with me some more and pay attention to how it sounds and how it feels.Uh, oh. Uh, oh. Uh, oh, Uh, oh. Uh, oh. Uh, oh.Uh, oh. You spilled your milk. Uh, oh. I think the police are coming. Let’s get out of here!Here are two words commonly pronounced with a glottal stop:Mountain, fountain, mountain, fountain.The stop replaces the “t” sound. Here’s how it sounds with the T pronounced:Mountain, fountain, mountain, fountain.And here they are with the stop, which is how it is usually pronounced:Mountain, fountain, mountain, fountain.Let’s practice:I climbed a mountain and found a fountain at the top.The expression “to cut and run” means to leave quickly. The robber told the lookout: “Tell us if you…

where language learners hangout and speak

Fixed expressions are little English phrases that native speakers use all the time. If I were in your shoes, I would learn lots of fixed expressions.For variety, this podcast uses several synthetic voices to read the sentences. 1. The fact that she speaks five languages doesn't mean she's qualified to be president. 2. The fact that I just saw a rat means we're not eating dinner in this restaurant. 3. The fact that our next door neighbor owns three cars proves that he has more money than sense.4. On the way to work, a bird flew into my car.5. On the way to Paris, our plane developed engine trouble.6. On the way to the beach, it started to rain cats and dogs.7. To my amazement, dinner was ready and waiting for me when I got home.8. To his amazement, he got a perfect score on his physics exam.9. To our amazement, the storm passed by quickly and the weather was perfect for our picnic.10. To their amazement, their new film won first prize at the film festival.Plea for support... I need help keeping wadjasay available.…