Review previous lessons
May 18, 2020
Lesson 3/5 45min
Hello Michael,
Today we'll talk about business emails and expressions.
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/business-english/english-for-emails
May 14, 2020
Lesson 2/5 45min
Hello Michael!
Today we'll work on conditionals again.
https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar_list/if.htm
May 7, 2020
Lesson 1/5 45min
Hello Michael!
This time we'll work on the Financial Times lesson about bankers' trying to rebrand themselves!
May 4, 2020
Lesson 5/5+5 45min
Hello Michael!
This lesson we'll work on the Financial Times lesson about bankers' trying to rebrand themselves.
For more discussion: articles about UK banking culture and social classes.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1609/160906-job-interview.html
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1304/130406-class_system.html
Here is some advice from different sources about understanding Indian accents.
Some people from the Bengal region have great trouble in making the "V" sound, it comes out sounding like an aspirated "B".
Indian languages are syllable-timed. Native English is stress-timed. These terms refer to how the units of speech are divided up according to the flow of time, comparable to the way musical notes are scored according to measure and time signatures. These are two very different ways of allocating speech sound to time measurements.
Indian English is spoken syllable-timed, which is the main reason it's difficult to understand for anyone not used to hearing this.
You are used to English spoken stress-timed, my suggestion is to consciously focus in on each syllable and train yourself to hear the actual speech sounds being pronounced, and to forget for the moment about trying to catch the stresses.
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One of the things I've noticed most consistently is that the people I've known who speak with an Indian accent usually put the accent on a different syllable. So instead of "IM pro vise", it would be "im PRO vise". Once you start to catch on to the accenting of words, it becomes easier to followe a sentence. I'm usually a step behind, whenever I hear someone with a thick accent, as I'm "translating" their sentences in my head.
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There are two reasons why it is hard.
1. You pronounce words incorrectly. It is more than accent. When you pronounce words, certain parts need to be accentuated, and you are doing it wrong.
2. To add to the problem, Indians tend to speak very fast and to link words together that should be
pronounced separately. That makes it even harder.
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Here's a thread that will hopefully make understanding the Indian accent a little easier:
1. the W sounds like V. For example, "which" is pronounced "vich" and "well" is pronounced "vell".
2. accenting the wrong part of the word: "component" is pronounced "COM-ponent".
3. H is pronounced "etch"
4. If there are 2 of the same number together, for example 122345, they will say one, double two, three...
5. They don't seem to know the NATO phonetic alphabet and use words they know, like e for elephant, m for mumbai
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Practice listening: You will understand your Hindi colleagues if you listen to Hindi English:
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhXoUvdy1yo
This article is from an Indian newspaper article which has a short glossary at the end:
Read: https://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120603/spectrum/book1.htm
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORygIa6ytr8
this Bollywood movie.
Watch this tedtalk about hemp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGGPaROSifQ
Listen to the online tone generator read anything with a Hindi accent. Choose the language below French:
http://onlinetonegenerator.com/voice-generator.html
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The "r" sound is rolled
The "t" and "d" sounds are pronounced with the tongue too far back in the mouth. For example, the
word "to" will sound like "do", and the word "tell" will sound like the word "dell".
The voice "th" sound is usually pronounced like "d". The word "the" may sound like "duh", and the word "that" may sound like "dat".
Apr 30, 2020
Lesson 4/5 45min
Hello Michael!
Today our focus is grammar again.
We'll practice the conditionals on Hilfen.
https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/alle_grammar.htm
Apr 27, 2020
Lesson 3/5 45min
Hi Michael,
Have you heard about that some bankers are trying to change their image?
For more discussion, BNE has an article about banking culture.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1609/160906-job-interview.html
Apr 23, 2020
Lesson 2/5 45 Min
Hello Michael!
This time our focus is grammar. When do we use except and besides?
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/ae/azar/grammar_ex/message_board/archive/articles/00004.htm
Also, we'll practice the conditionals on Perfect English Grammar.
Apr 20, 2020
Lesson 1/5 45 Min
Hello Michael!
Our topic today concerns a waterfall in Yosemite's National Park
And we can also talk about Richard Branson and a waterfall
Apr 16, 2020
Lesson 5/5 45 Min
Hello Michael,
Love it or hate it, Marmite is having a massive foodie moment. Chefs are adding it to everything!
If we have time:
Breaking News English on British food:
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/0504/050422-britishfood.html
From Project Britain: