Speak English with Me (Improve Your English Speaking Skills!)

Hello my wonderful students.

Today I'll share a cute and romantic short story.

And from this you're going to  improve your English speaking skills.

You're going to learn natural vocabulary,  advanced grammar, and correct pronunciation.

You'll improve all of these areas  because you're going to repeat after me.

This is going to be a fun and interactive lesson.

Welcome back to JForrest English, of course.

I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Here's how this lesson will work.

I'm going to read a short section of the story,  

and then we'll discuss some  vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

And then you'll repeat after me.

Here we go with the first section.

It was a glorious and colorful autumn  when we walked by the coffee shop.

She giggled and pulled me inside, saying,  come on, let's get some pumpkin spice.

It was a glorious.

Notice that pronunciation.

Glorious.

There are three sounds.

Glorious, glorious.

Repeat after me.

Glorious.

Wonderful.

Glorious is an adjective that  means deserving admiration.

So they're saying autumn,  which is another word for fall.

Fall is more common in North America.

Deserves admiration.

It was a glorious and colorful autumn.

Repeat after me.

It was a glorious and colorful autumn.

Great.

Let's look at giggled.

Do you know what this means?

To giggle is a verb, and it means to laugh, but  it can mean to laugh in a silly, cute or rude way.

So it really depends on the context.

You can tell from this story  that it isn't a rude way.

It might be rude to giggle.

If you're in a classroom and the  teacher is giving a presentation or  

teaching and you're giggling during  the, that could be considered rude.

But in this context it sounds like it's cute.

Let's look at the pronunciation.

Giggled.

Old.

So notice that Ed is pronounced  as a very soft D Giggled.

Repeat after me.

Giggled, giggled.

Excellent.

Now the full sentence.

She giggled and pulled me inside.

Repeat.

Wonderful.

How about this word?

Come on.

What does that mean?

Have you seen this spelled before?

C apostrophe Mon?

Come on.

This is the short form of writing.

Come on, come on.

Notice the pronunciation in the abbreviated form,  

which is very common in spoken English,  or in a text message in informal English.

Come on, cut.

So instead of saying come, I'm saying cut.

Come on, repeat after me.

Come on, come on.

This is an informal way to urge  someone to do something in the story.

Come on, let's get some pumpkin spice.

Pumpkin spice is, of course a type  of coffee flavored like pumpkin,  

which is extremely popular in  North America in fall, autumn.

Come on, let's get some pumpkin spice.

I'm urging you to get pumpkin spice with me.

Come on, let's get some spice.

Repeat.

Excellent.

I could urge you and say come  on, we're going to be late.

So I'm urging you to leave or to start moving.

Come on, come on, repeat that.

Come on.

Excellent.

Let's move on.

In our story, I don't like  coffee, and I never did.

But when she handed me my cup and  looked into my eyes while I tried it,  

it was the best thing I'd ever tasted.

Let's practice handed me my native speakers.

We speak fast because we combine sounds together.

So our first sound is handed.

We have that did handed me, my, handed me  my try that handed me my one more time.

Handed me my excellent.

Now to hand someone something is  simply to give someone something.

Looked into my eyes.

Let's practice combining these together.

The Ed on looked is pronounced as a soft T repeat.

Looked looked excellent.

Looked into, looked into repeat.

Looked into, Looked into my eyes.

Notice that yeah sound helps link to the vowel.

My eyes repeat that.

My eyes, My eyes looked into my eyes.

Repeat.

Excellent.

Now of course you can look into someone's  eyes, because this is a very poetic story.

I would probably say gazed into my eyes.

To gaze into one's eyes is to  look deeply or with admiration.

Notice that pronunciation.

Gaze.

Gaze.

Repeat.

Gaze.

Gaze.

She gazed into my eyes.

Repeat.

She gazed into my eyes.

Excellent.

Let's look at I'd ever tasted  because we have that contraction.

I'd ever tasted.

What does I'd?

What word is that?

What verb tense is this I had ever tasted?

And this is what verb tense?

The past perfect?

That pronunciation of the  contraction I'd the the a  

very soft D I'd I'd repeat that  I'd I'd I'd ever tasted excellent.

Grammatically, you can also use the present  perfect and you would also use a contraction.

Was the best thing I've ever tasted, I have ever  tasted this is the present perfect and in the  

contraction it's I've, I've, repeat, I've I've  ever tasted, I'd ever tasted, I've ever tasted.

Notice a very subtle difference,  

but a native speaker hears that difference  and knows what vertence is being used.

Let's continue our story as we walk  through the park with our drinks.

A light drizzle began to fall.

She pulled out an umbrella from  her bag and I pulled out my hood.

Let's review Walked.

Notice that's also a soft tee.

Walked, Walked.

Excellent.

Repeat the sentence as we walked through the park.

Excellent.

Drizzle.

Oh, I hear a lot of pronunciation mistakes.

Drizzle.

Repeat after me.

Drizzle.

ZO.

Drizzle.

Drizzle.

Practice that.

Now, what is drizzle?

It's rain in very small or light drops.

So light rain.

Very light rain.

Let's practice this in a sentence.

It's been drizzling, drizzling.

Let's try just that Word.

Drizzling, drizzling.

It's been drizzling all day.

Repeat, it's been drizzling all day.

Great job.

Keep practicing that.

Let's review.

Pulled out.

Notice it ends in a soft D, but because  I have a vowel, I combine those together.

Pulled out, pulled out, repeat, pulled out.

She pulled out an umbrella.

This means she took out an umbrella or  she removed an umbrella from her bag.

Let's practice that.

She pulled out an umbrella.

Now notice we also have pulled up.

Same thing.

Duh.

A softy.

And then we transfer it to up.

Pulled up dub.

Pulled up, pulled up.

I pulled up my hood.

This means I raised my hood  and you can also use put up.

I put up my hood.

Repeat after me.

I pulled up my hood.

I pulled up my hood.

Excellent.

Let's continue with our story.

Don't be silly, She giggled, pulling  me under the umbrella with her.

I couldn't help but laugh too.

Her laugh was infectious.

Don't be silly.

This is used to say that's not a good idea.

Silly is an adjective.

Listen to that pronunciation.

Silly, Silly.

Repeat, silly, Silly.

Don't be silly.

Don't be silly.

Great one to have in your vocabulary.

Maybe.

You say to me, Jennifer, should  I study for six hours a day?

And I say, don't be silly,  One hour per day is enough.

Let's look at the sentence structure of  I couldn't help but what do we have next?

A base verb.

This means you're unable to resist the action.

So in the story it means she  wasn't able to resist laughing.

She had to laugh.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Hopefully you say I couldn't help but  subscribe after I watched this video.

And hopefully you can't resist subscribing.

You must subscribe because you enjoyed this  video so much, so make sure you subscribe.

Let's review INFECTIOUS.

Notice that three sounds in fact shiss infectious,  and the syllable stress is on the 2nd syllable.

Repeat after me, infectious, infectious.

This is an adjective, and in the story  it means her laugh made me want to laugh.

Her laugh was infectious.

You might say your enthusiasm is infectious.

This means seeing your enthusiasm  makes me want to be more enthusiastic.

The sentence structure is something, the verb  to be conjugated with the something infectious.

Let's review the next part of the story.

As the sun started to shine again,  she pulled me down to sit on a bench.

She beamed down at me, and I  could only gaze back adoringly.

Let's practice combining sounds together.

Beam down at me, a native speaker will say.

Beam down at me.

Beam down at me.

Repeat, Beam down at me.

Beam down at me.

Notice because we have beamed in the Ed,  

but it's a very soft D and because down  begins with adi, don't pronounce it.

Because if I pronounce beam down together,  

that D will be for both of them and I take that  N sound and I transfer it to smooth those out.

Beam down at me one more time.

Beam down at me.

Excellent.

To beam down at someone is to smile  warmly or adoringly at someone.

You could also say the sun was beaming down on me,  

which means the sun was shining  on you directly or strongly.

We already talked about gaze.

Listen here.

Gaze back adoringly again.

This means to look deeply at  someone with love or admiration.

Let's practice adoringly.

Notice that syllable stress on adore.

Adoringly, ingly, adoringly.

Repeat after me.

Adoringly, adoringly, let's practice the sentence.

I could only gaze back  adoringly, repeat one more time.

I could only gaze back adoringly.

Great job.

And that's the end of our story.

Did you enjoy this lesson?

Do you want me to review more stories  to help you improve your fluency?

If you do, then put more stories, more  stories, Put more stories in the comments.

And of course, make sure you like this video,  

share it with your friends and subscribe so  you're notified every time I post a new lesson.

And you can get this free speaking  guide where I share 6 tips on how  

to speak English fluently and confidently.

You can click here to download it or  look for the link in the description.

And I have another short story I know you'll  love, so make sure you watch it right now.