Practice for Understanding FAST-TALKING English - Listening Exercise

In this lesson, you're going to improve your listening skills of fast English, and you're

going to learn how to sound more natural, more like an American.

And you'll do that in only 10 minutes.

Welcome back to JForrest English.

I'm Jennifer.

Now let's get started.

Here's how this lesson will work.

I'm going to say a sentence three times, and you need to write down exactly what you hear

in the comments.

After, I'll explain what I said, and I'll explain the pronunciation changes that take

place in fast English, and I'll explain the natural expressions that I used.

Are you ready for your first listening test?

I'll say it three times.

She's leaps and bounds more qualified than him.

She's leaps and bounds more qualified than him.

She's leaps and bounds more qualified than him.

I said she's leaps and bounds more qualified than him.

Notice the contraction.

She's This is she is the verb to be.

Native speakers will always contract this.

She's she's.

Let's talk about leaps and bounds.

Notice how bounds the D is not pronounced.

Bounds bounce and here when we have and between 2 words, you can reduce that just to MMM leaps

and bounds Leaps and leaps and bounds Leaps and bounds.

She's leaps and bounds more qualified than him.

Notice how you don't hear the H on him, then M, then him.

But if we want to combine those sounds together and say it like one word, then M, then M,

then M Let's talk about what this means.

She's more qualified than him.

You understand that when I add leaps and bounds, Leaps and bounds, this is a modifier.

It makes more qualified stronger.

So it sounds like greatly more qualified.

A lot more more qualified, and it can also mean quickly if that's the context.

But in this context it's a modifier that means greatly.

So you can say I've improved my English by leaps and bounds.

By leaps and bounds here.

Notice how you have to include the word by.

I've improved my English, and you want to modify that improve to make it sound stronger.

I've improved my English by leaps and bounds, so write that in the comments if you feel

like my lessons are helping you improve your English by leaps and bounds.

Jennifer, I've improved my English by leaps and bounds.

Put that in the comments.

It's leaps and bounds ahead of mine, which you are just progressing by leaps and bounds.

Perchacon has grown by leaps and bounds.

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

Is the agenda set in stone?

Is the agenda set in stone?

Is the agenda set in stone?

I said.

Is the agenda set in stone?

First, let's talk about the agenda.

Notice how I let have that long E sound the agenda, because agenda starts with a vowel.

This is not a rule that native speakers always follow.

I could equally say the agenda, the agenda, the agenda.

So if you hear both, it's just not something a native speaker always does.

Let's talk about set in stone.

Notice we have a T between 2 vowels, so we can pronounce that T as a soft D set set in

set in din.

So I take that sound and I connect it to the next word in and it sounds like din, din set

in, set in, set in stone.

And I'll say all three of those words together, because they're an expression.

The expression is to be set in stone.

In our example, the verb to be is is.

It starts the sentence because the sentence is in question form.

Is the agenda set in stone.

To be set in stone.

When something is set in stone, in this case the agenda, it's in a state that is very difficult,

if not impossible to change.

So the agenda could be set in stone because all the speakers are confirmed.

You've booked the hotel room, you've already paid for the hotel room, people have already

booked their ticket to come to the event.

So it's difficult, if not impossible to change any aspects of the agenda.

It's set in stone.

We commonly use this expression in the negative to say our plans aren't set in stone.

If I say that to you, it means that I can change my plans.

So perhaps I told you what my plans are and then you want to do something different.

I can say, oh don't worry, our plans aren't set in stone, so it's saying I can change

my plans.

My plans are flexible, so you can use this both in the positive or the negative.

Because nothing set in stone set set in stone.

These nicknames, are they set in stone?

Let's try this again.

I'll say it three times.

I was tossing and turning all night.

I was tossing and turning all night.

I was tossing and turning all night.

Did you get this one?

I said I was tossing and turning all night.

We have and so remember, same thing as before.

Tossing in.

I can change that to, but I have to connect it to the word before tossing and tossing

and turning.

So I will say all three tossing and turning as one word.

Tossing and turning, tossing and turning, tossing and turning.

Now commonly a native speaker will drop the G sound on tossing, ING, and just say tossing,

tossing.

I personally don't do this, but many native speakers do Tossing, tossing, tossing, But

same thing.

You have that sound tossing and turning, tossing and turning, or like I said, tossing and turning,

tossing and turning.

The pronunciation is quite clear, but if you don't know what this means, you won't know

how to communicate.

With a native speaker, I was tossing and turning all night to toss and turn.

This is used to say you had a very restless sleep and you were moving a lot.

That is the tossing and turning.

That's the movement.

You were moving a lot while you were sleeping, so you had a restless sleep.

If you were tossing and turning all night, it means you had a restless sleep.

So it means right now you're tired.

You could say sorry, I'm yawning so much.

I tossed and turned all night and that means you had a terrible sleep.

So now you're tired.

That's what's got you tossing and turning.

He's always tossing and turning men.

Then I spend all night tossing and turning, trying to figure out what I should have said.

Are you ready for your next listening exercise?

I'll say it three times.

Just give it a go and see.

Just give it a go and see.

Just give it a go and see.

Did you get this one?

I said.

Just give it a go.

And see, let's talk about, give it.

We can combine these together.

And I'm going to use a sound.

Give it vit, vit, give it, give it.

So that's how I can see these two words as one.

Give it.

And I'll do the same thing with a go.

I'll just pronounce it as one.

Word ago Give it a go.

Give it a go.

Give it a go.

Just give it a go and see what does this mean?

To give something I'll go simply means to try something.

So if I say just.

Give it a go.

I'm saying just try it.

Maybe your friend invited you to go dancing, but you don't know how to dance, I could say.

Just give it a go.

Now here that it is dancing, so I could say just give dancing a go.

Just give dancing a go.

Remember in the original example it was just give.

It a go and see here this C represents and see what happens.

See what happens when you try dancing.

Maybe you are really good at it, or maybe you're not very good at it, but you had so

much fun you don't even care that you weren't good at it.

So if you send me a message and say, Jennifer, I'm not sure if I can give a presentation

in English.

I'll say to you, just give it a go.

So I want you to write in the comments right now, Jennifer, I'll give it a go.

I'll give it a go.

Put that in the comments, Jennifer, I'll give it a go.

I'll give it a go.

Let's give it a go.

Let's give it a go and see what the future brings.

Let's try this one more time.

I'll say it three times.

We have a lot riding on this pitch.

We have a lot riding on this pitch.

We have a lot riding on this pitch.

I said we have a lot riding on this pitch.

Notice when I said the sentence fast, I did not contract.

We have, I didn't say we've a lot.

We've a lot riding on this pitch.

I didn't say that.

I said we have.

We have a lot riding on this pitch.

That's because in American English, we do not contract have when have is the main verb.

We only contract have when it's an auxiliary verb.

I could change this and say we've got we've got a lot riding on this pitch.

In this case, have is the auxiliary verb.

Got is the main verb.

So I can form that contraction.

We have, we've we've got, we've got a lot riding on this pitch.

You're probably wondering what this means.

When you have a lot riding on something, it means that something, whatever the something

is, is extremely important to your success, whatever success means to you Now, in this

case, the something is this pitch.

This pitch is extremely important to this person's overall success.

What does this pitch mean?

In the business world, a pitch is a presentation, but the purpose is to convince someone to

do something or to buy something.

So it's extremely important that this pitch, this presentation, is successful, and it's

extremely important for the person's overall success, likely their career success.

To use a previous expression that you learned, I was tossing and turning all night thinking

about this pitch.

My career is riding on it.

Everything is riding on it.

Everything is riding on this pitch.

So much rides on this.

Now let's do an imitation exercise so you can practice this pronunciation.

So I'm going to say each sentence again, but I want you to say the sentence out loud.

And then we'll repeat that three times.

So let's do that now.

She's leaps and bounds more qualified than him.

She's leaps and bounds more qualified than him.

She's leaps and bounds more qualified than him.

Is the agenda set in stone?

Is the agenda set in stone?

Is the agenda set in stone?

I was tossing and turning all night.

I was tossing and turning all night.

I was tossing and turning all night.

Just.

Give it a go and see.

Just give it a go and see.

Just give it a go and see.

We have a lot riding on this pitch.

We have a lot riding on this pitch.

We have a lot riding on this pitch.

So did you like this lesson?

Do you want me to make more lessons just like this?

If you do, then put give it a go, give it a go, put give it a go in the comments.

So I know you want lessons just like this.

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And you can get this free speaking guide where I share 6 tips on how to speak English fluently

and confidently so you're not tossing and turning before your interview, presentation

or language exam.

So make sure you get this.

It's free.

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

And why don't you keep improving your vocabulary with this lesson.

I know you'll love it, so give it a go.