Hi guys! Welcome back to English with Max.
Today I'm doing a video on words that you might be saying incorrectly. Who knows? Maybe
you already know how to say all of these words. Or maybe you just have difficulties with one
or two of them. In any case, please let me know down in the comments. Are they easy?
Or do you struggle with some of them?
I should also remind you that I'm Australian. Some people have been asking me about my accent.
It is an Australian accent, but it is not a typical or a strong Australian accent. It's
quite a "neutral" accent, so to speak. So my pronunciation is very close to British
pronunciation. However, if I think that the American pronunciation is rather different,
I will try to point it out to you.
OK, the first word is: pronunciation.
I know this is confusing because the verb is "pronounce". So there is an "o" before
the "u". But in the noun, there is no "o" in that position. So we have "pronunciation"
and not "pronounciation".
The second word is: country. Some people get this wrong because there's an "o" in front
of the "u", so some people will pronounce it "cownt-ry" or "contry". But, and this is
where the video gets a little bit R-rated - I'll just cover Frank's ears - the first
part of the word is actually pronounced like this: cunt. "Cunt" is also known as the "C word"
in English, because it is considered by most people to be the strongest swear word
in the English language. Now, I don't recommend that you use this word,
because you could easily offend not only the person you're talking to, but also the people
around you. However, if it helps you to remember the pronunciation of "country", that's awesome.
Some people pronounce the "t" quite clearly, so they will say "counTry", whereas other
people say it more like a "ch". So they say "counCHry". "CounTry" or "counCHry" -
either one is correct.
Speaking of countries, the third word is: Australia.
It's very important, isn't it, Frank?
Lots of people pronounce the second "a" as an "uh", so they will say "Austruhlia". But
you have to remember that the second "a" is just like the "ay" in "day". So we say: Australia.
The fourth word is: series.
Some people try to add an additional vowel sound in there. So they'll say something like
"ser-i-ehs", but you have to remember that there are only two syllables in this word,
so it is "se-ries". What also confuses some people is that there is an "s" at the end.
And normally in English, if there is an "s" at the end of a noun, it is, of course, plural.
But "series" has an "s" whether it's plural or singular. So you can say: "That is my favourite series."
The next word is: chaos.
This isn't pronounced "cah-os" or "chay-os". This is "chaos".
The sixth word is: thermometer. What's a thermometer? This is a thermometer. We use it to check
people's temperature when they are sick to see if they have a fever.
Do you have a fever, Frank? Of course, you don't have to just put it in the mouth, you
can put it in other places.
Even really advanced speakers of English sometimes get this word wrong. It's normally the stress
that they will get wrong. The stress is the weight that you put on a syllable. So I've
heard people say "THERmo-meter", instead of "thermOmeter". "Thermometer" is the British
pronunciation, and the American pronunciation is "thermometer".
The next word is also often used in a medical context. This word is: syringe. This is a syringe.
Be careful of the "y" in this word. It's not pronounced "sai-ringe", it is "syringe".
Word number 8 is: ocean. Yes, this is quite a simple word, but I think because the word
is very similar in other languages, some people try to say it in a way that they would probably
say it in their language. So sometimes you hear "osayahn". Remember that this word is "ocean".
The next word is: Italian. Some of you might be thinking: "How is that hard?" But lots
of people actually pronounce the second vowel, so the first "a", as an "uh" instead of "a".
So they say "Ituhlian". But just remember that it's "Italian". Some native speakers
do say "Aitalian", but it's much more common to say "Italian".
And the last word for today, and we've already heard it when I was talking about the thermometer,
is: temperature. In British English, we pretend that the second "e" isn't there. We say "temprature".
In American English you have a choice. Some Americans say "temprature" and some say "temperature".
In any case, in American English you pronounce the "r" at the end of the word.
That is it, ladies and gentlemen. How did you go? Have you been saying these words right?
Let me know in the comments section down below. Please also give me a thumbs up if you liked
the video, and don't forget to subscribe if you want to be updated on more videos.
You can also contact me at my Facebook page, on Twitter, and I also recently got Instagram.
See ya next time!
You gonna say bye, Frank?
Bye bye.