Welcome back to JForrest English.
I'm Jennifer and I have a question for you.
Do you ever struggle to understand fast speaking native English speakers on TV, movies, YouTube
are outside of the classroom?
Well, if you do, then this is the lesson for you because you are going to practice your
listening skills of fast English so you can improve and understand native speakers the
first time.
Let's get started.
Here are your instructions for the entire lesson.
I am going to say a sentence three times.
You need to listen to that sentence and write down exactly what you hear in the comments.
After, I'll explain what I said, and you can learn the pronunciation changes that take
place in fast English.
And you can also learn the advanced expressions that I use and that native speakers commonly
use.
So let's get started with the first listening exercise.
I'll say it three times.
We should have had a backup plan.
I said we should have had a backup plan.
Let's talk about the pronunciation.
Notice I said we should have, We should have had, should have native speakers.
We combine this to sound like shoulda, shoulda.
Notice that L is silent.
Shoulda shoulda we shoulda we shoulda had should have had we shoulda had a backup plan.
Let's take a look at the linking between back up.
This is how native speakers combine sounds.
So two separate words will sound like one word backup backup.
So we take the sound from back the last sound and we transfer it to the next sound up the
cup.
But you have to combine those sounds together.
So it sounds like one word backup, backup, backup plan, backup plan.
We should have had a backup plan.
Now what is a backup plan?
A backup plan is an alternative plan that you can use if your original plan fails.
Let's say you're going to present at a conference or a meeting.
So you bring your computer and your presentation is on the computer.
That's your original plan.
That's plan A, but it's always smart to have a backup plan.
This could be your backup plan.
You can put your presentation on a USB A memory stick.
So if there's any issues with your computer, you have a plan BA backup plan.
And then you can say my computer wouldn't connect to their equipment.
But thankfully I had my presentation on a USB.
Thankfully I had a backup plan.
Let's try this again.
I'll say it three times.
Her comment really ****** me off.
I said her comment really ****** me off.
Let's look at the pronunciation of ****** because here this is an EDA past simple verb.
But the sound of that Ed is a very soft T ****** ******.
Now, when we say this in a sentence and there are words that come after you almost don't
hear that T, so you can't really distinguish that it's in the past.
Simple.
It's the context of the sentence that will make it obvious that it is the past.
Her comment really ****** me off.
Now what does this mean to **** someone off?
This means to make someone really angry.
Now note that this is an informal expression, and it can also be considered impolite.
It would be considered impolite if your name is Mark and I said Mark, You're really ******* me
off.
That would be impolite, but native speakers commonly use this to complain about people.
So I could be talking to my husband or my best friend and say Mark really ****** me
off today.
In that context, it's not impolite, but it would be impolite to look directly at someone
and say you really **** me off.
So don't do that.
Now we also use this in the structure to be ****** ***.
The pronunciation is the same ****** *** to be ****** ***.
This is simply to be really angry.
For example, I was so ****** *** when I came home to a completely dirty house even though
my kids promised to clean up after the party.
Do you want to do another listening exercise?
I'll say it three times.
Take what she says with a grain of salt.
I said take what she says with a grain of salt here.
The pronunciation is clear, but if you don't know what this idiom means, then you won't
understand it.
So the idiom is to take something with a grain of salt.
We use this to say that you shouldn't believe everything someone tells you because it might
not be true.
So let's say your friend tells you that, oh, Gina says she'll help me move this weekend.
But from your experience, Gina likes to make a lot of promises, but she doesn't always
follow up with those promises.
She doesn't always fulfill those promises.
Then you might say, take what she says with a grain of salt.
You're letting your friend know that Gina might not actually do what she says.
And let's focus on the grammar here.
What do you notice about this sentence?
Take what she says with a grain of salt.
What verb tense is this?
In?
We're using the imperative.
Take is in the imperative because the sentence begins with a base verb.
There's no subject here.
That's how you can identify the imperative.
And the imperative is used to give instructions, orders, or suggestions.
So I'm suggesting that my friend take what she says with a grain of salt.
Your next listening exercise.
I'll say it three times.
It's high time we let her go.
It's high time we let her go, I said.
It's high time we let her her go for pronunciation.
Let's talk about let her go, let her go here.
Notice how her sounds like her.
You don't hear the age her, but I also attach it to the word before, so I link those sounds
together.
Letter.
Let her go.
It's high time we let her go.
Let's look at the expression.
It's high time.
When you say it's high time that something should happen, you're saying that something
should happen now and not later.
And when you use this expression, you also suggest that it should have already happened.
So we should have.
We shoulda already let her go, but we didn't.
So we should do it now because it's high time we let her go.
And in my opinion, it's high time that you enrolled in the Finally Fluent Academy.
It's high time you should have already done this.
You should have already done this, but maybe you haven't.
So you should do it now and not later.
What's the Finally Fluent Academy?
Well, this is my premium training program where we study native English speakers on
TV, movies, YouTube and the news, so you can improve your listening skills of fast English
and add the most common expressions to your speech.
So we do exactly what you're doing now, but you use native speakers from TV, movies, YouTube,
so you get a variety of different accents and styles of speech.
Plus, you'll have me as your teacher and I'll be there to coach you every step of the way.
So it's high time you join the Finally Fluent Academy and you can look for the link in the
description to learn more.
Coming back to our example is high time you let her go.
Now to let someone go.
This is an alternative way of saying to fire someone.
When you fire someone, they permanently stop working for the company.
So when you let someone go, they permanently stop working for the company.
It's high time we let her go.
Remember, you're suggesting you should let her go a while ago, so now you better do it.
Let's do one last listening exercise.
I'll say it three times.
He looked a little frazzled.
He looked a little frazzled, I said.
He looked a little frazzled.
Let's talk about pronunciation a little little.
Native speakers, we don't pronounce t's between 2 vowels.
It will be either a very soft D little duh duh little duh, or you just won't hear it.
Lil Lil a little, a little and notice the ah is connected to it.
A little, a little, a little, he looked.
A little frazzled, Frazzled here.
It's a past simple Ed verb, but the pronunciation is a very soft D and you almost don't hear
it.
Frazzled.
Very soft, frazzled, frazzled.
To be frazzled or to look frazzled.
This is when you are or look very tired, but you also look very worried or anxious.
So I might look frazzled if you see me, and normally my hair is nice and in a nice position,
but you see me and my hair is crazy.
I have makeup a little bit under my eyes.
Maybe my shirt is a little messy as well, and visibly you can see that I might.
Look frazzled and then obviously I'll look very tired and maybe like very worried and
anxious.
So you might see it visibly in my appearance, and you can see it on my facial expression
as well.
So if you see a coworker that looks frazzled, you might say are you OK?
You look a little frazzled.
Amazing job improving your listening skills of fast English.
Now let's improve your pronunciation.
Let's do an imitation exercise.
I'm going to say each sentence again, but I'm going to pause.
And then I want you to repeat this sentence out loud and try to follow my pronunciation
exactly.
So try to imitate my pronunciation and I'll say each sentence three times.
So I want you to repeat it out loud three times.
We should have had a backup plan.
Her comment really ****** me off.
Take what she says.
With a grain of salt.
Take what she says.
With a grain of salt, take what she.
Says with a grain of salt.
It's high time we let her go.
He looked a little frazzled.
So did you enjoy this listening exercise?
Did you enjoy testing your listening skills?
If so, put yes, yes, yes in the comments.
So I know you want me to keep making videos just like this 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 why don't you get started with your next lesson right now?