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3 Hour English Masterclass: Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Grammar

Speak English With Vanessa・131 minutes read

Vanessa's Ultimate English MasterClass focuses on pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar, offering a free PDF worksheet to aid in learning common reductions in English phrases. The MasterClass covers various reductions in phrases, contractions, and pronunciation tips to improve language skills and sound more like a native speaker.

Insights

Vanessa's Ultimate English MasterClass focuses on pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar skills, offering a free 24-page PDF worksheet for download.
Detailed examples are provided on reducing common English phrases for faster speech, such as dropping words like "do" and changing sounds like T to D.
The text emphasizes the importance of context in pronunciation, showcasing how native speakers may alter sounds in words like "winter" to "winner" in quick speech.
Personality descriptions range from positive traits like being empathetic and considerate to negative traits like being unpleasant or selfish.
The importance of balancing work and social life, utilizing prepositions like "in," "on," and "at," and understanding fixed phrases are key components of the MasterClass.

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Summary

00:00

English MasterClass: Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Grammar Skills

Vanessa introduces the Ultimate English MasterClass focusing on pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar skills.
She offers a free 24-page PDF worksheet for download to aid in the MasterClass learning.
The MasterClass begins with a focus on pronunciation, specifically on common English phrases and sentence reductions.
Vanessa breaks down the reduction of the phrase "What do you think?" to "What you think?" by eliminating the word "do."
She further explains the reduction of the question "Where did you get it?" to "Where'd did you get it?" by contracting "where" and "did" and changing the T to a D sound.
Vanessa discusses the reduction of the question "Are you doing okay?" to "You doing okay?" by dropping the word "are" and eliminating the G sound in "doing."
She explains the reduction of the question "Did you eat yet?" to "Did ya eat yet?" by reducing the word "you" and changing the T to a stopped sound.
Vanessa demonstrates the reduction of the phrase "I'll text you later" to "Text you later" by dropping the subject and changing the T in "later" to a D sound.
She teaches the reduction of the phrase "I don't get it" to "I don't" by eliminating the D sound in "don't" and changing the T in "get" to a stopped sound.
Vanessa further reduces the phrase "I don't get it" to "I don't" by completely dropping the D sound in "don't" for faster speech.

15:03

American English: Shortened Phrases and Pronunciations

In movies and TV shows, people often say "I don't get it" when a joke isn't understood.
The phrase "I have got to" can be shortened to "got to" for necessity.
"Got to" can be written as "G-O-T-T-A" in text messages or quick emails.
The pronunciation of "I've got to" changes the T to a D sound.
Similarly, "go to" can be shortened to "I've got to go to" with the T changing to a D sound.
In American English, the present perfect verb tense can drop "have," as in "I got to go to the store."
The phrase "I'm about to" can be reduced to "I'm about to" with the Ts changing to D sounds.
The phrase "the grass isn't always greener on the other side" emphasizes the American English R sound.
"Better late than never" involves changing the T in "better" to a D sound.
"Don't get bent out of shape over it" includes stopped Ts and a D sound in "don't."

30:40

Mastering American English Pronunciation for Fluency

American English pronunciation emphasizes a strong R sound in words like "early," "bird," and "worm."
The phrase "Your guess is as good as mine" showcases linking the S with the following vowel to create a Z sound.
"Don't bite the hand that feeds you" highlights the pronunciation of the letter T, often pronounced as a stopped T without a puff of air.
The phrase "get out of hand" demonstrates the T at the end of words changing to a D sound when surrounded by vowels.
"Birds of a feather flock together" emphasizes the hard R sound in words like "feather" and "together."
To improve American English pronunciation, practice these tips to sound more native.
Testing pronunciation involves shadowing or imitating a native speaker to identify areas of difficulty.
The sentence "I buy clothes through the internet" showcases pronunciation tips for words like "buy," "clothes," "through," and "internet."
The sentence "The little girl took the receipt to the bus" highlights pronunciation tips for words like "little," "girl," "receipt," and "bus."
The sentence "In the early winter, I didn't miss the warm weather" focuses on correct pronunciation of words like "early," "winter," "miss," and "warm."

46:34

Improving English Pronunciation: Tips and Exercises

Native speakers may pronounce words like "winter" as "winner" when speaking quickly, cutting out the T sound.
Context is crucial in distinguishing between words like "winner" and "loser" when the T sound is omitted.
The T sound is often dropped in words like "internet" and "winner" when there's an N-T combination.
In fast English, the word "didn't" is pronounced as "didn't" with the final D and T sounds shortened.
Pronunciation of contractions, like "didn't," involves reducing sounds, which is natural in English.
Correct pronunciation of words like "warm" involves ensuring they are one syllable.
Practice sentences like "In the early winter, I didn't miss the warm weather" help improve pronunciation.
Mispronunciation challenges, like "I definitely sought the water at the beach was salty," aid in identifying pronunciation errors.
Detailed pronunciation breakdowns of words like "definitely," "thought," "water," and "beach" are provided for accuracy.
A focus on expanding vocabulary through personality descriptions and body-related words is emphasized, including a personality test and vocabulary exercises.

01:01:30

Exploring Personality Traits in Relationships

Dan and the speaker discussed the term "even-keeled" in relation to their marriage.
"Even-keeled" implies being confident, calm, and rational under pressure.
If someone is not relaxed and often stressed, they might be described as "sensitive."
Being "emotional" or "moody" can also describe someone's personality.
"Pessimistic" refers to seeing the negative side of things.
Negative terms like "uptight," "anxious," "high-strung," "worrier," and "neurotic" are not recommended for describing others.
Difficulty in introducing oneself to new people, feeling tired in groups, and preferring books over social events are discussed.
Words like "reserved," "shy," "timid," and "introverted" describe those who prefer small groups.
Being "outgoing" or "extroverted" means being at ease in social situations and taking initiative.
Getting lost in thought and pondering the meaning of life can lead to being described as "deep," "caring about truth," "critical," or "cynical."

01:14:57

Navigating Opinions: Balancing Assertiveness and Flexibility

When expressing opinions that differ from others, it's crucial to be cautious in how they are shared to avoid coming across as pushy.
Being opinionated requires a specific approach to prevent being perceived as pushy, akin to being persistent but in a negative light.
Persistence involves sticking to a particular opinion or desire, exemplified by a child repeatedly asking for candy.
The term "bossy" is akin to being persistent, suggesting a forceful imposition of one's opinions without flexibility.
Alternatives to being opinionated include being flexible, compliant, reasonable, open-minded, and agreeable, all reflecting positive traits.
Conversely, being submissive implies never standing up for oneself, leading to being taken advantage of or overlooked.
Going above and beyond to make guests feel comfortable at home is a hospitable trait, involving actions beyond the basic necessities.
In English, "sympathetic" conveys understanding and empathy towards someone's difficulties, distinct from being friendly.
Other positive traits include being compassionate, considerate, generous, warm, helpful, down to earth, sincere, genuine, and dependable.
Conversely, negative traits like being unpleasant, selfish, or self-centered indicate a lack of generosity, consideration, or friendliness.

01:29:04

Dynamic Duo: Dan and Vanessa's Qualities

Dan is married with a baby, and he is described as having strong opinions and being relaxed yet detail-oriented.
Dan is tall, skinny, and a redhead, described as creative, adventurous, and open to discussion.
Dan is intelligent, enthusiastic, and enjoys learning about various topics.
Vanessa is described as delightful, effervescent, and a good host with a love for reading and specific interests.
Vanessa is kind, warm, curious, and good at implementing ideas, complementing Dan's creativity.
Vanessa is good at keeping people on task and balancing fun with work.
Vanessa is described as wonderful, sincere, caring, and fun-loving by her friends and husband, Dan.
Vanessa is praised for her kindness, curiosity, and ability to focus on tasks.
Vanessa is described as kind, warm, well-traveled, and having pretty brown hair.
Vanessa's friends and husband appreciate her sincerity, curiosity, and fun-loving nature, highlighting her positive qualities.

01:42:10

"Body Language: Expressions and Anatomy Explained"

Sometimes in life, we must put on a face to hide our true emotions, like pretending to be happy at work despite personal struggles.
The upper body includes shoulders, where giving someone the cold shoulder signifies ignoring them due to anger.
Getting something off your chest means sharing a burden or secret with someone important.
Twisting someone's arm implies convincing them to do something, like persuading a partner to get a pet.
Elbow room refers to needing space, especially in a crowded kitchen while cooking.
Offering a hand means helping someone, like assisting with heavy lifting or reviewing a report.
Fingers have knuckles, with the thumb having one and other fingers having two knuckles each.
The hand includes the palm, fingers with fingerprints, and nails, with specific names like pinky, ring, and middle fingers.
The chest area comprises the collarbone, ribs, and belly button, with the term gut used idiomatically to trust instincts.
Moving to the lower body, hips are discussed, with polite terms like private parts used for daily conversation.

01:56:02

"Positive vs. Negative Experiences: Grammar Quiz"

The expression "get to do something" conveys a sense of honor and privilege, indicating a positive experience, like being in beautiful nature.
Conversely, the expression "have to do something" implies a sense of obligation or difficulty, such as driving on challenging roads.
The text presents quiz questions about identifying plants, with the first being cacao, the source of chocolate.
A story is shared about arriving at a farm in Costa Rica, where a gate key issue led to a delightful dinner invitation from the farmer.
The grammatical structures of "get to" and "have to" are explained, emphasizing positive and negative experiences.
Another quiz question reveals coffee plants, followed by a discussion on constructing sentences with "get to" and "have to" in the past tense.
A third quiz question showcases banana plants, leading to a story about visiting a waterfall in Costa Rica.
Plans for future animal sightings in Costa Rica are mentioned, highlighting the need to drive to various locations for these experiences.
An advanced grammar lesson on comparisons is introduced, focusing on cause and effect structures using "the more" or "the less" with nouns.
Fixed phrases like "the stronger the better" are presented as examples of common expressions utilizing the "the" sentence structure for comparisons.

02:10:00

Balancing work and life through language

Common fixed phrases include "the more the merrier" and "the less said, the better."
Procrastinators often hear "the sooner you start, the sooner you finish."
A dialogue showcases the use of advanced sentence structures.
The conversation highlights the impact of work-life balance on emotions.
The importance of balancing work and social life is emphasized.
The dialogue illustrates the correlation between work, stress, and social interactions.
The use of "do" is explained for tasks, obligations, and repetitive activities.
Examples of using "do" in various contexts are provided.
The use of "make" for creating or producing something is detailed.
Expressions using "make" in different scenarios are outlined.

02:22:53

"English Language Learning Through Storytelling"

Talking about different experiences and how they make one feel, whether happy, drained, or excited.
Encouraging the use of English daily as sensible advice for language learning.
Reviewing expressions with "do" and "make" to understand their usage.
Introducing the concept of storytelling in grammar lessons.
Explaining the past simple tense for actions that occurred in the past.
Discussing irregular verbs in the past simple tense.
Introducing the past continuous tense for continual actions in the past.
Providing examples of past continuous tense usage.
Combining past simple and past continuous tenses for storytelling.
Concluding with a final exam on storytelling using the past simple and past continuous tenses.

02:38:50

Understanding Prepositions: In, On, At

Prepositions in, on, and at are used for space and time.
"In" is used for enclosed spaces and general times like in the cabinet and in the afternoon.
"On" is used with surfaces and specific days like on the shelf and on Monday.
"At" is used for specific places and times like at the entrance and at 4:00 PM.
Examples are given to understand the usage of these prepositions.
Sentences are provided for practice to choose the correct preposition.
Fixed phrases like "on fire," "believe in," and "good at" are explained.
The importance of learning fixed phrases is emphasized.
The concept of using prepositions in a more figurative way is discussed.
A PDF worksheet is offered for further practice and learning.

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