英语口语学习

Correct Common Errors怎么说怎么说？“How do you say ____?”“How do you spell___?”“How do you pronounce___?”“How do you do it?”PronunciationPronunciation is a motor skill. A motor skill is any task or action that you perform with parts of your body, for example eating, walking, playing a sport. If you want to perform a motor skill well you must practice it. Challenges that arise from pronunciation are a result of undeveloped motor skills. So, the solution is to practice.Further challenges arise because the motor skills we use to speak our mother tongue become strong habits, thus making it difficult to not use them when attempting to speak a second language. So, again we must practice the motor skills and form the new habits required to speak the second language through practice.Below are the most common challenges for Chinese students of English.Th ( O )Say these wordsThis, that, those, threeSound ok? Or like a snake? SSSSSSSSSSis,zat, zose, sreeWhy? Did your tongue extend past you teeth?Try this sentence.The thirty thinkers thought through their theory thoroughly. Seth’s sixtieth birthday is on the twelfth.Through the thistle thicket thither thy Thane there thinks.LCan you say this word correctly?SwallowNow, how about this one?WallTry this sentence.Wild Will walked towards the wall.Paul, call the stall near the Pall Mall wall.“What brings you to _______?”“I hear the lifestyle in North America/ Europe is quite different than here.” “How are you getting along here?”“How are you getting along with the language?”“It must be difficult (for your family) moving to a new place” Absolutely mustDefinitely mustReally mustMustHave toShouldIt would be better ifSupposed toGood, great, interesting, new, excellent; any positive feelingCool is by far the most commonly used slang word in modern English and has survived the last couple of generations.“That’s so cool!”“I went to the party last night. It was pretty cool.”“THIS COMPUTER IS THE COOLEST.”Sucks (verb)Bad, unfortunate, a pity, bad qualityNote that as a verb it must be conjugated to account for tense“That sucks!”“My job really sucks!”“The party last night really sucked. It was so boring.”“I have four meetings tomorrow. That’s going to suck.”Wild (adj.)Crazy, out of control, really exciting; often used with the verb ‘go’ as in ‘go wild’. Wild refers to animals that live in their natural environment and are not tamed. So, wild refers to behaviour that is out of control.“The party was so wild.”“That’s wild!”“The crowd went wild when their team scored.”Originally means ‘a really bad smell’ but as slang refers to music with a beat that makes you want to dance. Can also mean ‘fashionable’.“That’s a funky song!”“Man, those are some funky pants!”Rocks (verb)Good, great, interesting, etc.Comes from ‘rock and roll’ and changed over time to mean anything is cool and interesting or even wild. It is often used to refer to music or shows but can refer to any positive feeling.“That show really rocked!”“This song rocks!”“The party last night rocked.”Hot (adj.)Sexy, new, popular, stolenIn conversation used to mean ‘sexy’ but in advertising and print media is commonly used to mean new, exciting, popular“She’s hot!”“He’s hot!”“You bought it from a guy on the street? It’s probably hot.”“This new computer is so hot now, every one is talking about it!” (media-speak, not for conversation)Slang often changes over time and comes in and out of fashion. Some words might only last for a year or others for many years. Slang can also come from different languages.ActivityResponding in conversation using slang. Respond to the following sentences using the slang above.“Check out my new cell phone!”“I failed my math exam.”“My girlfriend dumped me yesterday.”“I WENT TO A PARTY LAST NIGHT AND GOT SO DRUNK.”“Listen to this new song!”“Did you see that movie, ‘The Matrix’?”“Wow, check out that girl!””What do you think of Celine Dion’s new CD?”“How do you like my new pants?”“Did you go to the football game last night?”Naturalising Speech:Connecting Ideas: Conjunctions and co-ordinating phrasesReferring to factsIn light of“In light of the fact that the number of students is greater than the number of places, competition amongst students is fierce.”Given this,/ that“Chinese workers’ salaries are increasing and the consumer base is growing. Given this, there are more opportunities for investors in consumer based products.”“Given that Beijing is located near the Gobi desert, the air is quite dry and rainfall is scarce.”Seeing that“Seeing that there are more and more cars on the road, traffic continues to be a growing concern in Beijing. “Bearing this in mind“China’s economy is growing at an exceptional pace, bearing this in mind, the government has raised interest rates in order to cool the pace of growth and avoid inflation.”“Bearing in mind the living conditions of the workers, the government is forcing companies to raise their employment standards.”Expressing common opinions, beliefs, or trendsIt is generally accepted that…It is generally accepted among Chinese students, that the only way to succeed in the working world is to first get a degree from a top university.The common feeling amongst… / It is the common feeling“The common feeling / It is the common feeling amongst women is that the traditional role of homemaker should be shared equally between men and women.”The majority of…“The majority of Chinese workers intend to stay in China and pursue new opportunities available here.”Only a select few…“With relatively few opening at top universities, only a select few get into the elite programmes available.”The moral majority…“George Bush got re-elected by pandering to the sensibilities of the American moral majority.”It is normal among“It is normal among Chinese people to travel back to their hometown during the holidays which makes the trains terribly overcrowded.”In the mind of…“In the mind of teachers, they can best serve their students by preparing them for today’s job market.”To...Personal feelings and opinionsI thinkI feelI believeAs far as I see itIn my experienceIn my opinionSo far as I can seeI strongly believeI’m convinced thatWithout a doubtConnecting eventsAfter thatFollowing thisConsequently“I didn’t perform as well on my exams as I had hoped. Consequently, I attended my second choice university.” In the aftermath of“In the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution, the economy was in disarray.”DuringMeanwhileIllustrating Your PointFor exampleFor instanceTo give you an ideaAdditional reasonsNot only that, but…Not to mention the fact that…And besides…MoviesSetting“It takes place in/ on…” answers the question when? and where?Character“The story is about a…”“The story revolves around a…”“The movie tells the story of a…”“The movie follows the story of a …”PlotJust the gist! – big picture – the function of the movie’s actionGenerally, when we describe a story we will use the present tense because we view the story’s time as the present. We switch to the past and the future as it relates to the time of the main events of the story. Remember not to ‘give away’ the ending.ThemeWhat is the central message of the movie, or what have we learned from the story. The theme is usually mentioned somewhere in the dialogue.You should also include your feeling and opinion of the movie and comment on the following things:ActingScriptDirectionMusicCinematographyDialoguesA: Hey, how’s your new job?B: Well, when I first got the job I thought it was perfect. Good salary. Interesting work, and it was close to home.A: But…?B: My boss is such a jerk! I can’t stand him.A: Well, you know what they say, ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it too.’DialogueA: Hey, what’s up? Why so glum?B: Aww, Kim and I had a dust up the other day, and now she won’t talk to me.A: Ohh, that sucks! What happened?B: Well, you know what a basket case she can be! Anyway, I’ve been working a lot lately and she has been on my case about it, so I got ticked off and gave her a piece of my mind.A: Ouch! That’s rough!B: Yeah! I just don’t know why she can’t be a good sport about these things. I mean I have to work!A: I hear ya’. Anyway why don’t you come to the movies tonight with Betty and I? You and Kim’ll work things out, I’m sure.B: Thanks! but I don’t want to be a third wheel. How pathetic is that?Next, form sentences from these idioms and colloquialisms. Write your own and others you hear in class in the spaces below.Examples:A: My mother always gets angry at the smallest things.B: What a basket case.A: I always try to encourage my sister to continue playing piano; she has real talent.’B: Well, you know what they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.If I Had A Million Dollars - The Bare Naked LadiesThe Hypothetical ConditionalIf I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you a house (I would buy you a house)If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you furniture for your house (Maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you a K-car (A nice reliant automobile)If I had a million dollars, I'd buy your loveIf I had a million dollars, We'd build a tree fort in our yardIf I had a million dollars, You could help it wouldn't be that hardIf I had a million dollars, We could put like a little refrigerator in there (We could keep snacks and beverages) If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you a fur coat (but not a real fur coat that's cruel)If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you an exotic pet (Like a llama or an emu)If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you John Merrick's remains (All them crazy elephant bones)If I had a million dollars, I'd buy your loveIf I had a million dollars, we wouldn't have to walk to the storeIf I had a million dollars, we'd take a limosine cause it costs moreIf I had a million dollars, we wouldn't have to eat craft dinner(but we would. We'd just eat more)If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you a green dress (But not a real green dress, that's cruel)If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you some art (A Picasso or a Garfunkel)If I had a million dollars (If I had a million dollars)I'd buy you a monkey (Haven't you always wanted a monkey?)If I had a million dollars, I'd buy your loveIf I had a million dollars, If I had a million dollarsIf I had a million dollars, If I had a million dollarsIf I had a million dollars, I'd be richTo hang out, in, on, up, offTo give in, up, outTo take after, on, out, in, overTo go in for, out forTo follow up, throughTo be for, onTo make up, out, it, offTo put upon, onTo break in, out, upTo get over, through, by, outTo move in, out, up, onPhrasal verbs are basically metaphors. There are hundreds of these in English but we have to study them one at a time because the meaning is not reflected in the words themselves. For example, “The giant man put me on the table,” uses the literal meaning of “put” and “on.” The phrasal verb “put on,” however, is figurative: “You must be putting me on,” “My brother put me on to this.” Students don’t often use phrasal verbs (Verb + Preposition), but native speakers use them all the time.To hang ____. To spend time in an informal situation.“John and I are hanging ____ at the mall.”To hang ____. To persevere, to be attached to something.“Hang ____ there – the ambulance is coming!”To hang _____. To wait; To listen closely to, or believe easily“Hang ____, I’ll get it for you.”“I hung ____ the movie star’s every word.”To hang ______. To end a phone call.“I can’t believe he just hung ____ on me!”To hang ______ . To pay too much attention to your boyfriend or girlfriend.“I saw this couple in the mall hanging ____ each other. Disgusting!”To give ____ . To relent; to succumb to pressure; to do something when pressured by others to do so.“After much insistence, Peter finally gave ___ and helped his friend move.”To give ___. To quit something that is too difficult.“After a semester of very difficult work, Jane finally gave ____ medical school and switched to Economics.” To give ____. To fail, in the case of a structure or support.“After running ten kilometers I could feel my legs starting to give _____.”To take _____. To look or act like one’s parent or family member; to be modeled after.“I would swear he was his father the way he takes _______ him.”To take _____. To accept responsibility or a project, to hire someone.“If I’m going to take ____ any more work, I’ll need to take ____ more employees.”To take _____. To kill someone, to use force to remove someone.“The coach told me to take _____ their best player.”To take ____. To let someone stay at your home; to help someone by giving them a home. “The poor little kitten would have died had the lady not taken him ___.”To go ____ ____. To be interested in; to engage; to do something.“I don’t usually go ____ ____ playing sports.”To follow ____. To review a situation, to check to see if things are going okay.“I’m just following __ on our previous conversation.”To follow ____. To be committed to something and finish it to the end.“If you start a new project, just make sure you follow _______.”To be ____. To support; to feel something has a beneficial purpose.“I am not ____ young people always studying too much.”To be ____. To take care of something that needs doing.“Don’t worry about the phone bill. I’m ____ it.”To make ____. For people to be friends again after a dispute or fight, especially for lovers. “They had a terrible spat about the money, but Phil apologized and they made ____.”To make ____. To do okay, to kiss for a long time.“How are you making _____ with your new job?”“I don’t like seeing people in the movie theatre sitting in the back, making _____.”To make ____. To have become completely successful. To succeed. To get somewhere.“I didn’t make __ to school in time.” “Congratulations – you’ve really made __ as an actor.” To make ____ with. To take something away.“He made ____ with fourteen million dollars before the police caught him.”To put ______. To impose; to inconvenience someone unduly.“He was annoyed when his friend asked him to help him move. He hates to be put ______.”To put ____. To kid; to tell a story intended to mislead someone.“That’s ridiculous! You must be putting me ____.”To break ____. To make something new feel older and more comfortable.“I need to break ___ these new shoes, they are really hurting my feet.”To break ____. To get a lot of pimples, to escape.“After eating too much junk food I break ____.” “He broke ____ of prison.”To break ____. To divorce, to stop dating someone.“Me and my boyfriend had a lot of problems, so we finally broke ___.”To get ______. To stop feeling bad about something.“I didn’t get the job, but I got ___ it.”To get ______. To endure a situation.“I just have to get _____ the next couple of weeks and I’ll be fine.”To get ______. To achieve a minimum level of success or comfort.“No, I don’t need to borrow money – I’ll get ____.”DialogueA: Are you going to the Student Union meeting?B: I don’t think I’m going to make it.A: Are you putting me on?B: No, I’m thinking it’s time I got out of student politics.A: I don’t mean to put you out, but today we have to come up with a decision about the intramural basketball games.You’re the Sports Rep. We can’t get by without your input.B: Just go on without me – tell them I’m all for the game with Beijing Normal. I’ll follow up later.A: You really take after your brother.B: What do you mean?A: You both give in so easily. I know you don’t think we’re ready for that game. If you don’t show up at the meeting, you can’t tell people what you really think.B: Get over it. Everyone already has their mind made up. I’m not going to be the one to break up the party.A: You volunteered to take on this job. You can’t give up now.B: I know you’re right, but my patience with the Student Union is giving out.A: So, will you come?B: I guess. Let’s go.Large Group Exercise1.Work through the following paragraph together using:about / up / about / up / upon / up / around / out / through / for / in / aboutAfter finishing ___ his work for the day, Robert ventured ____ for a coffee. One of his favorite things is to lounge _______ drinking a coffee and flipping ________ the newspaper. Much to his chagrin, however, his favorite coffee shop was closed _____ renovations. Not one to give ____ easily, Robert wandered ________ ______ search of a suitable replacement. Bloor St. was heartening. There were many nice cafes and Robert had his pick. While looking ________, Robert laid his sights _______ a quaint little spot called, “Mon Petite Chou”. Robert immediately lightened _____, because this was his nickname for his daughter. He had definitely chanced _______ the right place.2. Work together in partners or threes and change the following conversation to one that uses phrasal verbs. Also, notea few new phrasal verbs not yet introduced.A: “Hey, Man! What’s up?”B: “Nothin’ much. Just hanging out.”A: “Have you and Melanie stopped arguing?”B: “Not yet! You know how it is! I don’t want to concede and neither does she.”A: “Well, don’t quit! You guys make a good couple. Anyway, if she kicks you out I’ll let you stay at my house.”B: “You must be kidding me! Your place is a disaster zone. Besides I don’t want to be in your way.”A: “What are you going to do? I can’t let you meander the streets alone!”B: “While living on the streets is not something I would normally want to do, it would be kind of romantic. You know, the poor, broken down lover, lost, alone, searching for his love.”A: “Whatever dude! Here’s the key. It may come in handy.”B: “Thanks. But, I won’t need it. Melanie will come around.”A: “I hope so, for your sake.”Get, make it,& Going ToThe word get is the most commonly used words in spoken English. It takes on many meanings and can be used to replace many common English verbs.Get = receive“I got a new cell phone for my birthday.”Got = have“I’ve got a hundred dollars in the bank.”Get + adjective = become“I got rich.”“I got fat over the holidays.”“I want to get into shape.”Get = Arrive“I got to the bar at 9:00.”“I won’t get there on time if the traffic is bad.”Get = Understand“I don’t get it.”Get = catch“The police finally got him.”“The book gives some advice about how to get the girl.”Got to = have to, must, ought to“I’ve got to get a new job.”“I’ve got to work tomorrow, so I can’t go out.”Get voice“I’m getting my hair cut this afternoon.”Get = allow, have the opportunity“I was busy so I didn’t get to go.”“I never get to do what I want.”As well, we use the sentence structure “Get + preposition” to talk about completed actions. In this way we can replace almost any verb.“Get in. I’ll take you home.”“I can’t get past this math problem.”“We can’t get over the river. It’s too rough.”“When we got to the top of the mountain it started to snow. We got so cold we had to come back down early.”As well, the word make, when put together with the word it can also be used to mean arrive. It is also used in place of other words to mean achieve or complete. In this way, it is used to describe a completed action or in the negative, an uncompleted action.“I never made it past second-year university. I didn’t make enough money in the summer to finish the year.”“We made it to the top of the mountain in just three hours.”“I didn’t make it out of bed in time to make it to class.”Talking about the FutureGoing to+ verb is used synonymously with will when talking about future intentions. However. Going to infers a less strong or less willful intention and therefore is more commonly used. But, going to is also used more when you have already decided on a plan. For many common things, it is best to use going to. Consider the following.Going to + verbTalk about future intentions“I’m going to go shopping this afternoon.”Talk about future conditions or states.“The future is going to be great.”Will + verbTalk about future intentions but expresses a strong desire or intention. Therefore, it is not suitable for most everyday expression.“I will go shopping this afternoon and you’ll have to shoot me to stop me.”Talk about future conditions or states with similar expression as ‘going to’“The future will be great.”into conversational (informal) English.“We do not have enough time. We will not arrive on time.”“I slept late today and didn’t go to class.”“I am sorry, but I can not attend your party this weekend.”“I became ill last night and did not go to work this morning.”“What do you plan to do after graduation?”“It is too far. I can not jump over the river.”“You have to aim in order to throw the ball through the basket.”“I plan to work hard and become rich.”“I will go swimming this weekend. Do you want to join me?”“What will you do this afternoon?”“You will never achieve your goal if you don’t work hard.”“Without your help, I never would have completed my degree.”Alexei: Hey, man! How come you didn’t make it to class today?Mark: You’ll never believe what happened this morning!Alexei: What?Mark: Well, I was planning to get to class ten minutes early as usual. But, while I was on the bus I caught someone stealing my wallet!Alexei: No way! What’d you do?Mark: I grabbed his jacket but he struggled and got away. Just then the bus was stopping and he ran out the door. So, I got up and chased him. Man, he was running so fast, by the time we got to the next corner I was out of breath. I didn’t think I was going to make it. Anyway, I kept chasing him until we got to a tall fence. I thought, “I got you now!” but he got over the fence so fast by the time I made it over he had gone down one of the side streets and I couldn’t see him.Alexei: Man, That’s crazy! What’re you going to do?Mark: What can I do? I got to replace all my ID now and cancel my credit cards.Alexei: What a loser!Mark: What? Who? Me?Alexei: No, the thief! Hell knows that guy’s never going to make it as a thief. Just look at you! You clearly don’t got a penny to your name.Mark: For once that’s a good thing.A has been waiting forB for over an hour.A: What happened to you? I’ve been waiting forever.B: Sorry – I had to talk to my girlfriend.A: Didn’t you tell her you had to meet me?B: It was like talking to a brick wall.A: Yeah right, I know how you are: hi sweetie, no I’m not busy, do I have an hour to talk to you? Sure, my friend is waiting for me but he won’t mind because talking about your new haircut is so important.B: What am I supposed to do, break up with her just so I can meet you?A wants to borrow money from BA: Hey, can I borrow some cash?B: You already owe me.A: Yeah, but I get paid on Monday.B: Where have I heard that before?A: I’ll pay you back the second I get my salary.B: Wow, sounds like a great deal!A: The deal is if I don’t get a hundred and fifty Yuan I’m dead in the water.B: All right, relax, what are friends for?A notices thatB is being a wallflower at a party.A: Oh, I’m so lonely. I wish someone would talk to me. I think I’ll go home.B: Oh, hi, Jeff. I’m just hanging out.A: You can’t just sit here with your tail between your legs. What are youwaiting for? Just go talk to her!B: Bill already asked her out.A: Oh my God! Run! It’s the end of the world!B: I’ll talk to her. I’m just waiting for the right moment.A: That’s great, you can tell my grandchildren all about it.Causatives and PermissivesA common mistake with directives is the translation of the Chinese permissive (让) and the causative. Remember ‘let’ means give permission or give the freedom to do something. So, it is only used as a directive for something someone wants to do. For example, you cannot say: 我的老板今天让我工作。