LnR 001

Welcome to the first episode of Listen and Repeat, the podcast that will help you improve your English intonation. The first section uses a simple dialogue that I wrote to help you understand how we really speak. I'll say it twice. The first time I will stop and explain some things, and also say them several times so that you have more practice with the sounds. The second time I will read the dialogue without stopping for explanations. To get the best use out of this podcast you need to listen carefully and repeat after me. The second part of the podcast is taken from the classic novel "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. It's out of copyright so you can find it for free online, for example, at Gutenberg.org. I read the first several paragraphs of it. This is not an example of how we speak, but I think some of you will enjoy listening and repeating after classic novels.

A: What do you want to (wanna) do after class?

B: I don't know (I dunno). What do you want to (wanna) do?

A: Well, I'd like to go to the student center and get a coffee. That last class put me to sleep!

B: Me, too, but I'm not going to (gonna) go with you. I've been spending too much money on coffee lately. I'm going to (gonna) go home and take a nap.

A: Sounds great. Don't forget to set your alarm. We have class again in two hours.

* Note! We say "wanna" and "gonna", but we don't write them. I added them in (parentheses) so that you could see how we use them. Please don't write these words! It's not correct English.

"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Chapter One

Playing Pilgrims

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

"It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

"I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

"We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth contentedly from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, "We haven't got Father, and shall not have him for a long time." She didn't say "perhaps never", but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.

Nobody spoke for a minute, then Meg said in an altered tone, "You know the reason Mother proposed not having any presents this Christmas was because it is going to be a hard winter for everyone; and she thinks we ought not to spend money for pleasure, when our men are suffering so in the army. We can't do much, but we can make our little sacrifices, and ought to do it gladly. But am afraid that I don't," and Meg shook her head, as she thought regretfully of all the pretty things she wanted.