New Accent Reduction Series - Accents with Amy.. and Alex!

Hi guys!

I'm back with some resources that I hope you like. As you may know already, Amy Walker is an American actress, singer, writer and teacher of accents with and incredible gift. She has recently launched a new Accent Reduction Series to ESL Speakers. This series is completely in-depth and it is composed by several videos, some of them are for free and you can find them in her channel in YouTube, and some of them are for rental and purchase, and are available on 21accents.com and vimeo.com/amiablewalker.

This series works the different vowel sounds, the consonants, the rhythm and the melody. It is very useful if you're an actor, or if you just want to get a nice and clear american accent.

So here they are, directly from her website 21accents.com, Accent with Amy - American Accent Tutorials:

Fun, In-depth Tutorial for the Standard American Accent – Accents with Amy 

Accents w Amy! Learn in real time. Hear first-hand how quickly you too can sound like a standard (neutral) American with Amy’s fun, unique techniques. Speak and learn along with us!

Diphthongs “A” “I” “U” 

Part 5:

diphthong eɪ (say, day, thanks, favorite, play)
diphthong aɪ (rice, wild, child, time)
diphthong uː (you, few, view, human, usual)

Schwa and long ä | Basis of American Vowel sounds

Part 4:

Vowel “ə” (the, love, was, today, money, word, for, for you, forever)
Vowel “ˈɔ” (always, all, party, darling, awesome)

American “T” and “S” | Accents with Amy

Part 6:

“T” (time, tint, trick, after, afternoon, tape, hat, mat, between, best, left)
“S” (sip, sand, same, sale, serious, stretch, smart, smile, pass, mass, pace, juice)

American “oh” “oo” “ow” ( oʊ uː ʊ æʊ) | Accents with Amy

Part 3:

diphthong oʊ (oh, no, grow, phone, home, road)
long uː (room, bloom, move, blue, you)
short ʊ (good, book, cook, would, wooden, look)
diphthong æʊ (how, now, out, about, house, powder, shout)

“ee” and “i” ( iː v. ɪ) – American Accent Tutorial | Amy Walker

Part 2:

Long iː (me, need, reason, tea, people)
versus: short ɪ (pick, lift, win, dinner, mint)

“a” and “eh” (æ and e) – fun, essential tips! – American Accent Tutorial | Amy Walker

Part 1:

Short æ (back, have, cat, can, man)
versus: e (bend, men, head, every, left)

The goal is that by listening to any difference between the correct way and another way, you will develop your ability to hear any differences in your own speaking -thereby learning faster and more completely.

Hope you enjoy the videos!

See you!

Studying English Abroad: Tips to Improve Fast while Being Abroad

Hi everyone!

So now that summer is almost here, and we're all ready for it, I thought I'd write a post about studying abroad. Do you have your trip already planned? I do!

For those of you who haven't traveled abroad to learn English, here is all you need to know:

TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH WHILE STUDYING ABROAD

DON'T HANG OUT WITH PEOPLE FROM YOUR COUNTRY

When you travel abroad, you're likely to get along with people from your country more than with other people. Why? Because you share the same culture. You share the same language, know probably the same kind of food, have a lot of things in common. That's a problem.

If you feel comfortable with them, you're

more possibly gonna end up hanging out just with them, speaking in your own language and using English just in your classes at school. But then, you will go back to your country feeling like living abroad didn't help you very much with your English (or any other language). 

While if you get to meet people from other countries who you don't share a culture with, you are gonna end up speaking English all the time, and you will come back to your country feeling like you really "worked your fingers to the bone" and improved a lot, and you can get to know different cultures, really interesting people and wonderful places. And you will have friends all over the world after your coming back home!

DON'T SPEAK YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE!

This is specially hard for foreign speakers with a very low level of English but, hey!, you can make mistakes while speaking in English. That's how we all learn, by making mistakes. Try to meet people who don't speak your own language and try to get some native speaker friends, that will help you a lot!

STAYING IN A HOST FAMILY IS ALWAYS BETTER!

It will help you much more with your English than staying on your own, and it is always important to have someone caring about you when you're out of your country. They will help you if you need it and they will make your experience more enjoyable, because they probably know interesting places to visit and fun things to do.

GO TO CLASS!

It is hard to attend your classes when there are lots of things you want to do, but it is important for you to go to class. You've paid for the classes and you have to go to your school everyday, or you may not be able to get your certificate at the end of the course, or even worse, you may not learn anything at all.

CHOOSING YOUR ENGLISH SCHOOL CAREFULLY

The quality of teaching has to be good so you can learn as fast as possible. You should check if your school is accredited by the institution of the country you're gonna study in. For example ACCETS for schools in the US and the BRITISH COUNCIL for school in the UK.

I will write a post about different English schools that I would recommend for you to study at. 

I hope you find these tips useful and that you learn a lot while being abroad, as it's the best way to learn!

See you!

NEXT GENERATION - Short Video Contest for Spaniards!

Hi there!

I got some news for those of you in Spain! The University of Cambridge has organised a short video contest for Spanish people in High School.

I invite all of you in Spain to participate. And if your video is chosen, you can win a trip to New York City!

I've chosen my favorite, a very fun short that always makes me laugh, Can you choose yours?

Here it is:

If you like this one too, you can vote for it here: http://www.thenextgeneration.es/ver_video.php?id=241

And to read all the conditions and terms, including which the prices are:

http://www.thenextgeneration.es/

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

GRAMMAR POST FIVE: Present Perfect

Hi everyone!


Here I come with the fifth grammar lesson of the blog, hope you find it easy!

We use the Present Perfect to say that an action happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important. You CANNOT use the Present Perfect with specific time expressions such as: yesterday, one year ago, last week, when I was a child, when I lived in Japan, at that moment, that day, one day, etc. We CAN use the Present Perfect with unspecific expressions such as: ever, never, once, many times, several times, before, so far, already, yet, etc. Examples:

I have seen that movie twenty times.
I think I have met him once before.
There have been many earthquakes in California.
People have traveled to the Moon.
People have not traveled to Mars.
Have you read the book yet?
Nobody has ever climbed that mountain.
A: Has there ever been a war in the United States?
B: Yes, there has been a war in the United States.



You can use the Present Perfect to describe your experience. It is like saying, "I have the experience of..." You can also use this tense to say that you have never had a certain experience. The Present Perfect is NOT used to describe a specific event. Examples:


I have been to France.*

*This sentence means that you have had the experience of being in France. Maybe you have been there once, or several times.

I have been to France three times*.

*You can add the number of times at the end of the sentence.

I have never* been to France.

*This sentence means that you have not had the experience of going to France.

I think I have seen that movie before.
He has never traveled by train.
Joan has studied two foreign languages.
A: Have you ever met him?
B: No, I have not met him.

The affirmative form of the Present Perfect is formed with the verb "To have" in present tense as an auxiliary verb and the form in Past Participle of the principal verb. Example:


I think I have seen that movie before.
He has traveled by train.
Joan has studied two foreign languages.
I have been to France three times.

The negative form of the Present Perfect is formed with the present tense of the verb "To have" in negative  and the form in Past Participle of the principal verb. Example:



He has not traveled by train.
Joan hasn't studied two foreign languages.
I have not been to France three times.

The interrogative form of the Present Perfect is formed with the verb "To have" in present tense at the beginning of the question and the Past Participle of the principal verb. Example:


Haven't you seen that movie before?
Have you ever met him?
Has Joan studied two foreign languages?
Has he traveled by train?

MOVIE POST THREE: Les Miserables

Hi everyone!

Today's movie post is about one of the most watched musical of all times, based on the book "Les Miserables" from Victor Hugo. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards this year, and won three of them. Starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Helena Bonham Carter and some other great artists, and directed by Tom Hooper, the awarded director of "The King's speech". Here it goes a short synopsis:

"Several years after the French Revolution, things are going bad in the country once again as a new king rises to the throne. The rich remain rich and the poor are as bad off as ever. Amid this setting, Jean Valjean finds himself in prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread as well as for numerous escape attempts. There, he has been constantly harassed by prison guard Javert. Valjean is finally released, but when he returns to society he finds himself an outcast and unable to find work. He begins to turn into the thief he was unfairly labeled as. But after a religious epiphany, Valjean resolves to break his parole, create a new identity, and start his life over. 

Six years later, Valjean has become the mayor of a town and a successful businessman, but his world is turned upside down when Javert arrives in town as the new police inspector. Valjean becomes consumed with worry that he will be recognized. Unfortunately, this distracts him from the plight of one of his employees, Fantine. Harassed by the other workers and an evil manager, Fantine loses her job and is forced to become a prostitute in order to support her young daughter Cosette. Eventually Valjean learns of her plight, but he is too late to save her. Fantine dies, but not before Valjean promises to locate Cosette and care for her. But unfortunately, Javert discovers Valjean's true identity. Now on the run, Valjean must stay one step ahead of his nemesis if he's going to keep his promise."

And here it goes the trailer:
















Les Miserables, Anne Hathaway: I DREAMED A DREAM



FANTINE
There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

Les Miserables, Eddie Redmayne and Amanda Seyfried, A HEART FULL OF LOVE

MARIUS
A heart full of love
A heart full of song
I'm doing everything all wrong
Oh God, for shame
I do not even know your name
Dear Mad'moiselle
Won't you say?
Will you tell?
COSETTE
A heart full of love
No fear, no regret
MARIUS
My name is Marius Pontmercy
COSETTE
And mine's Cosette
MARIUS
Cosette, I don't know what to say
COSETTE
Then make no sound
MARIUS
I am lost
COSETTE
I am found!
...

Hope you like it and see you soon!

SONG ONE: Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)

Hi everyone!


Today is Friday, and so I'm going to post a song about it. It is called "Last Friday Night" from Katy Perry, and I think it has a very cool style so I wanted to share it with you, although probably most of you know it already. So here it is, song one:


Katy Perry, "Last Friday Night (TGIF)":

There’s a stranger in my bed,
There’s a pounding in my head
Glitter all over the room
Pink flamingos in the pool
I smell like a minibar
DJ’s passed out in the yard
Barbie’s on the barbeque
This a hickie or a bruise

Pictures of last night
Ended up online
I’m screwed
Oh well
It’s a blacked out blur
But I’m pretty sure it ruled
Damn

Last Friday night
Yeah, we danced on tabletops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot

Last Friday night
Yeah, we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard

Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage à trois
Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we’re gonna stop
Op-oh-oh

This Friday night
Do it all again
This Friday night
Do it all again

Trying to connect the dots
Don’t know what to tell my boss
Think the city towed my car
Chandeliers on the floor
Ripped my favorite party dress
Warrant’s out for my arrest
Think I need a ginger ale
That was such an epic fail

Pictures of last night
Ended up online
I’m screwed
Oh well
It’s a blacked out blur
But I’m pretty sure it ruled
Damn

Last Friday night
Yeah, we danced on table tops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot

Last Friday night
Yeah, we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard

Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage à trois

Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we’re gonna stop
Oh whoa oh

This Friday night
Do it all again
(Do it all again)
This Friday night
Do it all again
(Do it all again)
This Friday night

T.G.I.F.*
T.G.I.F.*
T.G.I.F.*
T.G.I.F.*
T.G.I.F.*
T.G.I.F.*

Last Friday night
Yeah, we danced on table tops
And we took too many shots
Think we kissed but I forgot

Last Friday night
Yeah, we maxed our credit cards
And got kicked out of the bar
So we hit the boulevard

Last Friday night
We went streaking in the park
Skinny dipping in the dark
Then had a ménage à trois

Last Friday night
Yeah I think we broke the law
Always say we’re gonna stop
Oh-whoa-oh
This Friday night
Do it all again

[Clapping] Whohoo!

*T.G.I.F is an abbreviation of the expression "Thank God it's Friday".

Enjoy the weekend! See you soon!

GRAMMAR LESSON FOUR: Past continuous

Hi everyone!

Today's grammar post is the Past continuous, for those of you who want to have a look at it. So here it goes, past continuous:


We use the past continuous to indicate that a longer action in the past was interrupted. The interruption is usually a shorter action in the simple past. Remember this can be a real interruption or just an interruption in time. Examples:


I was watching TV when she called.
When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.
While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
What were you doing when the earthquake started?
I was listening to my iPod, so I didn't hear the fire alarm.
You were not listening to me when I told you to turn the oven off.
While John was sleeping last night, someone stole his car.
Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
A: What were you doing when you broke your leg?
B: I was snowboarding.



The past continuous is interrupted by a shorter action in the simple past. However, you can also use a specific time as an interruption. Examples:


Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner.
At midnight, we were still driving through the desert.
Yesterday at this time, I was sitting at my desk at work.


It's important to know that in the past continuous, a specific time only interrupts the action, it doesn't indicate the moment when it started or when it finished. Examples:


Last night at 6 PM, I ate dinner. (I started eating at 6 PM.)
Last night at 6 PM, I was eating dinner. (I started earlier; and at 6 PM, I was in the process of eating dinner.)

In affirmative, it is formed with the past of the verb "To be" and the gerund form (-ING ending) of the principal verb. Examples:

I was watching TV when she called.
While we were having the picnic, it started to rain.
While I was writing the email, the computer suddenly went off.
Sammy was waiting for us when we got off the plane.
When the phone rang, she was writing a letter.

In negative, we use the negative form of the verb "To do" in past tense and the gerund (-ING ending) of the principal verb. Examples:


I wasn't watching TV when she called.
We were't having lunch yesterday at 3:00 PM
Sammy wasn't waiting for us when we got off the plane.
When the phone rang, she wasn't writing a letter.


The interrogative is formed using the verb "To do" in its past tense at the beginning of the question and the principal verb in gerund (-ING ending). Examples:

Was I watching TV when she called?
Were we having lunch yesterday at 3:00 PM?
Was Sammy waiting for us when we got off the plane?
When the phone rang, Was she writing a letter?

Parallel actions

When you use the past continuous with two actions in the same sentence, it expresses the idea that both actions were happening at the same time. The actions are parallel. Examples:

I was studying while he was making dinner.
While Ellen was reading, Tim was watching television.
Were you listening while he was talking?
I wasn't paying attention while I was writing the letter, so I made several mistakes.
What were you doing while you were waiting?
Thomas wasn't working, and I wasn't working either.
They were eating dinner, discussing their plans, and having a good time.

Let's see the use of the past continuous with some videos:

Suburgatory, Episode 1x02: I'M STUCK, SAVE YOURSELF!

TESSA
It took me a couple of weeks,

but I finally found my favorite things
to do in suburbs:

Sleep

GEORGE

Tessa, what're you doing?

Let's go before she gets here.

TESSA

She's still watering?

GEORGE

Still watering

Why didn't you set an alarm?
TESSA
I kept hitting snooze
I was having the most amazing
dream about Manhattan
GEORGE
Yeah? What was so amazing?

TESSA

We were still living there

GEORGE

I can't take it anymore...

Sheila's constant invitations
to dinner every single morning.

I'm running out of

creative ways to say no

TESSA

Have you tried running her over

with your car? That's creative.

GEORGE

Oh, no. Hose is off.

She's coming, she's coming!

TESSA

My backpack!

It's upstairs!

GEORGE

No time! Go! Go

Go, go, go, go, go, go.

I'm stuck.

Save yourself. Go!

TESSA

No, dad.

I won't leave you

GEORGE

Tessa, go, just go.

SHEILA

Well, hiya, neighbor!

Dinner tonight?

Here we have the past simple in BOLD:

TESSA (0:02)
It took me a couple of weeks,
but I finally found my favorite things
to do in suburbs:

Sleep

GEORGE (0:17)

Still watering

Why didn't you set an alarm?
TESSA
I kept hitting snooze

And the past continuous is UNDERLINED:

TESSA (0:20)
I kept hitting snooze
I was having the most amazing
dream about Manhattan
GEORGE
Yeah? What was so amazing?

TESSA

We were still living there

Here the actions are cut but the fact she was awakened, so she's not still dreaming about NYC. "She was having the most amazing dream about Manhattan when she was awakened" would be the complete sentence, an action cutting another action that was lasting in the time.

Easy A Clip: HIT THE BOOKS


RHIANNON
Let's just face it,
there is not such things
as a sexy George, alright?
George is not a sexy name.
George is what you name
your teddy bear
not the name you wanna
scream out during climax.
MR. GRIFFITH
And by that, I assume you mean?
OLIVE
The stable and self-perpetuating
end stage in the evolution
of a plant community.
RHIANNON
Right.
OLIVE
Why, what were you thinking?
MR. GRIFFITH
The same. But I don't say it out loud
lest someone get the wrong idea.
I think you know innuendo
is attached to everything these days.
RHIANNON
Innuendo? What...?
Whatever do you mean?
MR. GRIFFITH
Rhiannon, Olive, go hit the books.
They don't hit back.
Also, hugs not drugs.
Mess with the bull, get the horns.
And any other cliches
you can come up with.
OLIVE
Bye, Mr. Griffith.
RHIANNON
Bye.
OLIVE
Watch your mouth.
RHIANNON
Sorry.

Hope you like it and see you soon!