Learn English meaning of ‘tongue twisters’

Date: May 15 2020

Themes: Hobbies

Grammar: Simple Past Tense

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Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

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2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

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When you’re learning a new language, it can be difficult to speak with correct pronunciation. The sounds may not feel natural to you. The good news is that there are many fun ways to practice clear articulation. One very popular way is to repeat tongue twisters. Tongue twisters are short expressions that use the same sound or sounds many times.

Although tongue twisters might sound ridiculous, they are actually a great way to exercise your tongue muscle. If you have trouble with the English ‘p’ sound, try the famous tongue twister about Peter Piper who picked a peck of pickled peppers. If you want to work on the English ‘b’ and ‘t’ sounds, you can repeat the story of Betty Botter who bought some bitter butter. You’ll be an expert in no time!

Andy is practicing tongue twisters as speech therapy. Listen to today’s English lesson to hear him explain his love of tongue twisters to Kelsey.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Andy_H

Kelsey

Andy_H: She sells seashells by the seashore. She sells seashells by the seashore.

Kelsey: Hey, Andy. What are you doing?

Andy_H: Well, Kelsey… I am, of course, practicing my pronunciation and articulation because I am doing tongue twisters.

Kelsey: Wow, interesting. Why are you practicing?

Andy_H: Well, tongue twisters can be very good for speech therapy. They strengthen the tongue muscle. Check this out: Eddy edited it.

Kelsey: Very interesting! You know, I can’t help but think it sounds a little ridiculous.

Andy_H: Oh no, Kelsey. It’s good to be silly. Say this five times fast: toy boat.

Kelsey: Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat.

Andy_H: Not as easy as you think, huh?

Kelsey: I guess not.

Andy_H: Just remember: Truly… oh, wow! Even I can’t get it sometimes! Truly rural. Truly rural. Truly rural.

Kelsey: Wow, you really are an expert at tongue twisters.

Andy_H: Practice makes perfect.

Grammar Point

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Quizzes

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Lesson MP3

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Discussion

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Andy is trying to improve his pronunciation by practicing tongue twisters. Kelsey thinks that he sounds a little bit silly. However, Andy explains that tongue twisters can really help people improve their articulation because they make the tongue stronger. In fact, many people use tongue twisters as a type of speech therapy.

Andy asks Kelsey to practice a tongue twister by repeating the phrase “toy boat” five times. It’s a little bit difficult, but she speaks slowly enough to repeat it clearly. Then, Andy tries to show her his favorite tongue twister phrase, but even he doesn’t get it sometimes. Finally, he is able to say, “truly rural” very fast. Kelsey is impressed.

What is your favorite English tongue twister? Which English sound is most difficult for you?