Ben Franklin Exercise

Free Time – Picture: Rachel’s English

In this article, we’re going to do a Ben Franklin exercise. Get a pen or a pencil and a piece of paper. You need to take detailed notes on what you’re hearing, then try to record yourself based on what you’ve written down on your notes. After finish recording yourself, compare it to the original. Did you do exactly like what Rachel did in the video?

But first I want you to read this passage without watching the video, then record your voice. When you finish doing this on your own, watch the video.

One of my favorite things to do with a free day is to ride my bike. Sometimes I’ll ride along the Hudson River or in Central Park, and sometimes I’ll go visit friends in Brooklyn.

Watch this video from Rachel’s English.

Grammar Notes

“I’ll go visiting” or “I’ll go visit”?

As you’ve noticed the passage in the video, there’s a sentence, “… and sometimes I’ll go visit friends in Brooklyn.” You must be wondering, shouldn’t it be “I’ll go visiting” and not “I’ll go visit”?

Where there’s another verb immediately after the verbgo, sometimes the correct form for the second verb is a gerund, and the other times the correct form is an infinitive.

For example, when the verb describe recreational activities, like shop, swim, or fish, we use go + gerund:go shopping, go swimming, go fishing.

For other verbs, including visit, we use go + infinitive.

• I go to visit my grandmother on weekends.

• I’ll go to visit you sometime.

But sometimes the “to” part of the infinitive is dropped, as in “I’ll go visit my friends in Brooklyn.” However, if the verb go appears in any other form, such as, goes orgoing, the “to” cannot be omitted.

By the way, did you get everything correct? Did you pronounce that passage right? — Well done!

“th” [θ] [ð] Consonant Sounds in English Pronunciation

Voiced or voiceless Consonant Sound?

If you think the word threw and through are pronounced differently, well, you think wrong. If you look them up in the dictionary, both words are written in the same IPA symbols: /θru:/

Listen to the audio from Elemental English http://www.elementalenglish.com/?powerpress_pinw=4767-podcast 

“th” [θ] (voiceless – no vibration in the vocal chords)

As in …

think

thanks

through

math

nirth

depth

sixth

mouth

“th” [ð] (voiced – the vocal chords vibrate)

As in …

this

that

the

although

breathe

Watch this video from Rachel. She will teach you how to pronounce “th” consonants with the American accent. 

To know whether you have got the hang of the “th” [θ]  [ð] pronunciation, why don’t you try this tongue twister? Let’s see how your tongue get tangled up.