When you are learning a new word, you have to pay attention to its pronunciation, in order to be able to recognize it when you hear it, or to be understood when you pronounce it.
Thefreedictionary.com website has an excellent pronunciation key page. Check it and use it !
If you want to get better at oral comprehension, you need to train everyday. You actually need to develop two specific skills :
– always identify the nature of the document (is it fiction ? a documentary ? an excerpt from the news ?),
– find the answer to the basic WH- questions (what / what is it about ? who ? where ? when ? why ?),
– identify the context (origin of the document <= accent, historical context, etc…).
– identify or give an interpretation of the objective of the author / speaker.
2. actual oral comprehension :
– learn thematic lists of vocabulary (related to the topic you have been studying, but also basic themes you will be expected to know),
– get used to the pronunciation of the words you learn, by getting your lists of vocabulary into an MP3 file (use text to speech tools for that). When you learn the vocabulary, also learn how it is pronounced. Try different accents 😉
– if you don’t understand every single word that is pronounced, don’t worry. Focus on the general meaning, and lean on the context, and if possible, use the visual clues.
Just do it !
Here, for example, you have a video. Watch it twice, then try and present it in French (record yourself). Respect time limits.
Then check the correction.
=> Outhouse – Transcription and translation of the dialogue – Outhouse-Transcription-Translation
=> Outhouse – Restitution – Outhouse-Restitution
When you are discussing a topic with someone or even with a group, you many need specific phrases to express your opinion.
Here is a list of examples :
Download the PDF file : Debating
Did you know that you can use apps on your mobile phone or on a website which transform any text you suggest to them into a speech ? Some websites even provide an .mp3 file which you can download. Most of the time, you can change the voice, and the accent as well. It’s not always convincing in a general manner, but at least it gives you a precise rendition of how each word should be pronounced.
I think these may be precious tools to help you improve the quality of your oral expression, and even your listening comprehension.
Here are a few examples :
For trial : http://www.readspeaker.com/voice-demo/
More developed free version : https://www.naturalreaders.com/
Another website : http://ttsreader.com/
On this one, you can get an MP3 too : http://www.fromtexttospeech.com/
For your phone (Android…) :
When you discover a word in the dictionary and you want to know how to pronounce it, there is a very “simple” tool to use : the phonetic alphabet. You have to get familiar with the symbols and the sound they represent in the first place though… You can find phonetic indications in every dictionary.
Here is a phonemic chart :
Hope you will soon get used to it 🙂 !
What does it take to become a pilot ?
A lot of nerve. And also, you need to be good at Maths.
On January 15, 2009, a commercial flight had to “land” on the Hudson River, right in the middle of New York, just a few minutes after taking off from La Guardia Airport.
The plane had crossed the trajectory of a flock of birds, and it appears that the two engines went down. The pilot, Chesley B. Sullenberger, nicknamed “Sully”, and his first officer, Jeffrey Skiles, managed to take the plane and its 154 passengers, crew members included, safely to the ground. This type of “landing” was the first of its kind.
Real video of the event :
News report :
Maybe you were too young to remember this incredible accident, but Clint Eastwood, the famous American actor and film director, wants you to think again about this extraordinary story. So he made a movie about it !
Sully is being released today in the USA, and it will be released on November 30 in France. You can watch the trailer for now.
If you want to know more about this story, you can read this excellent article : http://nymag.com/news/features/53788/
This American artist is anticipating Halloween… and she did an excellent job with decorating her parents’ house…
Find out about her art here : https://www.flickr.com/photos/christinehmcconnell/
According to this article, which was published in The Guardian, 1700 people have died in the Mediterranean Sea this year trying to reach European ground illegally. These people take immense risks to leave their home country and reach Europe, hoping to start a new life in a European country.
Last Monday, a yacht sank off the coast of the touristic Greek island, Rhodes. It was probably coming from Turkey.
In the video below, you can see the wreck, it appears 200 people were packed on this boat. Some people drowned, but most of the passengers were rescued and taken to a hospital. A woman even gave birth to her baby in a Greek hospital shortly after her rescue.
This man, a soldier, quickly arrived on the site of the accident, and saved quite a few lives. His training and his strong desire to help the people in distress have made him a hero. Just like in the movies ! Except he got hurt and cut for real.
The mother of the newborn chose to name him Antonis, just like her savior.
Read the article : http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/25/migrant-boat-crisis-the-sergeant-who-did-his-duty-towards-people-struggling-for-their-lives
Al Pacino, a famous American actor of Italian origin, turned 75 today, which is quite a milestone in anyone’s life. For this occasion, he was interviewed by a journalist from The Guardian, a British newspaper. Here is, in a few words, the summary of his life, by himself.
Photograph taken by James Oatway
The man assaulted in the picture died.
This happened in Alexandra, a township in the suburb of Johannesburg, in South Africa.
The man was assaulted because he is from Mozambique. He had started a small business in Alexandra.
A team of photographers was scouting the area and taking pictures. The assaulters fled when they saw the photographers.
If you want to know more, you can read this article: http://time.com/3831517/emmanuel-sithole-south-africa/
On a volcano 