Tongue Twisting Tale of the Day

Here's one that is a little more advanced...

Big words,
Big twists
and
BIG TROUBLE!!!

First, the words:

Tumultuous: This word is related to tumult, which is defined as confusion or disorder. Some synonyms are: chaotic, explosive, volatile, or (my favorite) tempestuous! It is pronounced in 4 syllables: tuh-mul-chew-us, with the accent on the second syllable of mul. Or, for those who can read this (I can't): t(y)o͞oˈməlCHo͞oəs

Torturous: This word is related to torture, which is the inflicting of terrible pain, but the adjective torturous usually means something twisting and turning, something long and complicated, something that makes you anxious and exhausted.
The pronunciation is in 3 syllables: tor-chur-us, with the accent on tor. 
If you like this kind of thing, it's also: ˈtôrCH(o͞o)əs

Next, the twists:

One day, my cousin told me a story about going shopping at IKEA here in California. I like IKEA, they have great, affordable furniture and you can buy Swedish meatballs at the end! BUT, according to my cousin, this one day was TORTUROUS and TUMULTUOUS...

The parking lot was full, and he had to drive around and around, following one-way signs, stop signs, avoiding people driving with their cars full of furniture and people walking with their arms full of meatballs...very annoying.

THEN, he finally got in the store, but was confused by all the towering items and comfortable living rooms. He just wanted a shelf, but found himself walking around and around, following one-way signs and stop signs, avoiding children running around and adults trying to run and sit in the comfy chairs. 'Where are the shelves?!' he thought to himself.

He finally found the shelves (after walking around and around for half an hour) and he found the perfect shelf! 
"BUT," they said, "we don't have any more of those shelves, we're sorry. This one over here is also an excellent shelf.."
"That shelf won't fit in my room." my cousin said, as politely as he could. 
"Oh, well...how about this one?" they said.
"That one's even bigger! How is that going to fit?" my cousin asked, a little frustrated now.
"Hmmm...well, have you thought about getting a bigger room?" 
"GrAhhh!..Thank you...Nevermind..." my cousin said, walking away with his shoulders low.

Now my cousin was getting hungry. He had skipped breakfast that morning, and now, after all the driving and walking around, he could hear his stomach grumbling. He was disappointed that they didn't have the shelf he needed, but at least he could get some food before leaving this giant box of a store. 

"May I have some meatballs, please?" my cousin asked the worker behind the food counter.
"Oh, I'm sorry, we're sold out of meatballs," the worker said.
"Out of meatballs?! Well...what else do you have to eat?"
"Oh, we have some lovely SYLT HJORTRON if you'd like to try some."
"Excuse me?"
"Some SYLT HJORTRON. It's really quite delicious." 
At that point, my cousin would have eaten anything he was so hungry.
"Sure...I can't pronounce it, but maybe I can eat it," my cousin said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Ok, here you are!" and the worker handed my cousin a jar.

My cousin stood there and blinked....twice.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.

"Whatever you want!" the worker said with a smile.

"No, I mean, HOW am I supposed to eat this?" 'I'm soooo hungry!' he thought. "Do you have a spoon or something back there?"

"Oh, if you'd like spoons, you can go back in the entrance, walk around and go up to the third level, and you'll find them right next to the bookshelves. You know, we have GREAT shelves here!" The worker's smile was now huge as he waited for my cousin's answer.

But there was no answer. My cousin was so tired and deliriously hungry by now that he couldn't even say goodbye. He just walked out, back through the parking lot, holding his jar of....his JAR, in his hand.

But of course, the parking lot was absolutely full of cars, trucks, motorcycles and vans, and it was getting dark. My cousin looked and looked and looked for his car, and only after an hour of back and forth searching did he FINALLY find it. 

But of course, when he climbed in his car and put the key in the ignition, he found that the motor wouldn't start!

No, I'm kidding...:) The car started, and he finally got home and made himself a giant sandwich!

But what a tumultuous trip, right?? It was torturous!!!

So, if my cousin could make it through such a tumultuous journey, such a torturous trip, surely YOU can make it through saying this tongue twister 3, 4, 5, or 50 times, right?!! ;)

So here is the Trouble: 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

T'was a tumultuous, torturous journey

T'was a tumultuous, torturous journey. T'was a torturous, tumultuous trip.

t'was a torturous, tumultuous trip

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gooooooooood luck!

(By the way, "T'was = It was")

But, like all journeys and trips, there is an end.
May your journey towards mastery of English NOT be torturous or tumultuous!
May it be illuminating, incredible and interesting!!!
See you next time)

Tongue Twister of the Day

Here's a simple one for you...

//The Cat Sat on the Cop and Watched the Clock\\

English pronunciation can be difficult because sometimes the same letter can have a different sound!

For example:

The letter A in "Cat" 

has the same sound as these words:

At, Sat, Sad, Back, That and Cap

but

The letter A in "Watched"

has a different sound, like these words:

Wash, Walk, Talk, and yes, even

COP and CLOCK!

So,

When you say "Cat" and "At,"

Smile :) and feel it in your nose...

C-A-A-A-A-T

and

When you say "Cop," "Watched" and "Clock,"

Open your mouth, like you're at the Doctor's...

W-A-A-A-A-TCH-T

Have fun and good luck!!!!!

Tongue Twister of the Day

H    e    l     l     o  .  .  .  .  .

I    '    m          a           s   n    a    i      l  .   .   .    .   :  )

I         m      o      v       e
           
                            v       e      r      y
 
                            v       e      r       y

                            v       e      -       e      -      e      -      e       -      r        y

S         L       O       W 

Hello.

I'm a human.

I move fast and have

BI-I-I-I-I-I-G 

FEET

Sorry Snail

Sorry Snail, I Slipped

I Slipped

Note: (Say this one many times. Start S   L   O   W, thengofast!!!)

Tongue Twister of the Day

Hi there masticators and elocutioners!

You know, sometimes I think one thing and say a mother.

And other times I say one thing and think a brother.

And other times....WAIT! I didn't mean that!!!

Oh dear, well, I guess it happens to all of us at some time or a father..No! mother...NO!! Brother! SiSter!! uNCle!!!!AAGHGHHGGHH!!!

Whew....I think I need to calm down and take a seat...
a little test, er, REST will do me go-good, at least that's what my boyfr..GIRLfriend always tells me!

I'm going to sit now, enjoy this Tongue Twister...

She said

She said he should sit

He Should Sit

Well, there you have it. Just be careful when you say this one!

You might slip and have to clean up a big mess :P

Tongue Twister of the Autumn Day

BBBRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

It's getting COLD out there!

Autumn is here in the U.S. and winter is coming!

(not like Game of Thrones though...)

This is the perfect time to practice, practice, practice

YOUR ENGLISH!

Stay inside, read a book and say tongue-twisters from this blog!

But remember...keep the front door closed!!

BBBRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Please close the door, please close the door!

Please close the door, 

please close the door!

I'll catch a quick cold

when the cool comes close!

I'll catch a quick cold when the cool comes close!

This one has a rhythm, a beat, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4.... So do a little dance when you "sing" this "song". It will make you much warmer!! 

Good luck!:) See you next time!

Motivational Tongue Twister of the Day

Hey there tongue-twisters and tale-tellers!
This is Sean:)

 I write this blog and some of the tongue-twisters. I don't write ALL of them, but I do write MOST of them. With THIS one, I wrote MOST of it, but SOME of it was from a sports drink commercial on tv;) 


Win from Within, Through Thick and Through Thin,

Win from Within, 

Through Thick and Through Thin,

Before You Begin, 

You Can Win from Within.

Before you Begin, you can Win from Within

The Lesson? You never know when and from where INSPIRATION will strike!

If you are ever looking for that WINNING EDGE to achieve your goals, 
just remember....


Win from Within, Through Thick and Through Thin, Before you Begin, You can win from Within.
Win from Within, Through Thick and Through Thin, Before you Begin, You can win from Within.
Win from Within, Through Thick and Through Thin, Before you Begin, You can win from Within.

#1    WITHIN

"Within" is "with + in", and in this sentence, means "inside yourself", like "with you" and "in you" at the same time!

#2    THROUGH 

This word looks very difficult to pronounce, but it's actually pretty simple;). It's like this: TH-R-OO, it is pronounced the same as THREW, the past simple of THROW. Try it, THHH(bite the tongue) RRR(lift tongue in the back) OOOOO(make an O-shape with your lips). Nice)

#3    "Through Thick and Through Thin"

This is an idiom, or a common expression in English. The meaning is: "In good times and also in bad times". Thick is like fat, so thick means in good times (with lots of money and food). Thin is like skinny or slim, so thin means in bad times (with little money and food). 

#4    What's the Point????

Well, the point is....you can win by looking inside yourself! In good times and in bad times, if you concentrate on your goal and how to achieve it, you can be a winner....even before you start!!

OK tale-tellers and tongue-twisters!

See you next time!:)

Tongue Twister of the Day

Hello Dear!

This is your Aunt Thelma...yes the aunt Thelma who knits you those lovely thermal sweaters for Chirstmas! 


Why thank you dear, I'm glad you think they're that unique, I try, I try...

Oh! I just wanted you to remember something! You know, your cousin Elizabeth is turning thirteen this year and....yes, Elizabeth....she's having a big party and it's coming up soon! It will be absolutely thrilling! You must come join us this time!

Here are the details, dear...



Elizabeth's birthday is on the

Elizabeth's Birthday is on 

the Third Thursday of This Month

third Thursday of this month.

That's right dear, don't forget to bite your tongue! Say it thirty-three times if you have to! See you there...:)

Grrrrr-eat Tongue Twister of the Day

G

The Letter "G". From such favorites as "Good", "Gorilla" and "Gadzooks!"

R

The Letter "R". You may remember it from "Right", "Rabbit" and "Radical!"

These are Good when you say them Right

and even better when you put them together!!!

It's GRRRRRRRR-8!

(that's "Great!" by the way;)

Try these GReat words...

Great

Gray

Green

Grass

Graze

Sounds GReat!

OK, if you are ready, you can try this tongue twister....

Great Gray Geese 

GREAT GRAY GEESE GRAZE 

GREAT GREEN GRASS

Graze Great Green Grass

That's grand!! I am so grateful that you like grappling with my gritty tongue twisters! See you next time...))

  

Tongue Twister of the Day

You guys! You Guys!! Check it out!!!

I've never in my life seen such a thing!!!!

Bayou Billy here, and as I was just shutting off my giant fan boat for the day, I saw the ca-RAY-ziest thing on the other side of the river...
There were piranhas leaping sky-high out of the water, all snapping and flopping around, there must have been 50 if there was a dozen!!!

But then I noticed what they were after, and I couldn't believe my eyes!!! 
Those fish were fighting frogs with wings!!
I know, I know, it sounds crazy! But guys, really!! 

I saw it!!...
Five flying frogs
fought

Five Flying Frogs Fought Fifty Fierce Fish

Fifty Fierce Fish

Well, that's my story, believe it if you want...

But try saying it five times fast before you make up your mind..

Fried Rice or Flied Lice? "R" vs. "L"

Fried Rice? Sounds yummy!! :)

Flied Lice?  Sounds nasty!!! :(

These two phrases are very close in pronunciation, but very far in meaning...

Fried food means it is cooked in a lot of oil. Not so healthy, but sooo tasty!

Flied is actually NOT an English word. Maybe something that flies in the sky?

Rice is a tasty grain that is very common. Everybody eats it!
(In some countries, they say "Have you eaten rice today?" instead of "How are you today?")

Lice is the plural word for a Louse, which is a small insect. It lives in people's hair!
(Lice for humans are like fleas for dogs, itchy, blood-sucking parasites!)

If you want to talk about a delicious dinner, say "R" 

f R i e d  R i c e

If you want to talk about a horrible flying bug, say "L"

f L i e d  L i c e

But HOW do we make these sounds?  WHAT is the difference between R and L sounds? hmmm......

Well, I'll tell you... it's WHERE your tongue is... the Front or the Back

When you say "R", your tongue LIFTS up, and moves to the BACK of your mouth.

       When you say "L", your tongue also LIFTS up, but moves to the FRONT of your mouth.

Go ahead...try it!  fRRRRRRied RRRRRRice (back)........fLLLLLLied LLLLLLice (front)

Nice:)

If you don't understand, 

             or if you want more practice,

                              or if you want to laugh)))))) 

 watch this video! 

 L vs. R

*click*

The Many Cans of "Can"

I have a question for you....

      "Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?"

It's a very simple question... you either can or you can't!

This is a real sentence, with correct grammar, spelling and everything.

But for English students, this question may not be so simple, either to understand or say. 

As for English teachers, this can be a 10-30 minute lesson in grammar, pronunciation and just being silly!

First, let's look at the meaning...

Can you       Here, "Can" is a modal verb, asking the question 'do you have the           ability?' Can you do something?  

Can a Can    Here, we ask 'what is a can?' Like a can of soup, a can of beer, canned fish...it's a metal container, usually to keep food. That's a can. 

What does it mean to 'can a can?' Well, in factories, people make cans, or maybe they use a machine to put things inside a can. This is the meaning of can a can, an action verb meaning to put something in a can!

As a Canner        Just like a person who teaches is a teach-er and someone who works is a work-er, somebody who cans is a .....canner! AS a canner means LIKE a canner, or in a similar way to a canner.

Can                                             Modal verb of ability

Can                                          Action verb, to make a can 

a Can?                                A metal container for food or liquid            

So, I'll ask the question again...

        "Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?"

or in other words....         

Do you have the ability to put something in a can like a person whose job it is to put things in cans has the ability to put things in cans?

I agree, the first one is much easier to say..;)

      

          Try to say it...

                      Try to say it 2 times.....

                                     Now try 3 times!.....

                                                     Say it 3 times FAST!!!

canyoucanacanasacannercancanacan?...canyoucanacanasacannercancanacan?...canyoucanacanasacannercancanacan?

Nice.:)

If you have a friend to try this with, you can take turns asking the question and answering it...

For example:

Q: Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?

A: Yes, I can can a can as a canner can can a can.

or

A: No, I can't can a can as a canner can can a can.

Teachers: For more information on methods of turning tongue twisters into ESOL lessons, stay tuned to this blog and look out for an upcoming e-book from the blogger.:)