Read out loud with me! Practice vocabulary, pronunciation and connected speech | Harry Potter
A2
hey would you like to improve the way
you tell stories would you like to learn
about intonation pronunciation Rhythm
and stress through stories if you said
yes you are going to love this lesson
because today we are going to read
together a story from the book Harry
Potter and the philosopher stone this is
about the philosopher stone and we are
going to practice it together talking
about vocabulary pronunciation and
intonation I'm particularly going to
emphasize areas where you can use your
intonation or use your voice in a way
that engages the listeners it's a lot of
fun and an excellent fluency practice
now here's how it's going to work I'm
going to read a line and then I'm going
to explain it if there is something to
explain and if not I'm just going to
move on to the next line if you want to
Shadow me I recommend that you pause the
video and you repeat the line as I said
it so take as much time as you need I
didn't want to pause in the video
because people need different times to
repeat a longer sentence and I wanted to
give you the opportunity of just pausing
and taking as much time as you need but
if I notice that I need to explain
something talk about reductions
connected speech I will and then you'll
be able to just repeat it with my notes
okay good all right so let's get started
let's
go Harry Potter in the philosopher stone
by JK
Rowling by the way the name Harry or
Harry could be pronounced in two
different ways in British English it's
more of an a sound before an R Harry
Harry in American English when the a
appears before an R the a sound becomes
e hairy same thing with the word marry
right I'm going to marry you in British
English marry okay because it's
technically an a sound now I'm going to
say Harry with an A but know that you
can say both Hagrid raised a gigantic
fist huge fist big fist and knocked
three times on the castle
door Castle a castle no T the door swung
open at once swung is the past tense of
swing the door swung open at
once a tall blackhaired witch in emerald
green robes stood there stood uh stood
there she had a very Stern face and
Harry's first thought was that this was
not someone to
cross so let me explain Stern is severe
or showing disapproval so if I were to
read it I would probably say it like
this she had a very Stern face right
like making that face and Harry's first
thought was that this was not someone to
cross to cross someone is to annoy
someone or get on their bad side you
don't want to cross her cross someone to
cross the first years professor mgogo
said
Hagrid notice what happens here you
don't see the T in the script
right it's first years and that's
because it represents how people say it
with the T appears between two
consonants usually it's dropped just
like here first years First Years the
first years professor mogal said
Hagrid thank you
Hagrid I'll take them from here I will
you can reduce it to Isle I'll take them
from
here you can also put the stress on Isle
I'll take them from
here as you can see the intonation of
the Storyteller or the reader is very
subjective there isn't just one right
way to tell a story but what you do want
to do is to recognize the words
that shed a new light on the story or
describe something in a way that you
don't want the listener to miss or words
that drive the plot or the story or the
narrative forward word and those words
are usually emphasized by pitch usually
they're higher in pitch and by length
and I want you to notice it as I'm
reading the story she pulled the door
wide the entrance hall was so big you
could have fitted the whole of the
dersley house in it what does that mean
the whole of the dersley house in it
means actually the entire house it means
it was so big and that's just like the
entrance hall in stories you use a lot
of imageries that go beyond the basic
description of something
to make it more interesting more
imaginative so that you could imagine it
that's what I love about stories and
plays I want you to reduce that you
could have fitted to you could have
fitted you could have you could have you
could have you could have fitted you
could have fitted so I don't actually
pronounce the V of the have you could
have fitted the whole of the dersley
house in it the stone walls were lit
with flaming torches like the ones at
grots grots
grots the ceiling was too high to make
out to make out is to see or to
understand to make out it was so high
you couldn't even see it or you couldn't
even grasp it or comprehend it to make
out is also Al to kiss to make out but
in this case that's not the meaning so
let's do it again and you can just Echo
me so as I say the sentence you can just
repeat after me you have the text in
front of you if you're listening to the
podcast I'm going to add the script to
the description so you can read it there
the ceiling was too high to make out and
a magnificent marble stair case facing
them led to the upper
floors they followed professor Meagle
across the flagged Stone floor that's a
big phrase flagged Stone floor flagged
in British English means a type of floor
like tiles or big pieces of stone so
flagged Stone floor the stress is on
floor because that's the noun that's
what we're describing flagstone floor by
the way flagged is also marked for
importance I flagged this comment so you
could take a look at it right but in
this case that's the meaning that's a
type of flooor Flagstone
floor Harry could hear the Drone of
hundreds of voices from a doorway to the
right the word drone in this context
means a steady or constant sound like
the sound of a drone but in this case
drone means sound the Drone of hundreds
of voices speaking from a doorway to the
right the rest of the school must
already be be
here the rest of the the rest of the the
rest of the so of often times becomes
just uh but you have to connect it if
you want to reduce it the rest of the
let's stick the tongue out for the th
the rest of the school must already be
here basically we're saying his thoughts
right so we want to say it in a
different intonation than what we said
before so for example if I was in my
store storytelling
voice Harry could hear the Drone of
hundreds of voices from a doorway to the
right
now in in the text you can see that it's
isolated in dashes long dashes but you
need to do something with your voice to
explain it so change your voice a little
bit the rest of the school must already
be here a thought but going back to your
Storyteller voice Professor mccal show
the first years into a small empty
chamber of the hall chamber is a room
used for special or official purpose off
the hall is just not right in the hall
but just like a little bit to the side
of the hall off the hall they crowded in
standing rather closer together than
they would usually have
done I stress the word usually to
emphasize
that that wouldn't have been the case
unless they were feeling these feelings
probably stress
nervousness peering about nervously so
to peer about is to look around so they
were kind of like looking around
nervously they were nervous now when
you're reading about someone in a
certain emotional state you might want
to put that emotion into your voice they
crowded in standing rather closer
together than they would usually have
done peering about
nervously right you don't want to sound
too cheerful here cuz then it would just
not be aligned with what you're reading
they crowded in standing rather closer
together than they would usually have
done right that doesn't fit as well so
you what you want to do when you read a
story is to try to understand the
emotional state of the character that
you're talking about or the atmosphere
and then put it in your voice welcome to
Hogwarts said professor
mogle here here's what you can do with
your voice first there is the statement
made by the character welcome to
Hogwarts said professor mcgonagle and
then the
narrator tells you what just happened so
usually when they character through
speaks you can have one voice and then
you can just use your narrator voice to
tell it and it's different I used a
lower voice and I said it a little
faster so let's do it again welcome to
Hogwarts said Professor mcgonagle the
start of the term banquet will begin
shortly a banquet is a large formal meal
for many people it's like a feast so the
start of the term banquet will begin
shortly but before you take your seats
in the Great Hall you will be sorted
into your houses will organize you into
your houses okay so now we want to
create anticipation so we might want to
use some pauses and maybe change the
voice a little bit create more suspense
we might want to sound more serious the
Sorting is a very important ceremony
because while you are here your house
will be something like your family
within Hogwarts you'll have classes with
the rest of your house sleep in your
house dormatory and spend free time in
your house common
room dormatory
dormatory now feel free to pause and
repeat any line whenever you need the
four houses are called pay attention to
the pronunciation
Gryffindor
Hufflepuff
Ravenclaw and
Slytherin I Slither voice t h Ren
Gryffindor
Hufflepuff Raven claw and
Slytherin each house has its own Noble
history and each has produced
outstanding witches and
wizards so the word noble means special
importance or admiration so each house
has its own Noble history Noble is a big
word you might want to slow down on this
word and each has produced outstanding
outstanding is also a big word you might
want to stretch it out change the a
little bit outstanding witches and
wizards while you are at Hogwarts your
triumphs will earn your house
points triumphs FS triumphs triumphs is
wins and successes so he says while you
are at Hogwarts your triumphs will earn
your house points while in your rule
breaking will lose house points so here
you have this distinction between win or
earn and lose okay so when you read
something when there is distinction
between two ideas this ju AOS where
there is like this versus that then we
want to emphasize those words when we
read them so while you are at Hogwarts
your triumphs will earn you house points
while any rule breaking will lose house
points at the end of the year the house
with the most points is awarded the
house cup at the end of the year at the
end of the year end of the end of the
end of the end of at the end of the year
the house with the most points is
awarded the house cup a great honor
honor no h Oz and father honor I hope
each of you will be a credit to
whichever house becomes yours be a
credit be an advantage so now let's read
it again I hope each of you will be a
credit to whichever house becomes yours
the Sorting ceremony will take place in
a few minutes in front of the rest of
the school rest of the rest of the rest
of the rest of the I suggest you all
smarten yourselves up as much as you can
while you are waiting so to smarten up
is to freshen up or to clean up now this
pronunciation is a little tricky there
are a few ways to say it first of all
you can say it with popping the tea like
you would in British English very
appropriate smarten or smarten with a
small light T smarten smarten yourselves
up perfectly fine you can pronounce it
with a nasal stop smart a nasal T you
block the air and you release Air
through the nose smarten and some people
might pronounce it with a glottal stop
smarten smarten smarten yourselves up
you do whatever is easier for you I
assume that the small T is the easiest
smarten yourselves up so by all means
you it I just want you to know the
different possibilities here her eyes
lingered for a moment on Neville's
cloaks which was fastened under his left
ear so that whole thing is one phrase
and then and on Ron's smudged nose
smudged is dirty dirty nose so her eyes
lingered for a moment this is why she
said you need to smarten yourselves up
Harry nervously tried to flatten his
hair it's probably a little puffy just
like mine I shall return when we are
ready for you said Professor mogal
please wait
quietly she left the chamber do you
remember the meaning of chamber a small
room used for official or special
purposes good Harry
swallowed how exactly do they sort us
into houses he asked Ron okay try to try
to add a little bit of curiosity and
concern to your voice how exactly do
they sort us into houses he asked Ron
some sort of test I think let's try to
lift the word test because that's new
information here some sort of test I
think Fred said it hurts a lot hurts a
lot hurts a lot hurts a lot it's like
someone's name hurts a lot Fred said it
hurts a lot but I think he was joking
Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt a
jolt is a sudden movement or a shock or
it's kind of like his heart jumped
Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt oh
jold a
test in front of the whole school in
front of the in front of the in front of
the in front of the in front of the
whole school whole school a lot dark L's
here but he didn't know any magic yet
magic magic what on Earth would he have
to do would he you can reduce it to
woody woody woody what on Earth would he
have to
do he hadn't expected something like
this the moment they
arrived so let's emphasize the words
expected this and arrived maybe a moment
a little bit
he hadn't expected something like this
the moment they
arrived so every time we stress a word
it's like lifted a little
bit he looked around anxiously
anxious technically it's the a as in
cath but before the NG sound which we
have here in the word anxious it sounds
more like an a sound
anxious anxious he looked around an
iously and saw that everyone else looked
terrified
too terrified too make sure your tees
are clean and crisp no one was talking
much except Hermione Granger who was
whispering very fast about all the
Spells she'd learned and wondering which
one she'd need she' she' she would she'
Harry tried hard not to listen to her
not to listen to her but let's think of
the Rhythm
here Harry tried hard not to listen to
her he'd never been more nervous he had
he had heed he reductions he'd never
been more nervous never not even when
he'd had to take a school report home to
the dersley saying that he'd somehow
turned his teacher's wig blue just for
this part I'm going to read and I want
you to repeat after me but I'll break it
down into phrases so we have a better
understanding as to how to connect it
and how to read it and where to
pause he'd never been more
nervous
never when you repeat a word usually
might want to change the pitch a little
bit not even when he'd had to take a
school report home to the
Durley saying that he' somehow turned
his teacher's wig blue blue teacher's
wig
connected so let's do it again he'd
never been more nervous never not even
when he'd had to take a school report
home to the dersley saying that he'd
somehow turned his teacher's wig blue he
kept his eyes fixed on the door on the
on the if you want to take a shortcut
here place the tongue on the teeth for
the n on and then release it to the th
on the on the on on the on the door any
second now Professor mcgonagal would
come back and lead him to his doom doom
is death or
destruction a bit dramatic right any
second now Professor mcgonagle would
come back and lead him to his Doom then
something happened which made him jump
about a foot in the air foot in the air
you can connect it a foot in the
air several people be behind him
screamed what
the he
gasped that's what it means to
gasp so did the people around
him about 20 ghosts ghosts had just
streamed through the back
wall pearly white and slightly
transparent they glided across the room
talking to each other and hardly
glancing at the first years glancing is
taking a quick look hardly glancing they
seem to be arguing what looked like a
fat little monk was saying forgive and
forget I say we ought to give him a
second
chance my dear frier haven't we given
peeves all the chances he deserves he
gives us all a bad name and you know
he's not even a ghost I
say what are you all doing here a ghost
wearing a rough and tights had suddenly
noticed the first years nobody answered
a rough is a large round collar this is
what it looks like from the 16th or 17th
century new students said the fat frer
FR is like a monk smiling around at them
about to be sorted I
suppose a few people nodded mutely
nodded mutely is quietly
silently hope to see you in Hufflepuff
said the fryer my old house you know you
know move along now said a sharp voice
sharp is severe and harsh a sharp voice
the Sorting ceremony is about to
start notice that here the phrase is the
Sorting ceremony is about to start but
even in writing and of course in
speaking there is a contraction so we
connect those two words together the
Sorting ceremony is about to start
Professor mcgonagal had returned One By
One The Ghosts floated away through the
opposite
wall this is not the end of the story
but it is the end of this lesson expecto
Patron in this lesson we practiced
telling a story I hope you were able to
Shadow me or to Echo me you can go back
to the beginning of the video pause and
repeat the script is in the description
and of course on the screen if you're
watching the video pay attention to
voice changes in intonation Rhythm and
stress definitely pronunciation and of
course how sentences are structured
because you can learn so much so much
grammar and vocabulary and phrases
simply from reading close reading and
paying attention to all of those things
which is what we have done all right
that's it have a beautiful beautiful day
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and I'll see you next week in the next
video bye
