#GOALS English

🥳A new video is out!🎊

I particularly like making this as it is also relaxing for me while I'm recording! 😌 How do you like it?

Also I would love to know:
What sounds should I focus on next?
Are there any particular sounds you have difficulty with that you can't seem to find clear lessons on?

Thanks!

1 year ago | [YT] | 1

#GOALS English

🤨 "You call the 'o' in 'hot' a 'short o' but it's a long sound!" - Explaining the letter names.

This is often confusing for adult English learners, especially those of you who are getting really into learning English very technically! But here is the thing: I teach the names of the letters the way kids learn them in school in America. It's a simplified and imperfect way to name sounds, but I promise this is what we call the letters.

"Short" vowels aren't always a shorter sound. It's kind of like how we know a hot dog isn't really a dog. 😅

However, the most basic sounds you get with the vowels a, e, i, o, u in many consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words such as "cat" and "hot" are what we call "short vowels." We teach kids that when you add a "silent e" at the end (CVCe), it becomes a long vowel like in "cake" or "hope".

Now, if you've seen my lesson: All of the Sounds of American English, then you know it's not that simple (sorry!). English is not perfectly phonetic, there are lots of other sounds and spellings (not to mention the many different dialects), but learning the basic rules about "short vowels" and "long vowels" good place to start.

Let me know if you have any questions!

1 year ago | [YT] | 5

#GOALS English

🌐 The world is changing fast isn't it? 👩🏻‍💻 When I was working in the marketing world, I started using AI (artificial intelligence) tools such as ChatGPT (for writing) and Midjourney (for images). These tools are stirring up a lot of controversy, and I can certainly understand the different sides of this debate.

For me, I think AI is a great resource for certain tasks, but it isn't always reliable. Overall, I still think a human touch is needed for creative, quality content.

I think there are a lot of ways English learners can use ChatGPT. For example, I've found it's pretty good at turning sentences into IPA symbols. I sometimes have to make corrections, or change things to suit the style of IPA I prefer, but overall it does a lot of the tedious work quickly and efficiently for me, and then I can correct it from there. However, when I ask it questions about pronunciation, it gets it pretty wrong. And the stories it writes, don't sound natural. So be careful.

Let me know in the comments what you think about AI (when if comes to English learning, or more generally). I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Images made in Midjourney. 😉 It's still learning about hands, and absolutely cannot write in English. Though I do see at least one correct word... can you find it?

Skip the Carousel

1 2

2 years ago | [YT] | 6

#GOALS English

🤔 Confused about IPA differences?

I know. It can be frustrating. Some sounds don't have just one symbol in the IPA, and in these cases there isn't a clear right or wrong. To stay consistent I chose ONE dictionary to follow and I use that for ALL of my lessons.

It was originally called "The Learner's Dictionary" (learnersdictionary.com -- I say this in many of my older videos) but now it is owned by Britannica and can be found here: www.britannica.com/dictionary/

Here are a couple example words from the Britannica Dictionary compared to the Cambridge Dictionary.

The biggest difference is the r-controlled vowel symbols (er/ar/ir etc).

Another difference is that the Cambridge dictionary has different symbols for the vowel sound in caught vs cot. The Britannica dictionary does not. When those sounds are the same, this is called the "cot-caught merger." I naturally speak this one, with just one "short o" sound for both words. So I say, why add one more sound to learn if we don't have to? Just use the one "short o" sound! 😉

My advice: If you are just learning IPA to help your pronunciation, use what you find the most helpful, and forget the rest. If you are learning IPA for school or some professional exam, well, this channel may the best to meet all off your needs. And that's ok!

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any questions.

Skip the Carousel

1 2

2 years ago | [YT] | 10

#GOALS English

Have you learned the vowel sounds in American English yet? Here's a fast review!

Let me know which sound is the most difficult for you and what your native language is!

2 years ago | [YT] | 2

#GOALS English

Hi everyone! I'm thinking about updating some things around here. Which profile photo do you like best?

Also while I have your attention, if you've like my channel and have wondered why I was gone so long, it's because I had a full time corporate job and just didn't have the time.

I have now quit my job for health reasons and would love to give this channel a chance to grow again. So here is the honest truth: It takes hours and hours of work, all unpaid, to share these lessons. If you want to help, consider "buying me a coffee" (tipping) to show your appreciation. You can also, as always, watch/ rewatch my videos, like, comment, and share! It lets YouTube know that my content is good enough to share more of it with more people.

Thanks so much for your support!

Here is the link to tip: www.buymeacoffee.com/goalsenglish

2 years ago | [YT] | 2

#GOALS English

I'm curious, so let me know: How do you feel about ASMR?

2 years ago | [YT] | 2

#GOALS English

Hi everyone! I'm going to start reading stories on live soon! What kind of reading would you prefer?

2 years ago | [YT] | 4