467. Practice English with The Last of Us | Shadowing Exercise for Pronunciation and Intonation

What did you do? I saved her.

Today we are going to practice English with the Last of Us. We are going to practice shadowing, which is one of my favorite techniques to practice English with. And we're going to do it with a scene from season two, episode one of the Last of Us. Hey, you're listening to the Influency podcast. I'm Hadar, your host, a pronunciation expert, fluency coach, and a proud non native speaker. With over 16 years of experience teaching, I am here to share with you all my secrets on how to show up in English clearly with confidence and freedom. On this podcast, I'll provide step by step strategies, lessons, stories and practical tips to keep you inspired and motivated on your English journey. Are you ready? Let's do it. Shadowing is when you play a line of a speaker and then you repeat it, you echo it. But when I practice shadowing, I like to practice intentional shadowing, which means that as we do it, we focus on speaking specific sounds. Today, we are going to focus on the lax sound, on the schwa sound, and on stressed words and a little bit of connected speech so that you are able to really start paying attention to these elements. Because sometimes when we practice shadowing, if we try to focus on everything and pay attention to everything and get everything right, we end up focusing on nothing. So this is why I really like to practice intentional shadowing. Now, I talk a lot more about it in this episode where we also shadow Wednesday Adams. And if you want access to it, I'm going to link to it in the description. You also have a PDF to practice with so you can learn more about intentional shadowing. And I have a lot of other videos to practice shadowing, so I'm going to create a playlist and add it in the description or the show notes. If you're listening to the podcast, I also have a free PDF for you for this episode. If you want to download the script with my pronunciation and intonation notes so you'll see the highlighted words, the reductions, the connected speech, so you can get that for free. Just click the link in the description below and download it so you can practice along and have access to it on your computer. Okay, so let's go ahead and start practicing shadowing with the last of us. Let's listen to the first part and then we'll break it down line by line.

You shot and killed my husband. You killed Eugene. And I resent you for it. No, maybe a little more than that. I hate you for it. I hate you for it.

Okay, let's do up until now. Gotta get a little more serious here for this one. Okay, first line, listen. And when you listen to it, remember, we're looking for the sound. We're looking for the schwa sound, a reduced vowel sound. And we're looking for the stressed words.

You shot and killed my husband.

Okay, good. So the stressed words. Shot and killed my husband. Okay. You shot and killed my husband. Say it with me. You shot and. And killed my husband. So we have the lax in the word killed. Right? You shot and killed my husband. Bnd. Bnd. That's a schwa. Can you hear it? It's not husband, husband. Husband, Husband, husband. And also, if you paid attention to it, you shot and killed. The end. Connect the two words, shot and killed, and it's reduced to a schwab. Let's continue.

You killed Eugene.

So again, we have the lax sound. Practice it. It's not killed, but killed. You killed Eugene. Killed Eugene. Right. These are the stress words. So I'm going to highlight it here. You killed Eugene. You killed Eugene.

And I resent you for it.

Notice how she drops her pitch here. So try that as well. You killed Eugene. And I resent you for it. So we have. And I resent you. Resent is a strong word. Resent you for it. For that's reduced. That's a schwa sound. And I resent you for it. And every time you see an and, if it's not stressed, it's reduced to a schwa. Remember that. An I. An I. An I. And I resent you for it. And I resent you for it.

No, maybe a little more than that.

I love the intonation here. No, maybe a little more than that. Let's do it together. No, maybe a little more than that. It's kind of like she's thinking about it. So it's kind of like when you think about it, your pitch changes a little bit. You're reflecting. And you'll notice that we have the laxed I. Little. Little flap. T, Dark. L. Little. Maybe a little more than that. Everything's connected. Maybe a little more than that. Let's do it again slowly. Maybe a little more than that. A little faster. Maybe a little more than that. I'm going to play it for you again.

No, maybe a little more than that. I hate you for it.

Okay, so we have I hate you for it. Again, we have the. Did you notice that's a schwa sound? I hate you for it. Something to notice is that when you connect the T and the Y, I hate you. Hate you hate you. We hear a ch sound, like in chicken, but it's not a ch sound. It's the combination of a T and a J that lead to the pronunciation of a ch sound. So listen to it again.

I hate you for it.

Hate you for it. She doesn't reduce the for even though it's a function word, because she wants to emphasize it. This is the reason why. I hate you. I hate you for it. But she does reduce the it. Then she repeats the line, I hate you for it. And now it's. It's reduced even more. I hate you for it. I hate you for it. Let's listen to those two lines and this time try to embrace that tone of voice and music, okay? There's a lot of emotion here.

I hate you for it.

Now you.

I hate you for it.

Next line.

And yes, I know you had no choice. I know that.

Okay. And yes. And yes. That's really quick, right? Again, A schwa. And yes, I know you had no choice. Almost every word is stressed here because it's such a powerful sentence, right? Like, I know you had no choice. So when you want to emphasize something, you usually kind of like, sit on each word. You'll notice that the words are a little more separate, right? She doesn't connect it as much. And every word is kind of emphasized. I know you had no choice. I know that. Okay? You'll notice that when you say something and then you repeat that something. No and no. The second time it's repeated, it is usually a little higher in pitch. I know you had no choice. I know that. Let me give you another example. I wanted to go to the park. The park, not the zoo, right? I know you had no choice. I know that. It's kind of like a way to persuade someone or to emphasize or to just highlight something. Because if you repeat the same word, it means that you want to emphasize it. And another way to emphasize it, except for repetition, is to use pitch and stress, right? You just make the word a little longer, which is what she does. Let's listen to it again.

And yes, I know you had no choice. I know that.

Okay?

I know that. I know I should forgive you.

I know I should forgive you. Can you hear the schwas or the lax I sound here? I know I should forgive you. I know I should forgive you. So should. This is the schwa, right? We reduce it. Do something like this. Drop the l, no L, and forgive. Lax, I not forgive. We want to do this. I know I should forgive you. I know I should Forgive you.

Well, I've tried and I can't.

Okay. Well, I've tried and I can't. I want you to pay close attention to the melody here.

Well, I've tried and I can't. Well, I've tried and I can't.

One more time.

Well, I've tried and I can't.

Well, I've tried and I can't. Well, I've tried and I can't. Right. She leaves it up hanging. Well, I've tried and I can't. Right. So even though she goes up, we can see that we have the tried and we have the can't. Stressed. Tried, can't, Tried, can't. So these words are stressed and then everything else is squeezed in. In between. Well, I've tried and I can't. By the way, I talk a lot about rhythm and about how to understand the beat and how to squeeze everything in between. So if you like that part in this exercise, you should definitely watch that video. I'm going to link to it in the description below, so. Well, I've tried and I can't. Well, I've tried and I can't.

Because of how you did it.

Okay. Did it. Did it. I, I. Have you noticed? Have you noticed? Did it. So we have lax I here and then we have it. She doesn't really reduce it to a schwa, just like she does with the fore. It she pronounces. Pronounces a clear I sound. Did it. Also, I want you to pay attention to how she pronounces the D sound. It. It's very light. D D D Did it. Did it. Did it. Now, a lot of times people who are non native speakers may pronounce the D with the blade of the tongue. Did it. And then the D is a little heavier. Not a problem whatsoever. It doesn't affect your pronunciation. You're still clear, so don't worry about it. But if you notice the difference, I just want to tell you why that is. Because I'm obsessed with sounds. Because when you pronounce the D with a blade, it's a little heavier. Duh. And when you pronounce it just with a tip, just this, there is less contact, less friction. D D and we hear that light tap. Did it. Did it. Now, if you get used to pronouncing it like that, then sounds like the flap T as in little are going to be easier for you as well. Just something to think about. Because of. Because of schwa. Schwa. Schwa. Because of. Because of how you did it. Because of how you did it. Again, a lot of words are emphasized here. Let's continue. And looking at your face and looking at your face. And looking at your face. Okay, So I would probably stress your face and looking. Right? And reduce schwa. And looking at your face. Look, look, look. Not look, look. And looking at your face.

Sitting in our home. Okay.

Every word is articulated here. Sitting. She doesn't even use the flap t here. It's like a light tap. Almost like they did it right? Sitting in our home. So lax I for sitting. Sitting in our home.

Makes me so fucking angry.

Good. Makes me so fucking angry. Makes me so fucking angry. So we have that again. Stress pattern. Forgive my language, but I gotta do everything I can to teach you well. Right? Makes me so angry. So when you curse, the words are stressed, just like she does here. Okay, now let's practice again from the top. I'm going to play one line and you will repeat it. Okay? So I play a line. You say it out loud. I'm going to be quiet. I highlighted a few more words here so you can see all the stress words. And let's go.

You shot and killed my husband. You killed Eugene. And I resent you for it. No, maybe a little more than that. I hate you for it. I hate you for it. And yes, I know you had no choice. I know that. I know I should forgive you. Well, I've tried and I can't because of how you did it. And looking at your face. Sitting in our home. Makes me so fucking angry.

Okay, moving on to the next part. We're going to go a little quicker and I'm going to play a line, only highlight the thing things that we discussed. Connected speech, stressed words, lax, IH and the schwa. Okay, let's go ahead.

There it is. I've said it.

Okay, it is. It is. It is. You can actually pronounce both of them with a lax IH sound. There it is. There it is. So pay attention to that. Say it again.

There it is. I've said it.

Now you. Moving on.

I'm ashamed, but it's in the air and I can't take it back.

Okay. I'm ashamed. Okay. You hear that pitch staying up? It means that something else is coming up. That's the indication that there is a comma here. Right? I'm ashamed, but it's in the air and I can't take it back. I can't take it back. Everything is connected here. I can't take it back. Take it back, Take it back. Take it back. And we have the lax I sound here. Moving on.

Now. Maybe there's a chance I can make things right with you.

And now maybe there's a chance I can make things right with you. I like it how she stresses the you at the end. I think I would have pronounced it or said it. I can make things right with you. But it's about him, right? I can make things right with you. Things. We have a lax I sound Things. And notice that we have the ng sound. And then the z Things. Things. And now maybe there's a chance I can make. Everything's connected here. Things. Right? Connected with you. Let's move on. Your turn, your turn, your turn. Easy.

Say the thing you're afraid to say.

Say the thing you're afraid to say. Everything's connected, so let's just focus on that. Say the thing you're afraid to say. One more time. I'm going to play it.

Say the thing you're afraid to say.

Say the thing you're afraid to say. So we have say stressed. Thing. Stressed. Afraid. Stressed. Say stressed. All the content words are stressed here. All the function words. The small words are unstressed. Say the thing lacks. Thing you're afraid to say.

I can help you.

I can help you. Can is reduced. I can help you. Schwa.

Say it out loud no matter what it is, no matter how bad.

Say it out loud no matter what it is, no matter how bad. So we have it is. Again, you can pay attention to it and highlight the is sound. It is. It is. It is. It is. It is. And of course, we have the flap T. If you aim for American English, the T sounds a little bit like a D. It is. It is. Or like a flapped R. It is. It is. It is. Say it out loud no matter what it is, no matter how bad. Let's listen to her again.

Say it out loud no matter what it is, no matter how bad.

But it is. Right. Sometimes people go higher in pitch when they try to convince someone. You don't have to worry about it or, you know, let's just go ahead and do it. It's like that persuasive tone.

Okay, I promise I will help.

I will help. Will. Will. So we have our lax I sound. And then everything is connected. I promise I will help. I will help. Try to connect it together, even if it might be hard for you. The dark L and the H. Will help. Will help. Two sounds that don't exist in all languages will help. Continue to the next one.

Did you do something to her?

Did you do something to her? So we have the lax. I did. Did, did you do? Did you do? And then we have some something to her. T. That's a schwa. Notice she doesn't say to ta her. Did you do something to her? And again, she stresses almost every word here. So it makes it really interesting to listen to, but also easy to follow. Let's do it again.

Did you do something to her?

Did you do something to her? Did you do something to her? Did you do something to her?

Did you hurt her?

Did you hurt her? We can hear the connected speech here. That changes the quality of the sound. It's not did you? But did you? Did you? Juh, juh, juh. Did you? Did you hurt her?

Then what?

Then what?

What did you do?

What did you do? So again we have that lax. I. What did, did, did, did did you do? And notice how the do is stressed and prolonged, because that's a stressed word, right? So we use pitch, but we also use length. Listen again.

What did you do?

What did you do? What did you do? Do? And this could be counterintuitive to a lot of you if you don't use length to emphasize words. For example, in my native language, we just use emphasis. So we would do something like, what did you do? Right. Like just emphasize it with more energy. But here in English, and that's. I think it's a beautiful tool. And another way to express yourself that is not just volume, because you have volume and you have pitch, but you also have length. What did you do? What did you do?

I saved her.

I saved her. Her and her is stressed as saved is I saved her. Okay, so we see how even function words are stressed when we want to emphasize the pronoun or the preposition. Because sometimes we do. We don't always reduce function words. All those small words, sometimes we emphasize them. It all depends on what it is that you're saying. The thing is that there is no right or wrong. You just have to understand the impact it has when you stress specific words. All right, so now let's do a little recap like we did before from this part. There it is. I've said it. Okay, I'm going to play a line, pause, allow you to repeat it, and then we'll go through the text until the end. Ready? Pay attention to lax ih connected speech, stressed words and the reductions, the schwas.

There it is. I've said it. I'm ashamed. But it's in the air and I can't take it back. And now Maybe there's a chance I can make things right with you. Your turn. Say the thing you're afraid to say. I can help you say it out loud. No matter what it is, no matter how bad, I promise I will help. Did you do something to her? Did you hurt her? Then what? What did you do? I saved her.

You did great. Really, if you're still here, you did great. And again, like, I think it is so impactful to just listen and kind of like surrender to someone else's voice, intonation, rhythm and speech patterns. And not that there is anything wrong with your speech patterns or your speech, but sometimes we can pick up on things that we can't logically just pick up on. Right? We can learn the sound and the schwa and connected speech and we can practice it specifically, but sometimes only when we hear it in context. When we don't make it about the practice, that's when we can kind of like embrace and embody these sounds and elements of speech. I hope you enjoyed it. I prepared a PDF for you with the script and with highlighted words and reductions. So it's going to be a bit more elaborate than what I shared here. And if you want to get access to it, it's absolutely free. Just click the link in the description below and take it and practice with it. It's going to link to the audio and the video as well. So all you need to practice effectively. Thank you so, so much for being here. Thank you so much for practicing and shadowing with me. Me. You did great and I wish you a beautiful, beautiful rest of the day and I'll see you next week in the next video.