+First World Traveller trust me I felt the same way the first time I read it. There was an article in a national newspaper over here which said a huge percentage of natives couldn't correctly speak this poem.
You have accomplished the best pronunciation of this poem I have heard to date. It's also the only video I was able to make it all the way through because of your pleasant voice. Thank you for posting.
+ahmed adel I'm glad you appreciate the effort I make. Sometimes I find it difficult to keep up the hard work but when I see how much you guys enjoy it I feel inspired.
Very Nice Video, without this lesson I couldn't learn right pronunciation of many of words in years. This lesson helped me to learn some words very quickly. And I am not giving up.
Wow.. What a wonderful poem! I've never listened to it before. Now this is my 5th time I'm listening. Thank you very much for a such valuable material you bring to us. You are amazing.. Thank you.
Brilliant. I've tried several times to say all the words, but never did it wright at all. I love this poem. I'd like to see videos on groups of words that may confuse the foreign speakers, like homophones, minimal pairs, etc.
and all the time the water came pouring and roaring down upon them, bouncing and smashing and sloshing and slashing and swashing and swirling and surging and whirling and gurgling and gushing and rushing and rushing, and it was like being pinned down underneath the biggest waterfall in the world and not being able to get out.
there it is! I couldn't copy it under a reply to your comment 'cos I think there must be some kind of constraint on the length of comments. Nor I could include some necessary context but I did my best ;-)
anyone can dig a ditch, but it takes a real man to climb out of it” meaning that you’ve done something that you knew you would regret later but you come into terms with the consequences and take the recovery into your own hands, using responsibility and humility."
Beautifully read. Thanks. I wish it were the full version, though. I always have problems with the list of proper names. I guess we're not getting that now this one has appeared. I'd hope so, of course.
Personally, I love most things dealing with linguistics, so, of course, I loved this video. I'd surely like more videos featuring readings of this kind. The reason, as I mentioned, I'd have loved the full version, is that proper names are often unfathomable and it's really hard to find out what their pronunciation actually is. Thanks for all the great videos, and for replying.
My native language is Portuguese and even though I am much more fluent in English, I find German and French and Russian pronunciation waaaaaaaay easier. I guess this poem helps proving this point x)
Hi Anna: Wish you a Happy, Healthy and Harmonious '2K24'. Tamil is the mother tongue of a I Grade student studying in an English medium school here in India. English IPAs aren't introduced to students in schools or colleges here. One has to take personal interest to learn these as early as possible. You are helping her with your "English Like A Native" TH-cam videos, EXEMPLARY. You are one of her Great Teachers.
Some tricky differences I guess disappeared with the evolution of the language, for example I'm pretty sure the author's expected pronunciation of "ate" was /ɛt/. Nowadays few people say it like that.
Dear Anna, Thank you very much for your wonderful lessons. Are there some pronunciation rules for the words in this poem or these are just for remembering ?
Interesting. A few of the words are pronounced differently in Canada and the US. For example, the word breeches is pronounced britches over here (for the most part).
how many versions are there of this poem? I have seen at least 3 so far. btw well done!! Own up how many times did you read it before you recorded it for youtube?
Thank you Anna, for this amazing poem. That is what was waiting for. Perhaps, this poem is one of the best and useful things I have ever seen on You Tube. Congratulation for your choice.
Excellent. My only comment is that of a clarification of wont and won't. Whilst both exist, the former is a behaviour, therefore, I'm unsure whether it was a typing error or not.
When I do this one myself I make myself read it in a constant and brisk pace and in meter wherever possible. It's much harder than reading slowly and irregularly
Congrats, Anna. This is awesome. Just one question regarding the pronunciation of gouge (at 2:49). My dictionary says ɡaʊdʒ or ɡuːdʒ. In your interpretation it sounds like ɡɔːdʒ (gorge). Being a non-native English speaker I am absolutely unconfident. Help me please.
Where I come from aunt and grant rhyme with ant. Also ass rhymes with glass, and ask has a similar flat vowel sound. Moustache rhymes with stash, and neither can be pronounced in 2 ways, according to mood (likewise either!).
American English pronunciation is different in many of these words. Furthermore, some words spelled identically can have different pronunciations depending on their meaning (I live in America vs. live broadcast). Finally, some of these words are extremely archaic. One shouldn't worry about not knowing how to pronounce them.
I am over the moon .Anna replied to me WoW.Thank you very very much , the most beautiful and creative teacher I have ever known. Really you made my day.
I like the English poetry very much and I wish you had the time to analyze some of these poems as you have.done with the songs . I think it will be great since you have a distinguished and unique method in teaching
I love this poem :) Can read it correctly in american accent after some repetitions (and open dictionary for some words that I've never heard of for the right pronunciation) , but read in british accent. . . Hell no, too hard. Still learning british accent
Luckily, 90% of both native and non-native speakers will go a lifetime without ever needing to use 85% of the words from the poem. Neither in written, nor in spoken English. Source: my guesstimate.
As a New Zealander, so many of these things rhyme for me that don't in RP. Tear, beer, bear, wear, air, heir, appear, snare, prayer, peer, gear, mere, mayor, etc..
Dearest creature in creation, Study English pronunciation. I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse. I will keep you, Suzy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy. Tear in eye, your dress will tear. So shall I! Oh hear my prayer. Just compare heart, beard, and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word, Sword and sward, retain and Britain. (Mind the latter, how it's written.) Now I surely will not plague you With such words as plaque and ague. But be careful how you speak: Say break and steak, but bleak and streak; Cloven, oven, how and low, Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe. Hear me say, devoid of trickery, Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore, Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles, Exiles, similes, and reviles; Scholar, vicar, and cigar, Solar, mica, war and far; One, anemone, Balmoral, Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel; Gertrude, German, wind and mind, Scene, Melpomene, mankind. Billet does not rhyme with ballet, Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet. Blood and flood are not like food, Nor is mould like should and would. Viscous, viscount, load and broad, Toward, to forward, to reward. And your pronunciation's OK When you correctly say croquet, Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve, Friend and fiend, alive and live. Ivy, privy, famous; clamour And enamour rhyme with hammer. River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb, Doll and roll and some and home. Stranger does not rhyme with anger, Neither does devour with clangour. Souls but foul, haunt but aunt, Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant, Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger, And then singer, ginger, linger, Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge, Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age. Query does not rhyme with very, Nor does fury sound like bury. Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth. Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath. Though the differences seem little, We say actual but victual. Refer does not rhyme with deafer. Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer. Mint, pint, senate and sedate; Dull, bull, and George ate late. Scenic, Arabic, Pacific, Science, conscience, scientific. Liberty, library, heave and heaven, Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven. We say hallowed, but allowed, People, leopard, towed, but vowed. Mark the differences, moreover, Between mover, cover, clover; Leeches, breeches, wise, precise, Chalice, but police and lice; Camel, constable, unstable, Principle, disciple, label. Petal, panel, and canal, Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal. Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair, Senator, spectator, mayor. Tour, but our and succour, four. Gas, alas, and Arkansas. Sea, idea, Korea, area, Psalm, Maria, but malaria. Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean. Doctrine, turpentine, marine. Compare alien with Italian, Dandelion and battalion. Sally with ally, yea, ye, Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key. Say aver, but ever, fever, Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver. Heron, granary, canary. Crevice and device and aerie. Face, but preface, not efface. Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass. Large, but target, gin, give, verging, Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging. Ear, but earn and wear and tear Do not rhyme with here but ere. Seven is right, but so is even, Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen, Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk, Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work. Pronunciation - think of Psyche! Is a paling stout and spikey? Won't it make you lose your wits, Writing groats and saying grits? It's a dark abyss or tunnel: Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale, Islington and Isle of Wight, Housewife, verdict and indict. Finally, which rhymes with enough - Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough? Hiccough has the sound of cup. My advice is to give up!!!
Very difficult episode I didn't see the teacher I couldn't recognize what is the aim or goal of this video all other videos of yours I get understand except this one it's the most difficult
I don't know if the problem is on my side or on the server, but I only hear the sound in this video from my left headphone. Other videos sound completely normal (about the same level of sound), so I tend to think it must be a problem of this video.
English Like A Native I really enjoyed your bite-size lessons and also your accent videos. I am still hoping for an in depth Lancashire/ Merseyside lesson. It should be a piece of cake for you, or was it fish and finger pies...?
thank you for doing it. i found it on tumblr a month ago and it bothered me since then. I'm not native, therefore I want to ask how hard is that for a native?
This poem is a classic. At 4:34 I would note that 'Doctrine' seems off; to my ear, it's being said with a long e sound, like /ˈdɒktɹēn/ in IPA. The standard pronunciation is /ˈdɒktɹɪn/, with an unrounded vowel. Less "DOKTREEN", more "DOK-TRIN". It almost seems as if it's being made to rhyme with either 'clean' from the previous line or 'marine' from the same line, instead of alone as its own unique pronunciation. Great job though--this poem is a doozy!
BTW, it reminds me of a paragraph of Roal Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach", where the author uses every conceivable form of referring to a body of water in motion. I'll try to find it and I'll copy it here ;-)
and all the time the water came pouring and roaring down upon them, bouncing and smashing and sloshing and slashing and swashing and swirling and surging and whirling and gurgling and gushing and rushing and rushing, and it was like being pinned down underneath the biggest waterfall in the world and not being able to get out.
I've been english for 35 years. since I was born. and so many words in this i either don't know or have been saying wrong my whole life!
+First World Traveller trust me I felt the same way the first time I read it. There was an article in a national newspaper over here which said a huge percentage of natives couldn't correctly speak this poem.
With Spelling like that, I am surprised you know English at all.
My right ear always feels left out.
You have accomplished the best pronunciation of this poem I have heard to date. It's also the only video I was able to make it all the way through because of your pleasant voice. Thank you for posting.
Also really slow, emphasizing clearness over dramatic effect. The best indeed
My English sucks. I won't stop till I master it.
Udało się?
True poetry. I don't even need to know what all those words mean, it's like music to ears.
live broadcast and a video within 15 minutes , you're on fire today!
thanks a lot , you're so helpful
+ahmed adel I'm glad you appreciate the effort I make. Sometimes I find it difficult to keep up the hard work but when I see how much you guys enjoy it I feel inspired.
Very Nice Video, without this lesson I couldn't learn right pronunciation of many of words in years. This lesson helped me to learn some words very quickly. And I am not giving up.
Wow.. What a wonderful poem! I've never listened to it before. Now this is my 5th time I'm listening.
Thank you very much for a such valuable material you bring to us. You are amazing.. Thank you.
Brilliant. I've tried several times to say all the words, but never did it wright at all. I love this poem.
I'd like to see videos on groups of words that may confuse the foreign speakers, like homophones, minimal pairs, etc.
and all the time the water came pouring and roaring down upon them, bouncing and smashing and sloshing and slashing and swashing and swirling and surging and whirling and gurgling and gushing and rushing and rushing, and it was like being pinned down underneath the biggest waterfall in the world and not being able to get out.
there it is! I couldn't copy it under a reply to your comment 'cos I think there must be some kind of constraint on the length of comments. Nor I could include some necessary context but I did my best ;-)
anyone can dig a ditch, but it takes a real man to climb out of it” meaning that you’ve done something that you knew you would regret later but you come into terms with the consequences and take the recovery into your own hands, using responsibility and humility."
Beautifully read. Thanks. I wish it were the full version, though. I always have problems with the list of proper names. I guess we're not getting that now this one has appeared. I'd hope so, of course.
+Leonardo Bertamini glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
Personally, I love most things dealing with linguistics, so, of course, I loved this video. I'd surely like more videos featuring readings of this kind. The reason, as I mentioned, I'd have loved the full version, is that proper names are often unfathomable and it's really hard to find out what their pronunciation actually is. Thanks for all the great videos, and for replying.
Spectacular!!! What a marvelous poem to practice pronunciation. Hopefully one day I can nail it, too.
Omg I love you for doing this one♡ I have been searching for a correct pronunciation of this poem.
+Mei Tachibana :) glad you found it helpful. Let me know if there are any others you want me to record.
English Like A Native of course! :)
Your pronunciation is just perfect, and so clear. One can tell you've had some acting training. Thank you!
+Paolo El glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
How awesome is this poem. I like the way how every verse ends with same sound.
Thank you for this poem ^_^
Ibrahim Abu Eraq Yes, It is called Rhyme.
+Ibrahim Abu Eraq glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
Wow ! So useful and so nice to hear !! It mesmerized me in some ways ! Don't know if it's from you but this is great great work !Thanks a lot !👍
So terrific! Thank you. The proper intonation is so important, and it’s here in the best reading of this poem.
My native language is Portuguese and even though I am much more fluent in English, I find German and French and Russian pronunciation waaaaaaaay easier. I guess this poem helps proving this point x)
Hi Anna: Wish you a Happy, Healthy and Harmonious '2K24'. Tamil is the mother tongue of a I Grade student studying in an English medium school here in India. English IPAs aren't introduced to students in schools or colleges here. One has to take personal interest to learn these as early as possible. You are helping her with your "English Like A Native" TH-cam videos, EXEMPLARY. You are one of her Great Teachers.
I'm a native English speaker and I can't say this!
Samuel Terry How is that possible? you're supposed to be able to read any word in your own language ._.!
I can read the words individually, but saying them together is tricky.
D: Interesting ._.! It's even hard for natives! For non-natives will be almost impossible :'v
If you've ever wondered how to pronounce the whole poem...
ˈdɪərɪst ˈkriːʧər ɪn kri(ː)ˈeɪʃən
ˈstʌdiɪŋ ˈɪŋglɪʃ prəˌnʌnsɪˈeɪʃən,
aɪ wɪl tiːʧ juː ɪn maɪ vɜːs
saʊndz laɪk kɔːps, kɔː, hɔːs ænd
wɜːs
aɪ wɪl kiːp juː, ˈsuːzi, ˈbɪzi,
meɪk jɔː hɛd wɪð hiːt grəʊ ˈdɪzi.
teər ɪn aɪ jɔː drɛs juːl teə,
səʊ ʃæl aɪ! əʊ, hɪə maɪ preə,
preɪ, kənˈsəʊl jɔː ˈlʌvɪŋ ˈpəʊɪt,
meɪk maɪ kəʊt lʊk njuː, dɪə, səʊ ɪt!
ʤʌst kəmˈpeə hɑːt, bɪəd ænd hɜːd,
daɪz ænd ˈdaɪət, lɔːd ænd wɜːd,
sɔːd ænd swɔːd, rɪˈteɪn ænd ˈbrɪtn.
(maɪnd ðə ˈlætə, haʊ ɪts ˈrɪtn).
meɪd hæz nɒt ðə saʊnd ɒv beɪd,
seɪ sɛd, peɪ-peɪd, leɪd, bʌt plæd.
naʊ aɪ ˈʃʊəli wɪl nɒt pleɪg juː
wɪð sʌʧ wɜːdz æz veɪg ænd ˈeɪgjuː,
bʌt biː ˈkeəfʊl haʊ juː spiːk,
seɪ breɪk, steɪk, bʌt bliːk ænd striːk.
ˈpriːviəs, ˈprɛʃəs, ˈfjuːʃə, ˈvaɪə,
paɪp, snaɪp, ˈrɛsɪpi ænd ˈkwaɪə,
ˈkləʊvn, ˈʌvn, haʊ ænd ləʊ,
skrɪpt, rɪˈsiːt, ʃuː, ˈpəʊɪm, təʊ.
hɪə miː seɪ, dɪˈvɔɪd ɒv ˈtrɪkəri:
ˈdɔːtə, ˈlɑːftər ænd tɜːpˈsɪkəri,
ˈtaɪfɔɪd, ˈmiːzlz, ˈtɒpslz, aɪlz.
ˈɛksaɪlz, ˈsɪmɪliz, rɪˈvaɪlz.
ˈhəʊli, ˈhɒli, ˈsɪgnl, ˈsaɪnɪŋ.
tɛmz, ɪgˈzæmɪnɪŋ, kəmˈbaɪnɪŋ
ˈskɒlə, ˈvɪkə, ænd sɪˈgɑː,
ˈsəʊlə, ˈmaɪkə, wɔː, ænd fɑː.
frɒm “dɪˈzaɪə”: dɪˈzaɪərəbl--ˈædmərəbl
frɒm “ədˈmaɪə.”
ˈlʌmbə, ˈplʌmə, bɪə, bʌt ˈbraɪə.
ˈʧætəm, ˈbru(ː)əm, rɪˈnaʊn, bʌt
nəʊn.
ˈnɒlɪʤ, dʌn, bʌt gɒn ænd təʊn,
wʌn, əˈnɛməni. bælˈmɒrəl.
ˈkɪʧɪn, ˈlaɪkən, ˈlɔːndri, ˈlɒrəl,
ˈgɜːtruːd, ˈʤɜːmən, wɪnd, ænd maɪnd.
siːn, mɛlˈpɒmɪni(ː), mænˈkaɪnd,
ˈtɔːtəs, ˈtɜːkwɑːz, ˈʃæmwɑː-ˈlɛðə,
ˈriːdɪŋ, ˈriːdɪŋ, ˈhiːðən, ˈhɛðə.
ðɪs fəʊˈnɛtɪk ˈlæbərɪnθ
gɪvz mɒs, grəʊs, brʊk, brəʊʧ,
naɪnθ, plɪnθ.
ˈbɪlɪt dʌz nɒt ɛnd laɪk ˈbæleɪ;
bu(ː)ˈkeɪ, ˈwɒlɪt, ˈmælɪt, ˈʃæleɪ;
blʌd ænd flʌd ɑː nɒt laɪk fuːd,
nɔːr ɪz məʊld laɪk ʃʊd ænd wʊd.
ˈbæŋkwɪt ɪz nɒt ˈnɪəli ˈpɑːkeɪ,
wɪʧ ɪz sɛd tuː raɪm wɪð “ˈdɑːki.”
ˈvɪskəs, ˈvaɪkaʊnt, ləʊd, ænd brɔːd.
təˈwɔːd, tuː ˈfɔːwəd, tuː rɪˈwɔːd.
ænd jɔː prəˌnʌnsɪˈeɪʃənz əʊ.keɪ.,
wɛn juː seɪ kəˈrɛktli: ˈkrəʊkeɪ.
ˈraʊndɪd, ˈwuːndɪd, griːv, ænd sɪv,
frɛnd ænd fiːnd, əˈlaɪv, ænd lɪv,
ˈlɪbəti, ˈlaɪbrəri, hiːv, ænd ˈhɛvn,
ˈreɪʧəl, eɪk, məsˈtɑːʃ, ɪˈlɛvn,
wiː seɪ ˈhæləʊd, bʌt əˈlaʊd,
ˈpiːpl, ˈlɛpəd, təʊd, bʌt vaʊd.
mɑːk ðə ˈdɪfrəns, mɔːˈrəʊvə,
bɪˈtwiːn ˈmuːvə, ˈplʌvə, ˈdʌvə,
ˈliːʧɪz, ˈbrɪʧɪz, waɪz, prɪˈsaɪz,
ˈʧælɪs, bʌt pəˈliːs, ænd laɪs.
ˈkæməl, ˈkʌnstəbl, ʌnˈsteɪbl,
ˈprɪnsəpl, dɪˈsaɪpl, ˈleɪbl,
ˈpɛtl, ˈpiːnl, ænd kəˈnæl,
weɪt, ˈsɜːmaɪz, plæt, ˈprɒmɪs, pæl.
sjuːt, swiːt, rʊɪn, ˈsɜːkɪt, ˈkɒndɪt,
raɪm wɪð “ʃɜːk ɪt” ænd “bɪˈjɒnd ɪt.”
bʌt ɪt ɪz nɒt hɑːd tuː tɛl,
waɪ ɪts pɔːl, mɔːl, bʌt pɔːl mɔːl.
ˈmʌsl, ˈmʌskjʊlə, ʤeɪl, ˈaɪən,
ˈtɪmbə, ˈklaɪmə, ˈbʊljən, ˈlaɪən,
wɜːm ænd stɔːm, ʧeɪz, ˈkeɪɒs, ænd
ʧeə,
ˈsɛnətə, spɛkˈteɪtə, meə,
ˈaɪvi, ˈprɪvi, ˈfeɪməs, ˈklæmə
ænd ɪˈnæmə raɪm wɪð ˈhæmə.
ˈpʌsi, ˈhʌsi, ænd pəˈzɛs,
ˈdɛzət, bʌt dɪˈzɜːt, əˈdrɛs.
gɒlf, wʊlf, ˈkaʊnt(ə)nəns, lɛfˈtɛnənts.
hɔɪst, ɪn ljuː ɒv flægz, lɛft ˈpɛnənts.
ˈrɪvə, ˈraɪvəl, tuːm, bɒm, kəʊm,
dɒl ænd rəʊl ænd sʌm ænd həʊm.
ˈstreɪnʤə dʌz nɒt raɪm wɪð ˈæŋgə.
ˈnaɪðə dʌz dɪˈvaʊə wɪð ˈklæŋgə.
səʊl, bʌt faʊl ænd gɔːnt bʌt ɑːnt.
fɒnt, frʌnt, wəʊnt, wɒnt, grænd, ænd
grɑːnt.
ʃuːz, gəʊz, dʌz. naʊ fɜːst seɪ: ˈfɪŋgə.
ænd ðɛn: ˈsɪŋə, ˈʤɪnʤə, ˈlɪŋgə,
rɪəl, ziːl, məʊv, gɔːz, ænd geɪʤ,
ˈmærɪʤ, ˈfəʊlɪɪʤ, ˈmɪrɑːʒ, eɪʤ.
ˈkwɪəri dʌz nɒt raɪm wɪð ˈvɛri,
nɔː dʌz ˈfjʊəri saʊnd laɪk ˈbɛri.
dʌst, lɒst, pəʊst; ænd dʌθ, klɒθ, ləʊθ;
ʤɒb, ʤɒb; ˈblɒsəm, ˈbʊzəm, əʊθ.
ðəʊ ðə ˈdɪfrəns siːmz ˈlɪtl,
wiː seɪ ˈækʧʊəl, bʌt ˈvɪtl.
siːt, swɛt; ʧeɪst, kɑːst.; liː, eɪt,
haɪt;
pʊt, nʌt; ˈgrænɪt, ænd juːˈnaɪt.
ˈriːfə dʌz nɒt raɪm wɪð ˈdɛfə,
ˈfɛfə dʌz, ænd ˈzɛfə, ˈhɛfə.
dʌl, bʊl, ˈʤɛfri, ʤɔːʤ, ɛt, leɪt,
hɪnt, paɪnt, ˈsɛnɪt, bʌt sɪˈdeɪt.
ˈsiːnɪk, ˈærəbɪk, pəˈsɪfɪk,
ˈsaɪəns, ˈkɒnʃəns, ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk,
tʊə, bʌt ˈaʊər ænd ˈsʌkə, fɔː,
gæs, əˈlæs, ænd ˈɑːkənsɔː.
siː, aɪˈdɪə, ˈgɪni, ˈeərɪə,
sɑːm, məˈriːə, bʌt məˈleərɪə,
juːθ, saʊθ, ˈsʌðən, klɛnz ænd
kliːn,
ˈdɒktrɪn, ˈtɜːpəntaɪn, məˈriːn.
kəmˈpeər ˈeɪliən wɪð ɪˈtæliən,
ˈdændɪlaɪən wɪð bəˈtæljən.
ˈsæli wɪð ˈælaɪ, jeɪ, jiː,
aɪ, aɪ, aɪ, aɪ, weɪ, kiː, kiː.
seɪ əˈvɜː, bʌt ˈɛvə, ˈfiːvə.
ˈnaɪðə, ˈlɛʒə, skeɪn, rɪˈsiːvə.
ˈnɛvə gɛs--ɪt ɪz nɒt seɪf:
wiː seɪ kɑːvz, vælvz, hɑːf, bʌt rælf.
ˈhɛrən, ˈgrænəri, kəˈneəri,
ˈkrɛvɪs ænd dɪˈvaɪs, ænd ˈɪəri,
feɪs bʌt ˈprɛfɪs, bʌt ɪˈfeɪs,
flɛm, flɛgˈmætɪk, æs, glɑːs, beɪs.
lɑːʤ, bʌt ˈtɑːgɪt, ʤɪn, gɪv, ˈvɜːʤɪŋ,
ɔːt, aʊt, ʤaʊst, ænd ˈskaʊə, bʌt
ˈskɜːʤɪŋ,
ɪə bʌt ɜːn, ænd weər ænd beə
duː nɒt raɪm wɪð hɪə, bʌt eə.
ˈsɛvn ɪz raɪt, bʌt səʊ ɪz ˈiːvən,
ˈhaɪfən, ˈrʌfn, ˈnɛvju(ː), ˈstiːv(ə)n,
ˈmʌŋki, ˈdɒŋki, klɑːk, ænd ʤɜːk,
æsp, grɑːsp, wɒsp, ænd kɔːk ænd wɜːk.
prəˌnʌnsɪˈeɪʃən-θɪŋk ɒv ˈsaɪki(ː)!
ɪz ə ˈpeɪlɪŋ, staʊt ænd ˈspaɪki,
wəʊnt ɪt meɪk juː luːz jɔː wɪts,
ˈraɪtɪŋ “grəʊts” ænd ˈseɪɪŋ “grɪts”?
ɪts ə dɑːk əˈbɪs ɔː ˈtʌnl,
struːn wɪð stəʊnz, laɪk ˈrɒlək,
ˈgʌnl,
ˈɪzlɪŋtən ænd aɪl ɒv waɪt,
ˈhaʊswaɪf, ˈvɜːdɪkt, ænd ɪnˈdaɪt!
dəʊnt juː θɪŋk səʊ, ˈriːdə, ˈrɑːðə,
ˈseɪɪŋ ˈlɑːðə, ˈbeɪðə, ˈfɑːðə?
ˈfaɪnəli: wɪʧ raɪmz wɪð “ɪˈnʌf”
ðəʊ, θruː, plaʊ, kɒf,
hɒk, ɔː tʌf?
ˈhɪkʌp hæz ðə saʊnd ɒv “kʌp.”
maɪ ədˈvaɪs ɪz--gɪv ɪt ʌp!
Wow thank you
Wow, it was amazing! !! Great job! I learn a lot with you, teacher Anna.
Great . Thank you . It's a real challenge to learn it by heart.
"Query does not rhyme with very"
Then I've been pronouncing at least one of those words wrong
Hahah that's a great exercise, I tried to read along but got the pronunciation wrong several times! I'll try another time soon...
Quite Interesting and useful! Thank you very much!
Just marvellous, if not more!
Thank you :)
Some tricky differences I guess disappeared with the evolution of the language, for example I'm pretty sure the author's expected pronunciation of "ate" was /ɛt/. Nowadays few people say it like that.
you pulled it off! Amazing!!
+Javi Fontalva glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
A spectacular way to show that English is the most inconsistent language in the world 😅
oh great poem for us n its a huge vocabulary for me also
thank u
Dear Anna, Thank you very much for your wonderful lessons. Are there some pronunciation rules for the words in this poem or these are just for remembering ?
No, the poem highlights just how hard English pronunciation can be because it breaks it's own rules.
Interesting. A few of the words are pronounced differently in Canada and the US. For example, the word breeches is pronounced britches over here (for the most part).
Anna, this of your video is very sad as I missed your happy and kind face across the video...
how many versions are there of this poem? I have seen at least 3 so far.
btw well done!! Own up how many times did you read it before you recorded it for youtube?
Thank you Anna, for this amazing poem. That is what was waiting for. Perhaps, this poem is one of the best and useful things I have ever seen on You Tube. Congratulation for your choice.
+Salih Saitov glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
English Like A Native YESSS ❤❤
I loved this! Thank you!
+ArjunJainArt glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
Excellent. My only comment is that of a clarification of wont and won't. Whilst both exist, the former is a behaviour, therefore, I'm unsure whether it was a typing error or not.
When I do this one myself I make myself read it in a constant and brisk pace and in meter wherever possible. It's much harder than reading slowly and irregularly
Very good, I will train it.
I loved this !!! thx a lot
Congrats, Anna. This is awesome.
Just one question regarding the pronunciation of gouge (at 2:49). My dictionary says ɡaʊdʒ or ɡuːdʒ. In your interpretation it sounds like ɡɔːdʒ (gorge). Being a non-native English speaker I am absolutely unconfident. Help me please.
It is exactly how I pronounced it. I can say that with confidence :)
Great. Thanks. Now I can say with confidence that I got pretty confused :) Do you mean that ɡɔːdʒ is a possible way to pronounce gouge?
really hard because some words are similars and other ones which I've never seen before, hopefully I want to learn more
+Joel Valentim because some words are FAMILIAR TO ME and others I've never seen before....:)
+English like a native but they're nice words for improving the vocabulary
Where I come from aunt and grant rhyme with ant. Also ass rhymes with glass, and ask has a similar flat vowel sound. Moustache rhymes with stash, and neither can be pronounced in 2 ways, according to mood (likewise either!).
American English pronunciation is different in many of these words. Furthermore, some words spelled identically can have different pronunciations depending on their meaning (I live in America vs. live broadcast). Finally, some of these words are extremely archaic. One shouldn't worry about not knowing how to pronounce them.
Amazing !!
Thank you very much.
+abouzeid Kamal glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
I am over the moon .Anna replied to me WoW.Thank you very very much , the most beautiful and creative teacher I have ever known. Really you made my day.
I like the English poetry very much and I wish you had the time to analyze some of these poems as you have.done with the songs . I think it will be great since you have a distinguished and unique method in teaching
You really need understanding of the IPA phonetic chart in order to master this poem
wow! it's superb to learn pronunciation... thank you..ma'am
I love this poem :)
Can read it correctly in american accent after some repetitions (and open dictionary for some words that I've never heard of for the right pronunciation) , but read in british accent. . .
Hell no, too hard. Still learning british accent
The most beautiful English accent in the world.
oh dear it is far too difficult
I liked it I'm going to download it
Luckily, 90% of both native and non-native speakers will go a lifetime without ever needing to use 85% of the words from the poem. Neither in written, nor in spoken English. Source: my guesstimate.
my left ear enjoyed this
My God ...gauge's pronunciation...Great video and awesome declamation ..(Spaniard)
It’s excellent.
As a New Zealander, so many of these things rhyme for me that don't in RP. Tear, beer, bear, wear, air, heir, appear, snare, prayer, peer, gear, mere, mayor, etc..
+M K I hope to cover the New Zealand accent soon
Awesome!! I really like this...
Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation - think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough -
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!
Love this!
Very difficult episode I didn't see the teacher I couldn't recognize what is the aim or goal of this video all other videos of yours I get understand except this one it's the most difficult
I don't know if the problem is on my side or on the server, but I only hear the sound in this video from my left headphone. Other videos sound completely normal (about the same level of sound), so I tend to think it must be a problem of this video.
No sound. ....Where I can get this video with sound plsssss help.
Wow, just when I thought I'd figured it all out. Thanks, Anna, for ruining my day :) xoxo
+Holger Seffen glad you like it. :p Would you like me to do more readings like this?
English Like A Native I really enjoyed your bite-size lessons and also your accent videos. I am still hoping for an in depth Lancashire/ Merseyside lesson. It should be a piece of cake for you, or was it fish and finger pies...?
I am planning more accent videos, it just takes longer to organise them :)
Wont is pronounced want.
i think it's gaudj not goudj
Oleg Tkachev I think so too
WOW!!!! This is fantastic (:
I think this is not poem, but it is study pronunciations.
thanx 4 ur advise my cute teacher😍
Awesome great 😊🙌🏻👌🏻
left ear enjoyed
very nice, have to look up a lot of new words, I guess. ^^
The sound is only on the left speaker for me, tho.
+Ma Wo sorry about the sound :(
English Like A Native oh, no problem at all. Just thought I mention it in case you just didn't notice before uploading. Thanks for the video :)
:) :) Very good. I love it! i love it! I love it!
May I ask you a question? I'm not native speaker. Do you really use for instance 50% of this words? It is really hard to pronounce in fluent speech :D
what's with the groats-grits part? is that real?
I don't even know what those two mean 😁
great video!
may i hv the script.?
i need to try to read this poem..
kitchen and chicken I've herd is hard
Wow that's awesome.
😐😐woow, so brilliant and hard in the same time..
live on youtube, Facebook and recoding videos, i think will addicting this 😄
+Khaled Nageb glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
English Like A Native of course I like to make more of this.. and if you add more description about hard words mean, it will be perfect.
👌keep it up
Nice
Wow!
I like it
awesome. wow OMG it's so beautiful to learn like that
sick :D
+Antho Angwe glad you like it. Would you like me to do more readings like this?
thank you for doing it. i found it on tumblr a month ago and it bothered me since then. I'm not native, therefore I want to ask how hard is that for a native?
Very hard even for natives. :)
oh even for natives it's quite hard. most of us probably don't know several of the words, let alone how they're pronounced
No, you are wrong. This is the plural of "doe". Footnote, at Wikimedia
this video just covered my weekly vocabulary lesson :v
I DID IT AAALLL YAAAAHHH
1:34
THIS IS CANCER TO HEADPHONE USERS
hola amigos de idex!!!
WOW!
juajuajua, very good, I love it
+Julio Fortti thank you
Hi where are you from
The UK
That's really great!
That proves you're the best.
❤😍😗😘❤💗😍😗😘😍❤💗
This poem is a classic. At 4:34 I would note that 'Doctrine' seems off; to my ear, it's being said with a long e sound, like /ˈdɒktɹēn/ in IPA. The standard pronunciation is /ˈdɒktɹɪn/, with an unrounded vowel. Less "DOKTREEN", more "DOK-TRIN". It almost seems as if it's being made to rhyme with either 'clean' from the previous line or 'marine' from the same line, instead of alone as its own unique pronunciation.
Great job though--this poem is a doozy!
baja
Hallo
Napal
A really funny poem but, notwithstanding the rhyme, misleading and counterproductive final piece of advice for your own interests, is it not?
BTW, it reminds me of a paragraph of Roal Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach", where the author uses every conceivable form of referring to a body of water in motion. I'll try to find it and I'll copy it here ;-)
+Nacho Mayorga please do I'd be interested to see it.
Hi! I added it as a new comment instead of replying to your request above (I couldn't do it that way)
and all the time the water came pouring and roaring down upon them, bouncing and smashing and sloshing and slashing and swashing and swirling and surging and whirling and gurgling and gushing and rushing and rushing, and it was like being pinned down underneath the biggest waterfall in the world and not being able to get out.
I couldn't do it before 'cos the form wouldn't take the text. Dunno why, though. Hope you like it ;-)
Why the >fawk< must it be this painfully lame type of mono?