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R / W / L / Y (Master UK Pronunciation)

Video vocabulary

student

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US / ˈstju:dnt /

UK / ˈstudnt, ˈstjud- /

A1
  • noun
  • Person studying at school

leather

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US / ˈleðə(r) /

UK / ˈlɛðɚ /

A2
  • noun
  • Chemically tanned animal skin, e.g. for shoes

aware

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US / əˈwɛə /

UK / əˈwɛr /

A2
  • adjecitve
  • Knowing or feeling that something exists

firm

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US / fɜ:m /

UK / fɚm /

A2
  • adjecitve
  • Fairly hard or solid, not soft
  • Unchanging and strong
  • noun
  • Company that sells goods or services
  • verb
  • To make something become more solid or durable

first

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US / fɜ:st /

UK / fɚst /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • 1st; Coming before all others in time or place
  • noun
  • Something that has not happened before
  • Position of the winner of a competition

furry

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US / 'fɜ:rɪ /

UK / ˈfə:ri, ˈfʌri /

B1
  • adjecitve
  • Covered with a dense coat of fine hairs

get

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US / ɡet /

UK / ɡɛt /

A1
  • verb
  • To become affected by illness or disease
  • To begin to feel or understand an emotion or idea
  • To send or bring someone or something home, etc.
  • To go somewhere to obtain something
  • To (cause to) do a particular thing
  • To obtain, receive or be given something
  • To currently have
  • To prepare for use
  • To understand something being said or read

scotland

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US / 'skɒtlənd /

UK / 'skɑ:tlənd /

A1
  • proper noun
  • A country in northern Great Britain and the United Kingdom; population 5,169,000 (est. 2008); capita

yeah

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US / jeə /

UK / ˈjɛə, ˈjæə, jɛ- /

A1
  • exclamation
  • Another way of saying 'yes'

find

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US / faɪnd /

UK / faɪnd /

A1
  • noun
  • Object discovered by chance
  • Things that have been discovered from searching
  • verb
  • To become aware of something that is happening
  • To discover or meet by chance
  • To decide if someone is guilty of a crime, or not
  • To learn through study, research, or effort
  • To discover something by looking for it

mean

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US / mi:n /

UK / min /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Being good at
  • Nasty; unkind
  • Not liking to spend money; cheap; stingy
  • noun
  • Average of a set of numbers
  • verb
  • To express a particular idea or thought
  • To intend to do something in particular
  • To have a particular meaning or value

slippery

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US / ˈslɪpəri /

UK / ˈslɪpəri /

B1
  • adjecitve
  • Difficult to hold or stand as it's smooth/wet/icy
  • Hard to pin down; avoiding telling facts; evasive
  • (Person) untrustworthy

languid

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US / ˈlæŋgwɪd /

UK / ˈlæŋɡwɪd /

C1
  • adjecitve
  • Slow or lazy, and involving very little energy

about

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US / ə'baʊt /

UK / əˈbaʊt /

A1
  • adverb
  • To be ready to; going to
  • Nearly; approximately; roughly
  • Near; next to; close to
  • In every direction; in the area of
  • preposition
  • Concerning or of (a topic)

again

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US / ə'ɡen /

UK / əˈɡɛn /

A1
  • adverb
  • One more time, once more

like

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US / laɪk /

UK / laɪk /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Being equal in status or kind to something else
  • Similar; the same
  • adverb
  • For example
  • preposition
  • Used as a filler; used to ad emphasis
  • In a way similar to the way something is done
  • Such as; for example
  • verb
  • To want to
  • To find something pleasing; to prefer something

sloppy

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US / ˈslɒpi /

UK / ˈslɑ:pi /

B2
  • adjecitve
  • (Of people) Not clean or orderly; messy
  • Careless

that

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US / ðæt /

UK / ðæt, ðət /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • The person or thing being talked about
  • Used to identify something both the speakers know
  • adverb
  • Used to reinforce adjectives and adverbs
  • To such a degree
  • conjunction
  • Used to connect a noun clause
  • Used to introduce an adverbial clause
  • Used to introduce a noun clause
  • determiner
  • Used as a noun to refer to something
  • pronoun
  • Referring an object far away
  • Used to refer to the relative pronoun ‘which’

lorry

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US / ˈlɔri /

UK / ˈlɔri, ˈlɑri /

B1
  • noun
  • Truck; a large vehicle for carrying goods

word

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US / wɜ:d /

UK / wɚd /

A1
  • noun
  • Unit of language that has a meaning
  • Promise
  • Short remark or piece of information
  • verb
  • To express something by choosing particular words

this

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US / ðɪs /

UK / ðɪs /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Used to indicate something already been discussed
  • Used to indicate something happening around now
  • adverb
  • An indication by a physical motion or gesture
  • A specific amount of
  • determiner
  • Person, thing, or idea near you
  • pronoun
  • Person, thing that has already been discussed

one

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US / wʌn /

UK / wʌn /

A1
  • pronoun
  • You; we; people in general; someone
  • The thing or person previously referred to
  • adjecitve
  • Used to refer to people generally
  • Being a strong example of (something mentioned)
  • number
  • Number 1

the

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US / ðə /

UK / ðə /

A1
  • article
  • Used to refer to something already mentioned
  • Used to show there is only one of something
  • determiner
  • Used to describe all of a family

accent

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US / 'æksent /

UK / ˈækˌsɛnt /

A2
  • noun
  • Feature of a design, e.g. a stripe on a shirt
  • Correct spoken emphasis on a part of a word
  • A way of speaking that shows your dialect or class
  • verb
  • To give emphasis to (a point you are making)

leisurely

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US / ˈli:ʒəli:, ˈleʒə- /

UK / ˈliʒəli, ˈlɛʒə- /

B1
  • adjecitve
  • Not hurried or forced

loose

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US / lu:s /

UK / lus /

A2
  • adjecitve
  • (Idea, thought, or work) unclear or imprecise
  • Not tightly attached or held
  • Not being attached to or contained within anything
  • Not tightly controlled, organized, or governed
  • verb
  • To shoot or fire something from a gun

rigid

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US / ˈrɪdʒɪd /

UK / ˈrɪdʒɪd /

B1
  • adjecitve
  • Stiff rather than flexible
  • Very fixed in your opinion or habits

laze

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US / leɪz /

UK / lez /

C2
  • verb
  • To lie around, not doing anything in particular

you

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US / jʊ /

UK / ju /

A1
  • pronoun
  • Person someone is speaking or writing to
  • Person or people in general

have

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US / həv /

UK / hæv /

A1
  • verb
  • To drink, smoke, eat or use something
  • To experience the effects of something
  • To organize an event, or join in an activity
  • To own, possess, or hold something
  • To cause to happen or produce a particular effect

behind

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US / bɪˈhaɪnd /

UK / bɪˈhaɪnd /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Concerning a later or slower time than expected
  • Being in a losing position in a sporting event
  • Being in the past; old fashioned
  • adverb
  • Remaining
  • noun
  • The part of the body that one sits on
  • preposition
  • At or toward the back of someone or something
  • Supporting or helping someone

know

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US / nəʊ /

UK / noʊ /

A1
  • verb
  • To be familiar with a person or place, thing
  • To feel sure or be convinced about something
  • To discover or be aware of something
  • To be able to distinguish
  • To have knowledge of things

euphony

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US / 'ju:fənɪ /

UK / 'ju:fənɪ /

A1
  • noun
  • Any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds

cur

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US / kɜ:(r) /

UK / kə: /

A1
  • noun
  • Cowardly and despicable person

see

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US / si: /

UK / si /

A1
  • verb
  • To go on a date with someone
  • To predict whether something is, or will be true
  • To understand what someone says
  • To use your eyes to look at something
  • To visit a place often for sightseeing or pleasure
  • To visit or meet with someone
  • To find out by waiting or looking
  • To watch (a game, movie or TV show)

girder

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US / ˈgɜ:də /

UK / ˈɡə:dɚ /

C1
  • noun
  • Beam made of steel used as support in a building

next

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US / nekst /

UK / nɛkst /

A1
  • adverb
  • The one that follows another in time or order
  • At a time or place directly after the present one
  • noun
  • The one that follows after
  • adjecitve
  • Immediately after the previous one
  • First occurrence after the present one

most

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US / məʊst /

UK / most /

A1
  • adverb
  • Very; extremely
  • Greatest possible degree
  • pronoun
  • Nearly all of something

help

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US / help /

UK / hɛlp /

A1
  • noun
  • Something given to enable a person to do something
  • Assistance given to someone in need
  • Someone who makes something easier or possible
  • verb
  • To act to enable a person to do something; assist
  • To make something better or less difficult

two

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US / tu: /

UK / tu /

A1
  • number
  • 2

east

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US / i:st /

UK / i:st /

A1
  • noun
  • Direction where the sun rises
  • Geographic area including India, China, Japan etc.

hurler

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US / ˈhɜːlə /

UK / ˈhɜrlər /

A1
  • noun
  • Slang name for a baseball pitcher

lie

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US / laɪ /

UK / lai /

A2
  • noun
  • An untrue statement, when you know it is not true
  • verb
  • To be in a horizontal or flat position
  • To say something that you know is not true

back

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US / bæk /

UK / bæk /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Farthest from the front e.g. in a classroom
  • adverb
  • Have returned to a place you were before
  • noun
  • The part of a chair that the upper body leans upon
  • Location at the rear of something
  • The reverse of side something
  • Area on the rear of your body
  • verb
  • To bet money on something
  • To go backwards in a car
  • To support and encourage someone or some cause

and

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US / ənd /

UK / ənd, ən,ænd /

A1
  • conjunction
  • Used to refer to two or more things
  • Plus; in addition; on top of that
  • Used to introduce an action that follows another

certainly

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US / ˈsə:tnli /

UK / ˈsɚtnli /

A1
  • adverb
  • Sure; of course

lot

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US / lɒt /

UK / lɑt /

A1
  • noun
  • What happens to a person in life from chance; fate
  • A group of people seen together
  • Item for sale at an auction
  • Small area of land used for a purpose e.g. parking

out

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US / aʊt /

UK / aʊt /

A1
  • adverb
  • No longer stylish (e.g. fashion)
  • Away from home, business, or the usual place
  • In a direction/movement away from inside or center
  • noun
  • Act when a batter cannot continue playing
  • verb
  • To tell people a secret

british

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US / ˈbrɪtɪʃ /

UK / ˈbrɪtɪʃ /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Concerning the culture and people of British

all

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US / ɔ:l /

UK / ɔl /

A1
  • adverb
  • Completely; totally
  • determiner
  • Being every one of something
  • pronoun
  • 100% of something; the complete amount

larry

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US / 'bɔɪstərəs /

UK / ˈbɔɪstərəs, -strəs /

A1

red

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US / red /

UK / rɛd /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Being the color of blood

rapid

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US / ˈræpɪd /

UK / ˈræpɪd /

B1
  • adjecitve
  • Moving or happening very quickly
  • noun
  • Rough and fast-moving part of a river

speed

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US / spi:d /

UK / spid /

A2
  • noun
  • How fast or slow something is or is done
  • verb
  • To move quickly when completing an action
  • To drive a vehicle faster than laws allow

ago

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US / əˈgəʊ /

UK / əˈgoʊ /

A1
  • adverb
  • At a specified length of time in the past

very

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US / 'verɪ /

UK / ˈvɛri /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Concerning a large degree or amount
  • adverb
  • A lot; much; many
  • Used to stress or emphasize a noun

they

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US / ðeɪ /

UK / ðe /

A1
  • pronoun
  • Two or more people, animals, or things

well

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US / wel /

UK / wɛl /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Being in a fortunate, good condition or state
  • Healthy and in good condition
  • adverb
  • In an acceptable, proper, or successful manner
  • In a complete, total, or full manner
  • A great and considerable degree
  • In a successful way, in a good or satisfactory way
  • exclamation
  • Used to begin or continue a particular statement
  • Used to show you want to start saying something
  • Used to express that you are waiting for a reply
  • You say this to change the topic of a conversation
  • Used to indicate you are making a final remark
  • noun
  • Long deep hole in the ground to get water
  • verb
  • To cause your eyes to fill with tears

point

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US / pɔɪnt /

UK / pɔɪnt /

A1
  • noun
  • An item to be discussed
  • Small spot or dot
  • Fact or detail
  • Feature of something
  • The size of the text on a page or screen
  • A certain time or stage in a process
  • Certain position in time or space
  • Idea or fact you try to convince people about
  • Measurement of scores in a game, sport
  • Sharp end of something, e.g. a pen or pin
  • verb
  • To face a certain direction, e.g. north
  • To indicate something with your finger to others

will

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US / wɪl /

UK / wɪl /

A1
  • noun
  • Desire or choice of someone
  • Document saying who gets your money when you die
  • Strong desire to do something; determination
  • Desire to do something; strong wish to do
  • other
  • Used with verbs to express the future
  • verb
  • To leave property to someone after your death
  • To use mental effort to make something happen
  • Am (is, are) likely to do
  • To influence someone to do something
  • To make something happen by strongly wanting it

hardness

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US / hɑ:dnəs /

UK / ˈhɑrdnɪs /

A2
  • noun
  • Being firm and difficult to bend, break or cut

try

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US / traɪ /

UK / traɪ /

A1
  • noun
  • Act of putting the ball over the rugby goal line
  • verb
  • To make an effort, to attempt to do something
  • To examine someone or something in a court of law
  • To test to see if it is good or you like it
  • To make a person go through hardship; test
  • To examine something to see if it works

either

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US / ˈaɪðə(r) /

UK / ˈiðɚ, ˈaɪðɚ /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • One of two (used when there is a choice of two)
  • adverb
  • (After negative statements) likewise, in addition
  • conjunction
  • Used as the first of two connected things
  • determiner
  • Used as the first of two connected things
  • pronoun
  • The one or the other

slow

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US / sləʊ /

UK / sloʊ /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Lacking activity, busyness or excitement
  • (Clock) showing time earlier than the actual time
  • Having difficulty understanding simple things
  • Moving or happening without speed; not fast
  • verb
  • To move, with less speed than before
  • To move or go without much speed

same

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US / seɪm /

UK / sem /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Being equal in quality and amount
  • Identical; not different
  • Not changing; constant

yellow

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US / ˈjeləʊ /

UK / ˈjeloʊ /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Color of lemons or the sun
  • Lacking in courage; cowardly (used as an INSULT)
  • verb
  • To turn yellow, often due to being old

south

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US / saʊθ /

UK / saʊθ /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Direction to your right when facing the rising sun
  • Coming from the opposite direction from north
  • noun
  • The direction to your right of the rising sun

now

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US / naʊ /

UK / naʊ /

A1
  • adverb
  • At the present time or moment
  • Right away or in the next possible moment
  • Used to refer to something that just happened
  • Time between the present and a moment in the past
  • conjunction
  • Resulting from or because of something

lazy

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US / ˈleɪzi /

UK / ˈlezi /

A2
  • adjecitve
  • Not liking to work or make an effort; idle

hurley

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US / ˈhɜːli /

UK / ˈhɜrli /

A1
  • noun
  • A stick used in the game of hurling.

really

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US / ˈri:əli /

UK / ˈriəˌli, ˈrili /

A1
  • adverb
  • Used to stress something that is said; definitely
  • In a true or accurate manner
  • Very

burly

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US / 'bɜ:lɪ /

UK / ˈbɚli /

C1
  • adjecitve
  • (Of person) strong and powerful; heavy-built

good

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US / ɡʊd /

UK / ɡʊd /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Proper, appropriate or right
  • (Of an amount) enough; plenty
  • Excellent; high quality
  • Acting well or properly; of moral character
  • In a positive or happy emotional state
  • noun
  • Advantage or benefit

english

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US / ˈɪŋglɪʃ /

UK / ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Concerning the culture and people of England
  • noun
  • Language of the UK, USA, Nigeria and elsewhere
  • Person's name

especially

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US / ɪˈspeʃəli /

UK / ɛˈspɛʃəli, ɪˈspɛʃ- /

A1
  • adverb
  • More than usual; extremely

but

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US / bət /

UK / bʌt,bət /

A1
  • conjunction
  • Used before you say something different, opposite

squirrel

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US / 'skwɪrəl /

UK / ˈskwɚrəl, ˈskwʌr- /

B2
  • noun
  • Small furry tree-living animal with a big tail

not

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US / nɒt /

UK / nɑt /

A1
  • adverb
  • Word indicating the negative
  • (Used to form the negative of verbs)

through

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US / θru: /

UK / θru /

A2
  • adjecitve
  • having finished using or doing something
  • adverb
  • From the beginning of something until the end
  • preposition
  • Over, in, across an entire thing or place
  • Allowing you to pass between, or to
  • By a particular way or process; by the use of

time

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US / taɪm /

UK / taɪm /

A1
  • noun
  • Speed at which music is played; tempo
  • Point as shown on a clock, e.g. 3 p.m
  • Number of hours, minutes needed to do something
  • Occasion when something happens
  • Period or occasion that something occurred
  • Period in history or the past
  • Something measured in minutes, hours, days, etc.
  • How long an event takes; duration
  • verb
  • To check speed at which music is performed
  • To choose a specific moment to do something
  • To measure how long an event takes, e.g. a race
  • To schedule something to occur at a specific moment

for

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US / fə(r) /

UK / fɔr,fə /

A1
  • preposition
  • Used to show the purpose, or need of something

fact

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US / fækt /

UK / fækt /

A1
  • noun
  • Something that is known or proved to be true

difficult

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US / 'dɪfɪkəlt /

UK / ˈdɪfɪˌkʌlt, -kəlt /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Hard; not easy; you need to work hard to do it

difference

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US / 'dɪfrəns /

UK / ˈdɪfərəns, ˈdɪfrəns /

A1
  • noun
  • A thing or issue that people do not agree about
  • Not of the same kind; unlike other things

signify

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US / ˈsɪgnɪfaɪ /

UK / ˈsɪɡnəˌfaɪ /

B2
  • verb
  • To mean something; be a symbol of something
  • To show or express something through your actions

relax

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US / rɪˈlæks /

UK / rɪˈlæks /

A1
  • verb
  • To calm or quiet yourself, or stop worrying
  • To release the tightness in muscles
  • To make a rule or law less strict

sound

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US / saʊnd /

UK / saʊnd /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Sensible, dependable and reliable
  • Unbroken or undisturbed, as of sleep
  • Firm or solid in structure
  • Sane; not mentally ill
  • Clearly reasoned; involving sense, good judgment
  • noun
  • Unique quality that characterizes a style of music
  • Waves traveling in air or water that can be heard
  • verb
  • To seem or appear to be, from what was said
  • To say in a clear deliberate manner
  • To make a noise, e.g. to ring a bell

curly

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US / 'kɜ:lɪ /

UK / ˈkə:li /

B2
  • adjecitve
  • Having curls or waves

just

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US / dʒʌst /

UK / dʒʌst /

A1
  • adjecitve
  • Proper or appropriate; as is deserved
  • Doing or being what is right or fair
  • Legally correct; having enough evidence
  • adverb
  • Almost; nearly
  • Exactly at the time of
  • Exactly (the same as, like)
  • Introduction to Video Content
  • In this video, the master of UK pronunciation, Larry Hurley, demonstrates the correct way to pronounce challenging words such as 'squirrel'. Larry, a burly squirrel hurler, effortlessly hurls a furry squirrel through some curly girders. He emphasizes the difficult 'ur' sound in squirrel, encouraging viewers to practice saying the word multiple times. Larry also showcases the difference between the 'r' and 'l' sounds by repeating the phrase 'red lorry, yellow lorry' at increasing speeds. To further improve pronunciation, he suggests practicing the phrase 'red leather, yellow leather' to master the 'th' sound. Continuing with the topic of euphony, Larry explains that the 'l' sound is lazy, slow, and leisurely. It lounges around and gives a relaxed feel to words. When combined with 'sl', as in 'sluh', the sound becomes even slower and gives a slippery and sloppy vibe. Larry encourages viewers to embrace the lazy and languid nature of the 'l' sound, particularly in words like 'sluh', which truly epitomizes slowness.
  • Subtitles section
  • Larry Hurley, a burly squirrel hurler, hurled a furry squirrel through some curly girders.
  • Yeah, I'll say that again, and in fact I'm just going to say one word first.
  • Squirrel, squirrel.
  • I'm well aware that students find this one a very difficult word to pronounce, and it's not that easy for me either, but squirrel, squirrel, squirrel.
  • So, Larry Hurley, a burly squirrel hurler, hurled a furry squirrel through some curly girders.
  • Yeah, that's a gir as well, and cur, so there's a lot of ur there.
  • One more time, Larry Hurley, a burly squirrel hurler, hurled a furry squirrel through some curly girders.
  • Okay, these two are very good for the r and the l, for getting the difference.
  • Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.
  • Try saying it, and speeding up, and speeding up, and you'll see that it's very difficult to speed up when you say these two.
  • Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.
  • Same for the next two.
  • Red, leather, yellow, leather.
  • Red, leather, yellow, leather.
  • Red, leather, yellow, leather.
  • And that helps you get the TH sound as well, and so I like that one.
  • Okay, on to the euphony.
  • The L sound is lazy and leisurely, and it lounges around.
  • It's relaxing all the time, yeah?
  • It's a very loose sound.
  • And so that's the idea most of the time behind the L sound.
  • And if it's SL, sluh, sluh, it sounds slow, doesn't it?
  • It sounds very slow, sluh, and slippery, and sloppy, and slur, like when you slur your words, yeah?
  • So sluh is certainly slow, but lazy, and languid, and leisurely, and, you know, laying around, lazing about.
  • This L sound is a lazy, slow sound, okay?
  • Especially the sluh.
  • That's certainly slow.
  • Now, a long time ago, back in the time of Socrates, he pointed out that the R sound, R, is rapid and rigid.
  • Rapid and rigid for the R sound.
  • It signifies two things.
  • Speed and hardness.
  • Firm has a R in it, yeah?
  • I mean, we don't really pronounce it in British English, but in Scotland, they do roll the R. And they say firm, yeah?
  • Firm.
  • They will roll that R. So there are some British accents that roll the R, the R. We don't in the South East at all.