Friday, March 20, 2020

A Job Opportunity Listening Comprehension Quiz

A Job Opportunity Listening Comprehension Quiz In this  listening comprehension  you will hear two people talking about a new job opportunity. You will hear the listening twice. Write down the answers to the questions. After you have finished, click on the arrow to see if you have answered the questions correctly. Listen to the Job Opportunity listen comprehension. A Job Opportunity Listening Quiz Who needs a job?Where is she?Who is offering the job?What is the position?What is the pay?What requirements are asked for?What type of person is desired?What can she earn besides the salary? Listening Dialogue Transcript Woman 1: Hey, I think I found a job that might interest Sue. Where is she?Woman 2: Shes not in today. Went on a trip to Leeds, I think. What is it? Woman 1: Well, its from a magazine called London Week which claims to be the only newspaper for visitors to London.Woman 2: What do they want? A reporter?   Woman 1: No, its what they call a sales executive has to sell with unique benefits of the magazine to agencies and clients in London.Woman 2: Hmmm, could be interesting. How much does it pay? Woman 1: Fourteen thousand plus commission.Woman 2: Not bad at all! Do they specify what they want? Woman 1: Sales people with up to two years of experience. Not necessarily in advertising. Sues got plenty of that.Woman 2: Yeah! Nothing else? Woman 1: Well, they want bright, enthusiastic young people.Woman 2: No trouble there! Any other details about job conditions? Woman 1: No, just the commission on top of the salary.Woman 2: Well, lets tell Sue! Shell be in tomorrow I expect.   Language Notes In this listening selection, the English you hear is colloquial. Its not slang. However, many short common phrases such as Is there, Are there, Thats, etc., as well as question beginnings are sometimes dropped. Listen for the context of the phrases, and the meaning will be clear. These types of short phrases are necessary when writing, but are often dropped in casual conversation. Here are a few examples from the listening selection: Any other details about job conditions?Nothing else?Not bad at all! Understand but Dont Copy Unfortunately, spoken English is often much different than the English we learn in class. Verbs are dropped, subjects are not included, and slang is used. While its important to notice these differences, its probably best to not copy the speech, especially if its slang. For example, in the United States many people use the word like in a wide variety of situations. Understand that the like is not necessary, and understand based on the context of the conversation. However, dont pick up this bad habit just because a native speaker uses it! Listening Quiz Answers   SueOn a trip to LeedsA magazine - London WeekA sales executive14,000Sales people with up to two years experienceBright and enthusiasticA commission

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Pronouncing the Spanish E Sound

Pronouncing the Spanish E Sound The Spanish vowel e has a sound that can vary depending on its location in a word. Its pronunciation also varies somewhat among various regions and even with individual speakers. Pronouncing the Spanish E The most common sound for e is much like the English e sound in word such as test and wrench. This sound is especially common when the e is located between two consonants. Sometimes, the e is similar to the vowel sound in English words such as say - but shorter. Some explanation is in order here. If you listen carefully, you may notice that for many English speakers the vowel sound in say is made up of two sounds  - theres an eh sound that glides into an ee sound, so the word is pronounced something like seh-ee. When pronouncing the Spanish e, only the eh sound is used - theres no glide into an ee sound. (In fact, if you pronounce the glide, it becomes the Spanish diphthong ei rather than e. As one native speaker using the nickname Didi explained in our forum: As a native Id say that the most accurate pronunciation for that e sound is like that in bet or met. The sound of ace has an extra vowel sound that makes it unsuitable. The variable nature of the e sound also was explained well in this forum post by Mim100: The simple vowel e can be rendered anywhere across a range of tongue heights, from roughly mid-low (or mid-open), resembling what you hear as por-KEH, to mid-high (or mid-closed), resembling what you hear as por-KAY. The key feature of the simple vowel e is that it is pronounced somewhere within that range of tongue height and that the tongue does not change height or shape during the course of pronouncing the vowel. Standard Spanish does not distinguish between words based on how open or closed the vowel e happens to be pronounced. You may hear a more open pronunciation more often in closed syllables (syllables that end in a consonant), and you may hear a more closed pronunciation more often in open syllables (syllables that end in a vowel). All this may make the pronunciation sound a bit more difficult than it is. Pay attention to how you hear native speakers pronounce the vowel and youll soon have it mastered. Phrases pronounced by native speakers in this​ audio lesson on pronouncing the e are  ¿Cà ³mo est usted? Muy bien, gracias,  ¿y usted? Buenos dà ­as, seà ±or and Hola,  ¿quà © tal?