Britney Spears: Friends

                                                                                  Britney Spears

Britney Spears talking about her friends: 

It's so funny how different friends bring out different sides of you. Felicia is more of my work side. I talk to my friend Jenny more about my personal stuff. My cousin Laura Lynn I'm goofiest with. And with Courtney, who is totally* silly, I act completely serious.    

                                                        (totally*=completely)

Speaking Style

Britney is describing her friends and how they affect her when she is with them.  

Britney introduces her idea with a statement.  In this case, ‘funny‘ can mean ‘interesting’.  The statement: “It’s funny how…” is a common, natural expression.  It is rhetorical in this case.  For a good conversation style, when you use a statement you should follow with example ideas to give the listener more details and support the initial statement. This signals to the listener that you are comfortable with the topic and want to continue talking about it.  Also, you are signaling that you want to share some more personal information about yourself.  This helps to create ‘intimacy’/’closeness’.  As people share intimacy or deeper feelings, the conversation can move toward a deeper understanding of one another. 

Personally, if I was talking to Britney ‘one-to-one’ I would ask her some more questions about her friends and then tell her about my friends.  With both people sharing, two-way (intimate) communication is achieved.  Moreover, sharing of information about your friends helps gain trust between people.  It is trust that allows people to feel more comfortable talking to you! 

Detailed answers, mutual sharing of information, and creating a sense of trust will aid in people sharing and talking about more DETAILED/COMPLICATED LANGUAGE TOPICS!

Speaking Pattern

 Part 1

1. The underlined names you can change with your own case.
2. Change Felicia, Jenny, Laura Lynn, Courtney
3. Also to note: ‘My cousin’ can be changed to ‘My sister’, ‘My brother’, etc.

It's so funny how different friends bring out different sides of you. Felicia is more of my work side. I talk to my friend Jenny more about my personal stuff. My ‘cousin’ Laura Lynn, I'm goofiest with. And with Courtney, who is totally silly, I act completely serious.

Part 2

It's so funny how different friends bring out different sides of you. Felicia is more of my work side. I talk to my friend Jenny more about my personal stuff. My cousin Laura Lynn I'm goofiest with. And with Courtney, who is totally silly, I act completely serious.

Examples:

1. It's so funny how different friends bring out different sides of you. Felicia is more of my business side. I talk to my friend Jenny more about my private stuff. My cousin Laura Lynn I'm silliest with. And with Courtney, who is totally serious, I act completely reserved.

2. It's so funny how different friends bring out different sides of you. Felicia is more of my job side. I talk to my friend Jenny more about my intimate stuff. My cousin Laura Lynn I'm happiest with. And with Courtney, who is totally relaxed, I act completely at ease.

Hope you have chance to try out this conversation style! Hang in there and take care!

                                                     
ALEX!

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ENJOY THE MUSIC: 'Till the World Ends'

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                                                                         Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington: Small Talk

Question 1: What are you reading, these days?

Denzel Washington: Books? I don’t have time.

Question 2: What’s on your iPod?

Denzel Washington: Lenny Kravitz. I have all his stuff. All of James Brown, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, everything from blues to gospel to jazz. More than 5,000 songs.

Making Small Talk

When getting to know someone we all have to engage in Small Talk.  As a language learner it can get boring.  It seems like you are always making small talk when you really want to talk about deeper or complicated subjects with people.  However, I just think of Small Talk as a step toward deeper/more complicated conversations.  Most people don’t suddenly start having deep conversations with people they don’t know so well.  So we need to start with simple topics first.

Speaking Style

The first answer about books is quite a common speaking style.  Denzel uses a rhetorical question because he feels a bit inwardly surprised.  Then he gives a truthful answer.  In conversation, it isn’t the best idea to say something negative but it gives him legitimacy.  If you do use a negative style make sure the rest of your answers are positive style answers. Positive answers are usually a better way to create more conversation.

So, in his next answer, he gives a positive answer with lots of information.  He tells us the names of two music singers and two music bands.  His next expression is a great way to introduce your favorite music genres:

…everything from blues to gospel to jazz. 

You can also just give two genres if you like:

…everything from blues to gospel.

In his final sentence he shows his passion for music.  He tells us that he has more than 5,000 songs in his iPod.  Denzel loves music!  This also ‘ties’ the answer idea into the question idea smoothly. 

The language is natural, informal, and passionate.  He starts with a negative answer but finishes with positive information filled answer.  With simple English he has created a HIGH CLASS ENGLISH STYLE OR GREAT COMMUNICATION!

He has signaled to the listener that he is open to more questions. We are moving forward into deeper/complicated English conversation topics. 

Now you try it!  Have fun at your next English Party!

Speaking Pattern

Denzel  Answer 1: Books? I don’t have time.

Denzel Answer 2: Lenny Kravitz. I have all his stuff. All of James Brown, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, everything from blues to gospel to jazz. More than 5000 songs.

Examples:

Ex. 1)

 Male singers + music bands

Answer 1: Books? I don’t read very often.

Answer 2: SEAL. I have all his stuff. All of Ricky Martin, Theory of a Deadman, Bon Jovi, everything from Latin music to alternative music to rock n roll. More than 1000 songs.

Female singers + music bands

Ex. 2)

Answer 1: Books? I don’t read so much because of my work.

Answer 2: Britney Spears. I have all her stuff. All of Lady Gaga, Linkin Park, the Dixie Chicks, everything from pop to rock to country. More than 2000 songs.

Until next week-here is some music for you to check out,

Alex :)

 

Denzel Washington’s Music Interests

 

Lenny Kravitz

James Brown

Beatles

The Rolling Stones

 

Take Care!

Alex - Celebrity English

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Natural English from Aretha Franklin and Bono: 'Growing Up'

                  Aretha Franklin 'The Queen of Soul'

Bono of U2

In casual conversation, the simple question: “Where are you from?” often occurs. Let’s take a look at how Bono (Irish musician) and Aretha Franklin (American musician) answer the question.

Question:  “Where are you from?”

Bono: I grew up in a lower-middle-class neighborhood.

Aretha Franklin: I was brought up in Detroit, and most of my 

                           family's here.

Speaking Style

People often ask me:  “Which style is better?”

I grew up…

        OR

I was brought up…

I think if you ask your native speaker friends, they will say they use either style without thinking.  Both answers are natural in a casual/informal conversation.  Also, you can notice that Aretha Franklin shortened her sentence by dropping the object.

I was brought up by my grandmother in Detroit.  (according to Aretha’s biography)

In conversation you can do this too!

Common Mistake

However, language learners often want to add an object to the verb ‘grew up’ because the ideas seem similar or interchangeable to the verb 'to be brought up'.

For example:

I grew up by my parents in New York.       incorrect

My parents grew me up in New York.        incorrect

Unfortunately, both sentences are incorrect because the verb ‘grew up’ doesn’t take an object.  The verb ‘brought up’ can take an object. 

I was brought up by my parents in New York.      correct

My parents brought me up in New York.              correct

Now the sentences are “OK”!

Anyhow, don’t think too much about grammar.  You can use either phrase in casual conversation quite easily by following Bono and Aretha’s answer styles.  Here are some examples if you need some extra practice.  Please try them out at your next social gathering.  

Conversational Speaking Patterns

I grew up in __________.

1. I grew up in New York.                                  

2. I grew up in a middle-class neighborhood.   

I was brought up in __________.

3. I was brought up in Detroit.                    

4. I was brought up in the countryside.      

More Stuff!

Check out the tourist links of Bono and Aretha’s hometowns:

Bono-Dublin, Ireland

LINK http://www.visitdublin.com/

Aretha-Detroit, Michigan, United States

LINK http://www.visitdetroit.com/

Take Care Alex! See you next week!

Celebrity English

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Natural Language from Jennifer Aniston: Movies

                                                                                                Jennifer Aniston
                                                                       

Question:  What sort of films do you watch?

                  

Jennifer Aniston:  I love old movies and I still watch classics 
                            like Wuthering Heights.

 (Note: Wuthering Heights is an old black-and-white film from 1939)

 

Jennifer’s speaking pattern is casual/informal because of the use of ‘and’ to connect two complete sentences.   For a native speaker, the linking of the two complete sentences with ‘and’ feels smooth, casual, and common. 

Another reason her English sounds natural/casual is because she uses ‘like’ to mean example (like = example in this case).  This use of ‘like’ is common in conversation. 

Jennifer’s speaking strategy is great for creating conversation. I know it is a good idea to continue talking about this subject with her.  It is a subject she likes to talk about. 

Why do I feel this way?

 

Jennifer uses the word ‘love’.  Also, Jennifer tells us a category ‘old movies’ and an example ‘Wuthering Heights’.  Many people who are not good at conversation give one word answers or very short answers.  For example:

Question:  What sort of films do you watch?

Answer:    Old movies.

                  

When a native speaker hears this style they might think that the person doesn’t want to about this topic.  They may also feel that the person doesn’t want to talk to them.

So, for me, Jennifer gives me signals to ask another movie question or continue talking about classic movies.

I hope you will give this style a try in your next conversation.  Here is Jennifer’s language pattern for you to expand your conversation style:

 Jennifer Anniston: I love old movies and I still watch classics like 

                                  Wuthering Heights.

                I love __________ and I still _________ like ________.

Here are some examples to help you out if it is a bit difficult.

Examples:

I love science fiction movies and I still watch classics like Star Wars.            

I love action movies and I still watch classics like Indiana Jones.

I love romantic films and I still watch classics like Ghost and Pretty Woman.

So, even with simple English we can make an interesting and natural conversation.  I hope you will try it in your daily life. 

Please come check out my blog next week… 

But until then MORE STUFF to check out!

Links for Jennifer Aniston's favorite 'classic movie' 

Wuthering Heights:

Wuthering Heights 'classic movie' (1939)

LINK http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032145/

Wuthering Heights 'movie remake version' (1992)

LINK http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104181/

Wuthering Heights 'TV version' (2009)

LINK http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/wutheringheights/

Wuthering Heights book

LINK http://www.amazon.com/Wuthering-Heights-Bantam-Classics-Bront%C3%AB/dp/0553212583

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