Azhong's Reading Practice

Moderator:JackFrost

azhong
Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-09, 7:19

Hi, I have rarely practiced my speaking and reading so far. I am wondering if it's possible to seek some friendly help without bothering you too much. A possible way I saw to convey my reading practice is through YouTube.

Below is a short, twenty-second record, where I've read the beginning paragraph of chapter 1, book 2 of Harry Potter series. Please give me some suggestions basing on my level, and I sincerely thank you in advance.
https://youtu.be/b8h0ev2JQJI
Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry’s room.


P.S. I have
a LINE account: id zhong.chen
and
a WeChat account (the id of which I need to look up)
if either of them is more convenient for you to convey your audio help. Or you can also let me know your handy software. Thank you again.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-10, 8:50

Thank you in advance for your comments.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Znmv76D610I?feature=share
“Third time this week!” he roared across the table. “If you can’t control that owl, it’ll have to go!”
Harry tried, yet again, to explain.
“She’s bored,” he said. “She’s used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night—”
“Do I look stupid?” snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy mustache. “I know what’ll happen if that owl’s let out.”
He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-11, 11:17

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

https://youtu.be/Ntw45ANcL0c
And, after boasting this way of my tolerance, I come to the admission that it has a limit. Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes, but after a certain point I don't care what it's founded on.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-12, 13:38

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

https://youtube.com/shorts/DhVRRQiqg4Y?feature=share
No — Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-14, 4:28

https://youtube.com/shorts/12f4ZoMX2uA
This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the "creative temperament"—it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-15, 3:07

https://youtube.com/shorts/44xaPWgskds
If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-16, 2:56

https://youtu.be/RVvJqkqsHVk
When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-17, 4:05

https://youtu.be/NdwrUvuQRRw

And, after boasting this way of my tolerance, I come to the admission that it has a limit. Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes but after a certain point I don't care what it's founded on. When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction—Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of life, as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away. This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name of the "creative temperament"—it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No—Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-18, 4:06

https://youtube.com/shorts/KM7ZcMklt3s
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.
"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, "just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

Linguaphile
Posts:5355
Joined:2016-09-17, 5:06

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby Linguaphile » 2021-09-21, 3:02

Hi Azhong! It's nice to hear your voice! I've been listening to what you've posted here but haven't responded because it's difficult to give feedback about your pronunciation. I can understand you quite well, and your accent seems to be very similar to the accents I've heard from other Chinese speakers and speakers of some other Asian languages. You don't sound like a native English speaker, but there's no difficulty understanding you.
One sound I noticed you have some trouble with is the sound that appears in the words "owl" and "foul". It should be /aʊl/, some speakers add an indistinct vowel before the l so that it becomes /aʊəl/, which might be easier for you to say.
Some speakers who have difficulty pronouncing /aʊl/ with an "l" on the end have told me that it is easier to pronounce it as "ow-o" /aʊo/ (with an "o" sound at the end instead of an "l") and I have to admit that although I can definitely hear the difference between "owl" and "ow-o", it's actually understandable as "owl", so if you really struggle with the final -l you might try that. You'll have an accent, but you'll be understood.
"Foul" is pronounced the same as "owl", but of course with an f sound at the beginning.
Another thing I noticed it that it says like you say "she's used to fly around outside", instead of "she's used to flying around outside".

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oPm20ip8Pg [/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ylKx4QkqA[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpFOcnzQ02o[/youtube]
Sono di continuo a caccia di parole. Descriverei il processo così: Ogni giorno entro in un bosco con un cestino in mano. Trovo le parole tutt'attorno: sugli alberi, nei cespugli, per terra (in realtà: per la strada, durante la conversazioni, mentre leggo). Ne raccolgo quante più possibile. -Jhumpa Lahiri

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-22, 0:58

Thank you, Linguaphile. It was a four-day holiday for the moon-cake festival (on Aug 15th the of the Chinese lunar calendar) for the past weekend here. It is so nice to hear from your comments after having had the festival food, moon cakes and pomelos, gazed at the bright moon, and watched my neighbor having their riotous barbeque. Barbeques are actually have nothing to do with the tradition of the festival, but it has turned a contemporary fashion.

Back to your comments, I thank you again, and I think that's good and enough for me, this quantity in this frequency. I think what I need now is to practice more by myself, imitating the trading of the audiobook I found in YouTube.No need to be often, but do have your assistance bestowed upon me occasionally, please.^_^

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-22, 1:24

Thank you, Linguaphile. It was a four-day holiday for the Moon Cake Festival (on Aug 15th of the Chinese calendar) for the past weekend here. It is so nice to hear from your comments after having had the festival food, moon cakes and pomelos, gazed at the bright moon, and watched my neighbor having their riotous barbeque. Barbeques actually have nothing to do with the tradition of the festival, but it has turned a fashion.

Back to your comments, I thank you again, and I think that's enough for me, this quantity in this frequency. I think what I need now is to practice more by myself, imitating the tone and pronunciation of the audiobook I found in YouTube. So, no need to be often but do bestow your assistance upon me occasionally, please.^_^

Linguaphile
Posts:5355
Joined:2016-09-17, 5:06

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby Linguaphile » 2021-09-22, 3:03

azhong wrote:Thank you, Linguaphile. It was a four-day holiday for the Moon Cake Festival (on Aug 15th of the Chinese calendar) for the past weekend here. It is so nice to hear from your comments after having had the festival food, moon cakes and pomelos, gazed at the bright moon, and watched my neighbor having their riotous barbeque. Barbeques actually have nothing to do with the tradition of the festival, but it has turned a fashion.

Back to your comments, I thank you again, and I think that's enough for me, this quantity in this frequency. I think what I need now is to practice more by myself, imitating the tone and pronunciation of the audiobook I found in YouTube. So, no need to be often but do bestow your assistance upon me occasionally, please.^_^

I like this post! Your description of the Moon Cake Festival sounds nice and I am glad that my comments added something nice to the end of your long weekend, rather than annoying you.
Is there a greeting in Chinese I should say to you for the Moon Cake Festival, something like "Happy Moon Cake Festival"? What is a good greeting for that? I googled and found that this is the same as "Mid Autumn Festival" and that caught me by surprise because it does not at all seem like "mid autumn" here. The weather still feels like summer, but of course, it is already nearing the end of September and tomorrow (September 22) is officially the first day of autumn, the fall equinox. It is almost October, and my neighbors have even already put out Halloween decorations in their yard, but the weather just doesn't feel like autumn yet!
Sono di continuo a caccia di parole. Descriverei il processo così: Ogni giorno entro in un bosco con un cestino in mano. Trovo le parole tutt'attorno: sugli alberi, nei cespugli, per terra (in realtà: per la strada, durante la conversazioni, mentre leggo). Ne raccolgo quante più possibile. -Jhumpa Lahiri

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-22, 3:36

There aren't basically fixed greetings for Mid Autumn Festival (the way we name it instead of "Moon Cake Festival).

I think "Happy Mid Autumn Festival" is common an proper since there's nothing particular in it; I myself said it often, too. There is something more special, however; it involves the language. A full moon is round, and in Chinese "round" is 圓. Also, to reunion (with family) is 團圓, literally "lump/group round". A traditional dinning table for Chinese is also round. The shape of roundness implies "perfect, unregretful" traditionally to Chinese. Thus another typical wish on this festival is something like "月圓人團圓”, literally "moon round people lump round".

It's still hot here in Taiwan, too. The Chinese calendar was set according to the weather in Beijing, which locates norther. Traditional activities for this festival in ancient China include go picnicking under the moon drinking and making poetry, possibly on a well decorated boat. There are quite a lot of poetry on the topic of the full moon. The full moon usually makes poets wondering in a foreign land alone remember their family.

Linguaphile
Posts:5355
Joined:2016-09-17, 5:06

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby Linguaphile » 2021-09-22, 14:03

azhong wrote:There aren't basically fixed greetings for Mid Autumn Festival (the way we name it instead of "Moon Cake Festival).

I think "Happy Mid Autumn Festival" is common an proper since there's nothing particular in it; I myself said it often, too. There is something more special, however; it involves the language. A full moon is round, and in Chinese "round" is 圓. Also, to reunion (with family) is 團圓, literally "lump/group round". A traditional dinning table for Chinese is also round. The shape of roundness implies "perfect, unregretful" traditionally to Chinese. Thus another typical wish on this festival is something like "月圓人團圓”, literally "moon round people lump round".

It's still hot here in Taiwan, too. The Chinese calendar was set according to the weather in Beijing, which locates norther. Traditional activities for this festival in ancient China include go picnicking under the moon drinking and making poetry, possibly on a well decorated boat. There are quite a lot of poetry on the topic of the full moon. The full moon usually makes poets wondering in a foreign land alone remember their family.

Thanks for the explanations! About it being set by the weather in Beijing, that totally makes sense. It makes me thing of the way we celebrate Christmas here; we associate it with snow and sing songs such as "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" ("white Christmas" = snowy Christmas) even though it never, ever snows here, at Christmas or any other time.
Sono di continuo a caccia di parole. Descriverei il processo così: Ogni giorno entro in un bosco con un cestino in mano. Trovo le parole tutt'attorno: sugli alberi, nei cespugli, per terra (in realtà: per la strada, durante la conversazioni, mentre leggo). Ne raccolgo quante più possibile. -Jhumpa Lahiri

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-23, 0:32

A place without snow...do you live in Texas? I don't know yet where you live. And I actually know little about the geography of the United States. I have never been there. Taiwan is also a place without snow.

Talking about Christmas without snow, now I remind myself there are some people celebrating their Christmas in their summer. And this fact reminds me further of trying to understand an event at the other people's viewpoint instead of mine, and it is usually helpful for a better interaction.

Linguaphile
Posts:5355
Joined:2016-09-17, 5:06

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby Linguaphile » 2021-09-23, 3:59

azhong wrote:A place without snow...do you live in Texas? I don't know yet where you live. And I actually know little about the geography of the United States. I have never been there. Taiwan is also a place without snow.

Talking about Christmas without snow, now I remind myself there are some people celebrating their Christmas in their summer. And this fact reminds me further of trying to understand an event at the other people's viewpoint instead of mine, and it is usually helpful for a better interaction.

Not Texas but California. Yes, it would very different to celebrate Christmas in the summer, as they do in Australia or elsewhere in the southern hemisphere! I agree that it's helpful for communication (and in my opinion, fun) to try to see other people's viewpoints and imagine how things would seem different from that viewpoint.
Image
The picture above seems rather silly. Does Santa Claus really always have to wear his red fur coat, even sunbathing on the beach in a hot climate?! This is something else that I find interesting and fun: to ask which things can be changed or how much they can be changed before they are no longer considered "the same thing". If Santa Claus were not wearing his red fur coat on the beach, would we know that it was Santa Claus sitting there and not just some random white-bearded sunbather? Probably not! We can't make that change, if we did he would not longer be recognizable as Santa Claus. So what we see in the photo is silly, but also sort of necessary, so that we can understand who is in the photo.

Image

Sorry if I have hijacked your thread too much. I figure discussions like this are good for English practice too!
Sono di continuo a caccia di parole. Descriverei il processo così: Ogni giorno entro in un bosco con un cestino in mano. Trovo le parole tutt'attorno: sugli alberi, nei cespugli, per terra (in realtà: per la strada, durante la conversazioni, mentre leggo). Ne raccolgo quante più possibile. -Jhumpa Lahiri

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-23, 4:51

No so-called hijacks at all; you are so polit. I enjoy chatting with you, too.

How about adding a big bag of gift plus a sleigh with reindeers? Mmm... interesting. Will I be still me after losing my suit, my car and my job position?

Having known that you live in California, the first thing coming to my mind is its sunshine (people always describe it so). And then Hotel California, a classic I can't sing. XD

===
My practice again, but any chat from anyone is always welcome. Language is for communication, isn't it?

https://youtube.com/shorts/jRkBH1lc9ps?feature=share
He didn't say any more but we've always been unusually communicative in a reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that. In consequence, I'm inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-24, 3:57

https://youtube.com/shorts/5aifGBMjn5A
The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person, and so it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men.

azhong

Re: Azhong's Reading Practice

Postby azhong » 2021-09-25, 6:15

https://youtu.be/JZA4VnzDWZM
Most of the confidences were unsought—frequently I have feigned sleep, preoccupation, or a hostile levity when I realized by some unmistakable sign that an intimate revelation was quivering on the horizon; for the intimate revelations of young men, or at least the terms in which they express them, are usually plagiaristic and marred by obvious suppressions.


Return to “English”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests