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(*I had some problems recording the podcast today, so I apologize for the delay in posting it!)

This is an English lesson designed to help you improve your English listening and pronunciation. The listening lesson is a short story about something that happened in my life in Canada. There is also a short pronunciation explanation about a word or sound I used in the story.

This week’s story is about supermarkets! The pronunciation explanation is how to pronounce the -nts consonant cluster at the end of a word.

The listening lesson is published on Mondays. Each day of the week, there will be a post on my blog explaining, grammar, vocabulary, and expressions related to the story.

If you have trouble with your listening skills, here’s something that may help:
How to practice listening

Listen to the podcast:

Download the podcast in .mp3 from Podbean.com or itunes!

Listening Comprehension Questions:

1. What do I enjoy about grocery shopping?

2. What are some things you can find at the supermarket?

3. How much do supermarkets charge for a plastic bag?

4. Why do supermarkets want to deter people from using plastic bags?

5. Who has benefited the most from the extra 5 cents for a plastic bag?

Transcript:

(*The words in blue are links to other posts here on my blog. Click on the links to learn more about the grammar, vocabulary and expressions used in the story!)

I really enjoy grocery shopping! I’m very organized about it. I never go shopping without a list. I really enjoy pushing the shopping cart around the store and loading it up with stuff. There’s a reason they’re called ‘supermarkets’ – because they are super markets! Increased competition from Wal-Mart and drugstores like Shoppers Drug Mart means that there is an incredible variety of things available at the supermarket.

If you don’t have time to cook, you can pick up a fresh, hot, ready-made meal. If you’d like to try something exotic to eat, there are special sections for foreign foods. If you prefer organic fruits and vegetables, the produce section has expanded to include those too! Even if you just want a box of cereal you have an entire aisle of boxes to choose from!

Recently, several supermarket chains began charging an extra 5 cents for a plastic bag to put your groceries in. I know a lot of countries already do this, but up until now plastic bags had always been free. It’s very common to use plastic bags to carry your groceries home. The extra 5 cents per bag is meant to deter people from using plastic bags, because plastic bags can’t break down and they fill up landfills. Instead they want to encourage customers to use reusable canvas bags. What a coincidence! The supermarket chains also sell reusable canvas bags!

I don’t believe 5 cents is much of a deterrent. Most people don’t even notice it on their bill. I don’t. I can never remember to bring my canvas bag into the store with me. It is, however, a huge increase in revenue for the supermarkets. They’ve made millions of dollars from the extra 5 cents! The money is supposed to be spent on environmental causes, but there’s no evidence that it has [been spent on environmental causes]. It’s a noble attempt to try to take care of our planet, but it doesn’t seem like it has significantly reduced the number of plastic bags!

Pronunciation:

In last week’s podcast, I told you how to pronounce the –sts consonant cluster. A consonant cluster is a group of consonants with no vowel between them. This week, let’s look at another consonant cluster: the –nts cluster at the end of a word, like in the words parents, counts, and pants.

Again, forget about the t. Pretend there is no t in this cluster.

Start by making the ‘n’ /n/ sound. When you make this sound, the front of your tongue is already touching the roof of your mouth, just behind your top teeth… /n/

This tongue position is actually the start of the ‘t’ sound.

Quickly drop your tongue and make the ‘s’ /s/ sound.

Listen carefully … /ns/

The ‘n’ /n/ sound is a voiced sound, while the /s/ sound is unvoiced. When you move from the voiced /n/ to the unvoiced /s/, there is automatically a slight ‘t’ sound – you don’t need to try to make the ‘t’ sound because it’s already there!

Also, the ‘n’ and ‘s’ are pronounced very quickly.

This is why tents t-e-n-t-s sounds the same as tense t-e-n-s-e, and patients p-a-t-i-e-n-t-s sounds the same as patience p-a-t-i-e-n-c-e.

In the listening lesson, I used the word cents: an extra 5 cents for a plastic bag

Here are some more words you can practice. Listen and repeat after me:
accents
hunts
clients
faints
hints

Listen to words that end in -nts used in sentences:

Her movements are very graceful.

What are the contents of this report?

My aunts and uncles are coming over for dinner tonight.

She often flaunts her wealth.

The English alphabet has 5 vowels and 21 consonants.

*More practice words and sentences:
discounts
invents
talents
implants
prints
haunts
appoints
handprints
events
scents

In Canada, students start school in September.

He often has arguments with his neighbors about politics!

New shipments of clothes arrive at the store every week.

I really appreciate it when people leave comments on my blog!

There are footprints in the snow.

Vocabulary:

to load (up/something up)
I really enjoy pushing the shopping cart around the store and loading it up with stuff.
= to put a large amount (of something) into or onto something else

the produce section
If you prefer organic fruits and vegetables, the produce section has expanded to include those too.
= the area of the supermarket where you can find the fresh fruits and vegetables (fruits and vegetables in their raw form, fresh from the farm)

to deter/a deterrent
The extra 5 cents per bag is meant to deter people from using plastic bags…
I don’t believe 5 cents is much of a deterrent.
= to discourage or prevent someone from doing something/something from happening.

a landfill
…because plastic bags can’t break down and they fill up landfills.
= the place where garbage is buried underground

revenue
It is, however, a huge increase in revenue for the supermarkets.
= money that a company makes from the sale of their goods or services

noble
It’s a noble attempt to try to take care of our planet…
= something that is good, unselfish, honest and brave