This is an English lesson designed to help you practice and improve your English listening and pronunciation skills. 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.

Story: My parents’ wedding anniversary!

Pronunciation lesson: How to pronounce the word ‘anniversary.’

Listen to the podcast:
*Try to listen at least once without looking at the words!

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

Listening Comprehension Questions:

1. Where did my parents meet?

2. What happened before my mom could go out on a date with my dad?

3. Who did my parents often have to take on dates with them?

4. What did we do this year for their anniversary?

Transcript:

(*Click on the links to learn more about the grammar, vocabulary and expressions used in the story!)

Last week my parents celebrated 53 years of marriage! You heard me correctly: my parents have been married for 53 years. In this day and age, a marriage that lasts for 53 years is quite rare!

My parents met when they worked at the same place as teenagers in the early 1950s. When my dad first asked my mom on a date, my mom had to ask my grandmother for permission to go out with him. Luckily my uncle (my mother’s brother) worked at the same place and knew my father. He told my grandmother that my dad was a good guy and it was OK to let my mother go on a date with him. My uncle often likes to remind my dad of this!

My parents courted for 5 years before they married. They had a lot of fun together. They would go on dates to the movies or they would go out for dinner. My grandmother often made my mother take her two younger sisters with her on dates! My dad told my mother: “stick with me and we’ll go places!” They’ve had a great life together.

My parents are very low-key. They wouldn’t let us throw a big party for them on their 50th anniversary, and they didn’t want to do anything elaborate for their 53rd anniversary either. On the day of their anniversary, we went to a local restaurant for drinks and some appetizers. I bought them a gift card to their favourite coffee store, where they like to sit and do crossword puzzles while they drink their coffee. It was a really nice evening!

Discussion Questions:

How do people celebrate wedding anniversaries in your country?

If you’re married, what do you do to celebrate your wedding anniversary?

Let me know in the comments below!

Pronunciation – How to pronounce ‘anniversary’

The word ‘anniversary’ is 5 syllables:
/æn.Iˈvɝː.sɚ.i/
/æn.əˈvɚ.sɚ.i/

The first syllable is ‘an,’ just like the article ‘an.’ In English, double consonants are only pronounced once, so there is only one ‘n’ sound.

The second syllable is the letter i. In English there are 4 ways to pronounce the letter ‘i.’ In this word, the i is NOT pronounced /i/. You can pronounce it / I / or / ə /.
æn.ə

The third syllable is the stressed syllable. It is said louder and longer than the other syllables.
/ vɝ /
æn.ə.’vɝ

Even though the next syllable is spelled ‘sar,’ the a + r is pronounced /ɚ/, the vowel r sound.
æn.ə.’vɝ.sɚ

Finally, the ‘y’ at the end of the word is pronounced /i/.

Let’s put all these syllables together:
/æn.Iˈvɝː.sɚ.i/
/æn.əˈvɚ.sɚ.i/

Vocabulary

to court
*this is an old-fashioned word that is rarely used today, but it was common when my parents first met!
My parents courted for 5 years before they married.
= to date and be in a romantic relationship with someone that you hope or intend to marry.

in this day and age
In this day and age, a marriage that lasts for 53 years is quite rare!
= in the present time, nowadays

to last
In this day and age, a marriage that lasts for 53 years is quite rare!
= to continue for a period of time

to ask (for) permission
…my mom had to ask my grandmother for permission to go out with him.
= to ask to be allowed/permitted to do something

Stick with me and we’ll go places
My dad told my mother: “stick with me and we’ll go places!”
= This is the punchline of a cute joke:
Q: What did the envelope say to the stamp?
A: Stick with me and we’ll go places!
My dad was joking with my mother and saying that if she spends her life with him, they will ‘go places’ – they will be successful and have a happy life together.

low-key
My parents are very low-key.
= My parents didn’t want people to make a fuss about their anniversary. They wanted something quiet, relaxed and without a lot of excitement.

to throw a party
They wouldn’t let us throw a big party for them on their 50th anniversary…
= to have a party, to host or prepare a party

appetizers
…we went to a local restaurant for drinks and some appetizers.
= not a full meal, small amounts of food before the main course.