Reading for Pronunciation (easy) - 1

Easy Conversation: Daily Life (part 1)

A: Where do you live? B: I live in Pasadena. A: Where is Pasadena? B: It's in California. A: Is it in northern California? B: No. It's in southern California. A: Is Pasadena a big city? B: It's pretty big. A: How big is "pretty big"? B: It has about 140,000 people. A: How big is Los Angeles? B: It has about 3 million people.

A: Do you have a car? B: Yes, I do. A: What kind of car do you have? B: I have a Honda. A: Is it new? B: It was new in 2003. A: So, it's pretty old now. B: Yes, it is. But it still looks good. A: Do you take good care of it? B: Oh, yes. I wash it once a week. A: Do you change the oil? B: My mechanic changes the oil twice a year.

A: Do you have a girlfriend? B: No, I don't. Do you? A: I don't have a girlfriend, either. B: Why not? A: I don't know. Maybe I'm not rich enough. B: Girls like guys with money. A: They sure do. B: They like guys with new cars. A: I don't have money or a new car. B: Me, neither. A: But girls like guys who are funny. B: Maybe we should learn some good jokes.

A: Where are you going? B: I have to walk the dog. A: What kind of dog do you have? B: I have a little poodle. A: Poodles bark a lot. B: They sure do. A: They bark at everything. B: They never shut up. A: Why did you get a poodle? B: It's my mom's dog. A: So she likes poodles. B: She says they're good watchdogs.

A: Can I borrow $5? B: Sure. Why do you need it? A: I want to buy lunch. B: Where's your money? A: It's not in my wallet. B: Your wallet is empty? A: I don't have even one dollar in it. B: Being broke is no fun. A: Even if it's only for a short while. B: It's always good to have friends. A: Friends will lend you money when you're broke. B: As long as you pay them back.

A: Let's go to the beach. B: That's a great idea. A: We haven't been in a while. B: We haven't been in a month. A: The last time we went, you almost drowned. B: No, I didn't. A: Then why did the lifeguard dive into the water? B: I think he wanted to cool off. A: He swam right up to you. B: And then he turned right around. A: Maybe you're right. B: Maybe we should get going.

A: Are you married? B: No. I'm divorced. A: When did you get divorced? B: I got divorced two years ago. A: Why did you get divorced? B: My wife left me. A: Why did she leave you? B: She said she didn't love me anymore. A: Wow! That's terrible. B: Yes, it was. A: Why didn't she love you anymore? B: She fell in love with my best friend.

A: I'm bored. B: What's on TV? A: Nothing. B: There must be something on TV! A: Nothing that's interesting. B: What about that new game show? A: Which one? B: "Deal or No Deal" A: Tell me you're joking. B: I love that show. A: I watched it once. That was enough. B: It's on right now. Let's watch it together.

A: I like living here. B: I agree. Pasadena is a nice city. A: It's not too big. B: And it's not too small. A: It has great weather all year long. B: It has the Rose Parade. A: It has beautiful houses. B: It has wonderful restaurants. A: It has great schools. B: It's close to the mountains. A: The people are friendly. B: I'm not ever going to leave.

A: We need a new mattress. B: What's the matter with this one? A: It's not comfortable. B: It seems fine to me. A: I toss and turn all night. B: You should stop drinking coffee. A: Look at these marks on my arms. B: What are they? A: They are bites. B: Did the cat bite you? A: No. The bedbugs in that mattress bit me. B: Okay. Let's get a new mattress.

A: My laptop is so slow. B: Buy a new one. A: I would if I had the money. B: Why is it so slow? A: That's a good question. B: Did you take it to a computer shop? A: I would if I had the money. B: Well, I guess you have to live with it. A: Sometimes I want to throw it out the window. B: You don't want to do that. A: Why not? B: You might hit someone in the head.

A: What's for dinner? B: I'm not sure. A: How about a pizza? B: You had pizza for lunch. A: But I love pizza. B: Everybody loves pizza. A: So why can't I have pizza for dinner? B: Because you need variety. A: What's "variety? B: Different things, not the same thing all the time. A: You mean, like a pepperoni pizza instead of a cheese pizza? B: No, I mean a salad instead of a pizza.

A: We need to save money. B: Why do we need to save money? A: Because we need to buy a house. B: But a house is so expensive. A: That's why we need to save money. B: How much do we need to save? A: We need to save enough for a down payment. B: How much is that? A: That's about $30,000. B: Thirty thousand dollars! That will take forever. A: Not if we save every penny. B: Okay. Here's seven pennies.

A: The ocean is so big. B: You can't see the end of it. A: It goes on and on forever. B: And it's deep, too. A: I think it's five miles deep. B: Are there fish at the bottom? A: There are fish at the top and the bottom. B: Are there more fish or more people? A: I think there are more fish. B: I hope so. I love to eat fish.

A: I'm upset with my mom. B: Why is that? A: I warned her about her new boyfriend. She didn't listen to me. B: What happened? A: I gave her $1,000 for her birthday. I told her to spend it on herself. B: That was very nice of you. A: I found out that she gave it to her new boyfriend. B: Why did she do that? A: He said he would buy her a nice ring. B: What's wrong with that? A: He went to Las Vegas. He lost it all gambling. B: I hope your mom broke up with him.

A: Do animals talk to each other? B: Of course they talk to each other. A: What do they talk about? B: They talk about other animals. A: What else do they talk about? B: They talk about food and the weather. A: Do they talk about us? B: Of course they talk about us. A: What do they say about us? B: They say that we are funny-looking. A: Ha! We're not funny-looking; animals are funny-looking. B: We're funny-looking because we wear clothes.

A: I have to clean the house. B: Yes, it's very dirty. A: You can help me. B: Why me? A: Because you helped make it dirty. B: What do you want me to do? A: I want you to clean the bathroom. B: Oh, that's easy. A: Clean the sink, the tub, the counter, and the toilet. B: That's a lot of work. A: Tell me when you finish. B: I don't think so. You'll just give me more work

A: You're watching too much TV. B: What do you mean? A: I mean you're wasting your life. B: I'm having fun. A: You're sitting there with your mouth open. B: Who cares? A: I care. Do something. B: Okay. I did something. A: What did you do? B: I turned up the volume. A: That's not what I meant by "do something." B: Will you do something? Leave me alone.

A: Did you write a letter to grandma? B: Yes, I did. A: Did you tell her about school? B: I told her that school is fun. A: Did you put the letter in an envelope? B: Yes, and I sealed the envelope. A: Did you put a stamp on the envelope? B: I couldn't find any stamps. A: They're in the kitchen drawer. B: Okay. I just put a stamp on the envelope. A: Give me the envelope, and I'll mail it for you. B: When is grandma going to learn about e-mail?

A: Why are you yawning? B: I'm sleepy. A: Why don't you go to bed? B: I want to watch this TV show. A: Maybe you should record it. B: The tape recorder is broken. A: Then you should watch the rerun. B: Why? I'm watching the original. A: But you'll be asleep in about one minute. B: I'm just yawning because the commercials are on. A: Okay. I'll tell you how the show ends. B: Zzz.

A: It's Sunday. B: So? A: You know what that means. B: I forgot. A: Sunday means we go to church. B: Oh, yeah. A: Put on a coat and tie. B: Why? A: To show respect to God and others. B: I'm glad Sunday is only once a week. A: I hope God didn't hear that. B: He'll forgive me.

A: Did you feed the cat? B: I'll do that in a minute. A: The cat is meowing. He's hungry. B: Okay. I'll feed him right now. A: You shouldn't make him wait. B: I was doing my homework. A: The cat doesn't care about your homework. B: The cat doesn't care about anything. A: That's the way cats are. B: All they think about is themselves. A: Maybe we should get rid of him. B: Of course not! He's family.

A: I hate shaving. B: Me too. A: I just cut myself again. B: Did you use a new blade? A: It doesn't matter. Old blades cut, new blades cut. B: Maybe you should use an electric shaver. A: They make a lot of noise, but they don't give a close shave. B: Maybe you should stop shaving. A: And grow a beard? B: Sure. Why not? A: Because food and other stuff sticks in my beard. B: Hmm. Here's an idea. Put cream on your face and have the cat lick it off.

A: Excuse me. B: Yes? A: Are you reading this paper? B: Oh, no. Help yourself. A: I asked because the paper is sitting next to you. B: Thank you. That's polite of you to ask. A: Some people would just pick it up. B: Yes, I know. Some people are rude. A: I always try to be polite. B: So do I. A: The world needs more polite people like us. B: I agree 100 percent.

Easy Conversation: Daily Life (part 2)

A: Mom, I want a puppy. B: Let me think about it. A: Why do you have to think about it? B: Because a puppy costs money. A: No, it doesn't. Puppies are free. B: Yes, but a puppy needs shots. A: Shots for what? B: So it won't get sick. Just like you get shots. A: I hate shots. B: And a puppy eats food. Food costs money. A: No problem. I'll give him food off my plate. B: Oh, no you don't. Puppies don't eat vegetables.

A: Look at all these kittens! B: How many are there? A: Eight. B: They're all so cute. A: Yes, but I can't keep them. B: What are you going to do with them? A: I'm going to give them away. Do you want one? B: Yes, I would love one. A: Which one do you want? B: That one. The one that's all black. A: Yes, I like that one, too. B: I'll call him Blacky.

A: My parents go to church every Sunday. B: They trust in God. A: They hope they will go to heaven. B: They probably will. A: But no one knows for sure. B: That's for sure. A: No one knows what happens after we die. B: If we are good, we will be happy in heaven with God. A: That's what many people believe. B: If we are bad, we will be unhappy forever in hell. A: I don't want to go to hell. B: Let's go to church with your parents on Sunday.

A: My husband died. B: I'm sorry for you. A: Thank you. B: When did he die? A: A couple of months ago. B: You still miss him. A: Yes, but I talk to him almost every day. B: When you go to church? A: No, when I call him on his cell phone. B: What do you mean? A: I buried him with his cell phone. B: What will you do when the battery dies?

A: Today is Friday the thirteenth. B: That's a bad day. A: It's supposed to be unlucky. B: You're supposed to stay home all day. A: That's what I do. B: My friend stayed in a hotel on Friday the thirteenth. A: That was a mistake. B: He stayed on the thirteenth floor. A: What happened? B: Someone stole his laptop. A: He was asking for it. B: He learned his lesson. He's home today.

A: Do you really love me? B: Of course. A: Prove it. B: How can I prove it? A: Take me to dinner. B: That's it? That's all I have to do? A: Take me to a nice restaurant, not to McDonald's. B: But a nice restaurant costs money. A: Yes, and you have to make a reservation. B: That's such a hassle. A: I knew you didn't love me. B: Okay, okay! I'll make a reservation right now.

A: My parents are divorced. B: So are mine. A: Why did your parents get divorced? B: My father found a new girlfriend. A: That's too bad. B: My mother was hurt and angry. A: She had good reason. What did she do? B: She told him to drop his girlfriend. A: What did your father do? B: He moved out of our house. A: I guess he really liked his new girlfriend. B: Yes, but she left him a year later.

A: My grandma's apartment smells funny. B: So does mine. A: I think it's an old people's smell. B: Really? A: Yes. I think when you get old, you begin to smell. B: Like fruit that is too ripe? A: Yes, just like fruit that is too ripe. B: But the smell is different. A: Yes, old people don't smell like fruit. B: No, they smell like a thrift shop. A: Yes, a thrift shop has that same smell. B: Yes, an old smell.

A: The price of stamps goes up and up. B: I think stamps used to cost a penny. A: That was a long time ago. B: It was before I was born. A: Now a stamp is 42 cents. B: But in May it will be 44 cents. A: Have you ever lost a letter in the mail? B: No, I haven't. A: Neither have I. B: So, they do a good job for the money. A: Yes, they do. B: Maybe we shouldn't complain.

A: A button came off my shirt. B: What are you going to do? A: First, I have to find the button. B: Where did you lose it? A: I have no idea. B: A button is hard to find. Did you look in your pant cuffs? A: That's a good idea. B: I found a button in my pant cuffs one time. A: Let me look. No, it's not there. B: Many shirts come with an extra button. A: You're right. This one does have an extra button. B: Now all you have to do is sew it on.

A: I have to go to the bathroom. B: You drink too much coffee. A: But I love coffee. B: Well, it's your life. A: You eat too much chocolate. B: I don't think so. A: Have you looked in the mirror? B: Do you think I'm getting fat? A: I didn't say that. B: What did you say? A: I said I have to go to the bathroom. B: That's what I thought you said.

A: Did you do the laundry? B: Yes, I did. A: What did you wash? B: I washed the sheets and towels. A: What about the pillowcases? B: Yes, I took them off the pillows and washed them. A: Did you dry everything in the dryer? B: Yes, I dried everything in the dryer. A: Then what did you do? B: I folded all the towels. A: Did you put the sheets on the beds? B: Yes, and I put the pillowcases on the pillows.

A: Do you listen to the radio? B: I listen day and night. A: What do you listen to? B: Mostly talk radio. A: What's that? B: People talk about current events. A: What do they say? B: They say they want change. A: What kind of change? B: They want tax cuts. A: Why do they want tax cuts? B: Because tax cuts will save them money.

A: Mom, I'm hungry. B: Look in the fridge. A: I'm looking. There's nothing to eat. B: Are you sure? A: It's almost empty. B: I went to the market yesterday. A: I don't see anything. B: I bought lots of oranges and apples. A: I don't want fruit. I want something tasty. B: Eat the fruit. It's good for you. A: Next time you go to the market, let me go with you. B: No, thank you. All you want to eat are hot dogs and candy bars.