Join me in a reading of the classic 'Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore first written in 1823.  This story was the inspiration for the modern-day image of Santa Claus.  Some of the words are outdated, but it remains a charming tale enjoyed by children during the Christmas season.  

Play, Learn, Speak

Episode 1:  Twas the night before Christmas

Master the difference between the short /ɒ/ (as in what and hot) and the long /ɔː/ (as in water and talk). In this lesson, you’ll practice mouth positioning, tongue placement, and vowel length through repetition, word pairs, and tongue twisters. Perfect for sharpening your ear and improving your British English pronunciation. Exaggeration techniques included for maximum effect.
Transcript: 
  /ɒ/- What,  hot, not, dog, lot, shop, clock, pocket, follow, hobby, What, watch, want, wallet, wash, wander,
/ɔː/-  water, law, talk, walk, warm, thought, short, more, board, quarter, water, walk, talk, warm, wardrobe, warning,
(Minimal pairs 1)
hot — haaaawl, not — nooorth, dog — dawwwwrn, what — waaa-ter, cot — cooourt
(Minimal pairs 2)
what — water, dog — talk, watch — walk, lot — law, want — warm, clock — caught, pocket — board, shop — short, follow — fall, wander — warning, wash – warm, wallet – wardrobe, quantity – quarter, not — north
(Minimal pairs 3)
dog — dawn, cot — court, rot — road,  got — gore, pop — pour, shock — shore, cross — coarse, body — board, hobby — hoard,  off — or
(Tongue Twisters)
“Tom’s small shop sold lots of hot chocolate pots.”
“Tall Paul taught four warm dogs to walk by the shore.”
“Wanda watched Walter walk past the shop with a long, warm stopwatch.”
“Short dogs got lost on the long walk to the old forest.”


British Pronunciation Tips 

British Vowel Sound Masterclass – Lesson 3: What & Water Practice - The Short /ɒ/ and Long /ɔː/

In different scenarios，3 ways to apologize in Mandarin.
对不起、不好意思、抱歉。

****Script for your second time listening****
dào qiàn
道 歉    
to apologize  v. 你应该向我道歉。
 apology  n.  我不接受你的道歉。

片段一Clip one
对不起duì bu qǐ  
1. 我已经等了你5分钟了！对不起，我现在立刻赶过去。
2. 对不起，我得走了。
3. 哎呦，你不要在跟我说对不起了好不好！
4. 大哥，我错了，对不起，对不起。
5. 今天我让他失望了，对不起。
1.  wǒ yǐ jīng děng le nǐ 5fèn zhōng le ！duì bú qǐ ，wǒ xiàn zài lì kè gǎn guò qù 。
2.  duì bú qǐ ，wǒ děi zǒu le 。
3.  āi yōu ，nǐ bú yào zài gēn wǒ shuō duì bú qǐ le hǎo bù hǎo ！
4.  dà gē ，wǒ cuò le ，duì bú qǐ ，duì bú qǐ 。
5.  jīn tiān wǒ ràng tā shī wàng le ，duì bú qǐ 。

片段二
抱歉 bào qiàn ；to feel apologetic
1.	那接下来我去哪儿啊？真抱歉，您这瘾只能过到这了。
2.	抱歉，我这里不能抽烟。
3.	抱歉，迟到了。飞机误点。
1.	nà jiē xià lái wǒ qù nǎ ér a ？zhēn bào qiàn ，nín zhè yǐn zhǐ néng guò dào zhè le 。
2.	bào qiàn ，wǒ zhè lǐ bù néng chōu yān 。
3.	bào qiàn ，chí dào le 。fēi jī wù diǎn 。
片段三
不好意思bù hǎo yì si ；to feel embarrassing ,to be sorry(for inconveniencing sb)
1.	不好意思啊，今天和你玩得很开心...
2.	不好意思，我们有点事情要谈。
3.	勇哥，不好意思啊，人有点儿多，耽误时间了。
4.	秋雅，你看我都不知道你结婚，我穿成这样就来了。实在是不好意思。恭喜！
1.  bù hǎo yì si a ，jīn tiān hé nǐ wán de hěn kāi xīn ...
2.  bù hǎo yì si ，wǒ men yǒu diǎn shì qíng yào tán 。
3.  yǒng gē ，bù hǎo yì si a ，rén yǒu diǎn r duō ，dān wù shí jiān le 。
4.  qiū yǎ ，nǐ kàn wǒ dōu bù zhī dào nǐ jié hūn ，wǒ chuān chéng zhè yàng jiù lái le 。shí zài shì bù hǎo yì si 。

Iris' screening room

Real Life Chinese——3 ways to apologize in Mandarin

This is a short text about personal stuff,  for A1 level language learners.

Listen  to improve your listening and for better result, transcribe it and check the vocabulary.


Persian Listening

Personal stuff  وسایل شخصی

Once Upon a Time

شازده کوچولو، فصل سوم

By: Cynthia Schumerth
Illustrated by: Mary Reaves Uhles
Book From: https://www.getepic.com/app/read/76679
Ages: 6-8
Guided Reading Level System: L

🍿📚 Welcome to another story time with Teacher Vanessa! Today's story is called "Let's Pop, Pop, Popcorn!" 🌽🎉 Join us as a group of children takes you through the fascinating journey of how America's favorite snack is grown, harvested, and popped. 🌱🌽🍿 If you're a popcorn lover like me, you're in for a treat! 😍 If you enjoyed this story time, why not book a one-on-one lesson with me today? 📚🎉 I teach students of all ages and levels, whether you're a native speaker or not. Let's embark on an exciting learning adventure together! See you in the next story time. 📖✨ #StoryTimeWithTeacherVanessa #PopcornLovers #LearningIsFun


Story Time with Teacher Vanessa

Let's Pop, Pop, Popcorn!

Le Petit Prince souffle ses 80 bougies en 2023, c'est aussi mon livre préféré car il m'a beaucoup inspiré... Et toi quel 

Cher Journal

Episode 15 - Le Petit Prince 

New year's resolutions are a must but why do we actually fail at achieving these and what to do differently this time round.