Pronunciation ChallengeHow Will You Die?

“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” - Dylan Thomas

What’s good, Voicetube listeners! That’s another way of saying “How’s it going?” by the way. That quote just now is actually one of my favorites. It basically means that you shouldn’t die before putting up a fight. This fight means to live life to its fullest, even to its last moment. Oh, so sorry for being rude. I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Hugh and I’ll be your host for today’s Pronunciation Challenge. So, you listeners must have thought about death before right? As a kid, I used to fantasize about dying (Yes, I fantasized about dying). Wait, I’m ok, I’m not suicidal. I just watched too many movies growing up! All the cool heroes would always die a heroic death at the end of a movie! I wanted to save someone if it meant sacrificing my own life. I’m ok everyone! No need to worry! I’m just dramatic. Let’s get to the featured sentence, before we talk some more.

Today’s featured sentence:
In fact, a recent computer software has been developed that has been shown to estimate how and when you will die with 96% accuracy, based on medical history, lifestyle, and many other factors.

I’ll say that again.

In fact, a recent computer software has been developed that has been shown to estimate how and when you will die with 96% accuracy, based on medical history, lifestyle, and many other factors.

Ok, now time for the Pronunciation Tips.


For the first word, we have
Software
Two syllables.
“SO” has a short O sound. The next syllable blends two consonants together. T and W to give you “TW”. Now add “ARE” which sounds like “air”, like the air you breathe. Software.

Next up, we have
Develop
Four syllables
“DE” has a short U sound. “VEL”, just say the letter “L” with a V sound in front and “OP”, actually sounds more like the word, “up”, like “up and down.” Develop.

Lastly, we have,
Accuracy
Four syllables.
“A” has a short A sound. The next two syllables you have to say quickly. The first part of “CCU” sounds like the letter Q. The second part is your typical “E R” sound, “ER”. Now blend these two together and say it quickly to get “CCU”. The last syllable is “CY” which is easy, it sounds the same as the word, “see”, like “do you see that?”. Accuracy.



Moving onto Vocabulary!

The first word is:
1. develop
Definition
to (cause something to) grow or change into a more advanced, larger, or stronger form
Used in a sentence you could say,
“It took me many years to develop my acting skills.”

Next word,
2. accuracy
Definition
the fact of being exact or correct
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“Stephen Curry’s accuracy from beyond the three-point line is crazy!”

And lastly,
3. factor
Definition:
a fact or situation that influences the result of something
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“Stress is a contributing factor in many illnesses.”

You know, we have come a long way in terms of how long a human can live for. Like the video says, back in the early 1900’s, people only lived until their thirties! Can you imagine that?! Nowadays, a lot of people live until they are well into their eighties, especially in Japan. They say it’s their diet and I must agree. Have you ever heard that the Japanese eat until they are eighty percent full? It’s so hard for me to do that. I usually eat way past one hundred percent fullness (especially if it’s delicious). I don’t think overloading my body is a good idea. I do, however, do intermittent fasting which apparently forces my body to eat itself, meaning it also eats the bad cells away. Let’s see how effective this is. Come back to me when I’m old and I’ll let you know how that went!

Alright, everyone, that about does it for today. Get those recordings in if you forgot to do so. Follow me on Instagram if you want to see what I’m up to @hughtran_. Until the next episode, see ya!

Day 275

Day 121.