Day 23: tongue twisters!

Really, you thought we would get through the 30-day challenge without THE classic challenge? Really??

Here are some of my favourite tongue twisters in Egnlish. Now, the experts say (well, some people say this, including me) that the real deal is in saying the tongue twister at least three times in a row. Only then can you say you have mastered it!


- Say these tongue twisters, and remember, try three times in a row for each one of them!

 - Tell us in the comments: which was the hardest? The easiest? 

 - Are you still struggling with any of them? Which favourite tongue twister of yours is missing on my list?



1. The first tongue twister I ever learnt in English!

 - She sells sea shells by the sea shore, but the sea shells she sells are not sea shells, I'm sure.

 2. And the second one I ever learnt!

 - How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

 3. How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?

 4. Send toast to ten tense stout saints' ten tall tents.

 5. Red lorry, yellow lorry (seems easy, right? Say it three times...)

 6. The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.

 7. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

 8. Is your tongue tied yet? Try the grand finale:

 - Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches? Which wristwatches are Irish wristwatches?


Have fun with this one!







Comments

  1. MiguelRMApril 7, 2020 at 7:26 AM

    A massive and also funny challenge! The fifth (lorries) was the easiest one, in my opinion, the last one is a D1 or E level haha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MiguelRMApril 7, 2020 at 7:28 AM

      Sorry, the seventh is the most difficult, not the eighth

      Delete
    2. Shall I compare thee...April 7, 2020 at 8:01 AM

      So curious, Miguel! The lorries one is sooo hard for me!

      Thank you!

      Delete
  2. ANAApril 7, 2020 at 7:51 AM

    A funny, warped challenge!

    For me the easiest ones are the second one and the third one. And the most difficult, number four and six!

    The way I've tried to pronounce it better is a technique musicians use to improve their speed when playing an instrument. And that's it, putting a rythm to the text. That's to say, you take for example the rythm of the seconds in the clock and try to pronounce, for instance two syllable for each second. Then, make the "seconds" go more quickly, and then even more quickly. This is the way your muscles (in this case, your tongue muscles) adapt to the movement you have to do to pronounce.

    This is the way I practice when I have to sing very quickly texts in Russian, actually!

    Have a nice day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shall I compare thee...April 7, 2020 at 8:00 AM

      That's so interesting, Ana! That's something we do sometimes to practice sentence stress. I think it'd be useful to have a metronome in class, don't you think?

      Thank you!

      Delete
  3. fdgcApril 7, 2020 at 8:43 AM

    Let me stretch my tongue before comment hahaha
    Given that I´m not fond of tongue twisters even in Spanish, I´ve found most of them tricky to master, especially the number six. The easiest for me, I agree with Miguel, is definitely the fifth, shorter and my tongue doesn´t get tied there. By the way, I only knew the first one.

    I miss on your list this one, which could be my favorite:
    If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?

    Thank you Bea!


    ReplyDelete
  4. EvelitaApril 8, 2020 at 5:06 AM

    Funny one! Hahahaha. It's been brilliant seeing my boyfriend's face when entered the room i was practising them...

    I think the first tongue twister for me in English was the same! I knew this as well as the numbers 5 and number 7, so they were feasible. I agree with Daniel that number 6 was the trickiest one.

    ReplyDelete

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