How to Pronounce: Asteroid

0:02Hello, I'm John Russell.

0:05There are a lot of Hollywood films about the end of the world.

0:09Some involve zombies, some involve aliens,

0:13and some involve an asteroid hitting Earth.

0:18The term asteroid will be the subject of our lesson today.

0:23Aside from Hollywood movies, we also use the term when discussing science,

0:28the natural world, and outer space.

0:30When I hear English learners pronounce the word asteroid, I often find that they have difficulty with the

0:38vowel sounds.

0:40So they might say something like this, asturud,

0:45or this, asturoid.

0:47We can improve our pronunciation by paying careful attention to each vowel sound.

0:54We have three vowel sounds.

0:57Let's do each in turn.

0:59Listen and repeat after me.

1:08We can then add back in our consonant sounds.

1:13Let's say the word slowly.

1:21We started this lesson by talking about Hollywood movies.

1:26People in asteroid movies often get scared, and as a result, they might not think as clearly.

1:33The same is true of pronunciation.

1:36Many English learners get scared or worried about pronouncing somewhat difficult terms,

1:41like asteroid.

1:43But with careful and regular practice, you can master any word.

1:48You can build a level of calmness and confidence in your speaking,

1:52asteroid.

1:54That's all for today.

1:56Keep up the good work.