This is an English lesson designed to help you practice and improve your English listening and pronunciation skills. The listening lesson is a short story about something that happened in my life in Canada. There is also a short pronunciation explanation about a word or sound I used in the story.
Story: My attempt at baking chocolate apples!
Pronunciation explanation: When to pronounce ‘gh’ as /f/!
If you would like to try this recipe, follow the original recipe at Nicko’s Bakery!
Listen to the podcast:
*Try to listen at least once without looking at the words!
If you have trouble with your listening skills, here’s something that may help:
How to practice listening
Listening Comprehension Questions:
1. What are the different steps in this recipe?
2. What was the hardest part of the recipe?
3. What temperature measurement do ovens in Canada use?
4. What mistake did I make?
5. What will I do if I make this recipe again?
Transcript:
(*Click on the links to learn more about the grammar, vocabulary and expressions used in the story!)
I like watching YouTube videos. I watch everything from craft videos to vlogs to cooking shows! One of my favourite YouTube shows is “Nicko’s Bakery.” Last week, he made some great chocolate apples! I love chocolate, and this dessert looked so good I thought I would try it this week!
I’m not a very good baker, but I enjoy baking. More importantly, I enjoy eating baked goods! Usually everything turns out OK if I follow a recipe. This was a very simple recipe for chocolate apples. The hardest thing to do was core the apples. I had never done that before. This carves out a hole in the middle of the apple. You put the chocolate pieces in the hole, add some water and brown sugar, and then put everything in the oven for an hour!
In Canada, we use the metric system of measurement. We measure the temperature outside in degrees Celsius, but on our ovens we use Fahrenheit. We’re a bit strange like that.
I decided to experiment with the recipe for chocolate apples. I used Red Delicious apples as well as green Granny Smith apples. I used Caramilk and Aero chocolate bars with and without brown sugar. This was not a good idea as all my experiments ended in disaster. The only apple that turned out edible was the one where I followed the recipe exactly! It tastes a lot better than it looks! In fact, it’s delicious!
If you try this recipe, you must make sure the chocolate is frozen! I put the Caramilk bar in the freezer overnight, but I decided at the last minute to use Aero bars, so they were only in the freezer for about ½ an hour. This was clearly not long enough because the chocolate melted and then burned, just like Nicko said it would! I also didn’t use enough brown sugar.
If I make this recipe again – or I should say, when I make this recipe again, because I definitely will! – I’ll use more brown sugar and only green Granny Smith apples. I won’t use Aero bars or Red Delicious apples because they didn’t taste good at all, but I will definitely use the Caramilk bar. I may also experiment with other chocolate bars as well!
Discussion questions:
Do you enjoy baking?
What do you like to bake?
What’s your favourite dessert?
Pronunciation:
Most of the time the letters ‘gh’ together in an English word are silent (they’re not pronounced), like in the words:
high
weigh
thought
caught
through
The ‘gh’ at the beginning of a word is pronounced /g/:
ghost
Sometimes the ‘gh’ is pronounced /f/ like the letter ‘f’:
cough
enough
laugh
rough
tough
Related:
How to pronounce the word “chocolate:”
11 Words with Silent Letters
How to pronounce the word “recipe”
7 Commonly Mispronounced Words
Vocabulary:
a vlog
I watch everything from craft videos to vlogs to cooking shows!
= a video blog; a kind of online diary where a person talks about whatever interests them!
to turn out
Usually everything turns out OK if I follow a recipe.
= to happen, result, end or in a particular way
to core (something)
The hardest thing to do was core the apples.
= to take out the core (the central hard part with seeds) of a piece of fruit
the metric system
…we officially switched to the metric system.
= the system of measurement that uses centimetres, metres, kilometres, etc.
edible
The only apple that turned out edible …
= safe to eat!
the freezer
I put the Caramilk bar in the freezer overnight.
= the freezer is an appliance in most North American homes that can freeze food. Usually it is on one side of the refrigerator, but it can also be a separate appliance; because the temperature is below 0 degrees Celsius, everything becomes cold and hard.
overnight
I put the Caramilk bar in the freezer overnight.
= for the night; I put it in the freezer at night, then went to sleep. I took it out the next day when I was ready to start baking!
Melanie is a TESL-certified English teacher. She lives near Toronto, Canada. Through her blog, videos, podcasts, and social media, she helps thousands of people around the world improve their English. She makes English a little less confusing and a little more fun! She also helps people understand Canadian and American culture. She believes that natural interaction with a native speaker helps people practice what they have learned and builds their confidence with English!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
In my opinion it is useful, well-structured, comprehensive and clear lesson.
Thank you. Keep doing you good work!
By the way, we have the same favorite teacher on YouTube (JenniferESL) which has been famous there for many years. I think you can be equated to her in the best features (the cute manner of video’s creation, kind corrections in responding to the subscribers and clear pronunciation).
Let me wish you all the best in work and life.
Best regards from Odessa, Ukraine.
Hello "Always Sunshine"!
Thank you for your kind words! I am happy that you find these lessons useful!
JenniferESL is a great inspiration to students AND teachers alike! I am honoured that you would compare me to her! : )
All the best,
Melanie