American English reductions are reduced forms of
English words.
This American English
reduction is formed when you combine and reduce
the following words.
gonna =
going + to
This American English
reduction is used in the following way.
I'm
gonna
have to work every day next week.
This American English
reduction has the following meaning.
I'm
going to
have to work every day next week.
Examples:
"gonna"
Are you
gonna go?
(Meaning:
Are you planning to go?)
She is
gonna go.
(Meaning:
She is planning to go.)
They are
gonna
come late.
(Meaning:
They are going to arrive late.)
I am
gonna go
to Japan this month.
(Meaning:
I am planning to travel to Japan this month.)
Are we
gonna
watch TV tonight?
(Meaning:
Are we going to watch the television tonight?)
From
YOUR Teacher:Gonna
This American English reduction "gonna" is without a
doubt one of the most widely used reductions in the
English language. You will often notice native English
speakers saying gonna instead of going to.
Reductions:
"gotta"
American English reductions are reduced forms of
English words.
This American English
reduction is formed when you combine and reduce
the following words.
gotta = got + to
This American English reduction is used in the following
way.
I
gotta get up early to
go work.
This American English reduction has the following
meaning.
I
got to get up early to
go work.
Examples:
"gotta"
We really
gotta go.
(Meaning:
We are required to go.)
They
gotta
leave now.
(Meaning:
They must leave now.)
They
gotta
make a better business plan.
(Meaning:
They should make a better business plan.)
We
gotta
make a decision.
(Meaning:
We should make a decision.)
I
gotta get
a new pair of shoes.
(Meaning:
I should get a new pair of shoes.)
From
YOUR Teacher:Gotta
This reduction is used most often when referring to the
need to go to the bathroom.
I gotta go to the bathroom (use the toilet).
I gotta pee (urinate).
Note: Reductions
Remember the following:
Reductions are reduced forms of
English words.
Reductions, such as gonna
and gotta are
not real words in English.
You need to use reductions in
order to sound more natural.
You need to know reductions in
order to understand conversations between native
English speakers.
Reductions are used extensively
in American TV, movies, music, literature, and in
conversations among native English speakers.
Reductions In Music and TV
Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl
Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001. The band consists of
lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic
and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively. The
group sold 6.5 million albums. The band dissolved in 2012, but
reformed in 2016.
This video is a good example of the usage of "gonna",
and "wanna" English language
reductions.
Use a
dictionary
to look up words you do not understand.
Lyrics
Go!
So one, two, three, take my hand and come with me
Because you look so fine
That I really wanna make
you mine
I say you look so fine
That I really wanna make
you mine
Oh, four, five, six c'mon and get your kicks
Now you don't need that money
When you look like that, do ya honey
Big black boots
Long blonde hair
She's so sweet
With her get back stare
Well I could see
You home with me
But you were with another man, yeah!
I know we
Ain't got much to say
Before I let you get away, yeah!
I said, are you gonna be
my girl?
Well, so one, two, three, take my hand and come with me
Because you look so fine
That I really wanna make
you mine
I say you look so fine
That I really wanna make
you mine
Oh, four, five, six c'mon and get your kicks
Now you don't need that money
With a face like that, do ya
Big black boots
Long brown hair
She's so sweet
With her get back stare
Well I could see
You home with me
But you were with another man, yeah!
I know we,
Ain't got much to say
Before I let you get away, yeah!
I said, are you gonna be
my girl?
Oh yeah, oh yeah, c'mon!
I could see
You home with me
But you were with another man, yeah!
I know we
Ain't got much to say
Before I let you get away, yeah!
Uh, be my girl
Be my girl
Are you gonna be my girl?
Yeah
The Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling
The Black Eyed Peas (originally simply Black Eyed Peas) is an
American musical group, consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap
and Taboo and singer Jessica Reynoso. Originally an alternative hip
hop group, they subsequently changed their musical sound to pop and
dance-pop music. Although the group was founded in Los Angeles in
1995, it was not until the release of their third album, Elephunk,
in 2003, that they achieved high record sales. Since that time, the
group has sold an estimated 76 million records (35 million albums
and 41 million singles), making them one of the world's best-selling
groups of all time. As of 2011, according to Nielsen SoundScan, the
Black Eyed Peas were the second-best-selling artist/group of all
time for downloaded tracks, behind Rihanna, with over 42 million
sales.
This video is a good example of the usage of "gonna",
"gotta", and "wanna"
English language reductions.
Use a
dictionary
to look up words you do not understand.
Lyrics
I gotta feeling that
tonight's gonna be a good
night
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good, good night
A feeling that tonight's gonna
be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good, good night
A feeling, woohoo, that tonight's
gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good, good night
A feeling, woohoo, that tonight's
gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good, good night
Tonight's the night, let's live it up
I got my money, let's spend it up
Go out and smash it like oh my God
Jump off that sofa, let's get, get off
I know that we'll have a ball
If we get down and go out and just lose it all
I feel stressed out, I wanna
let it go
Let's go way out spaced out and losing all control
Fill up my cup, Mazel Tov
Look at her dancing, just take it off
Let's paint the town, we'll shut it down
Let's burn the roof, and then we'll do it again
Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it
And do it and do it, let's live it up
And do it and do it and do it, do it, do it
Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it
Cause I gotta feeling,
woohoo,
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good, good night
A feeling, woohoo, that tonight's
gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good, good night
Tonight's the night (Hey! )
Let's live it up (Let's live it up)
I got my money (My pay)
Let's spend it up (Let's spend it up)
Go out and smash it (Smash it)
Like oh my God (Like oh my God)
Jump off that sofa (Come on!)
Let's get, get off
Fill up my cup (Drink)
Mazel Tov (L'chaim)
Look at her dancing (Move it, move it)
Just take it off
Let's paint the town (Paint the town)
We'll shut it down (Let's shut it down)
Let's burn the roof
And then we'll do it again
Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, let's do it
And do it and do it, let's live it up
And do it and do it and do it, do it, do it
Let's do it, let's do it, let's do it, do it, do it, do
it
Here we come, here we go, we
gotta rock (Rock rock rock rock rock)
Easy come, easy go, now we on top (Top top top top top)
Feel the shot, body rock, rock it, don't stop (Stop stop
stop stop stop)
Round and round, up and down, around the clock (Rock
rock rock rock rock)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Friday, Saturday, Saturday to Sunday
Get, get, get, get, get with us, you know what we say,
say
Party every day, p-p-p-party every day
And I'm feelin', woohoo, that tonight's
gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good, good night
A feelin', woohoo, that tonight's
gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good night
That tonight's gonna be a
good, good night, woohoo
Additional Lessons
About These
Lessons
The following classroom lessons are great for students
who want additional conversation, listening, and reading
practice.
Conversation Lesson -
Beginner Level. Let's
Learn English conversation lesson
with a conversation video, a video script, audio
listening practice, video speaking practice, video
pronunciation practice, a new
words section, and a writing activity.
In this lesson Anna is on a talk show to tell us about
her new career move - acting as a tree in the movies.
She looks back at the chances she took in the past year
and plans for the future. Will she stay in Hollywood or
come back to live in Washington, D.C.?
Lesson Video
Watch the video and then do the activities on this page.
Video Script
Anna: Hello, it's Anna! I did it - Washington, D.C. is my home. Looking back
over the past year, I’ve done so many amazing things! I have met people from all
over the world. I’ve made many good friends. And I have a great job! And I've
taken a lot of chances. And now I have some really big news! Wait for it… and 3,
2, 1…
Kelly: Hello and welcome to “Around the Corner and Across the Street from the
Actor’s Studio!” Many people dream of becoming actors. But very often, those
dreams don’t come true.
Kelly: Well, today we will meet a woman and -- her acting career has really
taken off. In fact, she acted in my play, “The Woods Are Alive!” Oh. She really
brought the part of Tree Number 15 to life! Let’s give a warm welcome to Anna
Matteo!
Anna: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me here.
Kelly: Please, please, sit down. Here, here, let me help you.
Anna: Thanks. Thanks. Wow, it is great to see you again, Director Kelly!
Kelly: It’s great to see you too, Anna. I see you are still wearing your tree
costume. Does this have anything to do with your big news?
Anna: Yes. Yes, it does.
Kelly: Well, Anna, please share that news with us.
Anna: Kelly, I will be acting in three movies.
Kelly: That is amazing! Anna, tell us more.
Anna: Well, the first is a science fiction movie. The second is a romantic
comedy. And the third is an action movie.
Kelly: That is so great! Let me guess -- you’re playing a tree in all of them!
Anna: Yes! This is what happened. To prepare for your play, I had to find out
what it was like to BE a tree in the world. I had to find out where to eat,
where to shop, where to meet people and how to get around the city.
Kelly: Amazing. I think big things are going to happen for you, Anna. So, tell
me, will you be moving to Hollywood for a career in movies?
Anna: No. I’ll make the movies and then come back. Washington, D.C. is my home.
Kelly: I’m sure your family is very proud.
Anna: Yes, they are. You know, Kelly, not too long ago, I didn’t feel very good
about my life. I had to make a change. So, I took some chances. Sometimes I
succeeded. Sometimes I failed. But I will never stop trying.
Kelly: Well, thank you for sharing your news and so much more with us, Anna.
Kelly: Until next time …
Listening
Now practice listening to only the audio portion of the conversation.
Speaking
Use this video to learn the new words for this lesson. Then, learn about some
new phrasal verbs.
Pronunciation
Use this video to learn about the blend of two words in the phrase "sit down."
New Words
action movie -
n. a movie with events that happen quickly and
that cause feelings of danger and excitement
bring to life -
phrase. make or become active, lively, or
interesting
career -
n. a job or profession that someone does for a
long time
come back -
phrasal verb. to return to a place
fail -
v. to not succeed or to end without success
find out -
phrasal verb. to learn (something) by making an
effort
get around -
phrasal verb. to go, walk, or travel to
different places
prepare -
v. to make yourself ready for something that
you will be doing or something that you expect to happen
proud -
adj. very happy and pleased because of
something you have done, something you own, or someone you know or are
related to
romantic comedy -
n. a movie or play that deals with love in a
light, humorous way
science fiction -
n. a kind of story about how people and
societies are affected by imaginary scientific developments in the future
share -
v. to tell someone about (your feelings,
opinions, or thoughts)
take chances -
phrase. to do things even though there could be
good or bad results
take off -
phrasal verb. make great progress
Activity
In this lesson, Anna looks back on how she has learned
by taking chances over the past year in Washington, D.C.
Have you ever taken chances to learn something new or to
meet your goal? Tell us about a chance you took and how
it helped you to learn or do something important to you
. Write about it in the Facebook Comments section below.
Then practice phrasal verbs and evaluating.
Click
lesson activity to get the printable PDF version. The
page opens to a new window.
Study all 52 English conversation lessons. Let's Learn
English conversation lessons each with a conversation
video, a video script, audio listening practice, video
speaking practice, video pronunciation practice, a new
words section, and a writing activity.
These
lessons are for beginners.
The complete lesson includes an audio program explaining this
topic, the script for the audio program, a words in this story section,
and other important information.
Click for the complete lesson
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this topic.
The complete lesson includes an audio program explaining this
topic, the script for the audio program, a words in this story section,
and other important information.
Click for the complete lesson
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this topic.
The lesson includes an audio program explaining this
topic, the script for the audio program, a words in this story section,
and other important information.
Click for the complete lesson
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this topic.
Hey Students,
Use this dictionary and reference to look up any words you do not
understand in Fun Easy English.
