Beyoncé: Clothes and Hairstyles

                                                            Beyoncé

Question 1:  What’s one item of clothing you can’t get enough of?

Beyoncé Answer 1:  T-shirts.  I can never have enough.  My favorite is a simple white T-shirt.

Question 2:  Of all the hairstyles you’ve tried over the years, which one is your favorite?

Beyoncé Answer 2:  My favorite is still a high ponytail.  It’s clean and classic.

 

Talking clothing and hairstyles with American R&B recording artist Beyoncé. 

Speaking Style Answer 1

Beyonce uses a common grammar pattern but puts the Object at the beginning creating two sentence styles.

Common grammar pattern

I can never have enough T-shirts.

(S)               (V)                 (O)

Beyonce’s style

T-shirts.  I can never have enough. 

(O)           (S)             (V)

Beyonce’s answer sounds natural in conversation because all of the elements of the sentence are in the answer.  This speaking style emphasizes T-shirts and then Beyonce follows with a second sentence.  The second sentence, with the use of the word ‘favorite’, also implies an idea of ‘one item only’ and gives more information to the listener. 

Speaking Style Answer 2

Beyonce uses common English to describe her favorite hairstyle.  The word ‘still’ in the answer reflects the idea of ‘over the years’ (asked in Question 2).  She then follows with a second sentence to give more detail or the ‘why’ she likes the high ponytail. 

Clothing and hairstyles are pretty popular topics but here are some more to try out!

Enjoy!

                                             

Example Speaking Styles

Speaking Style Answer 1

Question 1:  What’s one item of clothing you can’t get enough of?

Answer 1:  T-shirts.  I can never have enough.  My favorite is a simple white T-shirt.

Ex.1

Question 1:  What’s one item of jewelry you can’t get enough of?

Answer 1:  Earrings.  I can never have enough.  My favorite is a simple hoop earring.

Ex.2

Question 1:  What’s one kind of food you can’t get enough of?

Answer 1:  Ice cream.  I can never have enough.  My favorite is chocolate.

Speaking Style Answer 2

Question 2:  Of all the hairstyles you’ve tried over the years, which one is your favorite?

Answer 2:  My favorite is still a high ponytail.  It’s clean and classic.

Ex.1

Question 2:  Of all the skin care brands you’ve tried over the years, which one is your favorite?

Answer 2:  My favorite is still L’Oreal.  It’s silky and accelerates skin recovery.

Ex.2

Question 2:  Of all the cars you’ve driven over the years, which one is your favorite?

Answer 2:  My favorite is still a mustang.  It’s cool and fast.

Until next week let's enjoy some popular music from Beyoncé!

Beyoncé performing Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

Beyoncé performing Best Thing I Never Had

Alex

Celebrity English

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                                                                         Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington: Small Talk

Question 1: What are you reading, these days?

Denzel Washington: Books? I don’t have time.

Question 2: What’s on your iPod?

Denzel Washington: Lenny Kravitz. I have all his stuff. All of James Brown, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, everything from blues to gospel to jazz. More than 5,000 songs.

Making Small Talk

When getting to know someone we all have to engage in Small Talk.  As a language learner it can get boring.  It seems like you are always making small talk when you really want to talk about deeper or complicated subjects with people.  However, I just think of Small Talk as a step toward deeper/more complicated conversations.  Most people don’t suddenly start having deep conversations with people they don’t know so well.  So we need to start with simple topics first.

Speaking Style

The first answer about books is quite a common speaking style.  Denzel uses a rhetorical question because he feels a bit inwardly surprised.  Then he gives a truthful answer.  In conversation, it isn’t the best idea to say something negative but it gives him legitimacy.  If you do use a negative style make sure the rest of your answers are positive style answers. Positive answers are usually a better way to create more conversation.

So, in his next answer, he gives a positive answer with lots of information.  He tells us the names of two music singers and two music bands.  His next expression is a great way to introduce your favorite music genres:

…everything from blues to gospel to jazz. 

You can also just give two genres if you like:

…everything from blues to gospel.

In his final sentence he shows his passion for music.  He tells us that he has more than 5,000 songs in his iPod.  Denzel loves music!  This also ‘ties’ the answer idea into the question idea smoothly. 

The language is natural, informal, and passionate.  He starts with a negative answer but finishes with positive information filled answer.  With simple English he has created a HIGH CLASS ENGLISH STYLE OR GREAT COMMUNICATION!

He has signaled to the listener that he is open to more questions. We are moving forward into deeper/complicated English conversation topics. 

Now you try it!  Have fun at your next English Party!

Speaking Pattern

Denzel  Answer 1: Books? I don’t have time.

Denzel Answer 2: Lenny Kravitz. I have all his stuff. All of James Brown, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, everything from blues to gospel to jazz. More than 5000 songs.

Examples:

Ex. 1)

 Male singers + music bands

Answer 1: Books? I don’t read very often.

Answer 2: SEAL. I have all his stuff. All of Ricky Martin, Theory of a Deadman, Bon Jovi, everything from Latin music to alternative music to rock n roll. More than 1000 songs.

Female singers + music bands

Ex. 2)

Answer 1: Books? I don’t read so much because of my work.

Answer 2: Britney Spears. I have all her stuff. All of Lady Gaga, Linkin Park, the Dixie Chicks, everything from pop to rock to country. More than 2000 songs.

Until next week-here is some music for you to check out,

Alex :)

 

Denzel Washington’s Music Interests

 

Lenny Kravitz

James Brown

Beatles

The Rolling Stones

 

Take Care!

Alex - Celebrity English

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                                                                        Heidi Klum

Girl Talk: Describing your MAN!

 

Question: What’s your guy like?

Heidi Klum: He’s mysterious, do you know what I mean? He has these dark eyes, and they’re very intense. He is so warm, and he is so well-mannered, so like a gentleman.

Talking to your friends about your MAN (boyfriend, husband, significant other)!

Heidi talks about her ‘man’ with a lot of passion. She starts by answering the question with a rhetorical question with the alluring adjective ‘mysterious’:

"He’s mysterious, do you know what I mean?"...

No answer is necessary. She is just emphasizing her feelings in an attractive way.  Next, she uses the word ‘these’ to emphasis her man’s eyes. 

Her language sounds natural and gives the listener lots of information.  Her passion and detail signal that more questions about this topic are good for making/continuing a conversation with Heidi.

 A lot of people native and non-native English speakers make the mistake of answering this question with a one-word answer.  If you want to improve your conversation skills it is necessary to use answers full of information and passion.  This will send a signal to the other person to continue with the conversation. 

As you can see, the passion and detailed information comes from the use of adjectives.  The adjectives aren’t difficult but when put in this pattern style become High Class English/Communication!  It is easy to see that she loves this guy! Passionate, natural, clear communication achieved.

Speaking Pattern

He’s mysterious, do you know what I mean? He has these dark eyes, and they’re very intense. He is so warm, and he is so well-mannered, so like a gentleman.

 Some Examples to get you started in your social circles:

1. He’s mysterious, do you know what I mean? He has these blue eyes, and they’re very intense. He is so gentle, and he is so considerate, so like a gentleman.

2. He’s mysterious, do you know what I mean? He has these green eyes, and they’re very intense. He is so hot, and he is so kind, so like a gentleman.

3. He’s mysterious, do you know what I mean? He has these hazel eyes, and they’re very intense. He is so nice, and he is so thoughtful, so like a gentleman.

4. He’s mysterious, do you know what I mean? He has these piercing eyes, and they’re very intense. He is so strong, and he is so courteous, so like a gentleman.

 

Check Out Heidi Klum’s MAN!

Hope you are having fun! 
Hang in there and don't be shy!
Talk to you next week,

Alex - Celebrity English
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Avril Lavigne: Dating

                                                               

Question: What type of boys are you into?

Avril Lavigne:  Boys with guitars…they’re really fucking hot. I 

                          could never date a preppy guy. 

Speaking Style

In conversation, with friends, the type of person you like to date often occurs.  Guys and girls often spend hours talking about the type of person they like or don’t like.  Today, we will look at how to start talking naturally about dating.

Avril has a young, vibrant style of casual conversation.  In this case, she is asked about the type of guys she likes.  She gives a good strong answer with her ideal type and what she doesn’t like.  In some cultures, we might avoid the part about what we ‘don’t like’ but in English it comes across naturally.

Avril also uses common expressions to make her feelings vibrant or passionate.  Speaking with passion makes people want to listen to you.  Let’s change the question and answer expressions into direct English with the same meanings. 

Question: What type of boys are you 'into'?

                   = What type of boys do you 'like'? (same meaning)

Avril: Boys with guitars …they’re really 'fucking hot'.  I could     

           never date a 'preppy guy'.    

           = Avril: Boys with guitars …they’re really, 'really 

              attractive and sexy'.  

              I could never date a guy who wears 'neat, classic

              clothing with a preparatory school style'. 

              (same meaning)

  

Casual Slang Word Summary

1. 'fucking' = very

2. 'hot' = really attractive and sexy

3. 'preppy guy' = a guy who wears young but classic clothing that is neat and well put together.  The clothing is usually expensive.  This fashion style comes from clothing designed after expensive preparatory school uniforms.  Modern preppy fashion can be seen in the clothing line by ‘Tommy Hilfiger’.

Now let’s put these ideas into practice.  Below is the main speaking pattern to try out in your next English encounter with a native speaker. Also, don’t forget the slang!

Conversational Speaking Pattern

Boys with ________...they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a ________.

1. Boys with snowboards …they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a guy who doesn’t like the mountains in winter.

2. Boys with muscles …they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a skinny guy.

Girls with ________...they're really fucking hot. I could never date a ________.

3. Girls with tattoos   …they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a boring girl.

4. Girls with long hair …they're really fucking hot.  I could never date a girl with short hair.

I hope you enjoy challenging these speaking patterns in your daily life!

Take care,

Alex

                                                   

More Stuff!

Avril Lavigne's official website

LINK: http://www.avrillavigne.com/ca

Tommy Hilfiger's official website

LINK: http://usa.tommy.com/tommy/

Avril's video about how a guy can make her feel!

                                                          

Celebrity English
http://celebrityenglish-alex.blogspot.com/

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