Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

Have you ever heard someone say shoulda?

Oh yeah, I shoulda done that.

What's it mean? In this American English pronunciation video, you're going to learn about shoulda, woulda, coulda.

'Shoulda' is a reduction of 'should have'.

I made a video years ago about dropping the H in words like 'have' – we do it all the time in spoken American English. But in 'shoulda', we're going a lot further than just dropping the H. We're reducing the AA vowel to the schwa, and we're dropping the V sound. All we're left with is the schwa, uh, uh. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. Note that the L is silent in these words, and they all have the UH vowel, as in 'book', where the lips flare a little and there's some tension in the back of the tongue as it lifts a bit. Uh, should, uh, would, uh, could. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

Let's look at some sentences.

I shoulda been there.

You coulda been hurt!

I shoulda seen it coming.

I woulda been there.

We coulda tried harder.

I woulda thought so.

Sometimes I pronounce these words like this, all the way reduced, and sometimes I make a light V sound, vv, vv, vv. There's no reason why I do it one way or another, I just know that I do, and you'll probably hear it both ways.

Now, you don't want to try to write them this way, but speaking? Yes, do it. These reductions sound like natural American English.

Shoulda, woulda coulda. Shoulda, woulda, coulda: these three words together is a phrase we use sometimes to say 'oh well'.

Man, I wish I had bought Apple stock ten years ago.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

Bonus:

Let's learn the negative too:

Should-not-have. Americans will say this: shouldn-uh. Drop the word 'not' and just make an N sound. So it's going to sound like two or three syllables, depending

on how fast you transition from D to N: shouldn't-uh. Right after 'should', hold out an N: shouldnnnnn. The tongue position for D and N is almost the same. Shouldnnnnnnnnnn-uh. Then just release the tongue to make the schwa. Shouldn-uh, shouldn-uh. This is the same for couldn't have, couldna, and wouldn't have, wouldna.

Let's look at some example sentences:

Shouldn't have, shouldna.

I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry.

It shouldn't have started already.

Shouldna.

Couldn't have, couldna.

You couldn't have known.

We couldn't have made it anyway.

Couldna, couldna.

Wouldn't have, wouldna.

I wouldn't have said that.

It wouldn't have mattered.

Wouldna, wouldna.

I hope you'll now be more comfortable identifying these phrases when you hear them, and reducing them yourself in conversation.

If there's a word or phrase you'd like help pronouncing, please put it in the comments below. Don't forget to sign up for my mailing list by clicking here or in the description below to keep up with all my latest videos – it's free.

That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.

海盗弃船

Jobs, of course, didn't see it that way.

当然，乔布斯不这么认为。

\"I haven't got any sort of odd chip on my shoulder,\" he told Newsweek.

“我没有任何挑衅的意思。”他对《新闻周刊》说。

Once again he invited his favorite reporters over to his Woodside home,

乔布斯再次把自己最偏爱的记者邀请到伍德赛德的家中，

and this time he did not have Andy Cunningham there urging him to be circumspect.

这一次，他没有叫安迪·坎宁安过来劝自己保持谨慎。

He dismissed the allegation that he had improperly lured the five colleagues from Apple.

他驳斥了苹果公司的指控——不正当地从苹果公司引诱5名员工。

\"These people all called me,\" he told the gaggle of journalists who were milling around in his unfurnished living room.

“这些人都给我打过电话。”他告诉那些在他的空屋子里来回转悠的记者，

\"They were thinking of leaving the company. Apple has a way of neglecting people.\"

“他们早就考虑离开苹果公司。苹果公司总能忽视人。”

He decided to cooperate with a Newsweek cover in order to get his version of the story out, and the interview he gave was revealing.

他决定与《新闻周刊》合作一篇封面报道，说出自己的故事。他在这次采访中真情流

露。

\"What I'm best at doing is finding a group of talented people and making things with them,\" he told the magazine.

“我最擅长的就是发现一批天才，然后和他们一起创造东西。”他告诉《新闻周刊》说。

乔布斯传

He said that he would always harbor affection for Apple.

他表示，自己对苹果会永远怀有感情。

\"I'll always remember Apple like any man remembers the first woman he's fallen in love with.\"

“我会永远记得苹果，就像所有男人都会记得自己爱上的第一个女人那样。”

But he was also willing to fight with its management if need be.

但是，如果有必要，他也愿意反抗苹果公司的管理层。

\"When someone calls you a thief in public, www.edu800.cn you have to respond.\"

“如果有人公开说你是贼，那你就得作出回应。”

Apple's threat to sue him was outrageous. It was also sad.

苹果公司威胁控告乔布斯及其同事的行为太过分，也令人伤心。

It showed that Apple was no longer a confident, rebellious company.

这表明，苹果不再是一家自信、叛逆的公司。

\"It's hard to think that a $2 billion company with 4,300 employees couldn't compete with six people in blue jeans.\"

“很难想象，一个市值20亿美元、拥有4300名员工的公司，会竞争不过6个穿牛仔裤的人。”

To try to counter Jobs's spin, Sculley called Wozniak and urged him to speak out.

为了反击乔布斯，斯卡利找到沃兹尼亚克，劝他站出来说话。

\"Steve can be an insulting and hurtful guy,\" he told Time that week.

“史蒂夫是一个会侮辱人、伤害人的家伙。”他的话登上了那一周的《时代》杂志。

He revealed that Jobs had asked him to join his new firm

他透露，乔布斯曾打过电话找他，要他加入自己的新公司

it would have been a sly way to land another blow against Apple's current management

这本来是狡猾的一招，用以进一步打击苹果公司当前的管理层—

but he wanted no part of such games and had not returned Jobs's phone call.

但是沃兹尼亚克表示，自己不想成为这种游戏的一部分，他也没有回复乔布斯的电话。

To the San Francisco Chronicle, he recounted how Jobs had blocked frogdesign from working on his remote control under the pretense that it might compete with Apple products.

根据《旧金山纪事报》的报道，沃兹尼亚克讲述了乔布斯曾经以可能会与苹果产品造成竞争为幌子，阻止青蛙设计公然参与他的远程遥控器项目。

\"I look forward to a great product and I wish him success, but his integrity I cannot trust,\" Wozniak said.

“我期待他们能做出伟大的产品，我也祝愿他成功，但是我不信任他的人品。”沃兹尼亚克告诉这家报纸。

出租车站

The taxi stand

出租车站

Excuse me. Can you tell me where is the taxi stand?

请问你能告诉我出租车站在哪里吗？

You can find one at the end of the street.

在这条街的尽头有一个。

出租车站

Are there any signs there?

那里有什么标志吗？

No. But there are quite many cars.

没有，但那里有很多的车。

Thank you.

谢谢。

Natural Concerns 意料之中的担心

Erina: I have a brother so I can relate this. You know, my brother when he started to, you know, join karate team, my parents were super worried about, you know, head injuries and any kinds of injuries.

惠里奈：我有一个哥哥，所以我能联系起来。我哥哥刚加入空手道队的时候，我父母非常担心他头部会受伤，或是受其他伤。

Mike: Right.

迈克：没错。

Erina: So what did your family say about that? Were they supportive?

惠里奈：那你家人有说什么吗？他们支持你吗？

Mike: Well, when I first got into karate, they were supportive of me mostly because karate is not so much used as a, it's not a martial art used so much for fighting but I used it for a really good experience and discipline and because I started when I was twelve, it was very strict and it taught me really good discipline and it actually, surprisingly enough, it teaches you not to use violence in conflicts and so my family really liked that aspect. The fact that it taught me discipline and it taught me about, you know, how violence is not usually the way to solve problems and it doesn't work well. So of course the aspect of getting injured and doing damage to your body was always there and I think especially my mum was always pretty worried and when I showed her videos of my fights or sparring, she would

give a lot of scared reactions and commentary, ooh, ah, that looks like it hurts, are you OK? But all in all, I clearly explained to them the benefits of martial arts and how they discipline not only your body but your mind so my parents were pretty understanding with that.

迈克：我喜欢上空手道时，他们很支持我，因为空手道并不是主要用于打斗的武术，我把空手道当作是好的经历，而且空手道培养了我的自律性，因为我从12岁开始练习空手道，训练非常严格，这教会了我良好的自律性，令人吃惊的是，空手道还教育我们不要在冲突中使用暴力，我的家人很喜欢这点。实际上，空手道教会了我自律，也教会我暴力并不是解决问题的方法，暴力不太有用。当然，受伤和对身体造成损害是一直存在的问题，我想尤其对我妈妈来说，她对此非常担心，我给她看我参加拳击比赛和对练的视频时，她会显露出害怕，还会发出“啊”这种害怕的声音，她会问，那看起来很疼，你还好吗？不过总的来说，我向他们明确解释了练习武术的好处，以及武术对身体和大脑的锻炼以后，我父母已经很理解了。

Erina: Wow. I want to see your fight one day. You said that you don't box any more but I would love to watch your fight.

惠里奈：哇哦。我也想看你的拳击比赛。你说过你现在不再打拳击了，不过我想看你比赛。

Mike: Well, yeah, I spar every once in a while but maybe if you get lucky.

迈克：好，我偶尔会去训练，如果你幸运的话可以看到。

Erina: Thank you Mike.

惠里奈：谢谢你，迈克。

Mike: Yeah, no problem.

迈克：不客气。

拳击.jpg

植物的智商

台湾籍旅美老师今天交给我们的句子是：

But if you measure intelligence or thought as the ability to solve problems, interact with an environment, and even work in groups, then plants are incredibly smart.

但如果你是以能否解决问题、与环境互动、甚至是能否团队合作，来衡量智力或思考能力，那么植物算是非常聪明。

植物的智商

学习重点：

1.measure 测量

measure (v.) 测量

measurement (n.) 尺寸

2.intelligence 智能

intelligence (n.) 智能

intelligent (adj.) 智慧的

3.solve 解决

solve (v.) 解决

solution (n.) 解法

4.interact 交互作用

interact (v.) 交互作用

interaction (n.) 互动

5.environment 环境

environment (n.) 环境

environmental (adj.) 环境的

6.incredible 不可置信的

incredible (adj.) 不可置信的

机器人会替代食品行业中人的角色吗

This is one of two robots working for Zume pizza.When the pie is perfectly covered with sauce and other toppings, the robot puts it in the oven.

这是为Zume披萨店工作的两个机器人之一。将沙司和其它馅料完全覆盖到饼胚上之后，机器人会将其放入烤箱中。

\"We spend less money on repetitive labor, so things like slicing pepperoni or applying cheese.We automate those repetitive tasks, so that we www.zycaihui.com can spend more money on higher quality ingredients.\"\"我们会减少在重复性劳动上的开销，例如把意大利辣香肠切成片或者在披萨饼上放芝士。通过将那些重复性工作实现自动化，我们就可以有更多的经费来购买更高品质的配料。\"

\"Your pizza, enjoy and have a great day.\"\"Thanks.\"

\"这是您的披萨，请慢用，祝您愉快。\"\"太感谢了。\"

Customers like it.

顾客们很喜欢吃他们家的披萨。

\"It's delicious. It's always hot and fresh when it comes.I mean it's great that they're making it, but I can't tell the difference that it's made by a robot versus a human.\"

\"味道真挺不错的。他们家的披萨不管什么时候送到都是热的，而且还很新鲜。我是说他们现在这种模式非常棒，不过我还真是尝不出来机器人做的披萨跟人做的有什么区别。\"

\"Hmm. It's delicious.\"

\"嗯，真不错。\"

机器人会替代食品行业中人的角色吗

Zume's biggest innovation is yet to come, a delivery truck equipped with 56 ovens.At precisely three minutes, 15 seconds before arriving at the customer's door, the pizza is popped in to bake.

Zume家最大的革新还没登场，那是一辆装有56台烤箱的运货车。在驶达顾客家中之前不多不少正好3分15秒时，工作人员会快速将披萨放入烤箱中。

The company also shortens delivery times by using software to anticipate when and what kind of pizzas customers will order.

公司还通过使用某种软件，提前获知人们什么时候会订哪种披萨，从而缩短配送时间。

Here Bistrobot, customers can watch machine put their meal together.\"You can go buy a sandwich for a few dollars and you get to watch this really cool machine make you a sandwich.And it has all the other advantages:where it's quicker, it's cheaper, it's more consistent, and it's just this really fun experience to share with people.\"

接下来要说的是Bistrobot，顾客可以直接看到这台机器将他们餐点放到一起。\"你可以花几美元买个三明治，然后就可以看到这台超酷的机器给你制作食物的过程。它还有许多其它的优点：更快捷，更实惠，更一致，你真应该跟人们分享一下这次有趣的经历。\"

Experts say this is a growing trend in the food industry,but they insist robots still struggle with tasks that require more refined motor skills.

专家表示，这是食品工业一种日益明显的趋势，不过他们强调说，因为有一些任务需要精细的动作技能，机器人在这时就会显出劣势。

\"The research has been going on for 50 years.We're making progress, but it's still a challenge.So I want to reassure restaurant workers that the skills that they have are still going to be of value.\"

\"对于机器人在食品工业中的研究已经进行了50年之久，我们在不断取得进展，不过这依然是一项挑战。因此我希望餐厅员工们能够放心，他们手中掌握的技术未来依然是有价值的。\"

That means there's still plenty of work left for humans to do.\"We're going to

see a big change in the way that humans work again,but it's going to have the same impact.We're going to eliminate boring, repetitive, dangerous jobs and we're going to free up people to do things that are higher value.There's going to be amazing new ways of working that don't exist yet that are going to be created.\"

这意味着，需要人力去做的工作仍然有很多。\"我们即将再一次见证人类工作方式的巨大变化，这次变化所产生的影响与以往相同。我们会砍掉那些无聊、重复性高以及有危险的工作岗位，从而将人们从这类任务中解脱出来，做一些具有更高价值的工作。未来将出现很多令人惊喜的新型工作方式，这些方式在如今社会中无迹可寻，不过很快就会被开发出来。\"

So what we're seeing here is just the beginning, and one thing to expect is more and more robots in the kitchen.

因此我们现在在这里见到的东西都仅仅是开始而已，同时我们也期待，越来越多的机器人能够出现在厨房中。