The ZH sound hiding in ordinary words

1. 1
   television/ˈteləˌvɪʒən/

   noun

   A device with a screen that picks up broadcast programs and shows them.
2. 2
   decision/dɪˈsɪʒən/

   noun

   The act of making up your mind about something.
3. 3
   genre/ˈʒɑːnrə/

   noun

   A type of book, film or music with its own recognizable style.
4. 4
   version/ˈvɜːrʒən/

   noun

   One form of something that is slightly different from others of the same kind.
5. 5
   usual/ˈjuːʒəwəl/iAlso said ˈjuːʒuːəl.

   adjective

   Happening most of the time, the way things normally go.
6. 6
   casual/ˈkæʒəwəl/iAlso said ˈkæʒwəl.

   adjective

   Fine for everyday use, not formal or dressy.
7. 7
   pleasure/ˈpleʒər/

   noun

   An activity you do because you enjoy it.
8. 8
   leisure/ˈleʒər/iAlso said ˈliːʒər.

   noun

   Free time when you have nothing you have to do.
9. 9
   treasure/ˈtreʒər/

   verb

   To care about something deeply and want to keep it.
10. 10
    montage/mɑːnˈtɑːʒ/

    noun

    A picture made by sticking together bits of photos or paper.

The sentences

1. Can we put something on the television tonight?

2. Someone else can make the decision this time.

3. What genre are you in the mood for?

4. Is this the new version or the old one?

5. Let's just watch the usual show again.

6. I want something casual, nothing too heavy tonight.

7. Watching bad movies is a guilty pleasure of mine.

8. I want to spend my leisure time watching something dumb.

9. I treasure these quiet nights on the couch.

10. The photo montage at the end got me.

Pronunciation

• television/ˈteləˌvɪʒən/

  Four syllables with the main stress up front: TEL-uh-vizh-un.

• genre/ˈʒɑːnrə/

  Starts with the buzzing sound in the middle of "measure", with no d in front of it.

• usual/ˈjuːʒəwəl/

  Starts like 'you', and the s sounds like the middle of 'measure'.

• casual/ˈkæʒəwəl/

  The s in the middle is the zh sound: KAZH-oo-ul.

• leisure/ˈleʒər/

  The first syllable rhymes with 'pleh', not 'lee'.

• montage/mɑːnˈtɑːʒ/

  Stress the second syllable and end it with zh, not the 'j' of 'bridge'.

Questions

What do I say if nobody can decide what to watch?

You could say 'Someone else can make the decision this time' or ask 'What genre are you in the mood for?'

What does leisure mean?

It's free time when you have nothing you have to do.

How do you say casual?

It's pronounced KAZH-oo-ul, with the s in the middle sounding like the zh in 'measure'.