Twilight

You’re beautiful.

Beautiful? This is the skin of a killer, Bella.

This is why we don’t show ourselves in sunlight. People would know we’re different. This is what I am.

It’s like diamonds. You’re beautiful.

Beautiful? This is the skin of a killer, Bella. I’m a killer.

I don’t believe that.

It’s because you believe the lie.

It’s camouflage.

I’m the world’s most dangerous predator. Everything about me invites you in, my voice, my face, even my smell.

As if would need any of that. As if you could outrun me! As if you could fight me off.

Before we start breaking down the clip, let’s take a look at how this word is pronounced and what it means

It’s indeed an interesting, and beautiful word as well.

We pronounce this word as twilight

The tricky part is this syllable. You just need to say it a few times until you can articulate it without thinking about it:

twai-lait twai-lait Now, what is twilight?

The first meaning of this word is the literal one.

The twilight is the small amount of light in the sky as the day ends.

If you say at twilight or in the twilight it refers to the time when day is just starting to become night. Both these senses are similar to at sunset.

Example: They return at twilight. They walked along the beach in the twilight.

Another meaning of this is the period just before the end of the most active part of someone’s life.

For example, if you say an actor is in the twilight of his career, he’s not acting as much or in very successful films.

I’m broke, I’m not sleeping like you know, at all

Finally, when we say twilight world or twilight zone, we might refer to a world in which surreal, supernatural, or fantastic events occur.

You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance of things and ideas.

You’ve just crossed over into the twilight zone

This is why we don’t show ourselves in sunlight.

Sunlight is natural light that comes from the sun

As it’s the case with most mythical accounts of vampires, they do not like sunlight.

You never eat or drink anything. You don’t go out in the sunlight.

Beautiful? This is the skin of a killer, Bella.

Let’s look into the aspects of fluent speech in this sentence. In fluent speech we basically do two things. We say many words as if they are one. And we reduce some sounds.

This is “ski-nuh-vuh killer”

Let’s hear it once more.

Beautiful? This is the skin of a killer, Bella.

It’s camouflage.

Camouflage refers to the design or color of some things that look like things around it.

A chameleon camouflages by changing the color of its skin. The military uses camo suites that look like their surroundings.

This is pronounced camouflage.

I’m the world’s most dangerous predator. This is a useful collocation to know. When someone is the world’s most something or the world’s best at something, it means they’re the best in the world in that discipline, ability, etc.

Honey, I’m glad you liked it. I just figured, you know, when you get older, have kids, we can add to it.

Maybe go visit the world’s largest ketchup bottle or something.

Thanks.

It’s also correct, and often easier for learners, to say, for example, Bill Gates is the richest person in the world. However, don’t make the common mistake of saying of the world.

Everything about me invites you in,

You probably know the verb to invite. There’s also an adjective, inviting, and this qualifies something that has good qualities that attract you or make you want to experience it.

Something that is inviting, you could say, invites you in.

Gwen Stefani sings this in the song Don’t Speak

Our memories, well, they can be inviting

But some are altogether mighty frightening

As we die, both you and I

With my head in my hands, I sit and cry

As if I would need any of that. As if you could outrun me! As if you could fight me off.

We use as if when we are giving a possible explanation for something or saying that something appears to be the case when it is not.

You promised me, nothing reckless.

You promised it would be as if you never existed.

We tried to rein Alice in

As if that were even possible.

We also usually say as though. Again, Gwen Stefani says this in Don’t Speak.

I really feel that I’m losin’ my best friend

I can’t believe this could be the end

It looks as though you’re lettin’ go

And if it’s real, well, I don’t want to know

As if would need any of that. As if you could outrun me! As if you could fight me off. I’m designed to kill.

I don’t care.

I wanted to kill you. I’ve never wanted a human’s blood so much in my life.

I trust you.

Don’t.

My family, we’re different from others of our kind. We only hunt animals. We’ve learned to control our thirst. But it’s you, your scent, it’s like a drug to me. You’re like my own personal brand of heroin.

Why did you hate me so much when we met?

I did. Only for making me want you so badly. I still don’t know if I can control myself.

I know you can.

As if would need any of that. As if you could outrun me! As if you could fight me off.

If you outrun someone, you run faster than them.

The same idea applies to many verbs that you could use after out, you might outwork someone (work harder/more), you might outsmart someone (be smarter), etc.

It’s Jack.

Don’t even bother.

I’ve been on the other side of that door, Jack. You’ve can’t outsmart me. I know all the tricks.

Then he says she can’t fight him off. One of the interesting things about phrasal verbs is that an adverb, off in this case, adds to the basic meaning of the verb.

The meaning of off here is to scare or make go away.

As if you could fight me off.

So, fight off means to make someone go away by fighting them.

Next is another example of fluent speech. Notice how he says wanted.

I wanted to kill you. I’ve never wanted a human’s blood so much in my life.

Oftentimes, more so in American English than in British English, people don’t pronounce the T when it’s after an N

That’s why for example, you hear people say twenty, as twenni.

No.

My dad paid me to come talk to you. Twenty bucks.

Well let’s hear it.

Just don’t get mad— okay?

We only hunt animals.

To chase animals and birds in order to kill or catch them. In the context of this movie, vampires normally hunt humans.

Are you sure, there’s nothing I can do to help?

Your presence alone, your scent will distract the newborns.

Their hunting instinct will take over, drive them crazy.

Good. I’m glad.

Thirst is the desire to drink.

Thirsty is what we say when we need to drink water or another beverage. In a metaphorical way, we say thirst to mean a desire we might have.

Scent is a different word for smell. While a small can be good or bad, a scent is a distinctive smell that is pleasant.

I did. Only for making me want you so badly.

When we want to intensify the meaning of want we use badly, or even so badly. Although it’s not grammatically correct to say, bad or so bad is also common.

This is why we don’t show ourselves in sunlight. People would know we’re different. This is what I am.

It’s like diamonds. You’re beautiful.

Beautiful? This is the skin of a killer, Bella. I’m a killer.

I don’t believe that.

It’s because you believe the lie.

It’s camouflage.

I’m the world’s most dangerous predator.

my voice, my face, even my smell.

As if would need any of that. As if you could outrun me!

I’ve never wanted a human’s blood so much in my life.

I trust you.

Don’t.

My family, we’re different from others of our kind. We only hunt animals. We’ve learned to control our thirst. But it’s you, your scent, it’s like a drug to me. You’re like my own personal brand of heroin.

Why did you hate me so much when we met?

I did. Only for making me want you so badly. I still don’t know if I can control myself.

I know you can.