Partner Site

  • Unit Seven: Sentence Focus: De-emphasizing structure words This Online Audio Course is adopted from: Clear Speech Student's Book: Pronunciation and Listening Comprehension in American English, 3rd Edition
    F: Saying common expression with contraction
    listen and repeat these common friendly greetings and expressions. Each one contains a contraction.

    1. What's new?                      5. What's up?
    2. How're you doing?             6. What'll you have? (to eat or drink)
    3. How's it going?                   7. It;s great to see you!
    4. How've you been?              8. I don't believe it!

    G: Linking in common expressions
    Some of the words in these common expressions link together. For  example, the final /z/ sound in "how's" connects with the vowel sound in "it" so that the two words wound like one word , " howzit."

    Listen and notice how some of the words in these expressions link together.

    1. How's it going?                       Howzit going?

    2. What's up?                Whatsup?
    3. I don't believe it!         I don't believit!
    Practice saying these expressions again.


    H: De- emphasizing structure words: reductions 


    Some structure words in English are de-emphasized b reducing the vowel in the structure word to schwa. Reducing structure words in this way makes the more important words easier to notice. Words that begin with a vowel sound like "a," "an," and "or," are often linked to the final sound of the word that comes before them.

    He takes a bus to work    He takesə bus tə work.

    listen to the way the vowels in many of the structure words are reduced to schwa. also notice how the structure words "a," "an," and "or," link to the word that comes before them.

    1. He takes a bus to work.                                     He takesə bus tə work 
    2. They wrote a letter to the president. 
    3. I left an umbrella in your car. 
    4. She runs or swims every day.
    Patrice saying the sentences.

    Note: you do not have to use reductions in your speech. However, practicing reductions will help you to understand them in other people's speech.

    I: De-emphasizing structure words: Reduced "and"

    The structure word "and" is de-emphasized by reducing it to /ən/. The vowel sound is reduced to schwa, and  the letter -d- is silent. The schwa sound in "and" is also linked to the final sound of the word that comes before it.


    When "and" is reduced, the word before it and the word after it are easier to notice. 


    Cream and sugar     Creamən sugar

    Listen to the way"and" is reduced and linked to the word that comes before it. 

    cream and sugar              creamən sugar
    men and women              menən women
    rock and roll                   rockən roll

    K: De emphasizing structure words: Silent letter -h-

    Pronouns like "he" and "her" that   begin with the letter -h- are reduced by making the -h- silent. The vowel sound after the silent -h- links with the word that comes before it. For example, the question "is he" usually sound like "Izzy"
    Is He?
    Listen. Notice how the beginning -h- in each pronoun  is silent. Also notice how the vowel in the pronoun links over the silent -h- to the word that comes before it. 

    1. What's her name?         Whatser name? 
    2. Call him.                       Callim
    3. I can't reach her.           I can't reacher.
    4. Matt lost his jacket.      Matt lostiz jacket.
    5. Will he be there?
    6. Has anyone seen him? 
      Note: When a pronoun beginning in -h- is the first word in a sentence , the -h- is not silent. For example, the -h- is not silent in the sentence "he's going"

    Practice saying the sentences.






    more

Welcome Visitors!

free counters

Please Support Us

American Accent Video Training

· Session 15 Reading Passages - 15a -15b

Pronunciation Lessons : Coming Soon!

1 Pronouncing /a/, /ae/, and uh Part 1
2 Pronouncing /a/, /ae/, and uh Part 2
3 Pronouncing /iy/, /i/, /uw/, /u/, and /e/ Part 1
4 Pronouncing /iy/, /i/, /uw/, /u/, and /e/ Part 2
5 Long Vowels, Short Vowels and Spelling
6 Pronouncing Glides + Vowel Review
7 The Schwa
8 The American R
9 The American L
10 The B, P, V, and F
11 The D, T and -ed
12 The S, Z and TH
13 The SH, ZH, CH and J
14 The K, G, M, N, NG
15 The H, W, and Y
16 Pronunciation Review

Accent Lessons Coming Soon!

1 Introduction to Word Intonation
2 Intonation in Words Part 1
3 Intonation in Words Part 2
4 Intonation in Words Part 3
5 Intonation in Words Part 4
6 Unusual Word Stress Patterns
7 Linking Words Together
8 Compound Nouns and Descriptive Phrases
9 Phrasal Verbs, Spelling, and Numbers
10 Content Words and Structure Words
11 Pronouncing Structure Words Part 1
12 Pronouncing Structure Words Part 2
13 Rhythm and Timing
14 Speeding up Modals
15 More on Modals
16 Asking Questions
17 Tag Questions
18 Emphatic and Contrastive Stress
19 Sequencing and Conversational Tone
20 Compound and Complex Sentences

THE AMERICAN ACCENT AUDIO COURSE Coming Soon!

If you already feel confident about your pronunciation but would like to know more about ACCENT (intonation, rhythm, timing, and mood) then our 16 hour AUDIO course is for you.

Unit One Introduction to the American Accent
1 What is Accent?
2 An Overview of the American Accent

Unit Two Breaking English into Pieces
3 Meet the Schwa
4 The American T

Unit Three Word Intonation Patterns
5 Intonation Patterns of 1 & 2 Syllable Words
6 Intonation Patterns of 3 & 4 Syllable Words
Unit Four Unusual Word Intonation
7 Words that Shift Stress
8 Missing Syllables

Unit Five Descriptive Phrases and Compound Nouns
9 Compound Nouns vs. Descriptive Phrases
10 Phrasal Verbs and More

Unit Six Linking Words Together
11 Linking Words

Unit Seven Content and Structure Words
12 Content Words
13 Structure Words

Unit Eight Rhythm and Timing
14 Rhythm and Timing
15 Reducing Modals
16 Phrasing

Unit Nine Sentence Stress
17 Normal Sentence Stress
18 Emphatic and Contrastive Stress

Unit Ten Asking Questions
19 Asking Questions
20 Tag Questions

Unit Eleven Compound and Complex Sentences
21 Sequencing
22 Complex Sentences

Unit Twelve Clear Speech
23 Emotion and Mood
24 Putting it All Together