The Modern Standard British English Accent

Learn the British Accent- FAST!

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All contents copyright © 2009 by ABC ACCENTS™ Inc. and Michael E. Andrews.
Written by Michael E. Andrews.
 Table of Contents

Overview and Objectives .......................................................................... 4

I. Pronunciations: The Weak and Strong Forms ..................................... 5

1.1 When in London… (Speak Like the Brits) ..................................................... 5
1.2 Introducing the “Schwa” ........................................................................................... 6
1.3 Using the Weak vs the Strong Forms ............................................................. 6

II. Back to Basics: Vowel Sounds ............................................................. 8

2.1 Monophthongs ................................................................................................................ 8
2.2 Diphthongs ......................................................................................................................... 9
2.3 Triphthongs ......................................................................................................................10

III. Back to Basics: Voicing Consonants ................................................ 11

3.1 Voiced and Voiceless Consonants ................................................................... 11
3.2 Applications in Past Forms ending in /-ed/............................................. 12
3.3 Applications in Plural Forms ending in /-s/ and /-es/..................... 13
3.4 Applications in Third-Person Verbs ending in /s/ ..............................14
3.5 Applications in Possessive /s/ ............................................................................ 15

IV. Rhoticity: Everything to Do with /r/ ................................................ 16

4.1 The Silent /r/ ................................................................................................................... 16
4.2 The Linking /r/ ............................................................................................................... 16
4.3 The Intrusive /r/ ........................................................................................................... 17

V. Connecting and Linking ..................................................................... 18

5.1 Connected Speech ...................................................................................................... 18
5.2 Intrusive /w/ and /y/ ................................................................................................. 19

VI. Special Pronunciations ...................................................................... 20

6.1 Replacing Letters with the Schwa Sound ................................................... 20
6.2 Sneaky Oohhs and Aahhs ......................................................................................22
6.3 Inserted /y/ ......................................................................................................................22

VII. Silent Letters and Omissions........................................................... 23

7.1 Reducing Syllables ...................................................................................................... 23
7.2 The /h/-Dropping ........................................................................................................ 24
7.3 The Silent Letters ......................................................................................................... 25

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VIII. Suffixes ............................................................................................. 27
8.1 Words Ending in the Suffix /-ford/ ................................................................27
8.2 Words Ending in the Suffix /–wards/ ............................................................27
8.3 Words Ending in the Suffix /–bury/ and /–berry/ ...............................27
8.4 Words Ending in the Suffix /–land/................................................................28
8.5 Words Ending in the Suffix /–body/ ..............................................................28

IX. Light and Dark /l/ .............................................................................. 29

9.1 The Light/l/ ......................................................................................................................29
9.2 The Dark /l/ ......................................................................................................................29

X. Final Letters ......................................................................................... 30

10.1 Final /y/ ............................................................................................................................30
10.2 Final /g/ and the Suffix /-ing/ ........................................................................ 30
10.3 Final /k/ ............................................................................................................................31
10.4 Final /n/ ...........................................................................................................................31
10.5 Final /m/ ..........................................................................................................................31

XI. Syllabic Consonants .......................................................................... 32

XII. Contractions ...................................................................................... 33

XIII. Intonation ......................................................................................... 35

XIV. Estuary Accent ................................................................................. 36

14.1 The /l/-Dropping ....................................................................................................... 36
14.2 Glottalisation or /t/-Dropping ........................................................................ 37

XV. Weak and Strong Forms: Redux ...................................................... 38

XVI. Additional Tips ................................................................................ 41

XVII. Putting Theory into Practice ......................................................... 42

“Arthur the Rat” ..................................................................................................................... 43

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1.2 Introducing the “Schwa”

Structural and auxiliary words (these are prepositions, conjunctions, and the
articles such as ‘and,’ ‘as,’ ‘from,’ ‘to,’ and ‘that’) all have one thing in common: In
rapid and connected speech, they feature a certain sound—the schwa.

The phonetic symbol of the schwa is /ә/. The pronunciation of this letter is very
close to the short /i/ sound in words such as ‘tip,’ ‘hit,’ or ‘lip’ and the /i/‐like sound
in words such as ‘devour,’ ‘information,’ and ‘endeavour.’

The schwa is the most common sound in English—especially British English.

Because when we speak at a normal or fast pace (rapid speech) and not deliberately
slow it down for emphasis—words like ‘and,’ ‘from,’ ‘to,’ and ‘that’ turn into ‘ind,’
‘frim,’ ‘ti,’ ‘thit’ (phonetic transcriptions: әn(d), frәm, tә, ðәt).

Take note of the use of the schwa sound in rapid speech:

Example (in slow speech):

Last night I was trying to think of a few things I could do today.

Example (in rapid speech):

Last night i wiz trying ti think iv i few things I kid do today.

Which one sounds more natural?

The second one—and that is because the weak forms are used.

1.3 Using the Weak vs the Strong Forms

Note that structural and auxiliary words have a weak and a strong form. Weak
forms are normally only used when embedded in sentences in rapid, connected
speech. When you speak slowly and want to emphasize a structural or auxiliary
word, then you can use the strong, full pronunciation. If you are speaking faster,
however, use the weak form.

Notice the difference in the pronunciation of ‘could’ in slow and rapid speech.

[Slow/Strong] You know what… I think I could possibly do that…

[Fast/Weak] …Yes, I think I kid do that.

[kәd]

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Words like ‘have’ and ‘has’ should be pronounced in their weak form if they are
auxiliary words. When these words are used as verbs, however, you must use the
strong form.

Notice the difference in the pronunciation of ‘has’:

[Weak] It hiz taken him a long time (the verb is taken; has is auxiliary)
[həәz]

[Strong] He has it (has in this context is the actual verb)

Likewise, the demonstrative ‘that’ is always given full value, meaning the strong
form should be used.

Compare:

[Strong] I like that car.

[Weak] I like the fact thit it has a sunroof.

[ðəәt]

So how do we know which words have a weak and a strong form?

Please refer to the list of weak and strong forms of the MSBE accent towards the end
of this booklet (see section XV, Weak and Strong Forms: Redux).

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 II. Back to Basics: Vowel Sounds

Vowel sound is an extremely important aspect that should be studied in detail

and with due attention. There are three types of vowel sounds: the monophthong,
the diphthong, and the triphthong. For the correct pronunciation of these vowel
sounds, please refer to the Audio Recording.

2.1 Monophthongs

Monophthongs are simple single vowel sounds.

Short single vowel sounds

[i/ɪ] pit hit bit

[e/ ] pet red net

[@/ ]* pat cat hat

[o/ ] pot dot not

[a/ ] luck stuck plug

[u/ ] good foot hood

[i/ ] ago enhance away

Long single vowel sounds

[ih/ ] meat seat wheat

[ah/a:] car far star

[oh/ ] door more before

[u(r)/ ] girl whirl murmur

[uh/u:] too blue crew

*The symbol @ is pronounced like the /a/ in ‘at’.

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2.2 Diphthongs

Double vowel sounds, known as diphthongs, is a concept that is rarely heard in most
other languages. To make a diphthong, you make a small glide in the tongue to form
two interconnected sounds.

Double vowel sounds

[ei/ ] day hay way

[ai/ ] sky tie sigh

[oi/ ] boy annoy void

[ia/ ] beer near hear

[ea/ ] bear care hair

[ua/ ] tour fewer newer

[au/ ] cow now brow

[ua/ ] one wonder

[ihyi/ ] albeit

[i:y@/ ] meander piano

[ou/əәʊ]* bone home phone

* The most distinctive dipththong vowel sound in the Standard British accent is the
/ou/ sound, pronounced o-­‐u/ əәʊ.

Example:

The phone Joe owns at home mostly rings when he’s alone.

phoune Jou ouwns houme moustly aloune.

[fəәʊn] [dʒəәʊ] [əәʊnz] [həәʊm] [məәʊstli] [əәləәʊn]

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 III. Back to Basics: Voicing Consonants

There are two types of consonants in English: voiced and voiceless (or unvoiced
consonants). Examine the difference and feel the vibration of your vocal cords as
you make the following sounds:

pup (voiceless) vs pub (voiced)

life (voiceless) vs live concert (voiced)

3.1 Voiced and Voiceless Consonants

Here is a list of English voiced consonants and consonant sounds:

/b/ bit /d/ door /g/ get /m/ man /n/ nice

/ng/ king /v/ van /th/ then /z/ zip /zh/ leisure

/r/ rat /l/ leg /j/ jump

The semi-­‐vowels /w/ and /y/ also belong to the group of voiced consonants:

/w/ wet /y/ yet

Here are the voiceless consonants and consonant sounds.

The voice remains passive. The vocal cords do not vibrate.

/p/ pope /t*/ time /k/ cow /f/ fan /th/ think

/s**/ sad /sh/ shop /h/ hat /ch/ chop

*Except when followed by /–ed/

**Please see special section in plural voiced /s/ (section 3.3).

Note the two variations of the /th/ sound:

Voiced /th/ that those them

Voiceless /th/ thought threatened thoroughly

Theodore and Thelma thought that those thugs threatened them thoroughly.

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TIPS
There is a small difference in vowel length between voiced and voiceless sounds.

Voiceless = short Voiced = slightly longer

mat mad

dock dog

kilt killed

The ‘Voiced to Voiceless’ Rule

Also note that when a word ends with a voiced consonant, and the next word
begins with the voiceless equivalent, the voiced consonant at the end of the first
word becomes voiceless, too.

Example: the word ‘please.’

Please be seated. “Please” here is pronounced “Pleeze”

[Voiced /s/ = /z/ sound; normal pronunciation]

Please sit. “Please (sit)” here is pronounced “Pleessit”

[Voiceless /s/, as the normally voiced /s/ in

“Please” is directly followed by the unvoiced
/s/ sound in “sit”]

3.2 Applications in Past Forms ending in /-­‐ed/

Voiced /-­‐ed/
For regular English past verb forms and adjectives ending in /-­‐ed/: when preceded
by voiced consonants, the /d/ in /–ed/ is voiced. Examples:

/v/ lived

/m/ jammed

/d/ breaded

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If a vowel or vowel sound precedes /­ed/, the /d/ is voiced because vowels are
always naturally voiced. Example:

[ay/eigh] stayed weighed*

*(Note that the /gh/ is silent, therefore the /–ed/ is preceded by a vowel sound).

Voiceless /­ed/
Likewise, when preceded by a voiceless consonant, the /d/ in /­ed/ is voiceless:
the final /d/ sounds like /t/. Examples:

/p/ hoped (hope’t)

/k/ kicked (kicke’t)

/sh/ blushed (blush’t)

Exception: Although /t/ is a voiceless consonant, if /–ed/ is preceded by a /t/, it is

voiced. Examples:

greeted seated started

3.3 Applications in Plural Forms ending in /­s/ and /­es/

Voiced /s/
As with past forms ending in /­ed/, the pattern of voiced and voiceless endings can
also be found in plural forms. If there is a voiced consonant preceding the /s/ at
the end of a plural noun, then the /s/ will be voiced (pronounced /z/). Examples:

/n/ machines (machinz)

/g/ bags (bagz)

If the plural noun features a vowel sound, the /s/ is also voiced and becomes a /z/.
Example:

[ea/ ] chairs (chairz)

To make the voiced /s/ sound, you have to feel the vibrations in your throat
and between the blade of the tongue and the gum ridge. For sound examples, please
refer to the Audio Recording.

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Voiceless /s/
If the final /s/ is preceded by a voiceless consonant, the /s/ will also be voiceless
(pronounced /s/). Examples:

/k/ parks

/t/ bats

/p/ pipes

Voiced /­es/
The final /­es/ in the plural form of nouns ending in one of the following sounds
(called sibilant sounds) can be pronounced as /iz/ (more careful pronunciation) or
/schwa (ә) + /z/ (әz)/ (more casual pronunciation), i.e., buses = busiz / busәz.

/z/ /s/ /sh/ /zh/ /ts*/ /dg/ /tch/

*This is rare.

Examples:
[s] buses [z] quizzes [sh] crashes

[zh] garages [tch] watches [dg] bridges

Please note that there are also plurals with irregular pronunciations:

house » houses (houziz)

3.4 Applications in Third­Person Verbs ending in /s/

Exactly the same rules apply to the final /s/ of third‐person verb forms; the
pronunciation of the final /s/ depends on the sound that comes before it.
If a voiced consonant precedes the /s/, it is pronounced as voiced /z/.
If a voiceless consonant precedes the /s/, it is pronounced as voiceless /s/.
Examples:

He runs (runz)

He watches (watchiz/ He watchәz)

He spits (spits)

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3.5 Applications in Possessive /s/

Again, the pronunciation of the possessive /s/ depends on the sound that comes
before it.

Voiced possessive /s/

When the final /s/ is preceded by a voiced consonant, the final /s/ is voiced.
Examples:

This is Paul’s (Paul’z)

John’s (John’z)

At the Doctor’s (Doctiz) (the /r/ is silent)

James’ (Jamziz)

Voiceless possessive /s/

When the final /s/ is preceded by a voiceless consonant, the final /s/ is unvoiced.
Examples:

Pat’s (Pat’s)

Jack’s (Jack’s)

The president’s mansion (The president’s mansion)

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 IV. Rhoticity: Everything to Do with /r/

4.1 The Silent /r/

In standard Southern British English, /r/ is not normally pronounced before a

consonant or at the end of a word. Examples:

Fi(r)st ca(r) hai(r) borde(r) mo(r)e fou(r)

/r/ is not pronounced when it occurs in the following combinations:

/er/ her refer nerd

/ir/ thirst first bird

/ur/ burn turn churn

/or/ ford north form

/ear/ learn earn yearn

/ar/ barn yarn farm

4.2 The Linking /r/

When a word ends with /r/ and the following word begins with an open sound (or a
vowel sound), irrespective of the actual letter—the sound is what is important—/r/
is pronounced. (Note for actors: This is also correct in RP.)

To make the linking /r/ sound, add a small ‘R’ sound, but not too heavy.

Examples:

ever after (eveRafter)

mother and father (motheRand father)

her eyes (heReyes)

But also:

The doctor examined her x‐ray (…heR[e]x‐ray)

(Note the pronunciation of ‘x’ starts with the /e/ vowel sound.)

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 They wrote a letter to their MP (…theiR[e]MP)

(Note the pronunciation of ‘MP’ starts with the /e/ vowel sound.)

This is my car. The car is blue (…caRis blue)

One hour. After hours (afteR[h]ours) (the ‘h’ is silent)

4.3 The Intrusive /r/

So if a word ends in /a/ (pronounced as /a/ or / /, the schwa sound) or in /aw/ (the
/oh/ / sound) and the following word starts with any vowel or vowel sound, then an
/r/ is added by the speaker, even though there is no /r/ in the spelling. (Note for
actors: This is not done in RP.) Examples:

India and Pakistan (IndiaRand Pakistan)

Vodka and tonic (vodkaRand tonic)

Law and order (lawRand order)

You will find this phenomenon most often with the word ‘and’ if preceded by a
word ending in one of the above-­‐mentioned sounds. Other examples:

Has Leah ever been here? (leahRever been)

I like the idea of visiting Japan (ideaRof)

Please note, it is not absolutely necessary to add the intrusive /r/, but it is very
common and is an authentic key sound of the Modern Standard British English
accent.

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 V. Connecting and Linking

When British people speak, they connect words together, not only by using the
linking /r/.

Examples:

We always end up over at Adam’s pub.

(Wih-­‐yohwei-­‐zen-­‐du-­‐pouvi-­‐ri-­‐tadimz pub)

How old are you?

(Hau-­‐(w)ouldi-­‐yoo)

5.1 Connected Speech

When a word ends in a consonant and the next starts with a vowel sound, we link.

Example:

The window’s wide open.

(Thi-­‐windouz-­‐waidoupin)

TIPS
As a trick, and to practise this, just imagine that the last letter of the preceding word
becomes the first letter of the next word—if that word starts with a vowel.

wide open (wi-­‐dopen)

end up (en-­‐dup)

always end up (alway-­‐zen-­‐dup)

Do not leave big spaces between words—this will greatly improve speech flow.

It is very important to note that connected speech alters the sound of the last letter
of the word if it is voiced, and the next word starts with a voiceless sound.

Examples:

club We went to the club to meet some friends.

[clup]

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The /b/ in ‘club’ is a voiced consonant, but followed by /t/ in ‘to’ (a voiceless
consonant), it will turn into a voiceless /p/ sound.

played He played tennis yesterday.

[playt]

Likewise, the /d/ in ‘played’ is a voiced consonant, but followed by /t/ in ‘tennis,’ it
will turn into a voiceless /t/ sound.

5.2 Intrusive /w/ and /y/

You already know about the intrusive /r/ that we add when a word ends in /a/
(the schwa sound) or in /aw/ (the /oh/ /sound), and the next word starts with a
vowel sound (see section 4.3, The Intrusive /r/). We do something similar with words
ending in other vowel sounds than those just mentioned. We also add a /w/ or /y/
sound in between two words when one ends with a vowel or vowel sound and the
next word starts with a vowel or vowel sound.

We add a /w/ sound if the lips are rounded after the first word. Examples:

Go out (GoWout)

Who is this (WhoWis this)

Go away (GoWaway)

If the lips are wide at the end of the first word, we insert a /y/ sound. Examples:

I asked (IYasked)

I am (IYam)

Very unlikely (VeryYunlikely)

TIP
Even when not directly linking words, use ‘gap avoidance’ to avoid unnecessary
gaps and pauses. Do not leave big spaces between words. This will help speech flow.

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 VI. Special Pronunciations

As already mentioned at the beginning of this course, there are many words that are
spelt differently to how they are pronounced. In many cases the schwa sound
replaces one or a cluster of several letters in those words.

6.1 Replacing Letters with the Schwa Sound

Here is a list of words that feature the schwa sound instead of the pronunciation
these highlighted letters would normally have. The highlighted letters can be
pronounced as /i/ (more careful pronunciation) or schwa (ә) (more casual
pronunciation).

problem

limitless hopeless

mention information

damage image

wanted needed

educated frustrated

woken golden

instant constant

natural functional

different benevolent

theatre* centre*

signature expenditure

Plurals:
sentences pretences defenses

*(Note the difference between British and American spelling.)

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TIP
If you wish to sound more RP or rather educated, a more careful pronunciation of
the endings of all the words above uses an /i/ instead of the schwa. Examples:

problem (problim)

limitless (limitlis)

wanted (wantid)

Also note the pronunciation of the past forms of verbs ending in /–ered/
(pronounced as /id/ or /əәd/):

wondered (wuandid/ )

answered (ahnsid/ )

Words ending in /–ter/ (both the/a/ and schwa pronunciations are possible):

Walter daughter water

(Wohlta/Wolti)
( / )

Words ending in /–ars/ or /–ers/ (both the /iz/ or schwa + /z/ pronunciations are
possible):

collars dollars hunters

(koliz/ )

All the words above feature the schwa. Please note, however, that it is also often
used at the beginning and middle positions of words, not only in the final syllable.
Examples:

imagine beloved eradicate intricate

(Note to actors: You may, again, use an /i/ sound instead of the schwa.)

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6.2 Sneaky Oohhs and Aahhs

/a/ instead of /o/

The following list contains words that are all spelt with an /o/ but an /a/( ) is
sounded:

brother colour come comfort comfortable

company cover glove government front

honey London money month mother

some nothing one onion other

son stomach ton

wonder worry

/u/ instead of /a/

The following words have the /u/ unusually pronounced as /u/ (as in 'cook') and
not an /a/sound (as in 'sun'):

butcher cushion pull push put

6.3 Inserted /y/

Some words feature an inserted /y/ sound, which does not exist in the spelling.
Examples:

new (nYew) tune (tYune) stew (stYew)

There are many more words that are spelt differently from how they are
pronounced. Please consult a dictionary for further study.

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 VII. Silent Letters and Omissions

The principle of omission (or silent letters) is extremely common in the English
language (especially in British English) and is something non‐native speakers
should pay attention to.

Let’s take a look at the following example:

suppose perhaps police

I suppose perhaps we should call the police.

[spose] [praps] [plice]

7.1 Reducing Syllables

It is very common to reduce the number of syllables in multi‐syllabled words.

One syllable instead of two:

p(o)‐lice (plice)

p(e)r‐haps (praps)

s(u)p‐pose (spose)

Two syllables instead of three:

as‐p(i)‐rin (as‐prin)

bus‐(i)‐ness (biz‐ness)

cho‐c(o)‐late (choc‐late)

cor‐p(o)‐rate (cor‐prate)

di‐ff(e)‐rent (diff‐rent)

e‐v(e)‐ning (ev‐ning)

e‐v(e)‐ry (ev‐ry)

ma‐rr(i)‐age (ma‐rrage)

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 me‐d(i)‐cine (med‐cine)

o‐m(e)‐lette (om‐lette)

o‐p(e)‐ra (o‐pra)

res‐t(au)‐rant (res‐trant)

se‐v(e)‐ral (sev‐ral)

Three syllables instead of four:

ac‐tu‐(a)‐lly (ac‐tu‐lly)

com‐f(or)‐ta‐ble (comf‐ta‐ble)

in‐t(e)‐res‐ting (in‐tres‐ting)

se‐cre‐t(a)‐ry (sec‐ret‐ry)

tem‐p(e)‐ra‐ture (tem‐pre‐ture)

tem‐p(e)‐ra‐ment (tem‐pra‐ment)

u‐s(u)‐a‐lly (u‐su‐lly)

ve‐g(e)‐ta‐ble (veg‐ta‐ble)

7.2 /h/­Dropping

Another important aspect of the MSBE accent is called /h/­dropping, which is the
omission of /h/ (making it a silent /h/).

There are words that officially feature the silent /h/; if you check a dictionary, you
will see the /h/ is not supposed to be pronounced (e.g., ‘honest,’ ‘hour,’ etc). There
are also words where the /h/ should be pronounced; however in rapid, connected
speech, it is commonly not. Three of these words are:

his He threw the bottle over (h)is wall. (…oveRis wall)

her She turned (h)er head. (…turneDer head)

him Ask (h)im. (AsKim)

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When the last letter of the word preceding ‘his,’ ‘her’ or ‘him,’ is a consonant, we
often drop the /h/ sound. It is not absolutely necessary, but it is extremely common
in the MSBE accent. (Note to actors: This should not be done in RP.)

/h/-­‐dropping is also found in the weak forms of function words, especially ‘he’.

Example:

But he knows it

The ‘but he’ could be pronounced by giving the ‘t’ a “plosive” sound or a rounder
“/d/-­‐like” sound.

Butty/Buddy knows it

/h/-­‐dropping also applies to auxiliary words ‘had’ and ‘have’. Examples:

The rain (h)ad corroded the metal.

Paul (h)ad already asked this question three times before.

should (h)ave would (h)ave could (h)ave

7.3 The Silent Letters

Here are more examples of silent letters:

(b) clim(b) com(b) dum(b) bom(b)

(c) mus(c)le

(d) han(d)kerchief san(d)wich we(d)nesday

(g) champa(g)ne forei(g)n si(g)n

(gh) bou(gh)t cau(gh)t ou(gh)t thou(gh)t dau(gh)ter

hei(gh)t hi(gh) kni(gh)t li(gh)t mi(gh)t
nei(gh)bour ni(gh)t ri(gh)t strai(gh)t throu(gh)
ti(gh)t wei(gh)

(h) w(h)at w(h)en w(h)ere w(h)ich w(h)ip

w(h)y (h)onest (h)onour (h)our

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 (k) (k)nee (k)nife (k)nob (k)nock (k)now

(l) ca(l)m cou(l)d ha(l)f sa(l)mon shou(l)d

ta(l)k wa(l)k wou(l)d

(n) autum(n) hym(n) solem(n)

(p) (p)neumatic (p)sychiatrist (p)sychology (p)sychopath

cu(p)board (kubbid/ )

(r) i(r)on

(s) i(s)land ai(s)le

(t) cas(t)le Chris(t)mas fas(t)en has(t)en lis(t)en

of(t)en* whis(t)le

(u) g(u)ess g(u)ide g(u)itar disg(u)ise

(w) (w)rap (w)rite (w)rong (w)rath (w)ring

(w)ho (w)hose (w)hole

*Can also be pronounced with the /t/.

For more examples, please consult a comprehensive dictionary.

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 VIII. Suffixes

Please refer to the Audio Recording for the following pronunciations.

8.1 Words Ending in the Suffix /-­‐ford/

/-­‐ford/, as a suffix in names and town names, is pronounced /-­‐fid/.

Examples:

Bedford (Bedfid) Watford (Watfid) Mr. Redford* (Mr. Redfid)

*but “Mr Henry Ford” (‘Ford’ here would NOT be pronounced /-­‐fid/ but be given full
value, as it is not used as a suffix)

8.2 Words Ending in the Suffix /–wards/

/-­‐wards/ as a suffix in the following words is pronounced /-­‐wids/(-­‐wəәdz).

Examples:

forwards (forwids) backwards (backwids) upwards (upwids)

downwards (downwids) afterwards (afterwids)

Exception: the word ‘towards’ (the /o/ is often omitted, but /–wards/ is given full
value): ‘t’wards.’

8.3 Words Ending in the Suffix /–bury/ and /–berry/

The suffixes /–bury/ (often found in town names) and /–berry/ (as in the fruit) are
both pronounced as /–bri/.
Examples:

Newbury (Newbri) Hanbury (Hanbri) Highbury (Highbri)

strawberry (strawbri) blueberry (bluebri) raspberry (raspbri)

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 27

8.4 Words Ending in the Suffix /–land/

The suffix /–land/ (mostly found in country names) is pronounced /­lind/.

Examples:

England (Englind) Poland (Polind) Finland (Finlind)

8.5 Words Ending in the Suffix /–body/

The suffix /–body/ is pronounced /­biddy/.

Examples:

everybody (everybiddy) nobody (nobiddy)

anybody (anybiddy) somebody (somebiddy)

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 28

 IX. Light and Dark /l/

Standard British English makes a difference between a so‐called light and a dark
/l/.

9.1 The Light/l/

To make a light /l/, briefly touch the tip of the tongue up against the roof of the
mouth (just behind the upper front teeth). The light /l/ is quick and is used when
preceding an open vowel sound.
Examples:

lip light loss luck

9.2 The Dark /l/

The dark /l/ is formed in the same place in the mouth. However, because this sound
is heavier and rounder, press the tongue up against the roof of the mouth but for
slightly longer than you would for the light /l/. The dark /l/ is slightly longer and is
used when the/l/ is not followed by a vowel (i.e., before a consonant or in final
position of the word).
Examples:

milk pill people ball

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 29

 X. Final Letters

10.1 Final /y/

Words that end in /y/ are pronounced with a mixture of a long /i:/ (as in ‘flee’) and
a very short /i/ (as in ‘hit’) if they are immediately followed by another word
(regardless if the word begins with a vowel or consonant). In isolation, words
ending in /y/ are given the full value /i:/ (as in ‘city’ = pronounced ‘ci‐tee’).
Compare:

city (ci‐tee/ ) vs the city’s very nice (the ci‐ti’s/ ’ )

twenty vs twenty thousand

yours faithfully vs faithfully yours

it’s rainy vs rainy and cold

10.2 Final /g/ and the Suffix /­ing/

When a word ends in /g/ and that word is followed by a pause, the /g/ sound needs
to be lingered on very briefly and followed up with a bouncing of the back of the
tongue off the roof of the mouth. The /g/ should be voiced (see section 3.3, Voiced
and Voiceless Consonants), and subtle yet audible. The /g/ sound is made at the back
of the mouth. A clear distinction needs to be made between the sound of a /k/ and
the /g/. Compare:

rig vs Rick

tug vs tuck

log vs lock

When making the /g/ sound, it must be ensured that the voice does not linger after
the tongue has “bounced off” the roof of the mouth. This is particularly important
when pronouncing words ending in the suffix /­ing/.* Examples:

driving running fighting

*Please refer to the final /g/ + /­ing/ section of the Audio Recording.

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 30

10.3 Final /k/

The /k/ sound is made at the back of the mouth in the same location where the /g/
sound is formed. If a /k/ is in the final position of a word, it is important to give it a
slightly “plosive” but voiceless sound (i.e., it must be subtle but audible). Compare:

duck vs dug

muck vs mug

block vs blog

10.4 Final /n/

When a word ends in /n/, British people tend to pronounce it differently to

speakers of other languages (even native English speakers from other English
speaking countries). The tip of the tongue should very briefly touch the roof of the
mouth just behind the upper front teeth, and then bounce off. It is important to rest
the tip of the tongue in that position only very briefly. Examples:

man fan sun

The /n/ sound needs to be kept short and sharp, and prolonged “lingering” should
be avoided. The voice should stop as soon as the /n/ sound has been made.

10.5 Final /m/

The /m/ sound is treated similarly. To make an /m/ sound, the lips touch very
briefly and bounce apart. Examples:

mum roam plum

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 31

 XI. Syllabic Consonants

When the last syllable of the word features the letter /t/ or /d/, and the following
consonant after either of these letters is an /n/ or /l/, there are two ways of
pronouncing that word. Examples:

/t/ followed by /n/

cotton (cot‐ten) or (cottn)

/d/followed by /n/

student (stu‐dent) or (studnt)

/t/ followed by /l/

beetle (bee‐tle) or (beetl)

/d/ followed by /l/

noodle (noo‐dle) or (noodl)

Both pronunciations are correct, but it is probably more common to hear the second
(i.e., ‘cottn’, ‘studnt’, ‘beetl’, ‘noodl’). Other examples of the syllabic consonants:

/t/ followed by /n/

threaten smitten bitten

/d/ followed by /n/

didn’t wooden garden

/t/ followed by /l/

shuttle metal battle

/d/ followed by /l/

idle meddle needle

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 32

 XII. Contractions

(Note: Native English speakers may skip this section.)

In order to improve speech flow, it is important to mention that contractions

should be used whenever possible, particularly in informal speech.
Examples:

How is your dad » How’s your dad

We have got it » We’ve got it

You will not have to do it » You won’t have to do it

Note the difference in speech flow and connected speech in the following
example:

We would not have had to run, if you had not been late.

We wouldn't have had to run, if you hadn't been late.

Below is a complete list of contractions:

I am I'm
I have I've
I will I'll
I had/would I'd

You are You’re

You have You’ve
You will You’ll
You had/would You’d

He is/has He's
He will He'll
He had/would He'd

She is/has She’s

She will She’ll
She had/would She’d

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 33

 It is/has It's
It had/would It'd

We are We’re
We have We’ve
We will We’ll
We had/would We’d

They are They're

They have They've
They will They'll
They had/would They'd

There is/has There’s

There will There’ll
There had/would There’d

Are not Aren't

Cannot Can't
Could not Couldn't
Dare not Daren't
Did not Didn't
Does not Doesn't
Do not Don't
Had not Hadn't
Has not Hasn't
Have not Haven't
Is not Isn't
Might not Mightn't
Must not Mustn't
Need not Needn't
Ought not Oughtn't
Shall not Shan't
Should not Shouldn't
Was not Wasn't
Were not Weren't
Will not Won't
Would not Wouldn't

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 34

 XIII. Intonation

Many foreign languages feature intonation patterns that are rich in pitching and
have rather melodic sound patterns. These characteristics should be avoided in the
MSBE accent. The intonation of the MSBE accent is generally more monotonous and
flat. Only words that are emphasized and important to the meaning of the sentence
should be pitched (voice goes up and is higher).

Let’s take a look at this example:

You keep talking and talking for hours and hours and watch the sun go down
until you get to an important word.

Y ou keep talking and talking for hours and hours and watch the sun go down until you get to an Word.

The voice starts neutral and stays monotonous until an important word needs to be
emphasized. That word is pitched (in the sentence above, it is the word
‘important’). The voice goes down at the end of the sentence except when it is a
question.

Are you here?

Are you coming back?

When are you coming back?

Some non-­‐native speakers may have a tendency to use their native intonation
patterns when speaking English. This must be avoided.

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 35

 XIV. Estuary Accent

There is an accent in the Southeast of England that is becoming increasingly popular

called the ‘Estuary accent’—as it is spoken mostly around the Thames Estuary. It is
not strictly MSBE, but its ever-­‐increasing popularity means that it needs to be
acknowledged. It is in many ways a cross between RP and the ‘Cockney’ accent,
which originated in East London. It features all the sounds covered in this course to
varying degrees.

14.1 /l/-­‐Dropping

An additional and typical feature in the Estuary accent is something that is

referred to as /l/-­‐dropping. The Estuary accent uses /w/, /o/, and /u/ sounds
instead of the dark /l/ (see section 9.2, The Dark /l/).

Words with /l/ immediately followed by a consonant, or words ending in /l/, have
the /l/ sound replaced with the /w/ sound (think of the first sound in the word
“with”) OR the /ou/ sound. Both sounds can be used interchangeably in place of the
dropped ‘l’. Example:

milk (miwk/miouk/ )

Words ending in a combination of a vowel + /l/ or /l/ + vowel (such as /–le/, /–el/,
/–al/, etc.) have the final /l/ sound replaced with the /ou/ sound. Example:

dimple (dimpou/ )

Words ending in an /–ul/ sound have the final /l/ replaced with a /u/ sound.
Example:

fool (foo/ )

Other examples (the following examples are only transcribed using the /w/ sound,
although the /ou/ sound could also be used):

[w] silk (siwk)

[w] the Alps (the Awps)

[w] help (hewp)

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 36

 [w] bulb (buwb)

[ou] label (labou)

[ou] maple (mapou)

[ou] crinkle (crinkou)

[u] school (schoo)

[u] rule (roo)

[u] cool (coo)

14.2 Glottalisation or /t/­Dropping

Another phenomenon originating in the East London ‘Cockney’ accent and found in
the Estuary accent, is called glottalisation or /t/­dropping. (Note to actors: This is
not a characteristic of RP). The /t/ is dropped when in absolute final position. In
place of the /t/ a so‐called glottal stop is inserted. This sound is produced by closing
the vocal cords (vocal folds), also known as glottis.

Please refer to the Audio Recording for examples of this sound.

Examples: what wha (wo’/wɒʔ)

but bu

foot foo

It is also dropped before vowels (often when the /t/ is in mid‐position of the word).

better be‐er (be’a/beʔ ʌ)

butter bu‐er

hotter ho‐er

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 37

 XV. Weak and Strong Forms: Redux

To achieve the correct rhythm and flow when speaking, it is vital to know and use
the weak forms. It is important to note that weak forms are never used at the end of
sentences. They may be used at the beginning as well as in the middle of sentences,
or in fact, anywhere in a sentence but the end. Examples:

At the beginning of sentences:

Were you there? Are you ready?

(wi you there/ ) (i you ready/ )

In the middle of sentences:

I was there. You were there.

(I wiz there/ ) (You wi there/ )

Here is an example of a word with a weak and a strong form in different parts of a
sentence (note the word ‘of’):

I am thinking of (iv/ ) leaving—that is what I’m thinking of (ov/ ).

[Weak form] [Strong form]

Below is a list of the weak and strong forms of the MSBE accent (other English
dialects and accents may have different or additional interpretations). Two
transcriptions are offered: one phonetic and one alternative respelling for readers
unfamiliar with phonetic symbols.

Please note the ‘i’ occasionally seen in both transcriptions below is pronounced like
the /i/ sound in words such as ‘tip,’ ‘devour,’ and ‘information’ (short /i/ sound).

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 38

Word Phonetic Pronounced Example
a əә i Give me a break
am əәm im Am I supposed to do it
an əәn in They made me an offer
and əәn(d) in(d) Me and you
are əә i The people are there
as əәz iz This is not as good as that
at əәt it Meet me at the club
be bəә bi It’s important to be punctual
been bəәn bin I've been there
but bəәt bit But why should I
can kəәn kin We can do it
could kəәd kid I could do it later
do dəә di Do you like it
does dəәz diz Does he like it
for fəә fi It's for me
from frəәm frim From me to you
had (h)əәd (h)id The film had already begun
has (h)əәz (h)iz Has she ever been there
have (h)əәv (h)iv Have you ever been there
he (h)i (h)i He doesn't like it
her (h)əә (h)i Her father is waiting
him (h)im (h)im This is for him and her
The gate to his house was
his (h)əәz (h)iz locked
if əәf if Keep it if you like it
I əә i I think so
in əәn in I'm not in the mood
is əәz iz The problem is this
must məәs(t) mis(t) We must do it right away
It's vital not to miss the
not n(əә)t n(i)t appointment
of* əәv iv The owner of the restaurant
or əә(r) i(r) It's either you or me
our a:(r) ah(r) Our meeting is cancelled
Saint (St) səәnt sint St George's Day
shall ʃəәl shil Shall I come over

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 39

 Word   Phonetic   Pronounced   Example  
she   ʃi   shi   She  loves  it  
should   ʃəәd   shid   Should  I  phone  you  
Sir   səә   si   Sir  John's  mansion  
some   səәm   sim   Would  you  like  some  coffee  
than   ðəәn   thin   That's  better  than  that  
that   ðəәt   thit   I  was  told  that  I  should  wait  
the   ðəә   thi   What's  the  problem  
Have  you  told  them  where  to  
them   ðəәm   thim   go  
There's  somebody  waiting  for  
there   ðəә   thi   you  
to   təә   ti   From  me  to  you  
us   əәs   is   Can  you  give  us  more  time  
was   wəәz   wiz   I  was  there  
we   wi   wi   We  were  there  
were   wəә   wi   Were  you  there  
That's  the  man  who  won  the  
who   həә   hi   race  
with   wəәth   with   You  can  come  with  me  
would   wəәd   wid   Walking  would  take  too  long  
will   wəәl   wil   Nobody  will  see  it  
you   jəә   yi   You  have  to  be  here  by  nine  
your**   jəә(r)   yi   This  is  your  letter  

 
*Note  the  difference  between  ‘of’  and  ‘off’:    
Adjective  ‘off’  is  not  to  be  confused  with  preposition  ‘of';    
‘off’  is  always  given  full  value  and  does  not  have  a  weak  form,  ‘of’  has  a  weak  and  a  
strong  form  (as  listed  above).  
 
**Note  the  difference  in  pronunciation  in  ‘your’  and  ‘you’re'  (you  are):  
 
  Your  car       versus     You’re  a  nice  guy    
(yohr/jəә(r))                                               (yueri/jʊəәrəә)  

Copyright  ©  2009  ABC  ACCENTS™   40  

 XVI. Additional Tips

• When studying and working on the MSBE accent, concentrate on mastering

one sound/one chapter at a time and only move on once it is perfected.

• When practising, first try to utter the sounds slowly and exaggerate as much
as necessary to properly condition the tongue and mouth. With practice, the
sounds will become fine tuned and appear more natural.

• Make up practice sentences that feature the sounds and techniques

presented in this course.

• Listen to the audio recording to this course and refer to the special Exercise
e­Booklet, which will prove invaluable to your progress.

• Record yourself and listen back. This will prove an invaluable tool for self‐
analysis and auto‐correction.

• Listen to talk radio and Internet stations based in the Southeast of England.

• Real learning happens when practising, exploring, and experimenting using

the tools and techniques provided in this course.

• Listen closely to how native speakers pronounce and link words. This,
combined with studying this course and working with the Audio Recording
as well as the companion Exercise e­Booklet, will help you master the MSBE
accent.

• For personal instruction, please visit www.dialectcoachnyc.com for more

information and to schedule an appointment.

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 41

 XVII. Putting Theory into Practice

To summarize the techniques covered in this course, we will now analyze in detail a
text that contains the phonemes and sounds of the Modern Standard British English
accent.

How to read the text below:

• Reminder: the schwa sound (symbolized by /ә/ and underlined in the

following examples) is a short sound heard in words such as:

enhancement әnhancemәnt

seldom seldәm

alarm әlarm

It is most often heard in the weak forms of function/auxiliary words, such as

‘was,’ ‘to,’ ‘than,’ etc.

• All weak forms in the text have been highlighted/pointed out by inserting the
phonetic symbol for the schwa sound /ә/ (ie, wәz, tә, thәn) but leaving the
rest of the word unphoneticised (in normal Latin alphabet letters). The
exception being when a /z/ is placed instead of an/s/ to highlight the use of
a voiced /s/ sound (wәz instead of wәs).

• Any words that should be linked in normal speech have been highlighted and
colour coded.

• Where appropriate, linked words have /w/’s and /y/’s inserted between
them for ease of linking and speech flow (see section 5.2, Intrusive /w/ and
/y/).

• Please note that ‘there’ and ‘the’ are both thə. ‘There’ is only thə(r) if
followed by a vowel, ie, ‘There is’ (thəris).

Copyright © 2009 ABC ACCENTS™ 42