LCO – Language Coaching Opportunities
Five steps to improving your Connected Speech in English!
I - Getting started
1 – What is connected speech?
2 – Why do native speakers use contracted forms?
3 – Is it ever wrong to use contracted forms in English?
4 – What are content and function words?
5 – Can you name the six groups of content words?
II – Content word or Function word?
Boy Who? Quickly That Hmm…
Yellow Analyze Although When Not
With Might He 36 Friendly
Our Theirs Would How? Huh?
III – Five steps…
STEP 1: Vowel reduction
*** All vowels in function words will tend to be reduced to a ______________
EG: You For Their Through When etc…
a) I have bought it because I wanted it. /// I told you not to do it.
b) I will be back in a minute. /// I do not want to talk about it.
c) Their books are there, and ours are here. /// She saw herself in the glass.
d) I will finish cooking while you set the table. /// She works although she is really rich.
e) You ought to know by now that he might be in love with someone else.
*** ‘THE’ is pronounced / / before vowels and / / before consonants.
The apple The elephant The car The door
The orange The internet The box The fork
The honesty The umbrella The universe The house
a) The plane is in the air, and it’ll arrive in the Bahamas at the exact time.
b) This is the car I’ve just bought. It’s the latest Ferrari model. It’s the car!
c) The apple is associated with sin, but the strawberry is the fruit whenever people think of love.
d) Dolly has the husband. He cooks, does the housework, and is always kind to her.
e) The helicopter is bringing the heir from the unusual city of The Hague.
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LCO – Language Coaching Opportunities
Elcio Souza – [email protected]
*** ‘TO’ is pronounced / / before vowels and / / before consonants.
To apply To ignore To go To walk
To organize To understand To play To yell
To employ To earn To see To use
a) I would like to apply for a passport. Do I need to fill out this form to you?
b) We want to go to the club to play tennis, but we have to organize the teams first.
c) Is the company going to employ any new workers to cover for the night shift?
d) She’s an important witness. They need to see that she ought to identify the killer to the police.
e) It does not matter where you are coming from, but, rather, where you are going to.
*** IN, ON, AN, AND will be reduced to /N/.
He lives in Santos. X He lives on Santos Street. X He lives in an apartment.
a) Janine will arrive in an hour or so. Sit in an armchair and turn on the TV.
b) Luke was an irritating blabbermouth. He would go on and on about anyone.
c) In an agile move, she climbed up the tree and in an instant was back with her cat in her hands.
d) The movie was so boring that, in less than an hour, I was catching flies.
e) I could not believe we were there, sitting on an inviting beach in an enchanting evening.
*** AT and OF will lose their consonants before words that start with a consonant.
Meet me at six. X Meet me at eight.
Would you like a cup of tea? X Would you like a cup of apple tea?
a) Newman was afraid of walking at any park at night.
b) Hundreds of children go to that school at seven a.m.
c) Beth is tired of honest men of no exceptional beauty.
d) The daughter of a cousin of mine is marrying at St Paul’s at eleven a.m.
e) If you speak at an appropriate pace, everybody will understand you.
*** Elision of ‘T’ in ‘NT’ + vowel in unstressed syllables (mostly North American English).
Winter = Winner Wanted = Wanned Interest = Innerest
*** Reduction of CAN. Circle the words you hear.
1. He (can’t / can) play the piano.
2. I (can’t / can) stand on my head.
3. (Can’t / Can) you help me?
4. He (can’t / can) speak Spanish, but his sister (can’t / can).
5. I (can’t / can) meet you tomorrow.
STEP 3: Elision
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LCO – Language Coaching Opportunities
Elcio Souza – [email protected]
2.1 – Contraction = Auxiliary and Modal Verbs:
AM WILL HAVE WILL HAVE
IS GOING TO HAS WOULD HAVE
ARE WOULD HAD WILL HAVE BEEN
EG: He would have seen her if he had arrived earlier.
They will have been sacked in two days if they do not fix what they have done wrong.
CAN HAVE MAY HAVE MUST HAVE OUGHT TO HAVE TO*
COULD HAVE MIGHT HAVE SHOULD HAVE USED TO HAS TO*
EG: I used to go bowling three years ago. I could have been a champion at the time.
Jane ought to have left the door unlocked. She knows I do not have the key.
Zero? She might have missed the test. No? She should have studied harder, then.
2.2 – Dropping H (TH).
Subject Pronoun Object Pronouns Possessive Adjectives Auxiliary Verbs
HE HIM HIS HAS
HER HER HAVE
THEM
Write down the reduced pronouns you hear. (Adapted from Grant, 2000:88)
1. I blamed _________ for the accident.
2. I checked __________ out of the library.
3. I dropped __________ off at eight.
4. She always hands _________ in on time.
5. Her new job keeps _________ busy.
6. He looked ________ in the eye.
7. Her roommate called ________ to the phone.
8. I interviewed ________ for a job.
9. He asked ________ for change.
10. The company pays ________ twice a month.
STEP 4 – Sequence of sounds
4.1. Linking: CV CV CV
Pick it up => pi-cki-tup
Drop him off => dro-pi-moff
I checked her in. => I check-te-rin
Feeling zan demotions
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LCO – Language Coaching Opportunities
Elcio Souza – [email protected]
Wónnafternóo nanúsherat work ledda middle-aged géntlemananis dog to their seat. The
usher fel-tit was very unusual to taka dog to the theater, butti decidito say nothing. He kepta
close watchat the doggan wazzastónishto realize the dog wazzáctually paying attention to the
screen. To-is complete bewilderment, when the heroine died, the dog cry duncontróllably.
When the lights were backón-ee approached the péttowner and question dim, “I can’t believe
your doggactually watched the movie!” “Yeah, it wazza surprise, wasnit?” Replied the man.
“Butti cried when the girl died! He cried! I’m completely baffled!” Continued the usher, to what
the man replied, “To be honest, so amI. He didn’t like the book!”
*** Stretching continuant consonants
This song With them Enough for Ray Save Victor He’ll leave.
a) This song is for you. I am sure you will like it. Everybody loves zealous lovers in song lyrics.
b) Your colleagues are going to the movies tonight. Why don’t you go with them?
c) Thanks. This is enough for Robert. I will save Vanessa some, too, if you do not mind.
d) Mom makes delicious sour cream when she cooks Arab food.
e) Theo investigated the moth thoroughly before recording all his findings.
*** Holding stop consonants
At twelve = a.twelve Bob Banner Mac Giver Stop Pam
***But, Orange juice; French church.
a) Stop pushing and step back! Wait till the line moves again. What is wrong with you?
b) Deb Parks stood at the curb because the sidewalk was too crowded.
c) Matt Davies arrived at ten, but Bert Thompson got to work only at twelve.
d) Watch Charles while I am out. I will fetch chocolate and ice cream for the party.
e) Let me see your badge, George. I see you will manage general jobs on the second floor.
STEP 5: Blending - Palatalization before Y (do you)
Did you Called you Lend you Would you
Told you Said you Could you Should you
Tells you Says you Seems you Please you
Fit you That you Got you Get you
Miss you Race you Pass you Toss you
EG: This year is 2020; last year was 2019; and next year will be 2021.
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LCO – Language Coaching Opportunities
Elcio Souza – [email protected]
a) Who called you last night?
b) What should you do if you saw a person stealing in a mall?
c) How do you feel when it seems your day will never be over?
d) Do you think jeans size 38 will fit you?
e) If you spent six months in the USA, would you miss your friends?
EXTRA: Putting it all together... (Adapted from Grant, 2000:87)
Example: _________ __________ get ____ promotion?
1. ________ ________ running _____ ______ marathon?
2. ________ ________ car _______ ready ______ _____ evening?
3. ________ never used _______ credit cards.
4. ________ picked up ________ children.
5. _____ wish _______ could help _________.
6. ________ ________ _________ gotten lost?
7. ______ interviewer asked __________ _______ questions.
8. He talked about _______ travels.
9. ________ ________ had two heart attacks.
10.That _____ _________ _______ said.
REFERENCES:
GILBERT, J. Teaching Pronunciation – Using the Prosody Pyramid. Cambridge U. Press, 2008.
GILBERT, J. Clear Speech. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
GILBERT, J. Clear Speech from the Start. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
GRANT, L. Well Said. Heinle & Heinle, 1993.
HEWINGS, M. & GOLDSTEIN, S. Pronunciation Plus. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
HEWINGS, M. Pronunciation Practice Activities. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
WEINSTEIN, N. Whaddaya Say? Pearson Longman, 2001.
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