connecting speech in english

Connected Speech In English: What It Is And How To Learn It

Published on, may 5, 2021, november 15, 2022, this article may contain affiliate links.

Speaking English is hard because we often don’t say words like we should. Here’s how to understand connected speech and how to speak naturally yourself.

Connected Speech In English: What It Is And How To Learn It

Maybe you’ve been studying English for a while now and gotten pretty good.

Perhaps you’ve learned all those pesky irregular verbs, you feel comfortable using the past perfect continuous tense in context, and maybe you even know the difference between “who” and “whom” .

But even with all your actual knowledge of English and your ability to use it correctly, you may not sound natural when you speak.

Natural spoken English comes down to more than just pronunciation and speaking fluently . It requires using connected speech.

I consider connected speech to be a fairly advanced language learning topic. If you’re still at the intermediate level, I wouldn't focus on this; I’d leave it for later. And if you’re a beginner, it’s definitely not the right lesson for you right now.

But if you’ve got quite a good grasp of the language and you’re really now trying to polish up your speaking skills, you might be at the right level to try to think about connected speech.

In this article, I’ll explain what connected speech is along with some real-world examples of it. Then I’ll suggest some activities that you can do to work on and practise your connected speech.

What is connected speech in English?

The first thing to understand about speaking English naturally is that it is very different from speaking English clearly.

In English, words bump into each other. We reduce words when we’re speaking, contract them, and then mash them together.

That’s what connected speech is: it’s continuous spoken language like you’d hear in a normal conversation. It’s called connected speech because the words are all connected, with sounds from one running into the next.

Examples of connected speech

Here are some common types and examples of connected speech.

1. Catenation or linking

Catenation happens when a consonant sound at the end of one word gets attached to the first vowel sound at the beginning of the following word.

For example, when native speakers say “an apple” you’ll usually hear them say, “anapple”. The “n” in “an” gets joined with the “a” sound in “apple” and it becomes almost like a single word.

In some cases, the sound of the consonant sound changes when it’s linked. For example, if I were to say “that orange” you would probably hear me change the final consonant “t” sound to a “d” sound as in “thadorange”.

Here are some other examples:

“trip over” often sounds like “tripover”
“hang out” often sounds like “hangout”
“clean up” often sounds like “cleanup”

2. Intrusion

Intrusion happens when an extra sound squishes in between two words. The intruding sound is often a “j”, “w”, or “r”.

For example, we often say:

“he asked” more like “heyasked”
“do it” more like “dewit”
“there is” more like “therris”

Elision happens when the last sound of a word disappears. This often happens with “t” and “d” sounds. For example:

“next door” often gets shortened to “nexdoor”
“most common” often gets shortened to “moscommon”

4. Assimilation

Assimilation happens when sounds blend together to make an entirely new sound. Some examples include:

“don’t you” getting blended into “don-chu”
“meet you” getting blended into “mee-chu”
“did you” getting blended into “di-djew”

5. Geminates

Geminates are a doubled or long consonant sound. In connected speech, when a first word ends with the same consonant sound that the next word begins with, we often put the sounds together and elongate them. For example:

“single ladies” turns into “single-adies”
“social life” turns into “social-ife”

Notice that in none of these cases does the spelling actually change. It’s just the sounds that change when we say them.

Is connected speech important?

Yes and no.

I actually like to think of learning connected speech in two halves: understanding it when you hear it, and recreating it when you’re speaking yourself.

Understanding connected speech when it’s used is extremely important. This is how native English speakers really talk. If you can’t understand English as it’s really spoken, you’re not really able to use the language.

So listening to connected speech and being able to parse it into meaning is very important.

Producing connected speech isn’t very important. Native speakers don’t need you to use connected speech to understand you. If you speak English clearly, carefully enunciating each syllable, you may sound a bit unnatural, but you’ll certainly be understood.

So being able to use connected speech yourself doesn’t have to be a priority.

How can you improve your connected speech?

You can get better both at understanding connected speech when it’s spoken by others and using it yourself. Here are some ways you can train yourself on it.

Listen as frequently as possible

The way that we get better at understanding native speakers is by listening to them . So listen to native speakers as frequently as possible.

At higher levels, listen to different accents: American, British, Australian , and others. This will help you understand people using a range of different accents.

You can also use music to help you learn English. Music and songs are very helpful for connected speech.

Use transcripts or subtitles as you listen

One of the most difficult things to do when we’re new to a language is figure out where one word ends and another starts.

A great exercise for this is listening to a native speaker while you also read what they’re saying.

There are a few ways you can do this. You could listen to someone read an audiobook while you read the book itself. You could watch a show on Netflix or a YouTube video with the subtitles on .

And, of course, you could listen to an English podcast while reading the transcript of that podcast. ( Leonardo English conveniently provides transcripts to members for the English Learning for Curious Minds podcast for exactly this reason.)

Shadowing and recording yourself

Those are great for listening, but what about speaking?

Shadowing is the ideal exercise for practising connected speech. In shadowing, you mimic or imitate the sounds that you hear as you hear them. So you practise saying full sentences exactly like a native speaker.

This helps you see how native speakers really pronounce sentences—connected speech included.

Recording yourself speaking is another activity that has similar benefits. It lets you listen and see how the way you say a sentence might be different from a native speaker so you can correct yourself or make changes.

Have conversations

Speaking naturally is really only a skill you can develop through practice.

So practise speaking!

Find an online English conversation partner , join an English community , or find other ways of speaking English regularly . That’s how you’ll get better at speaking in general and also at using connected speech in particular.

How to use podcasts to improve your connected speech

Here’s how you can make the best use of English podcasts like English Learning for Curious Minds to work on understanding and using connected speech.

First, listen for understanding. The first time you listen to an episode, just try to grasp what’s going on. Try to pick out the general story or the main ideas. You can slow the episode to 0.75x or 0.5x if you need to.
Next, listen for pronunciation. Choose a part of the episode (or the whole episode if you like) and notice places where the speaker uses connected speech. Reading while you listen may help you identify particular instances of connected speech.
Finally, shadow part of the episode. Now work on your speaking skills by shadowing part of the episode. It doesn’t have to be long—just a couple of minutes. Try to imitate the person speaking as closely as possible. Here’s our guide on Shadowing in English —you can find detailed instructions there.
Challenge yourself by getting faster. If that feels easy or comfortable, make it harder by doing all that on a faster speed setting, or turn it back to 1x if you were doing it more slowly beforehand.

This process will help you understand spoken English even when the words are mashed together. It will also help you get used to speaking more naturally in English yourself.

Speaking naturally will come with time

To wrap up this article, I want to stress that connected speech is about practice, not memorisation .

Earlier, I gave some names for different groups of connected speech sound changes—catenation, assimilation, and so on. I did that for your interest, but I don’t recommend trying to memorise them or learn those names by heart unless you’re a linguist.

You certainly don’t need to know what “elision” means to speak naturally. Most native speakers wouldn’t have any idea what that word means.

Instead of learning that linguistic theory, just practise using English. Listen to it and speak it. Connected speech will come naturally to you as you use English more.

Indeed, let’s remember that the reason connected speech happens is that it’s an easier way to speak.

When you are singing Beyonce’s Single Ladies , it would feel really weird to clearly pronounce “single” separately from “ladies”. It’s much more natural to jam the words together into “Singl-adies”

Similarly, it’s much harder to say “that orange” than it is to say “thadorange”. As soon as you’re saying those words together, you’ll probably find your mouth making the connected speech sounds automatically.

That’s important to remember: connected speech doesn’t happen randomly. It happens because it’s actually easier to say the words in that way.

So yes, learn what connected speech is. Practise listening to native speakers so you can understand them even when they speak at a normal pace and words jam together. Do your regular speaking activities.

But then relax. Natural, connected speech will come.

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If you’re learning English, you’ve probably noticed that it’s often hard to hear where one word ends and another begins when listening to a native speaker. That’s because English, like any other language, is not spoken in individual words with neat, little breaks between them, but in phrases where words flow together and interact with each other. This phrasal way of speaking is connected speech .

In English, there are several unique things that can happen when words meet. Taking some time to internalize these features of connected speech will help you to understand spoken English better, and also help to make your own speech sound more fluent and natural.

Note that all the examples and rules given here apply specifically to Standard Southern British English, or SSBE . While much of this information also applies to other varieties of English , it’s important to have a reference accent to give consistent examples.

Contractions In Connected Speech

Probably the most obvious and best-taught features of connected speech in English are contractions. For example, even the most conservative teachers will highlight that it’s more common to say it’s than it is in most circumstances.

The vast majority of contractions in English happen with the main verb “ be ,” the auxiliary verb “ have” and the participle “ not .” So we get I’m from I am , we’re from we are , you’ve from you have , could’ve from could have , don’t from do not , and can’t from cannot . The double-L of I’ll and other future tense constructions, such as we’ll , she’ll and they’ll .

But you already knew this, right? Let’s get on to the more complicated stuff.

Weak Forms In Connected Speech

Probably the most important of all the connected speech features in English — but one of the most overlooked — is weak forms. Weak forms are a group of words that have an alternate pronunciation when they appear in unstressed syllables . The list of these words is long, and they’re almost all function words, meaning words which perform a grammatical function (for example: prepositions, articles, pronouns, modal verbs) rather than carry meaning.

Some of the most common words with weak forms in English are: a, am, an, and, are, as, at, but, can, could, do, does, for, from, had, has, have, he, her, him, his, must, of, she, should, some, than, the, them, them, there, to, us, was, were, would, you and yours, although this is not an exhaustive list.

While the so-called “strong forms” (meaning the pronunciation you’re taught at school or would find in a pronunciation dictionary) of these words all contain a strong vowel, what weak forms have in common is that they contain a weak vowel . In most cases, this weak vowel is schwa .

Schwa , represented in phonemic transcription by the symbol / ə /, is the most common vowel sound in English. (Fun fact: The name comes from the Hebrew words for “nothingness.”) It’s the easiest vowel sound to make, as it’s essentially the sound of the English filler word “uh.” To make it, you just relax your jaw, tongue, and lips and expel air!

Not all of them exhibit this sound, though. Here’s a table with transcriptions the strong and weak forms of the words listed above next to each other for comparison. From this, we can consider the contractions above as special types of weak forms that have become broadly accepted and standardized.

When should you use weak forms?

But when do we use these weak forms? Almost all the time. The only reason to use a strong form of one of these words is if you want to emphasize it, or if it’s at the end of a sentence — otherwise always use the weak form!

For example, in the following phrases, the underlined words would all be pronounced with their weak forms:

Do you like to eat cereal for breakfast?
Am I giving him a discount?
There ’s no reason to accuse her of wrongdoing.
Could she move this but keep that?

Dropping T- And D-Sounds

The technical term for this is alveolar plosive elision , and it just means that /t/ and /d/ sounds can be “deleted” (or “elided,” if you want to get technical) from the ends of syllables. The rules for this can seem a little complicated at first, but will feel more natural the more you practice. Here are the basics:

The T- or D-sound must be the last syllable of the word
Other consonant sounds must surround this sound
In the case of T, it can be dropped if it follows a voiceless consonant sound
(For an easy explanation of voiced vs. voiceless consonant sounds, see here )
For both T- and D-sounds, the next sound cannot be H

Here are some examples of places where alveolar plosive elision may occur (highlighted in bold):

slappe d by

But watch out for situations where this can’t happen, so you don’t accidentally drop syllables that you should keep! Here are some instances where it doesn’t work:

sen t home (H follows the T-sound)
las t act (a vowel sound follows T rather than a consonant)
ba d boy (a consonant doesn’t come before D)

Try saying these example sentences out loud, first with all of the bolded T- and D-sounds pronounced fully, and then with them removed. Doesn’t it flow more naturally with the elision?

Did you sen d back all the bruise d bananas?
I think he’s the las t person on the right with the clef t chin.
That was the firs t time you reache d to touch the ceiling.

If you can get your head around these features of connected speech and use them often, your English will sound a lot more fluent as a result. So it might seem like a chore at first, but like with applying any new knowledge to your language learning, persistence is key!

5 Connected Speech Secrets for Fast, Native English Pronunciation

What is Connected Speech?

Learn how connected speech will help you to speak English faster, more fluently, and much more like a native speaker. Unfortunately, many language learners don’t know about this subject, but we should! First of all, let’s make sure we have a basic understanding. What is connected speech?

Connected speech means that when we speak a language, words have some effect on each other. We do not always pronounce words completely separately with a neat pause in between. In fact, many words affect each other when you put them into phrases and sentences. The end sound of one word often affects the beginning of the next word.

Connected Speech Includes Many Sub-Topics

There are many different ways that connected speech happens. Sometimes sounds are added, or omitted, or changed, in different ways. It is actually a big subject and we could spend a long time talking about the several sub-topics in it!

In this lesson, you’ll learn a bit about five different kinds of connected speech: catenation or linking, intrusion, elision, assimilation and geminates.

Catenation or Linking

Catenation, or Linking is probably what most people think of first when they think of connected speech. Linking happens when the end of one word blends into another. When the last sound of a word is a consonant and the first sound of the next word is a vowel, you get linking.

For example:

I want this orange –> thisorange

I want that orange –> thadorange

This afternoon –> thisafternoon

Is he busy? –> Isi busy?

Cats or dogs? –> Catserdogs?

Intrusion means an additional sound “intrudes” or inserts itself between others. It is often is a /j/ or /w/ or /r/ sound between two other vowel sounds.

He asked –> Heyasked

She answered –? Sheyanswered

Do it –> Dewit

Go out –> Gowout

Shoe on –> Shoewon

Elision means when a sound disappears. Basically, a sound is eaten by other stronger or similar sounds next to it. This often happens with a /t/ or /d/ sound.

Next door –> Nexdoor

Dad take –> Datake

Most common –> Moscommon

Assimilation

Assimilation means two sounds blend together, forming a new sound altogether. This often happens with /t/ and /j/ which make /ʧ/ and with /d/ and /j/ which make / ʤ /.

Don’t you — donʧu

Won’t you — wonʧu

Meet you — meeʧu

Did you — di ʤu

Would you — wu ʤu

Finally, geminates are like twins — two same sounds back-to-back. Often when one word ends with the same letter as the beginning of the next word, you should connect the two words in your speech.

Social life –> socialife

Pet turtle –> Peturtle

These five points and examples may make you feel like you have a lot to study!

Try learning the International Phonetic Alphabet so that you can take notes about how words sound together. Or, you could keep an audio journal on your smart phone where you record how words and phrases sound with connected speech.

Here is a cool tool you can try making English sentences into IPA . Keep in mind that sometimes real life pronunciation will be different because of variations.

If you liked this lesson, you’ll love my lesson about pronunciation and the “schwa” sound. Click here to view it now.

And click on our video lesson below if you’d like to hear more about connected speech!

Would you like training to improve your English speaking faster? pre-register today for information about the Complete Go Natural English Course, Fluent Communication!

How to Stop Translating in Your Head and Start Thinking in English

Gabby Wallace, M.Ed TESOL

About the Author Gabby Wallace is the Founder of Go Natural English, where you can quickly improve your confidence speaking English through advanced fluency practice. Even if you don't have much time, this is the best place for improving your English skills. Millions of global intermediate - advanced English students are learning with Gabby's inspiring, clear, and energetic English lessons. Gabby has a Masters Degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Boston University and 20+ years experience helping students become fluent through her online courses and membership program.

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Transcription

Connected speech

If anything in the first part of this guide is unfamiliar to you, you should probably take a little time to refresh your memory concerning the essential concepts in phonology. You can open that guide in a new tab by clicking here . You should also have worked through the guide to consonants and the guide to vowels (both new tabs) before tackling this. It is also assumed, in what follows, that you can read and write phonemic transcription.

Connected Speech phenomena occur where words meet. The first distinction to get clear is that of the pronunciation of a word in isolation and in a stream of speech. For example, if you read the words on this list aloud, one at a time, you will probably be pronouncing them in what is called their 'canonical', 'citation' or 'isolation' form. Here's the list to try. If you can, transcribe the words on a piece of paper as you pronounce them. Click here when you have done that .

The pronunciation you used is probably as follows:

Now memorise this sentence and then say it aloud at normal speed, contracting any words you can.

I have been to town and here are the ten bottles of beer I said that I would get from the shop.

That probably would have been pronounced something like this:

/ aɪv bɪn tə taʊn ənd hɪər ə ðə tem ˈbɒt.l̩z əv bɪər ˈaɪ ˈ seðət aɪd ˈɡet frəm ðə ʃɒp/

Look at the parts in black in that transcription and compare them to the transcription of the isolated forms of the words. What do you notice? Click here when you have an answer .

Weak forms: in normal speech been (usually /biːn/) is weakened to /bɪn/ . There are other examples in this sentence : to is weakened to /tə/ and is weakened to /ənd/ (and in some pronunciations may simply be /n/) are is weakened to /ə/ the is weakened to /ðə/ of is weakened to /əv/ that is weakened /ðət/ from is weakened to /frəm/
Other changes: The pronunciation of ten bottles is changed from the expected /ten.ˈbɒt.l̩z/ to /tem.ˈbɒt.l̩z/ . The pronunciation of said that is changed from the expected /ˈsed.ðæt/ to /ˈse.ðæt/.

To explain why all these changes have occurred, we need to look at the features of connected speech in English.

There are six main areas to understand.

The most common weak forms use the schwa (/ə/) so, for example: for is pronounced /fə/ are is pronounced /ə/ to is pronounced /tə/ but is pronounced /bət/ (before a vowel), or /bə/ in other environments and so on.
There are other weakenings, such as the replacement of the /iː/ in been with the shortened /ɪ/ sound. The word our in its full form is pronounced /ˈaʊə/ in isolation but is usually weakened to /ə/ or /ɑː/ in connected speech. Most of these weak forms affect structural words rather than meaning-carrying words but the reduction of the sound at the end of father with the elision of the /r/ before a non-vocalic sound (in British English) is also an example of weakening and another feature of connected speech (elision). For a list of the commonest weak forms in English, click here .
Special or contrastive stress Occasionally, stress may be moved on an utterance for contrastive reasons as in, for example: A: Did sh e say she came from London ? B: No, she said she came TO London. in which the stress in B's contribution is unusual because the speaker is placing emphasis on the preposition and it is pronounced forcefully in its full form to make that clear. In normal circumstances the word is pronounced as /tə/ in connected speech but here it is /tuː/.

Progressive assimilation Sounds may change because the speaker is influenced by the preceding sound, i.e., the influence is working from left to right in the phrase. For example, try saying There's not much cider left quickly and focus on how the 'c' in cider is pronounced. If you say cider individually, the 'c' is pronounced /s/ as one expects (/ˈsaɪ.də/). However, in this environment, the influence of the /tʃ/ at the end of much means that the 'c' in cider is pronounced as if it were 'sh', as /ʃ/. The transcription is, then, not /ðeəz.nɒt.ˈmʌtʃ.ˈsaɪ.də.left/ but /ðeəz.nɒt.ˈmʌtʃ.ˈʃaɪ.də.left/ A simple example of progressive assimilation occurs with the pronunciation of a plural 's' in English. For example, words ending in unvoiced consonants such as /t/, /k/ or /p/ will make the plural 's' pronounced as /s/: hats and coats (/hæts.ənd.kəʊts/) talks and walks (/tɔːks.ənd.wɔːks/) tops and tips (/tɒps.ənd.ˈtɪps/) but words ending with voiced consonants such as /d/, /ɡ/ or /b/ will have the 's' pronounced as /z/: odds and sods (/ɒdz.ənd.sɒdz/) lugs and mugs (/lʌɡz.ənd.mʌɡz/) bags and logs (/bæɡz.ənd.lɒɡz/) It's even easier to spot the difference in cats and dogs (/kæts.ənd.dɒɡz/) A similar pattern may be observed with the pronunciation of the regular past-tense ending in English. After unvoiced consonants, the - d or - ed ending is usually pronounced as /t/ as in: asked (/ɑːskt/) spaced (/speɪst/ tapped (/tæpt/) but following voiced consonants it is voiced as /d/ as in: clubbed (/klʌbd/) fazed (/feɪzd/) dragged (/dræɡd/)
Reciprocal assimilation Here, sounds influence each other and may fuse together. For example, try saying Won't you come with us quickly and note how won't you is pronounced. It is not /wəʊnt ju/ except in slow careful speech but is actually pronounced /wəʊntʃu/. What has happened is that the 't' and 'y' sounds have coalesced to make the /tʃ/ sound. (Reciprocal assimilation is sometimes called coalescent assimilation, for this reason.)
the s following an unvoiced consonant will be pronounced as /s/ so we get hat and hats (/hæt/ and/hæts/), make and makes (/ˈmeɪk/ and /ˈmeɪks/) and so on.
following a voiced consonant, however, s is usually voiced from /s/ to /z/ so we get rug and rugs (/rʌɡ/ and /rʌɡz/), cab and cabs (/kæb/ and /kæbz/) and so on.
some speakers carry this over to other sounds, particularly the /θ/ and may pronounce, for example, baths as /bɑːðz/ and youths as /juːðz/. Others will retain the /θ/ in the plural forms.
regressively, the /v/ in, for example, have is often devoiced before a voiceless consonant such as /t/ so the pronunciation of have to is /həf.tuː/ and love camping is /ˈlʌf.ˈkæmp.ɪŋ/. Not all speakers do this and many retain the voiced /v/ in such expressions.
a teaching point is that in some languages, German, Dutch, Polish and Russian, for example, a final consonant is always devoiced so, e.g., bag, club, has, had and cave may be pronounced as /bæk/, /klʌp/, /hæs/, /hət/, /keɪf/, respectively, instead of /bæɡ/, /klʌb/, /hæz/, /həd/ and /keɪv/.
Consonant lengthening This is a minor area in English (but not so in some languages). There are times when two non-plosive consonants occur together and, normally in rapid speech one of them is assimilated (or elided, depending on your point of view). So, for example: some milk is usually pronounced as /səm.ɪlk/ with only one /m/ sound. However, when people are being slightly more careful and speaking a little more slowly, both /m/ sounds are heard so the transcription is /səm.mɪlk/ and it would appear from that that there are two separate sounds in the middle of the phrase. What in fact frequently happens is not that we have two /m/ sounds but that we have a single sound slightly lengthened. The transcription is sometimes adjusted to take this into account and a length mark is inserted after the consonant so we get the transcription as /səmː.ɪlk/. The phenomenon is called gemination (from the Latin gemini , meaning twins). This sort of lengthening occurs most frequently with certain consonants because plosives such as /p/ cannot usually be lengthened. Some examples are: club bar /klʌb.bɑː/ mad demons /mæd.ˈdiː.mənz/ safe fire /seɪf.ˈfaɪə/ big gate /bɪɡ.ɡeɪt/ full label /fʊl.ˈleɪb.l̩/ warm margarine /wɔːm.ˌmɑː.dʒə.ˈriːn/ gin next /dʒɪn.nekst/ car research /kɑː.rɪ.ˈsɜːtʃ/ less sense /les.sens/ mash shop /mæʃ.ʃɒp/ cave visit /keɪv.ˈvɪ.zɪt/ and here we have followed the convention of transcribing both consonants although we are aware that in rapid speech one will not usually be sounded. In some languages, including Arabic, Danish, Estonian, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish and Turkish, consonant lengthening carries meaning so a short or long consonant are independent phonemes. In English, no such meaning attaches to a longer consonant so we are dealing with allophonic differences. The transcription of gemination is also covered in the course on learning to transcribe. It is barely necessary to teach this phenomenon, incidentally, as it is a natural product of connected speech.

Function word reduction occurs when all or part of a function word such as of is elided as in cup of coffee being pronounced cuppa coffee (/kʌpə ˈkɒ.fi/ In many cases the word and is reduced to 'n' as in tea 'n' cakes (/tiː n̩ keɪks/).
Polysyllabic word reduction occurs in our example of library as /ˈlaɪ.bri/ and also in many other longer words such as probably (/ˈprɒbli/), comfortable (/ˈkʌmf.təb.l̩/) etc.
Cluster reduction occurs when a consonant cluster, such as the one at the end of sixths , is simply difficult to pronounce. The result is usually something like /sɪkθs/ or even /sɪkfs/. Learners whose languages do not allow the same clusters as English are often tempted to use cluster reduction inappropriately, for example, pronouncing crisps as /krɪps/ rather than /krɪsps/. For more see the guides to syllables and phonotactics and the guide to teaching troublesome sounds (new tab for both links). It is usually /t/, /d/, /p/ and /k/ which are elided in this respect, so, for example: text message becomes /teks.ˈme.sɪdʒ/ midst becomes /mɪst/ glimpse becomes /ɡlɪms/ and asked can be pronounced /ˈɑːst/. A word that causes persistent problems is clothes because learners feel they should have a go at the consonant cluster at the end /kləʊðz/. In rapid speech, however, the word is often pronounced /kləʊz/ with the elision of the /ð/. If learners always say it that way, they will never be misunderstood and it's a good deal easier for them. The same phenomenon is observable with the unvoiced /θ/ sound so asthma is pronounced as /ˈæ.smə/. Occasionally, elision can become fixed in the language so, for example, the confection now known as ice cream was originally iced cream but the /t/ sound of the letter 'd' was routinely elided and the phrase took on its current spelling. There is some overlap and some debate about whether certain phenomena are examples of assimilation or simple elision. For example, in the table above, we have classified the dropping of the /s/ sound when it precedes /ʃ/ as a case of assimilation. So we get, e.g.: face shape pronounced as /feɪ.ʃeɪp/ rather than /feɪs.ʃeɪp/ At first sight this appears to be a case of elision because the /s/ is not changed, it is omitted entirely. However, there is some evidence that the /ʃ/ sound is lengthened in connected speech so the correct transcription might properly be /feɪsʃ.ʃeɪp/ retaining both instances of the phoneme and clearly constituting a change rather than an omission. We can avoid the debate altogether and simply refer to both phenomena as simplifications, of course. For teaching purposes, a technicality like this is not something on which to dwell.
Adjacent sound elision When the sound at the end of one stretch of language is the same as the one at the beginning of the next item, they are usually reduced to a single sound in connected speech so, for example: I'm meeting Mary is pronounced as: /aɪ.ˈmiːt.ɪŋ.ˈmeər.i/ not /aɪm.ˈmiːt.ɪŋ.ˈmeər.i/ and Don't take that table is pronounced as /dəʊn.teɪk.ðæ.ˈteɪb.l̩/ not /dəʊnt.teɪk.ðæt.ˈteɪb.l̩/ In the transcription here, we have removed the first of the sounds but you can decide whether it is the first or the second which is elided. Speakers are not consistent in this and some will retain both sounds or, when it is possible, as with /m/ to extend the sound slightly. That is not possible with stops such as /t/, /k/ /d/ etc. but occurs with fricatives like /f/ and /s/ and with the nasal sounds. When it happens both phonemes appear in the transcription so, e.g., She makes sandwiches can be transcribed either as /ʃi.ˈmeɪk.ˈsæn.wɪdʒ.ɪz/ or as /ʃi.ˈmeɪks.ˈsæn.wɪdʒ.ɪz/
Full elision We saw above that certain combinations assimilate differently but others can result in the full elision of a sound. This elision affects two sounds in particular, both alveolar stops, /t/ and /d/ and occurs when they fall between two other consonants only. For example. in: host presenter the pronunciation is /həʊs.prɪ.ˈzen.tə/ and the /t/ is elided. band master the pronunciation is /bæn.ˈmɑːst.ə/ and the /d/ is elided. This does not occur invariably and careful speech will reveal the sounds. However, in rapid speech such elisions are common. It is also common for the sounds to be assimilated (see above) rather than elided.

There are more examples of connected speech phenomena in the course on learning to transcribe (new tab).

Of course there's a test .

References: Field, J, 2008, Listening in the Language Classroom , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press O'Brian, P, 1970, Master and Commander , London: Collins Roach, P, 2009, English Phonetics and Phonology: A practical course (4th edition), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Professional development
Knowing the subject

Connected speech 2

An advanced student of mine speaks both clearly and usually correctly, but can often sound over formal and at times stilted.

He has learnt his English "through the eye" and has trouble interpreting the utterances of native speakers who do not monitor their output. His delivery is an attempt at a precise version of every sound. With native speakers, articulatory precision is a stylistic device, a conscious choice if we want to emphasize a point, be insistent or threatening. In normal social interaction though, this is not usually the case and articulatory imprecision is the more natural and functional option.

Aspects of connected speech

Intrusion and linking

Working on connected speech

Integrating work on connected speech

Speech is a continuous stream of sounds, without clear-cut borderlines between them, and the different aspects of connected speech help to explain why written English is so different from spoken English.

So, what is it that native speakers do when stringing words together that causes so many problems for students?

When two vowel sounds meet, we tend to insert an extra sound which resembles either a / j /, / w / or / r / , to mark the transition sound between the two vowels, a device referred to as intrusion. For example:

Intruding / r/ The media / r /are to blame. Law(r)and order.
Intruding / j / I / j / agree. They / j /are here!
Intruding / w/ I want to/ w /eat. Please do/ w /it.

Word boundaries involving a consonant and a vowel are also linked, as we tend to drag final consonants to initial vowels or vice versa. For example:

Get on. ( geton )
Not at all. ( notatall )
It´s no joke. ( snow joke )

As I have mentioned, a native speaker's aim in connecting words is maximum ease and efficiency of tongue movement when getting our message across. In minimizing our efforts, we weaken our articulation. If articulation is weakened too much, the sound may disappear altogether, a process known as elision. It is the vowels from unstressed syllables which are the first to be elided in non-precise pronunciation.

int(e)rest,
diff(e)rent,
chris(t)mas
san(d)wich The same process can occur across word boundaries, for example,
the firs(t) three
you an(d) me
we stopp(ed) for lunch
you shouldn´t (h)ave
tell (h)im.

If your learners have not worked on these forms before, you might wish to set some lesson time aside to work specifically on these features of connected speech. One way of introducing them to sound deletions could be to write a few short phrases on the board. For example:

That´s an interesting idea.
Are you coming out tonight?
It´s the tallest building.
You must tell him.

Try if possible to use language you have recently been working on in the classroom. Then ask the class to count the number of sounds in each word, and write the numbers which they give you on the board above the words, like this:

Now play a recording of the phrases, or read them yourself, and ask the learners to listen again and write down how many sounds they hear. Prompt them if necessary, asking if, for example, the "t" is really pronounced twice between "must" and "tell" , or only once.

Drill the phrases then ask the students to practise these phrases themselves. You could also read out the phrases, once using the elided forms, then again in a more clipped, emphatic manner.
Ask the learners which sounds more natural. Highlight that the features of connected speech not only make the phrase more natural sounding but that it is also easier to pronounce the words in this way.

Exercises like this help to show learners the differences between written and spoken English, and they highlight the importance of listening to words rather than relying on their written forms. Integrating work on connected speech

It is a good idea to try and integrate work on connected speech into everyday lessons. When studying grammar for example, don't focus solely on the form of the words, draw attention to the way they are pronounced in natural conversation.

The Nile is the longest river in the world.
The Vatican is the smallest country in the world.
Ask the students to listen to the sounds while you repeat the phrases a few times and see if they can spot the disappearance of the " t " on the superlative adjective.
Drill the phrases, chorally and individually. Students might like to write their own general knowledge quiz, using questions such as, "Which is the tallest building in the world?".
As they read their questions, make sure they elide the final "t" (unless of course, the next word begins with a vowel). Such exercises provide practice of both grammatical form and pronunciation, and the repetition helps students to begin using these features of connected speech in a natural manner.

Anything which you have recently been working on in class can be used as a basis for pronunciation work. For example, a useful way of practising the intruding sounds / r /, / w / and / j / is when studying phrasal verbs.

Do / w / up lay / j / up Go / w / away Go / w / out

Drill the verbs chorally and individually before providing a more personalized practice activity in which students ask each other questions using the verbs you are focusing on.

Phrasal verbs can also be used to show how we tend to link final consonants and initial vowels across word boundaries.

Get out ( getout ) Put on ( puton ) Come out ( cumout )

Students often find pronunciation work fun and stimulating, as well as valuable. However, they will need time and confidence in order to assimilate the features of connected speech and to make them their own. Research does suggest though, that by simply drawing students' attention to these forms, you are giving them considerable help towards making sense of the language they hear.

Speak More Fluently with Connected Speech

Connected speech is a vital aspect of American English that is often overlooked by non-native speakers. It refers to the way in which English speakers link words together in a sentence, rather than pronouncing each word as a separate unit.

This can be achieved through various techniques, such as elision, assimilation, and liaison. In this article, we will explore the importance of using connected speech in American English, and how it can help learners to improve their pronunciation and fluency.

One of the main benefits of connected speech is that it can make your speech sound more natural and fluent.

When we speak in everyday conversation, we don't pause between every word or syllable, as this would sound robotic and unnatural. Instead, we link words together to create a smooth and flowing rhythm.

By using connected speech, learners can make their English sound more authentic and less robotic.

Pronunciation & Intonation

Another advantage of connected speech is that it can help to clarify the meaning of a sentence. English is a stress-timed language, which means that certain syllables in a word are stressed more than others.

In connected speech, these stressed syllables often become even more pronounced, which can help the listener to understand which words are most important in a sentence.

By using connected speech, learners can emphasize the right words to convey their intended meaning.

Comprehension

Connected speech can also help learners to understand native speakers more easily. When we listen to someone speaking, our brains don't process each individual word in isolation.

Instead, we use context and our knowledge of connected speech patterns to fill in the gaps and understand what is being said.

By learning to use connected speech in their own speech, learners can better understand the speech of native speakers, as well as communicate more effectively with them.

Where to Start

Of course, learning to use connected speech correctly can be challenging, particularly for non-native speakers.

It can feel overwhelming because there are many different aspects of connected speech to master. I recommend starting with the linking and blending techniques below.

Linking: Consonant + Vowel

Linking is a technique used in connected speech where two words are pronounced together without a pause in between them.

The last consonant sound of one word is linked to the first vowel sound of the next word. This creates a smooth and natural flow of speech, making it sound more like how native speakers talk.

For example, in the phrase "goal is" the "l" sound in "goal" is linked to the "i" sound in "is" making it sound like "ɡoʊ-lɪz."

Blending: Consonant + Consonant

Blending is a technique used in connected speech, where we combine two or more consonant sounds from different words, to make it sound more fluent and natural.

For example, in "phone number," instead of pronouncing the "n" sound in "phone" and "number" separately, we blend them together and say it as one sound, "fəʊ-nʌm-bər."

These techniques are commonly used to improve fluidity, reduce awkward pauses and make your speech sound more natural.

This is why connected speech is an essential aspect of American English and will help you to improve you pronunciation and fluency.

Join our Monthly Masterclasses here to learn more advanced American pronunciation.

How to Answer Behavioral Job Interview Questions

How to answer behavioral questions about dealing with conflict.

Connected Speech

An Introduction to Punctuation
Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

Connected speech is spoken language in a continuous sequence, as in normal conversation . It is also called connected discourse. There is often a significant difference between the way words are pronounced in isolation and the way they are pronounced in the context of connected speech. In connected speech, words or syllables are clipped, phrases are run together, and words are stressed differently than they would be in writing.

Deletion of Sounds in Connected Speech

One of the characteristics of connected speech is the deletion or clipping of sounds that occurs when words run together. For example, "want to" can become "wanna", "going to" can become "gonna" , " rock and roll" can become " rock 'n' roll" , and "them" can become "'em" or "'dem" in connected speech. These are very informal usages of common words that most often occur in casual conversation, so they would probably not be present in formal speech or writing.

Author Rachael-Anne Knight goes into detail about the mechanics of connected speech processes (CSP) in Phonetics: A Coursebook:

"They occur at the edges of words since this is where words 'meet' in sentences.
Connected speech processes are optional...
We can think of [connected speech processes] affecting sounds at the phonemic level rather than the allophonic level. When /t/ or /d/ or /h/ is elided, for example, we do not find that a different allophone occurs; we simply find that the phoneme is lost altogether," (Knight 2012).

Knight also notes that connected speech can cause confusion or misunderstanding when words and sounds are changed or lost.

Challenges for Non-Native Speakers

Confusion about meaning in connected speech is especially common for non-native speakers listening to native speakers talk. Anyone learning a foreign language needs practice listening to it being spoken naturally, but learners of English have a difficult time picking out individual words from connected speech because words are so often slurred.

Native speakers take many verbal shortcuts in ordinary conversation that wouldn't be present in written English, and switching between written and spoken English takes getting used to when it isn't your first language.

These challenges are not exclusive to English. In Spanish, many words begin and end in vowels and these tend to meld together in speech. The polite greeting ¿Cómo está? (How are you?) often sounds like ¿Cóm stá? when spoken, with little to no pause between the words.

When speaking to someone who isn't a native speaker, enunciation is helpful. You can also help them to understand you by speaking more slowly and pausing slightly between each word.

Stress Patterns in Connected Speech

In English, the stress pattern of a word is generally influenced by its context. Because of this, even native speakers may pronounce the same word differently, as is often the case in British vs. American English. Connected speech complicates the use of stress by relocating it from one word to another.

Author Peter Roach illustrates stress in connected speech in Phonology : A Practical Course:

"An aspect of connected speech...is that the stress on a final-stressed compound tends to move to a preceding syllable and change to secondary stress if the following word begins with a strongly stressed syllable. Thus... bad-'tempered but a bad-tempered 'teacher half-'timbered but a half-timbered 'house heavy-'handed but a heavy-handed 'sentence" (Roach 2009).

People writing metered poetry, such as iambic pentameter in sonnets, have to pay attention to where the stresses fall on words in their lines in order to correctly work within the constraints of the form. People speaking metered poetry will probably use stress however it sounds most natural in connected speech.

Definition and Examples of Word Boundaries
Definition and Examples of English Pronunciation
Assimilation in Speech
How To Stress Syllables in Japanese Pronunciation
Phonological Segments
Understanding English Pronunciation Concepts
What Are Phonological Words?
What Is a Phoneme?
What Is a Syllable in the English Language?
What Is Stress in Speech?
English Pronunciation Practice
How to Stress Syllables in English
Is Spanish Spoken Faster than English?
Definition and Examples of Corpora in Linguistics
How to Pronounce More Than 2,500 Words in French
Grapheme: Letters, Punctuation, and More

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3.6: Connected Speech

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Page ID 63741

Brittany Zemlick
Grossmont College

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In this section, you will learn about four rules of connected speech. You have already seen some of these rules in previous units, so some of this information may be review.

Linking: Final Consonant to Beginning Vowel

Rules to remember, rules to remember: linking final consonant to beginning vowel.

When a word with a final consonant is followed by a word beginning with a vowel, link the consonant to the vowel in the next word. Why?

The final consonant will be easier to say.
Your speech will sound more natural.
This will improve your listening skills because you will start to hear when native speakers link consonants to vowels.
them all ------> thə-mall
an apple -----> a-napple
walk away ----> wal-kəway

Listening Practice

Listen to these sentences from the interview with Andy in Unit 2. Pay attention to the words in bold. Notice that the final consonant attaches to the beginning vowel of the next word. The pronunciation of the words in bold is written to the right of each sentence. Listening - Sentences from Unit 2.m4a

I’d like to ask you some questions if that’s ok? = question -sif
Tell me a little bit about yourself. = bi-təbout
I live in San Diego. =li-vin
I have a younger brother and an older sister. =an-dən
I work outside on the farming plots. =outsi-don
What do you like about your job? =li-kəbout

Linking Practice

Listen to the short conversations. Draw a link from the underlined sounds to the vowel in the next word. Linking Practice.m4a

a. Where do you live? b. I li v e in San Diego.
a. What do you li k e about your job? b. I like working outsi d e in the sun.
a. Do you ha v e any pets? b. I don't ow n a pet.
a. Do you like to ge t u p early? b. No, I prefer to stay up late.
a. Do you eat meat? b. No, I avoi d eating meat.

Recording: Linking Final Consonant to Beginning Vowel

Practice the conversations above with a partner. When you're ready, record yourself reading each of the conversations. Remember to link the final consonant vowel to the next word.

Linking: Final Consonant to the Same Consonant

Rules to remember: linking consonant to consonant.

When a word that ends with a consonant sound is followed by the same (or similar) consonant sound in the next word, you only say that sound once. Look at the examples below.

bla ck coffee ----> blakoffee
o ne night ----> wonight
weathe r report ----> weatherəport

Listen and repeat the phrases in the box below. Listening Practice - Linking Consonant to Consonant .m4a

Listen and repeat the phrases.

black coffee some more need to good day

bus stop sit down book club gas station

Complete the sentences using the phrases from above.

Thanks for coming. Have a _______________.
I’m going to a _________________ meeting today. I love reading.
I’m going to stop at the _____________ before I go to work.
I ____________ go to the store.
I like to drink my coffee with milk, but my husband prefers ______________.
Can I have ______________ cake please? It’s so good!
Please __________________ The show will begin soon.
The bus was very late. We had to wait at the ________________ all morning.

Recording: Linking Consonant to Consonant

Listen to each of the sentences and repeat them with a partner. When you're ready, make a recording of yourself reading the sentences. Remember to link the phrases that end and begin with the same consonant sound. Linking Consonant to Consonant .m4a

Review: Linking Final Consonant to Beginning Vowel & Final Consonant to Same Consonant

Watch the video: connected speech and linking - elemental english.

Answer the Questions

After you watch the video, answer the questions below. Choose True or False.

Check your Answers

Query $\pageindex{1}$, linking and sound change: /t/ = /d/, rules to remember: linking and sound change /t/ = /d//.

When the /t/ sound comes between two vowels, it sounds like a quick /d/.

matter ----> madder
a lot of ----> əloddə

Listening Practice: Changing /t/ to /d/

Listen to the conversations. Write the missing words on the line to complete each sentence. Each word or phrase has a /t/ sound between two vowels, so it sounds like a /d/. Remember to spell the words and phrases correctly. Changing t to d.m4a

Recording: Changing /t/ to /d/

Practice the conversations with a partner. When you're ready, record yourself reading each of the conversations. Remember to change the /t/ sound to a /d/ sound when the /t/ sound is between two vowels.

a. I’m going to a party and Saturday. Do you want to come? b. No, thanks. I have a lot of homework to do.
a. What are you doing? b. I’m writing a letter to my aunt. She doesn’t use email.
a. Would you like butter on your toast or just jam? b. Just a little butter, please.
a. Did you meet the new boss? b. No, I’m meeting her this afternoon.
a. Would you like water or soda to drink? b. Just a water bottle, please, but with a lot of ice.
a. Could you get the door please? b. Wait a minute.

Linking and Sound Change: Final /d/ + /y/

Rules to remember: linking and sound change final /d/ + /y/.

When the /d/ sound (as in "did") comes before the /j/ sound (as in "you"), it becomes a /ʤ/ sound (as in "juice.")

did you ----> diʤə
read you ----> reaʤər

Watch the Video: Transforming d + y in English Pronunciation - Elemental English

Listening Practice: d + y

Listen. Complete the sentences with the missing words. Listening Practice d + y.m4a

Recording: Connected Speech

Practice the questions with a partner. When you're ready, record yourself reading each of the questions. Remember to change the d + y to a /ʤ/ sound.

Where did you grow up?
Would you help me please?
Did you go?
Could you close the window?
They called you yesterday.
Did you hear what I said?
Would you like tea or coffee?

Features of Connected Speech

Do you want to learn more about American English sounds? You’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we discuss everything you need to know, starting with the basics.

Aspects of american english pronunciation

What connected speech is, aspects of connected speech.

Teaching pronunciation used to involve little more than identifying and practising the sounds of which a language is composed, that is to say, its phonemes.

Recently however, there has been a shift of focus towards the other systems operating within phonology, which may be more important in terms of overall intelligibility.

What connected speech is
How this affects native and non-native speakers

Working on weak forms

So what is it that we do when stringing words together that causes so many problems for students?

There are a large number of words in English which can have a "full" form and a "weak" form. This is because English is a stressed timed language, and in trying to make the intervals between stressed syllables equal, to give the phrase rhythm, we tend to swallow non-essential words. Thus, conjunctions, pronouns, prepositions, auxiliaries and articles are often lost, causing comprehension problems for students, particularly for those whose language is syllable timed. Some examples of words which have weak forms are

fish and chips (fish´n chips) a chair and a table (a chair ´n a table)

She can speak Spanish better than I can (The first "can" is the weak form, the second the full form.)

A pint of beer That´s the last of the wine!

Have you finished? (weak) Yes, I have. (full)

Well, you should have told me. (Both "should" and "have" are weak here)

The relevance of certain features of connected speech to students' needs is often debated. However, this is not the case with weak forms. Learners must come to not only recognise and cope with the weak forms they hear, but also to use them themselves when speaking English. If they do not their language will sound unnatural and over formalised, with too many stressed forms making it difficult for the listener to identify the points of focus. This, the degree to which connected speech contributes towards "naturalness" or "intelligibility", is a useful starting point from which to measure the value to students of the different features of connected speech.

Here are some ways in which we can attempt to help our students with weak forms.

How many words do you hear?

Play a short dialogue, or a group of sentences, and ask students to listen and write down the number of words they hear. Go over each phrase to check whether they could identify all the words and then to see if they can accurately produce what they heard. Contrast the weak or natural version with the full version, pointing out that the full version is often more difficult to pronounce.

Unnatural speech

Activities built around "unnatural speech" are an enjoyable way of working on weak forms and rhythm. To obtain "unnatural speech", record someone reading a sentence as if it were just a list of words. A good way of doing this is to put the words onto flash cards, and to reveal one at a time, so the reader gives each word its full pronunciation.

When you have a few sentences, play them several times to the students, who should then work in pairs to try to make the speech more natural sounding. They can then either use graphics to show the points they would change, or take turns reading out their different versions, or record themselves using a more natural pronunciation. Conduct a general feedback session at the end of the activity, discussing reasons for the changes the groups have made.

Integrating

Integrate weak forms into grammar work. If practising "going to" for example, the teacher can write on the board examples such as:

Go on holiday
Earn more money

Ask different students to read these phrases as a sentence with "going to". Listen for and highlight the weak form of "to" before the consonant sounds, and the "full" form of "to" with the linking "w" sound before the vowel.

Pronunciation work should be seen as an integral part of what goes on in the classroom. Try not to fall into the text book trap of dividing language up into isolated chunks. One lesson on grammar, the next on vocabulary, then pronunciation and so on. All language, like speech, is connected, and students will benefit from learning the weak forms and stress patterns of new words from the start, rather than in a remedial lesson months later.

Raising student's awareness of these forms, whenever they arise, is the first step towards helping your learners to speak a little more naturally. Even if they do not assimilate these forms at first, "...in many cases, the simple awareness of their existence can help enormously in enabling students to better understand the language they hear." (Gerald Kelly- "How to Teach Pronunciation.")

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Eriberto Do Nascimento

Eriberto Do Nascimento has Ph.D. in Speech Intelligibility and Artificial Intelligence and is the founder of English Phonetics Academy

English connected speech – listening exercises.

Understanding the rules of connected speech in British English will help with your listening skills when listening to British native speakers. These exercises will reinforce what you have learnt so far about how we use connected speech in British English.

In the previous blog posts, we looked at when H is not pronounced and the words are connected up. If you want to read those posts again start here .

Look at the following sentence.

Where is he?

Which sounds do you think will not be pronounced? Which words do you think will be linked up?

Read the sentence out loud multiple times and link the words up, don’t pronounce the h at the beginning of he .

Say the sentence slowly and then repeat it faster and faster so that you have to connect the words together.

The r of whe r e joins up with is and the H of he disappears.

When you repeat this faster and faster can you hear how the words connect together?

After you have said this phrase out loud, faster and faster, listen to me doing this exercise.

You do not need to do this in your own speech but if you want to understand British native speakers when they are chatting informally you need to be able to recognise these pronouns when they don’t pronounce the h in these words and the word is blended to the previous word. To give you more practice when natural spoken English I have made some listening exercises.

Listen to the following sound file and write down what you hear.

In informal spoken British English the h in pronouns is often not pronounced and the rest of the word joins up with the last consonant of the previous word eg Where is he? sounds like whe -riz-e

Click here for the transcript and the explanation of the connected speech.

Where is he? Is he in his office? Jane wants to meet him later. Tell him to call her when he gets back.

Let’s look at what happens here.

Where is h e?

Is h e in h is office?

Jane wants to meet h im later. Tell h im to call h er when h e gets back.

Listen to the sound file. I repeat the same phrase twice. Write down what you hear.

Did he tell her I’ll meet her later?

Did h e tell h er I’ll meet h er later?

When the h disappears it sounds like:

dide teller I’ll meeter later

Write down what you can hear in this sound file.

Let me know in the comments which words you can hear.

Would he want to come too?

Would h e wan t to come too?

When the h of he is not pronounced Would he sounds like the name Woody. Want to when spoken quickly sounds like wanna. If you want to read more about this click here .

Listen to this sound file and write down what you hear. Let me know in the comments what sounds you can hear.

Tell him I’ll get him a ticket for the football match on Saturday.

You do not need to speak in this way, but you do need to be able to recognise the sound of these words when British speakers do this.

What do you think about these exercises on connected speech? Are they helpful?

Let me know in the comments.

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3 thoughts on “ English connected speech – listening exercises. ”

Yes, they are really helpful. Thanks for sharing!

There are lots more connected speech listening exercises on my website.

A lovely breakdown. After doing the phonemic chart & dubbing exercises this is perfect to incorporate into my pronunciation lessons. Thanks a bunch!

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Connected Speech Practice Dialogues (Pronunciation)

ESL Level : upper-intermediate

Class time : 30 minutes

Worksheet Download : File moved to TPT

Description These two dialogues can be used to practice connected speech. Students in pairs first practice their dialogue and then they perform it for another pair. The listening pair fills in the expressions they hear on the worksheet.

Note : This activity has been updated with improved dialogues and an answer key. The new lesson can be found here . I will leave the old lesson below so you can get an idea of the activity.

Detailed Instructions

Put students in pairs . Give one pair the "Pair A" worksheet, and the other pair the "Pair B" worksheet.
Tell the pairs to look at the dialogue on the top half of the sheet (Speaking Part 1). They should try to rewrite it or link the words using the principles of connected speech. Tell them to ignore the Part 2 cloze section below.
After changing the dialogue into connected speech, have them practice it several times.
Once they are ready, put two pairs together (one PairA and one PairB). PairAs will then perform their dialogue, while PairBs listen and write the information into the Part2 cloze section.
When finished, they can confirm their understanding.
Lastly, groups switch roles and the process repeats.

Worksheet Preview

Connected Speech Practice — Pair A

SPEAKING Part 1: Use connected speech to make the below dialogue more efficient. Then practice it with your partner and then read it to another group. They will listen and write in the missing words.

A: What are you doing?

B: Studying. I have a lot of homework. I hate math. I wish I could drop out of school.

A: Well, you have to go because you need to get your diploma.

B: I guess so. Hey, have you seen Benjamin?

A: No. If he's not in his room, then he must have gone out. He could have gone to the park to play basketball. It is a nice day.

B: Okay. I'll look for him there. Later.

LISTENING Part 2: Listen to your partner's dialogue. Write down the words you hear.

A: Hey Jake. ___________________ ?

B: I'm ___________________ upset.

A: Why? ______________________________________?

B: I lent ___________________ bucks to my friend last week. But he still hasn't paid me back.

A: You ___________________ lent money to him. It's not good when money gets between friends.

B: I know. He was ___________________ ___________________ yesterday, but he didn't. He didn't even mention it.

A: I ___________________ ___________________ __________________ about it. Why ___________________ remind him?

B: I guess I ___________________.

Connected Speech Practice — Pair B

A: Hey Jake. How are you?

B: I'm kind of upset.

A: Why? What's the matter?

B: I lent 100 bucks to my friend last week. But he still hasn't paid me back.

A: You shouldn't have lent money to him. It's not good when money gets between friends.

B: I know. He was supposed to pay me back yesterday, but he didn't. He didn't even mention it.

A: I bet you he has forgotten about it. Why don't you remind him?

B: I guess I have to.

A: _____________________________ _________ doing?

B: Studying. I have ___________________ homework. I hate math. I wish I could drop out of school.

A: Well, you ___________________ go ___________________ you need to get your diploma.

B: I guess so. Hey, ___________________ seen Benjamin?

A: No. If he's not in his room, then he ___________________ out. He ___________________ to the park to play basketball. It is a nice day.

- Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com

Friends' Video (Connected Speech)

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7 comments on “ Connected Speech Practice Dialogues (Pronunciation) ”

It is great !i got more knowledge from here

This is great! Thanks a lot for sharing your work :)

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Thanks so much!!!

Thank you for this. I can get a lot of practice out of these 2 dialogues.

Connectors in English: How to Use Them

Are your essays in English marked poorly despite your grammatically correct sentences?

Have you ever been told that your paragraphs don’t connect to each other even though they talk about the same topic?

This is where English connectors come in—a.k.a., the words I’ve marked in bold above!

Today, I’m going to talk about what connectors in English are, the most common ones you’ll come across and how to practice them.

Once you’re done with this article, I hope you’ll agree that these words and phrases are simply magical!

What Are English Connectors?

English connectors for cause and effect, english connectors for illustration, english connectors for emphasis, english connectors for comparison, english connectors for contrast, english connectors for sequence, english connectors for conclusion, tips for practicing english connectors, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

English connectors are little words and phrases that help you connect sentences, paragraphs and ideas. Used both in spoken and written English, they help make your English sound more logical and structured.

You can think of connectors as like the thread that holds a necklace’s beads (i.e. sentences, paragraphs and ideas) together.

In fact, you probably already use them without even realizing it!

Note that English connectors are different from English conjunctions . While conjunctions link two or more words or clauses within a sentence, connectors establish that two separate sentences or ideas are related to each other.

To help you understand further, I’m going to walk you through some of the most common connectors in English and how they’re used. Some are used formally, while others are more casual. Some are even interchangeable —that is, you can use them in place of similar words.

In everyday conversations , we often need to explain things.

Perhaps you were late for school because your car ran out of gas. Or you want to buy chocolates because you want to surprise your mother on her birthday.

Explaining things will be much easier if you throw in these important English connectors.

Let’s take a look at them!

Giving illustrations or examples helps us prove our point and convince other people to believe us. These words help people understand what you’re trying to say and can help them see why you believe what you believe.

While discussing an issue or idea, you may want to focus on a particular point or example. To make the listener understand the importance of that specific idea, you can use the following connectors.

Sometimes, we need to draw attention to certain similarities to make a point or explain something. This is especially important in writing!

To make better comparisons, use the following English connectors.

Sometimes, we need to express different or contradicting ideas side-by-side. Doing this helps the listener or reader focus on important differences and makes them aware of the many sides of a topic.

These connectors are useful when you’re giving step-by-step instructions or listing points.

Finally , how do you let your reader know that you’ve reached the end? (See what I did there?)

There are certain connectors that we usually use during conclusions or when we’ve reached the end of what we wanted to say. When writing or stating conclusions, you usually repeat the most important points.

Here are some quick tips that’ll help you learn English connectors more efficiently.

Make Your Own Sentences

To explain the meanings and uses of different connectors, I’ve provided example sentences for each. However, you’ll remember them much better if you come up with your own examples.

You can start by using connectors in your diary entries, notebooks, essays and the like. Soon, you’ll find yourself using these connectors in everyday speech as well!

Write a Short Story or Essay

To see the huge difference English connectors can make, try writing a paragraph without any connectors and then rewrite it using some of the connectors above. You’ll quickly realize that your sentences will flow better, sound more logical and become easier to understand.

Learn English with Authentic Content

You probably want to speak English like a native (or at least try to). So why not learn from natives? Try watching a speech in English to get a good idea of how these fit together. Look for the ones with transcripts that you can write notes in, maybe even circling all of the connecting terms as you see them.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Do Online Exercises

Finally, to check whether you’ve understood how to use connectors correctly, you can try online exercises from websites that cover English grammar .

For example, the ones on English Daily and English Grammar are pretty short and can be completed in a few minutes.

There’s also ToLearnEnglish , which provides a brief list of common connectors before you solve the exercise, making it a great resource for review.

Now that you know the most commonly-used English connectors, you can use them in sentences and paragraphs with great confidence. Try your hand at some of the exercises I’ve suggested for practice.

So what are you waiting for?

Get out there and start incorporating these useful English connectors into your everyday life!

If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials , as you can see here:

If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.

The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.

learn-english-with-subtitled-television-show-clips

FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.

For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:

learn-conversational-english-with-interactive-captioned-dialogue

FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.

FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.

The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

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Coolidge shares message of self-acceptance at WashU Commencement

Jennifer Coolidge addresses the Class of 2024

Jennifer Coolidge is an award-winning actor, pop culture icon and LGBTQ activist.

And a proud weirdo.

In her Commencement address to the Washington University in St. Louis Class of 2024, Coolidge urged students to dare to be who they want to be.

“I stand before you, a weird person,” Coolidge said. “Respect the need to be something very odd, not what is expected. Get to know yourself. Accept who you are, and love that person because this is the moment. You already are everything you need to be.”

In a 30-minute speech that was slyly funny, painfully raw and delightfully circuitous, Coolidge shared her own journey to radical self-love. Everyone — her worried mother, loser boyfriends and, for too long , herself — believed she was too strange to succeed. But a devastating rejection from “Saturday Night Live” set her on a path to self-acceptance and a string of unforgettable roles in “American Pie,” “Legally Blonde” and “The White Lotus.”

“People wanted the real me, and people want the real you,” Coolidge said.

Coolidge spoke before about 3,400 graduates and their families and friends at the university’s 163rd Commencement May 13 at historic Francis Olympic Field. The day’s events took place against the backdrop of campus protests nationwide about the war in Gaza. WashU’s ceremony proceeded largely without incident. Pro-Palestinian protesters marched on the public sidewalk outside of Francis Field.

“Your messages in every form you’ve chosen to deliver them are powerful and are heard,” Andrew Bursky, chair of the WashU Board of Trustees, told the graduates. “As you move forward in your lives, remember the power your voices have and be thoughtful in how you use them to affect change for greater good.”

Chancellor Andrew D. Martin also acknowledged that recent events have compelled everyone to define and reflect on their core values.

School of Medicine Commencement

Washington University Commencement was held at Francis Field on the Danforth campus, on May 13, 2024. MATT MILLER/WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

At the School of Medicine’s ceremony May 12, bagpipes, flashing cameras and smiling faces ushered in the graduating Class of 2024. Most entered medical school during a global pandemic and with the launch of the Gateway Curriculum, the first overhaul of the school’s program of studies in more than two decades. See stories, photos and more from School of Medicine ceremonies.

“Everything costs something; everyone has a different idea of what they’re willing to pay,” Martin said. “With clarity about what you are willing to sacrifice and what you cannot compromise, difficult decisions become navigable. The discernment between what is sacrosanct and what can bend — without snapping — is crucial for leading a life of principle while remaining effective. The path forward may not be easy, but it has integrity … a life lived authentically and with intention, mindful of the costs, yet unflinching in pursuit of what matters most.”

Martin also urged the audience to acknowledge the core values of others.

“Having wrestled authentically with your values and the costs you’ll bear equips you to extend that same appreciation to others,” Martin said. “You avoid projecting your conception of what matters most, and can be curious about the ideals that shaped another’s path.”

‘We need you’

Coolidge started her speech by thanking whoever chose her as speaker.

“It’s really a way to think outside of the box,” Coolidge said with a laugh.

Coolidge shared that she has always been a little bit strange. As a child, she would overhear her parents’ despair about her future. Because she respected them so, she assumed they were right.

“My mother thought I was not quite normal. She kept on saying things like, ‘What’s to become of Jennifer?’” Coolidge said. “‘Just be normal, Jennifer.’ I heard that so many times. And not being normal, that felt painful. And hearing about it in a Boston accent somehow made it worse.”

(Video: Tom Malkowicz/Washington University)

Coolidge told students that she had no idea who she was or what she wanted to be when she graduated from Emerson College in 1985. She decided to go into acting but wasted most of her time partying. Finally, in her 30s, she found her way to the Groundlings, the Los Angeles improv troupe that has launched the careers of superstars such as Lisa Kudrow, Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. Things were going great. Or so Coolidge thought. After a promising audition for “Saturday Night Live,” her new agent tried to hardball producer Lorne Michaels into a deal. Michaels was not to be cowed.

“A week later I called my agent. The person who answered the phone said, ‘Jennifer, I’m so sorry, but he doesn’t work here anymore. He’s gone back to the family meat business,’” Coolidge dryly recalled. “My golden moment was ruined by this temporary agent. And I couldn’t recover from it.”

But Coolidge pulled herself together, eventually scoring one iconic role after another.

“Somehow being rejected by ‘Saturday Night Live’ eliminated my desperation,” Coolidge said. “And that’s when things really started to happen. It just doesn’t work when you’re trying to force a dream.”

Coolidge closed her speech by celebrating students for their activism and passion and urged them to be brave in their fight to protect the environment, civil and voting rights and the rights of women and the LGBTQ community.

“When I think about your generation and how passionate and vocal you are, it makes me so happy because this is progress,” Coolidge said. “Seriously, we need you. We need your strength. There is war and famine spreading across the world. As you know, protests on campus and across the world, like some you’ve had here, illustrate the need for the voices of brilliant, uniquely nuanced and qualified graduates, like you.”

Read Chancellor Andrew Martin’s message to the Class of 2024.

Read undergraduate student speaker Alejandro Ramirez’s address .

Read graduate student speaker Patricia Maurer’s address .

Comments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.

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Trump's speeches follow a familiar playlist, featuring greatest hits among new tunes

Stephen Fowler

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on May 1 at Avflight Saginaw in Freeland, Mich. Nic Antaya/Getty Images hide caption

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on May 1 at Avflight Saginaw in Freeland, Mich.

In 2024, a Donald Trump campaign speech is many things: a forum to air grievances against his opponents and ongoing criminal proceedings, a safe space to test his popularity among supporters and a lengthy stream of consciousness responding to political news of the day.

A Trump speech also gives insight on how he would govern in a second term if he wins the election this November.

Like a Phish concert but with more grievance, this is what it's like at a Trump rally

The former president's campaign events are surreal to experience: all-day affairs that are equal parts religious revival and massive pep rallies, powered by an infamous musical playlist that runs for hours before he speaks.

It's an eclectic mix of songs that reflects Trump's personal tastes, ranging from Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" to music from Phantom of the Opera to Village People's "Y.M.C.A.," culminating with Lee Greenwood's country classic "God Bless The U.S.A." as he walks on stage to thunderous applause.

It's also helpful to think of what Trump says at these events as its own curated playlist: never the same topics in the same order, heavy on the greatest hits but with plenty of space left for new tracks that riff on what's popular.

Familiar refrains and one-hit wonders

Plenty of Trump's speech is tied to where he is, who he's talking to and how it fits in the political moment.

Picture this: it's the night before the first presidential primary contest, so Trump's remarks in Indianola, Iowa, feature diss tracks against top rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, plus crowd pleasing mentions of tariffs and increased access to ethanol, both topics important to Iowa's farmers.

But there's also plenty of typical Trumpian fare that could've been delivered anywhere:

"These caucuses are your personal chance to score the ultimate victory over all of the liars, cheaters, thugs, perverts, frauds, crooks, freaks, creeps, and other quite nice people," Trump said.

It can be hard for even seasoned observers to track what's new or notable in his speeches. The run time is often more than an hour and can switch tone and topics at random.

Donald Trump's campaign speeches feature familiar attacks against opponents like Joe Biden, plus one off riffs on his policy proposals. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

Donald Trump's campaign speeches feature familiar attacks against opponents like Joe Biden, plus one off riffs on his policy proposals.

Still, there are common threads, including attacks against the array of criminal charges against him, as prosecutors allege everything from election interference to business fraud to mishandling classified documents.

For example, in 15 major speeches reviewed by NPR from this year, Trump says his indictments far outpace the reputation of a notorious gangster: Al Capone — or, as Trump affectionately refers to him, "Alphonse."

"This was the roughest, meanest gangster in history," Trump said at the Black Conservative Federation's gala in Columbia, S.C., earlier this year. "I've been indicted more than Alphonse Capone, Scarface. If he had dinner with you, and if he didn't like the tone of your voice, he would kill you that night. You would never see your family again. You were dead."

At that February event, Trump also mused that his indictments help him appeal to Black voters.

Remixing his favorite tunes

The tone and tenor of Trump's campaign speeches have taken a darker turn in 2024, like in Dayton, Ohio, where he warned of a "bloodbath" for the auto industry if he loses the election. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

The tone and tenor of Trump's campaign speeches have taken a darker turn in 2024, like in Dayton, Ohio, where he warned of a "bloodbath" for the auto industry if he loses the election.

Trump's 2024 campaign speeches have many commonalities — like verses that mock President Joe Biden's age, appearance, activities and actions as president.

"I mean the guy can't put two sentences together, he can't find the stairs to a platform," Trump said in Richmond, Va.

There's also unique riffs that raise eyebrows and make headlines, like the time in Conway, S.C., where Trump said he wouldn't defend some NATO allies against Russia .

"If we don't pay and we're attacked by Russia, will you protect us?" Trump said another NATO leader asked him one time. "'No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want.'"

Republicans play cleanup on aisle Trump after former president's NATO comments

Then, in Dayton, Ohio, Trump warned his defeat could be terrible for the automotive industry.

"If I don't get elected, it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole ... that's going to be the least of it," Trump said. "It's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That'll be the least of it."

As the year has progressed, Trump's rallies have taken a darker, more defiant tone, and his "greatest hits" are increasingly hitting back at groups that he feels have wronged him, or aren't on board with the "Make America Great Again" vision.

In North Carolina and Virginia, Pennsylvania and Nevada to hear Trump tell it, there will be no America unless he is in charge and Biden is vanquished.

"He's a demented tyrant who is trying to destroy our democracy," Trump said of the president in Schnecksville, Pa.

In Las Vegas, Trump told a roaring crowd to think of the 10 worst presidents in American history.

"They would not have done near the destruction to our country as Crooked Joe Biden and the Biden administration have done," he said.

"He's destroying our country," Trump said, echoing his remarks in Pennsylvania.

The hostile phrasing around the promise to implement hardline policies like mass deportations — and expanding the powers of the presidency to punish opponents — is a feature, not a bug, of Trump's campaign message.

It's a message that says the stakes are too high to ignore.

"We will fight for America like no one has ever fought before," he intoned in Greensboro, N.C., as an instrumental with ties to the QAnon movement played underneath. "2024 is our final battle."

While no two rallies are exactly the same, the final notes of a Trump speech are like a catchy political earworm as he vows to make America powerful, wealthy, strong, proud and safe once more, ending with his signature promise to "Make America great again."

Former President Donald Trump and attorney Susan Necheles attend his trial at the Manhattan Criminal court, Tuesday. Less than a week after a pair of campaign rallies, Trump is mandated to be back in court almost everyday, making the Manhattan courtroom his campaign trail stop of necessity. Win MacNamee/AP hide caption

Trump's last two rallies last week were held on the only day of the week his New York trial was not in session. But, in his first stop, he largely avoided talking about that trial that has kept him off the campaign trail .

In front of his biggest fans once again, Trump's verbal playlist in Waukesha, Wis., featured comedic asides, like telling a protester to "Go home to mom!"

Away from his New York trial, Donald Trump's campaign rallies are business as usual

Between his usual comments about closing the southern border, deporting migrants and claiming global conflict would cease if he was in charge, Trump made inflammatory remarks about Palestinian refugees that garnered little media attention .

"Under no circumstances shall we bring thousands of refugees from Hamas-controlled terrorist epicenters like Gaza to America," he said.

Trump reiterated support for a travel ban from Muslim-majority countries, and implied an influx of migrants to the U.S. would lead to a terrorist attack similar to the Oct. 7 attack in Israel.

"We do not need a jihad in the United States of America," he added to cheers from the crowd.

A few hours later, Trump curated a different vibe in Freeland, Mich., making no mention of Gaza. He did, however, give significant airtime to his criminal proceedings and how much they cramped his campaign style.

"As you know, I have come here today from New York City where I'm being forced to sit for days on end in a kangaroo courtroom with a corrupt and conflicted judge enduring a Biden sideshow trial," he said.

And because it's the Trump show, that applause line was soon followed by a familiar refrain.

"Has anyone ever heard of Al Capone? Scarface!" he quipped.

Until the New York hush money trial has wrapped, Trump's main act will be headlining the inside (and outside) of a Manhattan courtroom.

He'll take his show on the road again Saturday in New Jersey, where you can expect familiar tunes, both verbal and musical, like the Sam and Dave song "Hold On, I'm Comin'" that typically ends his rallies.

Immigration
Donald Trump
Alphonse Capone

Justice Alito warns of declining support for freedom of speech on college campuses

Conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Saturday warned that support for freedom of speech is "declining dangerously," especially on college campuses, as part of a commencement address he delivered at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic college in Ohio.

His remarks appeared to reference unrest at various college campuses around the country arising from protests against Israel's military operations in Gaza.

“Right now in the world outside this beautiful campus, troubled waters are slamming against some of our most fundamental principles," Alito said.

"Support for freedom of speech is declining dangerously," he added, especially on college campuses, where the exchange of ideas should be most protected.

"Very few colleges live up to that ideal. This place is one of them … but things are not that way out there in the broader world," Alito said.

But Alito's support for free speech has its limits — he was a notable sole dissenter when the Supreme Court in 2011 ruled 8-1 that members of the conservative Westboro Baptist Church had a free speech right to picket the funeral of a military veteran.

"Our profound national commitment to free and open debate is not a license for the vicious verbal assault that occurred in this case," he wrote in dissent.

Alito, who is Catholic, has frequently raised the alarm about freedom of religion being under attack and has often voted in favor of expanding religious rights.

"Freedom of religion is also imperiled," he told the graduating students. "When you venture out into the world, you may well find yourself in a job, or community or a social setting when you will be pressured to endorse ideas you don’t believe, or to abandon core beliefs. It will be up to you to stand firm."

The Supreme Court is poised in the coming weeks to issue major rulings on a series of contentious issues including abortion, gun rights and whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Alito, the author of the 2022 ruling that overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade, is one of several justices making public appearances while the court prepares its rulings.

On Friday, fellow conservative Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at a judicial conference in Alabama, where he decried the "nastiness and the lies" he has faced.

He and his wife, conservative political activist Ginni Thomas, have both been in the spotlight in recent years. He has been accused of failing to follow ethics rules, while she was criticized for backing Trump's effort to challenge election results.

At another judicial conference in Texas, conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said Friday that Supreme Court rulings that are unpopular when issued can later become part of the "fabric of American constitutional law."

Lawrence Hurley covers the Supreme Court for NBC News.

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👉 Linking Words: List of Sentence Connectors in English with Examples
Connectors and Example Sentences in English
👉 Linking Words: List of Sentence Connectors in English with Examples
Connect your ideas when speaking
👉 Linking Words: List of Sentence Connectors in English with Examples
Useful Linking Words for Writing Essay in English

VIDEO

Linking sound
American English Connected Reading ｜Shopping
Connected Speech
Connect Your Speech: Introduction
Difficult Connected Speech in the English Language
The Power of Connection: Reacting to Oprah's Commencement Speech

COMMENTS

Connected Speech In English: What It Is And How To Learn It
5. Geminates. Geminates are a doubled or long consonant sound. In connected speech, when a first word ends with the same consonant sound that the next word begins with, we often put the sounds together and elongate them. For example: "single ladies" turns into "single-adies". "social life" turns into "social-ife".
The Complete Guide to Connected Speech and Linking in English
Learn how to use connected speech, more specifically, how we connect vowels together in sentences using the sounds /w/, /j/, and /r/ in this full text analys...
Connected Speech: What Is It And How Do You Use It?
Schwa, represented in phonemic transcription by the symbol /ə/, is the most common vowel sound in English. (Fun fact: The name comes from the Hebrew words for "nothingness.") It's the easiest vowel sound to make, as it's essentially the sound of the English filler word "uh.". To make it, you just relax your jaw, tongue, and lips ...
5 Connected Speech Secrets for Fast Native English Pronunciation
Catenation or Linking. Catenation, or Linking is probably what most people think of first when they think of connected speech. Linking happens when the end of one word blends into another. When the last sound of a word is a consonant and the first sound of the next word is a vowel, you get linking. For example: I want this orange -> thisorange
The 4 Secrets to Speaking Quickly & Fluently
Do you want to know how to use connected speech to speak quickly and fluently in British English? This video will teach you how to use assimilation, catenati...
5 Features of Connected Speech
5 Features of Connected Speech. A look at assimilation, elision, delayed plosion, catenation and intrusion in connected speech. Keith Taylor. Updated 25 April, 2024. Home / TEFL A-Z. In spoken discourse the boundaries between words are very often not clear-cut. Words and sounds are lost and linked together in different ways to enable us to ...
Connected speech
Connected speech. Teaching pronunciation used to involve little more than identifying and practising the sounds of which a language is composed, that is to say, its phonemes. Recently however, there has been a shift of focus towards the other systems operating within phonology, which may be more important in terms of overall intelligibility.
Connected speech in English: How to use it to sound even clearer
Connected speech is the idea of connecting words together within the same thought group or unit inside the sentence. Let's take, for example, the sentence 'You already know what I think about it'. So, without connected speech, meaning if I separate the words intentionally, or unintentionally, sometimes, this is what you're going to hear.
CONNECTED SPEECH in English (Full Course)
In this video tutorial, you'll learn how to speak in connected speech in English (it's a full course) - everything you need to know in 60 minutes! It include...
ELT Concourse: connected speech
Connected Speech phenomena occur where words meet. The first distinction to get clear is that of the pronunciation of a word in isolation and in a stream of speech. For example, if you read the words on this list aloud, one at a time, you will probably be pronouncing them in what is called their 'canonical', 'citation' or 'isolation' form.
Connected speech 2
Connected speech 2. An advanced student of mine speaks both clearly and usually correctly, but can often sound over formal and at times stilted. Author. Vanessa Steele. He has learnt his English "through the eye" and has trouble interpreting the utterances of native speakers who do not monitor their output.
Speak More Fluently with Connected Speech
Linking: Consonant + Vowel. Linking is a technique used in connected speech where two words are pronounced together without a pause in between them. The last consonant sound of one word is linked to the first vowel sound of the next word. This creates a smooth and natural flow of speech, making it sound more like how native speakers talk.
Connected Speech: Definition and Examples
Connected speech is spoken language in a continuous sequence, as in normal conversation.It is also called connected discourse. There is often a significant difference between the way words are pronounced in isolation and the way they are pronounced in the context of connected speech. In connected speech, words or syllables are clipped, phrases are run together, and words are stressed ...
BBC World Service
See Radio Programme 1. Linking 'r'. In standard British English (RP) the letter 'r' after a vowel sound at the end of word is often not pronounced. However, when the following word begins with a ...
BBC Learning English
See Radio Programme 1. Linking 'r'. In standard British English (RP) the letter 'r' after a vowel sound at the end of word is often not pronounced. However, when the following word begins with a ...
3.6: Connected Speech
English speakers use connected speech because they want to make themselves difficult to understand. True. False. English speakers use connected speech because it allows them to speak efficiently and with rhythm. True. False. When we speak, we connect the final consonant of a word to the vowel of the next word.
Features of Connected Speech
All language, like speech, is connected, and students will benefit from learning the weak forms and stress patterns of new words from the start, rather than in a remedial lesson months later. Raising student's awareness of these forms, whenever they arise, is the first step towards helping your learners to speak a little more naturally.
English Connected Speech Listening Exercises
Understanding the rules of connected speech in British English will help with your listening skills when listening to British native speakers. These exercises will reinforce what you have learnt so far about how we use connected speech in British English. In the previous blog posts, we looked at when H is not pronounced and the words are ...
Connected Speech Practice Dialogues (Pronunciation) ESL
ESL Level: upper-intermediate. Class time: 30 minutes. Worksheet Download: File moved to TPT. Description These two dialogues can be used to practice connected speech. Students in pairs first practice their dialogue and then they perform it for another pair. The listening pair fills in the expressions they hear on the worksheet.
Connectors in English: How to Use Them
English connectors are little words and phrases that help you connect sentences, paragraphs and ideas. Used both in spoken and written English, they help make your English sound more logical and structured. You can think of connectors as like the thread that holds a necklace's beads (i.e. sentences, paragraphs and ideas) together.
Connected speech in English
Join My English Mindset and transform the way you think and feel about your English: https://bit.ly/3WdR0r1👉Join the list for my program New Sound where you...
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Philippine English in the political speeches of President Rodrigo
This paper considers the years before Duterte became President and analyses his language practices in some of his campaign speeches. Using Davis's Lapu-Lapu Factor as a lens, I attempt to trace how Duterte has successfully weaponised his brand of English, heavily textured by his heritage language Davao Bisaya, to win votes in the national ...
Backlash from DEI programs fueled hate speech at city meeting in Oregon
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What to expect in a Trump rally speech: attacks, ad libs and America's
Trump's speeches follow a familiar playlist, featuring greatest hits among new tunes. Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on May 1, 2024 at Avflight Saginaw in Freeland, Michigan ...
Justice Alito warns of declining support for freedom of speech on
But Alito's support for free speech has its limits — he was a notable sole dissenter when the Supreme Court in 2011 ruled 8-1 that members of the conservative Westboro Baptist Church had a free ...