Good Morning !
Connected Speech
When speaking, Americans connect – or “link” –
the end of one word with the beginning of the
next word.
Not every word is linked, since it is sometimes
necessary to pause. But more often than not,
this “strategy” is used.
Together with reduced forms of speech, this
allows us to speak more smoothly and fluently.
Linking Consonant to Vowel
Rule 1:
When a word ends
in 2 consonants
and . . .
the next word begins
with a vowel
then . . .
Left
it
Linking Consonant to Vowel
Rule 1:
the 2nd consonant
(in this case, a “t”)
Lef t
. . . is pronounced
with the next word
it
Left it
sounds like
Lef dit
“Where’s your textbook?”
“I left it in my dorm room.”
Send it
sounds like
Sen dit
“Please send it to me as soon as
possible.”
Camp out
sounds like
Cam pout
“Do you want to camp out this
weekend?”
Hold on
sounds like
Hole don
“Hold on for dear life!”
Linking Consonant to Vowel
Rule 2:
When a word ends
in 1 consonant
and . . .
the next word begins
with a vowel
then . . .
Is
it?
Linking Consonant to Vowel
Rule 2:
The consonant is
pronounced with
both words.
Is it?
Isit?
“Is it time for lunch yet?”
“Try to keep up with me”
Step it up.
Step on it.
Get a move on.
All three of these expressions mean:
Hurry! Go Faster! Move Faster!
Step on it comes from driving a car, and
“stepping” on the gas pedal to speed up.
Hey! Step it up with your work.
We’re walking too slowly.
We’d better step on it, or
we’ll be late for class!
We had1 better get a move on, otherwise
we’ll never finish this project.
In spoken English, “had” is often omitted in these types of
sentences. It sounds grammatically incorrect, but in casual
language, it’s acceptable.
1
Practice
Fill in the blanks with verbs
ending in 1 or 2 consonants.
it in.
out.
it down.
at me.
over here.
up.
about it.
Practice
Fill in the blanks with verbs
ending in 1 or 2 consonants.
Stuff it in.
Put it down.
Get out.
Look at me.
Hold up.
Think about it.
Stand over here.
Analyze the following sentence:
If I were you, I’d think about it for a while
before doing anything impulsive1.
First, how would you break up this sentence into
“chunks” so you could make it more manageable
for practicing?
Impulsive – an adjective, meaning to do something without
thinking about it first – being hasty and careless.
1
Idea #1:
If I were you, I’d think about it for a while
before doing anything impulsive.
1. If I were you,
2. I’d think about it
3. for awhile
4. before doing
5. anything impulsive.
Idea #2:
If I were you, I’d think about it for a while
before doing anything impulsive.
1. If I were you,
2. I’d think about it for a while
3. before doing anything impulsive.
Second, where would you use
connected speech and reduced forms of
speech so you could say the sentence
smoothly?
1. If I were you,
Connect the “f” & “I”
Connect the “d” & “t”
Connect the “t” & “i”
2. I’d think about it
Connect the “k” & “a”
Reduce “for” to “fer”
3. for a while
Connect the “r” & “a”
Very lightly link the “g”
to the “a” in “anything”
4. before doing
5. anything impulsive.
Very lightly link the “g” & “i”