Shadowing Practice: American English Pronunciation: The Stop T - Learn English Speaking with Video
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I'm excited for you because in this video, you're gonna perfect one of the main consonant sounds in the American English accent,
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and it's a sound you might not even know about.
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I'm talking about the stop T.
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The trick is, it's actually not a sound.
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There's no sound.
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The air stops, and that's why it's called a stop T, but it's different from leaving the T out.
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And it's easy to hear when we slow it down.
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Listen to this.
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The word is outdoors and it's in slow motion.
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You'll hear two separate distinct parts.
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Outdoors.
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Let's look at the volume of the word.
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outdoors.
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Do you see this blank spot?
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No sound.
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That's the stop of air, the stop T.
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Outdoors.
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Outdoors.
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So if this stop T is no sound, isn't that the same thing as no T?
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And if that's true, what's the difference between fly, which has no T, and flight,
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that ends in a stop T but has all the same sounds.
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By the way, this is the symbol for the stop T in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
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Fly.
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flight They don't sound the same, do they?
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But we're not hearing a tt sound.
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We're not hearing that release flight.
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Flight.
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There's no T, but it sounds different from fly, which has the same sounds but no T.
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Let's compare them again.
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Fly.
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flight fly flight.
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So the difference is in how the sound before the T sounds, in fly.
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Fly.
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Fly.
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Pitch goes up and then it comes back down.
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Fly.
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It sort of tapers off.
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But in the word flight, flight.
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The sound has an abrupt stop.
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It doesn't have that falling or tapering off.
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Flight.
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fly That abrupt stop is the stop T.
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Let's listen to a couple more pairs.
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Sue.
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Sue.
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DAY J How do we make this stop of air and why not make a full 't'?
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T sound.
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The thing about American English is we love smoothness.
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Everything links together in a flow of continuous sound.
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That's one of the characteristics of American English, but tt isn't very smooth.
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It's a stop of air, tt, and a release of air with some energy.
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So the stop T came about where we skip the tt, release part, to make our speech more smooth.
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We stop the air, but then we just go into the next sound without tt, the release.
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Take for example the word fitness.
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fitness -ness F consonant, ih vowel, a stop, fit, Then the end sound.
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fitness.
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Fitness.
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To stop the air, I cut it off in my throat at the vocal cords.
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The tongue can be in position for the T, but it doesn't have to be fit The air is stopped there.
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Ness fitness.
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Fitness.
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Here are a couple more words with the stop T in the middle.
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Hear the stop.
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Then the next sound.
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Outlast.
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partner Shut down.
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When do you make a stop T?
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Most Americans turn a T into a stop T in two cases: when the next sound is a consonant, like in 'shutdown' or 'fitness'.
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Also at the end of a thought group or sentence.
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For example, he's late.
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Late not 'lay'.
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He's late.
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We also make a T a stop T at the end of the word when the next word begins with a consonant, like in the phrase, not now.
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Not now.
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That abrupt stop, that's the stop T.
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Not now.
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With a stop T, you don't hear 't'.
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That crisp, true tea that you hear in, for example, attain.
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Attain.
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A true T has its place, but not in the words we'll study here.
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Now, you'll hear and see a whole bunch of words up close
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and in slow motion with a stop T in the middle.
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Then, there's a section where we're comparing a stop T with a word that's the same but with no T sound, like in fly.
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Flight.
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This is going to help you really understand this sound, but nothing is as helpful as repeating out loud.
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So I really encourage you to do that with both the slow motion and regular paced words.
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Apartment.
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Artful.
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Assortment.
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Atlas.
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Atlas.
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Basketball.
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- Basketball.
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- Bat boy.
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Batboy.
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Batman.
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Batman.
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Bluntly.
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Bluntly.
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Butler.
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Butler.
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Catfish.
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Catfish.
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Catnap.
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Catnap Chutney.
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Chutney.
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Compartment.
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Compartment.
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Countdown.
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Countdown.
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Cutback.
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Cutback.
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Dirtboard.
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Department.
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DIRT BAG.
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DIRT BAG.
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DOUBTFUL.
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Doubtful.
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fitness Fitness.
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flatness Flatness.
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Football.
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Football.
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Footbridge.
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Footbridge.
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fretfully fruitful Hot Ben Hotbed.
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Hotdog.
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Hot dog.
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itself.
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itself.
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Let down.
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Let down.
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Lightweight.
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Meatball.
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Nutmeg Nutmeg.
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Outlast.
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Outlast.
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Outbid.
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Outbid.
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Outbreak.
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Outbreak.
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Outburst.
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Outburst.
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Outdated.
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Outdated.
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Outdone.
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Outdone.
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Outdoors.
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outdoors.
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Outfit.
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outfit.
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Outfox.
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Outfox.
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Outgrow outgrow.
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Outhouse.
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Outhouse.
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Outlier.
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Outlier.
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partly Partly.
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partner Partner.
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pitfall Pitfall.
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fly fly flight, my, might
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my might fall Fall.
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fall Fall Lie.
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light Lie.
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Light.
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Gay.
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Gay.
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Gay.
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Gate.
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Sue, suit, sue.
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Suit.
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away Oh wait.
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Away.
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Oh wait.
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tray trait tray Trait.
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BEY BAY Bay Bait.
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day J.
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Day.
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Date.
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lay lay, lay, late.
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Stay, stay.
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stay, state, Ray, rate, rate.
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Play, plate.
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Play, plate, slay.
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Slay.
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slay slate.
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Bye.
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Bye.
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Thank you buy, bite, sigh, sight.
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sigh Sight.
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cue cue cute. May.
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mate, may, mate.
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No. No. No. No.
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toe toat, flute, flute.
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flu Flute.
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spy, spite, spy, spite.
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row Row.
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row, wrote, right, right, right, be, B B.
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beat Fee feet, feet, feet.
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Moe, moat.
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mow, moat, bow Boat Bow Both.
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He, he.
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He, he.
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Go, goat.
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Go.
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Goat.
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See.
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See.
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C.
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seat.
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Spa.
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SPOT Spa.
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Spot.
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Blow.
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alone.
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blow, bloat, plea, plea, plea, Pleat.
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We.
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we Weep.
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Knee.
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Knee, knee, knee.
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Roo.
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Root.
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Root.
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Root.
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Root.
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All my YouTube channel members get an extra video here.
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It's training stop T at the end of a word like date and fit.
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So if you're a channel member, thank you.
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That video has already dropped for you.
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If you're not a member and you want to see that video and support this channel, please click the join button.
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Using the stop T in your English is going to help you sound more natural when speaking American English.
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Listening and repeating out loud repetition is going to be the key to making that habit and speaking English with ease.
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If you want to train all the sounds and other characteristics like smoothness and linking,
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stress and contrast, going through the training and creating the habits to speak American English with clarity ease,
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and confidence, all with the help of our fantastic teachers.
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Join today and try it out.
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Keep your learning going now with this video, and don't forget to subscribe with notifications on.
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I absolutely love being your English teacher.
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That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
This video is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to perfect their American English accent, particularly through understanding the stop T sound. By practicing the techniques demonstrated, you not only enhance your pronunciation skills but also improve your overall fluency. The ability to master nuanced sounds like the stop T enables smoother and more natural speech, crucial for effective communication.
Moreover, engaging with materials such as learn English with YouTube videos can be a fun and interactive way to develop your speaking capabilities. Using the shadowing technique, you can repeat after the speaker, mimicking their intonation and rhythm, which dramatically aids in embedding new sounds into your oral practice. The stop T is a crucial aspect of American English that, once mastered, will help you sound more like a native speaker.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
- Informal Contractions: The speaker mentions phrases like "gonna" instead of "going to," which is common in casual conversation. This informal use of language is essential for anyone preparing for IELTS speaking practice as it reflects natural communication.
- Clarifying Questions: Phrases like "how do we make this stop of air" emphasize the speaker's effort to engage the learner in the process of understanding. This approach can encourage learners to ask similar clarifying questions in their studies.
- Descriptive Comparisons: The speaker compares the sounds in "fly" and "flight," allowing learners to grasp subtle differences in pronunciation. Utilizing comparisons can help deepen understanding and retention of new language rules.
Common Pronunciation Traps
One of the main challenges highlighted in the video is the distinction between words that may seem similar but have different sounds due to the stop T, such as "fly" and "flight." The abrupt stop in "flight" creates a clear boundary in sound that can be tricky to replicate for non-native speakers. Additionally, the speaker calls attention to the smoothness of American English, which can sometimes lead learners to neglect the full articulation of certain consonants.
To tackle these pronunciation traps effectively, you can utilize a shadowing app that allows you to listen and repeat sentences verbatim, focusing on the specifics of the sounds. Regular practice of these tricky words will lead to significant improvements in your speaking clarity and confidence.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might not even know · might fall |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm talking · we're not hearing · we're comparing |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna perfect · is going to help · is going to be |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | You'll hear · we'll study |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.