Shadowing Practice: British Pronunciation: The Most Important Sound (Schwa) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hello everybody, this is Elliot from ETJ English and welcome to this pronunciation lesson.
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Today we're talking about the most common, the most important, and the most amazing sound in the English language.
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And this is my favourite to teach.
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It's the schwa sound.
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Now, do you know what the schwa sound is?
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Can you use it already?
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If you can, that's okay.
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But when you learn this, all this information is going to be extremely powerful for you to improve your pronunciation,
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to sound more like you've been trained by a native British person
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and you are going to just sound ten times better as an English speaker.
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So without further ado let's start learning the schwa sound, how we use it and when we use it.
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So first of all the schwa sound, uh, it's just uh.
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Now it's a breath out, just follow me one more time.
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So it sounds a little bit weird when we make it on its own, but when we put it in a word, this is when it sounds great and it sounds really British.
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So first of all, on its own, we do use this and this is with the letter A
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when we put it in a sentence
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so for example yesterday i went to a lesson about history
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a lesson a lesson okay yesterday i went to a lesson about history
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did you notice the schwa sound it's on the a a lesson
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but when we say it naturally it becomes a lesson
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so we use it with the word a we can also
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use it with the word of cup of tea cup of tea
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and that's with an of the of becomes a a cup of tea
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so now let's move on to the word for
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and let's say i was asking you what are you doing for christmas this year
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for christmas what are you doing for christmas this year instantly that will make you sound more british so practice.
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Practice makes perfect.
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What are you doing for Christmas?
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Okay let's move on.
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So we're going to move on to when we normally use this in real words, big words, okay?
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Proper words.
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So first of all we'll use the schwa sound with words that are ending in the r sounds.
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So for example when I say better, an American might say better.
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I don't say teacher, I say teacher, teacher.
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The schwa sound is on the R sound at the end of the word.
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Teacher, better.
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Do you kind of understand where I'm coming from now?
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So we can also use it with unstressed weak syllable sounds.
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Police, police.
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Sofa, sofa.
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The A becomes an A, sofa.
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The word about, about about
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so the beginning of the word has now got the schwa
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sound about i had to call the police yesterday i had
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to call the police yesterday any vowel sound we can use this schwa sound
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so let me give you a word with a schwa sound with each vowel
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so first of all again again the a becomes a schwa
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problem problem the e becomes a schwa sound president
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president the i becomes a schwa sound bottom bottom the
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o becomes a schwa sound album album the u becomes a schwa sound and we can also do it with Y.
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For example, the word syringe, which has a Y after it, we can say syringe.
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That's how we say it, syringe.
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When do we use the schwa sound?
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We use it with the R sound at the end of a word.
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We also use it with unstressed weak syllable sounds.
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We also will use it with any vowel sound.
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I know it's a lot to taking is a lot of information
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but it's so simple and all you have to do is practice
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and the best way to practice is with a native speaker who can correct you.
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I luckily am a Skype English teacher.
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I am a professional English and pronunciation teacher.
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I help you learn English and learn British accents so
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if you really really want to get that British accent and get
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that good English sound what you need to do is book
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a Skype English lesson with me in the description box below
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and we can start making you a fluent British sounding English speaker right now
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so go ahead
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and book a lesson thank you very much for watching guys
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it's been a pleasure as always cheers see you all in the next lesson

Why practice speaking with this video?

If you're looking to refine your English pronunciation, focusing on the schwa sound is essential. This lesson provides a unique opportunity to enhance your speaking skills by understanding how British speakers naturally produce this important vowel sound. By incorporating the schwa into your speech, you can make your English sound more fluid and native-like. Practicing with this video can enrich your IELTS speaking practice, as examiners often note the naturalness of speech. Engaging in shadow speech techniques, where you mimic Elliot’s pronunciation, will sharpen your ability to produce the schwa sound accurately and confidently.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • “a lesson” - Notice how the 'a' transforms when pronounced quickly in conversation. This highlights the tendency in English to reduce vowel sounds in unstressed positions.
  • “cup of tea” - In this example, the word 'of' becomes schwa, sounding like 'a cup of tea'. This showcases how function words often undergo pronunciation changes in natural dialogue.
  • “what are you doing for Christmas?” - The stress on “for” demonstrates how the schwa sound is crucial for maintaining natural rhythm and flow in questions, inviting better interaction.

Understanding these structures not only aids in listening comprehension but also enriches your speaking repertoire. They embody the very essence of conversational English, fostering smoother communication.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing the schwa sound, you may encounter some tricky words or phrases. Here are a few to watch out for:

  • “better” - Paying attention to the schwa at the end can help distinguish British pronunciation from its American counterpart.
  • “teacher” - The schwa sound can alter how the word flows. Practice saying it several times to ease the transition.
  • “police” - The unstressed vowel in this word can be challenging. Shadowing it in context, as shown in the video, will help cement this pronunciation.

By identifying and practicing these common traps, you can elevate your skill in shadow speaks and transition smoothly between different sounds. Embrace the challenge of mastering the schwa, and you’ll notice remarkable improvements in your spoken English.

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.