Shadowing Practice: How To Understand FAST Spoken English - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Let me guess.
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You can understand English speakers perfectly well when they talk at this speed.
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However, when they speed up and they start using slang
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and they kind of don't finish the thoughts
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and it's all a bit mumbly and jumbly and you don't really know is that a phrasal verb, is that an idiom, I don't really know what you're saying, it's harder to understand them.
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Let me help.
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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.
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Welcome to Smashing English.
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Before we start this video, be sure to subscribe because we make new videos all the time and I don't want you to miss any.
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So with that said, let's get on with the video.
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Okay, let's really learn how to understand fast English native speakers.
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I have some tips that will help you.
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Okay, tip number one.
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I bet you can understand this person.
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- People often ask me why I'm so interested in the mental health of children and young people.
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And the answer is quite simple.
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because I think that every child should have the best possible start in life.
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And I'm pretty sure you will find it much harder to understand this person.
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I know other girls in relationships let these things slide, you know, let their boyfriends text every time they can hurry.
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Let's try another example.
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Can you understand this person?
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The goal, the objective of economic policy should be collective.
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wellbeing.
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How happy.
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and healthy a population is, not just how wealthy a population is.
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I'm just guessing, but I think you can understand that person pretty well.
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But what about this person?
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That thing of not being able to sit back and enjoy it, because you're always on the move to the next thing, on the move to the next thing.
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I think that's why during lockdown I really struggled as well, because it was like, oh, the next thing, the next thing.
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And there is no next thing now, because we're all on COVID.
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Much harder?
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Let's figure out why.
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two of them were quite easy to understand and two of them were more of a challenge.
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Okay, so the two examples that were easier to understand, they were talking in a public setting, they had something that was prepared,
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they had a script or a speech written and they were presenting to a large group of people.
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The other two examples featured much younger speakers using a dialect that maybe you are not familiar with.
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They were speaking in a setting where nothing was planned, nothing was and they were just talking to one, maybe two people, in quite an intimate setting.
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So my first tip is diversify your listening practice.
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Stop watching TED Talks, stop watching members of the Royal Family.
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TED Talks are great.
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I love TED Talks, but they are presenting.
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They have written a script.
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They have planned and practiced what they are going to say, and they want a large group of people to be able to understand them.
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So of course you'll be able to understand them.
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That's their main goal.
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So when you are doing English listening practice, make it your mission to find things that are unscripted.
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Reality shows, podcasts, chat shows, diversify the listening practice because then your ear is like a muscle,
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your ear will become so flexible, so adaptable, your ear will be ready to listen to any voice, any dialect.
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So when you talk to someone, it's like you've done the hard work, you've done the practice, this conversation is easy, I can understand you.
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Moving on to my next tip, keep
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My next tip involves a strategy
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that humans have been using since the dawn of time to understand each other and that is talking to another human being.
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So I want to recommend a resource that I myself have used for the last three and a half years.
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Without a doubt, one of the best
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and most effective ways to improve your English listening quickly is by actually speaking to an English native.
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It's authentic, it's real and it works.
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So, learn on italki.
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Italki is an online learning platform that offers one -to -one customized language lessons in over 150 languages.
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Although, just guessing, you're probably going to go there for English lessons, but hey, I'm just assuming.
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There's absolutely no subscription involved, you just pay for the lessons you want.
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30 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour, an hour and a half, whatever suits you, boo.
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And the prices start at only $5, which is amazing.
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Like I said, I teach English on italki and I have done for over three years, so clearly, I'm a fan.
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Also, I can learn French on Raitoki.
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When the pandemic happened, when the pandemic is coming.
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It's coming, thank you.
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Comprehensive.
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Oral?
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- Alors, l 'oreille.
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- L 'oreille, c 'est.. ah, c 'est le.. ah, oral.
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Merci.
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OK, c 'est justement ma compréhension.
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Oral.
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- And it's like, it's like your friend is very good, but it's like the hesitation you put between.
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It's like...
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Merci!
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And it's great because I'm able to choose from a huge variety of teachers that are different ages, they have different accents, different speech patterns, different specialities.
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So if you're struggling with a particular accent, find a teacher on italki with that accent
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and you will notice how quickly that accent becomes less and less confusing because you are actually interacting with it.
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When you actually engage with a human who is using their authentic accent, pace and speech to decipher what they're actually talking about.
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And luckily for you, I have an excellent offer.
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Use the link in the description to start browsing for a teacher that suits you.
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And if you buy $10 worth of italki credits, you can get another $5 for free using my exclusive promo code.
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You are welcome but go quickly
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because this amazing deal is only available to the first 50 users
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that get it so go go go go okay tip number three let's talk about the practicalities here
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because i truly think that this is the main reason why understanding fast english is
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so hard and it's all because of linking it's
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because of those annoying linking sounds that everybody does so let me talk you through some of
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to understand them i believe
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that the best way to understand something is to be able to do it yourself
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so learn these linking sounds like you are going to do
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them try to make them with your own mouth try to actually do them
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because if you understand the mechanics of how you make the linking sounds it will sound a lot less alien
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when you hear someone else doing those linking sounds okay
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so let's look at this sentence here i actually saw a dog in his window on tuesday
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saw a dog in his window on Tuesday now can you see how
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that could be quite confusing if I say
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that really quickly actually saw a dog in his window on Tuesday it's crazy talk crazy talk and it's
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because it's like I'm saying one big word there are no gaps in the middle it's just one long word
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so let's talk through the linking sound so the first one we've got
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actually now no one says I actually they don't put a
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gap in the middle what we do definitely in in a
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lot of accents in the UK definitely in standard English most of these links are based on standard English
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but a lot of them are international lots of different dialects use these linking sounds
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so I actually how are we going to link that so what we're going to put in the middle is
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so it becomes I actually.
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Why do we say why?
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Let me tell you.
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So this is a vowel to vowel link, okay, so we've got an I and then we've got an A.
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I all right so there's two vowel sounds so we have to create a link
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because they don't really link together without putting something in there I ends wide because when we do I,
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it's like we're ending on a smile and this is the same for A, and ee.
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So when you've got this wide vowel, smiley vowel, let's call them smiley vowels.
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Then to get to the next word, if it starts with a vowel,
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you have to put a y because it's easy to because our mouth is already wide and when we do y,
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y, y, it's a wide sound as well.
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I smile, y actually, and you just release it.
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I actually, I actually, like that.
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Okay, moving on to the next linking sound in this sentence.
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I actually saw a dog.
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Hold on a second.
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I definitely just did an R sound.
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I actually saw a dog.
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can't see an R there can you am I I can't see an R
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but I said an R and that is
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because we have the feature called an intrusive R now
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if you are only concerned with understanding American speakers don't worry about the intrusive R but
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if you want to understand a lot of people from Britain you need to understand what the intrusive R is
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so the intrusive R is when we insert an R to
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there we just put one in and this can be extremely confusing
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when you're listening to fast English
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because you've definitely heard an R hold on there was an R there what's going on
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but there isn't we've just put one in to help with linking
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so let's look at the example I actually saw
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so the reason why we're doing a R here is
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because we have the or sound of saw and then an uh we have So if we didn't have the linking R,
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the intrusive R it would sound odd.
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It would sound like, "I actually saw
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uh we would have to put a gap in there
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but we don't like putting gaps in when we speak it's annoying so actually saw feels like it should rhyme with
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door, right?
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It's the same sound, saw, door.
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Look at the word door, there's an R on the end, okay?
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So actually this sound feels like it ends in an R.
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The word saw kind of sounds like it ends in an R and that is why we are using the R sound.
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In a lot of UK dialects, if you have a word that could end in an R,
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it sounds the same as a word that ends in an R followed by a vowel.
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We're probably going to put an intrusive R in there.
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For example, my name is Laura.
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I'm Laura, it ends on a schwa, uh, uh, uh.
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But what other words end in a schwa in English?
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We have mother.
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Father, water, better.
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Oh look!
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R -R -R -R -R.
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So that schwa sound sometimes is spelt like E -R.
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So if I have to link my name to something else that's a vowel, I have to put an R in there.
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So I say Laura Riz.
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Laura Riz.
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Laura is great.
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So push yourself, try to do the intrusive R, try to make that sound, get familiar with it, get comfortable with it, learn how it works.
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Imagine you are an actor learning an accent for a role
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or something and if you can do it you will definitely understand it when you hear it.
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So now we have this okay, I actually saw a dog.
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I actually saw a dog.
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Now the next link is a little bit easier because we have a hard consonant 'dog' then a vowel.
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When you've got that hard consonant followed by a vowel just push the two together like it's one word.
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So instead of saying dog in you're gonna say dog in.
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So it's like the second part of that sound is gin
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you've you've put the g in front of the next word
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it's one sound i actually saw a dog in now the
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next linking sound is kind of uk specific as well
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because a lot of the time in the uk we will
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drop our h's you will hear this in parts of london
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places like liverpool birmingham sometimes we just don't like the h
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so for example here instead of saying in his we're probably going to say in
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in his taken away that h completely and we've made it into one word i actually saw a dog in his
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We just smush everything together, everything's just connected.
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I actually saw a dog in his window on Tuesday.
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didn't stop once.
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So how can you practice this?
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How can you learn how to do this?
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I have one very simple technique for you.
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I want you to say a sentence like a song.
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When you listen to singers, everything is connected.
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Everything goes like this, it doesn't stop, it just goes like this.
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There are no gaps in there.
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So if we sang this sentence, I actually saw a dog in his window on
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tune anything it can be straight I actually saw a dog
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in his window on Tuesday make it one continuous sound don't stop the sound
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so practice speaking in song so read a book on But sing it.
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That's my best advice for you.
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Sing, connect things together, You've got to become best friends with linking sounds if you want to understand fast English, okay?
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Moving on to my next tip.
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If you want to understand fast spoken English, especially with speakers from the UK, you have to be prepared for the schwa, okay?
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The schwa is everywhere it's the most common vowel sound in British English it happens all the time
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and if you're listening to someone speaking it might just sound like you're hearing the same sound over
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and over again and it can be very hard to differentiate okay
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so that was a schwa but it's an o
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that was a schwa but it's an a it's all over the place okay
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so if you are not familiar a schwa sounds like this Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
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It's not a very cheery sound.
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It's not very happy.
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It's pretty miserable uh uh uh uh staying alive staying alive
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it's just neutral nothing happens with the mouth nothing happens with
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the tongue uh in a standard english dialect this sentence would
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sound a little something like this I was a doctor for two years, a teacher for four years, and then an administrator because I love change.
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Did you hear that all the way through?
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And a schwa doesn't have to be one letter.
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A schwa isn't always an A or an E.
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It's very hard to spot because they just happen all the time.
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So for example, on a word like doctor, teacher, these ER or OR ending words, that will be a schwa.
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So doctor, teacher, administrator, that will be a schwa.
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Also the word for, a lot of the time we don't complete that sound, we just go fuh.
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doctor for two years a teacher for seven years for for for we're not even
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completing the word we're just saying fun also the word was can become was a was W -U -Z, I was a...
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A is not an A, it's an U.
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So I was a doctor.
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I was a doctor for two years.
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I was a doctor for two years.
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A teacher for seven years.
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and an administrator, an administrator.
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The schwa just takes over so you have to be prepared to hear it
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and you have to know when to do it and how to do it.
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So do some research, practice, become like I said, like an actor who was learning an accent, become fascinated by the sounds.
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If you are not interested in the sounds that English speakers are making,
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you'll never understand Okay, moving on to my next tip.
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So my next piece of advice for you is
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stop listening for sentences stop waiting for the sentence to have
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a nice end stop waiting for the thought to be completed
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we don't speak in sentences listen to your own native language
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or listen to how you speak with people it's very rare
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that we have clean sentences that have a lovely beginning middle
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and an end it's not the same as writing we get distracted we we say the start of a sentence
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and then we forget and then we say something else so if you have a
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understand let's say you really want to understand Irish English you're moving to Dublin
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and you want to understand the Irish dialect
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and you want to know how to understand fast Irish speakers then learn what their hesitation sound is
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because some people go some people go and some people go in some
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you and try to follow physical cues
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if you can pay attention to the person's face
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and their gestures try to follow their thoughts don't just listen to the words they are saying
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because most of our communication comes from nonverbal communication so if I'm talking to you but I
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I stop and maybe I move on to this thought.
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You can tell that I stopped this thought and I moved on to this thought just by paying attention to my features.
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So if you watch podcasts that's really great.
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You know a lot of podcasts they have videos now
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so you can watch the person who is speaking
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and try to follow their train of thought because we never talk in sentences.
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It's very rare.
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So this is another reason why I don't want you to watch anything scripted because when it's scripted
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ah beginning middle end beginning middle end
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but that's not how we speak in everyday life okay moving on sometimes it's not
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that your english listening is really bad it's
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that the person you are listening to is using new words
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that you've not heard before or they are taking words
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that you think you know but they've changed it so let's talk about contractions because we love
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some of the things that confuse you.
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So for example, the one
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that everyone knows, gonna okay instead of going to we say gonna
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so i'm gonna love this film tonight i really think i'm
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gonna love it what about wanna instead of want to we say wanna I don't want to go.
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I wanna go.
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This one you might not know.
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Tryna.
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Tryna.
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Instead of trying to, I'm trying to find my keys.
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What about gimme?
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Gimme, gimme that, gimme that.
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Dunno, instead of don't know.
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I don't know.
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I don't know.
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Is not becomes ain't.
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"Ain't" I ain't going.
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This one you might not know.
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Lemmy.
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Instead of let me.
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Lemmy.
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Lemmy see.
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Hey, lemmy see. In it.
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Instead of isn't it.
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It's like a clarification that we use a lot in the UK.
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So it's Tuesday, innit?
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Kinda instead of kind of.
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Again we're turning that of into a schwa so it's not kind of, it's kinda.
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Kinda, schwa, uh.
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I'm kinda hungry. And dir.
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Instead of do you, people would say like, "djuh, djuh." Do you want that?
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Do you want to go to the cinema?
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"Do you want to go to the cinema?" do you want to go to the cinema?
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You've got to learn these contractions, you've got to be familiar with them because they happen a lot
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and I don't want that to confuse you when people are talking in fast English.
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So in conclusion, if you want to understand fast English native speakers, you need to learn the sounds that they are making.
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If possible, you should be able to do their accent,
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you should be able to recognize what a schwa is, you should know the difference between "dad" and "dead",
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you should know the difference in those vowel sounds.
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So you've got to become fascinated by sounds and consonants and vowels,
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get involved, do your research and you will notice a huge difference, I promise you.
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Thank you so much for watching, if you enjoyed this video please give it a like, if you would like to follow us on Instagram you can do so there,
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also make
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sure to check out italki and my exclusive promo code down below thank you
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so much for watching and I'll see you next time.
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Ta -ta!
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Master Fast Spoken English: What You'll Learn Here
Ready to decode fast English like a pro? This lesson breaks down the secrets to understanding native speakers—from linking sounds to contractions—so you can keep up in real conversations. You’ll practice key techniques to train your ear, mimic natural speech, and boost your confidence, whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just chatting with friends.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases to Master
- Linking sounds: How words connect (e.g., "I actually" becomes "I-yactually").
- Intrusive "r": The hidden "r" in phrases like "saw a" (sounds like "saw-r-a").
- Schwa: The neutral "uh" sound in words like "doctor" or "for."
- Contractions: "Gonna," "wanna," "tryna," and "dya" (short for "going to," "want to," "trying to," and "do you").
- Hesitation sounds: "Uh," "eh," or "mm"—clues to follow a speaker’s train of thought.
Practice Tips: Shadowing & Beyond
Want to nail fast English? Try the shadowing technique—repeat sentences aloud right after the speaker, mimicking their pace, tone, and linking sounds. It’s like a workout for your mouth and ears! Start with short clips from the video, then move to unscripted content (podcasts, reality shows) to build flexibility. For extra help, use a shadowing app to slow down audio and practice tricky phrases.
Focus on improving English pronunciation by mastering linking: sing sentences to keep sounds connected, or practice "smushing" words like "dog in" into one sound. Don’t forget to watch speakers’ gestures—non-verbal cues help you follow even when words are fast. With daily practice, you’ll notice fast English sounds less like a puzzle and more like a conversation. Let’s get started!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have written · have planned · you've done |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was prepared · was planned · are unscripted |
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.