Shadowing Practice: Linking sounds rules #1 & 2 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hi everyone!
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Welcome to Hello Spoken English.
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I am your host, Anne.
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When you say, how are you, to someone, sometimes they say, good you.
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What did they say?
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What is it?
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It is good and you.
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If you move to North America, you will probably hear it every day,
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but the first time you couldn't understand it and even thought that they were not speaking English.
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Probably because most of the people who live in other countries had never heard those kinds of sounds before.
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Why do they speak like that?
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It would be easier if they spoke it word by word, like good and you.
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Unfortunately, native speakers don't speak like that, just like you don't speak your native languages that way.
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The first time it makes you frustrated and makes you want to give up learning English, but it's not your problem.
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You haven't had the chance to hear real spoken English, and you haven't learned how to make sounds like native speakers.
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We are here to teach you
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and train you how to master linking sounds in order to hear spoken English step by step.
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Today, we will talk about the linking sounds rules number one and number two.
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The first rule is consonant and vowel blends.
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When a word ends with a consonant and the next word starts with a vowel,
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the sound can be blended. For example, hold on.
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You can see hold ends with the consonant sound d and on starts with the vowel sound o.
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So the sound is blended.
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Hold on.
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Please don't say it like hold on.
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And another example is sleep in.
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Sleep ends with the consonant sound P and in starts with the vowel sound I.
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The sound is blended as well.
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Sleep in.
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Don't say it like sleep in.
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Sleep in is the natural sound.
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Let's take a look at it with a sample sentence.
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Hold on a second.
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Can you pick up some milk for us at the store?
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Consonant and vowel blended.
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Hold on.
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Consonant and vowel blended.
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Anna.
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Consonant and vowel blended.
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Pick up.
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Consonant and vowel blended. For us.
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Consonant and vowel blended.
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Us at.
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For us at.
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If we write the sentence by pronunciation, we can change it like this.
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Hold on a second.
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Can you pick up some milk for us at the store?
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Please listen and repeat after me.
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Hold on a second.
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Can you pick up some milk for us at the store?
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Please speak it in a loud voice.
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Hold on a second.
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Can you pick up some milk for us at the store?
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Let's practice more with an exercise.
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I will say a sentence three times, and you will tell me what I said.
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She is an old friend of mine.
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She's an old friend of mine.
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She's an old friend of mine.
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Did you get it?
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I said she is an old friend of mine.
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We can find rule number one in many places here.
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Consonant and vowel blended.
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She's an.
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Consonant and vowel blended.
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An old.
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She is an old.
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Consonant and vowel blended.
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Friend of.
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If we write the sentence by pronunciation, we can change it like this.
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She's an old friend of mine.
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Please repeat after me.
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She's an old friend of mine.
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Speed it up, please.
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She's an old friend of mine.
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The next rule is when the same or similar sounds meet together.
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You can make them into one sound, not two separate sounds, especially if the same sounds meet together.
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You need to make the sound a little bit longer. For example, this style.
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You can see there are the same S sounds, so you need to speak it with one S sound, this style.
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Can you hear that I make the S sound a little bit longer?
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Please don't say this-a style.
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Another example is need to.
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The D and T are similar sounds.
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You can skip one of the D or T sounds.
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Need to or need do.
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Don't say it like needa to.
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If you speak like that all the time,
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you won't hear the sounds when native speakers are speaking long sentences with their natural speed.
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Let's take a look at it in more detail in a sample sentence.
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I think this song is about the singer's black cat.
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The same S sounds, so you can pronounce one of the S sounds for a little bit longer.
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This song.
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Consonant and vowel blended, song is.
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And consonant and vowel blended, is about.
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Song is about.
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The T and the TH are similar sounds.
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About the, not about a the.
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And the last one is the same K sounds.
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So, you can skip one of the K sounds.
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Black cat.
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I think some of you might have a question here.
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The K and C are different sounds.
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So why can we skip one of them?
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You have to know a very important thing here.
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In English, spelling is not equal to the pronunciation.
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All the linking sounds rules we are teaching you are based on pronunciation.
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C in cat is a K sound, so you can pronounce one K for a little bit longer.
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If we write the sentence by pronunciation we can change it to this.
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I think this song's about the singer's black cat.
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Please repeat after me.
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I think this song's about the singer's black cat.
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Speak it in a loud voice, please.
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I think this song's about the singer's black cat.
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Let's move to the exercise.
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I will say a sentence three times.
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Please tell me what I said.
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You don't need to prove it to them.
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You don't need to prove it to them.
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You don't need to prove it to them.
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I said, you don't need to prove it to them.
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The D and T are similar sounds.
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You can speak one of them, need to, and consonant and vowel blended, prove it.
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The last one is the same T sounds, so you can skip one, it to.
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Prove it to.
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If we write the sentence by pronunciation, we can change it to this.
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You don't need to prove it to them.
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Please repeat after me.
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You don't need to prove it to them.
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Louder please.
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You don't need to prove it to them.
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Is it difficult and so complicated?
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Don't worry about that.
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We are not teaching them in a typical way.
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We will provide you with tons of different actors' voices and teach you the rules millions of times during our lectures.
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We believe you will be familiar with them soon.
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So far, you have learned our basic lectures.
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Now you are ready to join in our real lectures.
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Come and join us explore the new way to enjoy spoken English.
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I will wait for you at our first lecture.
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See you soon guys.
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Have a good one.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice essential linking sounds in English to improve your fluency and comprehension. Understanding how native English speakers connect words can be a game-changer for your English speaking practice. By focusing on linking consonant and vowel sounds, you will learn to speak more naturally and recognize these sounds in everyday conversation. This practice will help you not only to understand spoken English better but also to integrate these natural patterns into your own speech, making you sound more fluent and authentic.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Hold on - A phrase used to ask someone to wait.
  • Pick up - To collect or retrieve something.
  • For us - Relating to a group that includes the speaker.
  • At the store - Referring to a location where goods are sold.
  • Good you - A natural response that blends "good" and "you."
  • Sleep in - To stay in bed longer than usual.
  • Can you? - A common question form in everyday speech.
  • A second - Referring to a brief moment of time.

Practice Tips

To make the most of this lesson, try the shadowspeak technique, which involves repeating what you hear as closely as possible to the original pronunciation and rhythm. Start by listening to the linking sound examples given in the video, like "hold on" and "sleep in." Pay attention to how smoothly these sounds flow together. When you practice, aim to mimic not just the exact words but also the intonation and pauses, which are crucial for natural speech.

Begin with a slow pace. As you become more comfortable, gradually increase your speed to match the natural flow of the video. Use the shadow speech method to repeat after the speaker in the video multiple times, focusing on blending the consonant and vowel sounds. This will enhance your English speaking practice significantly.

Incorporate these phrases into your daily conversations and practice with friends or language partners. Regular practice will help you become more familiar with these linking sounds, making it easier to understand and participate in conversations. Remember, when you learn English with YouTube or other resources, listening actively is essential for mastering these linking sounds. Don't hesitate to revisit this lesson to refine your skills!

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.