Shadowing Practice: Sound More American FAST: Master Connected Speech in 45 Minutes! - Learn English Speaking with Video

Let's talk about American fast speech and I really want to do a deep dive

and help you understand why people speak the way they do.

So we're going to talk about connected speech and I want you to practice.

This is a practice lesson and the way

that I want you to do that is with shadowing

and I am going to say the sentence and I want you to try to say it in the exact same way,

same intonation, emphasis, pronunciation as well as the same speed

and I think that's one of the more trickier parts of shadowing

so the dialogue that we're gonna go over right now

and I have a few of them

that we're going to practice together is this one right here to begin with let me just say the dialogue

and then we're gonna look at each sentence one at a time

and talk about all the different things that are going on

so here is how I would say the dialogue is your

cold getting any better no I'm gonna get an uber and go home but wait, you're going to want to see this.

Sorry, I got to get out of here right away.

It sounds simple enough as you hear me say these sentences, and especially because you're able to read it and listen to it at the same time,

I think it does make it that much easier.

But to challenge you and have you try to say it just like me can be a little more difficult.

So let's start with this first question right here.

Is your cold getting any better?

So what's happening in this sentence the first thing

that i want to talk about is assimilation this is

when two sounds blend together to create a new sound often you may find this in question construction

so in this case is your

that final sound in is is going to blend with

that y and your

and it's going to get a sound it's like we're putting it right between the two words

which is what allows us to then connect them together.

So this is not something

that you have to force as you just transition from one word to the next it's going to occur naturally.

It's also not a fixed rule.

You may hear people say these words separately is your

but often especially if somebody's speaking a little faster this blending will occur

and it's going to sound like is your is your.

I've given you the phonetic spelling just to hopefully make it a little easier for you to see the pronunciation

and see what's happening is your cold getting there are a few things happening

so getting with these verbs in the continuous tense it's very

common I think in the United States for people to drop

that G so instead of getting I am going to say getting

and the other thing you may notice is like wait a second

that T change from getting in

which case I'm using a flat T it's gonna sound like a soft D

because it comes between two vowel sounds

and it changes to a glottal T a glottal stop getting now with the American accent

when you have the T

that sound followed by an sound you may hear people say

this as a glottal t the glottis is closing it's blocking the flow of air

and that that's where the sound is coming from your throat think about

if i say uh oh that is a glottal stop that uh oh uh oh

and the same thing happens with the t in words that follow this pattern t plus an sound in words like kitten,

written, button, or in this case, getten, getten, getten, and then linking can occur.

I can link that n sound with the vowel sound in any.

This is when we link the final consonant sound of one word with the beginning vowel sound of the next.

I told you, I'm giving you a lot of information with just this one simple question.

So the way it's going to then sound is your cold getting any better?

Of course, better.

You're going to hear me pronounce those T's as a flap T.

This is very common with the American accent.

And if this is an accent that you are trying to emulate, definitely use the flap T. So better.

You'll hear me say it, that soft D, better.

It is a yes, no question.

So you really do have that rising intonation as I ask the question is your cold getting any better?

Is your cold getting any better?

Now I want to practice this and I want you to say it with me.

I want you to shadow and say it at the same time.

I'm going to say it

two times slowly and then twice at a normal speed

and I want you to say it out loud practice your speaking skills

and think about these different things that are going on

so let's say it twice slowly together right now ready is

your cold getting any better one more time is your cold getting any better now let's speed it up

and say it twice at more of a normal speed.

Here we go.

Is your cold getting any better?

Excellent.

Let's look at the next sentence right here.

I'm going to get an Uber and go home.

All right.

It sounds very fast when I say it like that.

So what's going on?

The first thing is I'm going to, of course, going to, we can reduce that to gunna.

That is a very common reduction, probably the most common reduction in spoken English one

that you may already be actively using right now the one thing

that makes this a little trickier and this is something you know

if you don't feel comfortable using it do not feel like

you have to use this do not feel as though you

need to use any accent whatsoever I like working on this

but I always tell people that even

if maybe you don't feel like using this that's perfectly fine

I do think it helps a lot with your listening comprehension

because you will hear people speak this way

so I'm going to I'm gonna I can reduce it even further

and it's gonna sound like Amina Amina either one works it's very common to say I'm gonna

but just for practicing this to kind of get you outside

of your comfort zone a little bit let's use Amina Amina

and you'll hear people say look I'm gonna go to the

gym I'm gonna go to the mall I'm to go to

the store I'm gonna I'm gonna in this case I'm gonna get an uber I can link

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that entire phrase again we're linking the final consonant sound with the beginning vowel sound

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and then that final T

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and get you're gonna hear me pronounce it as a flap T

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so even when we have a phrase

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and then the final letter is a T

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if the next word begins with a vowel sound I'm gonna change that to a flap T get in, get an Uber.

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I'm going to get an Uber and go home, but I'm not really going to say and go home.

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I'm going to reduce and, and the vowel sounds going to change.

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It's going to sound like and, and, and go home.

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So let's practice this sentence twice, two times slowly.

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Say it with me, shadowing, say it out loud and then twice at a normal speed

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so let's say it two times slowly I'm gonna get an uber

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and go home let's say it again I'm gonna get an uber

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and go home now let's speed it up a little more are you ready I'm gonna get an uber

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and go home once more I'm gonna get an uber

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and go home this is not something you'll be able to

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do perfectly the first time It's just something you need to keep working on

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because a lot of this is just muscle memory

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Transitioning from one sound to the next and you can repeat repeat say it out loud and Eventually,

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it's gonna start sounding more and more like this American accent

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because that is what I'm talking about the next sentence You're going to want to see this except.

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I'm not going to say it like

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that I'm gonna say you're gonna want to see this

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so there are a couple of reductions we've already talked about

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going to getting reduced to gonna want to is another very common reduction

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and it's just gonna sound like wanna it is a little tricky

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when you have one reduction right after the other gonna wanna gonna wanna

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so you may hear somebody say a sentence like this you're gonna want to see this

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or maybe they say a sentence like you're gonna want to hear this alright indicating

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that hey I have some information or something that you either want to see or hear.

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So this other person is telling their friend who wants to go home.

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Look, wait, wait, wait, wait.

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You're going to want to, you're going to want to see this.

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You're going to want to see this.

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Don't go just yet.

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However, the person says, look, I got to get out of here right away.

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I got to get out of here right away.

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What is happening here?

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Got to is another reduction.

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I can reduce

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that to gotta you're gonna hear me say those flat T's gotta get out of we can link

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that phrase together and

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that T is also a flat T I really want you

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to think about this phrase get out of get out of

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because we use it often if you're looking for a great phrase to start with

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when it comes to linking and practicing that This is a great starting point because we use it to say, well, uh, I'm, you know,

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I need to get out of bed or get out of the car or get out of trouble, get out of, get out of, get out of.

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We use it in a variety of different contexts.

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So I got to get out of here right away.

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I can link that final phrase and

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that T right instead of a stop T I'm going to pronounce it as a flap T

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because it comes between those vowel sounds

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and I'm gonna link it with away right away right away hopefully you can hear

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that soft D right away let's look at the whole sentence

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and practice together two times slowly are you ready I gotta

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get out of here right away I gotta get out of

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here right away now let's speed it up a little twice ready i gotta get out of here right away

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i gotta get out of here right away

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let's go back to our dialogue and practice together so i

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so to start out i am going to say part A

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and I want you to say B it's not a long conversation

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and hopefully it'll it'll sync up a little bit

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and it'll sound natural as though we're just saying this together

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and then we're gonna switch and I want you to say a

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and I will say B

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so I to begin with I am a you are B let's begin is your cold getting any better?

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But wait, you're going to want to see this.

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All right, good, good.

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Let's switch.

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And now I want you to say A and I am going to say B.

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You can begin right now.

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No, I'm going to get an Uber and go home.

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sorry i gotta get out of here right away

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excellent i i i take it

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that you are practicing saying this out loud with me

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because this is the way you kind of work on reducing your accent

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if that is one of your goals but i told you

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that you should never feel like you need to speak with any specific accent

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but i really do believe this This will help with your listening comprehension

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because you will hear people say these simple sentences just like this.

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Is your cold getting any better?

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No, I'm going to get an Uber and go home, but wait, you're going to want to see this.

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Sorry.

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I got to get out of here right away.

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Let's keep practicing because there are several dialogues

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that I want to go through

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and just keep digging in to the different parts of connected speech

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and what's going on and have you actually practice your speaking skills.

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Here is the next conversation that I want to practice the two of us

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and again I want you to say this out loud and

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and say it with me shadow

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So let's begin with we're just listening to me say this dialogue

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and then we'll look at each sentence one at a time He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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I don't want to bother him, but I really want to bite to eat Don't you want to wait until he's done?

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I'm gonna try to stay out of his way So this is a cooking situation, and somebody wants to go into the kitchen and get a bite to eat, and they're having this conversation.

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So to start out, he's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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And all of these are different locations, various locations in the United States, and I'll tell you where it is.

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But if you want to guess, you can write it in the comments.

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He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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So what's going on in this sentence?

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The first thing is been in.

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I can link that together, and it's almost like I'm moving that final consonant sound over to the next word with that beginning vowel sound, been in.

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He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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We've talked about G -dropping with those verbs in the continuous tense.

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We've talked about G -dropping with those verbs in the continuous tense, so instead of cooking, and you hear that ing sound, it's going to sound like cooking cooking.

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And then I can link that phrase, cooking up a, cooking up a, cooking up a storm.

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He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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I do want to point out that the phrase up a storm is used to refer to,

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well, doing something with a lot of energy and, and often skill.

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So if somebody's in the kitchen cooking up a storm, then they're preparing a meal.

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It's probably going to be a good meal and they're working really hard

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and very you know putting a lot of energy into this

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so let's practice saying this sentence right here let's say it two two times, slowly, And I want you to say it with me at the same time,

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or try to say it at the same time, and then we'll say it twice at more of a normal speed.

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So let's practice this slowly.

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He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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One more time.

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He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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Now let's say it again two times at a normal speed.

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Ready?

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He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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Once more.

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He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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great job let's look at the next sentence right here oh also

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if you're wondering this picture right here is from like the bean in Chicago

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so this is from the the Windy City of Chicago here's the next sentence I don't want to bother him

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but I really want a bite to eat

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so what's going on in this sentence right here I don't

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want to want to I can reduce to wanna very common reduction bother him now elision is

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when sounds or syllables get removed and there are certain times

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when this happens in one instance it happens with the H in words like he him her his

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when it comes in the middle of a sentence

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or the middle of a clause now I don't want you

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to think about is the sound it just completely gets removed

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in this case Think think about it like we're turning the volume down

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and you don't really hear that H It's not really a strong sound to begin with

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But once I turn down the volume on

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that consonant sound I can then link That final consonant with bother with

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that him sound so bother rim bother rim You don't really hear that H and linking can occur.

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I don't want to bother him but I really want a.

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So what's going on here?

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When the T follows an n sound, I told you there were different times when elision may occur, that T may elide.

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And instead of want a, and we're linking that sound over, the T elides, and it's just going to sound like wanna.

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To give you another Another example of that T aliding, it happens with individual words like instead of center with the American accent, you're going to hear me say center,

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interactive with the American accent, interactive, internet, that T alides, and I'm just going to say internet.

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So this is something that is quite common with the American accent.

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So I just want to point out this is what's going on with that want a, it's going to sound like wanna.

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And then the word to, it actually has two different pronunciations, a strong form and a weak form.

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The strong form is going to sound like the number two.

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The weak form, it gets reduced, the vowel sound changes, and it's going to sound a little more like a schwa sound.

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It is a much softer sound.

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To, bite to eat, bite to eat.

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So let's practice this sentence right here again we'll say it two times slowly

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and then two times at a normal speed I don't want to bother him

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but I really want a bite to eat one more time I don't want to bother him

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but I really want a bite to eat now let's speed

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it up a little say it at a normal speed here we go I don't want to bother him

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but I really want a bite to eat one more time I don't want to bother him

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but I really want a bite to eat.

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And in case you're wondering, this is a picture of the space needle in Seattle.

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So this is from Seattle, Washington, a very famous landmark.

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Here is the next sentence.

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Don't you want to wait until he's done?

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Okay.

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Don't you want to wait until he's done?

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What's going on with this question?

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We talked about assimilation, two sounds, they blend together to create another sound.

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In this case the t and y blend together

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and you get a slight ch

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so instead of don't you don't you don't you it's very

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slight you don't have to force it it'll just occur naturally don't you want to we can reduce

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that to wanna don't you wanna don't you wanna wait until i can link

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that phrase that final t

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and wait you're gonna hear me pronounce it as a flap

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t wait until instead of he's once again elision may occur we mute

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that H and then I can link

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that final consonant in until wait until he's wait until he's done

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and this is a yes no question so you'll hear

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that rising intonation don't you want to wait until he's done

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so let's practice this question two times slowly

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and then two times at a regular speed so let's you know the two of us say it right now together slowly.

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Here we go.

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Don't you want to wait until he's done?

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One more time.

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Don't you want to wait until he's done?

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And now if I speed it up a little bit at a more of a normal speed, say it with me.

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Don't you want to wait until he's done?

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Once more.

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Don't you want to wait until he's done?

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Nice.

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This is a picture.

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I know you can't see it right now.

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I think it is from Arches National Park in Utah very beautiful state, a lot of amazing national parks there.

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Here's the next one.

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I'm going to try to stay out of his way.

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I can just really like run right through this sentence.

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I'm going to try to stay out of his way.

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So what's happening?

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I'm going to, of course I could reduce this to I'm gonna, but I'll, you know, just, this is just me.

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I think I'm just so used to it.

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Whenever I have

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that I'm gonna I'll just say I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm

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gonna try to again this is a function word it's not really emphasized

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so I'm gonna reduce it it's gonna sound a little more

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like to try to stay out of I can link

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that together that final T

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and out you'll hear me pronounce a flap T out of

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is out of his way elision once again occurs with his it's like we're muting

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that H and then I I can link that phrase together out of his way, out of his way.

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So let's practice this sentence right here together two times slowly.

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Are you ready?

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Say it with me.

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I'm going to try to stay out of his way.

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One more time.

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I'm going to try to stay out of his way.

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Now let's say it again, but at more of a normal speed.

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And yeah, it can be fast.

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One of the challenges of shadowing is that you're trying to maintain that same speed.

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So let's say it one time at a faster speed.

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Ready?

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Here we go.

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I'm going to try to stay out of his way.

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Give it another try.

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Here we go.

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I'm going to try to stay out of his way.

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Nice.

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Hopefully you can try to maintain that speed and just transition from one sound to the next.

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So before we look at the dialogue, this is a picture from Siesta Key,

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Florida, a very well -known beach in Florida, very pristine, very beautiful.

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So let's practice our dialogue, and we are going to take turns.

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I want you to say this with me.

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I will start out and say A, and I want you to say B, and I expect that you're going to say this out loud.

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That's what I want you to do.

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I want you to practice your speaking skills.

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So I will begin, and then you can say B, and then we will switch.

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Are you ready?

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Here we go.

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He's been in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

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Don't you want to wait until he's done?

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All right, excellent.

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Let's switch.

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Now I want you to say A, and I will say B.

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So you can go ahead and begin.

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I don't want to bother him, but I really want a bite to eat.

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I'm going to try to stay out of his way.

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Okay, so again, this is another dialogue using, you know, different parts of connected speech, some of its review.

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This is very common when we're talking about just casual spoken English.

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And the other thing I would say is don't think of it as even like formal or informal.

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You're still gonna hear people use parts of connected speech when they're giving a presentation at work or in another situation.

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People will still use reductions like gonna and wanna, and they will link their phrases together.

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So here is our next dialogue, and once again we're gonna do a deep dive and talk about everything that's going on, but I want you to practice it with me.

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And at the end, we'll go through and take turns saying these different sentences.

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But first, I just want you to listen to the way I would say these sentences.

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What do you want to do tonight?

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I'm going to go get a bite to eat.

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Do you want to go?

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Sure.

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Could you wait until I finish work?

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It's getting late.

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I don't want to wait around all night.

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So what's happening with this sentence right here?

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Again, see if you can identify some of these landmarks because we're talking about American English.

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I'm talking a lot about the American accent, so I thought I'd throw in some nice American landmarks and famous landmarks in the U .S.

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What do you want to do tonight?

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What do you want to do tonight?

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Very common question that someone may ask.

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So the first thing is that you do have some overlapping sounds, but really the T is going to elide.

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It goes away because the T and D, it's the same position.

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The tongue is up behind your top front teeth, kind of touching that alveolar ridge, but we're...

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Putting it in the T, but we're not going to release we're going to release into

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that sound So that's why I said like elision really occurs So you don't hear this what do these two separate words?

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It's gonna sound like what do what do

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but do is also not a word that gets emphasized And

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when these words are not emphasized that they may get reduced

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and that vowel sound changes slightly So it is a weak do, which is going to sound like da, what a, what a, what a ya, what a ya.

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That is another thing I want to point out.

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You is a word that also has two different pronunciations,

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a strong form you and a weak form in which it's going to sound like it has more of a schwa sound.

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Ya, ya.

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So you could say, what a you, what a you, what a you, or what a ya, what a ya, what a ya.

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You may hear both and I'm not going to encourage you to say one over the other

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but something I just want you to be aware of

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because like I've said this is really going to help your listening comprehension

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so we have what do you I'm just going to use

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what do you for the sake of this exercise want to I can reduce

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that to wanna what do you want to do what do

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you want to do tonight what do you want to tonight again

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that t it does come between two vowel sounds

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so you're gonna hear me pronounce

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that flap t do tonight do tonight do tonight what do you want to do tonight

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so it is very soft

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and that's why i kind of underline i did want to highlight it

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but it is soft which is why you do hear

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that flap t so let's say this question four times twice slowly

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and then twice at a normal speed

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so let's practice this slowly first say it with me ready what do you want to do tonight

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one more time what do you want to do tonight it sounds a little weird saying it slowly

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because again that's when i think then you would expect to hear

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that tonight that that sound but if somebody is saying this quickly with

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that american accent it's going to sound like this

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so let's say it quickly together more at a normal speed

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are you ready what do you want to do tonight give

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it another try what do you want to do tonight

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so let's look at the next sentence

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but before we do you probably know this is a picture

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of Mount Rushmore all right very well known landmark in the US so the next sentence

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I'm gonna get a bite to eat do you want to

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go I'm gonna get a bite to eat do you want to go.

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All right.

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And then you can think about where this beautiful, lovely place is right here.

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So we've noticed the theme.

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You see a lot of this, I'm gonna, which is perfectly fine.

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But in these sentences, you're going to hear me reduce it to that.

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I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, uh, again, it's just something if, as you practice this, I think you will feel a little more comfortable doing it.

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But again, don't feel like you have to, you can just use I'm gonna if you're more comfortable with

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that phrase but you'll hear me say I'm gonna get a I can link

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that phrase together and I'm gonna say

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that T as a flap T get a get a I'm gonna get a bite to eat

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so that two is a weaker two so it's gonna sound like tough

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and then in that with that last question I could say do you do you wanna

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because I'm gonna reduce want to do you want to go, but if I'm saying it quickly, it may sound a little more like the schwa.

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And don't think of this as like one or the other.

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Try to think of it like a spectrum, and it could come anywhere between you on one end all the way down to like ya on the other.

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Do you want to go?

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Do you want to go?

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Do you want to go?

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It is a much softer sound, which is why I say it kind of gets reduced and that vowel sound changes because you're not really emphasizing it.

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So let's practice these two sentences two times slowly

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and then two times at a normal speed

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so let's say it slowly together ready I'm gonna get a

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bite to eat do you want to go one more time

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I'm gonna get a bite to eat do you want to go now a little faster at a normal speed.

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Ready?

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I'm going to get a bite.

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Do you want to go?

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Once more.

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I'm going to get a bite.

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Do you want to go?

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Okay, good.

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And I hope that you noticed this in the background.

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That is a picture from Yosemite National Park.

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It is probably one of the most beautiful parks, national parks that I've seen in the U .S.

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Here is the next question.

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Could you wait till I finish work?

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could you wait till I finish work so let's talk about what's going on

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and I bet you'll probably be able to guess where this picture was taken

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so could you assimilation may occur we're gonna blend that in yeah

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and basically we're gonna end up with a j sound could

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you could you it's like we're putting it right between those words

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and that allows us to connect them could you wait So you do have overlapping sounds, that final T and wait,

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in the beginning T and TIL.

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If they overlap, and then basically they end up coming between two vowel sounds.

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So together, it's going to sound like that flap T.

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Waitl.

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Waitl I.

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Because then I can link those three words together.

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Waitl I.

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Waitl I finish work.

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Could you waitl I finish work?

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Let's say this together slowly and then at a normal speed.

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So two times slowly.

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Say it with me.

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Ready?

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Could you wait till I finish work?

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Once more.

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Could you wait till I finish work?

466

Now let's say it a little faster at a normal speed.

467

Here we go.

468

Could you wait till I finish work?

469

Once more.

470

Could you wait till I finish work?

471

Nice.

472

And yes, this is a, you see that kind of casino down there, the neon lights.

473

This is Las Vegas.

474

The last sentence, it's getting late.

475

I don't want to wait around all night.

476

So what's happening here?

477

Getting, I'm going to drop that G.

478

So instead of getting, it's going to sound like getting.

479

I've talked about that glottal T when you have the T followed by an N sound, the sounds coming from your throat.

480

Getting.

481

Getting.

482

It's getting late.

483

It's getting late.

484

I don't wanna.

485

I can reduce that.

486

Wanna wait around all.

487

I can link those three words together and you'll hear that flap T in wait.

488

Wait around all night.

489

Wait around all night.

490

It's getting late.

491

I don't want to wait around all night let's say this together shadow say it with me slowly two times ready

492

it's getting late i don't want to wait around all night

493

once more it's getting late i don't want to wait around

494

all night now it's gonna be a little more challenging as

495

we speed it up i still want you to shadow say

496

it with me at a normal speed ready it's getting late i don't want to wait around all night.

497

One more time.

498

It's getting late.

499

I don't want to wait around all night.

500

You're doing great.

501

Let's practice this dialogue now.

502

And of course, I think, you know, this is New York City, the Big Apple, because you can see the Statue of Liberty right there.

503

So let's practice this dialogue.

504

I am going to start out.

505

I will say A, and then I want you to say B

506

and hopefully the timing will work out

507

because I'll give you a moment to say your part

508

and then we'll switch and you can say a

509

and I will say B are you ready here we go

510

what do you want to do tonight sure could you wait

511

all I finish work nice let's switch I want you now to say a

512

and then I will say B so you can go ahead

513

and begin I'm gonna get a bite to eat you want

514

to go it's getting late I don't want to wait around

515

all night all right well done give yourself a round of applause

516

but it's not through it's not over just yet I want

517

to do one more dialogue here is the final dialogue

518

that I want to practice with you so once again I'll start out you can just listen to me say these sentences, and then we're going to break it down one at a time.

519

So this is how I would say this dialogue.

520

What did you do last night?

521

Did you go to the movie?

522

Yes, I got a ticket and then called in sick to work.

523

I'm going to go see it this weekend if you want to see it again.

524

Let's do it.

525

I'm up for watching it again.

526

So let's talk about what's going on, and we'll begin with these two questions right here.

527

And just as a little mini quiz, you can think about where in the U .S this is, and I think you know.

528

But the first two questions, what did you do last night?

529

Did you go to the movie?

530

Simple, easy to understand when you hear it, but as far as saying it and trying to think about the way people in the U .S would say this, let's talk about that right now.

531

Let's get into the details.

532

So the first thing is assimilation.

533

What did you?

534

This is a common question construction And that T and D, you do have overlapping sounds.

535

I've already talked about this.

536

You're really, you're not really going to hear that T and moving into that position, but then you're releasing into that D sound.

537

What did you, that D and Y blend together and you get a J sound.

538

So this is very common.

539

What did you, what did you do last weekend?

540

What did you do last night?

541

What did you do yesterday?

542

What did you, what did you, what did you?

543

Now as far as assimilation goes you you hear

544

that as well in other questions Where did you why did you how did you so it's very common?

545

I think in these question constructions What did you do?

546

last night so Another time when elision may occur is with the T

547

when it comes between two consonant sounds

548

so in this case you don't really hear like last last where I'm like releasing into

549

that sound it comes between two consonants

550

so it's just you don't really hear it last night last night

551

or last week last year and the other thing the other part of the question there's

552

that D &Y blending together again did you did Did you go to the?

553

I want to point out, we've talked about two having two different pronunciations, a strong and a weak form.

554

This is that weak form, so it's going to sound a little more like ta with the schwa sound.

555

However, that T comes between two vowel sounds, so with the American accent, you're going to hear me pronounce it as a flat T.

556

Go to the, go to the.

557

That is a useful phrase that you'll hear a lot and again

558

if you're interested in in imitating the American accent this is a good phrase to keep in mind

559

that go to the go to the go to the

560

because you do hear that flap T and it is a weak weak too

561

and I say this and I point this out

562

because we use this phrase a lot you go to the

563

gym go to the mall go to the store go to the movie

564

which is what we're talking about right now

565

so let's practice these two questions we'll say it two times slowly

566

and then two times at a normal or a faster speed.

567

So let's say these two questions slowly.

568

I want you to shadow.

569

Say them with me right now.

570

Here we go.

571

What did you do last night?

572

Did you go to the movie?

573

One more time.

574

What did you do last night?

575

Did you go to the movie?

576

Now, let's say it a little faster.

577

Again, just say it with me.

578

Try to maintain that same pace.

579

What did you do last night?

580

Did you go to the movie?

581

Let's say it one more time.

582

What did you do last night?

583

Did you go to the movie?

584

Good.

585

The next sentence.

586

Oh yeah.

587

If I, I keep forgetting to, you know, I think, you know, this is Hollywood in Los Angeles, the very famous Hollywood sign.

588

I think you see it a lot in movies and TV shows, but let's go ahead and look at the, well, the next picture as well as the next sentence.

589

Yes.

590

I got a ticket and then called in sick to work.

591

So what's happening here?

592

Well, first off, gotta, I can link that phrase together, moving that final consonant sound over,

593

and it is going to be a flap T, comes between two vowel sounds, gotta.

594

Yes, I got a ticket, and is often reduced, and it's just going to sound like N.

595

I got a ticket, and then called in.

596

Now, I can link this phrase together, and I'm going to move that ED, called, would have a D sound,

597

because that L sound is a voice sound.

598

Called in, and you can hear that DIN sound as I link it.

599

Called in sick, there's that week two, to work.

600

Called in sick to work.

601

Called in sick to work.

602

So, putting it all together, yes, I got a ticket, and then called in sick to work.

603

But let's practice it.

604

I want to say it two times slowly, and then two times at a normal speed.

605

So let's begin with saying it slowly.

606

Here we go.

607

Yes, I got a ticket and then called in sick to work.

608

Again.

609

Yes, I got a ticket and then called in sick to work.

610

Now let's speed it up a little bit.

611

Say it with me.

612

Here we go.

613

Yes, I got a ticket and then called in sick to work.

614

Again.

615

Yes, I got a ticket and then called in sick to work.

616

Keep it up.

617

You're doing great.

618

And just so you know, this is a picture from Times Square in New York City.

619

It's Broadway.

620

So it's definitely, I recommend checking out Broadway if you're there.

621

This probably looks familiar already, but I'll.. still tell you where it is uh in case you forgot

622

so the next sentence i'm gonna go this weekend

623

if you want to watch it

624

if you want to see it again i'm gonna go this weekend

625

if you want to see it again i'm gonna that's perfectly fine it's very common people say it all the time

626

but you're gonna hear me i'll go ahead

627

and reduce it even further with

628

that amina amina i'm gonna go this weekend i'm gonna do this i'm gonna do

629

that i'm gonna go this weekend if you want to.

630

We can reduce that to wanna.

631

See it again.

632

That T, I'm going to pronounce it as a flap T and then link it with the vowel sound in again.

633

It again.

634

If you want to see it again.

635

If you want to see it again.

636

Now let's practice this two times slowly and then at a faster speed.

637

So let's say this slowly together.

638

Here we go.

639

I'm going to go this weekend if you want to see it again.

640

One more time.

641

I'm going to go this weekend if you want to see it again.

642

Let's speed it up.

643

It's a little more challenging.

644

See if you can maintain that same pace.

645

Here we go.

646

I'm going to go this weekend if you want to see it again.

647

Let's say it one more time.

648

I'm going to go this weekend if you want to see it again.

649

Nice.

650

And then the last sentence.

651

Oh yes, I mentioned this is another picture from Seattle, Washington.

652

You see that, uh, the giant, the space needle right there.

653

What do you think?

654

Let's do it.

655

I'm up for watching it again.

656

What's happening in this picture.

657

So now this picture will with this sentence, let's do it.

658

So intrusion, we haven't talked about this yet.

659

This is when you add sounds.

660

And typically if you're going to add sounds, the reason for this is to link two vowel sounds together.

661

And you see that final vowel sound in do with the beginning vowel sound in it.

662

And we're going to add a slight wuh sound.

663

Again, it's very slight, but that is what then allows us to link these two words together.

664

Do it, do it, do it.

665

You can hear, you can definitely hear that wuh sound.

666

Let's do it.

667

I'm up.

668

I'm up.

669

I can link that together and we're like moving that mm sound over.

670

And just to point out, if you say that you're up for something or you're up for doing something, it really just means that you're willing to do it.

671

Like, hey, would you like to do this?

672

Yeah, I'm up for it.

673

Or like, yeah, I'm not really up for it.

674

All right, you're not willing to do it.

675

So I'm up for, I can reduce that.

676

And once again, when it's reduced, the vowel sound is going to change slightly.

677

And instead of for, like the number, when it's a strong form, it's going to sound a little more like for.

678

It's a much softer, weaker sound.

679

I'm up for watching because I'm going to drop that G.

680

So instead of watching, watching, and then I can link together.

681

Watching it again.

682

I'm up for watching it again.

683

Let's do it.

684

I'm up for watching it again.

685

Let's practice two times slowly.

686

Ready?

687

Let's do it.

688

I'm up for watching it again.

689

Let's say it one more time with me.

690

let's do it.

691

I'm up for watching it again.

692

Now let's speed it up.

693

Here we go.

694

Let's do it.

695

I'm up for watching it again.

696

One more time.

697

Let's do it.

698

I'm up for watching it again.

699

All right.

700

You're ready.

701

You're ready to put it all together.

702

This also, by the way, is a picture, I believe, gosh, I forget.

703

It was a while ago when I put this together.

704

I think this is the Shenandoah National Park on the East Coast that mostly runs through Virginia.

705

Another beautiful national park on the East Coast.

706

So here is our dialogue.

707

You can listen to me say it one more time, and then I want to practice this.

708

I will say A, you will say B, and we'll try to say it in a more natural way, and then we'll switch.

709

So just to hear it one last time, what did you do last night?

710

Did you go to the movie?

711

Yes, I got a ticket and then called in sick to work.

712

I'm going to go this weekend if you want to see it again.

713

let's do it i'm up for watching it again are you ready i will say a

714

and i just want you to say b here we go

715

what did you do last night did you go to the movie

716

i'm going to go this weekend if you want to see it again

717

good good good now let's switch i want you to say a

718

and then i will say b so you can go ahead and begin

719

yes i got a ticket and then called in sick to work

720

let's do it i'm up for watching it again

721

all right well done

722

I really hope that you were able to get some speaking practice with me this hour

723

and actually try to work on some of these different parts of connected speech that we've been talking about, reductions, linking, assimilation.

724

There is quite a bit to try to take in.

725

But as I mentioned earlier, a lot of this, I think, has to do with muscle memory.

726

These are good exercises trying to just transition from one sound to the next and just practice it,

727

repeat it, say it again and again and again so that the next time you're in a conversation, you're not even gonna think about it and you're just going to use a phrase like go to the,

728

and I'm gonna go to the gym, I'm gonna go to the store.

729

And maybe if you practice it enough, the next time you would say, I'm gonna, you might hear yourself just saying, look, yeah, I'm gonna do this or I'm gonna do that.

730

I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna.

731

If you enjoyed this lesson and learned something new, please hit that like button As always, thank you so much for watching and I will see you next time so long

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.

Shadowing Practice: Sound More American FAST: Master Connected Speech in 45 Minutes! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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What is the Shadowing Technique?