English Conversation: Are YOU Using Contractions and Reductions Correctly? (https:\/\/youtu.be\/lzuYALsZa0M)<\/a><\/noscript><\/div>\nVideo Transcript:<\/h2>\n
Today we\u2019re breaking down everything you need to know to sound natural speaking English. This is conversational English, but Americans use an English that\u2019s pretty conversational even in business settings and more formal settings, with reductions and idioms.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTo help you hear what to do, we\u2019re going to show you what NOT to do. Click here or in the video description to get a free cheat sheet, the sounds of American English, it\u2019s a great reference tool and even I use it quite a bit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWe\u2019re going to jump in with conversation one of four today, going line by line. The basic thing you\u2019re going to learn is, you do not want to pronounce everything slowly and clearly. That is not natural American English. It sounds a little robotic and overly formal. And when we do that, we\u2019ll dress up for you. We want you to hear how different that is from the natural, conversational English you\u2019ll hear when we\u2019re not dressed up.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOk, here\u2019s the first conversation, then we\u2019ll talk more about this exercise. Line by line, we\u2019ll compare fully and clearly pronounced with a more natural English.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHey Rach, I\u2019m going to Starbucks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHi becomes hey. Not a reduction but maybe a more casual greeting. Tom uses Rach instead of Rachel, a reduction of my name, a common nickname. I am becomes I\u2019m. The word two is reduced. We have the flap T and the schwa, going to, going to. Going to Starbucks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHey Rach, I\u2019m going to Starbucks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHi Rachel, I am going to Starbucks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHey Rach, I\u2019m going to Starbucks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDo you want to come along?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDo you wanna come along?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDo you. Do is reduced so much that we almost don\u2019t hear it. Just a light D sound. The vowel in you isn\u2019t quite a pure ooh either, it\u2019s a little more relaxed heading towards the schwa, dj<\/span>\u0259<\/span>, <\/span>dj<\/span>\u0259<\/span>, <\/span>dj<\/span>\u0259<\/span>. Do you wanna. \u2018Want to\u2019 reduces to \u2018wanna\u2019. Do you wanna, do wanna.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDo you want to come along?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDo you wanna come along?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDo you want to come along?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDo you wanna come along?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNo. Thank you, Tom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNo thanks.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThank you becomes thanks. One less syllable.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNo. Thank you, Tom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNo thanks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNo. Thank you, Tom.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNo thanks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI have got too much I want to get done here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI\u2019ve got too much I wanna get done here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI have becomes I\u2019ve.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGot to, just one t between those two words. Got to, got to.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWant to becomes wanna, wanna. Get. We use a stop T sound here because the next sound is a consonant. Get done. Get done.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI have got too much I want to get done here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI\u2019ve got too much I wanna get done here.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI have got too much I want to get done here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI\u2019ve got too much I wanna get done here.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOkay. I will be back soon.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOkay. I\u2019ll be back soon.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI will becomes I\u2019ll reduced to [<\/span>\u0254l<\/span>].\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOkay. I will be back soon.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOkay. I\u2019ll be back soon.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOkay. I will be back soon.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOkay. I\u2019ll be back soon.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, I would love a coffee though.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, I\u2019d love a coffee though.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nI would\u00a0 becomes I\u2019d.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, I would love a coffee though.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, I\u2019d love a coffee though.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, I would love a coffee though.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOh, I\u2019d love a coffee though.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMedium?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThat will be fine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMedium?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThat\u2019ll be fine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThat will becomes That\u2019ll. A two-syllable word with stress on the first syllable. The t at the end of that is a flap t because it comes between two vowels. That\u2019ll, that\u2019ll.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMedium?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThat will be fine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMedium?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThat\u2019ll be fine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMedium?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThat will be fine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMedium?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThat\u2019ll be fine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGreat. See you in a bit.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGreat. See you in a bit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGreat. With a stop T. This is because it\u2019s the end of the sentence. You is more relaxed here. Not an ooh vowel but more of a schwa. Seeya, seeya and finally bit with a stop T. Bit, bit, again because it\u2019s coming at the end of the sentence.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGreat. See you in a bit.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGreat. See you in a bit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThese four conversations focus on three major points that make American English sound more natural.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1 – Using contractions. In general, using contractions in spoken English is more natural than not doing a contraction.\u00a0 If you find in conversation you\u2019re saying I AM, I WILL, I WOULD, and so on, try to shift that to I\u2019m, I\u2019ll, Notice that one sounds like the word ALL.\u00a0 All, I\u2019ll be there soon.\u00a0 I\u2019d, I\u2019d, I\u2019d like that.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n2 – Using Reductions. Many of the most common words in American English are not fully pronounced. The word THE is usually not pronounced.\u00a0 \u201cthe\u201d, it\u2019s pronounced the. It\u2019s the best, the. The word FOR is usually pronounced fr. This is for work. This is probably THE most important thing for sounding natural and having easy-to-understand rhythm when speaking. If the concept is totally new to you, don\u2019t worry, you\u2019ll see us break down lots of examples here.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAnd finally,3 – T pronunciations. It\u2019s usually not ttt, a True T. We drop it, flap it, and make it a stop of air a lot, and you’ll see examples of that here.\u00a0 <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n15-second shout-out to my channel members here on YouTube, to my subscribers on Facebook, your support means a lot, funds these videos, and gets you perks like exclusive audio lessons. Click join, click join to learn more. Thank you so much.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLet\u2019s look now at the second conversation. All of these are with my friend and colleague Tom, discussing everyday things.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nRachel, I have not seen you in weeks. <\/span>
\nRach, I haven\u2019t seen you in weeks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHere, Tom said Rach instead of Rachel. Just shortening my name, a nickname that people sometimes use. Have not becomes haven\u2019t when we have an n apostrophe t contraction, we don\u2019t release the t. haven\u2019t instead of haven\u2019t. Haven\u2019t. I haven\u2019t seen.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nRachel, I have not seen you in weeks. <\/span>
\nRach, I haven\u2019t seen you in weeks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nRachel, I have not seen you in weeks. <\/span>
\nRach, I haven\u2019t seen you in weeks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhere have you been?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n