This document provides pronunciation lessons on connected speech, weak forms, intrusion, and linking words in English. It discusses how connected speech aims for ease and efficiency of tongue movement, how weak forms reduce unstressed words, and how intrusion sounds like /j/ and /w/ are added between words starting with vowels. It also emphasizes the importance of mimicking native speakers' pronunciation of words, phrases, stress and intonation for accurate pronunciation skills.

1. Pronunciation: Lesson 2
By @EasyEnglishwithJames

3. Connected Speech
“a native speaker's aim in connecting words is maximum ease and efficiency
of tongue movement when getting our message across”

4. Weak Forms
There are a large number of words in English which can have a "full" form and
a "weak" form. This is because English is a stressed timed language, and
when we try to make the spaces between stressed syllables equal, so that we
can give the phrase rhythm, we tend to weaken or even remove
non-essential words.

5. 1. Notice how common the Schwa sound ə is…
I’ve got a new car
I’m not going to an old theatre
Me and you/him and her/this and that
This is from me and it’s for you
She told him that her house was bigger.
/ə/
/əm/ /m/
/ən/
/frəm/
/ə/ /hə/
They are all over there.
/ən/ /ən/
/fə/
/ɪm/
/ə/
/ən/

6. 2. Try these sentences to practice many different
weak forms.
Shall we go there for Christmas
we dropped them at the airport
It’s made of this not that
I just want some more that’s all
It’s not that I can, it’s that I must
/ʃəl/
/wɪ/
/ʤəs/
/ðət/
/əv/ /v/
/ðæs ʊl/
/ðət/
/ðəm/
/wɪ/
/səm/ /sm/
We should take her and go pay him a
visit
/wɪ/ /ʃəd/ /tek/ /ə/ /Ən/ /ɪm/ /ə/

7. Intrusion
When two words are said together, an extra sound is sometimes
placed between them in order to make them easier to say. When a
native speaker says ‘I am not happy’ there is an intrusive /j/ sound
between ‘I’ and ‘am’ which makes it easier to say the phrase quickly.

8. Intrusion
We use the sounds /j/ and /w/ to link a vowel sound at the end of
one word with a vowel sound at the beginning of the next word.

9. 1. If the first word ends with a vowel sound like /ɪ/ or
/i:/ and the next word begins with any vowel sound..
Me and you
See it
The egg
The angel
The implication
/j/
/j/
/j/
/j/
/j/
Then we add a /j/…

10. 2. If the first word ends with a vowel sound like /u:/ or the diphthong
/əʊ/ and the next word begins with any vowel sound..we add a /w/.
You and me
Two or three
Go away
Go on
To eat
Can you find five more infinitives (To…VERBS)which show
intrusion?
/w/
/w/
/w/
/w/
/w/

11. 3. PRACTICE GIVING DIRECTIONS…
Go out of the building
GO across the street
Go along the road
Go over the bridge
Go up the hill
Take the eighth street on the left and then stop at the eleventh
house…
/w/
/w/
/w/
/w/
/w/
/j/ /j/

12. 4. PRACTICE A CONVERSATION…
Can I do one?
here. I’ll give you one.
A nice one
A new one
A yellow one and a blue one
For you and you only.
/w/
/w/
/w/
/w/
/w/ /w/
/w/ /w/

13. Linking Words
When we write there are spaces between words, but when we speak we
often connect words together so that the sentence flows more easily
and/or quickly.
This is why it is important to learn chunks of words instead of just
individual words, because accurate pronunciation comes from knowing
how each word LINKS to every other word.

14. 1. Practice this poem…
Think it
Speak it
Write it
Read it
You know you really
Need it

15. 2. Practice this poem…
Work all day
Run away
Boss and me
Can’t agree
Fill a cup
Drink it up
Wait a while
Walk a mile
Meet at eight
Don’t be late!

16. 3. Practice this poem…
First you close it
The you lock it
Then you leave it
And put that key back in your
pocket

17. Mimicry
The biggest mistake in learning pronunciation is simply trying to read words
correctly from a page. The best practice is to MIMIC the sound, intonation,
speed, rhythm and expressions of native speakers. Don’t be shy!

18. Mimicry and Imitation
Muscle Memory
a) Moving the facial muscles is perhaps
the most important part of
pronunciation. Try the word THREE.
Notice how it has 3 main facial
positions.
b) Do you know the POSITION of the
mouth, lips, jaw and tongue for each
sound you make? This is what makes
perfect pronunciation.
Don’t just copy the words, copy the
face, the neck, the body language. Try
this with some famous movie lines…
Don’t just copy the words, copy the
face, the neck, the body language. Try
this with some famous movie lines…

19. Can you mimic these
movie quotes?
Don’t just copy the sound, copy the intonation, the stress and the body
language too.

20. What we do in life, echoes in eternity.

21. We have a new enemy. The young rebel
who destroyed the Death Star.

22. I am your father.

23. May the force be with you.

24. My mama always said, life was like a box of
chocolates.

25. My name’s Bond. James Bond.

26. What’s it doin’. Stupid. Fat. Hobbit. It ruins
it.

27. Stay here. I’ll be back.

28. You see, in their last moments, people
show you who they really are.