Good Morning !

Connected SpeechWhen speaking, Americans connect – or “link” –

the end of one word with the beginning of the

next word.

Not every word is linked, since it is sometimes

necessary to pause. But more often than not,

this “strategy” is used.

Together with reduced forms of speech, this

allows us to speak more smoothly and fluently.

Linking Consonant to Vowel

Rule 1:

When a word ends

in 2 consonants

and . . .

L e f t

the next word begins

with a voweli t

then . . .

Linking Consonant to Vowel

Rule 1:

the 2nd consonant

(in this case, a “t”)

. . . is pronounced

with the next wordi t

tL e f

Left it

sounds like

Lef dit

“Where’s your textbook?”

“I left it in my dorm room.”

Send it

sounds like

Sen dit

“Please send it to me as soon as

possible.”

Camp out

sounds like

Cam pout

“Do you want to camp out this

weekend?”

Hold on

sounds like

Hole don

“Hold on for dear life!”

Linking Consonant to Vowel

Rule 2:

When a word ends

in 1 consonant

and . . .

I s

the next word begins

with a voweli t ?

then . . .

Linking Consonant to Vowel

Rule 2:

The consonant is

pronounced with

both words.

I s i t ?

I s i t ?

“Is it time for lunch yet?”

“Try to keep up with me”

Step it up.

Step on it.

Get a move on.

All three of these expressions mean:

Hurry! Go Faster! Move Faster!

Step on it comes from driving a car, and

“stepping” on the gas pedal to speed up.

Hey! Step it up with your work.

We’re walking too slowly.

We’d better step on it, or

we’ll be late for class!

We had1 better get a move on, otherwise

we’ll never finish this project.

1 In spoken English, “had” is often omitted in these types of sentences. It sounds grammatically incorrect, but in casual

language, it’s acceptable.

PracticeFill in the blanks with verbs

ending in 1 or 2 consonants.

it in. it down. up.

out. at me. about it.

over here.

PracticeFill in the blanks with verbs

ending in 1 or 2 consonants.

Stuff it in. Put it down. Hold up.

Get out. Look at me. Think about it.

Stand over here.

Analyze the following sentence:

If I were you, I’d think about it for a while

before doing anything impulsive1.

First, how would you break up this sentence into

“chunks” so you could make it more manageable

for practicing?

1Impulsive – an adjective, meaning to do something without

thinking about it first – being hasty and careless.

Idea #1:

If I were you, I’d think about it for a while

before doing anything impulsive.

1. If I were you,

2. I’d think about it

3. for awhile

4. before doing

5. anything impulsive.

Idea #2:

If I were you, I’d think about it for a while

before doing anything impulsive.

1. If I were you,

2. I’d think about it for a while

3. before doing anything impulsive.

Second, where would you use

connected speech and reduced forms of

speech so you could say the sentence

smoothly?

1. If I were you,

Connect the “f” & “I”

2. I’d think about it

Connect the “d” & “t”

Connect the “k” & “a”

Connect the “t” & “i”

3. for a while

Reduce “for” to “fer”

Connect the “r” & “a”

4. before doing

5. anything impulsive.

Very lightly link the “g” & “i”

Very lightly link the “g”

to the “a” in “anything”