Podcast Episodes

CON: stressed /ɑ/ unstressed /ə/

Words that begin with the letters CON usually say /kɑn/ "KAHN" when they are stressed, and /kən/ "kn" when they are unstressed. For example, "content" the noun sounds like "KAHN tent" and "content" t…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Vowel /oʊ/ Linking Practice

Shadow, listen and repeat for Vowel O linking! When we link words ending with /oʊ/ to words starting with a vowel sound, we have a /w/ glide as we link between the vowel sounds. In this lesson, we pr…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Fluent Speaking: u ʊ i ɪ & d Linking

In this mix and match fluent speaking practice, we focus on shadowing and listen and repeat for Vowels u ʊ i ɪ as well as linking unreleased /d/ sounds.

See the video for visuals: https://youtu.be/h…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Might Have (Might've): Fluent Speaking Practice

In this lesson, we look at fluent speaking for the phrases "might have" (might've, "MIGHduv") and "might not have" (might not've, "Migh(t)NAHduv). We'll learn how the stress pattern changes with diff…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Central Vowels: /ɛ/ as in "red tent" and /ʌ/ as in "such fun" (schwa)

Vowel /ɛ/ (red tent) and vowel schwa /ʌ/ (such fun) have a similar amount of opening. Vowel /ɛ/ is a front vowel, which means the back of the tongue will be lifted, while vowel /ʌ/ is a central vow…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Quick Practice: Water (Flap T)

Practice pronouncing "water" with a Flap T like a native speaker in this fluent speech practice. Listen and repeat, practice slow speech, and shadowing for sentences to master the word "water" in Ame…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Pronunciation Practice: sts words

Get practice tips and an extensive listen and repeat practice for words ending in -st and -sts, such as last and lasts, first and firsts, guest and guests. We'll work at the word, phrase and sentence…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Flap T Shadowing Practice

In this lesson, we'll practice shadowing the Flap T in the middle of words and in linking, at the conversational level. Sound more natural and speaking more fluently in the American accent using this…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Advanced Fluent Speaking Practice: TH and R Challenge

In this episode, we practice some of the most common phrases with the word "the," combined with challenging words with R. Use this advanced lesson to master combining these challenging sounds with ea…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Fluent Speaking Practice: What are We, What are They, What are You

In this listen and repeat practice exercise, we work on fluent speech for the phrases "what are we" ("whudderwe"), "what are they" ("whudderthey"), and "what are you" ("whudderyou, whudderyuh").

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago