George's travel hot spots | Pronunciation Shadowing

Hard words

The longest, least common words in this video. Say them slowly before you start.

• recommendations
• pronunciation
• disconnected
• information
• gingerbread
• spectacular
• difference
• pronounced

Transcript: 98 sentences

Tap a sentence to start the drill right there.

1. 0:00 Does your English sometimes sound a bit unnatural and disconnected?
2. 0:06 In this episode, I'm going to talk about my two favorite places in the UK and help you speak more naturally when you talk about yours.
3. 0:16 We'll practise shadowing, and focus on three linking sounds that can make your speech more fluent.
4. 0:23 This is a shadowing lesson.
5. 0:25 In a shadowing lesson, you listen carefully, and repeat what I say almost at the same time, like an echo.
6. 0:33 Here's a quick demo.
7. 0:35 As the name suggests, there are lakes - quite a few of them, in fact.
8. 0:41 If you're not sure what shadowing is, click here to watch my tutorial.
9. 0:46 Are you ready?
10. 0:48 Let's go!
11. 0:51 If you want to enjoy a relaxing holiday in the UK, surrounded by nature, then you can't go wrong with England's largest national park, the Lake District.
12. 1:03 As its name suggests, there are lakes - quite a few of them, in fact.
13. 1:09 There are also plenty of mountains, hills, and forests full of wildlife.
14. 1:14 You might even see a red squirrel.
15. 1:17 Also, don't forget to try the gingerbread in Grasmere.
16. 1:21 I always have some when I go - it's incredibly moreish.
17. 1:26 Let's have a look at the pronunciation.
18. 1:29 I used the words 'there are' twice, and there's something interesting to learn about the pronunciation.
19. 1:36 If I say 'there' on its own, the 'r' isn't pronounced.
20. 1:42 There.
21. 1:43 But listen to what happens when I say 'there are': 'there are', 'there are'.
22. 1:51 There are two things happening here.
23. 1:53 First, the word 'are' changes to /ə/.
24. 1:58 Second, we pronounce the 'r' in 'there'.
25. 2:02 Why is this?
26. 2:04 When a word after 'there' starts with a vowel sound, we pronounce the 'r'.
27. 2:11 This is the linking /r/ sound.
28. 2:14 Repeat after me.
29. 2:16 There are lakes.
30. 2:21 There are also plenty of mountains.
31. 2:29 Listen to the sentence again.
32. 2:31 There are also plenty of mountains.
33. 2:35 Did you hear the linking /r/ between 'are' and 'also'?
34. 2:40 That's because 'also' starts with a vowel sound.
35. 2:44 Repeat after me.
36. 2:46 There are also plenty of mountains.
37. 2:53 So we've had the linking /r/, but there's another linking sound as well.
38. 2:59 Listen carefully.
39. 3:01 What extra sound do you hear between these words?
40. 3:07 'Enjoy a'.
41. 3:08 'Holiday in the UK'.
42. 3:12 'See a'.
43. 3:14 'I always'.
44. 3:16 The extra sound is /j/.
45. 3:19 We use a linking /j/ when a word ends in sounds like /ɔɪ/, /əɪ/, /i:/, /aɪ/.
46. 3:30 and the next word begins with a vowel.
47. 3:33 Let's practise.
48. 3:34 Repeat after me.
49. 3:36 Enjoy a.
50. 3:41 Holiday in.
51. 3:45 See a.
52. 3:49 I always.
53. 3:54 Remember these linking sounds when we shadow my travel recommendations again at the end.
54. 4:00 Now let's find out about my other favorite place to visit in the UK.
55. 4:06 If you have no interest in hiking and fancy a city break instead, how about Edinburgh?
56. 4:12 There's Edinburgh Castle, which was built on a volcanic rock in the 11th century.
57. 4:18 You can go up Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano with spectacular views of Edinburgh.
58. 4:25 And if you go in August, you can go to a comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is the world's largest performing arts festival.
59. 4:34 Listen carefully.
60. 4:35 What extra sound can you hear between these words?
61. 4:40 No interest.
62. 4:42 How about.
63. 4:44 Go up.
64. 4:46 Go in.
65. 4:47 To a.
66. 4:49 Did you hear it?
67. 4:51 The answer is: /w/.
68. 4:53 We use a linking /w/ sound when a word ends in a rounded vowel.
69. 4:59 So your lips are rounded like this.
70. 5:02 And the next word begins with a vowel.
71. 5:06 This happens after sounds like /əʊ/ in 'no' and 'go', /aʊ/ in 'how', and /u:/ in two.
72. 5:16 Repeat after me.
73. 5:18 No interest.
74. 5:22 How about.
75. 5:26 Go up.
76. 5:31 Go in.
77. 5:35 To a.
78. 5:39 Now, let's shadow the whole text again.
79. 5:42 This time, focus on these linking sounds, and see if your speech sounds smoother.
80. 5:53 If you want to enjoy a relaxing holiday in the UK, surrounded by nature, then you can't go wrong with England's largest national park, the Lake District.
81. 6:05 As its name suggests, there are lakes - quite a few of them, in fact.
82. 6:10 There are also plenty of mountains, hills and forests full of wildlife.
83. 6:16 You might even see a red squirrel.
84. 6:19 Also, don't forget to try the gingerbread in Grasmere.
85. 6:23 I always have some when I go - it's incredibly moreish.
86. 6:29 If you have no interest in hiking and fancy a city break instead, how about Edinburgh?
87. 6:36 There's Edinburgh Castle, which was built on a volcanic rock in the 11th century.
88. 6:42 You can go up Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano with spectacular views of Edinburgh.
89. 6:49 And if you go in August, you can go to a comedy show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is the world's largest performing arts festival.
90. 6:58 How was your pronunciation the second time?
91. 7:01 Did it sound more natural?
92. 7:03 Try shadowing again, and record yourself, so you can really hear the difference.
93. 7:08 You can download the audio file of my travel recommendations by clicking here.
94. 7:14 And for more information on linking sounds, check out Tim's Pronunciation Workshop here.
95. 7:21 What about you?
96. 7:22 What places should we visit in your country?
97. 7:26 Share your travel recommendations in the comments below.
98. 7:31 Goodbye.

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