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http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation/tims-pronunciation-workshop-ep-30

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Tim
Hi. I'm Tim and this is my Pronunciation workshop. Here I'm going to show you how English is really spoken. Come on, let's go inside. Well, here we are in the pronunciation workshop for the final time. Today, let's look back on what we've covered in this series and I'll offer some final tips and words of advice. When we write English, each word is separate; there are spaces between the words. But, that's not how we speak English. If. We. Did. It. Might. Be. Easier. To. Understand. But. We. Would. Sound. Like. Robots. No. When we speak English, although there are some pauses, we mostly bump the words together. And when these words bump into each other certain things can happen that affect the sounds. We've learned that /t/ and /d/ sounds disappear between consonants:

Tim
Consonant sounds can link with vowel sounds:

Tim
Certain vowel sounds can link with certain other vowel sounds by adding sounds:

Tim
Two consonant sounds can join together, or twin.

Tim
Some sounds can change completely:

'Green Park' /griːn pɑːk/ becomes /griːmpɑːk/.

Tim
Unstressed grammar words are often weak:

'I'd have been late' becomes /aɪdəv bɪn leɪt/

Tim
And we've also seen how a little sound, schwa, is important to the rhythm of natural spoken English.

'A piece of cake' /ə piːsə keɪk/

Tim
These are all features of what we call connected speech. Natural speech is full of these features. And for native speakers, these changes happen automatically. The more you can get used to listening to and speaking English, the more naturally they'll come to you too. But my advice is that the most important thing to pay attention to is schwa. Getting schwa in the right place is the first step to getting English pronunciation right. And that, for the last time, is about it from the pronunciation workshop. And always remember that if you want to learn more about pronunciation or other aspects of English, then please visit our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Thank you so much for watching this series and I'll see you soon. Bye bye! Erm, hello? Hello? Erm. I can't get out. What do I do? Help! Help! Oh. Somebody?

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BBC Learning English - Pronunciation / Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: Summary

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Tim Hi. I'm Tim and this is my Pronunciation workshop. Here I'm going to show you how English is really spoken. Come on, let's go inside. Well, here we are in the pronunciation workshop for the final time. Today, let's look back on what we've covered in this series and I'll offer some final tips and words of advice.

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https://pronunciationstudio.com/contractions/

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You might've /maɪtəv/ already guessed that this article looks at how apostrophes indicate sound in contractions (he's, we'd, I'd've etc.) - a key area of connected speech. Students often tell me that they either find contractions too hard to use or they prefer not to use them because they feel they sound too casual. However, even the most formal native speakers will use them, so it's a key skill both in terms of listening and speaking, it also contributes significantly to fluency. Here we highlight 10 key contractions in English speech and how we'd've thought they sound:

1. 'have'

The auxiliary verb 'have' contracts to /v/ after a vowel sound (I've /aɪv/ or /əv/, we've /wiv/ etc.):

'Have' contracts to /əv/ after a consonant (would've /ˈwʊdəv/, could've /ˈkʊdəv/ etc.):

2. 'has' & 'is'

As an auxiliary, 'has' and 'is' contract to 's' (it's, he's, she's etc.). Contractions with 'has' and 'is' follow the 's' endings rule. If the preceding word ends in a voiced sound, 's' will be pronounced as /z/ (he's /hiz/):

If the preceding word ends in a voiceless sound, 's' will be pronounced as /s/ (Jack's /dʒæks/):

3. 'am'

'Am' contracts to /m/:

4. 'are'

'Are' after 'we' as in 'we're' is pronounced as /wɪə/. 'You're' is pronounced as /jɔ:/ or /jə/. 'They're' is pronounced as either /ðeə/ or /ðə/:

In the above cases, if the next word starts with a vowel sound, the 'r' in the spelling will be pronounced, giving /wɪər/, /jɔːr/, /jər/, /ðeər/ and /ðər/:

5. 'will'

'Will' contracts to /l/ after vowel sounds (I'll, you'll etc.):

Whereas after consonant sounds it contracts to /əl/:

6. 'not'

'Not' is contracted to "nt' and pronounced /nt/ if it follows a vowel (don't, aren't, can't etc.):

...but if written after a consonant, we pronounce it as /ənt/ (wouldn't, couldn't, shouldn't, hadn't):

7. 'had' & 'would'

Both 'had' and 'would' can contract to /d/ after a vowel sound (they'd, we'd etc.):

Who knew we 'd ever get this far?

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Contractions-13.mp3

After a consonant sound, 'had' and 'would' contract to /əd/ (it'd, John'd):

John 'd warned her about the loose lid on the blender, he was sure of it.

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Contractions-74.mp3

8. 'will + have'

Double contractions are very common in speech, but are not written in standard speech. In this case the contraction "ve' has been added to the end of the contraction "ll' (I'll've, you'll've etc.):

My solicitor says we 'll've closed the deal by this time tomorrow.

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Contractions-82.mp3

9. 'would + have'

When we make sentences with would and have, we tend to contract 'have' rather than 'would' e.g. 'He would've been a doctor, if he'd gone to university'. The pronunciation rules for 'have' and 'would' contractions apply:

It is also possible to contract both 'would' and 'have' together:

10. 'modal verb + not + have'

Modal verbs like 'could', 'might', 'must', 'should' etc. can also be contracted. The same pronunciation rules for the contraction of 'have' and 'not' will apply:

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Contractions and Apostrophes. You might've /maɪtəv/ already guessed that this article looks at how apostrophes indicate sound in contractions (he's, we'd, I'd've etc.) - a key area of connected speech.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation/tims-pronunciation-workshop-ep-6

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Tim
Hi, I'm Tim and this is my pronunciation workshop. Here, I'm gonna show you how English is really spoken. It'll help you to become a better listener and a more fluent speaker. You ready? Come on, follow me. Now, there's an idiom in the English language that means that something is really easy. Any idea what it is? Well, here's a clue. Do you know now? Let's ask the people of London:

It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake

Tim
A piece of cake - an expression that means that something is really easy to do, as well as meaning - a piece of cake. But listen again to the words 'a' and 'of'. They are actually pronounced the same. What is the sound - and are those words stressed?

It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake

The words 'a' and 'of' are both pronounced as /ə/ and they're not stressed. This sound /ə/ is the most common sound in the whole English language. It's so common that it even has its own name - schwa. Now, it can be difficult to hear the schwa because it is never stressed. However, it's a vowel sound that's used in many grammar words like articles and prepositions. Here are some more examples.

Tim
So, you've heard the examples, and now it's your turn. Are you ready to start? Listen and repeat.

Tim
Great work. Now remember, if you want to learn more about pronunciation then please visit our website: bbclearningenglish.com. That's about it from the pronunciation workshop for now. I'll see you soon. Bye bye. Now, I've got a cup of tea and I've got a biscuit, I'm looking forward to a piece of cake. That was a mistake, but a tasty one.

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BBC Learning English - Pronunciation / Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: Schwa

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Tim Hi, I'm Tim and this is my pronunciation workshop. Here, I'm gonna show you how English is really spoken. It'll help you to become a better listener and a more fluent speaker. You ready? Come on, follow me. Now, there's an idiom in the English language that means that something is really easy.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation/tims-pronunciation-workshop-ep-26

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Tim
Hi. I'm Tim and this is my Pronunciation workshop. Here I'm going to show you how English is really spoken. Come on, let's go inside. Phew, just made it. A little bit late today. My alarm didn't go off this morning, so, I nearly missed the bus.

Voice
Err... Tim, why do you need a bus to get to the shed at the end of your garden?

Tim
Well, you know it's a really big garden.

Voice
Really?

Tim
OK, fine. Look, I'll let you into a little secret. This actually isn't my workshop. I've been borrowing it from a friend. Anyway, I nearly missed the bus, but I didn't. So, let's ask some people in London what they would do if their alarms hadn't gone off this morning.

If my alarm hadn't gone off this morning, I'd've missed the bus.
I'd've stayed home.
I'd've woken up anyway.
I'd've been late for work.
I'd've missed the train.
I'd've stayed in bed.

Tim
In an earlier video we saw that the verb 'have' is pronounced as /hæf/ when it's used in its modal form. But this isn't the only way the pronunciation of 'have' can change. Watch and listen again. Can you hear how they pronounce it differently?

If my alarm hadn't gone off this morning, I'd 've missed the bus.
I'd 've stayed home.
I'd 've woken up anyway.
I'd 've been late for work.
I'd 've missed the train.
I'd 've stayed in bed.

Tim
When the verb have is used as an auxiliary it's often contracted. And when it comes after a consonant sound it's pronounced /əv/. So, 'I'd have been late' becomes 'I'd've been late'. This pronunciation is very common in conditional sentences, but it's not the only time you'll hear it. Here are some more examples.

Examples
Your parcel should 've been delivered yesterday.
I would 've done it differently.
We might 've made a mistake.
The police 've arrived.

Tim
Right, so you've heard the examples, and now it's your turn. Listen and repeat.

Examples
Your parcel should 've been delivered yesterday.
I would 've done it differently.
We might 've made a mistake.
The police 've arrived.

Tim
Well done. Now remember, if you want to learn more about pronunciation, then please visit our website, bbclearningenglish.com. And that is about it from the pronunciation workshop for this week. I'll see you soon. Bye bye! OK, now how does this alarm work? I guess I should've read the instructions! That was really loud!

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BBC Learning English - Pronunciation / Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: Contracted 'have'

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Tim Hi. I'm Tim and this is my Pronunciation workshop. Here I'm going to show you how English is really spoken. Come on, let's go inside. Phew, just made it. A little bit late today. My alarm didn't go off this morning, so, I nearly missed the bus. Voice Err...

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation/tims-pronunciation-workshop-ep-18

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BBC Learning English - Pronunciation / Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: The

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Tim Hi. I'm Tim and this is my Pronunciation workshop. Here I'm going to show you how English is really spoken. Come on, let's go inside. You know, I've been thinking about decorating my workshop - bringing a little bit of colour to it. But I can't decide between blue or orange.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation/tims-pronunciation-workshop-ep-24

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BBC Learning English - Pronunciation / Tim’s Pronunciation Workshop: Would you...?

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How the phrase ‘would you...?’ is pronounced in natural English

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2010/12/101230_6min_english_families_page.shtml
Listen to the audio once then answer the following question:
1) The people talking in this track discussed "families" in different ways. They talked about "single parents" and "if parents should stay together for the sake of their kids." WHAT OTHER IDEAS ARE DISCUSSED IN THE TRACK?

Listen again while reading the script. (Script link: http://wsdownload.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/pdf/2010/12/101223145036_101230_6min_english_families.pdf )
2) At what age do YOU think children may be left to go to school on their own (=alone)? Why?

3) Record yourself reading the following paragraph.
"If someone has a skeleton in the closet, it means that they have a dark or an embarrassing secret about their past that they would prefer to remain secret. The expression has in origins in the medical profession. Doctors in Britain were not allowed to work on dead bodies until 1832. Prior to this date, the only bodies they could dissect for medical purposes were those of executed criminals. It was a common practice for doctors who were rich to dissect the corpse of an executed criminal and keep the skeleton for research purposes. Public opinion would not allow the doctors to keep skeletons on open view in their surgeries, so they had to hide them. Most people suspected that doctors kept skeletons in the closet even if they couldn’t actually see them." onestopenglish

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1- Are you a workaholic? Why? Why not?
2- Choose 5-6 words from this video that are new to you. Search for their meanings and how to use them in sentences. Write your own sentences using these words then record yourself while saying them.

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bbc 6 minute english with transcript 2009

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bbc 6 minute english transcript videos 2009

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BBC 6 Minute English - Workaholism (28 MAY 2009)

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BBC 6 Minute English - Workaholism (28 MAY 2009) Link audio & transcript https://goo.gl/MMNhzf All 6 Minute English programmes can be found here https://goo.gl/BuZExY