Summary of Tim’s Pronunciation

Workshops
1. Episode 46 : Assimilation of /t/ and /p/

It's a white piece of paper.

Now the word 'white' ends in the sound /t/ doesn't it?

In fluent speech, if one word ends in a /t/ sound and the next word begins in a
/p/ sound, the /t/ is pronounced slightly differently. In fact, we pronounce it as
if it were almost a /p/ sound. So 'white piece of paper' becomes 'whi(te) piece
of paper'
 There are lots of grea(t) parks in London.

 I love spli(t) pea soup.

 I ha(te) potatoes.

 My ma(te) picked us up from the airport.

2. Episode 47 : Linking /r/

War, what is it good for? Well, as it turns out, it can be used to help illustrate a
feature of fluent speech. As you can see, we write war with three letters: w-a-r,
but when we pronounce it, there are only two sounds: /w/ /ɔː /.

The 'r' in the spelling is not pronounced in the word itself, or if the next word
begins with a consonant sound. But if the next word begins with a vowel sound :

War and Peace

The word after war begins with a vowel sound. And in this case, the 'r' is
pronounced. War and Peace. This is called a 'linking r' and it helps to make the
words flow together more smoothly in natural speech. Here are some more
examples:

 You know, I really like my mother-in-law.

 Have you been to the Tower of London?

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  You've got something in your eye.

 Never again!

3. Episode 48 : Twinning or Gemination

That man looks sad.

He looks sad.

When one word ends in a /s/ sound and the next word begins in /s/, we don't
pronounce both sounds, nor do we pronounce just one sound. Instead they come
together to make a slightly longer 's' sound. So, 'he looks sad' becomes 'he
lookssad'. This is called 'twinning' or gemination. It helps the words to flow
smoothly from one to the other in everyday speech.

 She's silly.

 He's sitting over there.

 Can you come this Saturday?

 That's so unfair!

4. Episode 49 : Elision of /t/

Today, we're going to hear a disappearing sound. Or rather, we're not going to
hear it. What is the negative form of 'can'? 'Can't', right? And what's the final
sound in the word 'can't'? /t/, right? Or is it?

Sorry, I can't do that.

In everyday speech, when a /t/ sound comes in between two consonant sounds,
we often don't pronounce it. This is because it makes the words flow together
more fluently. It's more difficult to say three consonants together in a row
when /t/ is in the middle. Your mouth has to do too much work. 'I can't do it' is
more difficult to say than 'I can't do it'. When a sound disappears in between
two words, it's called elision.

 I can't stand the rain.

 It must be time to leave

 Am I the first person here?

 I don't want it.

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 5. Episode 50 : Intrusive /r/
Have you ever seen a ghost? No, of course you haven't, because they don't
exist. But have you ever heard a sound that wasn't there? Well, if you've
listened to lots of real English, you probably have. We asked the people of
London what they think is the most important thing the government should
prioritise. This is what they said:

We all think that law and order is important.

In fluent speech, if a word ends in an /ɔː/ sound, like law and the next word
begins in an /ə/, you'll often hear a /r/ sound linking them together. Law-r-
and order. Law-r-and order. 'Law-r-and order' is easier to say than 'law and
order'. It flows better.
And this is called intrusion. Now this is a little bit controversial. It doesn't
happen in all accents and some people do say it's not the proper way to speak.
But it is something you will hear. Just remember the /r/ sound is not very
strong. Here are some other examples:

 Can you draw (r) a circle freehand?

 My dog hurt its paw (r) on some broken glass.

 There was a flaw (r) in the argument.

 I saw (r) a good film last night.

6. Episode 51 : Schwa
There's an idiom in the English language that means that something is really
easy:
It's 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?
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.
 I like a cup of tea in the morning.

 Could you get a packet of biscuits?

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  Can you give it to me?

 I had an apple for lunch today.

7. Episode 52 : Linking /w/

When we speak English fluently we sometimes add extra sounds in between the
words to help them link together. Now, have a look at my feet. What's wrong
with this?
'Shoe' ends in the sound /u:/ and 'is' begins with the sound /ɪ/. But can you hear
another sound linking them together?

The shoe (w) is on the wrong foot.

When one word ends in an /u:/ sound and the next begins in a vowel sound we can
just about hear another sound in between. This sound is a bit like /w/. So 'The
shoe is…' becomes 'The shoewis'. This is called the linking /w/ - but it's
important to remember that it's not a full /w/ sound. It happens because the
mouth moves from an /u:/ sound to a vowel sound and on the way it passes
through the /w/ mouth shape. Here are some more examples:

 When do (w) I have to be there?

 I haven't got a clue (w) at all.

 That glue (w) is really strong.

 I really can't do (w) it.

8. Episode 53 : Assimilation of /n/ followed

by /p/
Now, one of the things that happens when we speak fluently is that the sounds
at the end of a word can change. To demonstrate this, we asked people on the
streets of London to identify this Tube station:

Green Park
Now, the word Green ends in the sound /n/, doesn't it? Or does it? Well, when
one word ends in the sound /n/ and the next word begins with a /p/, /b/, /w/ or
/m/ sound, then the /n/ from the end of the word changes to an /m/ sound as
your mouth gets ready to pronounce the next sound. 'Green Park' becomes
'Greempark'.

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This is called assimilation. Here are some more examples:

 I own ten pairs of socks.

 He didn't do it on purpose.

 I would love to live in Paris.

 Can you come on Wednesday?

9. Episode 54 : Elision of /d/

Do you prefer your potatoes steamed - or boiled?
The words steamed and boiled both end in the sound /d/, don’t they? Or do
they?
I prefer steamed potatoes to boiled potatoes.

It’s very difficult to say /d/ when it comes in between two other consonants.
Your mouth has to do a lot of work. So in many cases the /d/ is not pronounced.
'Boiled potatoes becomes 'boilpotatoes'. And 'steamed potatoes' becomes
steampotatoes. This is called elision. Here are some more examples.

 My best friend let me borrow his car.

 Don’t hold back - say what you mean.

 His bike rolled down the hill without him.

10. Episode 55 : Assimilation of /nd/

When we speak English fluently, the sounds in words can join together, change
or even disappear entirely. Sometimes more than one of these can happen.

An egg sandwich

Instead of 'sandwich', we hear 'samwich'. So, what is going on?

Well, first the /d/ disappears in between two consonants. You might remember
this from our video on elision. So 'sandwich' becomes 'sanwich'.
Now, we have an /n/ followed by a /w/ and /n/ changes to /m/ before /w/.
You might remember this from our video on assimilation. So sandwich becomes
samwich.

 My grandparents have been married for 50 years.

 I got a standby ticket.

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  The band played until midnight.

 I left my handbag on the train.

11. Episode 56 : Have to

Now, are you an early bird?
Do you catch the worm?
Do you even have the faintest idea what I’m talking about?
Well, in English, an early bird is someone who gets up early in the morning. Now
I hate waking up early, but because of my job sometimes I have to get up before
11 o'clock in the morning. I know - that's terrible, but I do it, just for you. Let’s
find out about some other Londoners.

I have to get up at half past six every morning.

The word ‘have’ ends in the sound /v/, doesn’t it - or does it?

When we use the verb ‘have’ in its modal form: ‘have to’ meaning an obligation,
the /v/ at the end of the word changes to an /f/. Also the vowel sound in
the word ‘to’ changes to a schwa - /ə/. ‘Have to’ becomes /hæftə/. Here are
some more examples.

 They have to be there by 10.

 We have to find another flat.

 You have to tell me the gossip.

 I always have to take the train.

12. Episode 57 : ‘and’

Hey, look at this: a present. All wrapped up in paper. Now, do you know what
this is? Well, if you could smell it, it might give you a clue.

Voice
Is it your old socks?

No, it's not my old socks. It's something much, much nicer. Something
delicious in fact.

Fish and chips

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Yes, that's right. It's good old fish and chips. I'm going to save that for
later. Now the word and has got three sounds, hasn't it? /æ/, /n/, /d/ - but
listen again. How is it pronounced in everyday speech?
And is not usually an important word. It’s a basic conjunction and it's
frequently unstressed. When this happens, the /d/ at the end of the word
disappears before both vowels and consonants, and the vowel sound at the
beginning of the word changes to schwa: /ə/, so and becomes /ən/ or even /n/
as the sounds are almost identical. Here are some more examples.

 I'm going to go and get the shopping.

 Apples and oranges are my favourite fruits.

 I’ve been thinking and thinking but I can't decide.

 We went for a coffee and something to eat.

Bye! Now, there's only one thing to eat with fish 'n' chips – and that's salt ‘n’
vinegar. This reminds me of one of my favourite jokes: What do angry sharks
eat? Fish ‘n’ ships.

13. Episode 58 : ‘was’ and ‘were’

Oh dear, excuse me. I’m a bit tired: I was out late last night, with the lads. I
know, yeah, we didn't get back until 9.30. In the evening. It was a wild night.
I know, I know, I‘m a party animal. Anyway, while I get myself together a bit,
let's ask some other people in London what they got up to last night.

At 9 o'clock last night I was watching a movie.

I was lying in bed.
I was invited to a dinner at my friend's house.
I was playing football
I was out drinking.

Well, well, what interesting lives we all lead. Now they all used the past form
of the verb 'to be' – was. Now the word was is made of the sounds /w/, /ɔ:/,
/ z/, isn’t it? Or is it?

When the word was is unstressed, as in the examples we’ve just heard, then
the vowel sound changes to a schwa - /ə/. So was becomes /wəz/, and
also were becomes /wə/. These are called weak forms. Here are some more
examples.

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 I was there when it happened.

 We were delighted with the results.

 We were having a good time until it rained.

 He was feeling much better last night.

14. Episode 59 : Consonant – vowel linking

Today, I'm going to tell you about perhaps the most common feature of
fluent English pronunciation. And to help me, I’m going to use one of these.
Now, I know you know what it is, but let's ask the people of London to
describe it.

He's holding an egg.

An egg – that's two words, right? But, when we pronounce them, there's no
gap in between them. It almost sounds like one word.

In fluent English, when one word ends in a consonant sound and the next word
begins in a vowel sound, we link the two sounds together without a pause in
between them. So, an egg becomes anegg. This is called catenation. Here are
some more examples.

 He’s in the garden.

 I used to believe in Father Christmas, but not any more.

 I had to give up jogging.

 He had it in his office.

15. Episode 60 : Assimilation of /d/ to /g/

In English, we have an expression – “man’s best friend”.

Do you know what that refers to?
No, not beer. Dogs. A dog is man’s best friend.
But not always.

She's a bad girl!

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In fluent speech, a /d/ changes to a /g/ when it comes before a /g/ or a /k/.
So 'bad girl' becomes 'bagirl'. This is an example of what is called
assimilation. Here are some more.

 He’s a really good cook.

 Last night we had guests for dinner.

 Can you print out the hard copy?

 I’d love to walk down the red carpet one day.

16. Episode 61 : ‘can’

This is my lunch - well, either that, or it's some cat food.
Anyway, do you know what we call this container?
It's a can, right?
Now this has the same spelling as the modal 'can', and the same
pronunciation, hasn't it? Or has it?
Listen carefully when we ask some people in London how many languages they
speak.

I can speak two languages, English and Hindi.

In everyday English, when the modal auxiliary 'can' is unstressed, its

pronunciation changes to /kæn/. 'I /kæn/ speak four languages' becomes: 'I
/kæn/ speak four languages'. This is what's known as a weak form and it can
occur in questions as well. Here are some more examples.

 Can you help me bring in the shopping, please?

 I can swim further than I can run.

 You can succeed if you work hard.

 How far can you throw a tennis ball?

Right, now, time for lunch I think! Ahh.

Do you think I can open this can, without a can opener?
Hey. Oh no – it is cat food.
Never mind, we can eat cat food, can't we?
You know what? That is not bad. Salmon? Rabbit? Mouse?

 Do you think I can open this can?

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17. Episode 62 : Plosives
Do you like travelling?
How many countries have you visited?
Now, is there any particular place, or country, that you'd like to visit?

I'd like to visit Spain and Greece.

The contraction 'I'd' ends in the sound /d/, doesn’t it? Or does it?

We make the sounds of English in different ways, using different parts of

our mouths.
There's a group of consonants called plosives, and if this sounds a bit like the
word 'explosion', well, that's not a bad way of remembering it.
Plosive sounds are made by suddenly releasing air that has been blocked by
various parts of the mouth.
The sound /d/ is one of these plosives. The others are /b/, /t/, /p/, /k/ and
/g/.
But in everyday speech, when one word ends in a plosive sound and the next
begins in another consonant sound, we don’t always hear the release of the
plosive sound. 'I'd like to', becomes 'Idliketuh'.
This is called 'an unreleased stop', or, if you want to get really technical, 'a
stop with no audible release'. Here are some more examples.

 How about a quick chat?

 You should thank her.

 It was a sad time in his life.

 Why don't you sit down?

18. Episode 63 : ‘the’

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. Hmm. Let’s ask
the people of London.

I prefer the blue one to the orange one.

If it’s not stressed, the pronunciation of the word the will change depending
on the word that follows.

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 If the next word begins in a consonant sound, it’s pronounced /ðə/. I
prefer the blue one.
But, if the next word begins in a vowel sound, it’s pronounced /ðɪː/. I
prefer the orange one.

And you might remember from a previous video that when the sound /ɪː/ is
followed by a vowel sound, you might also hear a small linking /j/ in between.
I prefer the orange one. Here are some more examples.

 In a restaurant, I always order the apple pie.

 I think the autumn is the best time of year.

 The earlier I get up, the happier I am.

 It’s the one over there.

19. Episode 64 : linking /j/

Are you a creature of habit?
For example, do you have a routine in the mornings?
Every morning, I like to have a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit.
This is what some people in London told us when we asked them what they do
in the mornings

I always have some breakfast.

I always go to the gym in the morning.

I always drink a glass of warm water when I wake up.

One thing that happens when we speak English fluently is that we sometimes
add sounds between words to help link them together more smoothly and
easily. Listen again. Can you hear another sound between the
words I and always?

Did you catch it? It’s hardly there but when one word ends in /aɪ/, /ɪː/, /eɪ/
or/ɔɪ/ sound, and the next word begins in a vowel sound, we can smooth the
link out by adding a small /j/ sound. I always [slowly] becomes I
always [fluently]. This is sometimes called the linking /j/. But be careful,
your mouth normally does this naturally as your mouth changes shape
between the sounds. You don’t actually want to add a full /j/ sound. Here are
some more examples.

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 When I go on holiday I just want to lie on the beach.

 The end of the film was brilliant.

 I ate the whole cake in one go.

 It was too high up for me to reach.

20. Episode 65 : ‘been’

I'm sure you know the past participle of the verb 'to be' – 'been', right?
Well, we asked some people how long they had been in London.

I've been in London for more than a year now.

Now, they all used the word 'been' – but nobody actually said 'been'.
In everyday English, when the auxiliary 'been' is not stressed its
pronunciation changes to /bɪn/. 'I've been in London since 2015' becomes
'I've /bɪn/ in London since 2015'. This is what's known as a weak form and it
helps speech to flow more naturally and fluently. Here are some more
examples.

 I've been working here for several years.

 How long have you been waiting?

 It's been years since I went to the cinema.

 What have you been up to since we last met?

21. Episode 66 : Assimilation of /s/

You know how they say that British people are obsessed with the weather?
Well I'm feeling under it today. Under the weather – that's an expression
which means 'I'm not feeling very well'.
Excuse me! What do you say in your language when someone sneezes? Do you
know what we say in British English? Let's ask the people of London.

Bless you.

Thank you! Bless you!

Now the word 'bless' ends in /s/ and 'you' begins with /j/.
But what happens to the /s/ sound when we put the two words together?

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In fluent speech, when a /s/ sound is followed by a /j/ then the /s/ changes
to a /ʃ/ sound, and this change also happens if the next word begins with the
/ʃ/ sound itself.
So 'bless you' becomes 'bleshyou' and 'this shirt' becomes 'thishirt'.
This is an example of assimilation. And don't forget this can also happen if
the /s/ is followed by a /t/, because as you might remember from a previous
video, the /t/ sound disappears between two consonants. Here are some more
examples.

 Can you just shut the door please?

 This yacht is beautiful.

 Don't worry, that's usual.

 He always makes you feel good.

22. Episode 67 : from

Where were you born?

Where do you come from?

Here's what we heard when we asked some people in London their names,
and where they come from.

My name's Charlotte, and I'm from Darwin in Lancashire.

My name's Ollie, and I'm from Norfolk.

I'm Amy from London.

Allie, I'm from Northern Ireland.

My name's Victoria. I'm from Cambridge.

Now they all used the word from, didn't they - but they didn't pronounce it
/frɒm/.

The word from is a preposition; it's usually not that important in a sentence,
so it's often unstressed.
Now, at the end of the question, "Where do you come from?" It's
unstressed, but it is still pronounced /frɒm/.

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However, when it's unstressed, and it comes in the middle of a sentence, the
/ɒ/ changes to schwa, so /frɒm/ becomes /frəm/. This is an example of a
weak form, and here are some more examples.

 I borrowed it from my brother.

 I read the book from cover to cover.

 The nearest post office is not far from here.

 Come over any time from seven o'clock.

23. Episode 68 : The germination of /t/

This week, I’m going to need some help from my favourite twin. Please
welcome back Tom, who’s going to help me present. Hi Tom!
Tom
Hi Tim! Now, are you a lover?
Tim
Or a fighter? Do you prefer to dance?
Tom
Or would you rather have an argument?

Tim
There’s an expression we have in English that contains the name of a dance
and means when two people get involved in a fight or argument, then in most
cases both have to take some of the responsibility. Do you know the
expression?

It takes two to tango.

Lot of ‘t’s indeed, Five in fact. It takes two to Tango. But are all of these
usually pronounced?
You might remember from a previous video that when the sound /t/ comes in
between two consonants, we don’t usually pronounce it.
But what happens if there is a vowel sound before the /t/? and the next
word also begins with /t/?
In this case the two /t/ sounds join together to create one slightly stronger
/t/. So ‘it takes two’ becomes 'it takes two'. This is an example of twinning
or gemination. Here are some more examples.

 It took him twenty years to get to the top.

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 You don’t have to cheat to pass the test.

 You were right to be upset.

 We took the overnight train to Venice.

24. Episode 69 : Would you

How do you ask for help?
Here’s how some people in London ask for help.

Would you do me a favour?

What happens to the word ‘you’ when it comes after the sound /d/?

In fluent speech when one word ends in a /d/ sound and the next word begins
in a /j/ sound, the two sounds come together and change to a /ʤ/ sound. You
also might have noticed that the /uː/ in 'you' can change to schwa. So 'would
you' becomes 'woul/ʤ/ou', or even ‘woul/ʤə/’ This is an example of
assimilation. Here are some more examples.

 I’m sad you decided to quit.

 Could you get here by midnight?

 Should you see him, can you give him a message?

 I don’t think the gold you bought was real.

25. Episode 70 : Assimilation of /d/ and /b/

Now, do you know the word speeb? No, of course not because it’s not a real
word.

It’s a speed boat.

Now, the word speed ends in the sound /d/, doesn’t it? Well not always.

It’s a spee? boat.

If one word ends in a vowel sound followed by a /d/ and the next begins in a
/b/, then the /d/ changes to a /b/ and then merges with the /b/ from the
following word. So ‘speed boat’, becomes ‘speebboat’.

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 My son is a really good boy.

 I’m sorry if I was rude before

 My car had to be towed back to the garage.

 You should buy him a present.

26. Episode 71 : Contracted ‘have’

Phew, just made it. A little bit late today. My alarm didn’t go off this
morning, so, I nearly missed the bus.

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.

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.

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.

 Your parcel should’ve been delivered yesterday.

 I would’ve done it differently.

 We might’ve made a mistake.

 The police’ve arrived.

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27. Episode 72 : Elision of ‘h’
Now, if you’ve been following my adventures in this workshop, you will know
that I have had a bit of bad luck, now and then. But not half as much bad luck
as this chap. Listen to what these people are saying about him.

He looks like he’s had an accident.

Now, they all used the word ‘he’ twice. But there were two different
pronunciations.

If the word ‘he’ comes at the beginning of a sentence or clause, then the ‘h’
sound /h/ is pronounced. But if it comes in the middle of a sentence or clause
and after a consonant, then the ‘h’ sound is not usually pronounced.
So /hiː/ becomes /iː/ and ‘he looks like he’s had an accident’ becomes ‘he
looks like ‘e’s had an accident’. Now this change also happens with certain
other words beginning with the ‘h’ sound, like him, his or her. Here are some
more examples.

 I really like his cooking.

 We think he’s left the country.

 They let him leave early.

 They offered her a promotion.

28. Episode 73 : Assimilation of /t/ followed

by /k/
Now, these days, when you go to a shop do you prefer to pay by cash or by
plastic? What do we call one of these? Now, I'm sure you already know, but
let's hear what the people of London call it.

It’s a credit card.

A credit card. Now, the word 'credit' ends in the sound /t/, doesn't it? Or
does it?

When one word ends in a vowel sound followed by a /t/ and the next
word begins with a /k/, the /t/ changes to a /k/. So /kredɪt kɑːd/ becomes
/kredɪk kɑːd/. It's an example of assimilation. And here are some more
examples.
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 Don't let it get cold!

 You have to do it quickly

 There's no short cut to learning a language.

 I didn't like that cake.

29. Episode 74 : Assimilation of /t/ followed

by /j/
When you meet someone for the first time, there are several things you can
say. If you want to be formal, you could say 'How do you do?' But there is
another, less formal expression. Do you know what it is? Let's meet some of
the people of London.

It's nice to meet you.

Well, it's nice to meet you too. Now, the word 'meet' ends in the sound /t/,
and the word 'you' begins with /j/, don't they? Or do they? Listen again.
What can you actually hear when these two sounds come together?
when one word ends in /t/ and the next begins with a /j/ sound, like 'you' or
'yours', then the two sounds come together and change to /ʧ/. So 'meet you'
becomes /miːʧuː/. This is an example of assimilation. Now you might
remember that in a previous video I mentioned that the /t/ sound can
disappear in between two consonants. Well, this can still happen if the next
word is 'you' or 'your', but it's more usual for the /t/ to change to /ʧ/ in
this case. Here are some more examples.

 That shirt won't suit you.

 Don't you want to come to the party?

 I bet your boss doesn’t know.

 Can I get you anything?

30. Episode 75 : Summary

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.

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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:

'Mashed potato' becomes /mæʃpəˈteɪtəʊ/.

Consonant sounds can link with vowel sounds:

'An egg' becomes anegg.

Certain vowel sounds can link with certain other vowel sounds by adding
sounds:
'The shoe is…' becomes the shoe/w/is…

Two consonant sounds can join together, or twin.

'It takes two' becomes /ɪt:eɪks tuː/.

Some sounds can change completely:

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

Unstressed grammar words are often weak:

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

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/

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.

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