How To Improve English Pronunciation And Fluency-AUDIO Training Lesson

If your native or  background language is syllable timed, then to master English pronunciation and fluency you will need to practise the elements of a stress timed language like English quite a lot. In this audio training lesson I have included audio training on ‘linking‘ to help you with your practise for English fluency.

If you are used to saying each word separately because of your background language, or you have had to say each word totally separately so others could understand you, it’s time to sound more natural in English by using linking to help with your English pronunciation and fluency.

I have included a text below and also a list of the words that need to be linked from the text. Whenever there is an intrusive letter (a letter that isn’t written there, but added when you say the word) between 2 vowels, it’s there to help us say the vowel combination more easily and increase fluency. For example ‘who is’ becomes ‘who wis’ we pronounce an ‘intrusive’ /w/ there. Start actively listening for this when people are speaking to you.

The intrusive letters are usually /w/, ‘y’, or /r/. When you link words together it’s as if you are saying one long word that keeps on going without a stop in the middle.

English Pronunciation And Fluency- Audio Training

English Pronunciation And Fluency- Linking Practise Text

Interviewer: So Neil, tell me about one of your early childhood experiences.
Neil: Oh, wow! That’s a difficult one to start with. I remember falling over in the playground. We used asphalt as the playground surface and there was a drain pipe that sort of stuck out from the corner of the school building, (which was like this blue wooden building) and the drain pipe was blue as well. I remember running really fast and just not seeing the drain pipe, tripping over it and then this river of blood flowing from my right knee. It was really painful and I put my hankie over it and then I think the teacher came and put a plaster on it. So, yeah that’s an early school memory.
Interviewer: OK. And how about how you came to Australia the first time?
Neil: That was gosh! About 13 years ago and it was very exciting. I was teaching at a College in Southgate in North London and one of my colleagues came in and said “Oh Neil, look at this! This is an advertisement for a job in Australia.”
I said ”Oh!, that sounds quite exciting so I answered the ad and had an interview. The whole process started with a phone call and it was quite late at night and I thought who is phoning me at 10 o’clock at night?! But of course it was the time difference, so for the guys in Australia it’s about 8 in the morning. So the man said “Hello, this is Brian Seden from Monash University in Melbourne Australia”, so I said “Oh hello!”

Linked words from the text in the order they appear in the text to  practise:

Meyaboutoneof ( me about one of ) – intrusive ‘y’ between ‘me about’;
yourearly (your early)
Childhoodexperiences (Childhood experiences)
That’sa (that’s a)
Fallingoverin (falling over in)
Asphaltas (asphalt as)
Wasa (was a )
sortof (sort of )
stuckout (stuck out)
cornerof (corner of)
bluwas (blue as) – intrusive /w/
Trippingoverit (tripping over it)
riverof (river of)
andI (and I)
hankieoverit (hankie over it)
thenI ( then I )
puta (put a )
plasteronit (plaster on it)
that’sanearly (that’s an early)
howabout (how about)
towaustralia (to Australia) – intrusive /w/
yearsago (years ago)
andit (and it)
teachingata (teaching at a )
collegein (college in)
southgatein (southgate in )
oneof  (one of )
camein (came in )
lookat (look at)
thisisanadevertisement (this is an advertisement )
forajobinAustralia(for a job in Australia)
quitexciting (quite exciting);
sowI (so I) – intrusive /w/ to make it easier to say those 2 vowels next to each other; hadaninterview (had an interview)
witha (with a);
andit (and it);
lateat ( late at);
andI (and I );
whowis – (who is) – intrusive /w/;
meyat (me at) – intrusive ‘y’;
10o’clockat (ten o’clock at);
butof (but of );
courseit (course it);
guysinAustralia (guys in Australia);
it’sabouteightin (it’s about eight in );
thisis (this is);
Monashuniversityyin (Monash University in) – intrusive ‘y’ between the ‘university and in’;
MelbourneAustralia (Melbourne Australia);
sowI (so I) –intrusive /w/.

When we learn a new language we tend to say each word separately so people understand us which is fine for the beginning, but after that to improve English pronunciation and fluency, you need to practise ‘putting it back together again’ to sound flowing and fluent more like a native speaker. This is why there are so many practise sentences and dialogs in our accent reduction courses. 

Best wishes, Esther