Move beyond individual sounds and master natural, connected speech used by native speakers.
Linking
Connect words smoothly in natural speech.
Assimilation
How sounds change when they meet.
Reduction
Shortening unstressed words and syllables.
Elision
Dropping sounds in fast speech.
Intrusion
How sounds are added between vowels in order to link them.
Transition
How the tongue and lips move to smoothly transition from one consonant to the next.
Weak Forms
Using reduced forms of common words.
Sentence Stress
Highlighting important words in sentences.
Intonation
Using pitch to express meaning and emotion.