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Lesson Seven: Words Change Their Pronunciation When In A Sentence

Language Guide German + Dictionary for iPhone and iPod-Touch (made by ego4u)

The main reasons why speaking English is so hard

This special pronunciation section will explain to you why English is hard to speak correctly and give you some help on improving your pronunciation. These are the main reasons why English is so hard. There is a lesson for each one.

Note that the pronunciation examples are in American English accent. In the last lesson you will find American and British English examples.

These lessons are sponsored by: EyeSpeak English

The last common problem with speaking English is that words change when they are in a sentence. This is most common for small words like 'a' and 'to'.

For example the word 'to'

Word by itself In a sentence
'to' 'Go to bed'

Notice how the word 'to' becomes much shorter and the vowel less obvious. The vowel in 'to' in a sentence is called 'schwa' because it is no longer an 'o' sound, but a sound made when your tongue is in the middle of your mouth.

This also happens to 'a' and 'an' in sentences:

Word by itself In a sentence
'a' 'That's a car'
'an' 'I'll have an apple'

Changed: 10th Dec 2010 19:35

URL: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/pronunciation/words-change