Speech Modification SMART American Accent Training

Learn how native English speakers reduce contractions like "we'll" and "they'll" in natural, fluent conversation!In everyday speech, native speakers rarely use full forms like "we will" or even fully stressed contractions ("wheel" /wiːl/ or "they'll" /ðeɪl/). Instead, these words reduce down to shorter, relaxed vowel sounds. Follow along with structured repetition drills using common carrier phrases ("I think," "I hope," "I know," "They said," "We think") and learn how to apply these reductions to your own spontaneous speech.Want to sound more natural in American English? Practice these exercises and more in our SMART American Accent App at speechmodification.com!

Practice 6 top American Accent Patterns in this quick listen and repeat practice!

vowels /i/ and /ɪ/ as in "leave" and "live"

Final T Linking (Flap T and Stop T)

American R Sounds

Lax Vowels (æ ɛ ʊ ə)

Contractions

Frequently mispronounced words

For a longer practice with repeats on these phrases, see this episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6aZXHM6fxvwC7ki284fbRp?si=l8yfEWyFQqW9NDGyndK4MA

SMART American Accent Training with SpeechModification.com.

Get more help for American accent and English pronunciation in our online courses: https://courses.speechmodification.com/

Practice 6 top American Accent Patterns in this quick listen and repeat practice!

vowels /i/ and /ɪ/ as in "leave" and "live"

Final T Linking (Flap T and Stop T)

American R Sounds

Lax Vowels (æ ɛ ʊ ə)

Contractions

Frequently mispronounced words

👉 Get more practice like this and personalized training in our SMART American Accent App! https://studio.com/christine-dunbar/speechmodification

SMART American Accent Training with SpeechModification.com.

In this listen and repeat shadowing practice for fluent English speaking, we combine commonly used words to practice saying "of the" smoothly and naturally.

Phrases:

One of the

Some of the

Many of the

None of the

A couple of the

Get more fluent English lessons in our online courses: https://courses.speechmodification.com/

This practice provides a listen and repeat shadowing practice for smoothly linking words ending in "NG" /ŋ/ in common phrases. Sound more natural and correct this common accent error pattern with these exercises.

Linking going, doing, leaving, walking, staying, trying, showing and working to words starting with vowels and consonant sounds. Practice 2 word phrases and longer sentences.

Get more help for linking and fluent speaking in our online courses: https://courses.speechmodification.com/

In this advanced listen and repeat plus add-on practice, we use repeated phrases to help you internalize intonation patterns and speak more naturally and fluently. Repeating models and then using the same intonation patterns in your own phrases will help you move from just shadowing to a more advanced, integrated practice.

Take this practice on the go and get the natural, fluent sound you want when speaking English.

Get more help for natural sounding intonation in our Advanced American Accent Course: https://courses.speechmodification.com/courses/RealTalk

In this episode, we practice with how to use the contractions "he'll" and "she'll" in natural, fluent English.

Get more help for linking and fluent speaking in our online courses: https://courses.speechmodification.com/

Practice 6 top American Accent Patterns in this quick listen and repeat practice!

vowel ɪ as in "live"

Flap T as in "water bottle"

Voiced ð and Voiceless θ TH sounds

Vowel æ as in "after that"

Fluent Speech Practice

Vowel Schwa

SMART American Accent Training with SpeechModification.com.

Get more help for American accent and English pronunciation in our online courses: https://courses.speechmodification.com/

Practice 6 top American Accent Patterns in this quick listen and repeat practice!

vowel ɪ as in "live"

Flap T as in "water bottle"

Voiced ð and Voiceless θ TH sounds

Vowel æ as in "after that"

Fluent Speech Practice

Vowel Schwa

SMART American Accent Training with SpeechModification.com.

Get more help for American accent and English pronunciation in our online courses: https://courses.speechmodification.com/

Use this advanced shadowing practice to correctly and fluently incorporate the phrases "have to" and "has to" into your speech.

SMART American Accent Training with SpeechModification.com.

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Practice shadowing for fluent speaking in this advanced lesson. We work on integrating the correct vowels for u and ʊ, plurals, and articles "a" and "the" in this podcast listen and repeat lesson.

SMART American Accent Training with SpeechModification.com.

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In fluent speech, we contract "you will" to "you'll." It sounds like "yool" /jul/ when stressed, but is often reduced to "yull" in connected speech. Practice shadowing phrases with "you'll" in this listen and repeat lesson.

Master fluent speaking with contractions: how "I will" contracts to "I'll" and when it sounds like "aisle" and when it sounds like "ahll." Sound more like a native speaker with these contractions and reductions for fluent speech. Join me for a shadowing practice.

In this shadowing lesson, we'll work on phrases "that is is, that is her, those are his, those are her" and "these are your" in fluent speaking.

Practice using "oo" vs. "yoo" in mixed phrases with this advanced shadowing practice. We work on the understanding and using the correct patterns for words like Tuesday, YouTube, knew, communication and more!

More help for this topic: https://youtu.be/QKSJn6u_BSk

In this fluent speaking practice, you can shadow a short conversation about holiday plans.

Text:

Hi, how're you?

I'm fine, thanks, how're YOU doing?

Doing well. How were your holidays? Did you go anywhere?

They were great, thanks. We stayed in town. We had some family visiting for a few days.

That's always nice.

Yes, we hadn't seen my sister for a few months, and she has a new baby. Her older kids were really excited to see their cousins!

Sounds like a lot of fun.

What about you, did you go visit your parents again this year?

We actually went to Europe! Our oldest is studying in France, so we visited her and spent a week traveling.

Wow, that's so great! I didn't realize she was studying abroad. Good for her.

Yes, it was just for a semester. She really enjoyed it, and we were happy to have the opportunity to travel with her.

Yes, very cool. What are your plans for New Year's Eve?

We're staying in. I'm still a bit jet-lagged since we just got back yesterday.

Oh, I bet. Well, nice seeing you!

You too! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

In the fluent speaking shadowing practice, we work on naturally linking and reducing phrases with "and" and "or."

In this shadowing practice, we work on fluent speaking for phrases with was and wasn't, as well as reduced her your their my and our.

In this listen and repeat shadowing practice, we use common phrases with should have (should've), would have (would've) and could have (could've), as well as the negatives shouldn't have (shouldn't've), couldn't have (couldn't've) and wouldn't have (wouldn't've). Practice integrating these contractions into fluent speech in short phrases.

In fluent speech, we can sometimes reduce "his" to "iz." In this listen and repeat shadowing practice, we use common phrases to practice reduced "his" to increase your fluency and speak English like a native speaker.

In fluent speech, we can sometimes reduce "her" to "er." In this listen and repeat practice, we use common phrases to practice reduced "her" to increase your fluency and speak English like a native speaker.

You Tube Video: https://youtu.be/yIhgpWA8yok

One of the error patterns which is common for non-native speakers of English is to say an extra syllable in certain words. This usually occurs because the spelled word looks like it should have additional sounds/syllables, or the root word has a different syllable pattern.

Here are some words to work on, written so you can see the syllables:

Different DIF rint

Difference DIF rinss

General GEN rul

Groceries GROS(H) reez

Vegetables VEG tuh blz

Several SEV rul

Interest IN trist

Interested IN tris tid

Interesting IN tris ting

Preferable PREF ruh bl

Specifically spuh SIF ick lee

Basically BAY sick lee

Actually ACK shuh lee

Practice these repeated phrases:

I need a different ____.
How may different ___-s do we have?
It makes a difference to ___.
It doesn't make any difference for the ___.
A general ___.
In general, they ___.
A vegetable ___.
We have vegetables ____.
We need several ___-s.
There are several different ___-s.
I have an interest in ____.
We're interested in ___.
It's an interesting ___.
___ would be preferable to ____.
She specifically said ___.
I think it's basically about ___.
We actually want ___.

In this lesson, we learn how to use Backwards Chaining to practice intonation. Listen and shadow to get natural sounding rhythm in fluent speech.

In this fluent speaking practice, we use shadowing and backwards chaining to have perfect intonation, while working on integrating W and V sounds into fluent speech.

In this shadowing lesson, we work on intonation for verbs with and without phrasal verbs.

Here are the phrases we cover in this lesson:

That's where she ran. That's where she ran into it!

They play soccer after school. Just play along with it for now.

He walks to work every day. Let's walk through the notes.

I don't know where to look. She will look out for her younger brother.

She reads books before bedtime. Let's read up on it before class.

You can hang your coat by the door. Try to hang in there for a little bit longer.

He writes poems in his spare time. Let's write down our ideas.

We sing songs at parties. Can you sing along with the music?

I watch the news after work. Watch out for snakes on the trail.

They draw pictures in art class. Let's avoid letting it draw out too long.

He will pull the sled behind him. I think she might pull out of the deal.

We study math for the test. Can you study up on the topic?

We can get some for you. I need to get up at 5 am.

They build sandcastles on the beach. He's trying to build up some muscle.

Have difficulty integrating your TH sounds into fluent speech? This practice focuses on the most common words with TH at the start and ends, to help you use this sound correctly and fluently in connected speech.

In this advanced mix and match practice, we work on integrating vowel schwa and vowel /ɑ/ into phrases. Many speakers struggle with differentiating vowel schwa and vowel /ɑ/ as in "nut" and "not." In this listen and repeat practice, we use common phrases with these vowels to help you master the vowels in fluent speaking.

For more basic practice and learning these two vowels, check out this video: https://youtu.be/RQ1d4zQ9GCY

For more on minimal pairs and other vowel contrasts, check out this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJXFLCasjYl43lFxdcqCzUGbulhKIlRra&si=YgjVJhAz5zYFqsd6

In typical intonation patterns, we stress the last content word in a phrase, which is sometimes the verb. But in a phrasal verb, the meaning is contained in the preposition which follows the verb, so it gets the stress instead of the verb.  For example, we stress playin the phrase I like to play.But we stress out the phrase Let's see how it plays out.

Phrasal verbs covered: run into, play along, walk through, look out for, read up on, hang in, write down, sing along, watch out, draw out, pull up, get up, build up

video with visuals:https://youtu.be/6u7LJQwsdPg

In this lesson, we cover ST blends as well as how to pronounce words with Final L. Get pronunciation and fluent speech practice for these sounds. Shadow, list and repeat.

For visuals, see our video: https://youtu.be/6xSoxz7FUb4

Sometimes, an L at the end of the word functions as a syllabic L.  That is to say, it functions as a full syllable (a vowel and a consonant).  It sounds like /əl/ or /ʊl/, with a the vowel being very short and reduced.

One strategy for making syllabic L sound natural is to practice using words with ʊl to shape the syllabic L.  For words with ble, try saying bull, then shorten and reduce the vowel to "bl." For example, say "bull, bl, trouble."

Listen, repeat, and shadow words and phrases with Syllabic L in this lesson.

Video with visuals: https://youtu.be/CCrgIbjr6rs

In this lesson, we work on Vowel /u/ as in new shoe and vowel /ʊ/ as in good book. We'll practice phrases and sentences with minimal pairs like Luke and look, shooed and should, listen and repeat practice for fluent speech and shadowing. Check it out!

Video for this lesson: https://youtu.be/ftvQPdMe_OI

Learn and practice the correct intonation patterns for compound nouns. Stress the first syllable or first word in a compound noun phrase.

repeated phrases: I need the, it's in the, where's my did you see the, what happened in the, what about the, see you by the

compound nouns: toothbrush classroom bookshelf waterfall football raincoat headache pancake moonlight newspaper jellyfish toothpaste hairbrush sunlight doorbell backpack haircut fishbowl handbag moonshine raindrop firefly

compound noun phrases: grocery store, high school, coffee shop, air conditioning, swimming pool, book club, movie theater, ice cream truck, bus stop, power outage, traffic jam, fire department, police station, bank account, email address, job interview, music festival, rain shower, football game, birthday party, train station

See the video with visuals:https://youtu.be/FAoxBxGO1aE

In this fluent speaking practice, we work on phrases with Flap T plus /ər/, like "better, water, lighter, and tighter." Listen and repeat everyday phrases with these words in this mix and match practice.

phrases: getting, it's been, it's gotten, I'm feeling

targets: better wetter water sweeter greater flatter tighter lighter

Video for this lesson: https://youtu.be/cd8lrclnOp4

Shadow, listen and repeat for Vowel O linking! When we link words ending with /oʊ/ to words starting with a vowel sound, we have a /w/ glide as we link between the vowel sounds. In this lesson, we practice fluently linking with vowel /oʊ/.

In this mix and match fluent speaking practice, we focus on shadowing and listen and repeat for Vowels u ʊ i ɪ as well as linking unreleased /d/ sounds.

See the video for visuals: https://youtu.be/h9UYK5LK7co

In this lesson, we look at fluent speaking for the phrases "might have" (might've, "MIGHduv") and "might not have" (might not've, "Migh(t)NAHduv). We'll learn how the stress pattern changes with different verbs, and do a listen and repeat practice for common sentences with these phrases. Also available as a video with visual supports on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2Aew2WbNaQ4

Practice pronouncing "water" with a Flap T like a native speaker in this fluent speech practice. Listen and repeat, practice slow speech, and shadowing for sentences to master the word "water" in American English.

Get practice tips and an extensive listen and repeat practice for words ending in -st and -sts, such as last and lasts, first and firsts, guest and guests. We'll work at the word, phrase and sentence level to build your skills with these plurals and present tense verb forms.

In this lesson, we'll practice shadowing the Flap T in the middle of words and in linking, at the conversational level. Sound more natural and speaking more fluently in the American accent using this technique.

In this listen and repeat practice exercise, we work on fluent speech for the phrases "what are we" ("whudderwe"), "what are they" ("whudderthey"), and "what are you" ("whudderyou, whudderyuh").