The Fearless Fluency Club: Pronunciation

Vanessa: Hi, welcome to this month's pronunciation lesson in the Fearless Fluency Club.
Today we're going to be talking about five sentences that were used in the
conversation with Sara, specifically sentences that use vocabulary expressions
and we're going to break these down step by step to help you pronounce them
naturally, and also just to give you the tools to pronounce English naturally in
your daily conversation. This helps with speaking, but it also helps with listening.
When you understand how native speakers reduce and link words, you're going
to be able to pick up more as you're listening, and so hopefully, it will grow that
skill as well.

During this lesson, I challenge you to speak out loud. It's great to listen to me,
but it's no way to improve. You really need to do more than just listening. You
need to speak. So during this lesson, I'm going to be giving you some suggestions
or recommendations. Please speak with me now. Please repeat after me. I'm
going to pause and it's your turn to speak. I'm going to be saying a lot of things
like that, because I want you to interact as much as you can during this lesson,
and if you want, after the lesson you can record your voice saying these five
sentences, email them to me, share them in our Facebook group, and I'll give you
some step by step feedback about what you did really well and how you can
improve. That's why I'm here, to be your teacher. All right, let's get started with
the first sentence. Let's listen to how it was used in the conversation and then
we'll break it down.

So is that just taking it to the next level, like a little bit more advanced? So is that
just taking it to the next level, like a little bit more advanced? So is that just
taking it to the next level, like a little bit more advanced?

In this sentence, I said, "So is that just taking it to the next level, like a little bit
more advanced?. I was talking about here masters degree that she did. I don't
know an awful lot about that topic, so I was asking her what that was like for her.
I also used the expression "take it to the next level" which we talked about in
vocabulary lesson. It means advancing something a little bit more. So let's break
down this sentence starting at the very beginning to help you say it exactly the
way that I did.

In the beginning of the sentence I said, "So is that just taking ..." So is. Is. Do you
see that the S has changed to a Z? Say it with me. So is. So is. Let's link it with the
next word. So is that. So is that. The T and the end of the word 'that' is stopped.
We call this the stopped T because there's not a puff of air that comes out. Your
tongue is at the top of your mouth. You're stopping the T sound before it can
finalize. Listen to that. So is that. So is that. Do you hear? So is that. There's not
that final puff of air. It's a stopped T. Try to say it with me. So is that. So is that.

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[2:51]

And the next word is the word "just." This word generally is going to have that
final T stopped as well. So is that just. But will you take a look at the next word. It
starts with T. So let's just make this a little bit easier. Let's link together those two
words. Just taking. Just taking. You're going to say just taking, but when those
words together, that T in the middle serves for both words. Just taking. Just
taking. So I want to realize that we're using the stopped T and the end of the
word "just" but it does sound like a T sound because we're linking it with the next
sound. Just taking.

Let's say all those words together. So is that just taking. So is that just taking. The
next part of the sentence I said, "It to the next level. It to the next level." Let's
look at those words that end in T's again. It to. It to. The word "it" has the
stopped T, but the next word starts with a T, so let's just link it together. It to. It
to. The next level. The next level. I'm not saying "Next," I'm saying, "Next level.
Next level." Just say those words together. Next level. Next level. Can you say that
whole middle part with me? It to the next level. It to the next level. It to the next
level.

Let's go back and say that full first part. So is that just taking it to the next level?
There's a lot going on here, but we're just building the foundation for this whole
pronunciation lesson. Let's go on to the last part of the sentence. Like a little bit
more advanced. Like a little. Little. Do you hear "little?" That T has changed to a
D. This is really common in American English. Liddle. Liddle. Can you say that with
me? Like a liddle. Liddle. And the next word ends in a T, so guess what happens?
We're going to say goodbye to that T. We're going to stop it. "Like a little bit." Can
you say that with me? "Like a little bit. Like a little bit."

And the last two words are "more advanced." More advanced. There is definitely
a clear T sound at the end of the word "advanced." There's a couple different
ways to pronounce E-D endings, and one of them is simply like a T sound, and the
word "advanced" is one of those. So make sure, before we were cutting off T's,
and here, we need to make sure that we say it strong and clear. Finally, these T's
get used. So let's say, "More advanced. More advanced. More advanced." All
right, are you ready to go back and try to say this full sentence all together? I
know this was long one to start off with, but you can do it. Let's go back.

"So is that just taking it to the next level, like a little bit more advanced?"

Let's say it one more time, maybe a little bit faster, and then I'm going to pause
so that you can say it by yourself.

"So is that just taking it to the next level, just like a little bit more advanced?"

"So is that just taking it to the next level, like a little bit more advanced?"

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[6:39]

Okay, it's your turn. I'm going to pause and I want you to look at this sentence
and try to say it exactly the same way that I did. You need to check out the lesson
guide. You can see all the different colors and try to remember that. All right. Go
ahead. It's your turn.

(silence)

Good work with this first long, challenging sentence. Let's listen to it in the
original conversation so that you can hear it. Make sure that you listen for that
key vocabulary expression, too. Take it to the next level. Let's listen.

"So is that just taking it to the next level, like a little bit more advanced?"

"So is that just taking it to the next level, like a little bit more advanced?"

"So is that just taking it to the next level, like a little bit more advanced?"

The second sentence that we're going to focus on actually uses two expressions,
"free to do" and "sink or swim." Let's listen to this original sentence and then
we'll practice it step by step.

Sandra: Now I'm kinda like free to do my own thing and either sink or swim. Now I'm
kinda like free to do my own thing and either sink or swim. Now I'm kinda like
free to do my own thing and either sink or swim.

Vanessa: Sarah said, "Now I'm kinda like free to do my own thing and either sink or swim."
Beautiful expressions that she's used. Let's break down this sentence starting at
the beginning. At the beginning she said, "Now I'm kinda like. Now I'm kinda
like." What is "kinda?" If you just walked up to a native speaker and said, "Kinda,"
they'd kind of open their eyes really wide and think, "Huh?" But when you say it
in the full context of this sentence, native speakers would 100% understand what
it meant. "Now I'm kinda like." Really, it is "kind of," but here she's linked both of
those together. We often say, "Kinda," with the D sound in there, but you can
also take out the D sound, and that's what she's done. Kind of. Not, "Kinda,"
which is common, she said, "Kina. Kina like. Kina like." It's kind of the ultimate
lazy, relaxed style pronunciation, and native speakers do this all the time. So let's
practice saying it together.

"Now I'm kinda like. Now I'm kinda like. Now I'm kinda like." Can you say that
with me? "Now I'm kinda like." Let's go to the next part. "Free to do my own
thing and either sink or swim." I want to focus on the words that she emphasizes.
When you look at this section, look at the words that are the most descriptive,
the most important words. Not "the," not "and," but usually the verbs, the
nouns, maybe the adjectives. Those are the words that we're going to emphasize.

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[9:25]

"Free to do my own thing and either sink or swim. Free to do my own thing and
either sink or swim." Those are the words we're going to emphasize.

Let's practice it. Can you emphasize those words? English has stressed and non-
stressed parts, and it's not the same for every sentence. It depends on which
words are the most important words. So she says, "Free to do my own thing and
either sink or swim." Can you say that with me? And look in the lesson guide if
you need to get a visual reminder of which words are the most emphasized, the
most important. "Free to do my own thing and either sink or swim." Right? Let's
say this one more time, all together, the full sentence, and then it's going to be
your turn to make sure that you say, "Kinda," and also that you emphasize the
right words.

"Now I'm kinda like free to do my own thing and either sink or swim." Let's say it
one more time together. "Now I'm kinda like free to do my own thing and either
sink or swim." Okay, I'm going to pause. It's your turn. Go ahead.

(silence).

Great work. Let's listen again to the original clip so you can see how it was used.

Sandra: Now I'm kinda like free to do my own thing and either sink or swim. Now I'm
kinda like free to do my own thing and either sink or swim. Now I'm kinda like
free to do my own thing and either sink or swim.

Vanessa: The third sentence that we're going to focus on looks at a wonderful expression,
"to sit down with somebody." Let's take a lot at it.

Sandra: So I sit down with a script and I read through it. I like to do a first read through
and just kinda see how it makes me feel. So I sit down with a script and I read
through it. So I sit down with a script and I read through it.

Vanessa: Sarah said, "I sit down with a script and I read through it. I sit down with a script
and I read through it." Let's break down this sentence.

"I sit down. I sit down." Notice the word "sit" doesn't have that full T, it's a
stopped T. Poor T, always gets stopped. Let's say this together. "I ... emphasize
'I' ... sit down. I sit down." Here she's emphasizing "I." I think it's because she
wants to show what she does compared to what the other people in the theater
do. "I sit down with a script and review it." Okay, that's her job. So let's
emphasize, "I sit down. I sit down." In the next part she says, "With a script. With
a script." She says that final T. This T is not stopped and I kind of feel like she
wants to say that full word to make sure that it's as clear as possible.

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[12:22]

She's speaking that she slows down her speech a little bit. She's speaking a little
bit slower there. "I sit down with a script. I sit down with a script. I sit down with
a script." Can you say that with me? "I sit down with a script. I sit down with a
script." There is a PT at the end of the word script, so make sure your lips are
coming together first to make that P. Script. Script. "I sit down with a script." In
the final part of this sentence, don't worry, we're going to cut off a lot of final
sounds here. She says, "And I read through it. And I read through it." What is
happening to the word "and?" That final D has gone. An' I. An' I. Just pretend that
"an' I" is a word. It's not, but let's combine those words and say it together. An' I.
An' I. The D has completely gone.

Then she emphasizes this verb. "Read through it. Read through it. Read through
it." But the T on "it" is stopped, so let's say, "It. It." Let's say that full final part of
the sentence together. "And I read through it. And I read through it. And I read
through it. And I read through it. And I read through it." Okay, you ready to go
back and say this full sentence together?

"I sit down with a script and I read through it. I sit down with a script and I read
through it. I sit down with a script and I read through it." Can you say that with
me? "I sit down with a script and I read through it. I sit down with a script and I
read through it. I sit down with a script and I read through it." Okay, it's your
turn. Go ahead. I'm listening, so make sure you say it loud. Go ahead.

(silence).

Great work. All right. Let's listen to how this was used in the conversation.

Sandra: So I sit down with a script and I read through it. So I sit down with a script and I
read through it. So I sit down with a script and I read through it.

Vanessa: The fourth sentence we're going to focus on uses the vocabulary expression
"interactive." Let's talk about how this is pronounced after we watch the clip
from the conversation.

"That's pretty cool because it seems more interactive, maybe, like they're right
there in front of you and around you. Because it seems more interactive, maybe,
like... Because it seems more interactive, maybe, like..."

I said, "It seems more interactive, maybe. It seems more interactive, maybe."
What's happening with this key word, "interactive?" Do you notice the letter in
the middle of this word that you're not hearing? "Interactive." Have you ever
heard of inner peace? I feel inner peace when I'm studying English. This is the
same sound, because the T is cut out. "Interactive. Interactive. Interactive.
Interactive." Can you say this sentence with me, especially pronouncing the
word, "interactive?" "It seems more interactive. It seems more interactive. It

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[15:30]

seems more interactive." We're emphasizing this important descriptive word

"interactive," so make sure that that word is emphasized. "It seems more
interactive. It seems more interactive. It seems more interactive."

And what about that tag word at the end? Why did I include "maybe?" And my
voice goes up at the end, "Maybe?" I'm asking this because I want to kind of
verify that my assumption is correct. I don't really know that it's more interactive,
so I'm kind of asking her, "Is that right? Did I guess right?" "It seems more
interactive, maybe?" And I want her to say, "Yes, Vanessa, you're right. It is more
interactive," so that's why I asked, "Maybe?" So make sure your voice goes up at
the end. Let's say this full sentence.

"It seems more interactive, maybe? Maybe? Maybe? Maybe? It seems more
interactive, maybe? Maybe? It seems more interactive, maybe?" I did a video
about how to form questions, so it was on YouTube, and a part of that was how
to form questions using tag words. So if you want to know more about tag words
and how to add them to the end to make a question, feel free to check out that
video on YouTube. It's called How to Ask Questions in English. Okay, I'm going to
pause and I want you to say, "It seems more interactive, maybe?" all by yourself.
Are you ready? Go.

(silence).

Great work. I hope that this lesson has been interactive. All right. Let's watch the
clip.

"Because it seems more interactive, maybe, like ... Because it seems more
interactive, maybe, like... Because it seems more interactive, maybe, like”

The fifth and final sentence that we're going to focus on uses the vocabulary
expression "budget." Budget. Let's listen to how it was used.

Sandra: We didn't really have a budget for it, so it was a painted floor and I created this
like chandelier out of Coroplast. We didn't really have a budget for it. We didn't
really have a budget for it.

Vanessa: Sarah said, "We didn't really have a budget for it. We didn't really have a budget
for it." Let's start by talking about this contraction. Didn't. Didn't. Didn't. But she
doesn't say it like this. She says, "Di-un. Di-un." It's a little bit tricky. She says, "Di.
Di." Just D-I, and then she makes a sound that kind of sounds like U-N. Di-un. Un.
Un. In the back of her throat. Di-un. Di-un. There's not a D in the middle of this
word, and there's not a T at the end. It just sounds like D-I-U-N. Di-un. Di-un. Di-
un. I didn't know what you were saying. I didn't know where to go. We didn't
really have a budget for it. We didn't. Didn't. Can you say that with me? Didn't.

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[18:26]

Didn't. There's should be some vibration here. Didn't. Didn't. "We didn't really.
We didn't really. We didn't really."

And then she said, "Have a budget for it. Have a budget for it." There are two
words that have T's at the end, and those are stopped. "Budget" and "it." Didn't
really have a budget for it. Budget for it. The word "budget" has an E at the end
but it kind of sounds like an I. Budget. It kind of sounds like "it." It is a cat. It is hot
today. Budget. Budget. Budget. Budget. The middle consonant sounds can be a
little bit tricky too, so try to say it with me. Budge. There's a D-G sound here.
Budget. Budget. Your tongue is stopped at the top of your mouth for this final
part, because we're not going to go through and say, "Budget." That final T is not
going to completely finish, but we're going to stop it. Budget. Budget. Let's try to
say this full sentence together. Are you ready?

"We didn't really have a budget for it." We're not saying, "It," just, "I," and your
tongue is stopped, the top of your mouth. "We didn't really have a budget for it.
We didn't really have a budget for it." The most important word here is "budget."
She wants us to know they didn't really have a budget for it, so make sure that
you're kind of emphasizing that word. It's stressed. "We didn't really have a
budget for it. We didn't really have a budget for it." Can you say that with me?
"We didn't really have a budget for it. We didn't really have a budget for it. We
didn't really have a budget for it." It's a short sentence, but there's a lot
happening here. Okay, I'm going to pause and I want you to say, "We didn't really
have a budget for it." Go ahead. It's your turn to say it all by yourself. I'm
listening.

Excellent work. I hope your pronunciation muscles have gotten a lot of practice
today. Let's watch that clip so that you can see how it was originally used and
listen for that word "budget."

Sandra: We didn't really have a budget for it. We didn't really have a budget for it. We
didn't really have a budget for it.

Vanessa: Did you hear that word "budget?" I hope so. We talked about a lot in this lesson.
I hope that you got a lot of exercise, but also some tools that you can use for
understanding speakers when they link and reduce things and cut off T's. All of
the strange things that happen, you can use as well, as you're speaking. So the
next step is to review this lesson, make sure that you listen to it, watch it. Also,
you can record your voice saying these sentences, email them to me, send them
to me in the Facebook group. I'll try to give you some feedback so that you can
see what you're doing well and also how you can improve, so that you don't keep
making the same mistakes. That's a good thing about having a teacher, I'll give
you some feedback. Thanks so much for learning with me and I'll see you the
next time. Bye.

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 Transcript Index
This index will help you to quickly match the page and the time in the lesson so that you can
easily follow along and understand each word.

Page 1: 0:00 – 2:51

Page 2: 2:51 – 6:39

Page 3: 6:39 – 9:25

Page 4: 9:25 – 12:22

Page 5: 12:22 – 15:30

Page 6: 15:30 – 18:26

Page 7: 18:26 – 21:35

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