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Eva Easton's American English Pronunciation

Eva Easton's American English Pronunciation

American English Pronunciation

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Reduction

What is Reduction?
It’s the music of American English.

The rhythm of American English is based on stress patterns.
You alternate between stressed and unstressed syllables.

Stressed syllable: full vowel sound
Unstressed syllable: reduced /ә/

Schwa /ә/ is the most common
vowel sound in English.


Now it’s your turn.
Here’s your audio pronunciation quiz.
What is Reduction?

1. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-01-stress.mp3When you say a syllable louder, longer, stronger...that's ________.

2. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-07-content.mp3Which word is a content word?

3. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-08-structure.mp3Which word is a structure word?

4. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-08-structure.mp3Which word is a structure word?

5. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-02-reduction.mp3When you say a syllable softer and quieter, that's________.

6. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-08-structure.mp3Which word is a structure word?

7. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-07-content.mp3Which word is a content word?

8. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-07-content.mp3Which word is a content word?

9. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-03-stress.mp3What kind of words do we normally stress?

10. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-05-content.mp3What are content words?

11. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-04-reduce.mp3What kind of words do we normally reduce?

12. 

https://www.evaeaston.com/wp-content/uploads/reduction-06-structure.mp3What are structure words?

clock.png

Time's up


Related Lessons:

  • Letters vs. Sounds
  • What is a vowel sound?
  • What is a consonant sound?

All Reduction Lessons:

  • Compare: interested in – interesting
  • Compare: interested in – interesting: difficult quiz
  • conditional 2 – contractions
  • conditional 3 – contractions
  • Contraction: will => ‘ll
  • Contractions: to be = ‘m, ‘re, ‘s
  • IF: conditional 1
  • IF: mixed conditionals 2 & 3
  • Linking: consonant sound + of
  • R: 1-syllable words
  • R: unstressed r = /ɚ/ (part 1)
  • R: unstressed r = /ɚ/ (part 2)
  • reduction: a lot of … lots of
  • Reduction: can /kən/ or /kæn/
  • Reduction: coulda … woulda … shoulda
  • Reduction: gonna
  • Reduction: greetings & responses
  • Reduction: have to … has to … had to
  • Reduction: wanna
  • Reduction: whaddaya
  • Reduction: disappearing vowel
  • Silent R: comfortable
  • song: drunken sailor
  • Stress Pattern: 2-syllable nouns
  • Stress Pattern: 2-syllable verbs
  • Stress Pattern: homographs
  • Stress: can’t
  • to be used to (routine, habit)
  • to get used to (process of change)
  • use (noun or verb)
  • used to (past tense)
  • wonder word: Catholic
  • wonder word: chocolate
  • wonder word: etc.
  • wonder word: vegetable
  • Written o = reduced /ə/

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