Assimilation is the easiest (yet rarest) of the 4 forms of Connected Speech!

Connected speech has evolved in English, and by rebracketing our words, we can connecte our speech.

I demonstrate how assimilation works using 3 consonant examples at the ends and beginnings of words, then a full normal sentence talking about breakfast.

I mention some things to watch out for, especially -S and -ED endings in English because the spelling in English isn't transparent to pronunciation.

In fact, I have put together a training resource for you to know how to know which -S and -ED endings you should say to make your connected speech better!

You can find “Master -S & -ED Endings for Voicing & Connected Speech

”at Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/accentbianca/e/117410

Vowels are much more difficult, and we will review them in the next episode about Gliding in Connected Speech!

Here are 2 example groups where a change in syllable stress DOES equal a change in the language.

Sometimes stressing a different syllable tells us the part of speech the word is. For instance, OBject and obJECT have different grammatical functions. The first pattern is the noun, and the second signifies the verb form.

Other times, stressing a different syllable actually makes it a different word. For example, CONtest is 'a race, conflict, or other competition between rivals, as for a prize.' However, to conTEST something means 'to argue against; or dispute'. Here, there is also a change in grammar, but the words have very different meanings.

I don't have to tell you how effective it is to have the RIGHT training materials! I spent hours looking online and I couldn't find the right ones to teach with. So, I did the research and I made my own accent training materials!

Get great syllable stress immediately by drilling these top 200+ words to practice syllable stress, broken into 8 patterns.

Plus, there are 2 pages of BONUS words illustrating what to watch out for- syllable stress that DOESN'T follow those patterns!

Get this resource on Buy Me a Coffee!

Do you ever hear the same word two different ways, with different numbers of syllables? For example, some people say 'different' with 3 syllables, and others with only 2. What's going on here? Language is always changing, and when you have a center syllable with schwa, they are dropping out of people's speech these days. So, both ways are correct.

Not only that, but when we think about variations in how we speak, our different accents in English can also sometimes produce the same word with the same number of syllables, but we might stress a different syllable. For example, the word 'research' can be stressed on the first OR second syllable! Again, both are correct.

In both of these, it's a choice, and that choice doesn't impact the grammar of the word or its meaning!

I don't have to tell you how effective it is to have the RIGHT training materials! I spent hours looking online and I couldn't find the right ones to teach with. So, I did the research and I made my own accent training materials!

Get great syllable stress immediately by drilling these top 200+ words to practice syllable stress, broken into 8 patterns.

Plus, there are 2 pages of BONUS words illustrating what to watch out for- syllable stress that DOESN'T follow those patterns!

Get this resource on Buy Me a Coffee!

THESE are the words you NEED to get right in English, because you use them all the time. Maybe you're doing the stress right, but it wouldn't hurt to check!

Why these words? It's all about high frequency! This list comes from a list of the top 500 most common words in English.

I break up these 50 words into 5 patterns. When you recognize the pattern, you can apply that pattern to other words as well!

I don't have to tell you how effective it is to have the RIGHT training materials! I spent hours looking online and I couldn't find the right ones to teach with. So, I did the research and I made my own accent training materials!

Get great syllable stress immediately by drilling these top 200+ words to practice syllable stress, broken into 8 patterns.

Plus, there are 2 pages of BONUS words illustrating what to watch out for- syllable stress that DOESN'T follow those patterns!

Get this resource on Buy Me a Coffee!