0:00 Hello everyone and welcome back to English with Lucy.
0:03 This is day three of your fiveday
0:06 shadowing challenge where we follow one continuous
0:09 story to help build your English skills
0:12 from B1 up to C1.
0:15 Day one explored essential vocabulary
0:18 and day two was all about grammar.
0:20 If this is your first day joining us,
0:22 welcome, but I recommend
0:24 starting with day one
0:26 to get the most out of these lessons.
0:29 There's a link to the full 5-day
0:31 shadowing challenge playlist in the description below.
0:34 Today, we'll focus on one of my favorite topics,
0:37 pronunciation across the B1,
0:40 B2, and C1 levels.
0:43 And if you haven't yet joined the free consolidation
0:46 course, now is the time because inside your day three materials,
0:51 there is something extra special waiting for you.
0:55 exclusive access to my interactive IPA vow chart.
1:00 Normally, this is only available
1:02 in my paid courses,
1:04 but I'm including it for free in the consolidation course.
1:08 This chart clearly models
1:10 each individual vowel sound in my accent, modern RP.
1:14 It's one of the most powerful tools for improving your pronunciation
1:18 and understanding of spoken English.
1:21 The link to join the course for free is in the description
1:25 or you can scan the QR code on screen now.
1:28 Once you're in, everything unlocks
1:30 automatically and you can start mastering these sounds immediately.
1:34 Also, when you join the consolidation
1:37 course, you automatically join my Black Friday waiting list for my biggest
1:42 sale of the year.
1:44 Get ready for my best discounts
1:46 and biggest bonuses on my beautiful British English
1:50 B1, B2, and C1 programs.
1:54 The link to join is in the description.
1:57 Let's work on your pronunciation.
1:58 Now, we'll start with B1, the intermediate level.
2:03 Shadow or repeat after me.
2:05 Then, we'll analyze some interesting pronunciation features.
2:09 I woke up feeling
2:10 refreshed and ready to go.
2:13 After a quick breakfast,
2:15 I jumped in the car and set off.
2:19 The landscape was incredible,
2:21 so I stopped at lots of viewpoints to take photos.
2:28 Let's start with the phrase,
2:29 I woke up feeling.
2:31 Feeling has a long e vowel sound. Feeling.
2:36 To make E, keep your jaw quite closed
2:39 and spread your lips
2:41 almost like you're smiling. E feeling.
2:46 If we relax the lips and shorten the sound,
2:49 we get I can you hear the difference?
2:53 E I feeling filling.
2:58 It's important to pronounce
3:00 long and short vowel sounds accurately
3:03 as they can change the meaning of a word completely.
3:06 Repeat with me to practice a few
3:22 Now notice how I say the next phrase.
3:25 Refreshed and ready to go.
3:28 I don't use the strong forms and or to.
3:32 Instead, I use weak forms
3:34 with thewah an refreshed and ready to go.
3:40 To make this weak vowel sound,
3:42 relax the muscles in your face.
3:45 Open the jaw a little.
3:46 Keep your lips relaxed
3:48 and use as little effort as possible
3:51 to make a soft
3:52 uh uh my students often use strong forms
3:58 Listen and repeat with me to compare and
4:03 and an shadow me again now
4:30 with the weak forms.
4:32 I woke up feeling
4:33 refreshed and ready to go.
4:36 After a quick breakfast,
4:38 I jumped in the car and set off.
4:42 The landscape was incredible,
4:44 so I stopped at lots of viewpoints to take photos.
4:50 Okay, here's the next part of our story at B1.
4:55 Shadow me or repeat after me.
4:58 I drove towards Glen Co
5:01 following a route the cottage owner had said was her
5:07 Did you notice I said
5:09 towards with one syllable,
5:11 not towards with two
5:15 and favorite, not favorite.
5:20 Removing the schwah from the middle of words like this is called
5:24 syncopy and is common in British English.
5:27 Think camera instead of
5:30 camera and family instead of Let's practice now. Repeat after me.
5:50 I've included more examples and practice
5:53 in your day three consolidation
5:55 course along with that interactive IPA vowel chart.
6:00 You're going to love that, I promise.
6:02 Finally, let's hear what happens to the words owner
6:05 and had when pronounced together.
6:11 I drop the H sound in had
6:14 and glide between the two schwas
6:16 with a linking Dropping the
6:21 H sound in grammar words like have,
6:24 has, and had is common in fast speech.
6:28 Try to copy these features now. Shadow me.
6:31 I drove towards Glen Co
6:34 following a route the cottage owner had said was her favorite.
6:40 When working towards B1,
6:42 clear pronunciation is essential.
6:46 My beautiful British English B1
6:48 program integrates British pronunciation
6:51 into every lesson with IPA
6:53 transcriptions and audio pronunciation guides throughout.
6:58 You'll get seven dedicated
7:00 pronunciation lessons that I created with my expert
7:03 pronunciation teachers covering topics like vowel sounds,
7:07 ed endings, consonant sounds,
7:10 connected speech, and word stress.
7:13 We make pronunciation your priority
7:16 from day one because sounding natural
7:19 is just as important as knowing the right words.
7:22 These lessons break down
7:24 everything you need to sound clear and confident in British English.
7:29 And when Black Friday week arrives,
7:32 you'll have an incredible
7:33 chance to unlock the full course with huge savings.
7:38 Your clearest English yet has never been closer.
7:42 Now, let's move on to B2,
7:44 the upper intermediate level.
7:46 Try and shadow me.
7:48 By midm morning, I'd reached a stunning
7:51 lock surrounded by nothing but mountains and trees.
7:56 Rain had been forecast,
7:58 but the sky had stayed clear,
8:01 so I hiked up the sunny hillside
8:04 for a better view of the wonderful countryside.
8:10 Okay, I used three contracted
8:12 forms here, eyed, rained, and skyd.
8:16 My students often use
8:18 full forms when speaking.
8:20 I had, rain had, sky had.
8:23 This is clear, but can sound too formal,
8:26 slow us down, and spoil our English rhythm.
8:30 Bring the words together. Eyed, skyd.
8:37 Notice how eyed has just one syllable
8:40 whereas rain and skyd have two.
8:44 I explain why in the consolidation course.
8:48 You can join that now for free.
8:50 Let's take a look at another tricky vowel sound.
8:53 H like in stunning.
8:56 To make this short vowel sound,
8:59 I open my jaw a little and I pull my tongue towards
9:02 the back of my throat slightly.
9:04 My lips stay relaxed. Uh uh.
9:09 We often find uh in words spelled with the letter u like stunning. up and sunny.
9:16 But we also find this sound with other spelling patterns.
9:20 Can you spot any more H words here?
9:23 Well, we have nothing, wonderful, and countryside.
9:30 Listen and repeat after me. Nothing.
9:39 My students often mispronounce
9:40 this word and say countryside.
9:43 Try to avoid this. It's countryside.
9:47 Let's try again now, focusing
9:49 on the contractions and the a vowel. Shadow me again.
9:54 By midm morning, I'd reached a stunning
9:57 lock surrounded by nothing but mountains and trees.
10:02 Rain had been forecast,
10:04 but the sky had stayed clear.
10:07 So, I hiked up the sunny hillside
10:10 for a better view of the wonderful countryside.
10:16 Are you confused by all the symbols on screen? Don't worry.
10:20 Learning each of the individual vowel sounds that make up British English
10:24 will be a gamecher
10:26 for your pronunciation progress.
10:28 The day three consolidation
10:30 course activities and my interactive
10:33 IPA vowel chart will help you refine your pronunciation
10:37 and increase your accuracy and confidence.
10:40 Here's the next part of our story at B2 level. Shadow me now.
10:45 The autumn colors were absolutely gorgeous.
10:49 Golden bracken covering the cliffs and hillsides
10:53 creating a stunning contrast
10:56 against the dark peaks.
11:00 First, we have the autumn colors.
11:03 Notice the silent N in autumn.
11:06 We usually use the strong form
11:08 the and add a linking
11:10 Y before vowel sounds.
11:12 The autumn and a weak
11:15 the before consonant sounds,
11:17 the cliffs, the dark peaks.
11:20 Make sure you use the long e vowel there.
11:23 Dark peaks, not dark picss.
11:27 I pronounce the word contrast
11:29 with a short O.
11:30 If you want to sound British when you speak English,
11:33 keep this sound short. O.
11:38 Open the jaw quite wide,
11:40 round the lips and pull the tongue down and back. O. Contrast.
11:46 Most North American accents tend to use a longer R sound instead. Contrast.
11:53 So O is definitely a sound to perfect if you want to speak with
11:57 a British sounding accent.
11:59 Listen and repeat these O words to practice.
12:10 Try to copy these features now. Shadow me again.
12:13 The autumn colors were absolutely gorgeous.
12:18 Golden bracken covering the cliffs and hillsides,
12:22 creating a stunning contrast
12:24 against the dark peaks.
12:28 My beautiful British English B2
12:30 program takes your pronunciation
12:32 to the next level
12:34 with 15 expert pronunciation
12:37 lessons on rhythm and stress,
12:39 intonation, contractions, elision, connected
12:44 speech, and so much more.
12:47 These lessons come from decades of teaching experience
12:50 and are designed to help your speech flow more smoothly and naturally.
12:54 We also weave pronunciation
12:56 into every vocabulary, reading, and conversation
12:59 lesson so you know exactly
13:01 how to say each new word.
13:04 You'll understand how British sounds work
13:06 and feel confident producing them yourself.
13:09 This is where your English starts sounding precise and natural.
13:14 And Black Friday week is just around the corner.
13:17 This program will be part of something huge.
13:21 Massive savings, huge bonuses,
13:24 and your best chance to start sounding naturally fluent.
13:28 Okay, let's move up to C1 now, the advanced level.
13:32 Shadow me if you can.
13:34 As I continued along the road with its endless
13:37 twists and turns, each vista
13:40 was more breathtaking than the last.
13:44 The gentle autumn sun made the landscape
13:48 Striking mountains reflected perfectly
13:52 in picturesque locks surrounded by rustcoled mand.
13:59 Now, did you notice that I didn't say endless or twists?
14:04 Instead, I dropped the duh and t sounds,
14:08 making these words easier to say. Endless. twists.
14:13 We often drop T and D
14:16 when they appear between consonant sounds.
14:19 Here are some more examples.
14:20 Listen and repeat to practice. rust colored.
14:30 There's another very British vowel sound in the word last.
14:34 I pronounce this word with the long a vowel.
14:37 Open your mouth nice and wide,
14:39 just like you're at the dentist, and say a.
14:43 In most North American accents,
14:45 the long a becomes a short a. Last.
14:49 Listen and repeat more
14:51 words from the story to compare. Last.
15:06 The consolidation activities for day three dive deeper into the pronunciation
15:10 features we cover today.
15:12 We'll practice elision, contractions,
15:16 weak forms, vowel sounds,
15:18 and more to get you sounding natural and fluent.
15:22 Shadow me again now.
15:24 As I continued along the road with its endless
15:27 twists and turns, each vista
15:30 was more breathtaking than the last.
15:33 The gentle autumn sun made the landscape
15:38 Striking mountains reflected perfectly
15:42 in picturesque locks surrounded by rustcoled mand.
15:49 We'll listen to the final part of our story now at C1 level.
15:53 Speak along with me.
15:55 Finally, I reached a remote beach by the coast
15:59 and was utterly lost for
16:02 It was simply superb.
16:07 In the first sentence,
16:08 we have an incredibly
16:10 British sound, the glottle stop.
16:13 You just heard it again in the word
16:15 British, although I don't usually use the glottle stop in the middle of words.
16:20 I make the glottle stop by blocking the flow of air in my throat
16:24 and then quickly releasing it like a small cough.
16:28 It can replace a t- sound in the middle
16:31 or at the end of words.
16:33 In my modern RP accent,
16:34 I only tend to use it at the end of words.
16:38 So, instead of saying
16:40 remote beach, I might say remote beach.
16:44 You don't have to do this, but have a go if you want to sound more British.
16:49 Let's practice with some phrases from the story. Listen and repeat.
16:54 First with a t sound
16:56 and then the glottle stop. Remote beach. Remote beach.
17:03 It was It was nothing but mountains. Nothing but mountains.
17:14 And let's finish with one final
17:16 tricky vowel sound, the in words.
17:20 Many languages don't have this sound, so it can be challenging for some students to reproduce. Try this.
17:27 Imagine you've seen something disgusting.
17:33 Or you can take the
17:34 sound uh and lengthen it.
17:37 Uh listen and repeat to practice.
17:43 word Shadow me again now for the final time today.
17:54 Finally, I reached a remote beach by the coast
17:58 and was utterly lost for
18:01 It was simply superb. Okay, excellent work.
18:08 Now, at C1, we refine your pronunciation
18:10 by mastering the subtleties
18:12 that make your English
18:15 In my beautiful British English C1
18:17 program, you'll get 12
18:20 advanced pronunciation lessons where you'll perfect advanced
18:24 features like tone of voice,
18:26 elision, and assimilation, complex
18:29 word stress patterns, stress timing,
18:32 and comprehensive connected You'll know exactly
18:36 how your tongue, lips,
18:38 and jaw work together
18:40 to produce precise modern RP sounds.
18:44 Pronunciation is also emphasized
18:46 throughout every lesson with IPA
18:48 transcriptions and audio guides.
18:51 These are some of the best pronunciation
18:53 lessons you'll find anywhere,
18:55 created from decades of specialist teaching experience.
19:00 At C1, you begin to sound genuinely
19:02 advanced and even authentically British.
19:06 That's what sets this program apart.
19:08 And with Black Friday weekly
19:10 approaching, advanced level fluency
19:13 has never been closer.
19:15 Incredible discounts and huge bonuses
19:18 are on the way.
19:19 You'll be so glad you're on the list.
19:22 And that brings us to the end of day three.
19:25 We've covered some useful pronunciation
19:27 tips today, but don't stop here.
19:30 There is so much more
19:31 in your day three consolidation
19:34 course materials with access to the interactive vow chart.
19:39 Remember, you can join the consolidation course for free.
19:42 The link is in the description box or you can scan the QR code on screen now.
19:48 Next is day four where it all comes together in real conversation.
19:53 It's going to be an incredible
19:54 lesson, so don't miss it.