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Homework series · speakers

Connected speech

By Will SalisburyUpdated

Connected speech is the way English speakers join words together in natural talk, so that sounds link, change, shrink or disappear at word edges. 'Turn it off' becomes one flowing chunk, and 'did you' sounds like 'didja'. Knowing the main patterns helps you understand fast speech and sound more fluent.

1 · Read the problems2 · One lesson a day3 · Review your mistakes4 · Go round again

Listen to Will

Will Salisbury reads these sentences in natural, connected speech. Play them all, or tap one sentence to hear just that one. Listen for the short, weak vowels and the words that join together.

    1 · Pronunciation

    Hear it, see it, say it

    IELTS tip. In the Speaking test, flowing speech in meaning groups is easier to follow than a list of separate words. Practise your Part 2 answer in chunks of three to six words, and let the small words go by quickly. In the Listening test, knowing these patterns helps you catch words that are said fast, such as 'what do you' or 'kind of'.

    How to make it

    1. Say turn off as if it were one word: tur-noff. Keep your voice going between the words.
    2. For go on, round your lips and let a quick /w/ glide appear before on.
    3. For see it, spread your lips and let a quick /j/ glide appear before it.
    4. Do not add a pause between words in a chunk. Pause only between meaning groups.

    turn off, pick it up, go on, see it, next week, did you, far away, an apple

    Quick answers

    Is connected speech the same as speaking fast?

    No. You can use linking and weak forms at a slow, clear pace. It is about joining words smoothly, not about speed.

    Do I need to copy every change in connected speech?

    No. Start with linking, weak forms and the glides. You need to recognise the other changes when you listen, but you do not have to use them all when you speak.

    Does connected speech matter in IELTS Listening?

    Yes. Speakers in recordings use natural speech, so words such as 'did you' or 'want to' may be joined together. Knowing the patterns helps you catch them.

    Is it wrong to pause between words?

    Short pauses between meaning groups are natural. Pausing after every single word makes speech sound slow and broken.

    Read the full lesson: Connected speech