Hello everyone and welcome back to
English with Lucy, you might notice that
my voice is slightly different today
and that's because, I am suffering from
bronchitis
I caught it on a trip to Milan
and I've been suffering for a while now
and that's why I haven't filmed any... any
content for you, but I'm back today
with my voice sounding a little bit...
a little bit sexy I quite enjoy it
is I'm... I'm enjoying speaking with this voice, umm
but today I'm going to try and help you
with your British English pronunciation
So today, we're going to be looking at
the schwa sound, act the end of words
I'm going to say some words now
and I want you to listen to the last
syllable of the word, and also look at
the spelling at the end of the word
BETT'ER' /ˈbetə(r)/
ACT'OR' /ˈæktə(r)/
CALEND'AR'/ˈkælɪndə(r)/
COL'OUR' /ˈkʌlə(r)/
CENT'RE' /ˈsentə(r)/
LEIS'URE' /ˈleʒə(r)/
the last syllable the ending of these words is
pronounced in exactly the same way
it's using the /ə/ sound with is the "Schwa"
to create this sound you need to relax
your mouth, lips aparts /ə/
just push a little bit of voice, through your mouth
and then stop it. /ə/
/ə/
it's a very short sound, so that's
the "Schwa" however look we've got them
spelled in all different ways
we've got '-ER'
BUTTER /ˈbʌtə(r)/
'-OR'
AUTHOR /ˈɔːθə(r)/
'-AR'
VICAR /ˈvɪkə(r)/
'-OUR'
HUMOUR /ˈhjuːmə(r)/
'-RE'
METRE /ˈmiːtə(r)/
'-URE'
AGRICULTURE /ˈæɡrɪkʌltʃə(r)/
so, it's very important to know that when
you read words that end in some of these letters
you should normally pronounce them with a
schwa sound, now it's not always the case
take a look at the word
"GUITAR /ɡɪˈtɑː(r)/"
for example "GUITAR /ɡɪˈtɑː(r)/"
it's NOT /ɡɪˈt"ə"(r)/
it's "GUITAR /ɡɪˈtɑː(r)/" , so this isn't a schwa sound
now notice that in American English this
isn't always the case, they will often
pronounced was ending in "R" with an "R"
sound like BETTER BUTTER they do have
more the "R" sound, we "drop the R" and
British English, now you might be
thinking, well I know how to say some of
these words that how do I know which
ending each one has? unfortunately there
is no strict set of rules, but I have got
a few tips, that might be able to help you
Tip number one
COMPARATIVE ADJECTIVES END IN "-ER"
and yes they use the "Schwa"
LIGHTER
SOFTER
BLONDER, for example
Tip number two, is not a role just a
guide a tip the "-OR" ENDING OFTEN FOLLOWS
-CT- ACTOR /ˈæktə(r)/
-IT- VISITOR /ˈvɪzɪtə(r)/
-AT- DICTATOR /dɪkˈteɪtə(r)/
-RR- HORROR /ˈhɒrə(r)/
and -SS- SUCCESSOR /səkˈsesə(r)/
The last tip, -AR OFTEN FOLLOWS L
COLLAR /ˈkɒlə(r)/ , SIMILAR /ˈsɪmələ(r)/
REGULAR /ˈreɡjələ(r)/
Alright guys, that is it for today's video
remember you can still get a free trial
on audible.com if you want to improve
your listening, and also improve your
pronunciation, because you will get used to
how native people pronounce different words
and don't forget to follow me on
all of my social media
I've got my Instagram and my Facebook
so you can follow me on there
and I will see you soon for another lesson
hopefully, with a better voice.
bye!