About the audio
All the audio on this page comes from the American English voice of your device (text-to-speech). There are no audio files, so every example, line and exercise can play.
- Listen as many times as you want. Play one example, one line of the dialogue, or the full dialogue.
- See what is playing. The button that is playing turns coral with moving bars, and the line is highlighted. Tap it again to stop.
- Change the speed. Use Slow to follow the marks and Normal for shadowing.
- One voice for each character. Laura has a female voice and Marco has a male voice. If your device has no male English voice, Marco uses the same voice with a lower pitch.
- Intonation and linking. The browser voice is a guide. Sometimes it rises, falls or links words less than a real person. If you are not sure, follow the arrows and marks on the page.
Works best in Chrome, Edge or Safari. The voice can be different on each device. No sound? Check the volume and the silent mode of your phone.
Weak forms: strong or weak?
Many function words have two pronunciations. Most of the time we use the weak form, with a short /ə/ sound. We use the strong form only in special cases.
Use the strong form when the word is at the end of a sentence, in short answers, or when you stress it on purpose.
Practice 1
Listen to each sentence. Is the word in color weak or strong?
Catch the little words
Weak function words are fast and soft, so they are hard to hear. Train your ear: listen and write the little words that are missing.
Listen and fill in the blanks
Play each sentence and fill in the missing words. Tap a word in the box to hear it and put it in the blank, or type it. You can use a word more than once.
Vocabulary box
Function words. Tap a word to hear it and put it in a blank. Some are extra.
Stress in answers
When you answer a question or correct someone, the main stress goes on the new or different information, not on the last word.
Practice 2
Listen to the question and the answer. Tap the word in the answer with the main stress.
Mark the pauses
Long sentences need thought groups. A good pause helps the listener, and it gives you time to breathe and think.
Pause after a long subject, after an if or when clause, before and or but with a new idea, and around extra information.
Practice 3
Tap the space between two words to add a pause. Tap again to remove it. Each sentence has one or two pauses. Then tap Check.
Find the links
The most common link is consonant + vowel: when a word ends in a consonant sound and the next word starts with a vowel sound, the consonant moves to the next word.
Practice 4
Tap the space between two words where there is a consonant + vowel link. Then tap Check and listen.
Intonation in real life
Some everyday patterns have their own tune. Learn these four.
Choice questions
The voice rises on the first option and falls on the last one.
Tag questions
If you are sure and expect the other person to agree, the voice falls. If you really do not know, it rises.
Asking someone to repeat
A single word like Sorry? or Really? rises when you ask for more.
Polite requests
Requests with Could you or Can you usually rise, and that makes them sound friendly.
Practice 5
Read the situation, listen, and decide: does the voice fall or rise at the end?
Dialogue: the next morning
Marco finished the numbers, and Laura wants to talk before the client meeting. Listen with the marks, repeat each line, and then hide the marks.
Personalize
Complete the sentences about your work. Choose an option from the box or write your own.
Vocabulary ideas
Choose one option for each blank, or write your own.
Final quiz
Ten questions to review Part 2. Listen to each one before you answer.
How much did you learn?
Tap the audio button, listen and choose your answer. You will see the explanation right away.
Consolidation: read and pronounce
Consolidate what you practiced. Listen to the model, tap Say it and say each item out loud. The app checks your pronunciation and marks any word it did not hear clearly. If it hears a homophone, like son for sun, it counts as correct, because both words sound the same.
LEVEL 1 · THE MUSIC OF ENGLISH · MINI COURSE
Rhythm and melody
Content words, stress, thought groups, intonation and linking.
ReviewPART 2More practice
Weak forms, little words, stress in answers, pauses and real-life intonation.
You are herePART 3The sounds of English
Vowels, diphthongs, consonants, word stress, and prolong, stress, connect.
Next partPART 4Sound games
Sound order, Click & Say, memory games and the minimal pairs lab.
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