List of Common One-Syllable Words Ordered by Syllable Shape
FREE DOWNLOAD! Get this essential connected speech worksheet which deals with common one-syllable words ordered by syllable shape. For more about syllable shapes in English, see Unit 2.3 of the free Learn Connected Speech course.
Think you know Gen Z slang terms, like YOLO and lit? Try to get 15 correct answers on our Gen Z Slang Terms Quiz! Then check out our free 40 Gen Z Slang Terms worksheet!
Study the gap-fill page and try to predict the missing information, using the internet as a resource. Then match the sentences from the info page to the gaps. Check your answers with the reference page. Then discuss the information. Which generation are you from? Do you agree with the given info? What would you add or change?
Extension: choose vocabulary items from the reference page – e.g. nuclear stalemate and climate crisis – and discuss them with a partner or small group.
Baby Boom Generation: Born 1946-64
Aged: 59-77 years old
Famous People: Bill Clinton (b. 1946)
Buzzwords: ‘turn on, tune in, drop out’
Key Events: Cold War; Arms Race; Vietnam War; McCarthy era; Civil Rights; independence of colonies; Summer of Love (1967); the pill (1967); 2nd wave of feminism; equal pay; abortion rights
Social: hippies in the 60s, yuppies in the 80s; provoked real, lasting change
Family: larger families – 3-4 children; more women stayed at home as homemakers
Music: the birth of rock’n’roll; psychedelia; pop music developed; Motown
Tech: TV (three channels); space race; now use Facebook only
Typical Attributes: optimistic; consumerist; activist; workaholic; personal growth
Advantages: could buy a house for a low price; free university education; no world wars; no climate hysteria; parents stayed together
Disadvantages: draft still existed; enormous public and private debt; no internet
Summary: ‘Lucky Generation’
Generation X / Forgotten Generation: Born 1965-80
Aged: 43-58 years old
Famous People: Elon Musk (b. 1971)
Buzzwords: ‘no future’
Key Events: three-day week; mass unemployment; strikes; Fall of Communism; blockbuster movies; nuclear stalemate (MAD); Challenger disaster (1986)
Social: 3rd wave of feminism; rise of plastic surgery
Family: family planning = smaller families; both parents at work all day = ‘latchkey generation’
Tech: rise of AI; cyber-bullying; Netflix; streaming video; e-scooters
Typical Attributes: socially active; green-minded; tolerant towards minorities
Advantages: constant connection to the internet; enjoy fun experiences; tech experts; many years ahead
Disadvantages: lost years of education; little chance of buying a home/car; mental health issues ; loneliness; fear of environmental devastation; stress about work security
A noun before a noun, acting as an adjective, is called a noun modifier, e.g., ‘pizza party’. They are also known as attributive nouns, noun adjuncts, and qualifying nouns. It literally means ‘a party with pizza’, but it makes more sense to us and is easier to write ‘pizza party’ than a prepositional phrase.
Practice using noun modifiers with these two fantastic free printable worksheets and improve your grammar skills!
The 48 Sounds of English – Predicting Actions in Connected Speech
Native speakers of English predict connections between syllables automatically as they speak.
Non-native speakers have to learn to do this through training and intensive practice.
This free downloadable PDF page contains a list of the 48 sounds of English alongside the actions to take, whether the following sound is a consonant or a vowel.
Learn this table and your use of connected speech will definitely improve, as the actions you need to take become faster and more intuitive.
Find out more about position of adverbs in English with these four helpful FREE printable grammar worksheets for INTERMEDIATE to ADVANCED-level learners! Full answers are included.
We all know that monkeys chatter and songbirds sing – just like us – but did you know that there are loads more animal noises that humans also make? Maybe your boss barks orders at you instead of asking you properly – just as a dog barks in the back yard. Or how about your grandpa humming absent-mindedly while in the middle of a little light DIY – just as a hummingbird hums!
Discover 30 animal noises that humans also make with these two wonderful FREE printable vocabulary worksheets for UPPER INTERMEDIATE to ADVANCED-level learners! Full answers are included.
If you join us for Connected Speech Club 4, you’ll get to know vowel sounds and which ones we use to connect VV sound connections. Sounds fun? It gets better from there! We continue by looking at idioms of new year and how the syllables they use connect:
– To turn over a new leaf.
– A change is as good as a rest.
It’s a very exciting and enlightening class! If you have any questions about connected speech, please leave a comment below or contact me here.
In this very special festive edition of Connected Speech Club, we discuss the lyrics to four favourite Christmas songs and discover how we can say them using connected speech.
We also look at pronouncing common phrases with function words, e.g. “where are” and “that were”.
If you have any questions about connected speech, please feel free to leave a comment, or contact me.
New Video Class on Sentence Stress and Connected Speech
This is a recording of the presentation I gave recently at the TWIST ’22 online conference, which was organised and hosted by LANG LTC Language Training Centre in Warsaw.
In it I give a clear demonstration of how to teach a pronunciation class about sentences stress and connected speech.
Learn and practice using 20 common phrases for business emails – in both formal and informal contexts – with our helpful new free printable worksheet (answers included).
Including: words for opening and closing emails; common greetings; phrases for acknowledging replies and drawing attention to attachments; good phrases for apologising, stating the reason for writing, and for mentioning bad news; phrases for requesting (indirect and direct questions); and finally, phrases for stating the call to action – i.e. your expectations of the recipient.
Learn how to use the present forms Have and Have Got for possession with our two free printable grammar worksheets – ready to download now!
‘Have’ and ‘have got’ both generally mean the same thing, although ‘have’ is more common in American English and ‘have got’ is more common in British English. One reason for this may be that ‘have got’ provides stronger sentence stress than ‘have’, which is preferred in British English. For example:
have: He has a new car.
‘Has’ tends to be unstressed or lightly stressed. We do not hear the rhythm that is familiar in British English:
have got: He’s got a new car.
‘Got’ provides a strong stress, before the weak stressed article ‘a’, followed by two strong stresses ‘new car’, creating a satisfying ‘up and down’ rhythm more typical of British English.
Additionally, we can say that ‘have’ is more formal and used in written English more often, while ‘have got’ is more informal and used in spoken English more frequently.
Note: in the categories above, have got is a present perfect form, but with a present simple meaning. It is therefore an anomaly in English. It is neither present simple nor present perfect, but rather an adjunct to present simple that is only used in regular time in the present for possession (states) rather than actions.
Here are some of the errors that often occur with this topic:
We all need a little extra motivation every now and again, whether it be to climb that mountain, write that first chapter of the world’s greatest novel, or simply to get out of bed on a freezing winter morning and run for the bus to work…
If YOU need motivation today, check out our handpicked list of 20 powerful English idioms of motivation, including quotations from nineteenth century novelist George Eliot and former US President Theodore Roosevelt, among others.
literal meaning: Now is the time to try your best.
example:
– ‘It’s all or nothing! Either I complete the sale on those two houses today or I’m gonna get fired.’
– ‘Carpe diem! Seize the day.’
– ‘Thanks, Tony.’
12. idiom:‘PMA: Positive Mental Attitude.’ – Napoleon Hill
literal meaning: Positive thinking is an active way of increasing your chances of success.
example: If you think you’re gonna fail – you probably will! Remember these three letters – PMA: Positive. Mental. Attitude.
13. idiom:It’s a marathon not a sprint.
literal meaning: Don’t rush to be a success – take your time and enjoy each stage of the process.
example:
– ‘I wish this course were over. But there are three more years to go!’
– ‘Look, just take it slowly. It’s a marathon not a sprint. Try to treasure each moment.’
14. idiom:Set your sights on sth.
literal meaning: Set a clear goal that you want to achieve.
example:
– ‘Are you still working a double shift? Still saving up for a car?’
– ‘Yeah. I’ve set my sights on a white MINI Cooper.’
15. idiom:To have [got] sth in the bag.
literal meaning: To be assured of success.
example:
– The interview went really well. The job looks perfect for me, really. But I don’t know how many other people they have seen.’
– ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ve got it in the bag.’
16. idiom:To have the world at your feet.
literal meaning: Anything is possible for you.
example: Yeah, Jamie has just graduated with a First. He starts his new job next week. And he’s seeing a lovely lass. I reckon they’ll be getting married next year. They’re in the process of buying a house, I think. You know, it must be lovely to have the world at your feet.
17. idiom:To make inroads in(to) sth.
literal meaning: To make progress towards achieving your goal.
example:
– ‘There are so many leaves come down in the garden this year. It’s gonna take a while to get rid of them all.’
– ‘Looks like you’ve started making inroads into it, though, Paul.’
– ‘Yeah. I’ll get out there after lunch and have another try.’
18. idiom:Go for it!
literal meaning: Try to achieve your goal wholeheartedly.
example:
– ‘Hey, dad, can I borrow your guitar later? I want to learn some new chords.’
– ‘No problem. Go for it!‘
19. idiom:To bear fruit.
literal meaning: To show signs of success.
example:
– ‘I noticed that Jane’s oil paintings have really improved recently.’
– ‘Yes, all her hard work and dedication is definitely starting to bear fruit.’
20. idiom:‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’ – Thomas Edison
literal meaning: Failure is not the end but represents the valuable opportunity to try again.
example:
– ‘I failed mum. I went to pieces in the exam. It was awful. I’m never going to understand maths!’
– ‘Failure is just a state of mind, darling. It’s actually a good opportunity to work out what you did wrong and then have another go. Remember that quote by Thomas Edison – about inventing the lightbulb – “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”‘
Can you think of any more English idioms of motivation? Why not comment and leave your suggestion below.
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Energy Saving Tips! – 7 Free Worksheets for English Classes
As energy prices go up, why not try to reduce your energy use by following our 60 great energy saving tips! By simply using less energy, your electricity and gas bills are sure to go down. Your students will enjoy English discussion practice while discovering easy ways to save energy with our 7 free printable worksheets for English classes.