Reductions in Spoken English (2)

Perhaps the most reduced English word is “to”. It is usually reduced to “tə”, “də”, “nə” or even just “ə” in spoken English. There isn’t just one correct way to reduce, it is an option for fast, casual speech.

Guess whaddit says😂 1. [ai•hafta•goh] 2. [ai•needa•leev•nao] 3. [də•yə•wanna•kum] 4. [its•ard•tə•sei] 5. [aim•trai•yinna•elp] 6. [aid•laikda•noh] 7. [ahr•yuh•gonna•eet] 8. [ai•fər•gotta•kawl] 9. [ahl•tawk•tə•yuh•lei•dər] 10. [aim•ap•pee•də•elp]

🔹 Reductions with “to” 1. I have to go.  [ai•hafta•gou] 2. I need to leave now.  [ai•needa•leev•nao] 3. Do you want to come?  [də•yə•wanna•kum] 4. It’s hard to say.  [its•sard•tə•sei] 5. I’m just trying to help. [aim•jus•trai•yin•də•elp] [aim•jus•trai•yin•nə•elp] 6. I’d like to know.  [aid•laik•də•nou] 7. Are you going to eat?  [ahr•yuh•gonna•eet] 8. I forgot to call.  [ai•for•gawt•də•kawl] 9. I’ll talk to you later.  [ahl•tawk•tə•yuh•lei•dər] 10. I’m happy to help.  [aim•ap•pee•də•elp]

In a dialogue 🗨️ As the sun started to set, Sarah realized it was time to go. “I need to leave now,” she told her friend, Emily. “Do you want to come with me?” Emily paused, not sure what to say. “It’s hard to decide,” she replied. “I just want to help,” Sarah said kindly. Then Sarah heard Emily’s stomach growl. “Are you going to eat anything?” she asked. Emily laughed a little. “I forgot to order the pizza,” she said, feeling embarrassed. “No problem. I’ll call now,” Sarah said, picking up her phone. Later, as they sat together eating, Emily smiled and said, “I’m glad I stayed. I’m happy to help.” Sarah smiled back, thankful for her friend. They enjoyed the meal and started talking about their next plan.

Describe what you see in the following pictures. Then describe a second time as if it was something you saw yesterday. 1. In the picture I see.... 2. Yesterday I saw...

To “to” usually reduces so much that it's like dropping the vowel. Use a t' or tə / ta sound to replace “to”. If to follows a vowel sound, it often becomes d' or də / da. --- Looks Like... 1.today [t'dei] 2.tonight [t'nait] 3.tomorrow [t'maw•rou] 4.to work [t'werk] 5.to school [t'skool] 6. to the store [t'thə•stor] 7. We have to go now. [we•haf•tə•go•nao] 8. He went to work. [ee•went•tə•werk] 9. They hope to find it. [they•houp•tə•fain•dit] 10. I can't wait to find out. [ai•kan’t•weit•də•fain•dout] 11. We don't know what to do. [we•doun’t•nou•wət•də•doo]

Today, I went to work at the bakery. As I waited to finish my shift today, I thought about all the things I still had to do. I couldn't wait to go home, I hoped to relax and watch my favorite movie. Suddenly, a customer came in and ordered a special cake for a birthday party. I smiled and got to work, excited to create something beautiful for the celebration even though it was late. I felt happy to do it. I love my job and look forward to doing it again tomorrow.

12. Don't jump to conclusions. [doun•jump•tə•kən•kloo•zhənz] 13. To be or not to be... [tə•bee•yor•nawt•tə•bee] 14.He didn't get to go. [ee•didn•get•də•go] 15. He told me to help. [he•tol•dmee•də•elp] 16. She told you to get it. [she•tol•dyoo•də•geddit] 17. I go to work. [ai•go•də•werk] 18.The only way to get it is... [thee•yown•lee•wei•də•geddit•diz] 19.You've got to pay to get it. [yoov•gah•tə•pei•tə•geddit] 20. We plan to do it. [wee•plan•tə•doo•wit] 21. Let's go to lunch. [lets•go•də•lunch] 22.The score was 4 to 6. [thə•scor•wəz•for•də•siks] 23. Who's to blame? [hooz•də•bleim]

Once when I was a kid, my friend Jack asked me to help him build a treehouse. I was very excited to help him. We worked hard together until the treehouse was finished. Jack immediately wanted to climb up and play in it. But when he went to put his foot on the ladder, he slipped and fell. I ran to him quickly. I felt bad and thought it was my fault because I didn’t check the ladder. Jack told me I didn’t need to worry about it. He was happy that I tried to help. That day, I learned that it’s fun to help others and to always be careful when we play.