Learn English With News | Learning English With CBS News https://rachelsenglish.com/learning-english-with-cbs-news/ Video Text: https://rachelsenglish.com/learning-english-with-cbs-news/ Today we’re studying English with news. We’re looking at how people speak so quickly and so smoothly while still being clear. Two news hosts. One doctor, who’s being interviewed and we are going to study their beautiful voices to find tips that can help you with English fluency. Let’s start right off with Gayle King’s first sentence. This morning we’re looking at increased screen time during the pandemic is affecting our vision. Increased screen time. So, right away she’s giving us an example of one of the main points that Americans do for smoothness changing T pronunciations. In this case, the ED ending of increased is a T sound. Increased. Increased, tt. But she said increased screen time with no T. Listen. I’ll slow that down for you. No T, no ED ending. One of the rules of pronunciation of T is that we often drop the sound between two other consonants. In this case, S and S. So the past tense, increased sounds just like the present tense increase because we dropped the T. And we’ll hear T pronunciations dropped or changed all the time. Why? Let’s look at the pronunciation of T. T, a stop of air, a release, it’s a sharp sound. But the character of American English has a lot of smoothness. No sharp points. We value linking and smoothness from word to word. So by dropping the T here, it’s a smoother link. With the T, increased screen time. Increased screen time. Not that smooth. Let’s drop the T. Increase screen time. More smooth. More sloppy, more lazy, more drunk sounding. Maybe that’s what it feels like to you if your native language is very sharp and clear. Embracing this sloppiness can help you find your American voice as you speak English. You know, the rules for how Americans pronounce ED endings are actually pretty complicated. I’ll put a link to the playlist that covers that topic in the video description. Let’s listen to Gayle again. But first, if you like this video or you’re learning something new, please like and subscribe with notifications, continue your studies with me every Tuesday. No T in increased. Just in time. It’s important that as you study a tip like this, you also practice it. We’re going to play it again. Twice in slow motion, say it with her the second time. Then twice at regular pace, say it her out loud the second time. This morning we’re looking at how increased screen time during the pandemic is affecting our vision– Let’s keep going. Since this pandemic first hit the average screen time per person has spiked more than thirteen hours a day that’s a lot. One of the ways thirteen is different from thirty is the T. Thirteen. That’s a true like what Gayle did. Thirteen Thirteen. She did first syllable stress, thirteen. You’ll hear it both ways. Thirteen and thirteen. Thirty always has first syllable stress and always has a flap T. Let’s keep going. According to Eyesafe Nielsen estimates of 60 percent of people in one recent survey say they were worried about how this will affect their eyes. Affect their eyes. Looking at the text, what do you notice about the T in affect? It comes between two other consonant sounds. The K sound before it and the TH sound after it. The T may have been dropped, was it? Let’s listen. affect their– Affect their. No T. Affect their eyes. Try that with me. Affect their eyes. Affect their eyes. Let’s keep going. Doctors also say they’re seeing uptick in vision issues like dry eye yup, I got that. Doctor Christopher Starr, he was an ophthalmologist said, while Cornell medical in, medicine rather in New York. Did you hear how she corrected herself? She misspoke, she corrected it and then she said rather. So the word she meant wasn’t medical rather it was medicine. While Cornell medical in, medicine rather in New York. Let’s keep going.