In English, it is common to shorten words or phrases, they are called contractions. Some are common, such as I’m, which means I am. As oyu can see from the table below, the same contraction can be used for different phrases. for example, he has and he is, are both shortened to he’s.
Pronunciation of Contractions Quiz: Simple Or Not?
Many students believe that contractions are only used in writing, but when they read them, they should pronounce the full words. THIS IS NOT TRUE!!! It is more common to use contractions when speaking. Speaking is more informal than writing 99% of the time and these extra sounds disappear to make the shorter word.
As a result, when reading ‘you are’, you pronounce ‘you are’. If you read ‘you’re’, you pronounce ‘you’re’. When speaking, it is extremely common to pronounce it as ‘you’re’. There is NO DIFFERENCE in meaning but sounds exactly the same as ‘your’ which does have a different meaning.
There are several activities below for you to practice your pronunciation of these contractions. As mentioned above, some have the same contraction, so are only used once. For example, he’s is only used once, but has two meanings (he has and he is).
Instructions
- Listen to the sample pronunciations on the left-hand side
- Record yourself on your phone or using the simple recorder on the right-hand side.
- Keep trying until you think your pronunciation is the same as the sample.
- Evaluate yourself
- ✅ Did my pronunciation match the rhythm?
- ✅ Did I link words together correctly?
- ✅ Did I stress the right syllables?
- Continue with the other groups of words.
I / You
Sample Pronunciation
He / She
Sample Pronunciation
It / We
Sample Pronunciation
They / That
Sample Pronunciation
Who / What
Sample Pronunciation
Where / When
Sample Pronunciation
Why / How
Sample Pronunciation
Negating Verbs
Sample Pronunciation
Modals
Sample Pronunciation
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