ELT365 · Day 161 — Connected speech: why learners mishear

Idea — In natural speech, words link, blend and disappear. Learners who learned words in isolation struggle because the stream does not match the tidy forms in their heads.

Example — "What are you going to do?" becomes "whatcha gonna do" — three written words vanish into the flow.

Try — Say one everyday phrase at natural speed, then slowly. Ask learners to count the words they hear each time and compare.

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