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  • where were weren't weird were How do we pronounce them?

  • How do we get our listener toe?

  • Understand which one of these words were actually saying, Let's learn it in today's British pronunciation lesson with the T.

  • J.

  • English Hi, I'm Elliott from E.

  • T.

  • J.

  • English.

  • I've actually being asked this in my direct messages on Instagram in my comments on Instagram on my comments of my YouTube videos.

  • Basically everywhere, people have been asking me about these words.

  • Now we're about to get into the lesson, but please remember, I teach my accent.

  • My accent is what you would call a modern modified version off the RP received pronunciation.

  • There are so many different accents.

  • Don't be afraid to choose a different one thistles.

  • Just one accent which people seem to like Andi I teach it.

  • So I think it's best to start with the word where where now, two things to understand.

  • Here, Um, it has a w sound at the beginning, which many non natives find difficult to pronounce.

  • It depends what part of the world you're from.

  • But some areas and some students who've joined my course pronounce the the at the beginning of where with a bit of a sound, and it kind of becomes where the main thing to try and do is to pull the tongue back slightly.

  • But bend the tip of the tongue down into the bottom of the mouth, all whilst creating a very small round shape with your mouth so small round shape.

  • But I'm also pushing the tip of the tongue down, which is pulling the back of the tongue back.

  • What on release on All you have left now is one more sound.

  • Technically, it's two sounds because it's a diff thong, which mean it's two vowels pushed together, but it becomes one sounds and this sound is air.

  • So we're starting with the tongue at the front of the mouth air on because the tongue is in the middle and at the front of the mouth, our lips will slightly smile like in Elliot air.

  • Okay, so wet.

  • What?

  • Start with that Wet What now?

  • All I want you to do is slightly pulled the tongue back air air and see how my facial expression changes from a smiling shape to a more neutral shape.

  • This is because I'm pulling the tongue back to the middle of the mouth slightly, which causes less of a smile in the mouth.

  • So air.

  • Now try it with me with the W at the beginning.

  • Where where?

  • So it's actually very common now in modern English, and it I'll leave this up to you.

  • You don't have to do this, but what I tend to do, and most people I know who are very well spoken English speakers.

  • What they tend to do is just pronounce it as one sound instead of the to push together on it kind of just becomes where, where?

  • So that's OK if you're talking fast, but you know, if you want to go for that mawr more traditional received pronunciation, you will want to finish with that.

  • Schwab's sound very clearly at the end Where where, so just to give you Ah, practice sentence with Cem intonation.

  • Let's say where did he go?

  • Where did he go?

  • So remember you can either say where did he go?

  • Or you could talk a bit faster, reduce that dip thong and turn it into where Where did he go?

  • Where did he go next?

  • Now it's time to talk about.

  • The word were so again.

  • We know now how to pronounce the sound Watch my mouth again.

  • Were Were were So what am I doing after the I'm opening my mouth.

  • Uh, how's my tongue position were?

  • It's kind of in the middle of my mouth, bending up slightly on I'm producing the ER sounds again.

  • We're not pronouncing the letter R.

  • And just so you know, this word is very, very often pronounced in its weak form.

  • Now it's weak.

  • Form is work.

  • What, For example, instead of saying Where were you?

  • I could say, Where were you?

  • Where were you?

  • Where were you?

  • Now?

  • This is because the word were maybe isn't very important in this sentence.

  • So I'm going to relax it.

  • Where on you with, um, or important words here.

  • So the word work and be relaxed.

  • And instead of being pronounced in its true form, we can pronounce it as what this would mean.

  • It's become a function word.

  • Where were you?

  • Or practice it as where were you now?

  • This can also change the meaning when we're not Stressing were it doesn't sound quite a serious.

  • Where were you?

  • Where were you?

  • But when I say, where were you because I'm stressing the word were and I'm saying it in its true form, I sound a bit more serious.

  • I'm putting more of a primary stress on.

  • The word were sounds like I really want to know.

  • Where were you?

  • Where were you?

  • This is probably how someone would speak if they were quite angry with someone.

  • They wanted to know where they'd gone on next.

  • We're talking about the words we're This is probably the most difficult One of the words that we're learning today.

  • We're again Look at my mouth.

  • We're starting with that never changes.

  • Okay?

  • It's all about the sound afterwards.

  • Now we have another def thong.

  • So the tongue lift to the top of the mouth at the front, and then it moves down to the middle of the mouth.

  • Yeah, Ear, ear.

  • Look at the smile on my face and how it suddenly becomes neutral again because my tongue's moving back to the middle of my mouth.

  • Just like the beginning of this lesson.

  • We're try it a bit faster.

  • Now we're now for a bonus.

  • Let's add a D on the end, shall we?

  • And turn it into weird instead of were.

  • I have many students join my course who have a very big problem with pronouncing continents at the end of words.

  • So maybe they're trying to say to me that I'm weird or that something is weird or that they are weird or they saw a weird man walking down the street.

  • But they say there's a were man walking down the street.

  • Ah, we're man.

  • It's very important and please remember this guy's to pronounce your continents at the end of your words whenever you can.

  • So for the sound, you have to create some pressure.

  • Push your tongue against the top of your mouth.

  • Weird.

  • Weird were weird people.

  • We're weird people.

  • We're weird people.

  • So again, we're can kind of become were weird people.

  • If we're talking really, really fast, you will find that native sometimes relax Ah, word like we're even Mawr.

  • So it's already shortened because it's supposed to be we are on Ben.

  • We're turning it into were okay, but then we can also pronounce it as when we're talking really, really, really far.

  • So we're weird people now this again is if we don't want to stress the word, we're on it becomes were weird.

  • People were weird people instead of were weird people.

  • Okay, now then, let's try a sentence.

  • With most of what we've learned today, we're wondering where the weird people were going were wondering.

  • So we're we're here.

  • We're wondering where we're wondering where the weird people were.

  • So we're not saying were were saying because we can relax it, turn it into a function word we're going.

  • We're wondering where the weird people were going.

  • Now some of these sounds might be new to you.

  • You might not sound exactly like me right now.

  • Eso listen to the lesson again.

  • Practice again.

  • Try again on make it your goal that you can pronounce that final sentence the same as me.

  • Thea End of your practice Today we're wondering where the weird people were going.

  • Now remember, it's my full time job.

  • I am a British pronunciation coach.

  • Help with accent reduction on improving people's accents, whether it's trying to achieve um, or British accent or whether you're just trying to sound clearer.

  • Eso if you'd like, you can join my British pronunciation course with the link in the description below.

  • It includes video lessons, downloadable practice files And of course, you can contact me on WhatsApp or wechat whenever you want with voice messages, questions.

  • And I can give you my detailed feedback by voice.

  • So looking forward to meeting those of you who joined the course, the rest of you please leave a comment.

  • Let me know if you found this lesson useful on Let me know what you'd like me to make in the future.

  • Give me a big thumbs up.

  • Subscribe if you haven't already and I'll see you guys soon.

  • Take care.

  • Bye.

where were weren't weird were How do we pronounce them?

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