Listening: Understanding Natural Connected Speech B1 - Lesson 1: Recognizing Basic Linking Sounds (consonant-vowel)

Natural English: Linking Sounds Together CEFR Level B1 Lesson Goals In this lesson, you will learn to recognize and understand linking , a key part of natural, fast English speech. We will focus on the most common type: connecting a consonant sound to a vowel sound. What is Linking? In natural speech, fluent speakers don't pause between every word. Instead, they build a "sound bridge" to connect words smoothly. This is called linking . The most common rule is simple: When a word ends with a consonant sound (like /t/, /k/, /n/) and the next word starts with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u), the consonant sound "jumps over" to the start of the next word. Listen to the Difference Written: pick it up Sounds like: "pi-ki-tup" Written: an apple Sounds like: "a-napple" Written: works in an office Sounds like: "work-si-na-noffice" Written: His name is Adam. Sounds like: "His-nay-mi-zadam." Key Tip: Why do speakers use linking? Speakers use linking for…