Vowel-to-Vowel Connections
In English, when a word ends with a vowel and the next word starts with a vowel, native speakers connect them with a tiny /W/ or /Y/ sound. This makes your speech smooth, natural, and easy to understand.
/W/ Shadow Vowels
Occurs after vowels like:
/OH/ as in → go, no, sew
/UUU/ as in →do, shoe, blue
/OW/ as in → now, flower
Examples:
so awesome → soh-(w)-AW-suhm
Go‿away and come back with your best voice.
No‿excuses, just small steps every day.
Sew‿it carefully so the edges align.
flew in → FLEW-(w)-ihn
Do‿I need to repeat that?
Shoe‿on or off, please walk safely.
Blue‿ocean flights are my favorite.
how are you → how-(w)-AHR-yuu
Now‿I see how the sounds connect.
How‿is she doing?
/Y/ Shadow Vowels
Occurs after vowels like:
/EEE/ as in →we, sea, bee
/AY/ as in →day, made, face
/I or AI/ as in →I, try, kind
/OY/ as in →boy, enjoy, toy
Examples:
he almost → he-(y)-AHL-most
We‿enjoy clear communication every day.
See‿ya’ later.
pay up → pah-(y)-UP
They‿asked for a clearer explanation.
Day‿after day, small practice builds stronger habits.
I am → eye-(y)-ahm
I‿understand the rule when I‿imitate it slowly.
Try‿again with smoother connections and hear the difference.
enjoy it → ehn-JOY-(y)-it
I wonder if they have a boy‿or girl.
Enjoy‿every practice session and make it playful.
Tips
Silent letters: don’t confuse spelling with pronunciation. “Fade out” looks like a vowel-to-vowel connection, but the “e” is silent. It follows Rule 2: consonant → vowel instead. “fayd-out”
Practice slowly at first, listening for the tiny /W/ or /Y/ sound. Gradually speed up as it becomes natural.
These connections are subtle, but they make your English flow like a native speaker’s.
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