Pronunciation of Phrasal Verbs
Click here to hear this explanation.
As you learned in the Pronunciation videos above, we stress content words in English. Function words, such as pronouns and prepositions, are not stressed. In fact, we make these words sound smaller by reducing them and connecting them to the words before and after them.
We often use phrasal verbs with a pronoun. That pronoun gets reduced and connected to the words around it. Here are some examples:
- Put it away. (Phrasal verb: put away)
- Notice how "it" gets connected to "put" so it sounds like one word: "putit"
- Put it on. (Phrasal verb: put on)
- Now listen to how it sounds if I don't use a pronoun:
- Put your shirt on.
- Notice how the possessive pronoun "your" gets connected to "put." But the content word "shirt"does NOT get reduced.
- Did you put it back? (Phrasal verb: put back)
- Hold on while I put you through to the doctor. (Phrasal verbs: hold on and put through)
- If you put it off, you'll just have more to do tomorrow! (Phrasal verb: put off)
- I don't know why you put up with him! (Phrasal verb: put up with)