English is
full of words with dropped syllables. A “dropped” syllable is a syllable in the middle of a
word that is not pronounced. The unpronounced syllable
can even be a single vowel sound in the middle of a word, for example
pronouncing “every” as “EV-ree”.
Here are
some more common English words and names where a syllable is not usually pronounced.
Practice by repeating the sentences using these words.
Aspirin asp-ir-in pronounced as-prin I took an aspirin for my headache.
Average av-er-age pronounced av-rage My grades are better
than average.
Business bus-i-ness pronounced bis-ness My business is doing well.
Camera cam-e-ra pronounced cam-ra My cell phone is also my camera.
Chocolate choc-o-late pronounced choc-lit I love chocolate milk.
Diamond di-a-mond pronounced dia-mund All
ladies like diamonds.
Different diff-er-ent pronounced diff-rent I am different from my brother.
Evening ev-en-ing pronounced eve-ning Evening
is the best time of the day.
Family fam-i-ly pronounced
fam-ly There
are six people in my family.
Favourite* fav-our-ite pronounced fav-rit My favourite colour is purple.
General gen-e-ral pronounced gen-ral General Motors makes cars.
Generally gen-e-ral-ly pronounced gen-ral-ly People
are generally happy.
Interest in-ter-est pronounced in-trest My bank account gives me 5% interest.
Jewellery* jew-el-ery pronounced jewl-ree Girls love jewellery.
Laboratory lab-or-at-or-y pronounced lab-ra-tor-y My dad works in a laboratory.
Opera op-er-a pronounced op-ra I
am not a big fan of opera singing.
Respiratory res-pi-ra-to-ry pronounced res-pri-to-ry My grandmother has a respiratory condition.
Separate sep-a-rate pronounced sep-rit We all have separate rooms.
Temperature temp-er-a-ture pronounced temp-ra-ture I don’t like it
when the temperature is cold.
Wednesday Wen-es-day pronounced wens-day It will be
warmer by Wednesday.
People’s
names can also have dropped syllables. Barbara
is pronounced Bar-bra and Margaret is
pronounced Mar-gret.
*British English spelling. American English would be ‘favorite’ and ‘jewelry’.
********
Our TEFL Certificate Course is primarily designed for native
English speakers and those with a very good command of written and spoken
English, especially grammar. However, it can also be beneficial for non-native
speakers who teach English in their own country.
