1
00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:06,120
Speaker 1: Hey there, it's Michael here and welcome back to another

2
00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:11,480
Happy English Sunday Speak. I'm here every Sunday with a

3
00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:17,679
quick one point tip to help you speak English more naturally. Now,

4
00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:22,399
one of the biggest secrets to sounding natural in English

5
00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:27,640
is something called the schwa sound. It's the most common

6
00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:32,079
sound in English and it's a huge reason why native

7
00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:37,880
speakers sound so smooth and relaxed when they talk. The

8
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:45,079
schwa sounds like a, not strong or clear, just as

9
00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:52,039
soft and lazy. We use it in many unstressed syllables

10
00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:57,159
and small words, for example, like the vowel sounds in

11
00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:05,000
umbrella and the uh in what, and the i in

12
00:01:05,879 --> 00:01:14,040
animal and the a in sofa. Here's a sentence you

13
00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:20,959
can use to practice this pronunciation. What animal is holding

14
00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:25,599
an umbrella on the sofa? What animal is holding an

15
00:01:25,719 --> 00:01:31,640
umbrella on the sofa? So remember English has rhythm and

16
00:01:31,719 --> 00:01:35,560
not every syllable is strong. When you relax your mouth

17
00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:41,439
and use that soft sound, your speech will sound smoother

18
00:01:42,159 --> 00:01:46,599
and more natural, just like a native speaker. Thanks for listening,

19
00:01:47,079 --> 00:01:50,680
and remember to like, follow and subscribe so you won't

20
00:01:50,719 --> 00:01:56,519
miss the next Happy English podcast and next week's Sunday Speak.

21
00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:01,040
Until next time, keep learning and keep bit cool.