This simple word can make you sound more like a native speaker of English!

Hi.

Welcome back to www.engvid.com.

I'm Adam, and in today's video I'm going to help you sound a little bit more like a native

English speaker and also to be able to understand native English speakers when they speak.

What I'm talking about more specifically is how to pronounce the preposition "of".

Now, I said: "off", although we almost never say "off".

The "f" hardly ever sounds like "f".

It sounds like a "v" when it's pronounced, but even more often we just drop it altogether

and just have an "a" sound or even just like a small apostrophe sound, like almost no sound

at all between the "of" and the word that comes after it.

Okay?

So most of the time it sounds like: "a" or "ov" with a "v" sound, not an "f" sound.

Now, they're very similar in the mouth where the lips and the tongue are, but we'll practice that.

So, what really depends on how to use it is what follows the "f", what the next word starts with.

Right?

If it's followed by a hard consonant, like a "t", or a "p", or a "d", or a "k" or whatever,

then we generally don't drop too much, but we leave the "of" or we have the "a".

So: "A lot of people" we say in native speed: "a lot 'people", "a lot 'people".

So you can either hear the "a" sound: "a lot a" or "a lot 'people", like you drop into

the "p", "'people", "a lot 'people". Okay?

Sometimes we can also just add the "v", so you can pronounce the "a" very hard...

Or, sorry, with "time", "a lotatime", "a lot 'time" could be, again, the apostrophe, almost

no sound or the "a" sound, 'or we could just use the "of": "a lot ov time", "a lot of time".

Okay?

Notice, also, that the last consonant goes into the vowel.

"A lotatime", "a lotatime", "tatime".

"A lot ov", "a lot ov time", "a lotovtime".

Okay?

So this is with the hard consonants.

Now, when it's followed by a "th", so when we...

For example, when we have "them", most native speakers will just drop the "th" altogether

and just say "em". Okay?

So: "so ma them", "so ma 'em".

So: "so ma them", "so ma vem" because the...

We drop the "th" and we take the "v" of the "of".

"Some of them", "so ma vem", "so ma vem", "so ma vem", "some of them".

If you want to keep the "th", drop the "v".

If you want to use the "v", drop the "th".

But generally we don't have them together.

"So ma them", "so ma vem".

Okay?

But when you have a word like "these", in "these" we don't generally drop the "th".

This is common with "them", not common with other words.

So, "so ma these" or "so mov these".

You have the "v" or you have the "a", but you keep the "th" in "these".

With "them" you can drop the "th"; with "these" you keep the "th".

"Some of these", "so ma these".

Okay?

Now: "one of the best", so here, again, we have the "th".

"One ov the best", notice if say "of" with a "v" not an "f".

We never pronounce the "f" or hardly ever pronounce the "f".

Okay.

"One of the best", "wa na the best", drop the "f", drop the "v" and keep the "a".

"Wa na", "one of", "wa na the best", and keep "the best".

Or if you want to use the "v", you keep the "wa", "nov", make it like blend into the next word.

The "n" goes into the "o", an ellipses it's called.

"Wa nov the best".

So you have the option "v" or "a".

Now, this is especially important when you're listening to native English speakers speak

at regular speed.

Native speakers don't even think about the "f", it's automatically dropped.

Sometimes they'll use the "v", sometimes they'll just use the "a".

Be prepared to listen to both.

Okay?

Let's look at a few more examples.

Okay, so now we're going to look at some other situations.

For example, when "of" is followed by an "h".

Now, again, for native speakers the "h" is a very weak sound so we...

Quite often we just drop it.

We just blend it into whatever came before and after. Right?

So: "Some of whom", now, if I'm speaking slowly and I'm trying to enunciate every word,

I would say: "Some of whom decided that..."

But in normal speed, fast English: "so ma voom", "so ma voom".

Right?

The "a"...

The "v" from the "of", there's the "o", there's the "v": "so ma voom", it blends together,

and the "h" is there but it's very soft and very weak so you don't really even hear it.

"So ma voom", "so ma voom".

Like, it's a little bit of an extra step but it's not really there.

You can almost drop it.

"A lot of help", "a law to vhelp".

Now, here you notice I didn't take it out because it's still there a little bit more.

Sorry.

"A law to vhelp", so I pronounced the "e" a little bit stronger to make up for the weak "h".

Okay?

And...

Sorry, notice also that the "tov", the "t-o-v" blends into each other and then the "v" goes

into the next word because of the "h".

So it's almost like a vowel sound.

"Get rid of him".

So somebody's at the door, I don't want to talk to him, just: "Get ri dovim".

Like, with "him" we quite often drop the "h".

Same as with "them".

"Them", you drop the "th".

With "him" we drop the "h".

So: "Get rid of him", "ri dovim".

It sounds like "dovim".

"Ri dovim", "get rid of him".

Now, the reason we're looking at all this is because when you watch movies or you speak

to a native speaker, they will speak like this, not like this.

And you need to understand that all they've done is they've basically taken the "of",

and just, you know, squished it.

They've used it as a bridge between words.

Okay?

So be able to recognize that.

Now, if it's followed by a vowel...

Okay, my red's almost done, here.

Let's go to blue.

Okay?

Now, followed by a vowel: "a", "e", "i", "o", "u", whatever.

"The rest of our day", "the rest of", I'm still using the "of" even if I'm speaking

slowly, "our day".

"Res tovar day".

Now, the "our", "ow", we just squeeze it to "a" now because we're making it quick, everything

blends in to each other.

"Res tovar day", "res tovar day".

You can almost think of it like a...

Like an apostrophe.

There's almost no "o" there even, "tovar".

"Res tovar day" in natural speed.

"100 percent of every donation goes to charity", "percen tovevry", "tovevry".

There's the "of", and the "t" from the "percent" blends into the "o", the "v" blends into the

"e", and then you have, like, it sounds like one word.

"100 percen tovevry", "tovevry", okay?

And then we have: "a lot of attention".

So we have "o", we have "e", we have "a".

"A lot of attention", "a lotava tention" all squeezed together.

And the "ov"-...

The "of" becomes "av".

"A lotava tention", "lotava", "lotava tention".

Okay?

Now, if you have a word that ends in "f" before the "of", that is pretty much the only time

you will hear the "f".

"Half of the class".

Oh, I guess not.

You'll hear this "f", "half of", "ha fov the class".

So maybe you never really hear the "f".

In some situations you will.

"Of course", that's pretty much the only time I can think of that you will hear the "f"

in "of".

"Of course", okay?

"Half of the class", "ha fov the", everything blends together.

So, again, the whole point of this is to be able to recognize what you're hearing from

native speakers when they're speaking quickly.

If you want to sound more like a native speaker, get used to squeezing that or changing it

to a "v", sometimes just dropping it off completely.

Okay?

And if you have any questions about this, of course, come to www.engvid.com.

You can ask me any questions.

Because this is a pronunciation lesson and you need to hear it more than see it on typed,

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and I'll see you again real soon.

Okay? Bye-bye.