Study the FOR reduction. There are many reductions in conversational American English. It’s important to know what they are to improve listening comprehension, but also to use the reductions in speech yourself. They are a key part to sounding natural.
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Video Text:
Today I’m going to talk about one particular word in terms of reduction. Reduction is when a sound is dropped or changed in a word, and this happens quite frequently in unaccented syllables. The word today is the word ‘for’. The word ‘for’ reduces to fer, fer. Very quick: F, and then the schwa/R sound. Fer, fer. It will then link to the word that follows. Fer, for, fer. Example: I got it for you. I got it for you, fer, fer, fer you. I got it for you.
More examples: Can I have this cake? No, it’s for tonight. Fer, fer, it’s for tonight. I bike for transportation, not for fitness. Fer, fer. One more time: I bike for transportation, not for fitness.
Let’s eat out, just for fun. For fun, for fun, let’s eat out just for fun. This medicine is for headaches. For headaches. This medicine is for headaches. These flowers are for the wedding. Notice here the word ‘are’, before ‘for’, is also reduced. Rr fer, rr fer, these flowers are for the wedding. You can use these folders for organizing. For organizing. You can use these folders for organizing.
This is for my parents’ anniversary. For my, for my. This is for my parents’ anniversary. That cabinet is for linens. For linens, fer, fer, that cabinet is for linens. The software is for accounting. The software is for accounting, fer accounting. Thanks so much for using Rachel’s English. Fer, fer, fer using, fer using. That’s it, and thanks so much for using Rachel’s English.