2. The recording is your basic reference: use it all the time. Help yourself with the transcription. Ideally, you should read each step looking at the transcription rather than the text. The transcription is what you have to pronounce. You MUST NOT leave any sound out, so you have to be very careful to pronounce EVERY SOUND you see and hear. Linking words is essential: words ending in a consonant followed by words beginning with a vowel: He gets up at eleven “He get su pa televen “ Rythm is very important: stress only the words in YELLOW Consonat clusters: several consecutive consonants, as in THE STUDENT STARTED | ð ə ˈ stju ː dnt ˈ st ɑː t ɪ d | Be specially careful with: Vowels in general and LONG vowels in particular. Dypthongs The following consonant sounds in particular : ð v z ʃ ʒ j

3. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. Darren’s tall and well- built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. He’s also very strong, and he has amazing stamina. For his training, he has to do really difficult exercises. For example, he has to run up mountains carrying about forty kilos of equipment on his back. That’s almost like carrying a person! He has to eat a really high-calorie diet, but he’s always loved his food so that’s not too difficult for him. He says he’s enjoying the training, but it’s hard to believe because he used to be so lazy. When he was a student, he never got up before midday, and he never did any housework. Now, he gets up at 5.30 in the morning, and he has to iron his uniform every day!

4. Read the following line. Follow the transcription and play the recording. Do it as many times as necessary till you think you are doing it as well as you possibly can. Do not go on to the next step till you are over with the present one. Pronounce ALL the sounds you hear and pronounce them FLUENTLY and with RHYTHM. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. ðə ˈfɪtɪst ˈpɜːsn̩ aɪ nəʊ iz maɪ ˈkʌzn̩ | ˈdɑːrən

5. Repeat step 2 with this new line:. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. hiz ˈ twenti s ɪ ks ə nd hiz ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ tu bi ə n ˌɑ :mi ˈɒ f ɪ s ə

6. Now read the previous lines. Listen again, read the transcription and repeat to get a fluent pronunciation. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. ðə ˈfɪtɪst ˈpɜːsn̩ aɪ nəʊ iz maɪ ˈkʌzn̩ | ˈdɑːrən hiz ˈ twenti s ɪ ks ə nd hiz ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ tu bi ə n ˌɑ :mi ˈɒ f ɪ s ə

7. And so on…. Darren’s tall and well-built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. ˈdɑːrənz tɔːl ənd wel bɪlt ənd hi lʊks fænˈtæstɪk ɪn ɪz ˈjuːnɪfɔːm

8. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. Darren’s tall and well-built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. ðə ˈfɪtɪst ˈpɜːsn̩ aɪ nəʊ iz maɪ ˈkʌzn̩ | ˈdɑːrən hiz ˈtwenti sɪks ənd hiz ˈtreɪnɪŋ tu bi ən ˌɑ:mi ˈɒfɪsə ˈdɑːrənz tɔːl ənd wel bɪlt ənd hi lʊks fænˈtæstɪk ɪn ɪz ˈjuːnɪfɔːm

9. He’s also very strong, and he has amazing stamina. hiz ˈɔː ls ə ʊ ˈ veri str ɒ ŋ ə nd hi h ə z ə ˈ me ɪ z ɪ ŋ ˈ stæm ɪ n ə For his training, he has to do really difficult exercises. f ə r ɪ z ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ |hi h ə z t ə du: ˈ r ɪ ə li ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt ˈ eks ə sa ɪ z ɪ z

10. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. Darren’s tall and well- built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. He’s also very strong, and he has amazing stamina. For his training, he has to do really difficult exercises... ð ə ˈ f ɪ t ɪ st ˈ p ɜː sn ̩ a ɪ n ə ʊ iz ma ɪ ˈ k ʌ zn ̩ | ˈ d ɑː ə n | hiz ˈ twenti s ɪ ks ə nd hiz ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ tu bi ə n ˌɑ :mi ˈɒ f ɪ s ə | ˈ d ɑː ə nz t ɔː l ə nd wel b ɪ lt ə nd hi l ʊ ks fæn ˈ tæst ɪ k ɪ n ɪ z ˈ ju ː n ɪ f ɔː m | hiz ˈɔː ls ə ʊ ˈ veri str ɒ ŋ | ə nd hi h ə z ə ˈ me ɪ z ɪ ŋ ˈ stæm ɪ n ə | f ə r ɪ z ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ | hi h ə z t ə du: ˈ r ɪ ə li ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt ˈ eks ə sa ɪ z ɪ z

11. For example, he has to run up mountains carrying about forty kilos of equipment on his back. f ə r ɪɡˈ z ɑː mpl ̩ | hi h ə z tu r ʌ n ʌ p ˈ ma ʊ nt ɪ nz ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ ba ʊ t ˈ f ɔː ti ˈ ki ː l ə ʊ z ə v ɪˈ kw ɪ pm ə nt ɒ n ɪ z bæk That’s almost like carrying a person! ðæts ˈɔː lm ə ʊ st la ɪ k ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ p ɜː sn ̩

12. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. Darren’s tall and well-built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. He’s also very strong, and he has amazing stamina. For his training, he has to do really difficult exercises. For example, he has to run up mountains carrying about forty kilos of equipment on his back. That’s almost like carrying a person! ð ə ˈ f ɪ t ɪ st ˈ p ɜː sn ̩ a ɪ n ə ʊ iz ma ɪ ˈ k ʌ zn ̩ | ˈ d ɑː ə n | hiz ˈ twenti s ɪ ks ə nd hiz ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ tu bi ə n ˌɑ :mi ˈɒ f ɪ s ə | ˈ d ɑː ə nz t ɔː l ə nd wel b ɪ lt ə nd hi l ʊ ks fæn ˈ tæst ɪ k ɪ n ɪ z ˈ ju ː n ɪ f ɔː m | hiz ˈɔː ls ə ʊ ˈ veri str ɒ ŋ | ə nd hi h ə z ə ˈ me ɪ z ɪ ŋ ˈ stæm ɪ n ə | f ə r ɪ z ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ | hi h ə z t ə du: ˈ r ɪ ə li ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt ˈ eks ə sa ɪ z ɪ z f ə r ɪɡˈ z ɑː mpl ̩ | hi h ə z tu r ʌ n ʌ p ˈ ma ʊ nt ɪ nz ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ ba ʊ t ˈ f ɔː ti ˈ ki ː l ə ʊ z ə v ɪˈ kw ɪ pm ə nt ɒ n ɪ z bæk ðæts ˈɔː lm ə ʊ st la ɪ k ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ p ɜː sn ̩

13. He has to eat a really high-calorie diet, hi hæz t ə i ː t ə ˈ r ɪ ə li ha ɪ ˈ kæl ə ri ˈ da ɪ ə t but he’s always loved his food so that’s not too difficult for him. b ə t hiz ˈɔː lwe ɪ z l ʌ vd ɪ z fu ː d s ə ʊ ðæts n ɒ t tu ː ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt f ə r h ɪ m

14. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. Darren’s tall and well-built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. He’s also very strong, and he has amazing stamina. For his training, he has to do really difficult exercises. For example, he has to run up mountains carrying about forty kilos of equipment on his back. That’s almost like carrying a person! He has to eat a really high-calorie diet but he’s always loved his food so that’s not too difficult for him ð ə ˈ f ɪ t ɪ st ˈ p ɜː sn ̩ a ɪ n ə ʊ iz ma ɪ ˈ k ʌ zn ̩ | ˈ d ɑː ə n | hiz ˈ twenti s ɪ ks ə nd hiz ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ tu bi ə n ˌɑ :mi ˈɒ f ɪ s ə | ˈ d ɑː ə nz t ɔː l ə nd wel b ɪ lt ə nd hi l ʊ ks fæn ˈ tæst ɪ k ɪ n ɪ z ˈ ju ː n ɪ f ɔː m | hiz ˈɔː ls ə ʊ ˈ veri str ɒ ŋ | ə nd hi h ə z ə ˈ me ɪ z ɪ ŋ ˈ stæm ɪ n ə | f ə r ɪ z ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ | hi h ə z t ə du: ˈ r ɪ ə li ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt ˈ eks ə sa ɪ z ɪ z f ə r ɪɡˈ z ɑː mpl ̩ | hi h ə z tu r ʌ n ʌ p ˈ ma ʊ nt ɪ nz ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ ba ʊ t ˈ f ɔː ti ˈ ki ː l ə ʊ z ə v ɪˈ kw ɪ pm ə nt ɒ n ɪ z bæk ðæts ˈɔː lm ə ʊ st la ɪ k ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ p ɜː sn ̩ hi hæz t ə i ː t ə ˈ r ɪ ə li ha ɪ ˈ kæl ə ri ˈ da ɪ ə t b ə t hiz ˈɔː lwe ɪ z l ʌ vd ɪ z fu ː d s ə ʊ ðæts n ɒ t tu ː ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt f ə r h ɪ m

15. He says he’s enjoying the training, hi sez hiz ɪ n ˈ d ʒ o ɪɪ ŋ ð ə ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ but it’s hard to believe because he used to be so lazy. b ə t ɪ ts h ɑː d tu b ɪˈ li ː v b ɪˈ k ɒ z hi ju ː zd tu bi s ə ʊ ˈ le ɪ zi

16. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. Darren’s tall and well-built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. He’s also very strong, and he has amazing stamina. For his training, he has to do really difficult exercises. For example, he has to run up mountains carrying about forty kilos of equipment on his back. That’s almost like carrying a person! He has to eat a really high-calorie diet but he’s always loved his food so that’s not too difficult for him. He says he’s enjoying the training but it’s hard to believe because he used to be so lazy. ð ə ˈ f ɪ t ɪ st ˈ p ɜː sn ̩ a ɪ n ə ʊ iz ma ɪ ˈ k ʌ zn ̩ | ˈ d ɑː ə n | hiz ˈ twenti s ɪ ks ə nd hiz ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ tu bi ə n ˌɑ :mi ˈɒ f ɪ s ə | ˈ d ɑː ə nz t ɔː l ə nd wel b ɪ lt ə nd hi l ʊ ks fæn ˈ tæst ɪ k ɪ n ɪ z ˈ ju ː n ɪ f ɔː m | hiz ˈɔː ls ə ʊ ˈ veri str ɒ ŋ | ə nd hi h ə z ə ˈ me ɪ z ɪ ŋ ˈ stæm ɪ n ə | f ə r ɪ z ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ | hi h ə z t ə du: ˈ r ɪ ə li ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt ˈ eks ə sa ɪ z ɪ z f ə r ɪɡˈ z ɑː mpl ̩ | hi h ə z tu r ʌ n ʌ p ˈ ma ʊ nt ɪ nz ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ ba ʊ t ˈ f ɔː ti ˈ ki ː l ə ʊ z ə v ɪˈ kw ɪ pm ə nt ɒ n ɪ z bæk ðæts ˈɔː lm ə ʊ st la ɪ k ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ p ɜː sn ̩ hi hæz t ə i ː t ə ˈ r ɪ ə li ha ɪ ˈ kæl ə ri ˈ da ɪ ə t b ə t hiz ˈɔː lwe ɪ z l ʌ vd ɪ z fu ː d s ə ʊ ðæts n ɒ t tu ː ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt f ə r h ɪ m| hi sez hiz ɪ n ˈ d ʒ o ɪɪ ŋ ð ə ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ, b ə t ɪ ts h ɑː d tu b ɪˈ li ː v b ɪˈ k ɒ z hi ju ː zd tu bi s ə ʊ ˈ le ɪ zi

17. When he was a student, he never got up before midday, and he never did any housework wen hi w ə z ə ˈ stju ː dnt | hi ˈ nev ə ɡɒ t ʌ p b ɪˈ f ɔː ˌ m ɪ d ˈ de ɪ ə nd hi ˈ nev ə d ɪ d ˈ eni ˈ ha ʊ sw ɜː k Now, he gets up at 5.30 in the morning, and he has to iron his uniform every day! na ʊ | hi ɡ ets ʌ p ə t fa ɪ v ˈ θ ɜː ti ɪ n ð ə ˈ m ɔː n ɪ ŋ | ə nd hi h ə z t ə ˈ a ɪ ə n ɪ z ˈ ju ː n ɪ f ɔː m ˈ evri de ɪ

18. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. Darren’s tall and well-built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. He’s also very strong, and he has amazing stamina. For his training, he has to do really difficult exercises. For example, he has to run up mountains carrying about forty kilos of equipment on his back. That’s almost like carrying a person! He has to eat a really high-calorie diet but he’s always loved his food so that’s not too difficult for him. He says he’s enjoying the training but it’s hard to believe because he used to be so lazy. When he was a student, he never got up before midday, and he never did any housework. Now, he gets up at 5.30 in the morning, and he has to iron his uniform every day! ð ə ˈ f ɪ t ɪ st ˈ p ɜː sn ̩ a ɪ n ə ʊ iz ma ɪ ˈ k ʌ zn ̩ | ˈ d ɑː ə n | hiz ˈ twenti s ɪ ks ə nd hiz ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ tu bi ə n ˌɑ :mi ˈɒ f ɪ s ə | ˈ d ɑː ə nz t ɔː l ə nd wel b ɪ lt ə nd hi l ʊ ks fæn ˈ tæst ɪ k ɪ n ɪ z ˈ ju ː n ɪ f ɔː m | hiz ˈɔː ls ə ʊ ˈ veri str ɒ ŋ | ə nd hi h ə z ə ˈ me ɪ z ɪ ŋ ˈ stæm ɪ n ə | f ə r ɪ z ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ | hi h ə z t ə du: ˈ r ɪ ə li ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt ˈ eks ə sa ɪ z ɪ z f ə r ɪɡˈ z ɑː mpl ̩ | hi h ə z tu r ʌ n ʌ p ˈ ma ʊ nt ɪ nz ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ ba ʊ t ˈ f ɔː ti ˈ ki ː l ə ʊ z ə v ɪˈ kw ɪ pm ə nt ɒ n ɪ z bæk ðæts ˈɔː lm ə ʊ st la ɪ k ˈ kær ɪɪ ŋ ə ˈ p ɜː sn ̩ hi hæz t ə i ː t ə ˈ r ɪ ə li ha ɪ ˈ kæl ə ri ˈ da ɪ ə t b ə t hiz ˈɔː lwe ɪ z l ʌ vd ɪ z fu ː d s ə ʊ ðæts n ɒ t tu ː ˈ d ɪ f ɪ k ə lt f ə r h ɪ m| hi sez hiz ɪ n ˈ d ʒ o ɪɪ ŋ ð ə ˈ tre ɪ n ɪ ŋ, b ə t ɪ ts h ɑː d tu b ɪˈ li ː v b ɪˈ k ɒ z hi ju ː zd tu bi s ə ʊ ˈ le ɪ zi wen hi w ə z ə ˈ stju ː dnt | hi ˈ nev ə ɡɒ t ʌ p b ɪˈ f ɔː ˌ m ɪ d ˈ de ɪ ə nd hi ˈ nev ə d ɪ d ˈ eni ˈ ha ʊ sw ɜː k na ʊ | hi ɡ ets ʌ p ə t fa ɪ v ˈ θ ɜː ti ɪ n ð ə ˈ m ɔː n ɪ ŋ | ə nd hi h ə z t ə ˈ a ɪ ə n ɪ z ˈ ju ː n ɪ f ɔː m ˈ evri de ɪ

19. The fittest person I know is my cousin, Darren. He’s twenty-six and he’s training to be an army officer. Darren’s tall and well-built and he looks fantastic in his uniform. He’s also very strong, and he has amazing stamina. For his training, he has to do really difficult exercises. For example, he has to run up mountains carrying about forty kilos of equipment on his back. That’s almost like carrying a person! He has to eat a really high-calorie diet, but he’s always loved his food so that’s not too difficult for him. He says he’s enjoying the training, but it’s hard to believe because he used to be so lazy. When he was a student, he never got up before midday, and he never did any housework. Now, he gets up at 5.30 in the morning, and he has to iron his uniform every day!