Sound Advice (Paperback, 2, Revised)

PART I. UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS.

1. Reductions.
Syllable Stress
Ellipsis
Function Words
More Ellipsis: Dropping Initial Words
Going to, want to, have to. Reductions for and/or

2. Introduction to Linking.
Linking with Vowels
Linking Identical Consonants

3. Special Sound Changes.
The Flap
-ty/teen
-nt Reduction
The Glottal Stop
Can/Can't
of
Linking of with Vowels.

4. Silent h.
Function Words Beginning with h
Questions Beginning with have/has
Pronoun Summary

PART II. BUILDING ON THE BASICS.

5. Advanced Linking.
Linking Similar Consonants
Linking with ?ed Endings
Assimilation with y

6. Focus on Function Words.
Listening for Unstressed Words
a/an
our/are/or

7. Contractions.
Negative Contractions
Common Contractions with Personal Pronouns
Contractions with "wh" Words
Other Contractions with will
The "s" Contraction
Contractions with it/that

8. Ending and Beginnings.
-s/es Endings
-en Ending
Adjective Endings
Prefixes. Comparative and Superlative Endings.


PART III. ADVANCED LISTENING CONCEPTS.

9. Grammar Challenges I.
Understanding Tag Questions
Infinitives (to + verb) and Gerunds (verb + -ing)
Negative Comparisons
Talking To vs
Talking About

10. Grammar Challenges II.
Past Tense Modal Reductions
Expressing Conditions with Should and Had

11. Special Aspects of Intonation and Stress.
Statements as Question
Tag Ending
Contrastive Stress
Indicating Surprise with Yes/No Questions
Using Rhetorical Questions to Show Sarcasm

PART IV.
12. TOEFL Practice I.
13. TOEFL Practice II.
14. TOEFL Practice III.

Appendix.
Tapescript.
Answer Key.