Master the American Accent: The Rule of Three

Have you ever wondered why native speakers of American English don't pronounce the "t" in "lastly"? Or in "Christmas"? Or in the phrase "first day"? It's because of the Rule of Three!
The Rule of Three happens to other consonants as well, and it occurs both within words and across word boundaries when linking words together. Learn all about the Rule of Three in this video, and practice with me at the end!
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:14 Spoken English vs. Written English
0:36 Rule of Three in "Christmas"
0:55 Rule of Three in "shifts"
1:18 The Rule of Three and Elision
2:07 Rule of Three and Linking
3:17 Exceptions to the Rule of Three
4:22 Rule of Three and -s Endings
5:35 Rule of Three Practice
6:03 Just say no
6:18 Send a text message
6:36 He accepts the offer
6:52 I just went to the store
7:09 I asked her a question
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[@edflam7555]

no wonder why I struggle so much with connected speech. I carefully pronounce every consonant..thanks for the great content!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ed - You're welcome! The Rule of Three should be very helpful with connected speech and linking - native speakers use it all of the time! :)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@Yerson Barrios Hi Yearson - I responded to your original comment, but here is my contact info again, just in case. You can reach me by email at [e-mail], or you can reach me through my website: sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/contact. Thanks! :)

[@missdmx]

same here!

[@miusatb6228]

Very useful!!!!!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Awesome! I'm so glad this video was useful! :)

[@aislam2020]

It's really helpful for English learners. Thank you for the awesome video.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ariful - Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad my videos are helpful! :)

[@aurorarodriguez5758]

There are many good new things to me.. never seen it neither on a book. You are great.!!!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Aurora - Thank you! I'm thrilled that this video has shown you how native speakers really speak! Thanks for the comment :)

[@geirmyklebust]

Love your lessons.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Mykle - Thanks so much for your comment! Glad you like my videos! :)

[@mounirkhelifi9151]

thank's, it and all your lessons are helpful

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Mounir - Thanks for your comment! I'm glad the video was helpful! :)

[@larafabian1981]

Thank you for this wonderful video, Julie. This is something completely new to me and I will start using it right away. I am one of those people that would always pronounce all the letters in the middle. But thanks to you, I have a much better idea on how to sound more natural in English. Thanks a million!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Miguel - Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad that this video has been helpful!! Now that you know about the Rule of Three, you'll hear it everywhere :)

[@ajitharajeev946]

thankyou for sharing such a useful video

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ajitha - You're very welcome! I'm glad you liked the video :)

[@pch2230]

As an English person, I find this fascinating. In RP (ie "posh") English, the speaker would pronounce the T quite clearly. Most regional accents would also pronounce it, but with much less emphasis. It's very interesting to hear how American English works. We hear it on TV etc a lot of course, but the mechanics are never explained.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Exactly! Thanks for your comment - it's always good to learn from the perspective of other native speakers of English :)

[@HuBriS06]

​@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent I have found this video helpful. I believe I will benefit from your one-on-one training sessions. Sadly, that option remains inaccessible to me and possibly other persons due to the $175 per hour service charge.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@HuBriS06 Hi Hubris - Thanks for your comment, and I understand where you're coming from. I do offer other training options, like live English classes at English Pro Live, and soon I'll open up the enrollment to my online training community called English Pro. If you're interested in either of these options, you can learn more on my website: sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/ I hope one of these options will work for you :)

[@front-rud]

Thank you a lot!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi XCoder - You're very welcome! Glad you liked this video! :)

[@kathybui1918]

Thank you ❤❤❤❤

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks for your comment, Kathy! :) You're very welcome!

[@user-yw9ef2ym4e]

WOW I'M THRILLED TO HAVE SUCH A LESSON

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hey Rohit - Awesome!! Thank you for your comment! I'm so happy you liked this video :)

[@victorlopez1872]

Great video. Iv been studying English for 25 years and never heard such rule

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Victor - Awesome! The Rule of Three can change your life :) Glad you liked the video!

[@douglasmarinho3653]

This is the rule which I love in English because I can say consonants clusters faster specially the sts consonants clusters which are the most difficult ones hard to pronounce fast ❤️

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Yes - the Rule of Three comes in very handy sometimes! :)

[@roymuston5148]

Very helpful! Thank YOU! The K sound in ASKED bothered me a lot.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Roy - I'm glad you liked the video! :) Yes, the /k/ in "asked" can be super challenging to pronounce, especially in fast speech. Some native speakers prefer to pronounce the /k/, and others delete the /k/ - it's up to the speaker. But now you know that you have the option to drop the /k/ sound if you want! :)

[@majokakot4168]

Thanks

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Majok - You're very welcome! :)

[@jonasabry9099]

I've moved so much all over the US, and this video is very helpful, not just for people coming to the US, but people living there too.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Nat - Thanks so much for your comment! It's great to hear that this video is helpful for both groups of people :)

[@jonasabry9099]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent I've developed some strange hybrid accent from living in the Northeast, Westcoast and South, and now I'm moving to the Midwest. So this will help balance my speech out.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@jonasabry9099 Ah, very interesting! It's amazing how that happens - you end up naturally imitating and acquiring other people's speaking patterns without realizing it :)

[@davidrock65]

Great video

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks Davidrock65!! Glad you liked the video! :)

[@hashem1741]

I am very pleased that I found your channel it's really very useful and I take the opportunity to thank you for everything you offer us in this great content. I suggest the next video would be about CONFUSE WORDS in terms of meaning and pronunciation like: • (Opportunity & Probability) • (Probably & Properly) • (Sympathy & Empathy) • (Inspire & Aspire) • (Consistent & Persistent) • (Confident & overconfident) • (Good & Exceptional) • (Complement & Compliment) • (Principal & Principles)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Hashem - Thank you for your comment! I'm so glad that my videos have been helpful :) And thank you for the video suggestions - I'll add your words to my list of "to-do" videos!

[@hashem1741]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent I'd appreciate your help 😢🌹🌹🌹

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@hashem1741 I'm happy to help! :)

[@tauqeerahmed4850]

I love your voice 😻

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Tauqeer - Thank you! :)

[@tauqeerahmed4850]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent you are most welcome .. Would you like to teach me please

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@tauqeerahmed4850 I offer private accent training lessons, if you're interested :) Here's my email address: [e-mail]. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you have! :)

[@ramzy-6566]

I enjoyed a lot Thank you. please turn on cc on this video ( closed captions subtitles ) KZbin Have a nice day.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hmmm...CC is turned on for all of my videos, but sometimes KZbin doesn't generate the closed captions, and I'm not sure why! I added my own captions to the video :) I hope it works!

[@ramzy-6566]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Yes, great, thank you.

[@salehganassou568]

Awesome, it is really helpful. Thank you so much for this wonderful video. I pray to almighty God Allah to bless you and long life and good health. Keep it up uploading it

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Saleh - Thanks for your comment! I'm so glad you liked the video :)

[@user-tq6gq2qh6q]

Hi Julie, can you elaborate on the pronounciation of "looked for"? Thank you!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi qr - Thanks for your question! The phrase "looked for" follows the same Rule of Three pattern that I describe in the video :) You can drop the middle consonant in fast speech. I hope this helps! :)

[@user-tq6gq2qh6q]

Thank you Julie!@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent

[@katsu-jc5cp]

Thanks very much for your great lessons. I'm wondering if you can drop the t in words like "lists" or "fists". Can you pronounce them like "liss" or "fiss"?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi katsu - Thanks for your comment! These words follow the Rule of Three, so yes, you can do that! If you want to practice your pronunciation with me, come to my next live class at Julie's Conversation Club: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club. I could help you during the class! :)

[@katsu-jc5cp]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Thank you very much for your clear answer and your invitation to your live class. You always take the time to write back to every comment. You are not only a great teacher but also a very kind person. Thank you.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@katsu-jc5cp You're very welcome! :) I hope my videos and comments are helpful!

[@katsu-jc5cp]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent Thank you. Yes, your videos and comments are VERY helpful. Your comments sometimes make me feel as if I were listening to your lecture. Very much in detail. I appreciate your hard work.

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@katsu-jc5cp Thank you! :)

[@tillysaway]

what about when the vowel that comes before is an N, as in "i don't care", "i don't know" and "don't you"?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Tiliuily - Thanks for your comment :) This is a great question because the Rule of Three doesn't apply to these examples. Instead, the final /t/ in "don't" is typically pronounced as an unreleased T or a glottal stop (I prefer to use the glottal stop). Additionally, in the phrase "don't you", sometimes native speakers will use the CH /ʧ/ sound to link those words together, so it sounds like "don'chew". I hope this helps! :)

[@adp8847]

When I use this rule in the sentence "just say no" can I completly ignore the "t"? I mean, I don't even need to do a stop t, that's it? By the way, this video is very interesting, thanks a lot :)

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Yes, that's exactly right! I'm glad this video was helpful! :)

[@GeraldoSimoes-sh1rs]

My dear Julie.But are there ghosts in San Diego? I'm just kidding. A strong hug!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks, Geraldo! :)

[@rodrigoalcantara2961]

In the sentence " I asked her a question" another very interesting thing happens when it comes to pronunciation. In the word HER I noticed the you dropped the /h/ sound. It totally vanishes. It ended up sounding like ER and then the words asked her go together sounding like one word : asster => I asster a question". I noticed americans do that very often : we gotta help her => we gotta helper It's not her fault => it's notter fault. The same thing with the words his and his , him and them. It's not his fault = > it's nottis fault We gotta help him => we gotta helpim . In the word them, you americans often drop the TH end EM becomes UM Just like the beggining sound of the word UMbrella We gotta help them=> we gotta helpum

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Rodrigo - Yes, this is exactly what native speakers are doing! The initial H and TH in pronouns like "him", "her", "his", and "them" are often dropped in fast speech, and this most commonly happens when the pronoun is unstressed. Good ears!! :)

[@edflam7555]

would it be ok to drop the "P" in "help me" linking the P to the next consonant can be challenging, I release the air when pronouncing the "P" thanks

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Ed - The /p/ in "help me" should not be dropped, so you do need to pronounce the /p/ sound. Try saying the phrase slowly, and start with the word "help" and keep your lips closed at the end of the P. Then go directly into the /m/ in "me". Your lips should only close one time for the P sound. Then they only open once, when you say the /i/ in "me". I hope this helps! :)

[@edwardmiessner6502]

@@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent where I grew up everybody dropped the /p/ and replaced it with a glottal stop: "hel' me!"

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

@@edwardmiessner6502 Very interesting! I can imitate this pronunciation, and it does sound like "help me", but it feels unnatural to me. I want to use my lips for the /p/ sound, but if I use a glottal stop instead, then my mouth has to remain open at the end of "help". I almost can't do it - my lips close for the /m/ sound in "me", and a /p/ sound wants to be pronounced! :) Thanks for your comment!

[@richardfrangie3518]

👍

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hey Richard - Thanks for the thumbs up! :) Glad you liked it!

[@bmpro3569]

Are there any exceptions to these rules?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

The Rule of Three isn't followed 100% of the time, so native speakers can always decide not to use it in their speech, depending on the situation. So in that sense, yes there are exceptions - this rule doesn't have to be followed, but you'll hear it all of the time in the speech of native speakers :) I hope this helped!

[@vineoo5622]

i have a question that's been bugging me. Can I say "less go" instead of "let's go"?

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Thanks for your question! Sure, this can happen in really fast, informal, casual speech. I hope this helps! :)

[@julianhernandez7023]

I noticed that rule works mostly for the letter t but it also worked for the letter t in asked, how about in the word desks? I dont think i can say it without the k, sounds weird. Thanks!

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Julian - Thanks for your question :) Yes, the Rule of Three can also apply to the /k/ in "desks", so it is OK to say "I bought three dess today" in fast, connected speech. However, the Rule of Three is optional, and some native speakers prefer to always pronounce the /k/ sound in "desks", "asked", etc. It just depends on the preferences of the speaker and how quickly they are speaking. Maybe try listening to "desks" on Youglish.com to see which pronunciation you hear - I'm sure you'll hear both! :)

[@evermorevictorious2742]

👍🏻👏🏻👌🏻🙏🏻🍾🥂🍻🍸🍷

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Evermore - Thanks!!! Glad you liked it! :)

[@mariocosta5633]

❤hi teacher inglesh

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Mario! Thanks for your comment! I hope this video was helpful :)

[@Taco1999]

To put it bluntly, the structure of this video is a big issue, is too hard to find useful information directly. I think that's why it has little stream

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Taco - Thank you for your comment :) I appreciate your honesty, and I think you've made a valid point! I'll add chapters to this video and see if that helps :) Thanks again!

[@archananayak8599]

Mam I can't understand the phrase 5 I couldn't identify the 3 rule

[@SanDiegoVoiceandAccent]

Hi Archana - Thanks for your comment :) It's difficult for me to provide good answers in a comment, so it would be best if you joined my live class at Julie's Conversation Club, and I could help you there: courses.sandiegovoiceandaccent.com/courses/julies-conversation-club. I hope to see you at the next class!