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

You may have noticed that native English speakers shorten words when they talk quickly. I know that "somuvyu" (some of  you) have a hard time hearing and bridging the preposition "of" when listening or speaking in English. After watching this lesson, "oloyu" (all of you) will have a much easier time understanding this dropped sound. This video will also help you improve your pronunciation and sound more like a native English speaker! https://www.engvid.com/how-to-....say-the-word-of-like

TRANSCRIPT

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.