Links
The Y + Vowel Link
To link means to connect. Words are often linked together in natural
spoken English. There are several types of linking. In this lesson, we will focus on the Y + Vowel Link. Listen to the following phrases:
1. he is2. I am

3. they are

4. the boy is

Can you guess what the underlined words have in common? How about thewords following the underlined words?
All the underlined words end with an “ee” sound as in “eat” (ē/iy) and thewords which come after begin with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u).
“he” ends with “ee”, “is” begins with “i”“I” ends with “ai”, “am” begins with “a”“they” ends with “ei”, “are” begins with “a”“boy” ends with “oye”, “is” begins with “i”

When we link a word that ends with “ee, ai, ei, oye” to another word whichbegins with any vowel sound, we add a “Y” sound between them:

CD 1,
Tr. 2

1. he Yis

2. I Yam

3. they Yare

4. the boy Yis

The “Y” sound helps us glide more smoothly from “ee” to the next vowel. Notice that when you make the “ee” sound, your jaw is tense (heeeeeee). Can you
feel the tension? Through the Y link, you release all that tension. Try again
and feel the tension of the “ee” sound and then the release of the Y link—heeeeeeee (tensed) Yis (relaxed).

Page 1 — The Y-Vowel Link

This tension and release can also be seen in the intonation. Notice that on the“ee” sound, the intonation is up but on the next vowel sound, it tends to drop so
you can think of the Y link as a soft, relaxed, downward glide or pull. This isvery important because if you push the Y link, it will be too strong and it will
not sound natural:
heeeeIeeeee
Yistheyeeeeeee
Yamthe boyeeee
Yare

YisLet’s try some more. First, slowly say the phrases below without the Y link
(put a short stop between the first and second words). The intonation is up /down. Then say them with the Y link and maintain the up / down intonation.
You will hear how much smoother they sound with the Y link. Notice the tension and release in your jaw.
CD 1,Tr. 3

1. be able / be Yable
2. be asked / be Yasked
3. see Alex / see YAlex
4. nearly everyone / nearly Yeveryone
5. money is / money Yis
6. they accused / they Yaccused
7. busy Americans / busy YAmericans
8. daily exercise / daily Yexercise
9. by appointment / by Yappointment
10. Sally Anderson / Sally YAnderson
Now let’s try some complete sentences. Don’t forget the up / down intonation.

CD 1,
Tr. 4

1. You’ll be Yable to do so much more than before.
2. She’ll be Yasked several questions.
3. Did you see YAlex today?
4. Nearly Yeveryone pays bank fees.
5. Having money Yis great.
6. They Yaccused Lee.
7. Many busy YAmericans use the Internet for shopping.
8. Our daily Yexercise usually starts no later than 7:00 a.m.
9. The Yonly way to see Dana is by Yappointment.
10.Sally YAnderson came by to see you.

Page 2 — The Y-Vowel Link

Now let’s practice with short conversations. First underline all the Y links.
Then practice the conversations slowly. When you feel comfortable with all
the Y links, increase the speed to sound more natural.

CD 1,Tr. 5

A: She’ll be asked several questions.
B: Will she be able to respond correctly?
A: I really hope so.

CD 1,Tr. 6

C: Did you see Alex?
D: Of course. Nearly everyone saw him.
C: Do you think he’ll be able to forget what happened?
D: No way. You never forget something like that.

CD 1,Tr. 7

E: These days, so many busy Americans use the Internet for shopping.
F: Not me. I get my daily exercise by walking to the mall.

CD 1,Tr. 8

G: Please let me apologize for being late.
H: Apology accepted. Now get started.
G: O.K., what’s the plan?
H: Start by assembling those book shelves.
G: Sure.

CD 1,Tr. 9

I: Hi, I’m Sally Anderson. I’m here to see Dana.
J: I’m sorry but your name doesn’t seem to be on my list.
I: I just have to see her for one minute.
J: Well, the only way to see Dana is by appointment.

CD 1,Tr. 10

K: How could we have been so careless with so much money?
L: Well, I asked nearly everyone who was here. They all
think Lee took the cash sometime during the party.
K: They accused Lee of taking the money? I am speechless.

Page 3 TV — The Y-Vowel Link

Reading: follow these four steps to help you read the story at the bottom of thepage.
1. Before reading the following story, find the Y links, underline them, andpractice them slowly.
2. When you feel comfortable saying them, start connecting two or threesentences but keep your reading pace slow.
3. After having read the paragraph in groups of two or three sentences, try
slowly reading the whole thing, always paying attention to the Y links.
4. Finally, increase your speed to sound more natural but don’t lose yourclarity.

CD 1,Tr. 1151015

from Cinderella (as told by Michael Forman)

There once lived a man who married twice and his second wife was themost snotty and unkind woman in the world. She already had two daughters
who were just as nasty as their mother.
The man’s first wife had given him a daughter of his own before shedied, and she was a lovely and sweet-natured girl.
The new wife began to show how unkind she could be. She absolutely
could not bear her step-daughter’s good qualities because it made her own
daughters seem even worse than they actually were.
So she impelled her step-daughter to do all the hard work around thehouse. She had to wash all the windows, scrub the stairs, polish every inch of
the floor, chop the wood, and cook and serve all the meals, then wash and put
away all the dishes. Her sisters didn’t have to lift a finger. They often just sataround all day in their fine dresses doing nothing, and went to parties in theevening. However, they grew more ugly as their hearts were bitter, and thismade their faces sour...

Page 4 TV — The Y-Vowel Link