Americans like to sound casual, so we barely pronounce certain letters. For instance, we don't pronounce the O in the word “to,” the A and D in the word "and" and generally the vowels in the small words like "for" which is usually pronounced "fr" or "can" which is usually "cn." There are many key examples to this that will give your speech better flow. For more information, see the Reduced and Blended Sounds chapter. This step is essential in helping you master rhythm in Step 5. Diagram reduced sounds by crossing out the letters you do not hear, such as O in "to."
Another commonly reduced sound is H in the common words his,
her, had, has, and have. We often drop the H when the meaning is clear, such as
when pointing to a man and saying, "What's 'is name?" Or, we may not
say H in the repeated use of word "his" and "her" in a
story about a man or woman. Perhaps we will say the H about half the time. In
the answer key, the crossed out H's may differ from the ones you chose. That is
fine. Only make sure that you do not omit the H in words other than those
listed above, and make your choices based on expressing meaning clearly.
To read these sounds, attach the reduced word to the one that follows. For instance, read "new to America" as "new t'America." With reduced H's attached the word to one that proceeds as you read, such as reading "with her" as "with'er."