Linking and Catenation Drill
pronunciationaccuracypracticewhole-classlow prep10-15 min
Students practise the three forms of linking that make English sound connected, not choppy: consonant-to-vowel linking, consonant clustering, and intrusive /j/, /w/, /r/.
The Three Links
| Type | Example | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Consonant → Vowel | an apple | /ənˈæpəl/ (the /n/ links) |
| Consonant → Same Consonant | stop playing | /stɒpleɪɪŋ/ (one longer /p/) |
| Vowel → Vowel (intrusive) | go on / I am / idea is | /ɡəʊwɒn/, /aɪjæm/, /aɪˈdɪərrɪz/ |
Procedure
- Model each type (5 min): say phrases with and without linking. Class chooses which sounds native-like.
- Drill each type (10 min):
- Type 1: an apple / in an hour / look at it / pick it up
- Type 2: black cat / stop playing / big girl / red door
- Type 3: go on / too easy / I am / idea of
- Phrase-linking text: a sentence-level text to read aloud with every link marked (arrows, slurs above the line).
- Pair check: one reads, one listens specifically for unlinked pauses. Flag and redo.
Why It Works
- Fluency perception gap: non-native speakers who don't link sound hesitant even when grammar is perfect.
- Listening comprehension: if you don't link, you can't decode native speech.
- Concrete rules: linking isn't magic; it's a short set of predictable patterns.
Variations
- Linking with a tap: each link is a desk tap as the class says the phrase. Kinaesthetic anchor.
- Fast conversation: pairs speak a scripted dialogue as fast as possible while maintaining all links.
- Unlink reveal: read a native speaker recording. Count the explicit word boundaries. There are almost none.
Tips
- The intrusive /r/ is specific to non-rhotic (British) English. For American-English-target classes, skip or reframe.
- Linking is most visible at phrase boundaries, not mid-phrase. Start drilling from there.
- Pair with Shadow Reading and Backchaining for natural practice of the same features in longer chunks.