"Schedule": Are you saying it correctly?

0:00 Hey everyone!

0:01 In today's lesson, I want to talk to you about a really

0:05 confusing word which most of us don't really know how to pronounce,

0:10 because it's said in so many different ways because there's a different

0:15 pronunciation in British English than the one they use in American English.

0:20 So, there's a lot of confusion, because we hear the two different versions,

0:25 and there's also some other versions going around,

0:28 so it leaves you scratching your head, not knowing how to say this word.

0:32 And it's an important word in business English.

0:35 You will need to use it.

0:36 So, if you have a look at the spelling, you can see it is spelt "sch",

0:42 so when you see a word like that, can

0:45 you think of any similar words that begin with "sch"?

0:49 I can think of one.

0:51 That word is "school", school.

0:54 So, the sound I'm making there is a "sk" sound, "sk, sk",

1:00 but this word in the British English pronunciation doesn't sound the same,

1:06 so I'm going to go ahead and say it for you now.

1:09 The word is "shed-yul".

1:11 Now, let's break it down.

1:12 There are two syllables in that word, schedule.

1:16 The first syllable is "shed".

1:19 It has a "sh" sh sound in it.

1:23 That's different from the word "school" that I mentioned just a moment ago.

1:28 Let's compare them.

1:30 School, schedule.

1:32 School, schedule.

1:34 We can see the spelling is the same, the first few letters,

1:39 but they sound different,

1:41 and that's really important to remember about this word, schedule.

1:45 So, the first syllable is the same word as "shed",

1:51 which is a small construction in your garden, a place where you keep your tools.

1:58 The second syllable "you'll", this a contraction of "you+ will".

2:07 For example, you'll be alright.

2:11 You'll be alright.

2:12 I'm saying there, you will be alright.

2:16 This word "yule" is an alternative word for the Christmas period,

2:22 and it is like an old-fashioned Christmas word.

2:27 You might see it in shop displays.

2:30 You might see it in adverts.

2:32 What it actually means is, before Christian times,

2:36 the winter celebration was called Yule.

2:39 So, going back to the word schedule,

2:42 let's put the two parts of the world together.

2:47 "shed-yul", "shed-yul".

2:48 Another thing that's going to help you remember

2:53 is you should pronounce the "sh" in schedule.

2:57 Now, let's learn the American pronunciation.

3:01 Listen first: ske-ju-ul, ske-ju-ul, ske-ju-ul.

3:06 Okay, in that word, there are three syllables.

3:09 Let's go through them, one by one.

3:11 The first syllable is "ske", "ske".

3:14 Do you remember earlier in this lesson, I said the word "school".

3:20 School has a "sk" sound in it, school.

3:24 So does schedule, ske-ju-ul.

3:27 So, the first syllable of "schedule" sounds like the word "school".

3:34 Now, for the second syllable.

3:36 And, the second syllable, it disappears when I'm speaking quickly,

3:40 but have another listen to it: ske-ju-ul.

3:43 So, that second syllable has a "juh" sound,

3:46 like in the word "Jew", but also like in my name, Jade Joddle.

3:52 And lastly, now I want to do

3:55 the third syllable of the word "ske-ju-ul, ske-ju-ul".

3:59 I have here a schwa and a dark L sound.

4:05 "Ul, ul, ul".

4:08 This is not a stressed syllable, so I don't you to say "ske-ju-UL".

4:14 Now, let's compare the British pronunciation to the American pronunciation.

4:19 I'm going to say British first, American second.

4:23 "Shed-yul", "ske-ju-ul", "Shed-yul", "ske-ju-ul".

4:28 When you're improving your pronunciation,

4:30 it's also really important to practice words inside sentences and phrases,

4:34 so I'm going to give you a few phrases

4:37 now that include the word "shed-yul" in the British pronunciation.

4:41 "Today's meeting is scheduled for 4:00pm." "A general election has

4:45 been scheduled to take place on the 5th of May."

4:49 "The project to build the new shopping center is

4:51 running behind schedule." "I have got such a busy schedule;

4:54 I have not got time to talk about this right

4:57 now." "Would you like to schedule your next appointment?" Okay everyone,

5:00 thank you for watching this lesson.

5:02 What I would like you to do now is go over

5:05 to the www.engvid.com website where you can do a quiz on this lesson.

5:08 I have to go.

5:09 I've got a scheduled appointment.

5:10 I can't be late.

5:12 See you next time.

5:13 Bye!