Words people shorten without noticing

1. 1
   probably/ˈprɑːbəˌbliː/iAlso said ˈprɑːbli.

   adverb

   Very likely, though not for certain.
2. 2
   comfortable/ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/

   adjective

   Easy on the body, with nothing sore or pinching.
3. 3
   vegetable/ˈvedʒtəbəl/

   noun

   A plant part eaten as food, like a carrot or a bean.
4. 4
   chocolate/ˈtʃɔːklət/

   noun

   A sweet brown food made from cocoa beans.
5. 5
   interesting/ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/iAlso said ˈɪntərəstɪŋ or ˈɪntərɪstɪŋ.

   adjective

   Worth paying attention to.
6. 6
   temperature/ˈtemprətʃər/iAlso said ˈtempərətʃər.

   noun

   How hot or cold something is.
7. 7
   several/ˈsevrəl/iAlso said ˈsevərəl.

   adjective

   More than two, but not many.
8. 8
   business/ˈbɪznəs/

   noun

   A company that sells things or does work for money, along with the people in it.
9. 9
   especially/əˈspeʃli/iAlso said əˈspeʃəli.

   adverb

   More than usual, or more than the others.
10. 10
    separate/ˈsepərˌeɪt/iAlso said ˈsepərɪt or ˈseprət.

    verb

    To split something into parts.

The sentences

1. I'll probably just get a coffee and go.

2. These shoes are finally comfortable after a week.

3. I ordered the vegetable soup instead of the sandwich.

4. Do you want to split a chocolate muffin?

5. That's the most interesting thing you've said today.

6. It's a nice temperature in here for once.

7. I've told her several times and she forgets.

8. She started her own business a few years ago.

9. I love this place, especially in the morning.

10. Let's separate the bill and pay our own.

Pronunciation

• comfortable/ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/

  Stress on the first syllable and everything after it goes flat. The 'fort' part sounds like 'fert'.

• vegetable/ˈvedʒtəbəl/

  Three syllables, VEJ-tuh-bul. Nothing sounds between the j and the t.

• chocolate/ˈtʃɔːklət/

  Two syllables in normal speech, CHOK-lut. The middle 'o' is gone.

• interesting/ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/

  Three syllables, IN-truh-sting. The 'e' after 'inter' disappears.

• temperature/ˈtemprətʃər/

  No per in the middle: tem-pruh-cher.

• several/ˈsevrəl/

  Two syllables, SEV-rul. The middle 'e' drops out.

• business/ˈbɪznəs/

  Two syllables, not three: BIZ-nus, with the stress up front.

• especially/əˈspeʃli/

  No k sound at the front, and it runs to three beats: uh-SPESH-lee.

• separate/ˈsepərˌeɪt/

  As a verb the ending is a full ate sound, unlike the flat adjective.

Questions

How many syllables does chocolate really have?

Just two in normal speech, CHOK-lut, the middle o disappears.

Why does 'comfortable' sound like 'comftable'?

The stress falls on the first syllable and everything after it goes flat, so 'fort' sounds like 'fert'.

What does 'especially' mean?

More than usual, or more than the others, as in 'I love this place, especially in the morning.'