The D that turns into a J

1. 1
   graduate/ˈɡrædʒəwət/iAlso said ˈɡrædʒəˌweɪt, ˈɡrædʒuːwət or ˈɡrædʒuːˌeɪt.

   noun

   A person who has finished a degree at a school or college.
2. 2
   graduation/ˌɡrædʒuːˈeɪʃən/iAlso said ˌɡrædʒəˈweɪʃən.

   noun

   The ceremony where a school hands out degrees.
3. 3
   schedule/ˈskedʒʊl/iAlso said ˈskedʒuːl.

   verb

   To plan something for a set time.
4. 4
   educate/ˈedʒəˌkeɪt/iAlso said ˈedʒjuːˌkeɪt.

   verb

   To teach someone, usually over a long stretch of time.
5. 5
   module/ˈmɑːdʒuːl/

   noun

   A self-contained part built to work together with other parts.
6. 6
   individual/ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒəwəl/

   adjective

   Meant for one person rather than a group.
7. 7
   procedure/prəˈsiːdʒər/iAlso said proʊˈsiːdʒər.

   noun

   A set way of doing something to get a result.
8. 8
   gradually/ˈɡrædʒuːəli/iAlso said ˈɡrædʒuːli.

   adverb

   Little by little, over time.
9. 9
   arduous/ˈɑːrdʒuːəs/

   adjective

   Hard to get done, taking a lot of effort and skill.
10. 10
    tedious/ˈtiːdiəs/

    adjective

    So dull that it wears you out.

The sentences

1. Every graduate from last year had to finish this same class.

2. I need one more class before graduation, so please help me.

3. Could we schedule the last class for the early morning instead?

4. This whole sequence is here to educate you, not just fill credits.

5. Does the first module have to come before the second one?

6. Can I book an individual meeting with you later this week?

7. What's the procedure for adding a class after the deadline?

8. I'd rather add the harder classes gradually over the next year.

9. People keep telling me this course is long and arduous.

10. This paperwork is tedious, but we can finish it today.

Pronunciation

• graduate/ˈɡrædʒəwət/

  The d comes out as a j: GRAJ-oo-ut.

• graduation/ˌɡrædʒuːˈeɪʃən/

  Same j sound, but the stress lands on the AY: graj-oo-AY-shun.

• schedule/ˈskedʒʊl/

  In American English it starts SKED, and the d turns into a j: SKEJ-ool.

• educate/ˈedʒəˌkeɪt/

  EJ-uh-kate. The d is swallowed into a j right at the start.

• module/ˈmɑːdʒuːl/

  MOJ-ool, not MOD-yool.

• procedure/prəˈsiːdʒər/

  Stress the middle and let the d go: pro-SEE-jer.

• gradually/ˈɡrædʒuːəli/

  Four syllables: GRAJ-oo-uh-lee.

• arduous/ˈɑːrdʒuːəs/

  AR-joo-us. The d after the r turns into a j.

• tedious/ˈtiːdiəs/

  Here the d stays a plain d: TEE-dee-us.

Questions

How do you pronounce graduate?

It's GRAJ-oo-ut. The d comes out as a j.

What does module mean here?

A module is a self-contained part built to work together with other parts, like the first module in a course.

How do you say schedule in American English?

It starts SKED, and the d turns into a j: SKEJ-ool.