Mystery words #2

Yesterday I posted some "Mystery words": words taken from the middle of sentences. Here are five more. See if you can guess what each set of words is. Then check to see if you were right!

#1

The mystery phrase:

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"Once you"

Once you commit to it, there's no going back.

The "s" sound in "once" combines with the "y" in "you" to make a "sh" sound.

The full sentence:

#2

The mystery phrase:

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"in less than"

She went from sales assistant to Vice President in less than 6 years.

The "a" in "than" turns into an "uh" sound when it's not stressed.

The "i" at the beginning of "in" also doesn't need to be pronounced very clearly.

The full sentence:

#3

The mystery phrase:

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"would have"

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I'd stuck with it.

"Would have" is a common phrase, and it's usually pronounced "would've". Some English speakers who don't read or write very well actually don't know that this phrase is "would have"! (Some think it's "would of" instead.)

The full sentence:

#4

The mystery phrase:

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"What's up?"

Sure. What's up?

A "p" that comes at the end of a sentence often doesn't have the same "phhh" sound that you make when you start a word with "p" like "pet".

The full sentence:

#5

The mystery phrase:

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"is that it"

The only thing about fish is that it's so hard to get rid of the odor.

The "s" sound in "is" and the "th" sound in "that" blend together.

The "t" at the end of "that" is a "tap" sound. You make this sound by just tapping your tongue on the top of your mouth. A "t" can turn into a tap when it's between two vowels, like in "city" and "battle".

The full sentence: