Pronouncing the verb ‘to be’ In natural speech, is almost never gets its own syllable. It shrinks and joins the word before it: 🔊 The road is closed → the road's closed
 🔊 Your hair is dirty → your hair's dirty Unless the word before ends in S, CE, GE, or CH — then is stays separate: 🔊 Grass is green
 🔊 The bridge is closed 💬 Say ‘the clock is broken’ fast. Can you hear the is disappear?