Level A1 (approx. band below 3) · Academic and General Training You say "I live in a big city". But the listener hears "I leave in a big city". One small sound changes the word. In this episode: • Ship and sheep • Full and fool • Cat, cut and cart • The lazy schwa, and spelling • Listening lab • Language bridge • Practice • Self-check questions with answers Key points: • short and relaxed for "ship", long with a small smile for "sheep". • a little round and short for "full", very round and long for "fool". • wide for "cat", short and relaxed for "cut", long and open for "cart". • weak syllables use the lazy schwa, and spelling does not show sound. IELTS Complete Course: a self-study podcast from A1 to C2 for Academic and General Training. Listen, pause and answer, then take the 52-question quiz. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair. Independent course, not affiliated with the IELTS test owners.