Toasting marshmallows over a campfire is a favorite American pastime. You may wonder what that has to do with your American pronunciation, but I think it is a tasty opportunity to introduce you to a yummy part of American culture, and have a lesson on word contractions as well.
First for the American culture.
I think every American kid who has ever been around a campfire has had at least one s'more. Though you won't find this word in most dictionaries, you will find very few Americans who do not know what a s'more is. In case you've never heard of a s'more, please let me explain.
it is a dessert easily assembled outdoors and only requires three ingredients: marshmallows, graham crackers, and milk chocolate bars. The key ingredient is the marshmallow, which must be speared onto a long stick and toasted to perfection over the fire.
"Perfection" is a matter of debate between marshmallow toasting enthusiasts. Some people like their marshmallows slightly toasted, while others burn them to a blackened crisp. I like mine slightly toasted. My kids, however, compete to see who can keep their marshmallow burning the longest without it falling off the stick.
One crucial trick we have learned is that the cheap brands of marshmallows always end up as one huge, sticky glob. Buy the Jet-Puff brand marshmallows if you want to actually get the marshmallows out of the bag and onto the stick to roast them. Roast your marshmallows until they are slightly brown to charred black. The trick is to get them soft and gooey on the inside.
If you have a steady hand and you're a bit of a pyromaniac, you can rest a graham cracker topped with a chocolate bar on one of the logs while you're roasting your marshmallow. It's definitely a balancing act, but if you're successful, you get yummy, gooey chocolate on your s'more. When your marshmallow is softened, pull it off the stick, place it on a graham cracker, add a piece of chocolate bar, and top it with another graham cracker. Enjoy!
Now for the American pronunciation lesson.
The word s'more is actually a contraction or shortening of two words, much like can't from can not or we'll from we will. No one is clear on when this campfire dessert originated, but a recipe was found in a Girl Scout handbook from the 1920's. Even then, they were referred to as "Some Mores", as in "they're so good you'll want some more."
Over time, the name was shortened to S'mores, which was just easier and quicker to say. When you say the word s'more, the s and m blend as if it were a consonant cluster, just as in the word smell. So, you can say: I smell s'mores cooking, and the two uses of sm sound exactly the same.
Now, let's practice using several contractions in one sentence:
We'll eat s'mores until we can't eat any more!
For a fun and tasty treat, try making s'mores yourself - just don't try talking about them with your mouth full of that gooey marshmallow!
