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I won't let you through with this.

I've heard the sentence in an American TV show. The scene is in a security check point. A man carried something that was suspected to be a bomb, so the security staff said it.

But to my ear, the guy who said the sentence didn't seem to pronounce the word 'with'. It sounds much like:

I won't let you through this.

So, I'm wondering if the 'with' is droppable in spoken?

By the way, the man probably spoke the African American English, but I'm not exactly sure.

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  • Is there a video clip of this scene available online?
    – The Photon
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 2:03
  • @ThePhoton I'll try to find it later, but I'm not sure if I could be able to.
    – dan
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 2:15

2 Answers 2

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It depends on what the speaker actually wants to say.

A. I won't let you through with this.

You can break (A) down like this:

I won't let you [go] through [this metal door] with this (= the bomb/briefcase/belt).

Compare this with

I am sorry sir, but I can't let you enter the building with that gun.

The speaker could also have meant this:

B. I won't let you through this.

You can break (B) down like this:

I won't let you through this (= the metal door/check point).

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  • Interesting, but the subtitle is written as: "I won't let you through with this." But I didn't hear 'with' indeed.
    – dan
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 0:47
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    Well, transcriptions can be incorrect sometimes. But both versions are valid depending on the context or the intended meaning.
    – AIQ
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 1:18
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    @dan, "with this" might be shorted to "w'this" but the 'w' shouldn't be completely dropped.
    – The Photon
    Commented Jan 2, 2020 at 1:57
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"With" is often not stressed. And especially when followed by a word beginning in "th" it may be shortened.

But the w sound (at least an exhalation of breath) should not be fully dropped, and in writing we wouldn't omit the "with".

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