Part I Consonants

/b/ /p/ /t/ /d/ /ɡ/ /k/

No audible release under the following circumstances:

1. Plosive + plosive:

Active         blackboard          bookcase             post-card             September

Put down    wet ground          next door             stop talking         keep quiet

2. plosive + fricative:

Friendship first          old friends           step forward        red flag

Sweet flower             advance               advice                  a kind voice

Just think                   get through          red stars               a good season

3. plosive + affricative:

White chalk               great changes             loud cheers          a good try

The first chapter        a second choice          a good job           a big jar

/f/ and /v/

Try to save the safe first.

Few have seen such a view.

The leaf of this vine is very fine.

For five weeks, he feared to walk into his father’s farm.

/θ/ and /ð/

I don’t think this thick thread will go through the eye of this thin needle.

Thirty-three and a third plus thirty-three and third equals sixty-six and two thirds.

/s/ and /ʃ/

So—show           sock—shock               sort—short

Sell—shell           sign—shine                seat—sheet

An English Tongue Twister

She sells seashells on the seashore. The shells she sells are seashells, I’m sure.

For if she sells seashells on the seashore, then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.

/ʧ/and /ʤ/

To catch Jane     a strange match      choose orange juice

Change to geography           good-natured major   

A cheerful journey             choose a large jewel

/l/ and /r/

Leap—reap                lid—rid                      lent—rent           

Lack—rack                late—rate                   light—write

Collect—correct         alive—arrive        loyal—royal

Rice grows near the river.

Let’s get rid of all this old glass.

You’d better not interrupt them while they are praying.

/l/ and /n/

Low—no                    light—night                let—net

Life—knife                lot—not                      lice—nice

Line—nine                 lead—need                labour—neighbour

/v/ and /w/

Vest—west   veil—whale     vain—wane

Vine—wine   veal—wheel    verse—worse

Part II Vowels

/i:/ Example words: beat, mean, peace

Come to tea.

Come to tea with me.

If you are free, come to tea with me.

Do you agree, if you are free, to come to tea with me by the sea?

/ ɪ / Example words: bit, pin, fish

A poem

“Tick” the clock says, “tick, tick, tick!”

What you have to do, do quickly;

Time is gliding fast away.

For motherland let us do our bit.

/e/ Example words: bet, men, yes, lesson, ten

He sells eggs.

He sells hen’s eggs.

He sells the best hen’s eggs.

He sells the best hen’s eggs every Wednesday.

He sells the best hen’s eggs every Wednesday in the market.

A poem

Good, better, best, never let it rest;

Till good is better, and better best.

A song

The more we get together, together, together.

The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.

For your friends are my friends,

And my friends are your friends.

The more we get together, the happier we’ll be.

/æ/ Example words: bat, man, gas

He attacked the man.

He attacked the man in the van.

He attacked the man in the van with a hammer.

He attacked the man in the van with a hammer which he held with both hands.

/ɑ:/ Example words: card, half, pass, heart, dance, can’t

I shan’t.

I shan’t sing.

I shan’t sing at the garden party.

I shan’t sing at the garden party at my aunt’s farm.

I shan’t sing at the garden party at my aunt’s farm tomorrow afternoon.

/ɒ/ Example words: pot, gone, cross, song, long, strong

Where’s the watch?

Where’s the watch I put in my pocket?

Where’s the watch I put in my pocket to take to the shop?

Where’s the watch I put in my pocket to take to the shop because it had stopped?

                 A Poem

Froggy-boggy sat on a rock; froggy-boggy had a great shock!

Froggy-boggy fell off the top; into the pond he fell with a plop.

/ ɔ:/ Example words: board, torn, horse, afford, north, before

Pall called from the hall.

Pall called from the hall that he’d slipped on the floor.

Pall called from the hall that he’d slipped on the floor and couldn’t get to the door.

/ʊ/ Example words: put, pull, push, look, cook, full, wood

Have a look at this good book.

Have a look at this good book which I found near a brook.

Have a look at this good book which I found near a brook and gave to our cook.

/u:/ Example words: food, soon, loose, boot, cool, balloon

I’d choose blue.

I’d choose blue shoes.

I’d choose blue shoes to take to school.

/ʊ/ & /u:/

At noon I took a book,

And sat by the pool in the wood.

I soon took off my shoe,

And put my foot in the pool.

Oh! How cool!

/ʌ/ Example words: but, some, rush, touch, nut, cup

You must come.

You must come to supper.

You must come to supper with us and join in the fun.

/ɜ:/ Example words: bird, purse, hurt, shirt, girl, nurse

He searched and searched.

He searched and searched for the bird.

He searched and searched for the bird he heard.

He searched and searched for the bird he heard in the church.

/ə/

(1) normal [ə](in word-initial position)

Ago                     again             among          above            agree             about           

Ahead          approve        attempt         amuse           assist             attend

(2) lowered [ə] (in word-final position)

After            fever             worker          soldier          daughter              father

Mother         color             other             never            paper            order

/eɪ/ Example words: paid, pain, face, take, late, name

No pains, no gains.

Call a spade a spade.

A penny saved is a penny gained.

Haste makes waste.

A Song

Rain, rain, go away, go away.

Rain, rain, go away.

Please come another day.

Please come another day.

Little Johnny wants to play, wants to play, wants to play.

/aɪ/ Example words: tide, time, nice, mine, kite, line

Strike while the iron is hot.

Let bygones be bygones.

Great minds think alike.

Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

    A Poem

My kite is white, my kite is light.

My kite is in the sky.

Now low, no high.

You see the kite.

You see it, you and I.

/eɪ/--/aɪ/

     Edelweiss

Edelweiss, edelweiss.

Every morning you greet me.

Small and white, clean and bright.

You look happy to meet me.

Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow.

Bloom and grow forever.

Edelweiss, edelweiss.

Bless my homeland forever.

/ɔɪ/ Example words: voice, boy, toy, joy, coin, noise

Joys shared with others are more enjoyed.

No joy without annoy.

There is no royal road to learning.

/əʊ/ Example words: load, home, most, coat, no, doe

Little strokes fell great oaks.

As you sow you shall mow.

Home, home, sweet home, there is no place like home.

/aʊ/      Example words: loud, house, down, found, town, now

Better to wear out than to rust out.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Lazy youth makes lousy age.

/ɪə/ Example words: beard, ear, here, near, mere, fierce

He can not hear on that ear.

Success belongs to the persevering.

Experience teaches fools.

/eə/ Example words: bear, pear, there, dare, scare, rare

Where there is a will, there is a way.

He that lacks my mare would buy my mare.

When the cup is the fullest, then bear her fairest.

/ʊə/ Example words: poor, lure, tour, pure, cure, sure

The fewer his years, the fewer its tears.

Curiosity kills a cat.

Better poor with honor than rich with shame.

Discrimination of vowels

/iː/—/ɪ /

  Leave—live            feel—fill                            read—rid

  Heel—hill               peach—pitch                     deed—did

/ɔː/—/ɒ/

 Sport—spot          chalk—chock                   caught—cot

 Cork—cock           forks—fox                        naught—not

/ɑː/—/ʌ/

 Calm—come          march—much                    harm—hum

 Barn—bun             heart—hut                         dark—duck

/e/--/æ/

 Men—man                    bed—bad                   lend—land

 Met—mat                      send—sand                beg—bag

This bed is bad. This is a bad pen. I guess they want gas.

What daddy said made me sad.

/æ/--/aɪ/

 Fat—fight                     cat—kite                    back—bike

 Hat—height          lack—like                   sad—side

/e/--/eɪ/

 Let—late                pen—pain                   get—gate

 Men—main            ate—eight                  wet—wait

Heavy rain                table tennis                      a game of chess         

a special case            an ancient temple              April the second

/aʊ/--/ɔ:/

 Loud—lord            shout—short                            howl—hall

 House—horse        down—dawn                    town—torn

The ground floor               a northern town                        out of order        

a morning gown                a thousand horses                     a tall house         

about the story                  four hours

/ɪə/--/eə/

 Hear—hair                    fear—fair                          beer—bear

 Cheer—chair                 dear—dare                        really—rarely

/eə/--/æ/

 Mary—marry                rarely—rally               paired—pad

 Glared—glad                bared—bad                careless—callous

Part III Word Stress

1. Usually mispronounced words:

   ˈabsolutely            ˈadmirable           ˈagriculture          ˈcomparable         conˈtribute

ˈdetail                   ˈeverybody          ˈnobody               ˈsomebody          ˈexcellent

ˈheroine                ˈinteresting          ˈinterviewer         ˈnecessarily          ˈpreferable    ˈrelative               transˈlate              ˈtriangle

2. Word stress patterns having distinctive function

     Nouns/Adjectives                        Verbs

     ˈabstract                                   abˈstract

     ˈabsent                                          abˈsent

     ˈcombine                                      comˈbine

     ˈcontrast                                       conˈtrast

     ˈdesert                                                 deˈsert

     ˈdigest                                                 diˈgest

     ˈexport                                          exˈport

     ˈfrequent                                      freˈquent

     ˈimport                                         imˈport

     ˈincrease                                       inˈcrease

     ˈinsult                                           inˈsult

     ˈobject                                                 obˈject

     ˈperfect                                         perˈfect

     ˈpermit                                          perˈmit

     ˈprogress                                       proˈgress

     ˈprotest                                         proˈtest

     ˈrecord                                          reˈcord

     ˈtransfer                                        transˈfer

     ˈtransport                                      transˈport