Schwa | Structure

- Listen carefully to the sentence:

1.11 ‘There are a few of them.’

- How many schwa vowel sounds were pronounced?

structure words: pronouns,prepositions,conjunctions
✦ Function words are normally weak in pronunciation.
✦ Many function words are pronounced with a schwa when they are weak.

Content words:nouns,verbs,adjective,adverbs
DRILL
- Repeat at the same time as the recording using the schwa vowel sound for
every word then clapping your hands on the ʘ symbol:

1.12 1. ʘ to ʘ a ʘ the ʘ some ʘ

2. ʘ are ʘ were ʘ was ʘ have ʘ
3. ʘ that ʘ shall ʘ and ʘ would ʘ
4. ʘ her ʘ there ʘ for ʘ from ʘ
5. ʘ do ʘ does ʘ can ʘ but ʘ

EXERCISE
- Listen to the sentences and write the missing words in. All missing words are weak
function words pronounced with schwa:

1.13 1. ____
are her parents coming ____
____ to the show?
____
2. ____
shall we buy ____
some chocolate for
____ Margaret?
3. ____ a
was ____
there ____ card ____
for Claire today.

4. ____
can we meet ____
for dinner in a____ bar?
5. What ____
have I done ____
to the dinner?
____
6. ____
shall you ____
and I ask her?

7. do
____ they think ____
that we will?

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 Homographs | Postscript

- Read the following two sentences:

1.20 “What on earth am I going to /ri:d/ this summer holiday?”

“Have you /red/ “Wolf Hall”? It’s brilliant!”

- How are the 2 words in IPA written in English?

✦ Homographs are words that are spelt the same but pronounced differently.

EXERCISE

- For each pair of sentences, write the homograph represented by the words in IPA:

a) What time does the shop /kləʊz/? close

_____
1 b) Jill and Geo#rey have been /kləʊs/ friends since childhood.

a) It’s rare to $nd /led/ in piping or pencils these days.

2 _____
lead
b) “Cambridge have taken the /li:d/ and look certain to win.”

a) Think of any /nʌmbə/ between 1 and 10.

3 b) Yes, my mouth feels a bit /nʌmə/ with the anaesthetic.
_____
number

a) I must admit, a /tɪə/ came to my eye at the end of ‘Titanic’.

4 _____
tear
b) This certi$cate is worthless, I might as well /teə/ it up.
wind
a) There’s quite a /wɪnd/ blowing from the North today.
5 wind
b) Johnny, don’t /waɪnd/ your sister up like that!
_____
wind

rows
a) For this chart, you need 3 columns and 5 /rəʊz/.
6 rows
b) Our neighbours are always having /raʊz/ about money.
_____
rows

1.21 - Check your answers in the key then listen to the sentences.

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 Long Vowels | Sounds

2.1 - What do British English speakers say when they are thinking?

✦ Spoken English contains 5 long vowel sounds.

✦ Each long vowel uses one unique position of the mouth.
✦ Every long vowel sound has several possible spellings.

Mouth Position
Sound Spellings Examples
Tongue y-,C"rL Lips Jaw
) >rr"f

2.2 front spread close

,na1

ee
i:
feet, sheep
ea leave, easy, beach
ei/ie receive, achieve
y-,C"rL
y-,C"rL

) >rr"f
back
) >rr"f
rounded ,na1 close
ew
,na1
new, grew, few

u: oo
ou
ue
boot, food, shoot
soup, route
glue, Sue

centre relaxed mid

ir
ɜ:
shirt, sir, bird
ur turn, murder, curl
wor word, world, worse
y-,C"rL
y-,C"rL
) >rr"f
,na1

back rounded mid

) >rr"f
,na1

al
ɔ:
talk, hall
aw saw, raw, law
or/our/oor short, four, poor

centre relaxed open

a
ɑ:
glass, pass, fast
al calm, palm
ar dark, farm

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 EXERCISE

- Place the words in the box into the correct column below:
Tuesday jaw curse dream half park clue cheek word spoon grief
walk father suit Chinese horse thirty last evening church door food
shark earth brought quarter threw car worth beast

i: u: ɜ: ɔ: ɑ:
dream
cheek
Tuesday curse
jaw half
word park
grief clue quarter
thirty father
chinese spoon walk
church last
evening suit horse
earth shark
beast food door
worth car
threw brought

2.3 - Listen to the words, then check your answers in the key.

DRILL
2.4 - Repeat the absurd sentences, paying attention to the long vowel sounds:

i:
Cheap sheets and eating cheese can besiege oneʼs sleep.

I dreamed of sheep, sleeping in the fields near Stevenage.

u:
Itʼs truly a beautiful route from Waterloo to London Zoo.

Is this food new to you? Itʼs a Sudanese stew!

ɜ:
Burt the bird and Curt the worm are on the worst possible terms.

That was the first service Iʼve heard in church with Shirley.

ɔ:
At a quarter to four weʼll call Mr Ballʼs daughter in Cornwall.

Four walls, one door and a floor, no more.

I canʼt laugh at Charles Darwinʼs masterpiece, itʼs too hard.

ɑ: Half a banana tart, a Mars bar and a large glass of lager please.

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 ɪ vs i: | Sound Comparison
- Listen carefully to the following 2 sentences:

2.5 “Sit down!”

“Please, take a seat.”

- What do you notice about the different pronunciation of the bold words?

✦ There are 2 clear differences between the vowel sounds /ɪ/ and /i:/:
1. The position of the mouth (see chart below).
2. /i:/ is normally (though not always) longer than /ɪ/.
rtildq o\d

✦ /i:/ is spelt with two vowels < ee / ei / ie / ea > in written English.

✦ /ɪ/ is spelt as < i > in written English (except when weak).
✦
Tongue Jaw Lips
I^4J orw -

- centre/front mid-close relaxed

ɪ y-,C"rL

) >rr"f
,na1
front close spread

i:
DRILL
2.6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

ɪ ship lick hit sit fit bin sin lid

i: sheep leak heat seat feet bean seen lead

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 EXERCISE

- Using the consonant sounds in the left column, create two words, with /ɪ/ & /i:/.
- If you cannot think of the word, use a dictionary or the recording to help.

Consonants ɪ i:

1 d ___ d did deed

2 tʃ ___ p chip cheap
3 r ___ d rid read
4 f ___ st first feast
5 ___ tʃ itch each

6 gr ___ n grin green

cheek
7 tʃ ___ k chick
leave
live
8 l ___ v
9 p ___ k pick peak

10 s ___ k sick seak

2.7 - Listen to the answers and practise saying the words.

EXERCISE
- Using words from the previous exercise, fill in the gaps:

chip for dinner, do you want some?

a) Iʼm having fish and ______s
1. cheap is it?
b) £200 for that rusty old thing? Well, itʼs not _______,

a) When I told her, she went green

______ with envy.
2.
b) Stop ______ning!
grin Itʼs not funny.

a) Give them £50 ______

each and tell them to leave.
3.
b) If itʼs a mosquito bite it will ______,
itch but donʼt scratch, itʼll make it worse.

a) Itʼs over, David, I just want you to ______.

leave
4.
b) Where does your boyfriend ______,
live nearby?

a) Iʼve got them in red, green and yellow, so take your ______.
pick
5.
b) The highest ______
peack in the UK is Ben Nevis at 1344 metres.

a) Can you get ______

rid of this bag of rubbish for me?
6.
b) Canʼt you ______?
read It says ʻdonʼt walk on the grass!ʼ

2.8 - Listen, check and practise your answers.

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 < r > | Spelling & Sound

- Which word below does not contain a pronounced /r/?

2.9 bread butter

✦ In British English we do not pronounce every written < r >.

2.10 ✦ If an < r > appears before a vowel sound, we pronounce it:
EXAMPLES: rat, rice, pretty, strain, cry, story
✦ If an < r > appears after a vowel sound, we do not pronounce it.
EXAMPLES: car, court, learn, shorter, store

EXERCISE
- Write the correct words underneath the pictures, they contain silent < r >:

heart
1. ______________ 2. ______________
earth 3. ______________
door

4. ______________
turkey 5. ______________
flower 6. ______________
shirt

4 guitar chair
7. ______________
four 8. ______________ 9. ______________

2.11 - Listen to check your answers.

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 EXERCISE

- Circle the names that contain a silent < r > sound:

Eric Heather Shirley Carla
Mary Burt Brenda Laura
Rachel Charlotte Kirsty Doreen
2.12 - Listen to check your answers.

EXERCISE
- Move from start to finish by only going on words that contain silent < r >.
You may only move horizontally or vertically, NOT diagonally.

START
ray three increase crash release father interest

lorry treatment throw crew arrive learn horse

train birthday sharp sport harder Syria Berlin

warm water drill crisps important Turkey fork

Barcelona revive break Peru brilliant Iraq tray

poor first burn liberal Brighton Andrew grey

New
poorest current perfect Liverpool Caroline terrible
York

richest recent Euro real Manchester foreign remote

2.13 - Listen to check your route. FINISH

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 Homophones | Postscript

- Listen to the following dialogue:

2.21 “There /ɑ:nt/ any apples left!”

“Ask your /ɑ:nt/ Sue to get some - she’s going to the shops.”

- Which words are written in IPA? How are they spelt in written English?

✦ Homophones are words that are pronounced identically, but spelt differently.

EXERCISE

i) Write the word for the IPA transcription in each sentence:

a) Breathe in the wonderful mountain /e!/! _________

air
1 b) Who is the current /e!/ to the Spanish throne? _________
heir

a) Jenny, you look so /bɔ:d/! I thought you liked learning English. _________
bored
2 b) On the /bɔ:d/ you can see this week’s figures. _________
board

3 a)b) Richmond
/dɪ!/ Karen, I have been meaning to write to you for ages. _________dear

Park is full of /dɪ!/ roaming around. _________

deer

a) For the dough, we’ll need /flaʊw!/, water and yeast. _________
flour
4 b) Put this beautiful /flaʊw!/ by the window in some water. _________
flower

a) I like your new /dʒi:nz/, very fashionable! _________

jeans
5 b) Jane comes from strong /dʒi:nz/ - her mother’s 98! _________ genes

2.22 - Listen to check your answers.

ii) Every IPA transcription in the box below is a homophone. Which two words do
they produce in speech? sun through warn waether
which
father nose none sew whether witch
knows nun so son threw worn
farther
2.23 kɔ:t fɑ:ðə nəʊz nʌn səʊ sʌn θru: wɔ: wɔ:n weðə bɪld wɪtʃ
war build
wore billed
EXAMPLE: court / caught

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 Plosive Consonants | Sounds
✦ Plosives are made by fully blocking the flow of air as it leaves the mouth.
✦ Sound is produced when the blocked air is released in an explosion.
✦ There are 6 plosive sounds in spoken English:

Sound Spellings / Words Position

3.1 <p> bi-labial (both lips)
wl il)

p piece pence park pond poet pray press

speak stop hope sip cup map
<b>

b bean best bug born both broke break

beautiful blue blow cab herb rob

<t> alveolar

t
'') ' Y'+

tea tan turn tough tape try true stay

stone art let mate bright hat

<d>

d deep done dark date down duty due

dry draw bed seed said hard

< c, k, qu> velar

C,e ,;1

k keep kiss cat card came school crown

quick scream excite back check duck
lock
<g>

g give gas good gone guide gear glue

glove grow great bag log dig bug

✦ In many English accents a seventh plosive - the glottal stop is common. This
sound is covered later in the chapter.

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 DRILL

p
3.2 Paul and Peter are putting on a party in their apartment.

Stop pretending you can play poker, itʼs pathetic, youʼre appalling.

t
Take some time off tomorrow, Terry, you look tired.

Taste these nuts - their texture is terribly interesting.

k
Can you make this car turn corners a bit quicker?

Itʼs quite quiet here in October, but itʼs chaotic at Christmas.

b
Bill Burns bought a big bag of beef then built a brick barbecue.

Betty was such a beautiful bride, but Ben was a boring best man.

d
Did David drive down to Devon?

Donʼt be daft! Dracula didnʼt design Londonʼs dungeons!

g
The gameʼs golden goal was gloriously scored by Gary Gavins.

Go and give these gloves to Graham.

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 ʔ vs t | Sound Comparison

- Listen carefully to the words below and decide which one does not contain a
pronounced /t/ sound:

3.3 foot football footer

3.4 ✦ When a < t > appears at the end of a syllable followed by a consonant, it will
normally be replaced with a glottal stop /ʔ/ in spoken English.
✦ The glottal stop is produced by stopping the flow of air in the glottis.

Sound Spelling / Words Position

t lY
3.5 <t> glottal
tool

ʔ delightful partly shotgun catwalk cat-flap

setback

EXERCISE
1. Recite the monologue ‘Water’ pronouncing every underlined < t > as a /t/:

3.6
Water
‘All that Katy wanted
After waiting forty minutes
In thirty degree heat
For her naughty little daughter
Was a little bottle of water.’

3.7 2. Listen to a recording where each underlined < t > in ‘Water’ is pronounced
as /ʔ/.
- Does the poem sound very different?
- Have you ever heard an English speaker pronounce in this way?
- If so, where were they from?

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 EXERCISE

- Circle the odd word out in each line of words considering the /t/ and /ʔ/ sounds:

3.8 1. outcome pitfall waiter thoughtful

2. butter banter bitter butler
3. Scotland Saturn Hotmail Batman
4. conservative atmosphere altogether timetable
5. waterfall meatball notebook lightning

EXERCISE
- Following the rules, circle the correct sound for the < t > in the conversations:

3.9 a) A Whoʼs taken my car keys? t |

B Not me, I donʼt drive.
1. not
b) A Thanks for the lift. t |
B Not at all, itʼs a pleasure.

A Look! Johnnyʼs eaten all the chocolate but left

a) those sandwiches you made for him! t |
B That boy will be in trouble when he gets home.
2. that
A Ha ha, look at Mr. Jones, heʼs so drunk he canʼt walk straight!
b) B That isnʼt funny, you know? t |

a) A Hello Mandy - long time no see! t |

B Keith! What are you doing here?
3. what
b) A I think Johnʼs angry with me. t |
B Why, what did you say to him?

a) A What time shall we have dinner? t |

B At eight?
4. at
b) A Whenʼs the next train to Birmingham? t |
B At nine thirty.

A Do you fancy going for a walk?

a) B Itʼs a bit cold, isnʼt it? t |
5. bit
A What shall we have with our tea?
b) B A bit of cake? t |

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