Ted Power
English Language Learning and Teaching

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Interlanguage Explorer has found 23 common pronunciation problems
FIX PROBLEM ENGLISH SOUND - COMMON ERROR - PRACTICE MATERIALS
Relax the mouth and keep sound short. /ɪ/ "sit" /i:/ "seat" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 15-16
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 2
Minimal Pairs /ɪ/ or / i: / practice
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 7
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 9
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 6
Keep mouth round and tongue back. /ɒ/ "not"

"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 24;
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 8;
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 9;
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 3;
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 7;
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 12;
Tongue low & back. Mouth large. Jaws together. /ɔ:/ "door"

"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 27-28
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 9
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 17
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 20
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 5
"Pronunciation Tasks"
Fix tongue in central position. Long. /ɜ:/ "bird"

"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 31
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 12
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 5
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 8
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 45
"Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 4
Weak endings: e.g. "London" "England" /ə/ "the" (schwa)

"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 32-33
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 13
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 31
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 1
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 12
Tongue moves from front centre to front high. /eɪ/ "late" /e/ "let" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 34
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 38
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 15
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 8
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 9
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 1
Move tongue to a lower front position. /æ/ "man" /e/ "men" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 18-19
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 4
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 2
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 11
"Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 12
"How Now Brown Cow"
Keep tongue front & low and jaws apart. /æ/ "ran" /ʌ/ "run" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 21
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 5
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 4
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 9
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 11
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit
Back of tongue high. Lips rounded but relaxed. Short. /ʊ/ "full" /u:/ "fool" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 29
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 10
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 11
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 3
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 8
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 13
Tongue central. Then tightly round lips. /əʊ/ "note" /ɒ/ "not" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 40
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 14
"Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 6
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 47
"Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 5
From low front vowel to lips tightly rounded. /aʊ/ "cow"

"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 41
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 19
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 8
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 12
Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide. /w/ "wet"

"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 80
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 38
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 16
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 6
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 5
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 10
Voiceless. Friction. Tongue between teeth. /θ/ "thin"

"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 61
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 41
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 13
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 5
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 7
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 3
Voiced. Friction. Tongue between lips. /ð/ "clothe" /θ/ "cloth" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 63
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 66
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 42
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 13
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 5
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 7
Voiced. Friction. Tongue between lips. /ð/ "they" /d/ "day" "Ship or Sheep" Unit 42 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 5
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 7
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 22
Tip of tongue behind top teeth. /d/ "made" /t/ "mate" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 53
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 27
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 11
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 3
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 4
"Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 9
Voiceless: tip of tongue behind top teeth. Friction. /s/ "rice" /z/ "rise" "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 12;
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 3;
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 2;
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 1;
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 14;
Voiced: tip of tongue behind top teeth. Friction. /z/ "rise" /s/ "rice" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 65
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 66
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 31
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 12
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 3
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 15
Back of tongue to back roof. Nasal. /ŋ/ + /k/ "think" /ŋ/ + /g/ "thin" + k or g "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 72
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 45
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 18
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11
"Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 6
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 12
Quickly push air from throat out of mouth. /h/ "hot"
"ch" in "loch" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 78
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 40
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 10
"Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 1
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 23
"Listening Comp: Pronunciation"
British /r/ is weaker & sometimes silent. /r/ "sir"
"sirrrr" "Ship or Sheep" Unit 49
"Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 3
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 27
Glide /j/(i:) the tongue quickly to next sound /j/ "yam" /ʤ/ "jam" "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 79
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 39
"Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 14
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 14
"Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 10
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 1
Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide. /w/ "west" /v/ "vest" "Ship or Sheep" Unit 38
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 17
"Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 2
"Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 4
"How Now Brown Cow" Unit 11


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