| FIX PROBLEM | ENGLISH SOUND | - | COMMON ERROR | - | PRACTICE MATERIALS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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| 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 |
| Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround. | /ʊə/ | "tour" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 48 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 5 |
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| Tongue from centre front. Draw back to centre. | /eə/ | "bear" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 47 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 50 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 5 |
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| Tongue from high front to centre. Not too low. | /ɪə/ | "beer" | /i:/+/ə/ | "be / are" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 46 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 22 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 23 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 5 |
| Tongue central. Then tightly round lips. | /əʊ/ | "bone" | /ɔ:/ | "born" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 42 "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 44 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 15 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 6 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 47 |
| Tongue low front. Then round & unround lips. | /aʊə/=/aʊ/+/ə/ | "flour" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 45 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 50 |
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| 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 |
| Voiced. Vibration. Trap air with lips. | /b/ | "bet" | /v/ | "vet" | "Ship or Sheep" Unit 37 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 9 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 2 |
| 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 |
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| Tongue more central. Lips relaxed. | /ʌ/ | "cup" | /æ/ | "cap" | "Ship or Sheep" Unit 5 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 4 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 7 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 37 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 2 |
| Tongue low central. Lips relaxed. | /ʌ/ | "cup" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 25 "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 26 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 5 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 6 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 3 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 4 |
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| Back of tongue high. Lips tightly rounded. Long. | /u:/ | "fool" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 30 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 11 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 5 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 8 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 13 "How Now Brown Cow" |
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| 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 |
| 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" |
| 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 |
| Voiceless. Friction. Front of tongue to palate. | /ʃ/ | "push" | /s/ | "puss" | "Ship or Sheep" Unit 32 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 8 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 8 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 9 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 16 |
| 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 |
| Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide. | /w/ | "will" | /f/ | "fill" | "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 11 |
| Contact. Brief "schwa" after release. | /ɫ/ | "tall" (dark l) | "Ship or Sheep" Unit 47 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 5 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 7 |
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| Tongue touches hard palate. | /l/ | "light" (clear) | /r/ | "right" | "Ship or Sheep" Unit 48 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 17 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 26 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 10 |
| 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 |
| Tongue low front to high front to centre. | /aɪə/=/aɪ/+/ə/ | "fire" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 45 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 50 |
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| Voiced: Front of tongue to palate. Friction. | /ʒ/ | "confusion" | /ʃ/ | "Confucian" | "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 9 "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 69 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 33 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 7 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 17 |
| 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" |
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| 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 |
| Voiceless: tip of tongue behind top teeth. Friction. | /s/ | "mass" | /ʃ/ | "mash" | "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 8 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 14 |
| 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 |
| Voiceless. Friction. Tongue between teeth. | /θ/ | "thin" | /s/ | "sin" | "Ship or Sheep" Unit 41 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 7 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 5 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 21 |
| Voiced. Friction with top teeth & bottom lip. | /v/ | "vet" | /b/ | "bet" | "Ship or Sheep" Unit 37 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 91 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 9 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 11 |
| Make friction with top teeth & bottom lip. | /f/ | "fill" | /h/ | "hill" | "Ship or Sheep" Unit 36 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 37 "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 59 "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 62 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 8 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 11 |
| Voiced stop: back of tongue to back roof. | /ŋ/ + /g/ | "thing" | /ŋ/ + /k/ | "think" | "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 55 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 29 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 10 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 4 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 6 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 7 |
EXTERNAL LINKS: Non-native pronunciations of English: Japanese L1
Engrish and L & R in Consonant Clusters