Pronunciation

Class Session

Warm-up Activities By Don Smith

1. Syllables in the English Language A good beginning of any Oral English course is to review the importance of syllables that make up the words in the English language. The syllable is the basic unit of English pronunciation. The Chinese Language has some 1600 possible different sound combination, (even with the 4 tone sounds) while the English Language has a total of 158,000 possible sound combinations. One syllable is one sound.

A. Listen to the following words and notice how some of them have two or more parts. Then repeat them after me.

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables

ease eas-y eas-i-ly will will-ing will-ing-ly

B. Repeat these words after me, tap your finger on the desk to help count each syllable.

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables 4 syllables one sev-en e-lev-en i-den-ti-fy two eight-een di-rec-tion a-nal-y-sis down sen-tence syl-la-ble He wants a book step work-ing im-por-tant We were hap-py stress fo-cus em-pha-sis It’s im-por-tant

C. Repeat these words after me, tapping out the syllables. Be careful not to add or subtract syllables. Decide how many syllables there are in the third column. 1 syllable 2 syllables 3 or more syllables write writer academic round rounder registration fish fishy sentences wind windy international blow below classification prayed parade economy school student economical

D. Grammar mistakes are often the result of failure to recognize the number of syllables. For example:

They have rent (rented) an apartment.There are two dish (dishes). Listen to the following words. Which words have one syllable and which two syllables? painted rented added caused crowded worked faded filled walked laughed watched closed

Rule: Regular past tense verbs that end in a “d” or “t” sound in their basic form will add an extra syllable in the past tense. Look over the above words and see how this rule works.

E. Answer the following questions aloud, using the verb in the past tense. Be careful of the final syllable. Example: Q: Did you rent an apartment? A: Yes, I rented one yesterday.

1. When did you rent your apartment? 2. Did you walk here today? 3. When did you start studying English? 4. Did you use an English Dictionary this morning? 5. What did your country export last year? (rice) 6. Did you travel far this year? (yes) 7. Did you watch TV last night? (yes) 8. Did you request a visa to any country this year? (yes) 9. Did you listen to the radio last night? (yes) 10. What did you intend to do today? (study English)

F. Some words end in sounds called sibilants. A sibilant is a sound like “s” Sibilants have a hissing noise, like a snake. Examples: hiss, buzz, kiss, mix, dish, box Rule: Nouns and verbs ending in a sibilant in their basic form have an extra syllable when an “s” is added.

Repeat these pairs of words after me:

Noun + plural ending Verb + 3rd person singular rose……….roses wash…………… washes kiss………. kisses cause…………. ..causes dish……….dishes advise…………. .advises watch……..watches change………….changes judge…… judges mix……………....mixes box………..boxes surprise………....surprises

• G. Pass out Handout---I will say one word from each of the following pairs.

• Students, you will underline the word you hear.

• 1. /s/ 2. /z/ 3. /ch/

• lace---laces nose-----noses bench-----benches

• face---faces quiz------quizzes lunch------lunches

• price---prices praise---praises speech---speeches

• juice---juices cheese—cheeses match-----matches

• fence—fences size--------sizes beach-----beaches

• 4. /dg/ 5. /sh/ 6. /ks/

• page-----pages wish------wishes box----------boxes

• edge-----edges flash------flashes six-----------sixes

• sponge—sponges rush-------rushes fix------------fixes

2. “t/h” Pronunciation Drill Put the “th/t” drill words on the blackboard. Explain and demonstrate

tongue and lip positions when pronouncing “th/t” and have students pronounce each of the drill words after you.

they---------day thought--------taught

than---------tan thank-----------tank

those-------toes thin--------------tin

lathe--------- late theme-----------team

though----- toe bath-------------bat

thigh--------tie thong-----------tong

there--------tear thorn------------torn

thrust-------trust thrash-----------trash

thick---------tick these-----------tease

3. “r/l” Pronunciation Drill

Use a visual aid or put the following“r/l”pronunciation

drill syllables on the blackboard before class begins:•

– ara, ala, ara, ala, aray, alay, aray, alay– aree, alee, aree, alee, aro, alo, aro, alo

– eera, eela, eeray, eelay, eeree, eelee, eero, eelo– arai, alai, aru, alu, ara, alee, aro, eelo– la, lay, lee, lo, lu, ra, ray, ree, ro, ru– ra, la, ray, lay, ree, ro, lo, ru, lu

• Explain and demonstrate the correct positions of the tongue and lips when pronouncing the letters “r” and “l”.

• Then have students pronounce the above drill after you• in chorus.

• Then have students pronounce the following list of words after you in chorus and have individuals pronounce the words:

• ray lay day• row low dough• reap leap deep• red led dead• room loom doom• rye lie die• rope lope dope• roam loam dome• rue Lou do

4. “v” and “w” Pronunciation Drill

• Use visual aid or put drill words on blackboard before class

• Demonstrate proper pronunciation of the “v” and “w “ letters and explain proper position of the lips and tongue. Have students repeat after you several times the below list of words. Have selected students pronounce the list of words.

very-----wary verse----worse visor-----wiser

vintner—winter vim-------whim view-----whew

vie-------why vent------went vine------wine

veered---weird veil-------whale vain------Wayne

vessel---wrestle veal------wheel vet--------wet

.

5. “f/p” Pronunciation Drill

• Put the “f/p” words on the blackboard before class begins. Explain and demonstrate tongue and lip positions when pronouncing “f” and “p” and have students repeat each of the drill words after you.

• fan-----pan fail-----pail face-------pace

• feel----peel flop----plop foal--------pole

• from---plum wife---wipe loaf--------lope

• fat-----pat foot---put feet--------peat

• fine---pine fin------pin fool---------pool

• laugh-lap cliff-----clip

6. “sh/ch” Pronunciation Drill

• Put list of words on BB before class or use visual aid.

• Demonstrate proper pronunciation of “sh” and “ch” and explain proper position of the lips and tongue. Have students repeat after you several times the below list of words. Have randomly selected students pronounce some of the words individually.

• share-------chair shoe-------chew sheep-------cheap

• shop--------chop shore------chore wish----------witch

• dish---------ditch cash-------catch mash--------match

• ship---------chip shimmy---chimney shill----------chill

• sheer-------cheer sheik-------cheek sheet-------cheat

• sherry------cherry shin---------chin slurp--------chirp

• shock------chock shuck-------chuck sheaf-------chief

7. “v/b” Pronunciation Drill• Put the “v/b” word list on the BB before class begins or use visual

aid.

• Explain and demonstrate tongue and lip positions when pronouncing “v” and “b” and have students pronounce each of the drill words after you.

• vet----------bet very----------berry vat----------bat

• vote--------boat rove----------robe curve-------curb

• vanish-----banish vend----------bend vow---------bow

• vest--------best valet----------ballet varied------buried

• veer--------beer vast-----------blast vase--------base

• view--------blew vane----------bane vantage---bandage

• vanish-----banish

8. Syllable Stress Patterns

• When you hear a new word, the first thing you should notice is its stress pattern. Listen to this very long word:

• microcontaminants

• Did you hear (put the words on the blackboard)

• 1. MIcroconTAminants or 2. miCROcontaMInants?

• Every English word has a stress pattern. This pattern is part of the word’s proper pronunciation. If you place a stress on the wrong syllable, it may be hard for other people to understand you. Knowing the stress pattern is part of knowing the word.

A. Stress Pattern Practice:

• Listen and repeat these words:• • 1st syllable 2nd syllable 3rd syllable

• ENGlish staTIStics engiNEERing• CHEMistry eLECtrical elecTRIcity• INdustry inDUStrial uniVERsity• MANagement reSPONsible regisTRAtion• MAjor geOgraphy impliCAtion

B. Post visual aid

• Words often have a different stress pattern when they have a different grammatical function. Therefore, the pattern is a grammatical signal to the listener. Listen and repeat these words after me.

• REgister ------------regisTRAtion biOLogy -------- -bioLOgical

• adMINister ------adminisTRAtion geOLogy ------- -geoLOgical

• biOgraphy -------bioGRAPHical

• eXAmine-----------examiNAtion techNOlogy -----technoLOgical

• SPEcialize--------specialiZAtion elecTRIcity -----eLECtrical

C. Post visual aid

Listen to these technical words. Tell me the most stressed syllable.

• personality pathogenic * persoNALity pathoGENic

• mammalian metabolic * mamMAlian metaBOLic

• analytical calculus * anaLYTical CALculus

• pharmacology * pharmaCOLogy

D. Post visual aid. Answers are given here but not on visual aid. S = same, D = Different. Numbers indicate syllable stressed.

• Listen to the following word pairs. Are the stress patterns in both words the same or different:

• 1. under over S-1st 6. certificate delivery S-2nd

• 2. question answer S-1st 7. considerably manufacturer

D-2nd and 3rd

• 3. require offer D-2nd 8. absolutely recovery D-1st and 1st and 2nd

• 4. Alaska Nebraska S-2nd 9. expensive requirement S-2nd

• 5. correction institute D-2nd 10. specify separate S-1st

and 1st

• E. Two syllable words:

• The majority (75%) of two-syllable words are stressed on the first syllable. If you count only nouns and adjectives (no verbs), it is 90%.

• This is likely to be true for American names. Repeat these names after me with the stress on the first syllable.

• First names Last names• Susan Burton Reagan• Roger Brady Carter• Janet Miller Lincoln• Thomas Simpson Redford• Robert Wagner Newman

• F. Two Word Verbs:

• “Two-word verbs” are very common in American English. They can also be used as nouns. The stress is usually on the first part for a noun and on the second for a verb. Repeat the following words after me, making the difference in stress.

• Noun Verb• a SET up (an arrangement) to set UP (to arrange)• an Upset (a disturbance) to upset (to disturb)• a TAKE off (what happens when to take OFF (to leave the

ground, a plane leaves the ground) to take off clothes, to leave)

• a PUT on (informal: a joke) to put ON (to put on clothes)

• a TURN on (informal: something to turn ON (to turn on lights, the

• that excites you) TV, radio, etc.)

• a TURN off (informal: something to turn OFF ( to turn off the radio,

• you do not like) etc.)• a LOOK out ( a high place from to look OUT (to be careful)• which to see better, a sentry)

• F. Two-word verbs (continued)

• Here are more two-word verbs (and their noun versions). Repeat after me.

• Noun Verb Noun Verb

• STOP over stop OVER MAKEup make UP

• TRADE-in trade-IN DROPout drop OUT

• HANDout hand OUT

9. Long and Short Vowel Words

• Put the list of long and short vowels on the blackboard before class begins. Explain that the long vowels are stretched or prolonged if the final consonant of the word is voiced. A good way to demonstrate this is to use a rubber band over both thumbs and when you pronounce the long vowel word stretch the rubber band, but don’t stretch it when the final consonant is unvoiced. I gave a rubber band to each student and had them stretch the band as we practiced the long vowel words.

• The list of short and long vowels follows on next slide:

Shorter vowel Longer vowel Unvoiced final consonant Voiced final consonant

• safe save• leaf leave• half have• peace peas• bus buzz• Miss Ms.

(Continued on next slide)

• (Short and Long vowels continued)

• back bag

• cap cab

• feet feed

• batch badge

• rich ridge

• use use

• proof prove

• teeth teethe

• excuse excuse

• advice advise

• device devise

• relief relieve

• belief believe

10. Basic Emphasis Pattern—Structure Words

• Rule: Structure words are usually reduced (de-emphasized)

• +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

• Basic Emphasis Pattern

• Content words nouns main verbs adverbs adjectives

• (emphasized) (cat) (runs) (quickly) (happy)

• question words

• (who, what, where, when, why, how)

• Structure words pronouns prepositions articles “to be” verbs

• (de-emphasized) (he, she) (of, to, at) (a, the) (is, was)

• conjunctions auxiliary verbs

(and, but) (can, have, do, will)

Note: Prepare a Handout of this information for the students

• A. Contractions:

• “To contract” means to make something smaller. Contractions are a normal part of spoken English. Contractions reduce attention to structure words, helping to make the content words easier to notice. Explain content here referring to Handout.

•

• Repeat the following typical contractions and their full forms. Have students repeat and notice the change in the number of syllables.

•

• I am I’m he has he’s

• is not isn’t I will I’ll

• they have they’ve I have I’ve

• that is that’s we have we’ve

• I would I’d she had she’d

• B. Reduced “and”:• • The structure word “and” is one of the most common

words in • English. “And” is usually contracted to a schwa + “n.” A

schwa is pronounced like the “a” in about.• Refer to Handout and have students practice saying the

reduced • “and” in order to hear it better. Link the final sound of the first

word to the • schwa vowel of “and.”

• 1. cream an’ sugar 6. boys an’ girls 11. hamburger an’ fries

• 2. sandwich an’ coffee 7. rock an’ roll 12. nickels an’ dimes

• 3. big an’ little 8. knives an’ forks 13. tables an’ chairs

• 4. rich an’ famous 9. peanut butter an’ jelly

• 5. men an’ women 10. radio an’ television

( e )

• C. Reduced “can”:

• Listen to these sentences. The vowel in “can” is reduced, but the vowel in “can’t” is full and clear.

• • John can write very well.• John can’t write very well.

• In the following sentences, underline the clear vowel in “can’t.” Draw a slash(/) through the reduced vowel in “can.”

• 1. a. Can you go tonight? 5. a. Did you say they can come? • b. Can’t you go tonight? b. Did you say they can’t come?• 2. a. The audience can hear the speaker. • b. The audience can’t hear the speaker.• 3. a. We can always eat before class. b. We can’t always eat before class • 4. a. The Johnsons can afford the trip.• b. The Johnsons can’t afford the trip.

• D. Silent “H”:

• Pronouns are usually reduced so much that words like “he,” “him,” “hers, and “his” lose the beginning sound H except at the beginning of sentences.

• Examples:

• is he? (slow, full) izzy (fast, reduced)

• give her (slow, full) giver (fast, reduced)

• would he? (slow, full) woody (fast, reduced)

• (continued on next slide)

• E. Refer to handout—Read the following sentences and have students (X) out the “h” at the beginning of words in these sentences.

• 1. a. Did he go? No, he didn’t.b. Did she go? No, she didn’t.

• 2. a. Is her work good? Yes, she does well.b. Is his work good? Yes, he does well.

• 3. a. Give him a message. He isn’t here.b. Give her a message. She isn’t here.

• 4. a. Did you take her pen? No, it’s mine.b. Did you take your pen? No, I left it.

• 5. a. Is this his apartment? He lives across the street.

b. Is this Sue’s apartment? She lives across the street.

• 6. a. Is he busy? No, he isn’t.b. Is she busy? No, she isn’t.

• F. Reduced “T”:

In verbs like “want to,” the “to” is often reduced so much the T sound is silent.• Examples: “want to” sounds like “wanna”• “going to” sounds like “gonna”

• Note: Do not use the “sounds like” spelling in your writing. This spelling is used here only to show the sounds of spoken English.

• Refer to handout:• Read these sentences aloud and have students indicate the difference

in a (slow, full) or (fast, reduced) soundings:

• 1. I want to go. I wanna go.• 2. I am going to go. I’m gonna go.• 3. I want to buy a car. I wanna buy a car.• 4. I think they’re going to leave. I think they’re gonna leave.• 5. They want to call home. They wanna call home.• 6. We wanted to go. We wandeda go.• 7. The children wanted to play. The children wandeda play.

• G. Reduced “T” in between vowels.

T often sounds like a quick D in between vowels. Practice saying T in this way so that you can recognize it when you listen to an English speaker.

• Example: “write it” sounds like “ride it”

• water fit any• better lot of• liter get all• later write it• hotter hit it• city Betty

Lips and Tongue Positions

Lips and Tongue Positions

Lips and Tongue Positions

Lips and Tongue Positions

Lips and Tongue Positions

Lips and Tongue Positions

Lips and Tongue Positions

Lips and Tongue Positions

Lips and Tongue Positions

Vowels