Ashley Howard

Ashley Howard has asserted his moral right to be identied as the author of this work.

binding or cover or circulated electronically without prior permission of Edwin Publishing and Media Ltd.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 978-0-9933602-0-6

Edwin Publishing and Media Ltd

First published in 2015 by Edwin Publishing and Media Ltd

57 London Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP11 1BS

www.edwinpublishing.co.uk

British English Pronunciation Roadmap:

A Clear Path To Clear Speech

written and illustrated by

Ashley Howard

Chapter Page

Before You Explore... 1

My Pronunciation Roadmap 6

How to Navigate Each Page 8

How to Download the Audio Examples 9

Speech Anatomy 10

Consonant Sounds 12

Vowel Sounds 87

Syllables and Word Stress 173

Relationships Between Words – Connected Speech 194

Intonation - Rhythm and Pitch 206

Cheat Sheet: Creating Meaning – Stressing the Right Word 233

How do I Integrate these New Habits into Live Speech? 237

Bonus Section: Practice Pages 238

Bonus Section: Practice Pages - Answers 295

Additional Resources 313

Bibliography and Recommended Reading 319

Contents

> What is an accent?

Everyone has an accent – even if it is considered neutral or region-less. And there are too many

to count, partly because accents constantly evolve. An accent is heard primarily in the way we

pronounce our words, how we stress them, and the intonation we use to convey emotion, attitude

and intention. It reveals something about us and we all make associations, rightly or wrongly. More

importantly, everybody modies his or her accent – it’s true. Even in our mother tongue and native

language we make slight adjustments depending on whom we’re with and what we’re talking about.

For example, talking to friends and family makes most people talk in a more relaxed and casual way

whilst when talking to certain colleagues or addressing people in authority, most people talk in a

slower, more articulate way – this is, in a way, modifying one’s accent.

> Why change an accent?

Accents are wonderful! They are as unique as the lives we live. They are part of our identity and

represent our cultural diversity and heritage. But some people, for practical, personal or professional

reasons, want to change or modify their accent. As one client said, “my accent speaks louder than my

words…”. During our lives we reinvent ourselves all the time, by dressing differently, changing our

hairstyle, moving house or country, learning a new skill, changing behaviours, profession or lifestyle,

and so changing one’s accent is within our transformational capacity. Learning another accent doesn’t

have to be so much about eliminating your current accent – unless that’s what you want – but simply

having choice, which takes time and practice, but it means that you are more sophisticated about

adapting your speech to suit your circumstances.

> Is it even possible?

Yes! I have worked with countless clients over many years and they have all achieved great success,

but it’s true that some people nd it really easy and straightforward and some nd it challenging.

Whilst accent is very much part of who we are and how we interact with the world around us, it

is also just a physical habit – you don’t think about how to speak, you just think about what you

want to say – it’s part of your muscle memory. Think of this roadmap process in two stages. Firstly, it

involves getting the new sounds into your muscle memory. This includes various aspects of learning

a conscious mindset to build on your habits in comparison to the new habits that you’re learning;

imitation; daily repetitive practice; and understanding patterns. The second stage is integrating these

new habits in live speech. This aspect is the real moment of transformation, which takes courage,

commitment and a willingness to change.

> How long is it going to take?

It’s a necessary and relevant question, but an impossible one to answer. Learning or softening an

accent as I said is about acquiring a new habit and building muscle memory. This takes as long as

it takes. Learning to drive is as much to do with comprehension and exposure, as it is to do with

muscle memory. Some people can pass their driving test within an intensive week of fteen lessons,

and some people take a year with thirty sessions, or more. You can control your level of commitment

and practice – and this can make a huge difference. And also, successfully changing just one word is

success and progress! So it’s a bit like a jigsaw – celebrate every new piece that ts together, take

your time and enjoy the process.

before you explore...

> Who is this book for?

This book is designed to help anyone, for whatever reason, who wants to learn a ‘standard’ British

English accent – also known as RP (see below). You might speak English as a second language and

simply want to be clearer and better understood. You might teach English as a second language or be

a fellow voice coach seeking a resource for how to help your students with their pronunciation and

intonation. You might be a native English speaker with a regional accent who wants it softened. You

might even be an actor who needs to learn a standard British accent for an audition or part.

> What is an RP accent?

RP stands for Received Pronunciation. Today, it refers to a standard British English accent associated

with the south of England. The word ‘received’ used to mean something being accepted or approved,

and so this accent was considered the most well-received or the most ‘standard’ pronunciation of

British English. It was therefore set apart from regional accents.

Every language has their own version of RP – their own standard accent – as well as their regional

accents. All accents have their positive and negative stereotypes and associations. Amongst native

English speakers, RP is most typically associated with privilege, wealth, power and intellect – in the

early twentieth century some described it as ‘Public School Pronunciation’ (Daniel Jones English

Pronouncing Dictionary CUP 1917). It is an accent often associated with the current monarchy, those

in certain professions and positions of authority and some British actors.

Thankfully, every accent evolves and adapts to the changing socio-cultural-political landscape, which

is inuenced by many factors. So the accent that you can learn through this book is more of a typical

modern RP – it is a neutral, region-less, standard southern British accent.

> Fearless, playful imitation is essential

We learn our rst language, our mother tongue, through imitation. We listen to and watch those

around us and mimic their sounds, exploring with fearless playfulness the ways in which our tongue,

lips and soft palate move in order to accurately reproduce their sounds. In contrast, learning a second

language is primarily through spelling. Some written languages are more phonetic, so what’s written

is more reliable in terms of pronunciation. British English is not one of these languages, so the rst

way to engage with this process of reducing your accent towards RP is to develop a reliance on your

ears by listening to the audio in each section, imitating the sounds with fearlessness and playfulness,

and paying attention to the sensation of the way each sound feels in your mouth.

> Deprogramming the spelling

When exploring a new vowel sound, a client once said, “my eyes are controlling my mouth”, which

is to say that the spelling is trying to dictate the way to say the word. This is part of the challenge

with the British English language. What you see is not necessarily what you should say. For examples,

you’re probably quite aware that in the English language there are ve LETTERS that we call vowels:

‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’ and ‘u’. However, in an RP accent there are actually nineteen vowel SOUNDS (excluding

the schwa and ve triphthongs), which are represented by various combinations of the vowel letters.

This can be confusing, for example ‘poor’, ‘pour’, ‘paw’ and ‘pore’ are spelt differently but in RP they

are actually pronounced with the same vowel sound – THOUGHT. Equally the same spelling can be

pronounced with different vowel sound. For example the ‘ear’ in words like ‘wear’, ‘earth’, ‘hear’ and

before you explore...

‘heart’ are pronounced with different vowels. The same is true for some consonants, for example,

the ‘ph’ in ‘physical’ should sound exactly the same as the ‘f’ in ‘zz’, and the ‘l’ in ‘silk’ is pronounced,

whereas the ‘l’ in ‘calm’ is silent. So, exploring vowel and consonant sounds is a lot to do with

deprogramming the spelling and focusing on the sounds instead of the letters.

> Using phonetic symbols to check the pronunciation

Some people are familiar with phonetics, which is a symbol system for writing sounds. If you’ve ever

been confused by the strange symbols next to a word in a dictionary, they’re phonetic symbols. So

every sound has a single symbol. There is a symbol for the SH sound in ‘shoe’ and the THOUGHT

vowel sound in ‘shore’. Each vowel and consonant page has the relevant phonetic symbol and you can

also use the Phonetic Symbols (p.313) as a reference. This makes it possible for you to consult a reliable

dictionary and actually see how to pronounce the word. There are also specialised pronunciation

dictionaries. In fact, the online Oxford Dictionary not only has phonetic transcriptions but also

audio examples of words – so you can see and hear how to pronounce them in RP. They also have

an app called The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, which offers the phonetic transcription and

audio examples without needing to connect to the internet – which might be useful for on-the-go,

‘location-less’ reference.

> Do I need to know the phonetic symbols to use this book?

Thankfully you do not need to know phonetics in order to successfully use this book. As I said, I have

given the relevant phonetic symbols in the top right hand corner of each of the vowel and consonant

sound page, so that you are able to cross-reference and clarify the pronunciation of other words

with the words and examples given for each vowel sound. However, in this book, I have focused on

comprehension, listening and imitation: there are detailed descriptions of each sound and pattern,

with audio examples of every word and phrase. With imitation and daily practice, you will be able

to understand, develop your ear and experience the sensation of what it’s like to pronounce words

differently.

> 20 minute coaching sessions

I have attempted to make this book feel as if I am there with you, coaching you through every section.

So it is very thorough, albeit a bit wordy at times. One suggestion is that you treat each new vowel

sound, each new consonant sound, and each part of the section on intonation like a twenty minute

coaching session. Set aside this time to explore the pages that focus on the new sound, discover

your habits and follow the guidance on each page. This means that it can t in with your life style and

commitments and you can pick it up and put it down accordingly.

> ‘I’ll put a thought on it’

Whilst discussing the process of integrating new pronunciations into live speech, another client I was

coaching said to me, ‘I’ll put a thought on it’, referring to a new sound he had learnt for a particular

word. He explained that when speaking, he would be actively ‘thinking’ about what he might say, in

order to catch the word with the new sound in it, hoping to change it in the moment. Of course, at

the beginning, it tends to be that you catch the word after it is spoken, but the more he caught it, the

more able he felt to catch it before speaking.

before you explore...

> Creating a word bank

Another client created a folder of notes on their phone, so that throughout the day they could

identify what the sort of language and common phrases they used frequently. They would then check

these words in a pronunciation dictionary, notice whether or not any of these words contained

vowels or consonant sounds that they had been working on with me, and then changed them where

necessary. This enabled them to make the integration of their new habits immediately into live

speech, without having to play the guessing game of when the new habits would be needed.

Whilst I have offered you many everyday words and phrases and many practice sentences to help you

get started, creating a word bank of words that you tend to use is invaluable. Moreover, these words

could be grouped into words that contain the same vowel sounds, or into what are known as lexical

sets – which is to say that if the vowel in the primary stressed syllable of a word rhymes with another

word, they belong in the same group. For example, ‘saw’, ‘bored’ and ‘enormous’ would be in the

same lexical group because the main vowel sound rhymes. You can do the same for consonants: nd

words that have the same initial consonants (‘do’, ‘does’, ‘don’t’), the same medial consonant (‘ladder’,

‘bolder’, ‘hiding’) and the same nal consonants (‘side’, ‘called’, ‘had’) and group them together. This

way, you can focus your practice on words that feature whatever new sound you are learning.

> Make your intentions known

It can feel easier to reinvent yourself in front of new people, but when in front of your friends, family

or colleagues, it might feel more challenging. Many people that I have coached express an anxiety

about what people will think of them if they change their pronunciation. We all tend to pigeonhole

each another based on the clothes that we wear, the music that we like, where we live, where we

were educated, what profession we are in etc… When we change anything about ourselves, there is

a very natural fear about acceptance. Making those around you aware of your intention to work on

your speech and accent may dissolve some of this anxiety and help to create a conversation about

why and how you intend to do it, which makes them part of your process rather than obstacles to

your progress.

> Proprioception

In the sections of vowels and consonants, you will be asked to notice what your lips, tongue, jaw and

soft palate are doing. Arguably, you may never have considered the position and movement of your

tongue or lips unless you have accidentally bitten them, or your jaw, unless it aches or is painful - and

you may never have even heard of your soft palate, let alone considered what it’s doing in speech.

You will slowly become more and more conscious of what these parts of your speaking anatomy are

doing, but there is still a heavy reliance on what it called proprioception: your body’s ability to sense,

feel and notice what it is doing. This is where recording yourself and using a mirror become almost

vital to practicing and exploring effectively. Your body’s internal sense of these parts will strengthen

but may take time, so be patient.

before you explore...

> ‘…it’s percolating’

I had a client once whose response to the question ‘how has it been going this week?’ (which I tend

to ask at the beginning of most coaching sessions), was ‘it’s percolating’. He seemed quite happy with

this idea: that just like coffee, his new skills and habits were slowly permeating into his everyday

speech. Some aspects of the learning might be really immediate and transformative, and some may

take time to percolate. Set goals, but be generous to yourself.

> Your pronunciation ‘roadmap’

Once you know your habits and how to change them, you no longer need to look at each section.

It’s a bit like navigating around a new place. Once you’ve discovered where each new road or path

or corridor leads to, the more you travel along them, the more familiar they become until you can

navigate without thinking. So think of the process of exploring this book, like exploring the roadmap

of pronunciation. You are where it all starts, and the destination is clearer and more condent British

English pronunciation. Go to the My Pronunciation Roadmap (p.6) and tick the relevant sections as you

travel through the book. I hope you enjoy your journey!

> Facebook Community - Private Group:

Remember, you’re not on your own. You now have access to the English Prounciation Roadmap

Community via a private Facebook group, where you can ask me questions directly, speak to others

who are on the same journey and get helpful tips and advice. I’m looking forward to helping you.

Send a request to join the group (URL below) and so long as your customer details match, you’ll be

accepted:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Join.EPR.Community/

> Who is the Author?

Ashley Howard is an experienced British Voice Coach trained at the Royal Central School of Speech

and Drama in MA Voice Studies. He did a further two years of training with Kristin Linklater author

of Freeing the Natural Voice 2007. British English Pronunciation Roadmap: A Clear Path To Clear Speech is a

distillation of thousands and thousands of hours of coaching, with hundreds and hundreds of clients

and students from almost every country and every language. For more info on Ashley, visit www.

englishpronunciationroadmap.com or www.ashleyhoward.me.

Disclaimer:

The information in this book has been compiled by way of general guidance in relation to the specic subjects addressed,

but is not a substitute for individual professional guidance on specic circumstances. Please consult a medical professional

before beginning any physical exercises or speech related exercises, particularly if you have known specic issues that

may inuence their general safety and efcacy. If you engage in the exercises in this book, you agree that you do so at

your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release

and discharge the author and publisher from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of

the author or publisher’s negligence.

before you explore...

The inspiration for the name of this book came from a session I had a long time ago when a client

of mine was talking about navigating around a new city to which he had recently moved. At the end

of the session he said, ‘knowing which sound to use in which word is becoming a little easier’, to

which I replied, ‘yea, it’s a bit like navigating around the new city in which you’re now living - without

a roadmap it can feel a bit overwhelming. So think of this process a bit like getting a roadmap to your

new pronunciation’. It seemed to be a perfect comparrison.

It’s also true that when learning anything new, there is a sort re-mapping of the roadmap inside the

brain - where new synaptic connections are made. These synaptic connections take time to estab-

lish. In the same way that learning a new route or journey takes repetition and repetition before it

becomes something that you can do without thinking, so these new pronunciations take time and

practice before they become second nature.

So, over the page is your very own pronunciation roadmap. If you’ve already had a personalised

assessment from me, then your journey is all mapped-out and you just need to follow the path to

clearer and more condent speech. If you chose to work alone, you’ll discover, sound by sound,

which ones apply to you and you can tick each one accordingly. and your roadmap will emerge. This

way, you’ll be able to navigate the book and practice more specically on the things that will deliver

the most change for you.

If you’d like to have a personalised assessment from me, just visit:

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com/lp/assessment

Remember, you’re not on your own. You now have access to the English Prounciation Roadmap

Community via a private Facebook group, where you can ask me questions directly, speak to others

who are on the same journey and get helpful tips and advice. I’m looking forward to helping you.

Send a request to join the group (URL below) and so long as your customer details match, you’ll be

accepted:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Join.EPR.Community/

My Pronunciation Roadmap

p.15

S and Z

p.41

K and G

p.70

Rhotic / Non-Rhotic

p.19

p.45

SH and ZH

p.74

p.22

p.49

DG and CH

p.77

P and B

p.24

p.54

p.82

p.28

p.57

Consonant Clusters

p.84

F and V

p.31

T and D

p.61

Yo d

p.35

Syllabic Consonants

p.66

SCHWA

p.92

THOUGHT, NORTH, NEAR

p.145

NURSE

p.96

FORCE

p.120

DRESS

p.149

GOAT

p.100

CHOICE

p.125

FACE

p.153

BATH, PALM, START

p.104

TRAP

p.129

SQUARE

p.157

STRUT

p.108

MOUTH

p.133

GOOSE

p.161

PRICE

p.112

FLEECE

p.137

FOOT

p.165

LOT, CLOTH

p.116

KIT

p.141

CURE

p.169

Vowels

Syllable stress

p.174

Syllable/stress timed

p.208

Apologising

p.224

Compound words

p.177

Resting rhythm

p.208

Ongoing thought

p.225

Dates, times, money

p.180

Mono/polysyllabic words

p.210

Listing

p.225

Primary/secondary stress

p.182

Short/long vowels

p.211

Naming places, people...

p.226

Unstressed syllables

p.183

Phrasing/pausing

p.211

Parenthesis

p.227

Prexes & Sufxes

p.186

Asking a question

p.221

Quoting/paraphrasing

p.227

Linking/intrusive sounds

p.195

Rhetorical questions

p.222

Irony/sarcasm/satire

p.229

Elision & contractions

p.198

High Rise Tone

p.222

Expanding a statement

p.229

Assimilation

p.199

Responding to questions

p.222

Antithesis

p.230

Weak forms

p.202

Statements, commands...

p.224

but... or... so...

p.231

Consonants

Word Stress, Relationships between Words and Intonation

My Pronunciation Roadmap

The red icon of a mic

suggests that you could

record yourself saying

the words before

exploring the sound.

This will enable you to

compare yourself to

the audio example and

discover your habit

The target sound

under which is its

phonetic symbol for

reference

Identify your habit by

reading aloud the ex-

amples, listening to the

audio examples and

comparing to your

recording

How much time to set

aside for each sound

The grey icon of a

speaker indicates an

audio example along

with its track number

Explanation of how

and where the sound

is made and whether it

is voiced or voiceless

At the end of each

What do I do habitu-

ally? section, there is

a coloured icon of a

spanner. It suggests that

you go straight to the

same coloured icon in

the How do I change my

habit? section to help

you ‘x’ your habit

Use the relevant sub-

section to help change

your specic habit

There is a list of words

and the most typi-

cal spellings for each

sound. Record yourself

saying the words then

imitate and practice

with the audio

examples to help guide

you to the new

pronunciation

There are also practice

sentences for each

sound. Again, record

yourself saying the

sentences then imitate

and practice with the

audio examples to help

guide you to the new

pronunciation

This green icon of a

pencil indicates that

there is further

practice material for

this sound

A drawing of the posi-

tion of the tongue, soft

palate and also the lips

(when relevant)

Words that contain the

target sound

The colour in the

corner indicates the

section that you’re in

How to Navigate Each Page

• Login to the member’s area: www.englishpronunciationroadmap/members-area/login/

• Click on ‘Pronunciation Roadmap’ in the top menu

• Scroll down and nd the relevant PDF and AUDIO downloads. NOTE: There are 4 audio downloads

comprising 1GB of mp3 les. Each of the 4 zip les may take up to 20 mins to download.

• Click to download and the zip le should start to download (if this doesn’t work, right-click

(Windows) or Command-click (Mac) the le name, and select ‘Save Target As’, or ‘Save Link As’)

• Once it has downloaded, go to your computers ‘downloads’ folder, locate the folder entitled

‘British English Pronunciation Roadmap Audio Files’ and then:

Mac - Simply double-click the folder and it’ll create a new folder with the same name, which

will have your les inside

PC - drag the .zip attachment to the desktop. Once the le is on the desktop, you can double-

click or right-click to open it. Right-click the zipped le and select ‘Extract All’. By default,

les are extracted to the location as the original zipped le. Or use the ‘Select A Destination’

window to save the les somewhere else. NOTE: if you are using Windows 2000 or earlier, you

need software such as WinZip or Stuft.

> Need any help?

For any help or technical support reach out at: support@englishpronunciationroadmap.com

How to Download the Audio Examples

This is just a reference page, so refer to it when prompted.

top lip

soft palate**

top front teeth

tongue

bottom front teeth

bottom lip

alveolar ridge*

larnyx

* Alveolar ridge – The shape and prominence of the alveolar ridge can vary from person to person.

To nd this ridge, put the tip of your tongue on the back of your upper front teeth and then very slowly

slide the tongue tip up and backwards along the roof of your mouth and you should feel a little bumpy

ridge less than a centimetre away from your upper teeth. If you went further back, you would then

feel the main curve of the roof of your mouth. The tongue tip should NOT touch the ridge, but simply

be curling up towards it.

middle

front

back

blade

root

tip

Tongue Divisions – As you can see, for the purpose of speech and articulation the tongue can

be divided into different sections and each part can be used to make contact with different parts

to make different sounds. Familiarise yourself with the following sections, which will be referred to,

especially in the consonant section: tip, blade, front, middle and back.

Speech Anatomy

uvular ***

soft palate**

** Soft Palate – The soft palate is the part of the roof of the mouth towards the back that is soft.

When you look into the back of your mouth you might see the uvular (the dangly thing in the middle

at the back) which comes out of the soft palate but is not the soft palate. The soft palate is behind the

uvular. One of its jobs in speech is to direct the vibrations of your voice into the mouth or nose. In

speech there are four positions that it tends to be in:

1. When it is lifted high it blocks the entrance to the nose, and all the vibrations exit through the

mouth.

2. When it is dropped low and the back of the tongue is raised so that they touch, all the vibrations

travel through the nose.

3. When it is lifted high and the back of the tongue is raised so that they touch, the vibrations

gather behind the back of the tongue and can only release once either the tongue or soft palate

releases down.

4. When it is dropped low and the back of the tongue is also low the vibrations travel through the

nose and the mouth (which produces a nasal quality to speech – some languages like French

have certain vowel sounds that are nasal).

*** Uvular – the uvular is the dangly thing in the middle at the back that we often see when

cartoon characters scream. It has no real function in speech. It seems to stimulate the gag reex.

Speech Anatomy

My Pronunciation Roadmap

Consonants

p.15

S and Z

p.41

K and G

p.70

Rhotic / Non-Rhotic

p.19

p.45

SH and ZH

p.74

p.22

p.49

DG and CH

p.77

P and B

p.24

p.54

p.82

p.28

p.57

Consonant Clusters

p.84

F and V

p.31

T and D

p.61

Yo d

p.35

Syllabic Consonants

p.66

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

As you are probably aware there are a total of twenty-six letters in the English Language, twenty-

one of which are described as consonants and ve as vowels. However, in terms of pronunciation,

there are actually twenty-four consonant sounds. So these twenty-one consonant letters are used in

various combinations to represent this larger number of sounds. Sometimes the consonant letters

accurately describe the consonant sounds, as in ‘bad’, ‘pet’, ‘loan’ and ‘seek’ but sometimes they do

not, as in the ‘ph’ in ‘physics’, the ‘k’ in ‘knight’ or the ‘c’ in ‘census’.

One way to describe the difference between consonant sounds and vowel sounds might be to say

that consonant sounds are made by the articulators touching or almost touching, as in P or T or F

or V sounds, whereas vowel sounds are made by the articulators moving into different shapes but

vibration can always pass between them without any obstruction, as in OO or AH or EE sounds. For

this reason, consonants may by slightly simpler to understand and change, because you can actually

feel the difference between, say, the lips coming together and releasing for a P sound in comparison

to the tongue tip touching the alveolar ridge for a T sound. This doesn’t necessarily mean they will be

easier to change, but unlike vowels (where you’ll be asked to consider your tongue’s ‘oating’ position

in the mouth) consonants give you physical reference points to notice and compare.

> How might I approach consonant sounds?

Treat each page like an actual coaching session. Each page suggests how long to set aside. There is

often a word list at the top of each section, next to which is an icon suggesting that you record

yourself before learning about the accurate pronunciation. Take a moment to do this, so that you

can hear and feel what you do. Then read each part of the section, listen to the audio examples and

try out each exercise. Where appropriate use a mirror to observe what you’re doing and by the end

you will hopefully know and feel what to aim for, what your habit is, how to change it and how to

practice the new habit.

There are three aspects of consonant sounds that make a real difference in how they sound:

> Placement – how and where are they made?

> Manner - how are they released and what quality do they have?

> Voiced or Voiceless – can you feel vibration or just breath?

> Placement – how and where are they made?

Consonants can be grouped into sounds that are made in the same place in the mouth with the same

articulators. Each of the following pages on consonants has a section entitled How is the … sound

made in RP?, which describes which articulators are being used and how they are being used.

There are seven categories that might help you notice which consonant sounds are grouped together

in terms of how and where they are made. They have very technical names – which you don’t have

to remember, thankfully - and you do not need to read them now. When they are mentioned, you

might simply refer to them in the Additional Resources (p314), and once you’ve explore all the various

consonant sounds you may nd it helpful to practice certain consonants according to these groups.

before you explore...

> Manner - how are they released and what quality do they have?

Consonants can also be grouped into sounds that have a similar quality or similar way in which they

are released. Each of the following pages on consonants has a section entitled How is the … sound

made in RP?, which describes the manner in which they are released and their quality.

There are six categories to help you notice which consonant sounds are grouped together in terms

of their manner of release and quality. Again, they have very technical names – which you don’t have

to remember, thankfully - and you do not need to read them now. When they are mentioned, you

might simply refer to them in the Additional Resources (p314), and once you’ve explore all the various

consonant sounds, you may nd it helpful to practice certain consonants according to these groups.

> Voiced or Voiceless - can you feel vibration or just breath?

Lastly, consonants can also be grouped into sounds that are voiced and sounds that are voiceless. Each

of the following pages on consonants has a section entitled How is the … sound made in an RP accent?,

which describes whether they are voiced or voiceless. This is more important to understand and feel,

so take a moment to look at follow explanation, listen to the words and try them yourself.

Compare the Z sound as in ‘zoo’ with an S sound as in ‘sue’. Put your ngers on the front of your

larynx (p.10), whilst saying the two words making the Z and S sounds longer than you would usually.

You might notice that you feel a buzz on your ngers for the Z sound, whereas on an S sound you do

not. The buzzing sensation for the Z sound is created by your vocal folds meeting and changing breath

to vibration, whereas for the S sound they remain apart and breath alone travels up and out. Another

way of hearing this vibration is to lightly plug your ears while you say the sounds. Consonant sounds

that have this vibration are called voiced and those without are voiceless. And some consonant sounds

come in voiced and voiceless pairs, insomuch as they are made and released in exactly the same way,

but one is voiced and one is voiceless:

Voiceless Voiced

P as in ‘pat’ B as in ‘bat’

T as in ‘toe’ D as in ‘doe’

K as in ‘coat’ G as in ‘goat’

F as in ‘fat’ V as in ‘vat’

TH as in ‘thing’ TH as in ‘this’

S as in ‘sue’ Z as in ‘zoo’

SH as in ‘mesh’ ZH as in ‘measure’

CH as in ‘church’ DG as in ‘judge’

There are other consonant sounds that do not come in pairs:

Voiceless H as in ‘hot’

Voiced R as in ‘row’, W as in ‘woe’, YOD as in ‘yes’, L as in ‘low’, M as in ‘mow’, N as in

‘no’ and NG as in ‘song’.

Being clear about which consonant sounds are voiced and which are voiceless is vital for correct

pronunciation. You may nd it helpful to practice certain consonants according to these groups.

before you explore...

phonetic symbol - r

25min

This sound is pronounced in words like:

rip ran rotten railway rocket ripple crash grey from

pretty scream marry hurry carry sorry worry berries

> How is the R sound made in an RP accent?

The R sound is made with the tongue tip curling up towards the area just behind the alveolar ridge

(p.10) – but not touching – and the body of the tongue scooping in the middle. The jaw should remain

relaxed, the teeth parted and the lips in a very loose pouting shape. The R is a voiced sound and

belongs to the palato-alveolar and approximant consonant groups – so the R sound used in RP can be

referred to as a palato-alveolar R.

> Which R do I use habitually?

There are many types of R sounds, made in very different ways. Some are more obviously different

to the R sound in RP, but others are much subtler to hear and feel. Here is a list of the most typical

R sounds:

- Are you using a Labiodental R sound?

A labiodental R (lip and teeth R) sound is made with the lower lip lightly

touching the upper teeth and the tongue tip down behind the bottom front

teeth. It looks very similar to a V sound, but it is not a fricative. Listen to the

following words, rstly spoken with a labiodental R, then with the R used in

RP: ‘rip’, ‘ran’, ‘crash’, ‘grey’, ‘hurry’ and ‘carry’. If you do this, go to

- Are you using a Weak R sound?

A weak R sound is made in a similar way to a labiodental R, but the tongue

tip is very slightly curling up towards the alveolar ridge at the same time. .

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with a weak R, then with the R

used in RP: ‘rip’, ‘ran’, ‘crash’, ‘grey’, ‘hurry’ and ‘carry’. If you do this,

go to

phonetic symbol - r

- Are you using a Retroex R sound?

A retroex R sound is made with the tongue tip curling further up and

back towards the centre of the roof of the mouth. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with a retroex R, then with the R used in RP: ‘rip’,

‘ran’, ‘crash’, ‘grey’, ‘hurry’ and ‘carry’. If you do this, go to

- Are you using a Molar R sound?

A molar R is made with the whole tongue retracting back in the mouth,

bunching without the tongue tip curling upward. The upper back edges of

the tongue are touching the inner edges of the upper back molars. Listen to

the following words, rstly spoken with a molar R, then with the R used in

RP: ‘rip’, ‘ran’, ‘crash’, ‘grey’, ‘hurry’ and ‘carry’. If you do this, go to

- Are you using a Uvular Fricative R sound?

A uvular fricative R sound is made with the back of the tongue rising up

towards the uvular – in the same way as a K sound (p.70) – but instead of

touching it, it creates a narrow space causing a friction-like sound when

vibrations pass up and out. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken

with a uvular fricative R, then with the R used in RP: ‘rip’, ‘ran’, ‘crash’, ‘grey’,

‘hurry’ and ‘carry’. If you do this, go to

- Are you using Tapped and Trilled R sounds?

The retroex R and the R used in RP can be tapped. They can also be trilled as can the uvular R. For a

tapped R, instead of the tongue holding its position and the sound travelling through the space around

and over it, the tongue very quickly touches then releases from the closest point of articulation

depending on which R you make. For a trilled R the tongue touches and releases many times in rapid

succession. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with a tapped and trilled retroex R, then with

a trilled uvular R, then a tapped and trilled R used in RP, and then the R used in RP: ‘crash’, ‘grey’, ‘hurry’

and ‘carry’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing an R sound with an L sound?

Some speakers replace an R sound with an L sound (p.57). An L sound is made with the tongue in a

very similar shape to the R sound used in RP, except that the tongue tip actually touches the alveolar

ridge for an L sound, so ‘rag’ might sound more like ‘lag’ and ‘wrong’ sound more like ‘long’. If you do

this, go to

phonetic symbol - r

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I change to the R sound used in RP?

Whilst there are some big differences in the type of R that you might be using habitual, changing your

habitual R to the R sound used in RP is all about creating a curving, scooping shape with your tongue

body and with the tongue tip pointing up towards the area just behind your alveolar ridge without

them touching. So use the following exercise to help create this curving, scooping shape. An L sound

(p.57) as in words like ‘light’, ‘lee’ and ‘lane’ is made in a very similar way to this R sound, the only

difference being that for an L sound the tongue tip touches the area just in front of the alveolar ridge.

Sustain the L sound and pay attention to the feeling of its shape inside your mouth. It’s okay if your

tongue tip doesn’t normally touch the alveolar ridge for your habitual L sound, but for the purpose of

this exercise, put the tongue tip on the alveolar ridge and compare the following pictures:

L sound R sound

Say the word ‘Lorraine’. Once your tongue tip releases after the L sound encourage the body of

your tongue to remain in the same shape and position as for the L sound but without the tongue

tip touching the alveolar ridge. Play the same game with ‘Loretta’, ‘larynx’, ‘lorry’ and ‘Larry’. Other

consonants that have a similar shape and position are T, D and N. Play with ‘terrain’, ‘derive’ and

‘narrate’. Another way to use this exercise is to play with word combinations, where the rst word

ends with an ‘l’ and the second word starts with an ‘r’, for example ‘pale red’, ‘feel ridiculous’, ‘call

Robin’, ‘tall rock’ and ‘sell rockets’.

- How do I change a weak or labiodental R?

Changing a weak R or labiodental R (lip and teeth R) sound is about discouraging your lower lip from

touching your upper teeth and encouraging your tongue tip to curve up. Firstly, hold a nger vertically

over your lips, as if you were asking someone to be quiet. Then roll your lower lip down by sliding your

nger down towards your chin. Keep your lower lip held down, so that your lower front teeth are very

slightly exposed, then say the following words:

ran run write rod rang ring rack rock rag rouge

Now, take your nger away from your lower lip but keep your lower lip in a subtler version of that

same position with the muscles of your lips. It might feel like a subtle pout – ensure that the lower lip

is down, exposing the bottom teeth. Look in a mirror and your lower front teeth should be very slightly

exposed. Repeat the words above, encouraging your tongue tip to curve up and backwards towards

the area just behind the alveolar ridge and your lips in a very subtle pout. It’s vital that as soon as you

phonetic symbol - r

p.239

have said the R sound you release your lips into their resting position.

Building this new habit may some take time and regular practice. The words above are useful in as

much as there are no other consonant sounds that use the lips. Once you are condent with these,

play with other words where the R sound is in between two vowel sounds, or words that have a

consonant before an R sound, for example:

hurry marry carry curry credit crisis cream grape groan

Many British speakers use a weak R sound, and it is actually becoming much more widely accepted in

English pronunciation. However, if you still wish to change towards the R used for RP, a weak R can be

a particularly stubborn habit to break, so whilst the suggestions above for how to change your habit

are hopefully useful and effective, they may not offer you the specic guidance that you might need,

in which case you might benet from some one-to-one coaching. But as I said, it is a small part of a

big picture, and should only receive the attention that you choose to place on it.

> Anything else?

- Should I pronounce every written R?

Not every written ‘r’ is spoken, so we’ll look at this in the following section called Rhoticity (p19.).

- ‘pr’, ‘tr’ and ‘kr’ consonant clusters

This is a very minor detail, but in ‘pr’, ‘tr’ and ‘kr’ consonant clusters (p.84), especially when they are

at the beginning of a word on a stressed syllable, the R sound is actually pronounced as voiceless and a

bit friction-like in quality. This is in part because the P, T and K sounds are themselves voiceless sounds

(p.14). For most, this is likely to happen instinctively. Even so, whisper the following words and you

may notice this quality. Say them again, only coming onto voice on the vowels:

practice prevent pride train track trail cry crack crease

> Practice words and typical spellings for the R sound

R original rang ring pride broken crash RR marry worried

surround carry WR wrong write wrap wreathe RH rhubarb

rhythm diarrhoea rhetoric rhapsody rheumatic

> Practice Sentences for the R sound

• The road we live on is right next to Reading train station.

• Thankfully Chris is through the really problematic phase of his treatment.

• Ralph is always running late. His unpredictability is infuriating.

• I’ve been brought the wrong les. Who is responsible?

• Would you carry that furry grey cat and put him outside the orange basket.

20min

As most non-native speakers rely on spelling to help guide them towards pronunciation, the written

R can be misleading, as it is pronounced sometimes and not others.

> When and when not to pronounce the R sound

Speak aloud the following sentence. Start slowly but then repeat it several times at a normal

conversational speed asking yourself whether you pronounced all or only some of the ‘r’ letters:

Rebecca ran quickly through the owers and around the river to catch Rover, her manic dog.

Most accents can be grouped into what are called rhotic and non-rhotic patterns of speech. A rhotic

accent will pronounce every written ‘r’, whereas a non-rhotic accent will only pronounce a written ‘r’

if it is followed by a vowel sound that is spoken (the second ‘e’ in the word ‘here’ is a written vowel

but is not spoken, otherwise it would change to a two-syllable word – more on this below). So if you

heard and felt yourself saying every written ‘r’ then you are a rhotic speaker. However, if you missed

out the ‘r’ in ‘owers’ and at the end of ‘river’, ‘Rover’ and ‘her’ you are a non-rhotic speaker. There are

some accents that are between rhotic and non-rhotic, but the rules are not conclusive. Listen to the

sentence spoken rstly in a rhotic accent and then in a non-rhotic accent with the R used in RP.

> Is RP rhotic or non-rhotic?

RP is a non-rhotic accent, so the rule to follow is: only pronounce a written ‘r’ if it is followed by a

spoken vowel sound.

- What is a spoken vowel?

Consider words like:

are here where there share nature rare pure

In these words, a vowel letter follows the written ‘r’, but the vowel is not spoken, so you would not

pronounce the R. If you were to speak these vowels, the words would become two syllables instead

of one, which would be incorrect. Typically, these are spelt ‘re’ and occur at the ends of words.

It’s also worth noting that there are written consonants that might actually be pronounced as vowel

sounds. For instance, a written ‘y’ at the end of a word is often pronounced the same as the vowel

sound in the word ‘tea’. And when preceded by a written ‘r’, the ‘r’ would be pronounced:

carry worry very Harry berry sorry

> How do I change from rhotic to non-rhotic?

- How do I keep my tongue tip behind my bottom teeth?

If your habitual R is an alveolar R, retroex R or molar R, perhaps the simplest way in which to avoid

pronouncing a written ‘r’ that should be silent might be to keep the tongue tip behind the bottom

teeth. Only keep the tongue tip behind the bottom teeth during the silent ‘r’ and allow it to move if

there are other consonants in the same word that need the tongue tip in order to be articulated. If

your habitual R is a labiodental R (lip and teeth R) or weak R then you’ll also need to use a mirror to

Rhoticity

ensure that your lower lip isn’t touching your upper teeth. Play with the following words:

arm park hark herb perm perk pork fork cork

When there is a silent ‘r’ at the end of a word, it might be helpful to use other words that end with

a vowel and encourage them to rhyme. For example, in RP the ‘a’ in ‘tuna’ rhymes with the ‘er’ in

‘tuner’. Notice that your tongue tip will be down, possibly behind your bottom teeth for the ‘a’ in ‘tuna’,

and encourage it to do the same for ‘tuner’. Play with the following words:

soda sadder villa pillar Donna donor gamma grammar ultra vulture

Fortunately, there are certain vowel sounds that are often associated with a written ‘r’, which should

not be pronounced. Here are some words that you could practice:

BATH (p.104) car alarm heart sergeant

THOUGHT (p.120) toward board or your

NURSE (p.96) assert work shirt earth

NEAR (p.145) beer weird fear pierce

SQUARE (p.157) scarce share air fair

CURE (p.169) endure mature obscure pure

SCHWA (p.92) forget survive nature colour

- What if I can still hear an R sound, even with my tongue tip down?

Some people, especially those who use a uvular R, do pronounce an R with their tongue tip behind

their bottom teeth. In which case keeping an ‘r’ silent relies on your awareness of the position and

movement of the back of the tongue.

Start by comparing the feeling of the position of the back of your tongue for the nal syllables in words

like ‘comma’ and ‘bomber’. Say both words a few times in your native accent. Listen and pay attention

specically to the differences in the height and position of the back of your tongue between the ‘a’ in

‘comma’ and the ‘er’ in ‘bomber’. Is it possible for you to make the ‘er’ in ‘bomber’ sound exactly the

same as the ‘a’ in ‘comma’? So essentially these parts of the words should rhyme. Take time to hear

and feel the difference between the vowel on its own in the rst word in comparison to the vowel

and R sound combination in the second word. Now play with these pairs of words:

Santa saunter Lama father half heart wall warn

> Anything Else?

- Linking and Intrusive R

In this section we have been focusing exclusively on the R sound in individual words. Once we move

on to what’s called connected speech (p.194), new relationships are created between words, and some

of these relationships involve the R. We’ll look at these in the section Linking R and Intrusive R (p.195).

Rhoticity

p.240

> Practice Words where the ‘r’ should be silent

here there where we’re were their her near your you’re

March September October November December compare never border

caregiver fever summer winter paper rather

> Practice Sentences where the ‘r’ should be silent

• Here we are. Our fourteenth anniversary party out under the dark blue skies.

• Cover your supper Matthew, your father worked hard to make it.

• The more we argue the further you push us apart.

• It is far worse to endure this hardship than I think you understand.

> Bonus Material!

Great news – there’s a FREE online video about Rhoticity at:

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com/lp/video-course

Rhoticity

phonetic symbol - m

15min

This sound is pronounced in words like:

mine more most remember September sombre I’m him them

> How is the M sound made in an RP accent?

The upper and lower lips come together and touch, the soft palate is low and vibrations travel into

the mouth space but the vibrations exit continuously out of the nose. The jaw is loose, the tongue tip

is behind the bottom teeth and the teeth are apart. This sound is voiced and belongs to the bilabial and

nasal consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you adding a B sound unnecessarily in some ‘mb’ spellings?

There are many words containing the ‘mb’ spelling where the ‘b’ is pronounced as a B sound (p.24),

as in ‘amble’, ‘cucumber’ and ‘number’. However, in some ‘mb’ spellings, the ‘b’ tends to be silent, as in

‘limb’, ‘comb’ and ‘numb’. Listen to the follow words, rstly spoken with a B sound and then with the

‘b’ silent, as they should be in RP: ‘limb’, ‘comb’, ‘numb’ ‘climbing’, ‘plumbing’, ‘bomber’ and ‘lambing’. If

you do this, go to

- Are you leaving your lips slightly apart?

Some speakers do not bring the lips completely together before releasing them, and subsequently

make more of a W sound (p.28) (or a sound similar to a V sound). This means that ‘men’ might sound

more like ‘when’ and ‘meet’ might sound more like ‘wheat’. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid adding a B sound unnecessarily in some ‘mb’ spellings?

A B sound is made with a sudden release of the lips. It belongs to the plosive group of consonants.

Whereas an M sound is more continuous and owing – the sound travels up into the nose.

Whilst there are some exceptions where the B should be spoken, a good way to start might be to

lengthen the M sound at the end of a word like ‘lamb’ and then slowly reduce the volume of your

voice - like turning down the volume dial of a speaker - so that the M fades into silence instead

of ending suddenly. It’s a bit like a little boat travelling out across the ocean, getting smaller and

phonetic symbol - m

p.241

smaller, gradually disappearing over the horizon. Whilst doing this, keep the lips together and avoid

any movement or release. Whilst the M sound is not as long as this in conversational speech, it

might help you to feel and hear the possibility of the lips staying still and the sound being longer and

uninterrupted. It might look a bit like:

lammmmmmmmmmmmb

climb thumb womb limb succumb comb tomb numb

- How do I encourage my lips to completely close?

The M sound is a nasal consonant, which means that at the end of a word like ‘him’, the vibrations exit

exclusively through the nose. If the lips do not come together fully, vibrations will also be coming out

of the mouth. You can tell whether the lips have come together fully by looking in a mirror. You could

also pinch and release your nose whilst extending the length of the M sound, and if the sound stops

when you pinch your nose and continues when your release your nose, then you’ve successfully sent

all the vibrations through your nose which means that your lips are completely closed. The tongue

tip should be behind your bottom front teeth and the back of the tongue should be low. Play the same

game with the following words:

mum mime maim me my more him hem home ham

> Silent ‘m’

There are very few words in which a written ‘m’ is silent, but they tend to be spelt ‘mn’ and are

variations on the word ‘mnemonic’ – nɪˈmonɪk. Whilst there is no conclusive pattern to follow, one

way to be sure is to look at the phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the M sound

M me must meal small lamp am came team warm

MM comment summer m

ummy summary recommend ME someone

came some home become come somebody sometimes mime thyme

Thames MB climbing thumb womb lamb MN condemn hymn

autumn column

> Practice Sentences for the M sound

• My mother was an amazing woman, not least because she made magnicent marmalade!

• This autumn I’m coming home to help Martha move out and make amends with Martin.

• His summation was amazing - it so clearly marked out the main problems that we face.

• Someone stole my shampoo and smashed my compass – I’m never coming camping again!

phonetic symbols - p and b

20min

These sounds are pronounced in words like:

pen post Paul people pepper open cup stop shop

bye bought bed amber labour cyber job tab pub

> How are the P and B sounds made in an RP accent?

Both sounds are made in the same way: the upper and lower lip meet, the breath or vibrations gather

momentarily before being released suddenly out the mouth. With both sounds, the jaw is loose,

the tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the teeth are apart. The only difference between these

sounds is that the P is voiceless and the B is voiced. Both sounds belong to the bilabial and plosive

consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you leaving your lips slightly apart?

Some speakers do not bring the lips completely together before releasing them, and subsequently

make more of a W sound (p.28) (or a sound similar to a V sound). This means that ‘Ben’ might sound

like ‘when’ and ‘pig’ might sound like ‘wig’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making the B sound more like the P sound?

Quite simply, you might be making the voiced B sound, especially at the ends of words, more like a

voiceless P sound, so words like ‘pub’ sound more like ‘pup’. Put your ngers on your larynx as you say

these words, paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration. If you do this, go to

- Are you making the P sound more like the B sound?

You might be pronouncing a voiceless P sound more like a voiced B sound, so words like ‘pay’ sound

more like ‘bay’, and ‘port’ sounds more like ‘bought’. Put your ngers on your larynx as you say these

words, paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration. If you do this, go to

- Are you using a glottal release for a P sound?

When a P sound is in the middle of a word at the beginning of a weak syllable, some speakers bring

the upper and lower lip together for the P sound, but simultaneously close their vocal folds. The breath

gathers in the throat instead of behind the lips. This is called a glottal stop, which is similar to clearing

P and B

phonetic symbols - p and b

your throat or coughing, except without the harsh release of breath. These speakers release the

lips but because the breath is held in their throat, the vocal folds have to release and then the sound

releases from the throat. Say the words ‘pepper’, ‘paper’ and ‘supper’ and notice whether or not you

feel breath gathering and releasing from your lips or your throat on the P sound in the middle of the

words. Now listen to the words, rstly spoken with a glottal release and then with a P sound as they

should be in RP. If you do this, go to

- Are your lips not releasing for a P and B at the ends of words?

Some speakers bring the upper and lower lip together for the P or B sounds, but then they don’t

release them at the end of a word, especially when the word is at the end of a phrase or sentence.

Some of these speakers might also simultaneously close their vocal folds. Put a hand in front of your

mouth and say the following words, paying attention to the presence or absence of breath on your

hand at the ends of the words: ‘club’, ‘curb’, ‘lip’ and ‘stop’. Listen to the words, rstly spoken with

a without the lips releasing and then with a P and B sound as they should be in RP. If you do this,

go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to completely close before releasing?

In some ways, before they release, the P and B sounds feel a bit like holding your breath in that the

breath for a voiceless P or vibrations for a voiced B are gathered behind your closed lips. Then the lips

release apart suddenly. This is just a way to experience your lips completely closing – the P and B

sounds in live speech are made in a subtler way. Play with the following words, and just as an exercise,

hold the P or B for a moment longer than you need to, so to ensure that your lips are completely

together, before releasing them into the following vowel sound:

post past peel pack pocket bus bump back behind bank

- How do I make a voiced B sound?

A P sound has a very quick release of breath afterwards, which is something to avoid when encouraging

your B sound to be voiced. Compare ‘pea’ with ‘bee’. With your ngers on your larynx (or gently

plug your ears with your ngers) encourage the ‘p’ in ‘pea’ to have no vibrations and a quick release

of breath after it, whereas in ‘bee’, encourage vibrations as soon as the lips release at the beginning

of the word so there is no release of breath after the ‘b’, just sound. B sounds at the ends of words

are very slightly different, insomuch as they don’t release vibration. For example, compare ‘sobbing’

with ‘sob’. Releasing too much vibration at the end of ‘sob’ might make it sound like ‘sobber’. Instead,

encourage vibrations to continue right up until the very last moment of the ‘b’, but nishing almost

as soon as the lips release. If you nish too early it sounds more like a P sound, so it’s a very ne line.

Play with these words:

crabbing crab suburbia suburb scrubbing scrub clubbing club

Another consideration might be that a voiced B sound tends to make the preceding vowel sound very

slightly longer in some words. Listen to this in the following pairs of words:

lap lab cap cab tap tab mop mob slap slab

P and B

phonetic symbols - p and b

- How do I make a voiceless P sound?

A good way to start might be to whisper words with the P sound. Whisper the word ‘pop’ and

place your ngers on your larynx, paying attention to the lack of vibration and the light and breathy

quality. Then repeat on full voice but encourage the ‘p’ at the beginning and end to retain this light

and breathy whispered quality. Also, remember that a P sound has a very quick release of breath

afterwards (whether or not proceeded or followed by a vowel sound). Play the same game with the

following word pairs, comparing the difference between the words with a voiced B sound:

pack back pit bit pin bin rip rib swap swab cup cub hop hob

- How do I fully release a P or B sound?

This is for those who don’t release their lips for a P or B sound at the ends of words, or simultaneously

glottalise. Most speakers avoid glottalising and full release the P or B sounds when they are on a

stressed syllable (p.174), as in ‘pea’ and ‘bee’. Play with the following words, encouraging the second P

or B sound to release in the same way as the rst:

pipe pop peep propose paper pepper plop puppy poppy

Bob bribe barb bulb blurb babe bathtub absorb

> Silent ‘p’ and ‘b’

There are many words in which a written ‘p’ and ‘b’ are silent, as in ‘receipt’ and ‘climb’. Whilst there

is no conclusive pattern to follow, one way to be sure is to look at the phonetic transcription in a

reliable dictionary. Here are some other examples:

comb plumb

er crumb thumb subtle womb dumb doubt

debt limb tomb lamb numb bomb cupboard pneumonia pneumatic

psychotic psychopath psychiatry psychology psychotherapy psychiatric

> Anything else?

This is a very minor detail, but in ‘sp’ consonant clusters (p.84), especially when they are at the

beginning of a word on a stressed syllable (p.174), the voiceless P sound is actually pronounced more

like a voiced B sound. So the ‘p’ in ‘spill’ sounds more like the ‘b’ in ‘bill’. Just ensure that the ‘s’ remains

voiceless. For most, this is likely to happen instinctively. Even so, play with the following words and

encourage the ‘p’ to sound more like a B sound:

spill spoke speak spark especially inspection space spoil

> Practice words and typical spellings for the P sound

P pen party park pass point punish people paper popcorn

apologise depend apart toothpaste soup lamp shop stop asleep

PE tape ape

rope pipe type escape scope envelope PP apple

pepper chopping disappearance stopping opportunity wrapping slippery

P and B

phonetic symbols - p and b

> Practice words and typical spellings for the B sound

B both bed bottle beard bag butter busy because

banana neighbour above strawberries maybe subject anybody

remember baby web job club grab scrub BE tube cube robe

lobe BB ribbon rubber bubble hobby rubble sobbing bobbing

> Practice Sentences (voiceless P is underlined and voiced B is in bold)

• Before I arrived, I promised Barbara that I would be brave and open about it all.

• The press are bonkers! They’re brutal, pugnacious and place no importance on privacy.

• Can you believe that Bill bribed Pauline to keep quiet about their abortion? It’s despicable!

• She has a powerful presence. Her policies are poignant and embarrass her predecessors.

p.242

P and B

phonetic symbol - w

15min

This sound is pronounced in words like:

well want what water wait will away white while win

> How is the W sound made in an RP accent?

This sound is made with both lips rounding, creating a small circular space through which vibrations

travel, and then the lips release away for the next sound in the word. This sound is voiced and belongs

to the bilabial and approximant consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you replacing a W sound with a V or R sound?

Some speakers replace a W sound with a V sound (p.31) or R sound (p.15). So instead of both lips

rounding and then releasing apart, either a V sound is pronounced (where the lower lip lightly touches

the underside of the top front teeth) or the tongue will move into your habitual R sound. Listen to the

following words: rstly spoken with a V sound, then with the R sound used in RP, and then with a W

sound as they should be in RP: ‘well’, ‘want’, ‘what’, ‘water’, ‘wait’, ‘will’, ‘away’, ‘white’, ‘while’ and ‘win’.

If you do this, go to

- Are you missing out some W sounds?

The W sound is not always represented by the spelling ‘w’, meaning that some speakers miss it out

accidentally. For instance, the spelling ‘qu’ is often but not always pronounced as a combination of

the K sound as in ‘kite’ and the W sound, in words like ‘quarter’, ‘liquid’, ‘square’ and ‘squash’. Listen

to these words rstly spoken with K sound, and then with a K sound followed by a W sound as

they should be in RP. However, not all words spelt ‘qu’ are pronounced like this: ‘cheque’, ‘conquer’,

‘marquee’ are pronounced with the K sound only. The only way to be certain of which words should

be pronounced with a W sound is to look at the phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary.

- Are you adding an H sound in ‘wh’ spellings?

Historically, some RP speakers would have pronounced an H sound before the W sound in the

spelling ‘wh’, so ‘witch’ and ‘which’ would have been pronounced differently. When some speakers

are taught English, the reference for pronunciation tends to be more traditional or historic, however

modern RP speakers tend not to continue with this variation as it is considered archaic. Listen to

the following words: rstly spoken with an H sound before the W sound, and then just with a W

phonetic symbol - w

sound as they should be in RP: ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘where’, ‘whip’, ‘wheel’, ‘wheat’, ‘white’, ‘while’ and

‘whether’.If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I make a W sound instead of a V or R sound?

For a W sound the lips start in much the same way as when blowing out a candle or sucking drink

through a straw. It’s also similar to when making a GOOSE vowel sound (p.161), but with slightly

rounder and tighter lips, and is similar to pouting for a kiss, except with a very small circular space

between the lips.

Pout your lips, and keep them pouted as you say the word ‘moo’, as if imitating a cow. Pay attention

to the feeling of both lips coming completely together for the M sound and the tongue tip remaining

behind the bottom teeth. Neither lips touch the teeth, as they are slightly pouted forward. When the

lips release for the GOOSE vowel sound in ‘moo’, keep them pouted forward with a small circular

space between them. Continue to pout your lips in this GOOSE vowel sound, and say the W in ‘woo’

by encouraging the lips to pout even closer towards one another (but not too close, otherwise they

will make an M sound). With this in mind, say ‘moo moo moo woo woo woo’. Hopefully you will now

be making the W sound accurately. So for an M, the lips are closed, for a W, the lips pout with a very

small circular space between them (before they release apart) and then for the GOOSE vowel sound

the lips pout with a very slightly bigger circular space between them. Play the same game with the

following words, saying ‘moo’ then ‘woo’ and then the word:

moo… woo… wound wand world wine wind witch work what wait

- How do I avoid adding an H sound in ‘wh’ spelling?

You will most probably be adding an H sound because of the spelling. So quite simply hear and feel

the difference in words spelt with a ‘w’ and encourage the same single sound for the ‘wh’ words:

wear where watt what wine whine witch which weather whether

> Silent ‘w’

There are many words in which a written ‘w’ is silent. Unfortunately there is no pattern for you to

follow although in many ‘wr’ spellings, the ‘w’ is silent, as in ‘write’ and ‘wring’; and those at the end

of a word, as in ‘grow’, ‘few’, ‘town’ and ‘mown’ might feel like a W sound, but the lips do not release

as they would when followed by a vowel sound. One way to be sure is to look at the phonetic

transcription in a reliable dictionary. The ‘w’ in the following words is silent:

two sword write wring wrap wrote wrought wrong wrinkle

> Anything else?

This is a very minor detail, but in TW and KW consonant clusters (p.84), especially when they are at

the beginning of a word on a stressed syllable (p.174), the W sound is actually pronounced as voiceless

and a bit friction-like in quality. This is in part because the T and K sounds are voiceless sounds (p.14)

For most, this is likely to happen instinctively. Even so, whisper the following words and you may

phonetic symbol - w

notice this quality. Say them again, only coming onto voice on the vowels:

twine tweet between twit tweed quite quit quiet quilt queen

- Intrusive W

In this section we are focusing exclusively on the W sound in individual words. In a section called

connected speech (p.194), there are new relationships created between words and some of these

relationships involve the W. These can be found on the section Intrusive W (p.196).

> Practice words and typical spellings for the W sound

W wait warm wife week web wish words world work water

weather wonderful welcome women awake awkward

microwave reward aware seaweed always WH whether what

where why O once one U (proceeded by Q or G) question

queen quarter quick quit quilt require frequent adj. liquid language

other spellings choir

> Practice Sentences

• Winter winds whistled through the wild and wide fenland of the Wash.

• Why would anyone want a world where leaders wage war without irrefutable reason?

• She is a wise and wilful young woman, who won’t take no without a ght.

• William never wants to come with me to watch a lm – he’s a bookworm; a wordy type!

p.243

phonetic symbols - f and v

20min

These sounds are pronounced in words like:

for ve from maa soften lifting laugh thief roof

vail vinegar Victor savings craving survey have gave move

> How are the F and V sounds made in an RP accent?

Both of these sounds are made with the lower lip lightly touching the underside of the upper front

teeth. The tongue tip rests behind the bottom teeth. For both sounds, the jaw is loose and the teeth are

loosely apart. The F sound is voiceless and the V sound is voiced and both sounds belongs to the labio-

dental and fricative consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you replacing a V sound with a W sound?

Some speakers replace a V sound with a W sound (p.28), which means that both lips round and pout

instead of the lower lip lightly touching the underside of the upper front teeth. So ‘vet’ sounds more

like ‘wet’ and ‘vile’ sounds more like ‘while’. If you do this, go to

- Are you curling your tongue tip at the same time as your lower lip?

A small number of speakers incorrectly lift up their tongue tip inside their mouth - in almost the same

way as an R sound (p.15) - at the same time as making a V sound. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the tongue tip raised and then the tongue tip down behind the bottom front teeth as they

should be in RP: ‘vail’, ‘vinegar’, ‘Victor’, ‘savings’, ‘craving’, ‘survey’, ‘have’, ‘gave’ and ‘move’. If you do

this, go to

- Are you making the V sound more like the F sound?

Some speakers make the voiced V sound more like the voiceless F sound, especially at the ends of

words. So ‘save’ sounds more like ‘safe’ and ‘leave’ sounds more like ‘leaf

’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making the F sound more like the V sound?

Some speakers make the voiceless F sound more like the voiced V sound. So ‘feel’ sounds more like

‘veal’ and ‘ne’ sounds more like ‘vine’. If you do this, go to

F and V

phonetic symbols - f and v

- Are you ‘blocking’ the F and V sounds?

Some speakers put their lower lip in the correct position for an F or V sound but tend to press their

lower lip too rmly into the underside of their top teeth and ‘block’ the space between their lower lip

and top teeth. They then release their lower lip suddenly, which makes a sound that is similar to a P or

B sound. So ‘vile’ and ‘le’ sounds more like ‘bile’ and ‘pile’, ‘vat’ and ‘fat’ sounds more like ‘bat’ and

‘pat’, and a word like ‘invaluable’ sounds more like ‘inbaluable’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing a V sound with a B sound?

Some speakers replace a V sound with a B sound (p.24), which means that both lips close and then

release suddenly. So ‘vet’ sounds more like ‘bet’, ‘vile’ sounds more like ‘bile’, ‘vote’ sounds more like

‘boat’ and ‘vowel’ sounds more like ‘bowel’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing an F sound with a TH sound?

Those speakers who tend to replace a voiceless TH sound with an F sound might accidentally

overcorrect and replace some F sounds with a voiceless TH sound. So ‘roof’ sounds more like ‘Ruth’,

and ‘deaf’ sounds more like ‘death’. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid replacing a V sound with a W sound?

Most speakers who replace a V sound with a W sound actually tend to make an F sound correctly

– so the lower lip lightly touches the underside of the upper front teeth, the tongue tip rests behind

the bottom teeth and breath travels continually between the lower lip and upper teeth. Compare the

words ‘few’ and ‘view’. Pay attention to the quality of the sound and feeling of the lower lip on the F

sound in ‘few’. Now, with your ngers on your larynx (or gently plug your ears with your ngers),

add vibration to the F sound and so long as your lips and tongue stay in the same position you’ll be

making a V sound, as in ‘view’. Remember to keep the lower lip relaxed as possible so the sound ows

out continuously. Play the same game with these words:

fan van le vile safer saver off of calf calve

- How do I encourage the tongue tip to stay down during an F or V sound?

A good way to start might be with words beginning with a vowel sound or an H sound (p.82) followed

by a vowel sound, that nish with an F or V sound, as in ‘if’ and ‘hoof’. Both an H sound and all vowel

sounds, in isolation, are made with the tongue tip behind the bottom teeth. Play with the following words.

Say them in two parts: rstly with the vowel sound or H and vowel sound only, paying attention to the

feeling of the tongue tip being behind the bottom teeth; and then say the word again encouraging the

tongue tip to stay there for the F or V sound at the end of the word, only allowing the lower lip to rise:

oaf if off half hoof eve of I’ve hive Hove have

F and V

phonetic symbols - f and v

Extend this exercise to words that begin with an F or a V sound. For example, say ‘ha’ followed

by a word that begins with an F or V sound, like ‘for’ – ‘ha…for’. Then repeat the word by itself

encouraging an accurate pronunciation of the F or V sound.

ha…for ha…ne ha…fail ha…vote ha…victory ha…vile

- How do I make a voiced V sound?

Firstly, it’s vital to be able to feel the difference between a voiced V sound and a voiceless F sound. A

good way to start might be to compare the difference between other pairs of fricative sounds, like

the S and Z sounds (p.41), which most speakers do instinctively. Lengthen the S and Z sounds in the

words ‘Sue’ and ‘zoo’ with your ngers on your larynx (or gently plug your ears with your ngers)

and pay attention to the feeling of vibration on the ‘z’ and the absence of vibration on the ‘s’. For the

voiced Z sound, you might experience a buzzing or tingling sensation not only beneath your ngers

but also on the tongue tip or blade. This is the same experience that you’re hoping for when saying a

voiced V, as in ‘vine’ and ‘vow’. Now compare the voiceless S sound with the voiceless F sound in ‘ne’

and ‘fate’. Fricatives can be lengthened, which might be useful in order to really feel the difference

between voiced and voiceless.

For those who struggle with making a voiced V sound at the ends of words, it might be helpful to play

with words that can be extended with a vowel sound or a sufx (p.189) for instance ‘save’ and ‘saver’.

The presence of a vowel sound after a voiced V sound tends to enable most speakers to pronounce

the V sound with vibrations. Now lengthen the V sound in ‘saver’, stretching it out in order to

really feel the vibrations and then immediately repeat the word in the same way but end with the

lengthened voiced V sound. Play with these words:

Having have solving solve leaving leave craving crave moving move

Another consideration might be that a voiced V sound tends to make the preceding vowel sound

very slightly longer in some words. Listen to this in the following pairs of words:

safe save duff dove Fife ve life live proof prove leaf leave

- How do I make a voiceless F sound?

A good way to start might be to whisper words with the voiceless F sound. Whisper the word ‘nd’

and place your ngers on your larynx, paying attention to the lack of vibration and the light and

breathy quality. Whisper the ‘f’, retaining the light and breathy quality but then say the rest of the

word on full voice. Play the same game with the following word pairs, encouraging the ‘f’ in the rst

word of each pair to be voiceless:

fail vale ne vine fast vast staff starve half halve off of

- How do I avoid making a blocked F and V sound?

Because ‘blocked’ F and V sounds are similar to P and B sounds (p.24), it might be useful to compare

them. For both a P and B sound, the upper and lower lip press together, breath or sound gathers behind

them, and then they release apart suddenly. P and B are part of a group of consonants called plosives

(p.315), along with T, D (p.61), and K and G (p.70). Their common characteristic is the suddenness

F and V

phonetic symbols - f and v

100

101

with which the breath or sound is released, unlike F and V sounds that belong to the fricatives group,

whose common characteristic is a continuous friction-like quality. See how lightly your lower lip can

touch the underside of the top front teeth. For an F sound, it is just breath that passes out of your

mouth through the narrow space in between the lower lip and top teeth. The tongue tip rests behind

the bottom teeth. Can you do the same with vibrations, which would make a voiced V sound? Other

fricatives are the S and Z sounds. Encourage the same sustained hissing quality in the S sound in ‘sign’

for the F sound in ‘ne’, and the same sustained buzzing quality in the Z sound in ‘Zach’ for the V

sound in ‘vacuum’. Play with these words: the voiceless F is underlined and voiced V is in bold.

for ve from maa soften laugh thief roof

vail vinegar Victor savings craving survey have gave move

> Practice words and typical spellings for the F sound

F face fair far fork feel fun ask ight oat oor our

y from friend frown fruit loaf brief roof self grief deaf

draft left soft theft swift FE knife life

safe strife wife

FF affair affect effort ofce different difcult ofcial suffer

effective dandruff sheriff handcuff staff cliff stuff off sniff giraffe

GH tough cough laughter enough PH / PPH phone graph phase

photo physics sapphire graphic nephew trophy alphabet pharmacy

autograph biography telephone physical

> Practice words and typical spellings for the V sound

V vain vase vote voice vow vent vast VE brave valve

drive drove gave eve ve crave wave live save move sol

give lovely above forgive receive achievement move creative

expensive objective sensitive effective negative positive F of

> Practice sentences (voiceless F is underlined and voiced V is in bold)

• Victor values the virtuous qualities of valiant young Vincent.

• Vivien had never dived into a river before she moved to Virginia.

• Fame is a ckle thing - I’d almost forgotten the feeling of being free from media focus.

• Enough photos, please – toughen up and phone for an autograph instead.

p.244

F and V

phonetic symbol - j

25min

102

103

This is the consonant sound at the beginning of words like ‘yellow’ and ‘uniform’, and it is often spelt

with a ‘y’ or a ‘u’. It’s called the YOD. It can be described as a liquid consonant which might suggest a

owing, moving quality from which a vowel can slide in to or out from. Most speakers say this sound

correctly, but it is particularly vulnerable to mispronunciation when followed by the GOOSE vowel

sound (p.161), as in the word ‘you’. So this section will focus on this specic sound combination.

The spelling of this combination can vary greatly, although it is typically spelt ‘eau’, ‘ue’, ‘u’, ‘ew’, ‘eu’

‘ua’ and it can be in a stressed syllable (p.174) and a weak syllable (p.183). What seems to inuence

the pronunciation of the YOD in this combination is the preceding consonant sound, so for example

the ‘th’ in ‘enthuse’ or the ‘t’ in ‘Tu e sday’. Here are some examples listed according to the preceding

consonant letter:

B beauty beautiful imbue bugle bubonic rebuke C cue cuticle

accumulate cute accuse cucumber excuse rescue acute peculiar

D due dutiful dune dubious dew duty duel dual overdue

E Eugene euphoria eulogy ewe F few fume fumigate futile funeral

fuel feud future refute refuse infuse curfew nephew fuse fusilier

G ambiguity ambiguous arg

ue ague H hue Hubert humid huge

humour humorous K Kew kudos askew L prelude salutation

value devalue volume M music amuse immunity immune mutiny

mutilate mute municipal amusement mucus mutiny mule N annual

new nubile news knew newt nuke nuclear nucleus continue avenue

revenue P computer pew impugn puny impunity impute puberty

repute pubescent pubic puke pewter pupil Q queue barbeque

S consume assume ens

ued T Tuesday tune latitude tuna stew

attune tuba tube tubular tutor astute studious iTunes YouTube

studio stupid institution constitution U ukulele uniform universe unity

uvular unit ubiquitous ubiquities unicorn use useless utopia unique

V view interview preview revue review Y yew you yuletide

Z presumed resume TH Matthew enthuse enthusiastic enthusiasm

> How is the YOD made in an RP accent?

The YOD is made with the body of the tongue rising towards the middle of the roof of the mouth

without quite touching. The tongue is like a little ball or hill in the middle of the mouth. The tongue tip

is behind the bottom teeth and the vibrations travel over the body of the tongue. The jaw is loose and

the lips and teeth are loosely apart. It is voiced and belongs to the

palatal and approximants consonant

groups. When it is followed by a GOOSE vowel sound (p.161), the tongue slides backwards a little and

the YOD

phonetic symbol - j

104

106

107

the lips round.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you YOD-Dropping?

Quite simply, you might not be making the YOD in these words so you will just be pronouncing the

GOOSE vowel sound (p.161). So instead of the middle of the tongue moving up towards the middle

of the roof of the mouth (the starting position for the YOD) before sliding backwards a little to make

the GOOSE vowel sound, the back of the tongue just rises upwards and backwards for the GOOSE

vowel sound. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the GOOSE vowel sound and then

with the YOD followed by the GOOSE vowel sound, as they should be in RP:

beauty cue eulogy few argue huge askew value music new

computer queue assume view presumed enthuse

If you do this, go to

- Are you adding a YOD unnecessarily?

Some speakers might be unsure of when a word with the GOOSE vowel sound should and should

not be pronounced with a YOD. For instance, some RP speakers might pronounce ‘suit’ with a YOD,

which might make you question whether or not to add a YOD in a word like ‘soup’. This would be

incorrect. There are patterns to follow, which are explained in the How do I change my Habits section

below. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the YOD, and then just the GOOSE vowel

sound as they should be in RP (p.161):

accrued choose June gluten slew plume ute

If you do this, go to

- Are you dropping the YOD or incorrectly adding a GOOSE vowel sound?

Some speakers tend to drop the YOD and/or incorrectly add a GOOSE vowel sound when the end

of a word is spelt ‘ulate’ and ‘ular’. All RP speakers pronounce these words with a YOD, and some

pronounce the following vowel sound as a SCHWA (p.92) and some as the FOOT vowel sound

(p165.). Listen to the following words, rstly spoken without the YOD (just with a SCHWA vowel

sound), then with the YOD followed by the GOOSE vowel sound, and then just with the YOD

105

the YOD

phonetic symbol - j

108

109

110

followed by the SCHWA vowel sound, as they should be in RP:

circular spectacular muscular rectangular irregular singular cellular popular

peninsula insular triangular confabulate circulate articulate gesticulate

calculate speculate modulate undulate triangulate strangulate coagulate

regulate accumulate formulate stimulate simulate emulate

granulated populate stipulate copulate encapsulate insulate ovulate

If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I add a YOD?

The YOD sound in the absence of a GOOSE vowel sound, as in ‘yellow’ and ‘yoyo’ starts in a very

similar way to the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) – the body of the tongue rising towards the middle of

the roof of the mouth without quite touching it. The tongue is like a little ball or hill in the middle of the

mouth. The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the vibrations travel over the body of the tongue.

The only subtle difference is that the tongue is a bit further forward in the mouth for the FLEECE

vowel sound. Depending on the following vowel sound, the body of the tongue then releases towards

the appropriate position. Play with this:

EE…AH EE…OR EE…ER EE…OO

The YOD is not as long as the FLEECE vowel sound, because it is a sort of transitory sound. In fact,

it can be described as a liquid consonant which might suggest a owing, moving quality from which a

vowel can slide in to or out from. When followed by a GOOSE vowel sound, the vowel sound slides

out of the YOD, as in ‘you’. Play with the word ‘new’. First, add a FLEECE vowel sound after the N

sound, making it an additional syllable: ‘nEE…OO’. Then say it much more swiftly, the FLEECE vowel

sound now becoming more transitory so as to bring the word back to being one syllable ‘neeOO’.

Play the same game with these words:

beauty cue eulogy few argue hu

ge askew value music new

computer queue assume view presumed enthuse

- How do I avoid adding a YOD unnecessarily?

If you are adding a YOD unnecessarily, the body of your tongue is rising towards the middle of the roof

of the mouth before the GOOSE vowel sound. Instead, the back of the tongue should rise up and back

in the back of the mouth after the consonant. Thankfully, there are some patterns to follow. Avoid the

following: adding a YOD in words where the GOOSE vowel sound is represented by the written

‘o’, as in ‘choose’; words where the GOOSE vowel sound is preceded by an R sound as in ‘accrued’;

words where the GOOSE vowel sound is preceded by a CH or DG sound, as in ‘choose’ and ‘June’;

and nally, words where the GOOSE vowel sound is preceded by a consonant cluster ending in ‘l’,

as in ‘gluten’, ‘slew’, ‘plume’ and ‘ute’. Say the GOOSE vowel sound in isolation, and then put it into

these words, encouraging the back of the tongue to move immediately into the GOOSE vowel sound

111

112

the YOD

phonetic symbol - j

113

114

115

116

position after the consonant sound:

accrued choose June gluten slew plume ute

- How do I avoid dropping the YOD or incorrectly adding a GOOSE vowel sound?

Focus on making the YOD followed by the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) – so the body of the tongue

rises towards the middle of the roof of the mouth then release down into the middle of the mouth for

the SCHWA vowel sound. Now put that sound at the beginning of the ‘ulate’ and ‘ular’ before putting

them into the following words:

circular spectacular muscular rectangular irregular singular cellular popular

peninsula insular triangular confabulate circulate articulate gesticulate

calculate speculate modulate undulate triangulate strangulate coagulate

regulate accumulate formulate stimulate simulate emulate

granulated populate stipulate copulate encapsulate insulate ovulate

> Any exceptions or variations?

- Are you YOD-Dropping when the YOD is followed by an S and L sound?

It’s worth knowing that when an S sound precedes a YOD, especially on a stressed syllable (p.174),

some RP speakers keep the YOD, some drop the YOD and some vary depending on the word. This

variation in pronunciation is part of the ever-evolving nature of accents. So whether you pronounce

the YOD or drop it in this specic situation, both can be considered correct, and so it is your

choice. Listen to the following words: the rst version is pronounced with the YOD; the second is

pronounced without the YOD:

S suit suitable consume assume ensue suicide

However, very few RP speakers would use the YOD after an L sound on a stressed syllable, whereas

they do tend to use it on weak syllables (p.183), as in ‘value’ and ‘volume’. Listen to the following

words pronounced without the YOD:

L lieu lute illuminate lewd elude luminous solution allude

- Are you using YOD-Coalescence?

It’s also worth knowing that when a T, D and S sound is followed by a YOD, particularly on a weak

syllable, many RP speakers, especially younger RP speakers, use something called YOD-Coalescence.

This is a technical term for when two neighbouring sounds merge into one sound. So the ‘du’ in

‘graduate’ would be pronounced as the single sound DG (as in ‘Jew’), the ‘tu’ in ‘creature’ would be

pronounced as the single CH sound (as in ‘chew’), and the ‘ssue’ in ‘issue’ would be pronounced as a

SH sound (as in ‘shoe’).

Whilst it is very typical to hear YOD-Coalescence on weak syllables (p.183), as above, there are some RP

speakers who would also do this specically with a T and D sound on a stressed syllable. This variation

in pronunciation is part of the ever-evolving nature of accents. So whether you pronounce the T and

117

the YOD

phonetic symbol - j

118

119

120

121

D followed by a YOD or use YOD-Coalescence in these specic situations, both can be considered

correct, and so it is your choice. Listen to the following words: the rst version is pronounced with

the YOD-Coalescence, and in the second version is pronounced with a T or D followed by a YOD:

T Tuesday tune tuna attune tuba tube tubular tutor

due dutiful dune dubious dew duty duel

This might also occur if the nal letter of a word is a T or D and it is followed by a YOD at the

beginning of the next word:

can’t you won’t you would you could you had you should you

In words where an ‘st’ consonant cluster is followed by a YOD, you might also hear some speakers

pronounce the ‘s’ as a SH sound in addition to YOD-Coalescence. I would discourage you from doing

this. Listen to the following words, spoken rstly with the ‘s’ as an SH sound with YOD-Coalescence,

then with the ‘s’ as an S sound with YOD-Coalescence, and nally with ‘s’ as an S sound and the ‘t’ as a

T sound followed by a YOD:

ST stew stupid studious stupor astute stupendous studio costume

- How do I avoid YOD-Coalescence for T, D and ST?

A good way to start might be to drop the YOD completely and say the T, D or ST as they would

usually be pronounced. So for the word ‘tune’ say it without the YOD so that it sounds the same

as the last syllable in ‘cartoon’. Pay attention to the quality and feeling of the T sound. Then add a

FLEECE vowel sound after the T, making it an additional syllable: ‘tEE…OOn’. Then say it much more

swiftly, where the FLEECE vowel sound is more transitory and brings the word back to being one

syllable ‘teeOOn’. Play the same game with the following words:

T Tuesday tune tuna attune tube tutor can’t you won’t you

due dutiful dubious dew duty duel would you could you

stew stupid studious stupor astute stupendous studio costume

> Anything else?

This is a very minor detail, but if a YOD follows a P (p.24) or T sound (p.61) or a K sound (p.70),

especially at the beginning of a word on a stressed syllable (p.174), the YOD sound is actually

pronounced as voiceless and a bit friction-like in quality. For most, this is likely to happen instinctively.

Even so, play with the following words, encouraging the YOD to be voiceless and only coming onto

voice on the vowels:

pupil puberty attune tube tuna queue cucumber cute

Also, there are some RP speakers who don’t use YOD-Coalescence with an S sound. They would

pronounce the ‘ss’ in ‘issue’, the ‘s’ in ‘sensual’ and the second part of the ‘x’ in ‘sexual’ as an S sound

(p.41) followed by a YOD and GOOSE vowel combination. This tendency could be considered as

more typical of traditional pronunciation. However, this variation in pronunciation is part of the ever-

evolving nature of accents. So whether you pronounce the S as an S sound or an SH sound in these

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phonetic symbol - j

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specic situations, both can be considered correct, and so it is your choice.

- Intrusive YOD

In this section have been focusing exclusively on the YOD sound in relationship with the GOOSE vowel

sound in individual words. In a section called connected speech (p.194), there are new relationships

created between words and some of these relationships involve the YOD. These can be found under

Intrusive YOD (p.197).

> Practice Sentences

• I’m dubious about Matthew’s new solution to imbue Hubert with enthusiasm.

• I presume your previous institution knew of your dual nationality?

• She’s very studious: she loves music, hates tuna, very humorous, and makes beautiful stews.

• His ambiguity about the future of Europe makes our arguments about the review infuriating.

p.245

the YOD

phonetic symbols - s and z

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These sounds are pronounced in words like:

sitting soon sign message sausage ossing sauce peace ice pass

zoo zip zero lazy crazy ozone buzz freeze breeze

> How are the S and Z sounds made in an RP accent?

These sounds can be made in a number of ways with slightly different qualities. One of the most

typical ways to make an S and Z sound is by creating a narrow space between the tongue blade and

the alveolar ridge. This space is almost like a v-shaped furrow running from the middle to the tip of the

tongue. The tongue blade doesn’t touch the alveolar ridge – the breath or vibration simply travels over

it. The only difference between the S and Z sounds is that the S is a voiceless sound and the Z is a

voiced sound. With both sounds, the jaw is loose and the teeth and the lips are loosely apart. For some,

the tongue tip is hovering close to but not touching the alveolar ridge, and for others it is behind the

bottom teeth. They both belong to the alveolar and fricative consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Do you have a lisp?

Aside from any accent differences, some speakers nd the S sound in particular difcult to make

because of a lisp, which also tends to affect the CH sound (p.77), as in ‘cheese’, DG sound (p.77), as

in ‘journey’, SH sound (p.74), as in ‘shoe’ and ZH sound (p.74), as in ‘pleasure’. If you have a lisp, this

section may well help you to understand and possibly even make progress with your S and Z sounds,

but it cannot offer you the specic guidance that you might want, in which case you might benet

from some one-to-one coaching.

- Are you making the Z sound more like the S sound?

Quite simply, you might be making the voiced Z sound, especially at the ends of words, more like an

voiceless S sound, so words like ‘buzz’ sound more like ‘bus’. Put your ngers on your larynx as you

say these words, paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration. If you do this, go to

- Are you making the S sound more like the Z sound?

You might be pronouncing words that should be said with a voiceless S sound more like a voiced Z

sound, so words like ‘sue’ sound more like ‘zoo’, and ‘sip’ sounds more like ‘zip’. Put your ngers on

your larynx as you say these words, paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration. If you

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do this, go to

- Are you replacing an S sound with a SH sound?

In the YOD section, you might remember reading about YOD-coalescence (p.38), where some speakers

replace an S with a SH sound (p.74) when it precedes a T sound that is followed by a YOD, as in:

stew stupid studious stupor astute stupendous studio costume

And some speakers also replace the S with a SH sound in STR consonant clusters (p.84), as in:

strain strip straight stripe strove stream astronomy strive stroll

And some speakers confuse words like ‘sell’ and ‘shell’, ‘sock’ and ‘shock’, ‘sake’ and ‘shake’. If you do

any of these things, go to

- Are you unnecessarily adding a vowel before an S sound?

Some speakers add a vowel sound, typically the DRESS vowel sound before a consonant cluster at

the beginning of the word that starts with ‘s’. For example ‘eh…special’, ‘eh…stranger’, ‘eh…scratch’

‘eh…spray’. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I make a voiced Z sound?

For those who struggle with making a voiced Z sound at the ends of words, it might be helpful to

play with words that can be extended with a vowel sound or a sufx (p.189), for example ‘buzz’ and

‘buzzing’. The presence of a vowel sound after a voiced Z sound tends to enable most speakers to

pronounce the Z sound with vibrations. Now lengthen the Z sound in ‘buzzing’, stretching it out in

order to really feel the vibrations and then immediately repeat the word in the same way but end

with the lengthened voiced Z sound. Hopefully you will have said ‘buzz’ with a voiced Z sound. Play

with these words:

laser laze pleasing please frozen froze easy ease

Another consideration might be that a voiced Z sound tends to make some preceding vowel sounds

very slightly longer in some words. Listen to this in the following pairs of words:

Lace laze base baize face faze race raise ice eyes lice lies

This might be another way to help you pronounce the difference between these two sounds.

- How do I make a voiceless S sound?

A good way to start might be to whisper words with the voiceless S sound. Whisper the word ‘so’ and

place your ngers on your larynx, paying attention to the lack of vibration and the light and breathy

quality. Very slowly, whisper the ‘s’, retaining the light and breathy quality but then say the rest of the

word on full voice. You might also notice that the vowel sound before a voiceless S sound is slightly

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phonetic symbols - s and z

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short than when followed by a voiced Z sound. Play the same game with the following word pairs,

encouraging the ‘s’ in the rst word of each pair to be voiceless:

peace peas bus buzz lacy lazy lice lies niece knees

- How do I avoid replacing an S sound with an SH sound?

A good way to start might be to say the ‘st’ in the rst line of words below without the YOD (p.35)

and in the second line of words without an R sound. Most speakers nd that the ‘s’ is then easier to

pronounce as an S sound instead of a SH. For example, say ‘steam’ then ‘stream’, paying attention to

the quality of the S sound. When reintroducing the YOD or R after the ‘st’, make the S sound longer

than you might usually to ensure accurate pronunciation:

stew stupid studious stupor astute stupendous studio costume

strain strip straight stripe strove stream astronomy strive stroll

- How do I avoid adding a vowel before an S sound?

Most speakers that add a vowel sound only tend to do so when the ‘s’ is in a consonant cluster at

the beginning of a word. Play with saying an S sound on itself own, and then elongating it into a word

that you struggle with. For example ‘sss…scratch’. Play the same game with the following words:

sss…scratch scrape scream stretch stream strap sprain sprite

> How should I pronounce the ‘s’ in sufxes ‘s’, ‘es’ and ‘ies’?

The ‘s’ in ‘es’, ‘ise’ ‘ies’ sufxes (p.189) are almost always pronounced with a Z sound (note that the

‘ise’ sufx is often written ‘ize’ in American English):

dishes boxes matches crosses buses wishes abolishes squashes

democracies zombies diaries redundancies societies obscenities

social

ise prioritise glamorise penalise ostracise capitalise galvanise

Whilst there is no reliable rule about when to pronounce the sufx ‘s’ as an S sound or Z sound, it

is sometimes true that if the sound before the ‘s’ is a voiced consonant sound (like B, D, G, V, Z, voiced

TH, ZH, DG, M, N, NG, L) it will mostly be pronounced as the voiced Z sound:

men’s women’s girls feeds owns begs emails letters meetings

If the sound before the ‘s’ is a voiceless consonant sound, it will mostly be pronounced as the voiceless

S sound:

shorts clocks hits shuts packs hooks icks meets eats its

Whilst there is no conclusive pattern to follow, one way to be sure is to look at the phonetic

transcription in a reliable dictionary.

It may also be helpful to know that there are words like ‘abuse/abuse’, and ‘lose/loose’ where the ‘s’

is voiceless for the noun/adjective but voiced for the verb. There are some exceptions, however, where

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phonetic symbols - s and z

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the sound is voiced for both noun and verb, such as ‘fuse’ and ‘bruise’. There are also many words that

depend on the voiced and voiceless distinction for accuracy of meaning, for instance ‘lice’ and ‘lies’,

‘lace’ and ‘lays’, ‘peace’ and ‘peas’, ‘mace’ and ‘maze’ and ‘rice’ and ‘rise’.

> Silent ‘s’

There are many words in which a written ‘s’ is silent, as in ‘island’. Whilst there is no conclusive

pattern to follow, one way to be sure is to look at the phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary.

Here are some other examples:

island isles debris isle aisle viscount bourgeois

> Practice words and typical spellings for the S sound

S sister sell salmon sat sit sun Saturday seen south sock

C central circle cycle receive decide fancy cereal specic cell

CE juice pronounce pace Greece ice prance pence SS cross

massive tness assignment necessity SC scent muscle fascinating

SE goo

se house purpose grease X (KS) experience excite expert

> Practice words and typical spellings for the Z sound

Z zone size crazy zoo zip horizon ZE amaze prize sneeze

ZZ jazz zzy puzzle SE organise cheese please whose because

close those supervise S has his was presume music reason

season president SS dessert scissors X (GZ) exert exalt exude

> Practice sentences (voiceless S is underlined and voiced Z is in bold)

• Simon, Sarah and Susan are ecstatic about starting summer school.

• This scooter is the fastest I’ve ever seen or experienced.

• Most citizens settle in one district for some time.

• I’m amazed at your brazen attitude towards the disorganisation of this present situation.

p.246

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S and Z

phonetic symbols - ð and θ

20min

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

thing Thursday thanks mathematics Matthew Bartholomew both eighth

these those there slither gather wither with loath seethe

> How is the TH made in an RP accent?

The TH sound is made with the tongue tip gently touching just behind or just under the top front teeth.

The body of the tongue is long and thin and its sides are not touching any of the other teeth. There is a

voiceless and voiced TH sound, and the breath or vibration should be able to come out through your

mouth around your tongue. The jaw is loose and the teeth and the lips loosely are apart. These sounds

belong to the dental and fricative consonant groups.

- When should a TH be voiceless and when should it be voiced?

Unfortunately there is no pattern for you to follow. One way to be sure is to look at the phonetic

transcription in a dictionary. Most speakers know instinctively when to use each sound and once you

have claried words of which you are uncertain, you will soon build familiarity and condence. Here

are some examples:

Voiceless Voiced

thing mathematics these with

thought Matthew this brothers

Thursday sixth then weather

throw bath that bathe

thimble path those loathe

> What do I do habitually?

The TH sound is not used in many other languages and so a lot of non-native speakers pronounce

the TH incorrectly or replace it altogether with another sound.

- Are you replacing a voiceless TH with an F, S or T sound?

Some speakers replace a voiceless TH sound with either an F sound (p.31) - so ‘thought’ might sound

the Voiced and Voiceless TH

phonetic symbols - ð and θ

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more like ‘fought’; an S sound (p.41) – so ‘thank you’ might sound more like ‘sank you’; or a T sound

(p.61) - so ‘both’ might sound more like ‘boat’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing a voiced TH with a V, Z or D sound?

Some speakers replace a voiced TH with either a V sound (p.31) - so ‘gather’ might sound more like

‘gaver’; a Z sound (p.41) - so ‘these’ might sound more like ‘zese’; or a D sound (p.61) - so ‘this’ might

sound more like ‘dis’. If you do this, go to

- Are you using a ‘blocked’ TH sound?

Some speakers put their tongue in the correct position for a TH sound but tend to press their tongue

too rmly and ‘block’ the space between their teeth, which completely stops the air or sound from

coming out of their mouth. They then release their tongue suddenly, which makes a sound that is

similar to a T or D sound (p61.), making it sound more like a plosive instead of a fricative. Listen to

the following words, rstly spoken with a ‘blocked’ TH sound and then with the fricative TH sound as

they should be in RP: ‘thing’, ‘Thursday’, ‘mathematics’, ‘both’, ‘these’, ‘there’, ‘gather’, ‘with’ and ‘loath’.

If you do this, go to

- Are you making the voiced TH sound voiceless?

Some speakers make a voiced TH sound more like the voiceless TH sound, especially when it is at

the end of a word. Put your ngers on your larynx as you say the following words - which should all

be pronounced with a voiced TH sound - paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration:

‘breathe’, ‘bathe’, ‘with’, ‘gather’, ‘soothing’, ‘these’, ‘those’. Now listen to the words, rstly spoken with

a voiceless TH sound and then with a voiced TH sound as they should in RP. If you do this, go to

- Are you making the voiceless TH sound voiced?

Some speakers make a voiceless TH sound more like the voiced TH sound. Put your ngers on your

larynx as you say the following words - which should all be pronounced with a voiceless TH sound -

paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration: ‘breath’, ‘bath’, ‘nothing’, ‘everything’, ‘thistle’,

‘thimble’. Now listen to the words, rstly spoken with a voiced TH sound and then with a voiceless TH

sound as they should in RP. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid ‘blocking’ or replacing the TH sound with other sounds?

If your habit is to replace the TH sound with another consonant or ‘block’ the TH sound, the two

most important factors are: to encourage the tongue tip to gently touch just behind or just under the

top front teeth; and to make the sound long and friction-like in quality. By focusing on how to avoid

‘blocking’ the TH, those of you who replace it with other sounds will learn how to make the TH

sound and use it accurately.

One way to avoid ‘blocking’ the space, through which you want this long friction-like sound to travel,

might be to encourage the tongue to be long and thin, ensuring that the blade and front of the tongue

are low. Another sound where the tongue is in a long and thin position is the L sound, as in ‘lie’ (p.57).

For an L sound, the tongue tip is touching the alveolar ridge, it is long and thin, and the sound can travel

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phonetic symbols - ð and θ

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continuously for as long as you want it to, which are qualities that you can apply to the TH sound.

Play this game: make an L sound but this time with your tongue tip gently touching just behind or

just under your top front teeth instead of your alveolar ridge (this is just an exercise and not how you

should normally pronounce an L sound). Keep your tongue long and thin and ensure the blade and

front of the tongue are not touching any of the back of the top front teeth or hard palate. This is almost

exactly the position that your tongue should be in for a TH sound. Say ‘lie’ with your tongue in this

strange position for the L sound and make the L really long. Now say ‘thigh’ with your tongue in the

same place, and elongate the TH sound. The breath should be able to travel freely and continuously

out through your mouth and the blade and front of your tongue should be relaxed and not touching the

back of your top front teeth or hard palate.

Remember a TH sound is a fricative, so it should have a similar length and quality to a V as in ‘vine’

and an F sound as in ‘ne’ (p.31). Play with the following words, using this adapted L sound to help

guide you:

loathe lathe lithe Leith lath

- How do I make a voiced TH sound?

Firstly, it’s vital to be able to feel the difference between a voiced and voiceless TH sound. A good way

to start might be to compare the difference between other pairs of fricative sounds, like the S and

Z sounds (p.41), which most speakers do instinctively. Lengthen the S and Z sounds in the words

‘Sue’ and ‘zoo’ with your ngers on your larynx (or gently plug your ears with your ngers) and pay

attention to the feeling of vibration on the ‘z’ and the absence of vibration on the ‘s’. For the voiced

Z sound, you might experience a buzzing or tingling sensation not only behind your ngers but also

on the tongue tip or blade. This is the same experience that you’re hoping for when saying a voiced

TH, as in ‘this’ and ‘bathe’. Now compare the voiceless S sound with the voiceless TH sounds in ‘thistle’

and ‘bath’. Fricatives can be lengthened, which might be useful in order to really feel the difference

between voiced and voiceless.

For those who struggle with making a voiced TH sound at the ends of words, it might be helpful to

play with words that can be extended with a vowel sound or a sufx (p.189), for instance ‘bathe’ and

‘bathing’. The presence of a vowel sound after a voiced TH sound tends to enable most speakers to

pronounce the TH sound with vibrations. Now lengthen the TH sound in ‘bathing’, stretching it out

in order to really feel the vibrations and then immediately repeat the word in the same way but end

with the lengthened voiced TH sound. Remember that the ability to lengthen is crucial in avoiding a

‘blocked’ TH sound. Play with these words:

soothing soothe loathing loath seething seethe writhing writhe

Another consideration might be that a voiced TH sound tends to make the preceding vowel sound

very slightly longer in some words, for example ‘sheathe’ and ‘sheath’. This might be another way to

help you pronounce the difference between these two sounds.

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- How do I make a voiceless TH sound?

A good way to start might be to whisper words with the voiceless TH sound. Whisper the word

‘thought’ and place your ngers on your larynx, paying attention to the lack of vibration and the light

and breathy quality. Whisper the ‘th’, retaining the light and breathy quality but then say the rest of

the word on full voice. Play the same game with the following word pairs, encouraging the ‘th’ in the

second word of each pair to be voiceless:

wreath writhe bath bathe ether either breath breathe

> Anything else?

Occasionally a written TH is pronounced as a T sound:

Thompson Neanderthal Thames Thailand thyme

> Practice words and typical spellings for the voiced TH

TH the these this then those that they though there rather

another either weather mother father clothing although

Northern Southern together booth mouth v.

THE breathe scathe bathe teethe clothe seethe

> Practice words and typical spellings for the voiceless TH

TH think thought thank Thursday thing thousand third thirteen

three thirsty thorough thunder th

erapy toothbrush healthy truthful

something author method nothing everything youthful authority

birthday sympathetic pathway cloth beneath earth tenth mouth teeth

strength north locksmith south both aftermath growth

> Practice Sentences (voiceless TH is underlined and voiced TH is in bold)

• Putting on her thimble, Beth threaded the needle.

• Father Benjamin sat in the cathedral listening to the thunder.

• Keith was a thickset man with thinning hair and crooked teeth.

• Both Ruth and Garth sat beneath the shelter, their teeth chattering as the snow thawed.

p.247

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phonetic symbol - ŋ

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

hang rung ring sang sing song thing king gong

emailing asking eating sleeping writing reading speaking

> How is the NG sound made in an RP accent?

In an RP accent the NG sound is made with the back of the tongue raising up in the back of the mouth,

touching the beginning of the soft palate which encourages the sound up into the nose. The jaw is

loose and the teeth and the lips loosely are apart. This sound is voiced and belongs to the velar and

nasal consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you unnecessarily adding a G sound?

The ‘g’ is almost always silent. If you add the G sound, you’re making two sounds, which we could

describe as two separate parts: rstly, the back of the tongue rises up in the back of the mouth, touches

the beginning of the soft palate, which encourages the sound to travel exclusively through the nose,

as it should; then secondly, the soft palate lifts – you may not be able to feel this, but if you slow the

sound down, the result is that the soft palate blocks the entrance to the nose, so the vibrations stop

and gather momentarily - and then the back of the tongue drops suddenly, releasing a G sound. It is

this second part that should be avoided. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with an NG

sound followed by a G sound, then only with an NG sound as they should be in RP: ‘hang’, ‘rung’, ‘ring’,

‘thing’, ‘emailing’, ‘asking’, ‘eating’, ‘sleeping’, ‘writing’ and ‘speaking’. If you do this, go to

NG sound G sound

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- Are you replacing an NG sound with an N sound?

Some speakers replace the NG sound with an N sound as in ‘nine’ (p.54) when it is written as an ‘ing’

sufx (p.189) as in ‘emailing’, ‘asking’, ‘eating’, ‘sleeping’, ‘writing’, ‘reading’ and ‘speaking’. This means

that the tongue tip touches the area just in front of the alveolar ridge (some speakers place the tongue

tip further back) instead of the back of the tongue rising and touching the soft palate. Listen to the

words, rstly spoken with an N sound and then with an NG sound as they should in RP. If you do

this, go to

N sound

- Is the back of your tongue not fully touching your soft palate?

Some speakers raise the back of the tongue towards the soft palate, but leave a small space in between.

This means that the vibrations travel through the mouth as well as the nose, so in a word like ‘song’,

the vowel is longer, slightly more nasal in quality and the back of the tongue raises up but doesn’t fully

touch the back of roof of the mouth and the NG sound isn’t fully made. Listen to the following words,

rstly spoken without the back of the tongue touching the soft palate and then with an NG sound

as they should be in RP: ‘hang’, ‘rung’, ‘ring’, ‘thing’, ‘emailing’, ‘asking’, ‘eating’, ‘sleeping’, ‘writing’ and

‘speaking’. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid a G sound when the NG is at the end of a word?

A G sound (p.70) is made with a sudden release of the back of the tongue. It belongs to the plosive

group of consonants. Whereas an NG sound without the nal G sound is more continuous and

owing – the sound travels up into the nose.

Whilst there are some exceptions where the G should be spoken – which we’ll look at under Are

there any exceptions? on the following page – a good way to start might be to lengthen the NG sound

at the end of a word like ‘sing’ and then slowly reduce the volume of your voice - like turning down

the volume dial of a speaker - so that the NG fades into silence instead of ending suddenly. It’s a bit

like the sound of sailors singing on a little boat that travels out across the ocean, getting smaller and

smaller, quieter and quieter, gradually disappearing over the horizon. Or the sound of a motorbike

fading into the distance. Whilst doing this, keep the back of the tongue raised up in the back of your

mouth, touching the beginning of the soft palate, and avoid any movement or release. Whilst the NG

sound is not as long as this in conversational speech, it might help you to feel and hear the possibility

of the back of the tongue staying still and the sound being longer and uninterrupted. It might look a

phonetic symbol - ŋ

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bit like:

sinnnnnnnnnnnnng

Repeat the same exercise with the following words:

hang rung ring sang sing song thing king gong

- How do I avoid the unnecessary G when the NG is followed by a vowel sound?

When the NG sound is followed by a vowel sound, the back of the tongue has to move down

into it’s position for the vowel sound. If this happens too suddenly you may be making a G sound

inadvertently. So the back of the tongue should release from the soft palate slowly.

Whilst there are some exceptions where the G should be spoken – which we’ll look at under

the subsection below Are there any exceptions? – a good way to start might be to lengthen the NG

sound at the end of a word like ‘sing’ with a nger on the top of your nose to feel the vibrations of

your voice travelling continuously to your nger. If you were to say ‘singer’, the vibrations should

continue, as you encourage the back of the tongue to peel slowly away from the soft palate. It’s a bit

like a drawbridge being lowered slowly in the back of your mouth. As your tongue peels down the

vibrations slowly release out of your mouth for ‘er’ – the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92). So if you are

pronouncing the G sound the vibrations to your nose will stop suddenly rather than gradually. Play

with the following words using the same exercise:

sang out bring up hang up song and dance wing it

This ‘peeling’ NG sound also happens within many words – here’s a useful pattern to notice. If the

‘-er’ sufx (p.189) is added to a verb making it noun, as in ‘singer’, or if the ‘-ing’ sufx is added for a

continuous verb form, as in ‘swinging’, the G should not be pronounced. Play the same ‘peeling’ NG

game with these words:

singer winger dead ringer clinger-on ringing banging swinging

There’s a bit more info on the ‘-er’ sufx rule in the section below entitled When should I pronounce

the G in an ‘ng’?.

- How do I avoid replacing an NG with an N in ‘ing’ sufxes?

Most speakers instinctively make an NG sound in words like ‘bring’, ‘ring’ and ‘sing’ where the NG is

not a sufx (p.189). So long as you are avoiding an unnecessary G sound, making a second NG when

the sufx ‘ing’ is added to these words is about repetition and rhyme. Say ‘singing’ and feel the back

of the tongue rise up in the back of your mouth, touching the beginning of the soft palate for the rst

‘ng’, and encourage the back of the tongue to peel away and then repeat the exact same movement

for the second ‘ng’. Play with the following words:

bringing ringing singing pinging inging winging wringing

hanging emailing asking eating sleeping writing reading speaking

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- How do I get the back of my tongue to fully touch my soft palate?

A good way to start might be to use other sounds where the back of the tongue fully touches the

soft palate, like a G or K sound. Say ‘gag’ and ‘keg’ to feel this. The only difference between the K and

G sounds in comparison to an NG sound is that the sound is stopped and released suddenly (K/G)

instead of passing continuously up and out through the nose (NG). Compare this difference in words

like ‘back’, ‘bag’ and ‘bang’. The back of the tongue rises and touches the soft palate for all three words,

but for ‘bang’, the soft palate remains low, so the sound continues to pass up through the nose. Play

with the following words:

lock long kick king Rick ring bag bang hag hang rag rang

> Are there any exceptions?

As most non-native speakers rely on spelling to help guide them towards pronunciation, the written

‘ng’ can be misleading when speaking in an RP accent. Whilst a written ‘ng’ is mostly spoken as the

single NG sound described above, here are some exceptions:

- When should I pronounce the G in an ‘ng’?

If an adjective ending with a written ‘ng’, such as ‘young’, adopts a comparative sufx (p.189) ‘er’ or

superlative sufx ‘est’, the ‘g’ should be pronounced:

young younger youngest long longer longest strong stronger strongest

If an ‘ng’ is followed by an ‘er’ or ‘le’ that is not a sufx (p.189), as in ‘anger’ and ‘angle’, the ‘g’ should

also be pronounced:

triangle angle bangle jangle tingle tangle single mingle jungle

conger hunger nger anger scaremonger gossipmo

nger shmonger

Other exceptions, where the ‘g’ is pronounced, are words like:

Congo engage congruent congregation

language mongrel anguish English England

- When should the N and G be pronounced as separate consonant sounds?

This is typically when the prexes (p.186) ‘in’, ‘en’, ‘un’ and ‘con’ are attached to the beginning of a

word:

ingrained ingratitude ingredient engage engrave engross

ungodly ungainly ungrateful congressional conglomerate congratulation

See each section on the N sound (p.54) and G sound (p.70) for how to pronounce these individual

sounds. Some speakers make a G sound more like a K sound. Follow the exercises on the K and G

pages to avoid this (p.71/72).

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phonetic symbol - ŋ

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- When should the ‘g’ become a DG sound?

Sometimes, the N and G sounds are separated (as above), but the G becomes a DG sound (p.77),

as in ‘jaw’ and ‘judge’. So in the word ‘danger’, the ‘n’ is pronounced as a N sound (p.54), and the ‘g’ is

pronounced as the DG sound. There is no clear pattern to follow, so you’ll need to clarify the word

of which you are uncertain in a dictionary. However, here are some common examples:

scrounge infringer danger exchanger avenger engine ingenious strangest

engender challenger ingest congested angel infringe

> Anything else?

There are many words spelt ‘nk’ or ‘nc’, where the ‘n’ is pronounced as an NG sound then followed

by a K sound, as in:

bank think thank stink ankle ank ink anchor sync uncle

> Practice words and typical spellings for the NG sound

NG bring hang ring rang strong thing wrong young

among hanger belong ING (sufx) being calling boiling clearing

evening lighting missing meeting morning during living playing saying

something nothing washing willi

ng N (followed by a K sound) bank drunk

stink think anchor blanket function puncture tranquil conquer

sanction distinct instinct punctuation

> Practice Sentences

• I’ve been asking Andrew to clarify the emailing and ling policies for months.

• Wearing Lycra and dancing madly is not something I feel comfortable doing in public!

• We walked along the river in Kettering on Sunday and it was snowing like mad.

• They rang every hour yesterday – I’m going crazy! It’s alarming! It’s infuriating!

p.248

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phonetic symbol - n

15min

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

new nine no ignite anonymous running been found line

> How is the N sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip lightly touches just in front of the alveolar ridge and the sides of the tongue spread and

touch the sides of the teeth and for some the inner sides of the cheeks. The soft palate is low so that

vibrations travel into the mouth space but exit out of the nose. The jaw is loose and the teeth are

apart. This sound is voiced and belongs to the alveolar and nasal consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you placing your tongue tip in a different place?

Placing the tongue tip in different places delivers a different tone and quality. For example, if your

tongue tip is behind your top teeth, that’s where the vibrations will gather. If your tongue tip is touching

the arc of the roof of the mouth, that’s where the vibrations will gather. And some speakers press the

tongue too rmly into whatever place that it is touching. Placing the tongue tip accurately is not as

vital for the N sound as for other sounds, but it would add consistency if the N sound were made

in the same place as T, D and L sounds (p317.). Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the

tongue tip behind the top teeth and then with the tongue tip touching the arc of the roof of the mouth,

and then with the tongue tip lightly touching just in front of the alveolar ridge, as they should be in RP:

‘new’, ‘nine’, ‘no’ and ‘name’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing an N sound with an NG sound?

Some speakers use the NG sound (p.49) instead of the N sound, especially with words that sound

similar. For instance, ‘sing’ and ‘sin’, ‘thing’ and ‘thin’, ‘king’ and ‘kin’ and ‘sung’ and ‘son’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you replacing an N sound with an M sound?

Some speakers replace some N sounds with M sounds, so instead of the tongue tip coming up

to the area just in front of the alveolar ridge, the lips come together. This might happen in words

like ‘translation’, ‘explanation’, ‘permission’, ‘submission’ and ‘superstition’. Listen to the words, rstly

spoken with an M sound and then with an N sound as they should in RP. If you do this, go to

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phonetic symbol - n

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- Are you dropping the N sound?

Some speakers in some words do not make an N sound at all. This means that on words where you

would expect this sound, the tongue tip remains behind the bottom teeth and the body of the tongue

doesn’t make contact with any other part of the mouth. The soft palate drops a little, making the

preceding vowel sound more nasal. This might happen in words like ‘France’, ‘dance’, ‘glance’, ‘lance’,

‘enhance, ‘advance’, ‘chance’, ‘séance’ and ‘stance’, as well as in words like ‘combination’, ‘solution’,

‘position’, ‘condition’, ‘exclamation’ and ‘provision’. Listen to the words, rstly spoken without the

tongue tip touching the area just in front of the alveolar ridge, and then with an N sound as they should

in RP. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my tongue tip to touch just in front of my alveolar ridge?

To notice the location of the alveolar ridge, slide the tongue tip from behind the top front teeth backwards

towards the alveolar ridge, and then continue up into the roof of your mouth. Focus on feeling the

contact between the tongue tip and the area just in front of the alveolar ridge. Then encourage the

sides of the tongue to spread and touch the inner sides of the teeth. This, along with a low soft palate,

makes the vibrations travel up and out through the nose. The L sound (p57.) and T and D sounds

(p.61) are also made with the tongue tip touching the area just in front of the alveolar ridge, which you

may already be making in the right way. Play with the following words and encourage the tongue tip

to stay in the same place for the N sound as for the T and D and L sounds:

toe dough low no tie dye lie nigh tame dame lame name

- How do I avoid replacing an N sound with an NG sound?

The NG sound (p.49) is made with the back of the tongue rising up in the back of the mouth, touching

the beginning of the soft palate. This is very different to the N sound, where the tongue tip needs to

lightly touch the area just in front of the alveolar ridge and the sides of the tongue spread and touch the

inner sides of the teeth. Most speakers will successfully make an N sound when it is at the beginning

of a word, so play with the following words and encourage the tongue position for the N sound at

the beginning and end of the words:

nun none nine noon nanny noun

- How do I avoid dropping the N sound?

Use the exercise and words from the subsection above: How to encourage the tongue tip to touch

just in front of the alveolar ridge to help you make the N sound, and then play with the words below,

encouraging the same movement:

Fran france Dan dance Glen glance loan lance hen enhance

van advance chin chance Stan stance

For those of you who tend to drop the ‘n’ at the ends of words spelt ‘tion’, a good way to start might

be to add a word beginning with an N sound after the word, for example ‘permission Nick’ to help

you hear and feel an N sound. Repeat ‘permission Nick’ but this time, lengthen the N sound in ‘Nick’

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phonetic symbol - n

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and keep the tongue still, without nishing the word. Hopefully you will have said ‘permission’ with an

N sound. Play the same game with the following words:

Have you read his translation Nick? Have your heard his explanation Nigel?

Have you received permission Natalie? What’s the date of the submission Neville?

It’s just superstition Neil. Where’s your ambition Nancy?

- How do I avoid replacing an N sound with an M sound?

Compare the word ‘mum’ – where the lips come together at the beginning and end – with the word

‘none’ – where the tongue tip should touch the area just in front of the alveolar ridge at the beginning

and end. The movement and placement of an N sound is very similar to a T or D sound. Say the

words ‘toot’ and ‘dude’, noticing the movement and position of the tongue for the T and D sounds.

Now say the word ‘none’ encouraging the same movement and position. Repeat the same exercise

with the words ‘at / add / an’ and ‘letter / ladder / loner’.

> Silent ‘n’

There are some words in which a written ‘n’ is silent, typically in ‘mn’ spelling combinations, as in

‘autumn’. There is no conclusive pattern to follow, so one way to be sure is to look at the phonetic

transcription in a reliable dictionary. Here are some more examples:

autumn Hymn column solemn condemn

> Practice words and typical spellings for the N sound

N never near news end count friend strange when NE wine

zone stone plane phone mine done gone routine migraine

medicine examine nicotine

NN connect channel winner dinner sunny

annual innocent beginning KN knee knew know knock knowledge

GN design assignment foreign sign

> Practice Sentences

• I didn’t know about this amendment until today – decisions like this need to be negotiated.

• Recently, the news doesn’t seem to comment on positive events, just non-stop gloom!

• We redesigned the assessments in order to align with the new education manifesto.

• Come to dinner on Sunday - we’ve got some news! Ben and Natalie are getting married!

p.249

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phonetic symbols - l and ɫ

25min

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

lizard Laura listen happily family cold peeled email bowl

> How is the L made in an RP accent?

There are two types of L sound in RP: a light L and a dark L. Both dark and light L sounds are made

with the tongue tip touching the alveolar ridge, and the sides of the tongue should not touch anything.

The difference between a light and dark L is the position of the back of the tongue. When making a light

L, the back of the tongue should be lower, creating more space in the back and middle of the mouth.

The body of the tongue is more scooped or curved up towards the alveolar ridge. But for a dark L the

back of the tongue is raised and much closer to the roof of the mouth, so there is much less space in

the middle and back of the mouth. The jaw is loose and the teeth and lips are loosely apart.

Both sounds are voiced, and they belong to the alveolar and lateral consonant groups.

Light L Dark L

> When should an L be light and when should it be dark?

A light L is used when an ‘l’ is followed by a spoken vowel sound, as in ‘lizard’, ‘Laura’, ‘listen’ and even

‘happily’ (remember that a written ‘y’ at the end of a word is often pronounced the same as the

vowel sound in the word ‘tea’). Also, remember that the vowel must be spoken, as there are a lot of

words ending ‘le’, where the ‘e’ is not spoken, as in ‘sparkle’, ‘tackle’ and ‘brittle’. In comparison, a dark

L is used when an ‘l’ is followed by a consonant sound as in ‘cold’, ‘peeled’ and ‘felt’ or when it ends

a word and is followed by a pause, as in ‘bowl’, ‘cereal’ and ‘email’. If the ‘l’ is at the end of a word,

consider whether or not it is followed by a vowel at the beginning of the next word, in which case

the ‘l’ would be light, as in ‘ll up’, ‘pull out’ and ‘feel awful’. When this happens, think of it spring one

sound to the next, to help with the rhythm and ow. A dark L is not always transcribed in a dictionary,

so rely on these rules to guide you.

the Light and Dark L

phonetic symbols - l and ɫ

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> What do I do habitually?

- Are you only using a light L or only using a dark L?

You might already be using a light and dark L in the correct places. But some speakers only use a dark

L - irrespective of whether it is followed by a spoken vowel or consonant sound - and there are some

speakers that only use a light L.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with only light L sounds, then only with dark L sounds,

and then both accordingly as they should be in RP: ‘lizard’, ‘Laura’, ‘listen’, ‘happily’, ‘family’, ‘cold’,

‘peeled’, ‘email’ and ‘bowl’. Record yourself saying the words below and compare it to the audio of

the words. When listening and repeating the words, pay attention to the sound and feeling of the back

of your tongue and notice whether it feels the same for all of the L sounds. The sound of a dark L could

be described as being dark, dull or dampened in tone and quality, because there is less space in the

back of the mouth. It is slightly more swallowed. Whereas the sound of the light L could be described

as light, bright, delicate or open, because there is more space in the back of the mouth.

lull loll Leal lilt libel label level

Also, pay attention to the shape and position of your lips, as this can really impact on the tone and

quality of an L sound. The lips should be relaxed and apart, as should the jaw and teeth. If you do this,

go to

- Are you replacing a dark L with a W sound?

If you don’t feel the tongue tip coming up on a dark L you are probably replacing it with a W sound.

Look in a mirror, say the following words and notice whether your lips are pouting and your tongue

tip remains down at the ends of words like ‘feel’, ‘all’ and ‘sail’. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with a W sound and then with a dark L as they should be in RP: ‘feel’, ‘all’, ‘sail’, ‘bell’, ‘email’,

‘call’, ‘feel’ and ‘towel’. If you do this, go to

- Are you placing your tongue tip in a different place?

Placing the tongue tip in different places will deliver a different tone and quality. Whilst it is not vital

that the tongue tip touches just in front of the alveolar ridge for an L, it would unify the L sound with

other sounds made in the same place, like the T, D and N sounds (p.317) Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with the tongue tip behind the top front teeth, then with the tongue tip behind

the alveolar ridge, and then with the tongue tip just in front of the alveolar ridge as they should be in

RP: ‘lizard’, ‘Laura’, ‘listen’, ‘happily’, ‘family’, ‘cold’, ‘peeled’, ‘email’ and ‘bowl’. If you do this, experiment

with your T and D (p.61) and N sounds (p.54), encouraging your tongue tip into the new position.

- Are you replacing an L sound with an R sound?

Some speakers replace an L sound, especially those followed by a spoken vowel, with an R sound

(p.15). An R sound is made with the tongue in a very similar shape to an L sound, except that the

tongue tip doesn’t touch the alveolar ridge for an R sound. If you do this, words like ‘leek’ might sound

like ‘reek’ and ‘lamp’ might sound like ‘ramp’. If you do this, go to

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phonetic symbols - l and ɫ

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> How do I change my habit?

- How do I change a light L to a dark L?

If all of your L sounds are habitually light, developing your dark L relies on raising the back of your

tongue. A good way to start might be to use other sounds where the back of the tongue is already

raised, as for a G, K (p.70), NG (p.49) and GOOSE vowel sound (p.161). Here are some words where

the dark L is preceded by these sounds. Say the words, paying attention to the feeling of the back of

the tongue on G, K, NG or GOOSE vowel sound, and then encouraging the back of your tongue to

remain high in the back of the mouth as you say the dark L sound:

toggle goggle haggle tickle tackle buckle

bangle tangle tingle ghoul fool rule

- How do I change a dark L to a light L?

If all of your L sounds are habitually dark, developing your light L relies on lowering the back of your

tongue. A good way to start might be to use other sounds where the back of the tongue is already

low, as for the BATH vowel sound (p.104). Here are some words where the light L is preceded by

the BATH vowel sound. Say the words, paying attention to the feeling of the back of the tongue on

the BATH vowel sound, and then encourage the back of your tongue to remain low in the back of the

mouth as you say the light L sound:

AH…lama AH…lava AH…lie AH…lime AH…light

- How do I avoid replacing a dark L with a W sound?

In a word like ‘deal’, you are probably replacing the L sound with a W sound (p.28). However, in

‘dealing’ the L becomes light because it is now followed by a spoken vowel sound, and your tongue

tip will be coming up. Say ‘dealing’ and then encourage the tongue tip to repeat the same movement

for ‘deal’, and you will have said an L sound. Your lips may still want to round for the W sound, even

if your tongue tip is coming up. Say the following word pairs whilst looking in a mirror and encourage

your lips to remain relaxed and open, and the tongue tip to come up and touch the area just in front

of the

alveolar ridge for both words:

dealing deal telling tell kneeling kneel hailing hail dialling dial

Saying an L at the ends of these words is success in itself, although it is now worth questioning

whether you are making the L light or dark. If it is light, look at the section above about How to change

a Light L to a Dark L.

- How do I avoid replacing an L sound with an R sound?

Unlike the R sound (p.15), where the tongue tip curls up and back without touching anything, the

tongue tip should actually touch the alveolar ridge in order to make an L sound. Here are some words

that contain both an L and R sound. Encourage this difference between the R and the L sounds:

rolling railing prowling rally Larry lorry lowering layering

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the Light and Dark L

phonetic symbols - l and ɫ

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> Silent ‘l’

There are many words in which a written ‘l’ is silent, as in ‘talk’ and ‘calm’. Unfortunately, there is no

reliable rule to help you know when an ‘l’ is silent, for example the ‘l’ in ‘milk’ and ‘helm’ is spoken.

However, words can be checked for their phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary. Here are

some examples:

calm palm half calf chalk talk walk folk salmon could

would should calve halve Norfolk Suffolk Lincoln

colonel stalk yolk Sherlock Holmes

> Anything else?

This is a very minor detail, but in ‘pl’ and ‘kl’ consonant clusters (p.84), especially when they are at

the beginning of a word on a stressed syllable, the L sound is actually pronounced as voiceless and a bit

friction-like in quality. This is because the P and K sounds are voiceless sounds (p.14) thus inuencing

the ‘l’ that follows. For most, this is likely to happen instinctively. Even so, whisper the following words

and you may notice this quality. Say them again only coming onto voice on the vowels:

play apply plan plate plug clock clap closed clean clot

> Practice words and typical spellings for the light L sound

L lake long lawn healing emailing failing ceiling singular boiler

LL pillow hello cellar jelly calling rolling lling bi

lling illusion

> Practice words and typical spellings for the dark L sound

L feel email boil eld child fault silk halt LL ball scroll

fell eggshell hillside full skill LE (word ending) sale acceptable

terrible hole vehicle wrinkle staple tackle angle wafe stole

> Practice Sentences (dark L is in bold and light L is underlined)

• The lake was set in an idyllic location, nestled beneath the hillside.

• Louise listened to the bells playing in the distance.

• Charles could not believe his luck when he won the lottery.

• Alex limped home holding his bleeding elbow.

p.250

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the Light and Dark L

phonetic symbols - t and d

25min

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These sounds are pronounced in words like:

to take tall better matter letter that hat hot

do dark done ladder shoulder shudder iPad had could

> How is the T and D sound made in an RP accent?

The T and D sounds are made in the same way, which can be described in two parts: rstly, the

tongue tip lightly touches just in front of the alveolar ridge and the sides of the tongue spread and touch

the inner sides of the teeth, and the breath or vibrations gather; then secondly, the tongue suddenly

releases down and the air or vibration is released as a T or D sound. For both sounds, the jaw is loose

and the teeth and the lips are loosely apart. The T sound is voiceless and the D sound is voiced and both

sounds belongs to the alveolar and plosive consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you placing your tongue tip in a different place?

Placing the tongue tip in different places delivers a different tone and quality. If your tongue tip is

behind your top front or bottom front teeth, the quality of the T and D sounds will most likely be less

dened, or ‘splashier’, because the tongue can’t gather and release the sound as clearly. If your tongue

tip is behind the alveolar ridge, pointing up into the roof of your mouth, the T and D sounds will have

a slightly heavier and throatier quality, because the tongue is pulled back. And some speakers press

the tongue too rmly into whatever place that it is touching. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the tongue tip behind your bottom front teeth, then with the tongue tip behind your top

front teeth, then with the tongue tip behind the alveolar ridge, and nally with the tongue tip just in front

of the alveolar ridge as they should be in RP: ‘to’, ‘take’, ‘letter’, ‘hot’, ‘do’, ‘done’, ‘shoulder’, ‘iPad’, ‘ha

d’

and ‘could’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making a D sound more like a T sound?

Some speakers tend to make the voiced D sound more like the voiceless T sound, especially when it

is at the end of a word. This is called devoicing – taking the vibrations away from a voiced consonant.

So words like ‘bad’, ‘and’, ‘found’ and ‘bowed’ sound more like ‘bat’, ‘ant’, ‘fount’ and ‘bout’. If you do

this, go to

T and D

phonetic symbols - t and d

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Note that sometimes a nal ‘d’ should be pronounced as a T sound. Whilst there is no conclusive rule

to help guide you in this, it tends to happen with some ‘ed’ sufxes when the preceding consonant is

voiceless, like the K, P, F, S, SH, CH and some TH sounds:

provoked soaked popped sipped scuffed stuffed hissed missed

mashed rushed matched scratched bequeathed unearthed

- Are you making a T sound more like a D sound?

Some speakers replace a T with a D sound, so ‘to’ sounds more like ‘do’, ‘toe’ sounds more like

‘dough’, ‘bat’ sounds more like ‘bad’ and ‘hat’ sounds more like ‘had’. Some speakers only replace a T

with a D sound when it is in the middle of a word on a weak syllable, so words like ‘better’, ‘butter’,

‘matter’ and ‘fatter’ sound more like ‘bedder’, ‘budder’, ‘madder’ and ‘fadder’.

Note that some RP speakers replace a T with a D sound when it is at the end of a word that is

followed by a word beginning with a vowel sound, like ‘got to go…’, ‘about it…’ and ‘that always…’.

This variation in pronunciation is part of the ever-evolving nature of accents. Some might consider

the pronunciation of these T sounds with D sounds more modern. So whether you pronounce the ‘t’

in this specic situation as a T or a D sound, both can be considered correct, and so it is your choice.

If you do this, go to

- Are you glottalising the T sound?

Some speakers replace the T sound with a glottal stop when it is at the end of a word, as in ‘at’, ‘it’,

‘but’ and ‘out’, or when it is in the middle of a word on a weak syllable (p.183), as in ‘better’, ‘butter’,

‘matter’ and ‘fatter’. A glottal stop is made when the vocal folds close completely and then release apart

suddenly, letting out a burst of sound. It is similar to when clearing your throat or coughing, except

that it is slightly gentler. Listen to the words, spoken rstly with a glottal stop and then with a T sound

as they should in RP. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing a T with a CH, or D with a DG, before an R sound?

Some speakers replace a T sound with a CH sound and a D sound with a DG sound (p.77) when

followed by an R sound, so ‘train’ sounds more like ‘CHrain’, ‘trouble’ sounds more like ‘CHrouble’,

‘drain’ sounds more like ‘DGrain’ and ‘drive’ sounds more like ‘DGrive’. This variation in pronunciation

is part of the ever-evolving nature of accents and can be considered more modern by some speakers.

So whether you pronounce the ‘t’ and ‘d’ in these specic situations as a CH or a DG sound, both

can be considered correct, and so it is your choice. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I place my tongue tip just in front of my alveolar ridge?

To notice the location of the alveolar ridge, slide the tongue tip from behind the top front teeth backwards

towards the alveolar ridge, and then continue beyond the ridge up into the roof of your mouth. Focus

on feeling the contact between the tongue tip and the area just in front of the alveolar ridge. Then

encourage the sides of the tongue to spread and touch the inner sides of the teeth. The breath or

237

T and D

phonetic symbols - t and d

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241

vibrations gather for a moment before the tongue drops suddenly. The sounds are released but not

forcefully. In an RP accent, the T and D sounds (p.61) are also made in the same place as the L sound

(p.57) which you may already be making in the right way. Although if your habit is also to replace

your dark L sound with a W, the words below may be challenging for this reason as well. Play with

the following words and encourage the tongue tip to stay in the same place as the L sound for the T

and D sounds:

felt melt belt salt cult guilt wilt silt bolt

shield eld bald scold mild fold wild called sealed

- How do I avoid glottalising the T sound?

A good way to start might be to pay attention to the feeling and sound of a T on a stressed syllable,

which most speakers will do instinctively. Encourage the tongue to repeat the same sound for the

other T sounds in the word:

teat toot tart tight taught totter tatters potato tomato

Also, you could play with this sequence of words. Say the rst two words together ‘tea…turn’

without a pause, feeling the tongue tip touch and release from the area just in front of the alveolar

ridge. Then say the second two words encourage the T sounds to be made and released in the same

way:

tea…turn teeter teet too…turn tooter toot tie…turn tighter t

ight

- How do I make a D sound voiced?

A T sound has a very quick release of breath afterwards, which is something to avoid when encouraging

your D sound to be voiced. Compare ‘bitter’ with ‘bidder’. With your ngers on your larynx (or gently

plug your ears with your ngers) encourage the ‘tt’ in ‘bitter’ to have no vibrations and a quick

release of breath after it, whereas in ‘bidder’, encourage vibrations throughout the word and for

there to be no release of breath after the ‘dd’, just sound. D sounds at the ends of words are very

slightly different, insomuch as they don’t release vibration. For example, compare ‘ladder’ with ‘lad’.

Releasing too much vibration at the end of ‘lad’ might make it sound like ‘ladder’. Instead, encourage

vibrations to continue right up until the very last moment of the ‘d’, but nishing almost as soon as

the tongue tip releases. If you nish too early it sounds more like a T sound, so it’s a very ne line.

Play with these words:

bidder bid ladder lad caddy cad daddy dad paddy pad

Another consideration might be that a voiced D sound tends to make the preceding vowel sound

very slightly longer in some words. Listen to this in the following pairs of words:

bat bad sat sad sight side right ride fate fade seat seed

This might be another way to help you pronounce the difference between these two sounds.

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T and D

phonetic symbols - t and d

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- How do I make a T sound voiceless?

A good way to start might be to whisper words with the T sound. Whisper the word ‘tot’ and

place your ngers on your larynx, paying attention to the lack of vibration and the light and breathy

quality. Then repeat on full voice but encourage the ‘t’ at the beginning and end to retain this light

and breathy whispered quality. Also, remember that a T sound has a very quick release of breath

afterwards. Play the same game with the following word pairs, comparing the difference between the

words with a voiced D sound:

write ride bit bid sought sword hat had cot cod fate fade

- How do I avoid replacing a T with a CH, or a D with a DG, before an R sound?

If you decide that you would prefer to avoid replacing the T and D sounds with the CH and DG

sounds in ‘tr’ and ‘dr’ consonant clusters (p.84), a good way to start might be to take away the R

sound after the T or D, so ‘tree’ sounds more like ‘tea’ and ‘draw’ sounds more like ‘door’. You might

notice the sudden and specic quality of the T and D sounds when they are on their own. Once the

T and D sounds are released, add the R sound back into the words, retaining the T and D sounds.

Feel the tongue retracting and curling for the R sound – slowly at rst. Play the same game with the

following words:

train trouble trial treatment attract tree trip trust try

dry drain drag drunk drink drop drank drought draw

You might also play with adding a vowel sound after the T or D, which again might allow you to pay

attention to the T and D sounds on their own, before taking the vowel sound out of the word. For

example, ‘train’ could be said as ‘terrain’, so you can hear and feel the T before taking the vowel away.

Play the same game with the words above.

> Silent ‘t’

There are many words in which a written ‘t’ is silent, as in ‘listen’. Unfortunately, there is no reliable rule

to help you know when a ‘t’ is silent, however words can be checked for their phonetic transcription

in a reliable dictionary. Here are some examples:

listen fasten often whistle castle Christmas softening

> Anything else?

This is a very minor detail, but in ‘st’ consonant clusters (p.84), especially when they are at the

beginning of a word on a stressed syllable, the T sound is actually pronounced more like a voiced

D sound. For most, this is likely to happen instinctively. Even so, play with the following words and

encourage the ‘t’ to sound more like a D sound – making sure that the S remains voiceless

stack stone stool stun stick astonish stink stench style

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T and D

phonetic symbols - t and d

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> Practice words and typical spellings for the T sound

T two talk take table today typical water visitor potato

Saturday nineteen coat light toilet supermarket TT better letter

butter shutter lettuce TE late bite taste route waste private

minute climate chocolate delicate separate v. opposite TH Thompson

Neanderthal Thames Thailand thyme

> Practice words and typical spellings for the D sound

D do done door doctor dinner down does demonstrate demand

difcult diplomatic discriminate disadvantage calendar reading birthday

hiding radio ready food

dad good loud bread DE side ride

rode attitude code lemonade altitude hide DD add odd muddy

teddy ladder shudder pudding bedding padded daddy cheddar address

> Practice Sentences (voiceless T is underlined and voiced D is in bold)

• Having nearly tripped on the stones, Tom tiptoed tentatively into the stream of water.

• Tabitha tasted the lemon tart she intended to serve for tea.

• Dot drank dark coffee and daydreamed about her date that night.

• Dustin dated Deborah, who in her defence was not as droll as he had been told.

p.251

T and D

30min

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> What is a syllabic consonant?

Generally speaking, a syllable is a single unit of speech (p.174). Typically, this unit of speech is made up

of a vowel sound, which may have consonants before and/or after it. For example: ‘at’, ‘to’, ‘bit’, ‘can’

are all single syllables. A syllabic consonant is a consonant that takes the place of the vowel sound

but is still heard as a syllable. There are many languages that use syllabic consonants, including British

English. Say the word ‘rhythm’ and notice that the second syllable is spoken without a vowel sound

between the ‘th’ and ‘m’. The articulators move directly from the rst consonant to the second, so

that the ‘m’ becomes a syllable all on it’s own - this is a syllabic consonant. Here are some other

examples: ‘blossom’, ‘vision’, ‘risen’, ‘channel’, ‘table’, ‘fashion’.

There are four specic combinations of consonants - especially when they appear at the end of a

word - that need more attention: DN as in ‘hidden’, TN as in ‘button’, DL as in ‘muddle’ and TL as

in ‘bottle’. There is variation amongst RP speakers as to how these combinations are pronounced.

Some pronounce them with a vowel sound in between the consonants, some elide the vowel sound

and make the N and L syllabic consonants, and some do a bit of both for different words without

following any particular pattern, despite some words being written with a vowel in between. Listen

to the following words spoken twice: the rst version is pronounced with a vowel in between the

consonants; in the second version the N or L is pronounced as a syllabic consonant:

DN hidden ridden sudden hadn’t couldn’t shouldn’t

TN button bitten cotton mutton forgotten atten

DL muddle  ddle cuddle paddle model middle

TL bottle battle skittle rattle kettle hospital

- Which is the correct way?

Fortunately there is no correct way, these are just variations, as there are in all accents. These

variations can occur for many reasons: historic, socio-cultural, economic, linguistic, political, religious

and so on. Some variations can suggest certain stereotypes to do with class, education, profession,

wealth and intelligence - which are often harmful and misleading. However, regarding the DN, TN,

DL, and TL, the rst version is as correct as the second version – so it is really just your choice.

Most speakers nd the rst version - adding the vowel - easier to pronounce; most speakers can do

without any difculty, so long as they know that the vowel in between is typically a SCHWA vowel

sound (p.92) So, you may just want to move on to another section. Whereas the second version – N

and L as syllabic consonants – is often less familiar, so this will be our focus.

> How are the DN and TN made in an RP accent?

When the N sound (p.54) becomes a syllabic consonant in DN and TN combinations, the D and T

sounds (p.61) start as they would normally – the tongue tip lightly touches just in front of the alveolar

ridge, the sides of the tongue spread and touch the inner sides of the teeth, the soft palate lifts blocking

the entrance to the nose, and the vibrations or breath gather respectively. However, instead of the

tongue tip releasing down – as for a normal D or T sound - the tongue tip and sides of the tongue stay

completely still, continuing to touch the alveolar ridge and the insides of the cheeks, the soft palate

drops and the vibrations are released out of the nose as an N sound. So essentially, the tongue tip

goes up to make a D or T as usual, but then doesn’t release. It stays completely still and instead the

soft palate drops, releasing the sound up the nose. With both sounds, the jaw is loose and the teeth

and the lips are loosely apart.

Syllabic Consonants

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D / T N

> How is the DL and TL made in an RP accent?

When the L sound (p.57) becomes a syllabic consonant in DL and TL combinations, the D and T

sounds start as they would normally – the tongue tip lightly touches just in front of the alveolar ridge,

the sides of the tongue spread and touch the inner sides of the teeth, the soft palate lifts blocking the

entrance to the nose, and the vibrations or breath gather respectively. However, instead of the tongue

tip releasing down – as for a normal D or T sound - the tongue tip stays completely still, continuing

to touch the alveolar ridge, but then the sides of the tongue release away from the inner sides of the

teeth, and the vibrations release around the side of the tongue and out of the mouth for the dark L

sound. So essentially, the tongue tip goes up to make a D or T as usual, but then doesn’t release. It

stays completely still and instead the sides of the tongue provide the release of vibrations out of the

mouth for the L sound. With both sounds, the jaw is loose and the teeth and the lips are loosely apart.

D / T dark L

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you adding a vowel between the two consonants?

As was mentioned earlier, you might simply be adding a vowel sound in between the two consonants.

This means that your tongue tip comes up for the D or T sounds and then releases down for a vowel

sound before coming back up again for the N or L sound, in words like ‘hidden’, ‘button’, ‘muddle’

and ‘bottle’. Listen again to the words, rstly spoken with a vowel sound in between and then with a

syllabic consonant. If you do this, go to

Syllabic Consonants

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- Are you placing your tongue tip in a different place for the T and D?

If you are able to pronounce these syllabic consonants successfully, the placement of the tongue tip

for the T and D is not as important as when they are made on their own. However, for consistency

with other consonants made in the same place, it might be useful to place the tongue tip on the area

just in front of the alveolar ridge for the T and D sounds, as well as for the N and L sounds. Listen to

the very subtle differences in the pronunciation of the following words, rstly spoken with the tongue

tip touching the back of the top front teeth, and then with it on the area just in behind the alveolar ridge,

and then with it just in front of the alveolar ridge as they should be in RP: ‘hidden’, ‘button’, ‘muddle’

and ‘bottle’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the dark L with a W sound?

The syllabic L in a DL and TL combination should be a dark L sound. Some of you may have discovered

that you habitually replace a dark L sound with a W sound. Revisit the L sound (p.57) This means

that currently your tongue tip releases down for the T or D sound, and then stays down whilst your

lips round for a W sound. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with a DW and TW sound

combination, then with the D-vowel-L and T-vowel-L combination, and nally with an L sound as a

syllabic consonant: ‘muddle’, ‘cuddle’, ‘bottle’ and ‘kettle’. If you do this, go to

- Are you glottalising the T?

Some speakers replace the T sound with a glottal stop. Revisit T and D (p.61). A glottal stop is made

when the vocal folds close completely and then release apart suddenly – like throat-clearing or

coughing. This means that when you say a TN or TL, your tongue tip stays down for the T, the vocal

folds close and release apart suddenly and then the tongue tip comes up and touches the alveolar ridge

for the N or L sound. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with a glottal stop and then with

the T sound as they should be in RP: ‘button’, ‘kitten’, ‘rattle’ and ‘bottle’. And speakers that do this

might also replace the L sound with a W sound, as described above. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

To avoid adding a vowel between the two consonants it’s just as vital that the tongue tip continues to

touch the alveolar ridge, as it is to avoid the glottal stop on the T sound. Equally it’s just as important

to avoid replacing the dark L sound with a W sound (p.58).

Interestingly, when most speakers say the words ‘kidnap’ and ‘bedlam’, they make the N and L sounds

syllabic. This is in part because these are two-syllable words. If a vowel sound were added between

the ‘dn’ and ‘dl’ they would become three-syllable words, which would be incorrect. If you are saying

these words correctly, you might be able to transfer this experience into other words. However, if

you do release your tongue tip for the D in these words, then really focus on keeping the tongue tip

touching the alveolar ridge throughout, only releasing after the N or L sound. Let’s acknowledge that it

may feel very strange to do this, but it is the most effective means by which to achieve these sounds.

As an exercise, consider slowing down the movements, to help you really hear and feel what is

happening. For the TN and DN, if you keep the tongue completely still, the vibrations are gathered and

something else has to happen in order for them to release. If the sound can’t go out of your mouth,

it has to go up through nose. As you attempt to allow this to happen, you might feel a clicking release

in the back of the nose – that’s the soft palate dropping. Speed this up and encourage this new sound

Syllabic Consonants

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and feeling to happen in all of the TN and DN words below. For the TL and DL, let the vibrations

gather behind the tongue in the same way, but somehow you’ve got to allow the vibrations out of

your mouth, without allow the tongue tip to release away from the alveolar ridge. As you attempt to

allow this to happen, you might feel a clicking release into your cheeks – that’s the sides of the tongue

releasing away from the inner sides of the teeth. Speed this up and encourage this new sound and

feeling to happen in all of the TN and DN words below.

DN hidden ridden sudden hadn’t couldn’t shouldn’t

TN button Britain cotton mutton forgotten atten

DL muddle  ddle cuddle paddle model middle

TL bottle battle skittle rattle kettle hospital

> Anything Else?

- What about when there is a DN, TN, DL and TL between two words?

These combinations of consonants can also occur between two words and can be pronounced in

the same way:

I had no idea sit next to me hold Laura’s hand I got lost

- Words ending ‘-tality’

In some words, the vowel sound should be pronounced, especially those spelt ‘tal’, which is the

primary stressed syllable (p.182) when the sufx (p.189) ‘ity’ is added:

fatal fatality brutal brutality immortal immortality sentimental sentimentality

hospital hospitality total totality mental mentality

> Practice words and typical spellings for the DN and TN sounds

DN saddened widen garden pardon Jordan wouldn’t madden

TN rotten bitten threaten skeleton written Samaritan gluten

> Practice words and typical spellings for the DL and TL sounds

DL saddle riddle pedal medal scandal idol idle noodle ladle

TL gentle metal settle prattle throttle it’ll that’ll petal battle

> Practice Sentences

It’ll never be settled if such brittle evidence is submitted – your entitlement will be lost.

The badly curdled sauce was ladled out over the oddly shaped sh.

A student at Eton had written about a man bitten by a frightened kitten.

Broadening each lane and widening the road eased the burden of trafc no end.

p.252

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Syllabic Consonants

phonetic symbols - k and g

20min

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These sounds are pronounced in words like:

can coat key sticker rocking blocking sack back lock

give go gone gure blogging magazine bag big rug

> How are the K and G sounds made in an RP accent?

Both sounds are made in the same way: the back of the tongue rises up and meets the beginning of the

soft palate, which lifts to close off the entrance to the nose. The breath or vibrations gather behind the

back of the tongue, before being released suddenly as the back of the tongue drops down away from

the soft palate. The only difference between these sounds is that the K is voiceless and the G is voiced.

With both sounds, the jaw is loose, the tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the teeth are apart.

Both sounds belong to the velar and plosive consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you making the G sound more like the K sound?

Quite simply, you might be making the voiced G sound, especially at the ends of words, more like

a voiceless K sound, so words like ‘bag’ sound more like ‘back’. Put your ngers on your larynx as

you say these words, paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration. In the section on

the NG sound (p.49) we identify some words spelt with an ‘ng’ as is ‘anger’ where the ‘g’ should be

pronounced. If you tend to devoice the G sound in a word like ‘bag’, you might also pronounce the

‘g’ in ‘anger’ more like the voiceless K sound in ‘anchor’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making the K sound more like the G sound?

You might be pronouncing words that should be said with a voiceless K sound more like a voiced G

sound, so words like ‘cot’ sound more like ‘got’, and ‘crate’ sounds more like ‘great’. Put your ngers

on your larynx as you say these words, paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration. If

you do this, go to

- Are you using a glottal release for a K sound?

When a K sound is in the middle of a word on a weak syllable (p.183), some speakers bring the back

of the tongue and soft palate together for a K sound, but simultaneously close their vocal folds. The

breath gathers in the throat instead of behind the

back of the tongue. This is called a glottal stop, which

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phonetic symbols - k and g

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is similar to clearing your throat or coughing, except without the harsh release of breath. These

speakers release the back of the tongue, but because the breath is held in their throat, the vocal folds

have to release and then the sound releases from the throat. Say the words ‘sticker’, ‘stacking’ and

‘cracker’ and notice whether or not you feel breath gathering and releasing from the back of the

tongue or throat on the K sound in the middle of the words. Now listen to the words, rstly spoken

with a glottal release and then with a K sound as they should in RP. If you do this, go to

- Are you not releasing the K or G sounds fully?

Some speakers bring the back of the tongue and soft palate together for the K or G sound, but they

don’t release them at the end of a word, especially when the word is at the end of a phrase or

sentence. Some of these speakers might also be simultaneously closing the vocal folds. Put a hand in

front of your mouth and say the following words, paying attention to the presence or absence of

breath on your hand at the ends of the words: ‘sock’, ‘sack’, ‘g’ and ‘rag’. Listen to the words, rstly

spoken with a without being released and then with a K and G sound as they should in RP. If you do

this, go to

- Are you making the K and G sounds with the middle of your tongue on the roof of your mouth?

Some speakers make these sounds with the middle of the tongue touching the middle of the roof of the

mouth, instead of the back of the tongue touching the back of the roof of the mouth. This pronunciation

of the K and G produces a slightly different quality and tone. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the middle of the tongue touching the middle of the roof of the mouth and then with the

back of the tongue touching the back of the roof of the mouth as they should be in RP: ‘sock’, ‘pack’, ‘big’

and ‘bag’. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I make a voiced G sound?

A K sound has a very quick release of breath afterwards, which is something to avoid when

encouraging your G sound to be voiced. Compare ‘cot’ with ‘got’. With your ngers on your larynx

(or gently plug your ears with your ngers) encourage the ‘c’ in ‘cot’ to have no vibrations and a

quick release of breath after it, whereas in ‘got’, encourage vibrations as soon as the back of the tongue

releases away from the soft palate at the beginning of the word, so there is no release of breath after

the ‘g’, just sound. G sounds at the ends of words are very slightly different, insomuch as they don’t

release vibration. For example, compare ‘bigger’ with ‘big’. Releasing too much vibration at the end

of ‘big’ might make it sound like ‘bigger’. Instead, encourage vibrations to continue right up until the

very last moment of the ‘g’, but nishing almost as soon as the back of the tongue releases away from

the soft palate. If you nish too early it sounds more like a K sound, so it’s a very ne line. Play with

these words:

blogger blog bigger big tagging tag slogging slog

Another consideration might be that a voiced G sound tends to make the preceding vowel sound

very slightly longer in some words. Listen to this in the following pairs of words:

back bag sack sag ack ag luck lug crack crag

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phonetic symbols - k and g

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For those of you who also do this with an ‘ng’ where the G should be pronounced, as in ‘stronger’,

a good way to start might be to take off the ‘er’ for a moment and add a word beginning with a G

sound, for example ‘strong girl’ to hear and feel a G sound. Repeat ‘strong girl’ but this time leave off

the ‘l’ at the end. If you shorten the vowel sound after the G sound, you will have said ‘stronger’ with

a voiced G. Play the same game with the following words:

strong girl strong gir stronger young girl young gir yonger long girl long gir longer

- How do I make a voiceless K sound?

A good way to start might be to whisper words with the K sound. Whisper the word ‘crack’ and

place your ngers on your larynx, paying attention to the lack of vibration and the light and breathy

quality. Then repeat on full voice but encourage the ‘c’ at the beginning and ‘ck’ at the end to retain

this light and breathy whispered quality. Also, remember that a K sound has a very quick release

of breath afterwards. Play the same game with the following word pairs, comparing the difference

between these words and those with a voiced G sound:

pick pig sack sag crack crag back bag

- How do I avoid simultaneously glottalising a K or not releasing a K or G sound?

Most speakers release the K or G sound accurately when they are on a stressed syllable (p.174), as in

‘code’ and ‘goad’. Play with the following words, encouraging the second K or G sound to release in

the same way as the rst:

crank kink croak cocoon conker cracker crook cacophony

gag agog gig Geiger gaggle giggle gogg

les

- How do I make and release the K and G sounds with the back of my tongue and soft palate?

Using a mirror and a little torch look inside your mouth and say the word ‘arc’ – remember that the

‘r’ is not pronounced (p.19). Pay attention to the back of the tongue, which should remain low and

at on the ‘ar’ – the BATH vowel sound (p.104). On the ‘c’ encourage the back of the tongue instead

of the middle of the tongue to rise and close against the back of the roof of the mouth instead of the

middle. Then the back of the tongue drops down suddenly releasing the K sound. Repeat the word

‘arc’ but this time release the K sound into the word ‘car’, so say ‘arc car’ without separating the

words. Now play with this - ‘arg’ isn’t a real word, but repeat the same exercise as above, this time

releasing the G sound into ‘guardian’ so say ‘arg guardian’. Play the same game with the following

words, saying ‘arc’ or ‘arg’ accordingly:

calm card cardigan carnage carp carbon Carl calf

guard garden garnish garb Gareld garn gargle

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phonetic symbols - k and g

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> Silent ‘k’ and ‘g’

There are many words in which a written ‘k’ and ‘g’ are silent, as in ‘sign’ and ‘knife’. Whilst there is no

conclusive pattern to follow, one way to be sure is to look at the phonetic transcription in a reliable

dictionary. Here are some other examples:

GN gnaw feign sign campaign reign foreign align gnash

champagne assign design gnome gnarl cologne benign gnat resign

GH through thorough borough bough

KN knob knickers know knock knead knight knot knee

knuckle knit knowledge knack knew knife

> Anything else?

This is a very minor detail, but in ‘sk’ and ‘sc’ consonant clusters (p.84), especially at the beginning

of a word on a stressed syllable (p.174), the voiceless K sound is actually pronounced more like a

voiced G sound. So the ‘k’ in ‘skate’ sounds more like the ‘g’ in ‘gate’. For most, this is likely to happen

instinctively. Even so, play with the following words and encourage the ‘k’ to sound more like a voiced

G sound, ensuring that the S sound remains voiceless:

sky scale skate skim Skype school ski scan scooter

> Practice words and typical spellings for the G sound

G game growl lo

g slug GG tagged egg luggage struggle

GH ghost spaghetti GU guilt guide disguise guarantee

GUE dialogue intrigue vague X (pronounced GZ) examine exotic

example exit (can be pronounced GZ or KS)

> Practice words and typical spellings for the K sound

C can cool cod cot K kick kite book ink CK clock

neck snack pick backward chicken wicked acknowledged candlestick

CH school chronic monarch stomach character technical psychology

CC account occur accomplishment accurate occupation QUE unique

technique

oblique QU (pronounced KW) quit aqua quaint query quality

X six taxi x tax exit (can be pronounced KS or GZ)

> Practice Sentences (voiceless K is underlined and voiced G is in bold)

• I was collecting Craig from kindergarten, when the caretaker collapsed in the courtyard.

• The green jugs are gorgeous, but they don’t go with our grey glasses – they look garish.

• The game was great - Gareth scored his rst goal and was recommended for the league.

• The collapse in the economy needs careful consideration – the cause needs to be claried.

p.253

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K and G

phonetic symbols - ʃ and ʒ

20min

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These sounds are pronounced in words like:

she shoes champagne musician creation mansion assure machine lotion

measure leisure pleasure beige seizure closure version decision usual

> How are the SH and ZH sounds made in an RP accent?

Both sounds are made in the same way: the body of the tongue rises up towards the roof of the mouth

and there is a narrow space between the tongue blade and the area just behind the alveolar ridge.

The only difference between these sounds is that the SH is voiceless and the ZH is voiced. With both

sounds, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. Both of these sounds belong to the palato-alveolar

and fricative consonant groups.

The description of how to make these sounds is very similar to the S and Z sounds (p.41). For those

that need a bit more clarity, the differences are as follows: With the SH and ZH sounds, the body of

the tongue is slightly further back and up into the roof of the mouth and the tongue blade is at. For the

S and Z sounds, the tongue is slightly further forward and there is a narrow groove like a v-shaped

furrow, running from the middle to the tip of the tongue.

> What do I do habitually?

- Do you have a lisp?

Aside from any accent differences, some speakers nd the SH and ZH sounds in particular difcult

to make because of a lisp, which also tends to affect the CH sound (p.77), as in ‘cheese’, DG sound

(p.77) as in ‘journey’, and the S sound (p.41) as in ‘see’. If you have a lisp, this section may well help

you to understand and possibly even make progress with your SH and ZH sounds, but it cannot offer

you the specic guidance that you might want, in which case you might benet from some one-to-

one coaching.

- Are you making the ZH sound more like the SH sound?

You might be pronouncing words that should be said with a voiced ZH sound more like a voiceless

SH sound, so words like ‘measure’ sound more like ‘meaSHer’. Put your ngers on your larynx and

say ‘masher’ and ‘measure’, paying attention to the presence or absence of a vibration on the ‘s’ in

‘measure’, which should be voiced, unlike the ‘sh’ in ‘masher’, which should be voiceless. If you do this,

go to

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- Are you making the SH sound more like the ZH sound?

You might be pronouncing words that should be said with a voiceless SH sound more like a voiced ZH

sound, so words like ‘shame’ sound more like ‘ZHame’. Put your ngers on your larynx as you say

these words, paying attention to the presence or absence of vibration. Listen to the following words,

rstly spoken with the voiced ZH sound and then with the voiceless SH sound as they should be in RP:

‘she’, ‘shoes’, ‘champagne’, ‘assure’ and ‘machine’. If you do this, go to

- When is ‘s’ an S sound and when is it a SH sound?

Some speakers are not clear about when a written ‘s’ should be pronounced as an S sound (p.41) and

when it should be pronounced as a SH sound. Whilst there is no conclusive pattern to follow, one

way to be sure is to look at the phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with an S sound and then with an SH sound, as they should be in RP: ‘sugar’,

‘sure’, ‘insure’, ‘ensure’, ‘mission’, ‘passion’, ‘tension’, ‘expansion’, ‘insurance’, ‘pressure’ and ‘reassure’.

For help with how to make an SH sound, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I make a voiced ZH sound?

Firstly, it’s vital to be able to feel the difference between a voiced ZH sound and a voiceless SH sound.

A good way to start might be to compare the difference between other pairs of fricative sounds, like

the S and Z sounds (p.41), which most speakers do instinctively. Lengthen the S and Z sounds in the

words ‘Sue’ and ‘zoo’ with your ngers on your larynx (or gently plug your ears with your ngers)

and pay attention to the feeling of vibration on the ‘z’ and the absence of vibration on the ‘s’. For the

voiced Z sound, you might experience a buzzing or tingling sensation not only behind your ngers

but also on the tongue tip or blade. This is the same experience that you’re hoping for when saying

a voiced ZH, as in ‘treasure’ and ‘leisure’. Now compare the voiceless S sound with the voiceless SH

sound in ‘shine’ and ‘shin’. Fricatives can be lengthened, which might be useful in order to really feel

the difference between voiced and voiceless.

For those who struggle with making a voiced ZH sound, it might be helpful to play with words that

can be extended with a vowel sound or a sufx (p.189), for instance ‘massage’ and ‘massaging’. The

presence of a vowel sound after a voiced ZH sound tends to enable most speakers to pronounce the

ZH sound with vibrations. Now lengthen the ZH sound in ‘massaging’, stretching it out in order to

really feel the vibrations and then immediately repeat the word in the same way but end with the

lengthened voiced ZH sound. Hopefully you will have said ‘massage’ with a voiced ZH sound. Play with

these words:

sabotaging sabotage camouaging camouage

- How do I make a voiceless SH sound?

A good way to start might be to whisper words with the voiceless SH sound. Whisper the word

‘she’ and place your ngers on your larynx, paying attention to the lack of vibration and the light and

breathy quality. Whisper the ‘sh’ again, retaining the light and breathy quality but then say the rest of

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the word on full voice. With SH sounds in the middle and ends of words, ensure that the SH sound

retains the same light and breathy quality. Play the same game with the following words:

shine short shut cushion fashion cash push wash

> Practice words and typical spellings for the SH sound

SH shake should mushroom sunshine fresh rush T cautious option

exception collection information reputation C special social delicious

ofcial especially S tension dimension sugar insurance SS pressure

assure profession permission discussion passion CH machine

parachute champagne chef

> Practice words and typical spellings for the ZH sound

GE beige collage mirage entourage S closure version treasure

collision supervision unusual occasion persuasion Z seizure

> Practice Sentences (voiceless SH is underlined and voiced ZH is in bold)

• The conditions are shocking - especially given its reputation and ofcial position.

• I know it’s a special social situation but champagne and parachuting don’t mix.

• Here’s an unusual occasion - I’ve made a decision and it gives me closure.

• This version is outstanding – it’s a pleasure to read! It’s visionary! Here’s to the revolution.

p.254

305

SH and ZH

phonetic symbols - dʒ and tʃ

25min

306

307

308

These sounds are pronounced in words like:

chew chill church attachment satchel slouching fetch itch match

gem jelly Josh adjourn lodger manager badge age ridge

> How are the DG and CH sounds made in an RP accent?

Both sounds are made in the same way, and might be thought of as a combination of two sounds: the

CH is a combination of a T sound followed by a SH sound as in ‘shame’; and the DG is a combination

of a D sound followed by a ZH sound as in ‘measure’. The only difference between the CH and DG

is that the CH is a voiceless sound and the DG is a voiced sound. They both belong to the palato-

alveolar and affricate consonant groups. Firstly, the tongue tip lightly touches just in front of the alveolar

ridge and the sides of the tongue spread and touch the inner sides of the teeth, where the breath or

vibrations gather (this is very similar to the way in which you would start to pronounce a T or a D

sound (p.61) but the tongue blade is slightly higher, closer towards the area just behind the alveolar

ridge). The tongue tip then releases very slightly and slowly away from the alveolar ridge and breath or

vibrations travel slowly between the narrow space between the tongue blade and area just behind

the alveolar ridge in a friction-like way. This sounds very much like a brief SH sound for the CH and a

brief ZH sound for the DG.

> What do I do habitually?

- Do you have a lisp?

Aside from any accent differences, some speakers nd the CH and DG sounds in particular difcult

to make because of a lisp, which also tends to affect the SH sound (p.74), as in ‘shoe’, ZH sound

(p.74), as in ‘pleasure’, and the S sound (p.41) as in ‘see’. If you have a lisp, this section may well help

you to understand and possibly even make progress with your CH and DG sounds, but it cannot

offer you the specic guidance that you might want, in which case you might benet from some one-

to-one coaching.

- Are you placing your tongue tip in a different place?

Placing the tongue tip in different places creates a different tone and quality. If your tongue tip is too far

forward behind your top or bottom front teeth the quality of the CH and DG sounds will most likely

be less dened or ‘splashier’, as the tongue can’t gather and release the sound as clearly. If instead

your tongue tip is too far back behind the alveolar ridge, pointing up into the

roof of your mouth, the CH

DG and CH

and DG will sound held, deeper and throatier, because the tongue is pulled back. Some speakers also

press the tongue too rmly into whatever area that it is touching. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the tongue tip behind the bottom front teeth, then the top front teeth, then right up in the

middle of the roof of the mouth, and then the area just in front of the alveolar ridge as they should in

RP,: ‘chew’, ‘chill’, ‘church’, ‘attachment’, ‘gem’, ‘jelly’, ‘Josh’ and ‘adjourn’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing a CH with a SH and a DG with a ZH?

Some speakers replace some CH sounds with a SH sound and some DG sounds with a ZH sound,

so ‘chin’ sounds more like ‘shin’ and the ‘j’ in ‘jam’ sounds more like the ‘s’ in ‘measure’. The effect

is an elongated sound that is more like a fricative rather than an affricate (p.315). So instead of the

tongue tip touching and releasing away from the alveolar ridge, the body of the tongue raises and the

tongue blade almost touches the area just behind the alveolar ridge and breath or vibrations travel

through the narrow space created. Listen to the following rstly spoken with the SH and ZH sounds

accordingly, and then with the CH and DG sounds as they should be in RP: ‘chew’, ‘chill’, ‘church’,

‘attachment’, ‘gem’, ‘jelly’, ‘Josh’ and ‘adjourn’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making the DG sound more like the CH sound?

Some speakers make the voiced DG sound more like the voiceless CH, especially at the ends of words.

So ‘badge’ sounds more like ‘batch’ and ‘Madge’ sounds more like ‘match’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making the CH sound more like the DG sound?

Some speakers make the voiceless CH sound more like the voiced DG sound. So ‘chew’ sounds more

like ‘Jew’ and ‘chain’ sounds more like ‘Jane’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing DG sound with a YOD?

In some languages the written ‘j’ is pronounced as a YOD (p.35), as with the ‘y’ in ‘yellow’. Native

speakers of these languages tend to continue with the same pattern when speaking in British English,

so ‘joke’ sounds more like ‘yoke’. But the written ‘j’ in British English is almost always pronounced as

a DG sound – aside from the ‘j’ in ‘hallelujah’ and the surname of psychiatrist and psychotherapist

Carl Jung. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with a YOD and then with the DG sound, as

they should be in RP: ‘jam’, ‘judge’, ‘joke’, ‘jeans’, ‘jelly’, ‘Josh’, ‘journey’, ‘January’, ‘June’ and ‘July’. For help

with how to make a DG sound, go to

- Are you replacing a CH sound with a TS consonant cluster?

Some speakers replace a CH sound with a TS consonant cluster, especially when spelt ‘tch’, so ‘catch’

might sounds like ‘cats’. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with a TS consonant cluster and

then with the CH sound as they should be in RP: ‘fetch’, ‘scratch’, ‘ditch’ and ‘patch’. For help with

how to make a CH sound, go to

- Are you replacing the DG sound with an H sound in words spelt ‘j’?

Some speakers correctly pronounce the ‘j’ in words like ‘Juan’ more like a version of an H sound

(p.82), but they then do this with other words spelt with a ‘j’. These speakers either add a lot of

breath so that the H sounds particularly throaty in quality, or they raise the back of the tongue and

phonetic symbols - dʒ and tʃ

309

310

311

312

313

314

DG and CH

phonetic symbols - dʒ and tʃ

315

316

317

318

create a sound that has a similar quality to a K sound (p.70) or a Uvular R (p.16). Listen to the

following words, rstly spoken with a version of an H sound and then with the DG sound as they

should be in RP: ‘jam’, ‘judge’, ‘joke’, ‘jeans’, ‘jelly’, ‘Josh’, ‘journey’, ‘January’, ‘June’ and ‘July’. For help with

how to make a DG sound, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my tongue tip to touch just in front of my alveolar ridge?

Because these sounds begin in the same way as a T and D sound (p.61), saying words with a T and D

might be a useful way to get the tongue into an accurate position for the second part of the word.

Focus on encouraging the tongue tip to lightly touch just in front of the alveolar ridge and the sides of

the tongue to spread and touch the inner sides of the teeth, where the breath or vibrations gather,

as in ‘cat’ and bad’. Say ‘cat’ then ‘catch’ and ‘bad’ then ‘badge’, encouraging the tongue tip to start in

the same place for the T and D sounds in the rst word as for the CH and DG in the second words.

Remember that the T and D are just to guide you to the accurate placement of the tongue tip, and

that the tongue releases slowly straight into the SH for the CH and ZH for the DG. Play with the

following word pairs and encourage the same experience:

mat match bat batch cat catch bad badge mad Madge bud budge

Another way to encourage the tongue tip to the area just in front of the alveolar ridge, might be to

use an L sound (p.57), which should be made in the same position as a T and D sound. Play with the

following words and encourage the tongue tip to stay in the same place for the L sound as for the

beginning part of the CH and DG:

belch mulch squelch bulge divulge indulge

- How do I avoid replacing CH and DG sounds with other sounds?

All speakers pronounce these sounds in some words, even if it isn’t very often. Speak these words

again, and notice whether or not you are able to successfully pronounce the CH and DG sounds.

chew chill church attachment satchel slouching fetch itch match

gem jelly Josh adjourn lodger manager badge age ridge

There are more words in the Practice words subsection on the next page. You might also revisit the

description of how to make these sounds in the subsection, How are the DG and CH sounds made in

RP? (p.77)

- How do I make a DG sound voiced?

Firstly, it’s vital to be able to feel the difference between a voiced DG sound and a voiceless CH sound.

A good way to start might be to compare the difference between pairs of fricative sounds, like the S

and Z sounds (p.41), which most speakers do instinctively. Lengthen the S and Z sounds in the words

‘Sue’ and ‘zoo’ with your ngers on your larynx (or gently plug your ears with your ngers) and pay

attention to the feeling of vibration on the ‘z’ and the absence of vibration on the ‘s’. For the voiced

Z sound, you might experience a buzzing or tingling sensation not only behind your ngers but also

319

DG and CH

phonetic symbols - dʒ and tʃ

320

321

322

326

on the tongue tip or blade. This is the same experience that you’re hoping for when saying a voiced

DG, as in ‘jam’ and ‘gem’. Now compare the voiceless S sound with the voiceless CH sound as in ‘chat’

and ‘chair’.

For those who struggle with making a voiced DG sound at the ends of words, it might be helpful to

play with words that can be extended with a vowel sound or a sufx (p.189), for example ‘manage’

and ‘manager’. The presence of a vowel sound after a voiced DG sound tends to enable most speakers

to pronounce the DG sound with vibrations. Now lengthen the DG sound in ‘manager’, stretching it

out in order to really feel the vibrations and then immediately repeat the word in the same way but

end with the lengthened voiced DG sound (omitting the ‘er’). Hopefully you will have said ‘manage’

with a voiced DG sound. Play with these words:

arranging arrange lodger lodge emerging emerge larger large

Another consideration might be that a voiced DG sound tends to make the preceding vowel sound

very slightly longer in some words. Listen to this in the following pairs of words:

larch large batch badge etch edge search surge rich ridge

- How do I make a CH sound voiceless?

Whisper the word ‘chair’ and place your ngers on your larynx, paying attention to the lack of

vibration and the light and breathy quality. Whisper the ‘ch’ again, retaining the light and breathy

quality but then say the rest of the word on full voice. Play the same game with the following word

pairs, encouraging the ‘ch’ in the rst word of each pair to be voiceless:

larch large batch badge etch edge search surge rich ridge

> Variations in spelling

The CH sound can be represented by a number of spellings. The spelling ‘ch’ is often a CH sound, but

can sometimes be a K sound (p.70) as in ‘Christmas’, ‘stomach’ , ‘ chaos’ and ‘chorus’ and it can also be

a SH sound (p.74) as in words like ‘champagne’ and ‘chauffeur’. Sometimes it is silent, as in ‘yacht’, and

in words like ‘Greenwich’ some RP speakers use the voiced DG. In the YOD section (p.35) we spoke

about YOD-coalescence - when a T sound is followed by a YOD some RP speakers make a CH sound –

so you might also hear a ‘t’ being pronounced as a CH sound in words like ‘Tuesday’, ‘tune’ and ‘tuna’.

The DG sound tends to be represented by the spelling ‘j’, as in ‘Justin’, ‘jail’, ‘Jill’, ‘jelly’, ‘joke’ and ‘adjourn’.

But there are exceptions like ‘raj’, which some pronounce with a ZH sound, and ‘hallelujah’ which is

pronounced with a YOD as in ‘yellow’. The ‘g’ in ‘general’, ‘Gerry’, ‘gem’ and ‘age’ are pronounced with

the DG sound, but be mindful that a ‘g’ also represents the G sound as in ‘Garry’, ‘game’, ‘gift’ and

‘green’. And remember that if you choose to use YOD-coalescence (p.38), the ‘t’ in words like ‘tune’,

‘Tuesday’ and ‘tuna’ will be pronounced with the CH sound, and the ‘d’ in words like ‘due’, ‘duty’ and

‘graduate’ will be pronounced with the DG sound.

Whilst there is no conclusive pattern to follow, one way to be sure is to look at the phonetic

transcription in a reliable dictionary.

323

324

325

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DG and CH

phonetic symbols - dʒ and tʃ

328

329

330

> Practice words and typical spellings for the voiced DG sound

J jam judge joke jeans jury journey January June July enjoy

major subject object reject majority DJ adjacent adjust adjourn

adjective G germ gin gym gentle general genuine rigid margin

congestion digital register strategy agent original legend urgent

GE cage huge village storage wage sausage passage privilege

page average cabbage percentage manage exchange range strange

urge orange DG gadget badger judgment DGE bridge judge

edge knowle

dge porridge nudge pledge smudge D graduate

gradual residual solider

> Practice words and typical spellings for the voiceless CH sound

CH chocolate chase purchase achieve spinach approach teacher

detach search sandwich (can be pronounced voiced or voiceless) T nature

posture lecture fracture picture TCH catch latch watch snatch

hitch patch switch match clutch butcher kitchen pitcher

> Practice sentences (voiceless CH is underlined and voiced DG is in bold)

• Charles chose Chuck to sing the chorus in the Christmas carol recital.

• Madge failed to catch the ball in the local football match.

• The General judged that the jury were unusually jubilant.

• The attachment just reads ‘chilli chewing gum’ - nothing about jelly, jam or cheddar cheese.

p.255

DG and CH

phonetic symbol - h

10min

331

333

334

335

This sound is pronounced in words like:

hi how him his her here behind hold hand headache

> How is the H sound made in an RP accent?

The H sound is made with the vocal folds approximating (almost touching). The tongue tip is behind

the bottom front teeth and the middle of the tongue is in the middle of the mouth. The jaw is loose and

the teeth and the lips are loosely apart. You can’t see this sound being made but if you hold your

hand up in front of your mouth, as you make an H sound, you should be able to feel a nearly silent

warm breath on the palm of your hand. This sound is voiceless and belongs to the glottal and fricative

consonant groups.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you not pronouncing an H sound and/or adding it unnecessarily before some vowel sounds?

Some speakers do not make this sound at all: so ‘howl’ sounds more like ‘owl’, ‘his’ sounds more like

‘is’, and ‘hold’ sounds more like ‘old’. Speakers that do this may even add an H sounds unnecessarily,

especially before words that begin with vowel sounds: so ‘and’ sounds more like ‘hand’ and ‘all’

sounds more like ‘hall’. If you do this, go to

- Are you over-pronouncing the H sound?

This can be done in two ways: either by forcing too much breath out too suddenly, so that the H

sound is particularly throaty in quality, or by raising the back of your tongue, thereby reducing the

space in the back of your mouth to create an H that has a similar quality to a K sound (p.70) or a Uvular

R (p.16) Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with too forceful a breath, then with the back of

the tongue raised, and nally with an H sound as they should be in RP: ‘hi’, ‘how’, ‘him’, ‘his’, ‘her’, ‘here’,

‘behind’, ‘hold’, ‘hand’ and ‘headache’. If you do this, go to

Some speakers make an H with the body of the tongue specically when followed by a FLEECE (p.137),

KIT (p.141) and DRESS (p.149) vowel sound, as in ‘heat’, ‘hit’ and ‘help’. Listen to these words, rstly

spoken with the body of the tongue raised, and then with an H sound as they should be in RP. If you

do this, go to

332

phonetic symbol - h

338

339

340

341

- Are you confusing H and W sounds in words spelt ‘wh’?

There are many words spelt ‘wh’. Some are pronounced with a W sound (p.28), and others are

pronounced with an H sound, so some speakers confuse the two. The following words are pronounced

with an H sound: ‘who’, ‘whose’, ‘whole’, ‘whom’ and ‘whore’ whereas ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘where’ and

‘while’ are pronounced with a W sound. Unfortunately, there is no reliable rule to help you know

when to use an H sound and when to use a W sound, however words can be checked for their

phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary. If you do this, go to

> How do I change my habit?

The H sound is essentially a slightly audible whispered breath. A good way to start might be to

whisper the word ‘arm’. Before you get to the ‘m’ notice the audible breathy quality of the ‘ar’, which

is in essence an H sound. Whisper the word again, allowing the beginning of the word to have this

whispered quality before the breath turns into sound, and you will have said ‘harm’.

If you tend to force too much breath out suddenly, keep your hand in front of your mouth and

encourage a gentle but constant ow of warm breath. If you tend to make an H with the back of your

tongue or middle of your tongue raised, look in a mirror, and encourage the tongue to stay low, in the

same sort of position as a yawn for the H sound, but then let it move accordingly for the following

vowel sound:

arm harm own hone add had am ham ill hill Ed head eat heat

> Silent ‘h’

There are many words in which a written ‘h’ is silent, as in ‘honest’. Unfortunately, there is no reliable

rule to help you know when an ‘h’ is silent, however words can be checked for their phonetic

transcription in a reliable dictionary. Here are some examples:

honest rhyme honour heir rhubarb hour exhausted vehicle

ghost rhythm exhibition ghetto ghastly shepherd

rhapsody Sarah silhouette spaghetti gherkin

> Practice words and typical spellings for the H sound

H have hand help high house hope home hurt heart handshake

undred homework homemade hospital happy headache hearing holiday

history helicopter reheat behaviour rehearsal forehead inhalation

> Practice sentences

• The hen hurried to the hen house to check on her eggs before they hatched.

• Henry seems happy today! I hope he hasn’t bought everyone homemade brownies again.

• Her behaviour is abhorred – I haven’t heard any positive feedback from her clients.

• I hear that Harry Howard and Hazel are getting hitched! Harry and Hazel Howard! Hilarious!

p.256

337

336

20min

In British English there are many words with clusters of consonants, which is to say that there are

a number of consonants following one another without vowel sounds in between. Some consonant

clusters are two, three or even four sounds in length and they can be at the beginning, middle or

end of words. They can also be created between the ends and beginnings of words, but these are so

varied that they haven’t been included here. Most speakers pronounce consonant clusters quite well,

although in some the articulators are very active, which can make them feel quite gymnastic thus

requiring ease and suppleness. Below are some examples of the most typical consonant clusters:

> Cluster of two consonants

SP… ST… SK… SM… SN… S+YOD… SW…

sport stack skate smooth snake assume sweep

spook stock skim smile snail consume swap

speech stink sky smoke sneak ensue swipe

spark stick scarf small snorkel swing

spate stark escape smack snack sweet

SL… PL… BL… KL… GL… FL… FR…

slack play blame clay glue y from

slot plot blink clean glide oat fried

slope please blow climb glean ack friend

sleek plate bloat click glaze ight free

slide explode bleed clock glade ock fright

PR… BR… TR… DR… KR… GR… THR…

prank brink truck drain crane grape through

prick brake train dream cry grow threat

practice broke trees drive cream great throw

preen brash trial drink cross grime throttle

proper brush trait drugs cramp greed throat

SHR… TW… THW… …NL …PL …BL …SL

shrug tweet thwart signal topple able hassle

shrove twine thwack regional steeple dribble tinsel

shrank tweed maternal opal rubble tonsil

shrink tweek external people scribble cancel

shrunk twelve emotional apple scrabble castle

Consonant Clusters

342

…KL …GL …FL …SP …ST …ZD …SK

crackle toggle bafe clasp toast amazed ask

tickle wriggle trie wasp waste eased risk

tackle struggle mufe lisp last dozed disk

buckle giggle wafe crisp list dazed bask

trickle haggle rufe cusp must teased ask

…PT …KT …STH …NGK …MZ …NZ …NGZ

opt backed aesthetic bank lambs fans hangs

slept sacked prosthetic link limbs tons wrings

slapped locked kinaesthetic punk times tins tongs

slipped tricked synesthesia tank comes bins ings

stopped packed sink combs lens longs

…BZ …DZ …GZ …VZ …THZ …LZ …PS

pubs lads bags loves bathes ales taps

ribs rides gs leaves loathes scales cups

grabs roads bugs saves clothes miles clips

tubs leads tugs knives breathes calls stops

lobes raids rags lives soothes sails straps

…TS …KS …FS …THS

bits packs laughs cloths

lights picks cliffs moths

nuts books scuffs maths

eats box morphs deaths

shoots talks puffs earth’s

> Cluster of three consonants

SPR… STR… SKR… SP+YOD… SK+YOD… ST+YOD… SPL…

spray straight scream spew skew studio splayed

sprung strike scrape Rasputin askew stupor splat

sprinkle strain scramble spume skewed studious spleen

sprain street scrabble dispute stew split

spread stroke screech spurious astute explode

Consonant Clusters

343

344

SKW… …SPT …SKT …NTL …NDL …NDZ …MBL

squish clasped asked mantle handle bonds scramble

squirt wisped risked disgruntle spindle lands thimble

squelch gasped masked lintel fondle funds amble

squirm collapsed whisked gentle sandal brands assemble

squeal grasped basked bundle friends fumble

…MPL …MPS …LPT …NGKS …NGKT …NGKL .NGGL

simple clamps helped banks linked sprinkle angle

sample jumps gulped links bonked dankle single

example lamps sculpt trunks ranked wrinkle dongle

temple stamps yelped thanks banked twinkle jingle

crumple bumps whelped drinks yanked tinkle jangle

…PTS …KST …TTHS …FTHS

crypts mixed eighths fths

scripts relaxed

adapts xed

erupts boxed

accepts waxed

> Cluster of four consonants

With this many consonants in a cluster, it is typical to hear some RP speaker elide (Elision p.198) one

or more of the consonants. For example, in ‘prompts’ the ‘t’ is often elided, as is the ‘f’ in ‘twelfths’.

Some RP speakers consider this to be more modern pronunciation, but pronouncing or eliding these

sounds is simply down to choice.

…MPTS …KSTS …LFTHS

prompts texts twelfths

attempts contexts

tempts

pre-empts

Consonant Clusters

Vowels

My Pronunciation Roadmap

SCHWA

p.92

THOUGHT, NORTH, NEAR

p.145

NURSE

p.96

FORCE

p.120

DRESS

p.149

GOAT

p.100

CHOICE

p.125

FACE

p.153

BATH, PALM, START

p.104

TRAP

p.129

SQUARE

p.157

STRUT

p.108

MOUTH

p.133

GOOSE

p.161

PRICE

p.112

FLEECE

p.137

FOOT

p.165

LOT, CLOTH

p.116

KIT

p.141

CURE

p.169

345

346

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

As you are probably aware there are a total of twenty-six letters in the English Language, twenty-one

of which are described as consonants and ve as vowels: ‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’ and ‘u’. However, in terms of

pronunciation, there are actually nineteen vowel sounds (twenty-ve depending on how you look at

them). So these ve vowel letters are used in various combinations to represent this larger number

of vowel sounds. Sometimes, the same vowel sound can be represented by different spellings: ‘poor’,

‘pour’, ‘paw’ and ‘pore’, for example, are actually pronounced with the same vowel sound (p.120).

Equally, the same spelling can be pronounced with different vowel sounds, as with ‘ear’ in words like

‘wear’, ‘earth’, ‘hear’ and ‘heart’. So exploring vowel sounds is a lot to do with deprogramming the

spelling and focusing on the sounds instead of the letters.

One way to describe the difference between vowel sounds and consonant sounds might be to say

that vowel sounds are made by the articulators moving into different shapes and where vibration

can always pass between them without any obstruction, as in vowel sounds like OO or AH or EE,

whereas consonant sounds are made by the articulators touching or almost touching, as in consonant

sounds like P or T or F or V. For this reason, vowel sounds are subtler. For example, you’ll be asked to

notice whether the tongue is high, mid (in the middle) or low, and forward, centre or back. In contrast,

consonant sounds may by slightly simpler to understand and change, because you can actually feel

the difference between, say, the lips coming together and releasing for a P sound in comparison to

the tongue tip touching the hard palate for a T sound.

> How might I approach vowel sounds?

Treat each page like an actual coaching session: each page suggests how long to set aside. Take your

time it. Read each part, record yourself when recommended and listen to the audio examples. Where

appropriate, use a mirror to see what your habit might be. Play with each exercise and by the end

you will hopefully know and feel what to aim for, what your habit is, how to change it and how to

practice the new habit.

There are three aspects of vowel sounds that make a real difference in how they sound:

> Length – the duration of the sound.

> Lips – the shape of your lips.

> Tongue – the position and shape of your tongue.

> Length – the duration of the sound

Vowel sounds can be grouped into sounds that are short and sounds that are long in duration. The

vowels in each group are all the same length, although some can feel slightly longer or shorter if

they are followed by certain consonant sounds (which is explained in each section when relevant).

Each of the pages in this section suggests the required length for each specic vowel sound, and gives

exercises to assist you. When prompted, it might be useful to record yourself saying the words or

sentences given. Listen back and compare yourself to the audio examples, and then use the exercises

to guide you towards the correct length of the sound.

Short kit dress trap strut lot foot comma

Long eece nurse bath thought goose

face price choice goat mouth near square cure

before you explore...

Changing the length of a vowel sound not only impacts on the pronunciation (and sometimes the

meaning) of the word, but also the rhythm of speech (p.207) If a phrase has many words with long

vowel sounds that are made short, the ow and rhythm of the phrase will sound very different.

> Lips – the shape of your lips

Vowel sounds can be grouped into sounds that are made with the lips spread (smiling), the lips rounded

(pouting), or the lips neutral (resting in a relaxed, open position). Each of the pages in this section

suggests the required lip shape for each specic vowel sound, and gives exercises to assist you. For

this reason, it is essential to use a mirror to help you see as well as hear and feel the differences.

When prompted, it might be useful to record yourself saying the words or sentences given. Listen

back and compare yourself to the audio examples, and then use the exercises to guide you towards

the correct length of the sound.

spead neutral rounded

Changing the shape of the lips for vowel sounds not only impacts on the pronunciation of the word,

but also on the tone and quality. For example, try saying the words in each group above but change

the shape of the lips and you may note a difference in quality.

There is one caveat when exploring the shapes of the lips. To suggest that when speaking in RP the

lips must always adopt these specic shapes in order to accurately pronounce vowels, might make

you feel self-conscious in conversation and might also make you look and feel slightly mannered.

Whilst it’s important to notice the differences between your habitual lip positions in comparison to

the suggested ones to help you more accurately achieve the tone and quality of each vowel sound,

consider the suggested shapes for the lips as one part of the pronunciation jigsaw puzzle. Once you

have found the accurate tone and quality of each vowel sound, and practice regularly, the muscle

memory of these differences will remain, and you need not focus on them in live communication, as

it might be far too distracting and can lead to over-articulation that is unnatural and sounds forced.

> Tongue – the position and shape of your tongue

Aside from the shape and position of the lips, the shape and position of the tongue is perhaps the

most inuential on the vowel sound. In this book, the various positions of the tongue for vowel

sounds are described as being low, in the middle or high and being in the front, centre or back.

high mid low front centre back

before you explore...

Each of the pages in this section suggests the typical shape and position for the tongue for each

specic vowel sound, and gives exercises to assist you. Here is a typical phrase used to describe the

position of the tongue:

“the front of the tongue is high in the front of the mouth”

So the rst part, “the front of the tongue…”, refers to the part of the tongue; “high” refers to the

height of the tongue in the mouth; and “front of the mouth” refers to the part of the mouth the tongue

is in. For this reason, it’s almost essential to use a mirror to help you see as well as hear and feel the

differences. I suggest using a very small torch, or angling yourself towards a light for some vowels,

especially for those where the back of the tongue is raised and the lips are rounded. It should be

easier to see the movement of your tongue for vowels that use the front of the tongue in the front of

the mouth, When prompted, it might be useful to record yourself saying the words or sentences, to

listen back and compare yourself to the audio examples, and then to use the exercises to guide you

towards the correct shape and position for the tongue.

> What about the Jaw?

One challenge with vowel pronunciation in RP is that some vowel sounds (BATH (p.104) and STRUT

(p.108) in particular) require a lot of vertical space in the mouth (space between the tongue and

roof of the mouth). In the absence of being able to get your tongue to lie low and at, an easier and

quicker way to nd this vertical space is to drop the jaw down and open. However, the jaw is not an

articulator – it is essentially too clumsy and can make speech look laboured and forced. Each section

has a subsection entitled How is the … vowel sound made in an RP accent? in which the jaw is always

described as needing to be loose with the teeth apart. If you discover that you rely on your jaw to

articulate certain vowel sounds, you might play this game: repeat the relevant words or exercises but

with the tip of your little nger between the top and bottom front teeth. Avoid biting your little nger,

just let it rest gently between the teeth as you say the words. This might help you to monitor your

jaw as well as encourage your tongue to do more of the work.

> Lexical Sets

Just before you explore vowel sounds, consider the difference between learning our rst language

and a second language. Most speakers tend to acquire their rst language (their mother tongue)

through imitation, experimentation and repetition. We watch and listen to those around us and copy

the sounds they make and the way they make them in relationship to the context in which they are

using them. So in this way, pronunciation is learnt aurally (and physically). But a second language tends

to be learnt through the written word, which is mostly to do with a sort of intellectual memorisation.

Therefore, many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. This

might work out for some languages, but because British English is not written phonetically, one

vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings. For this reason, the spelling in British English

cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. So, as I said before, exploring British English vowel sounds

is a lot to do with deprogramming the spelling and focusing on the sounds instead of the letters.

So, the rst question might be, ‘how do I forget the spelling and pronounce a word accurately?’. Each

of the vowel sections helps you to identify your pronunciation habits and gives exercises for how

to change. This is the imitation and experimentation part of the process. In addition to this, some

speakers nd that certain spellings actually encourage them towards accurate pronunciation. Just

as an exercise, consider rewriting a word using the spelling that helps. For example: if you nd the

before you explore...

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spelling ‘er’ helps you to achieve an accurate pronunciation of the NURSE vowel sound (as in ‘her’,

‘stern’ and ‘concern’ p.96) consider rewriting words like ‘work’, ‘hurt’ and ‘shirt’ (also pronounced

with the NURSE vowel sound) as ‘werk’, ‘hert’ and ‘shert’.

The second question might be, ‘how do I know which vowel sound to use?’. The only way to be

sure is to check words for their phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary. Phonetics is a symbol

system used to represent the pronunciation of a word. Each of the vowel sections provides you with

the relevant phonetic symbol so that you can cross-reference accordingly. You do not need to know

phonetics in order to improve your pronunciation but it might serve as a useful guide.

The last question might be ‘how do I remember which vowel sound to use?’. Once you are certain

which vowel sound to use, you can do what you did when you acquired your rst language - practice

building it into your muscle memory until it becomes habitual. Which means: repetition, repetition

and more repetition. In addition to this, you can then start to create what I call a ‘word bank’. Words

can be grouped into what are known as lexical sets – which is to say that if the vowel in the primary

stressed syllable (p.182) of a word rhymes with that of another word, they belong in the same group.

For example, ‘staff’, ‘far’ and ‘calm’ are in the same lexical set because the main vowel sound in each

word rhymes (lexical sets were created by phonetician John Wells) Native British English speakers

know these groups instinctively, which is why speaking in RP is more about sound groups instead of

spelling groups. I’ve started you off with a list of fty or so words in each vowel section and there

are more on each of the practice pages (p.238). Expanding these lexical sets takes time, awareness and

practice. Think of them as metaphoric pronunciation treasure troves: as you collect another word

your trove increases and your uency and accuracy improves. Consider starting a physical or digital

lexical sets notebook, which you can add to throughout the coming days and weeks.

before you explore...

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

a about around Alan necklace o obtuse oppose purpose customer

u suppose support Autumn album e hundred sullen open

i possible or forget forsake director minor er perhaps percent

other longer ur survive surprise survey v. ure nature posture

ar standard custard ou fabulous scandalous iou cautious curious

ough thorough borough urgh Edinburgh our saviour colour

> How is the SCHWA vowel sound made in an RP accent?

This vowel sound can be described as the most common and the most neutral in RP. The tongue tip

is behind the bottom teeth and the middle of the tongue is in the middle of the centre of the mouth. The

lips are neutral, the

jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The SCHWA vowel sound is short in duration.

> Remember this!

The SCHWA is a vowel sound that has a specic role, which is to represent the vowel in a weak/

unstressed syllable(s) (p.183) of most polysyllabic words, as in ‘tuna’, ‘offend’ and ‘announce’, or the

weak form of a grammatical word (p.202), as in ‘the car’, ‘a cup of tea’ and ‘an apple’. This means that

it can spelt in many, many different ways and could be considered as one of the most frequently

used vowel sounds in RP. For example, in the word ‘abandonment’, the underlined letters are all

pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound. And the same is true for the underlined ‘o’, ‘a’ and ‘er’ in

‘photographer’.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you pronouncing every written ‘r’?

If you are a rhotic speaker (p.19), your habit is to pronounce every written ‘r’. The SCHWA vowel

sound is often spelt with a written ‘r’, especially at the end of a word, as in ‘other’, ‘weather’, ‘mirror’,

‘nature’, ‘colour’ and ‘doctor’. But RP is a non-rhotic accent so a written ‘r’ is only spoken when it is

followed by a spoken vowel sound. Listen to the words above, rstly spoken with the R sound and

then without, as they should be in RP. If you do this, go to

the Schwa

phonetic symbol - ə

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- Are you replacing the SCHWA vowel sound with the STRUT or DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the SCHWA with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108 - which is made with the

middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth, and the lips equally as neutral) or the DRESS vowel

sound (p.149 - which is made with the front of the tongue in the middle of the front of the mouth, and

the lips slightly spread). Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the STRUT vowel sound,

then the DRESS vowel sound, and then with the SCHWA vowel sound, as they should be in RP:

‘other’, ‘weather’, ‘mirror’, ‘nature’, ‘colour’ and ‘doctor’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because British

English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings. For

this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example, the

SCHWA vowel sound can be represented as the ‘er’ in ‘other’, the ‘or’ in ‘mirror’, the ‘ure’ in ‘nature’,

the ‘our’ in ‘colour’, the ‘a’ in ‘about’, the ‘o’ in ‘obtuse’, the ‘u’ in ‘support’, the ‘iou’ in ‘cautious’ and

many, many more. But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the

SCHWA vowel sound.

This tendency to pronounce a word with a vowel sound that you associate with the spelling, means

that you might be pronouncing the ‘a’ in ‘about’ with the TRAP vowel sound (p.129 - as in ‘tab’), the

‘o’ in ‘oppose’ with the LOT vowel sound (p.116 - as in ‘opposite’), the ‘u’ in ‘support’ with the STRUT

vowel sound (p.108 - as in ‘supper’), and the ‘e’ in ‘open’ with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149 as in

‘pen’). But again, all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the SCHWA

vowel sound. All of this might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions

that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid pronouncing a written ‘r’ that should not be pronounced?

There are some words that end with the SCHWA vowel sound that are not spelt with a written ‘r’,

so it might be helpful to compare them to words that are. In RP, the ‘a’ in ‘tuna’ and the ‘er’ in ‘tuner’

are both pronounced with a SCHWA vowel sound. When saying, ‘tuner’, encourage your tongue tip

to be behind your bottom front teeth after the ‘n’. This way, the words rhyme with one another. Say

the word ‘tuna’ before each of the following words, encouraging the tongue tip to stay down behind

the bottom front teeth after the nal consonant. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound

accurately and watch your tongue in a mirror:

tuna… other weather mirror nature colour doctor paper lighter

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the SCHWA vowel sound?

The SCHWA vowel sound is almost like the sound you might associate with a Neanderthal grunt

– a sort of unformed, shapeless, language-less, neutral sound. It is short in duration, without any

movement in the lips, and the middle of the tongue is in the middle of the centre of the mouth. The

position of the tongue and lips for the SCHWA vowel sound is almost identical to their positions for

the NURSE vowel sound (p.96), so it might be helpful to compare them. Look in a mirror as you say

‘her’ and ‘lover’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a very small torch). It might be helpful to say

353

the Schwa

phonetic symbol -

359

360

361

362

the vowel sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to see the tongue more clearly. For

‘her’ (the NURSE vowel sound) encourage the lips to be neutral, the middle of the tongue to be in the

middle of the centre of the mouth and the sound to be long in duration. For ‘lover’ (this is the target

SCHWA vowel sound) encourage the middle of the tongue to be in the middle of the centre of the

mouth, but the sound to be short in duration.

NURSE SCHWA

The SCHWA vowel sound in the ‘ver’ of ‘lover’ should sound exactly the same as the ‘ver’ in the

word ‘veranda’. Say ‘lover’ then ‘veranda’, encouraging the ‘ver’ in both words to sound identical.

Say the word ‘her’ before each of the following words, encouraging your lips and the middle of your

tongue to remain in the same positions for the SCHWA vowel sounds, which have been underlined.

Encourage the sound to be short in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound

accurately:

her… about necklace oppose customer support Autumn album

hundred open possible forget director percent longer survive

survey v. posture standard fabulous cautious thorough borough saviour

Here’s another game to play: say the SCHWA vowel sound on its own before saying each word, to

help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference for

how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

around Alan obtuse purpose suppose album sullen open

possible forsake minor perhaps other surprise nature

custard scandalous curious thorough Edinburgh colour

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the

Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything else?

The SCHWA vowel sound can also be heard in weak forms of grammatical words, like ‘the’, ‘to’ and

‘a’, which helps to nd the rhythm and intonation of RP. This is fully explained in the subsection The

SCHWA in grammatical words (p.202).

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the Schwa

phonetic symbol -

363

> Practice words and typical spellings for the SCHWA vowel sound

a about around ahead again ballad Alan necklace banana

roundabout India England Nottingham o obtuse oppose offend ofcial

completely computer communicate consume conductor concern condition

melon paddock purpose customer pantomime u suppose support

suggest circus Autumn album perjury adventurer upon e hundred

sullen open present v. present n. begin commitment i possible

or doctor minor forget director for

sake mirror author forbid

actor sector juror Windsor major raptor manor doctor

sailor er perhaps percent perceive heather singer other

sister teacher brother longer father mower power yesterday eastern

mother wonderland ur survive surprise survey v. ure nature

posture ar burglar tankard custard standard standardise jeopardy

calendar ou fabulous scandalous cautious ferrous glamorous

Bournemouth curious curvaceous vicious marvellous boisterous disastrous

gracious anxious ough thorough borough Scarborough Loughborough

Middlesbrough urgh Edinburgh our harbour saviour succour colour

> Bonus Material!

Great news – there’s a FREE online video about the SCHWA at:

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com/lp/video-course

the Schwa

phonetic symbol - ɜː

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

er term deter preferred certain ur hurt purse urge

turn purr ir shirt bird rm girl ear earth

search heard earn olo colonel or work worth worse word

our adjourn courteous journal journey

> How is the NURSE vowel sound made in an RP accent?

This vowel sound is like a longer version of the SCHWA (p.92). The tongue tip is behind the bottom

teeth and the middle of the tongue is in the middle of the centre of the mouth. The lips are neutral, the

jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The NURSE vowel sound is long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you pronouncing every written ‘r’?

If you are a rhotic speaker (p.19), your habit is to pronounce every written ‘r’. The NURSE vowel

sound is often spelt with a written ‘r’, as in ‘term’, ‘hurt’, ‘shirt’, ‘earth’ ‘work’ and ‘journey’. But RP is

a non-rhotic accent so a written ‘r’ is only pronounced when it is followed by a spoken vowel sound.

Listen to the words above, rstly spoken with the R sound and then without, as they should be in

R P. If you do this, go to

- Are your lips rounded or spread instead of neutral?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound long in duration, but

their lips are rounded or spread instead of neutral, which changes the quality/tone of the sound. Listen

to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips rounded, then spread, and then neutral, as they

should be in RP: ‘term’, ‘hurt’, ‘shirt’, ‘earth’, ‘colonel’, ‘work’ and ‘journey’. If you do this, go to

- Are you pronouncing the NURSE vowel sound too short?

Some speakers have their tongue and lips in an accurate position but they make the sound short in

duration, instead of long, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with the sound short in duration and then long, as they should be in RP: ‘term’,

‘hurt’, ‘shirt’, ‘earth’, ‘colonel’, ‘work’ and ‘journey’. If you do this, go to

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phonetic symbol - ɜː

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371

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- Are you replacing the NURSE vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the NURSE vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120), especially

when it is spelt ‘or’ as in ‘work’ and ‘word’. The THOUGHT vowel sound is made with the back of the

tongue in the middle of the back of the mouth, the lips rounded and the sound equally as long in duration.

So words like ‘work’ sound more like ‘walk’, and ‘word’ sounds more like ‘ward’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you replacing the NURSE vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the NURSE vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149), especially

when it is spelt ‘e’ as in ‘term’ and ‘certain’. The DRESS vowel sound is made with the front of the

tongue in the middle of the front of the mouth, the lips slightly spread and the sound short in duration.

So words like ‘berth’ sound more like ‘Beth’. Of those that do this, some stretch the DRESS vowel

sound and make it longer, so ‘her’ might sound slightly more like ‘hair’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the NURSE vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the NURSE vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108), especially

when it is spelt ‘ur’ as in ‘hurt’ and ‘urge’. The STRUT vowel sound is made with the middle of the

tongue low the centre of the mouth, the lips equally as neutral and the sound short in duration. So words

like ‘hurt’ sound more like ‘hut’. Of those that do this, some stretch the STRUT vowel sound and

make it longer, so ‘hurt’ might sound slightly more like ‘heart’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because British

English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings. For

this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example, the

NURSE vowel sound can be represented as the ‘er’ in ‘her’, ‘ear’ in ‘earth’, the ‘ir’ in ‘shirt’, the ‘or’ in

‘work’, the ‘our’ in ‘journey’, the ‘olo’ in ‘colonel’, the ‘ur’ in ‘hurt’, and the ‘yr’ in ‘myrtle’. So, you might

mistakenly pronounce the ‘ear’ in ‘earth’ as the NEAR vowel sound (p.145 - as in ‘ear’). But all these

words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the NURSE vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘er’ with the NURSE vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘er’ would be pronounced as the NURSE vowel sound. Sadly, this is not

true, as the ‘er’ in ‘perhaps’ should be pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - as in ‘tuna’),

and in ‘sergeant’ it is pronounced as the BATH vowel sound (p.104 - as in ‘far’). All of this might seem

a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid pronouncing a written ‘r’ that should not be pronounced?

Firstly, encourage your tongue tip to stay down, touching behind the bottom front teeth when you

are saying the vowel sound. Secondly, unless the vowel sound is followed by another consonant,

encourage the tongue to stay completely still throughout, avoiding any movement at the end of the

sound. When it is followed by a consonant that needs the tongue tip, encourage the tongue to move

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nurse

phonetic symbol -

ɜː

374

375

377

directly to the position for that consonant, and not to pronounce an R sound just before. And lastly,

remember that the NURSE vowel sound is made in almost exactly the same way as a SCHWA vowel

sound, as in ‘tuna’ (p.92), the only difference being that it is longer in duration. Providing that you are

accurately pronouncing the SCHWA vowel sound, it might be helpful to say a word like ‘tuna’ before

saying the following words, to help you nd the accurate tongue position. Listen to the audio to help

you imitate the sound accurately and watch your tongue in a mirror:

tuna… her sir were fur purr verb murmur burn learn whirl

- How do I encourage my lips to be neutral?

The only way to guarantee that your lips are neutral instead of being spread or rounded is to use a

mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by putting one nger

in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed forwards; and if

your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say the following words, either

looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them to be neutral:

certain purse hurt shirt search colonel journal journey

For words like ‘work’ and ‘worth’, your lips should round for the W consonant sound (p.28) but then

release into neutral for the NURSE vowel sound.

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the NURSE vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the NURSE vowel sound is similar to their positions for the

STRUT vowel sound (p.108) and DRESS vowel sound (p.149), so it might be helpful to compare them.

Look in a mirror as you say ‘hut’, ‘hurt’ and ‘head’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a very small

torch). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to

see the tongue more clearly. For ‘hut’ (the STRUT vowel sound) encourage the lips to be neutral, the

middle of the tongue to be low in the centre of the mouth and the sound to be short in duration. For

‘hurt’ (this is the target NURSE vowel sound) encourage the lips to be equally as neutral, the middle

of the tongue to be in the middle of the centre of the mouth and the sound to be long in duration. And

for ‘head’ (the DRESS vowel sound) encourage the lips to be slightly spread, the front of the tongue to

be in the middle of the front of the mouth and the sound to be short in duration.

STRUT NURSE DRESS

This STRUT, NURSE and DRESS vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of three

words. Play with these words and encourage the middle of your tongue to remain in between the

positions for the STRUT and DRESS vowel sounds. Encourage the lips to be neutral and the sound to

be long in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

hut hurt head cut Kurt Ken putt pert pet luck lurk leg

376

378

379

nurse

phonetic symbol -

ɜː

380

381

382

383

If your habit is to replace the NURSE vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound, essentially, your

tongue position is too far forward. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the THOUGHT

vowel sound (which is made with the tongue in the back of the mouth) before saying words with the

NURSE vowel sound, in order to encourage your tongue into a more central position. For example:

hoard heard cord Kurt port pert four fur paw purr

Similarly, if your habit is to replace the NURSE vowel sound with the THOUGHT or STRUT vowel

sound, then your tongue position is too far back or too low. For this reason, it might be helpful to say

words with the DRESS vowel sound (which is made with the tongue in the front of the mouth) before

saying words with the NURSE vowel sound, in order to encourage your tongue into a more central

position. For example:

head heard Ken Kurt pet pert Len learn peck perk

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the NURSE vowel sound on its own before saying each word,

to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference

for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

er... preferred certain hurt purse shirt rm search

heard colonel work worth journal journey

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the NURSE vowel sound

er her twerp assert jerk perch b

erth terse verb emerge nerve

term stern deter preferred certain person immersion emergency

kernel ur nurture usurp nurse hurt church turf purse curb curd

urge curve furze turn curl spur occurred burnt burst murder

further urr purr ir virtual shirt irk birch birth bird dirge

rm girl stirred rst circus virtue yr myrrh myrtle Byrne

ear earth search heard earn yearn earl pearl rehearsal early

earnest learn o colonel or work worth worse word worm

worst worthy our scourge adjourn courteous journal journalist journey

> Practice Sentences for the NURSE vowel sound

• What a journey. I arrived early in Birmingham! That’s a rst! Have you heard from Bertha?

• I worked on Thursday to earn some extra cash. I’m burnt out! I’m searching for a different job!

• He is certainly personable, but is he determined enough? I’ve heard he can get very nervous.

• The circus was awesome. Our girls loved it! It’s worth coming to. It’s rst come rst served.

p.257

nurse

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

oa soap coat loaf road o_e note joke code tone o so no

don’t only ow own know grow owe ough dough though

although other brooch beau gauche mauve toe foe sew

> How is the GOAT vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The GOAT vowel sound is a diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides into

the other. The GOAT vowel sound starts as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) (where the tongue tip is

behind the bottom teeth, the middle of the tongue is in the middle of the centre of the mouth, and the lips

are neutral) which slides into a slightly shorter version of the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161 - where the

tongue tip stays behind the bottom teeth, the back of the tongue slides high and backwards into the back

of the mouth, and the lips round). The jaw is loose, the teeth are apart, and the sound is long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Do your lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout the whole diphthong?

Some speakers move their tongue through the accurate positions and make the sound long in duration,

but their lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout instead of sliding from neutral to rounded,

which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with

the lips rounded, then neutral, then spread, and then sliding from neutral to rounded, as they should be

in RP: ‘soap’, ‘note’, ‘so’, ‘own’, ‘owe’, ‘although’, ‘brooch’, ‘beau’, ‘mauve’, ‘toe’ and ‘sew’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you making this diphthong too short or too long in duration?

Some speakers move their tongue and lips through the accurate positions but they make the diphthong

too short or too long in duration, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. If you are

making the diphthong too long, either both vowel sounds in the diphthong will be too long, which will

make it sound like two syllables instead of one, or one of the vowel sounds in the diphthong will be

too long. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the diphthong too short in duration, then

with both vowel sounds too long, then with the rst vowel sound too long, then with the second

vowel sound too long, and nally as they should be in RP: ‘soap’, ‘note’, ‘so’, ‘own’, ‘owe’, ‘although’,

‘brooch’, ‘beau’, ‘mauve’, ‘toe’ and ‘sew’. If you do this, go to

goat

101

phonetic symbol - əʊ

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390

391

392

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (SCHWA) with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120),

which is made with the back of the tongue in the middle of the back of the mouth, the lips rounded and

the sound long in duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the THOUGHT vowel

sound at the beginning of this diphthong and then with the SCHWA vowel sound at the beginning, as

they should be in RP: ‘soap’, ‘note’, ‘so’, ‘own’, ‘owe’, ‘although’, ‘brooch’, ‘beau’, ‘mauve’, ‘toe’ and ‘sew’.

If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (SCHWA) with the LOT vowel sound (p.116), which is

made with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth, the lips slightly rounded and the sound

short in duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the LOT vowel sound at the

beginning of this diphthong and then with the SCHWA vowel sound at the beginning, as they should

be in RP: ‘soap’, ‘note’, ‘so’, ‘own’, ‘owe’, ‘although’, ‘brooch’, ‘beau’, ‘mauve’, ‘toe’ and ‘sew’. If you do

this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (SCHWA) with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108), which

is made with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth, the lips neutral and the sound

short in duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the STRUT vowel sound at the

beginning of this diphthong and then with the SCHWA vowel sound at the beginning, as they should

be in RP: ‘soap’, ‘note’, ‘so’, ‘own’, ‘owe’, ‘although’, ‘brooch’, ‘beau’, ‘mauve’, ‘toe’ and ‘sew’. If you do

this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the GOAT vowel sound can be represented as the ‘oo’ in ‘brooch’, the ‘ou’ in ‘soul’, the ‘oe’ in ‘toe’,

the ‘ow’ in ‘know’, the ‘ough’ in ‘although’, the ‘o_e’ in ‘home’, the ‘oa’ in ‘road’, the ‘eau’ in ‘beau’, the

‘ew’ in ‘sew’ and the ‘au’ in ‘mauve’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘oo’ in ‘brooch’ as the

GOOSE vowel sound (p.161 - as in ‘food’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are

pronounced with the GOAT vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘o’ with the GOAT vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘o’ would be pronounced as the GOAT vowel sound. Sadly, this is not

true, as the ‘o’ in the plural of ‘women’ should be pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141 - as

in ‘it’), in ‘done’ it is pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108 - as in ‘cup’), in the singular of

‘women’ it is pronounced as the FOOT vowel sound (p.165 - as in ‘put’), in ‘stop’ it is pronounced

as the LOT vowel sound (p.116 - as in ‘on’), in ‘offend’ it is pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound

(p.92 - as in ‘tuna’), and in ‘do’ it is pronounced as the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161 - as in ‘food’). All

of this might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help

you: go to

393

goat

102

phonetic symbol -

əʊ

394

395

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the GOAT vowel sound?

Firstly, ensure that you are accurately pronouncing the two component vowel sounds in this diphthong

by following the exercises in the sections entitled How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the

SCHWA vowel sound? (p.93) and How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the GOOSE vowel sound?

(p.163).

Once you feel condent with how to make each vowel sound, your tongue needs to slide from one

into the other to make the diphthong. Say each sound on its own, one after the other, with a brief

pause between them. Watch your tongue and lips in a mirror and then take out the pause, sliding them

into one another. All diphthongs are made with the rst vowel slightly more stressed than the second.

This being said, it is only slightly more stressed and should be observed with care. And remember that

the two vowel sounds in a diphthong make a single syllable: the tongue slides smoothly but swiftly and

the sound is long, but not too long.

Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to check whether you are accurately

pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong – the SCHWA (which has been written as ‘er’

and rhotic speakers must remember to avoid pronouncing the written ‘r’). Listen to the audio to help

you imitate the sound accurately.

ser… soap ner… note ser… so er… own er… owe alther… although

brer… brooch ber… beau mer… mauve ter… toe ser… sew

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

- The difference between GOAT (

əʊ) and GOAL (oʊ)

When the GOAT vowel sound is followed by a dark L (p.57 - a written L that is followed by a

consonant sound or by a pause) most RP speakers pronounce the rst vowel sound more like the

LOT vowel sound (p.116 - as in ‘hot’), instead of the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92). This can be heard

in words like ‘soul’, ‘old’, ‘bowl’ and ‘hole’.

You may not see these words being transcribed in even the most reliable of dictionaries, but most RP

speakers now use this diphthong – oʊ. Whilst you may still hear some speakers using the əʊ diphthong

in these specic types of words, it is considered as a more traditional or historic pronunciation,

often associated with older speakers. If you choose to continue using the GOAT instead of GOAL

pronunciation for words like these, you will still be clearly understood, and your pronunciation will

lie within the RP canon.

Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to check whether you are accurately

pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound

goat

103

phonetic symbol -

əʊ

397

398

400

401

accurately:

so… soul o… old bo… bowl ho… hole ro… roll po… pole co… coal

vo… vole po… poultry co… cold so… sold mo… mould sho… shoulder

- The LOWER triphthong: phonetic symbol

əʊə

There are ve of the eight diphthongs that can be extended with a nal SCHWA vowel sound (p.92),

which turns the diphthong into a triphthong – a combination of three vowel sounds where one slides

into another. The GOAT vowel sound is one such diphthong, so words like ‘lower’, ‘mower’ and ‘Goa’

are pronounced with the GOAT vowel sound followed by a SCHWA vowel sound. The lips relax

back to neutral and the tongue slides from being in the back of the mouth to the middle of the centre

of the mouth.

Some RP speakers add a W sound (p.28) to link the GOAT vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel

sound. This makes words like ‘lower’, ‘mower’ and ‘Goa’ sound like two syllable words instead of one.

In this version, the lips round too much at the end of the diphthong and then release quite suddenly

into the SCHWA. Other speakers do not add a W sound. Instead, they make the transition of their

lips from the GOAT vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel sound much more smoothly. This makes the

words above sound more like one syllable.

This variation in pronunciation is in part to do with the evolving nature of accents. And unfortunately

these variations are not accounted for in a reliable dictionary. In some ways, this ambiguity could be

seen as a frustrating, but another perspective would be to say that is allows for choice, as both are

considered correct. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the W sound and then without:

lower mower Goa Noah Samoa boa slower thrower blower

And lastly, many words with these triphthongs have a written ‘r’ in the spelling, which should not

be spoken, unless they are followed by a spoken vowel sound (p.19). Encourage your tongue tip to

remain down, touching the bottom front teeth at the end of the triphthong.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the GOAT vowel sound

oa soap coat boat oak roach oat oaf loaf road moat loathe

roam loan boast coax o_e note rope joke robe code grove

close rose ozone home tone explode o so no don’t host

only both gross noble ocean explosion erosion holy rogue over

ow own know glow grow owe Owen own ough dough

though

although other spellings brooch beau gauche mauve toe sew

> Practice Sentences for the GOAT vowel sound

• Tell Owen that I won’t be back until late. I’ll leave a note as well. Don’t forget.

• She owes me money. I’m going to phone her after work. Her tone of voice is so condescending.

• Do you know Fiona? She owns a global marketing rm. I’m going over tonight - come with me.

• The roads are hopeless. They closed the M25 because a gas main exploded! I can’t get home.

p.258

399

396

goat

104

phonetic symbol - ɑː

20min

402

403

404

405

This sound is pronounced in words like:

a staff path class glass ar far star bar part al half calm

balm almond er sergeant ear heart hearth are

> How is the BATH vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the back of the tongue is low in the back of the mouth. The

lips are neutral, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The BATH vowel sound is long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you pronouncing every written ‘r’?

If you are a rhotic speaker (p.19), your habit is to pronounce every written ‘r’. The BATH vowel

sound is often spelt with a written ‘r’, as in ‘far’, ‘ bar’, ‘are’ and ‘ heart’. But RP is a non-rhotic accent so

a written ‘r’ is only pronounced when it is followed by a spoken vowel sound. Listen to the words

above, rstly spoken with the R sound and then without, as they should be in RP. If you do this,

go to

- Are your lips rounded or spread instead of neutral?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound long in duration, but

their lips are spread or rounded instead of neutral, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips spread, then rounded, and then neutral, as

they should be in RP: ‘far’, ‘bar’, ‘calm’, ‘balm’, ‘sergeant’, ‘heart’ and ‘are’. If you do this, go to

- Are you pronouncing the BATH vowel sound too short?

Some speakers have their tongue and lips in an accurate position but they make the sound short in

duration, instead of long, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with the sound short in duration and then long, as they should be in RP: ‘far’, ‘bar’,

‘calm’, ‘balm’, ‘sergeant’, ‘heart’ and ‘are’. If you do this, go to

406

bath, palm, start

105

- Are you replacing the BATH vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the BATH vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound (p.129), especially when

it is spelt ‘a’ as in ‘staff’, ‘class’, ‘glass’ and ‘path’. The TRAP vowel sound is made with the front of the

tongue low in the front of the mouth, the lips slight spread and the sound short in duration. Listen to the

words above, rstly spoken with the TRAP vowel sound, then with the BATH vowel sound, as they

should be in RP. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the BATH vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the BATH vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108), which is made

with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth and the sound short in duration. The lips

are equally as neutral for both vowel sounds. So words like ‘calm’ sound more like ‘come’, ‘harm’

sounds more like ‘hum’, ‘psalm’ sounds more like ‘sum’ and ‘cart’ sounds more like ‘cut’. If you do this,

go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the BATH vowel sound can be represented as the ‘a’ in ‘grass’, the ‘au’ in ‘aunt’, the ‘al’ in ‘psalm’, the

‘are’ in ‘are’, the ‘ear’ in ‘heart’ and the ‘er’ in ‘sergeant’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘er’

in ‘sergeant’ as the NURSE vowel sound (p.96 - as in ‘her’). But all these words, despite the variation

in spelling, are pronounced with the BATH vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘ar’ with the BATH vowel sound. One might

then hope that all words spelt with ‘ar’ would be pronounced as the BATH vowel sound. Sadly, this

is not true, as the ‘ar’ in ‘standard’ should be pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - as

in ‘tuna’), in ‘toward’ it is pronounced as the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120 - as in ‘or’), and in

‘scarce’ it is pronounced as the SQUARE vowel sound (p.157 - as in ‘air’). All of this might seem a bit

overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid pronouncing a written ‘r’ that should not be pronounced?

Firstly, encourage your tongue tip to stay down, touching the bottom front teeth when you are saying

the vowel sound. Secondly, unless the vowel sound is followed by another consonant, encourage the

tongue to stay completely still throughout, avoiding any movement at the end of the sound. When it

is followed by a consonant that needs the tongue tip, encourage the tongue to move directly to the

position for that consonant, and not to pronounce an R sound just before. Below are some word

pairs. Both words contain the BATH vowel sound, but the rst is not spelt with a written ‘r’. So it

might helpful to use these words to help you nd the accurate tongue position before saying the

words with a written ‘r’. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately and watch your

tongue in a mirror:

Lama farmer path part staff starve last lard calf carve

phonetic symbol - ɑː

407

408

409

410

411

bath, palm, start

106

phonetic symbol -

ɑː

412

413

414

415

- How do I encourage my lips to be neutral?

The only way to guarantee that your lips are neutral instead of rounding or spreading is to use a mirror

when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by putting one nger in a

vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed forwards; and if your

lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say the following words, either looking

in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them to be neutral:

staff path class glass far star bar part half calm

balm almond sergeant heart hearth are

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the BATH vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the BATH vowel sound is similar to their positions for the

STRUT vowel sound (p.108) and LOT vowel sound (p.116), so it might be helpful to compare them.

Look in a mirror as you say ‘hut’, ‘heart’ and ‘hot’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a very small

torch). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to

see the tongue more clearly. For ‘hut’ (the STRUT vowel sound) encourage the lips to be neutral, the

middle of the tongue to be low in the centre of the mouth and the sound to be short in duration. For

‘heart’ (this is the target BATH vowel sound) encourage the lips to be equally as neutral, the back of

the tongue to be low in the back of the mouth and the sound to be long in duration. And for ‘hot’ (the

LOT vowel sound) encourage the lips to be slightly rounded, the back of the tongue to be low in the

back of the mouth

and the sound to be short in duration.

STRUT BATH LOT

This STRUT, BATH and LOT vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of three

words. Play with these words and encourage the tongue to remain in between the positions for the

STRUT and LOT vowel sounds. Encourage the lips to be neutral and the sound to be long in duration.

Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

hut heart hot cut cart cot bum balm bomb lust last lost

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the BATH vowel sound on its own before saying each word,

to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference

for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

ah... staff path class glass far star bar part half calm

balm almond sergeant heart hearth are

416

bath, palm, start

107

phonetic symbol -

ɑː

417

418

419

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

This is a very minor detail, but occasionally, when the BATH vowel sound is spelt ‘a’ some RP speakers

pronounce the vowel as the TRAP vowel sound (p.129). This only occurs in a handful of words like

‘drastic’, ‘masquerade’, ‘exasperate’, ‘Glasgow’ and ‘plaque’. This variation in pronunciation is in part to

do with the evolving nature of accents. In some ways, this ambiguity could be seen as frustrating, but

another perspective would be to say that is allows for choice, as both are considered correct. The

only way to check these variations is to look at the phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the BATH vowel sound

a staff giraffe path brass class glass grass pass draft grasp gasp

blast cast fast last past contrast vast ask task after Shaftesbury

master disaster nasty disastrous basket dance advance chance France

glance chant plant advantage demand command example sample

answer rather shan’t can’t Iraq morale Iran Sudan banana father

bra Bach façade spa staccato bravado incommunicado lager

Pakistan sari safari cascara scenario Sahara tiara ar far star

bar sharp part bark arch start scarf farce harsh garb card

large carve parse farm barn snarl Charles party market marvelous

au laugh auntie draught al calf half halve calm balm psalm

almond er sergeant ear heart hearken hearth are are

> Practice Sentences for the BATH vowel sound

• I start work in March, I’ve moved into my apartment and Charles has asked me to marry him!

• You’ve grasped the basics, but the task is asking for more creativity. The answers are advanced.

• I played draughts with my aunt Clara, and we laughed so hard! She’s not for the faint-hearted!

• Are you ready? Stay calm and collected! The time will pass by so fast. This is the last part!

p.259

bath, palm, start

108

phonetic symbol - ʌ

20min

420

421

422

423

This sound is pronounced in words like:

u cup cut suck much o done come love mother

ou touch enough young double oe does oo blood ood

> How is the STRUT vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the middle of the tongue is low in the centre of the mouth.

The tongue should look level or slightly lower than the bottom teeth. The lips are neutral, the jaw is

loose and the teeth are apart. The STRUT vowel sound is short in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are your lips rounded or slightly spread instead of neutral?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound short in duration, but

their lips are rounded or spread instead of neutral, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips rounded, then with the lips spread, and then

with the lips neutral, as they should be in RP: ‘cup’, ‘come’, ‘touch’, ‘does’ and ‘blood’. If you do this, go

- Are you replacing the STRUT vowel sound with the SCHWA vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the STRUT vowel sound with the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92), which is made

with the middle of the tongue in the middle of the centre of the mouth. It isn’t straightforward to directly

compare words with the SCHWA vowel sound, as it is the sound that tends to represent the weak

syllable in a word (p.183), and so it can be spelt in many ways. It is the sound that ends words like

‘pizza’ and ‘tuna’. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the SCHWA vowel sound, then

with the STRUT vowel sound, as they should be in RP: ‘cup’, ‘come’, ‘touch’, ‘does’ and ‘blood’. If you

do this, go to

- Are you replacing the STRUT vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the STRUT vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound (p.129), which is made

with the front of the tongue low in the front of the mouth, and the lips slightly spread. The sound is equally

as short in duration. So words like ‘luck’ sound more like ‘lack’, ‘cut’ sounds more like ‘cat’, ‘nut’ sounds

more like ‘gnat’ and ‘hut’ sounds more like ‘hat’. If you do this, go to

424

strut

109

phonetic symbol - ʌ

425

426

427

428

- Are you replacing the STRUT vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the STRUT vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound (p.116 - especially when

it is spelt ‘o’ as in ‘come’ and ‘done’) which is made with the back of the tongue low of the back of the

mouth, and the lips rounded. Both vowel sounds are equally as short in duration. So words like ‘nut’

sound more like ‘not’, ‘cut’ sounds more like ‘cot’, ‘gut’ sounds more like ‘got’ and ‘muck’ sounds more

like ‘mock’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the STRUT vowel sound with the BATH vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the STRUT vowel sound with the BATH vowel sound (p.104), which is made

with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth, and the sound longer in duration. The lips are

equally as neutral for both vowel sounds. So words like ‘cut’ sound more like ‘cart’, ‘luck’ sounds more

like ‘lark’, and ‘puck’ sounds more like ‘park’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the STRUT vowel sound can be represented as the ‘o’ in ‘done’, the ‘ou’ in ‘touch’, the ‘oe’ in ‘does’,

and the ‘oo’ in ‘ood’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘oo’ in ‘ood’ as the GOOSE vowel

sound (p.161 - as in ‘food’), or the ‘o’ in ‘done’ as the LOT vowel sound (p.116 - as in ‘hot’). But all

these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the STRUT vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘u’ with the STRUT vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘u’ would be pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound. Sadly, this is

not true, as the ‘u’ in ‘bush’ should be pronounced as the FOOT vowel sound (p.165 - as in ‘put’), in

‘busy’ it is pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141 - as in ‘it’), and in ‘huge’ it is pronounced as a

the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161 - as in ‘food’). All of this might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have

some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to be neutral?

The only way to guarantee that your lips are neutral instead of rounding or spreading is to use a mirror

when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by putting one nger in a

vertical line over your lips, which will help you to notice if your lips are rounding because your nger

will be pushed forwards. Say the following words, either looking in a mirror or with one nger on

your lips, and encourage them to be neutral:

cup cut suck much done come love mother touch

enough young double does blood ood

429

strut

110

phonetic symbol -

430

431

432

433

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the STRUT vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the STRUT vowel sound is similar to their positions for the

BATH vowel sound (p.104) and NURSE vowel sound (p.96), so it might be helpful to compare them.

Look in a mirror as you say ‘heart’, ‘hut’ and ‘hurt’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a very small

torch). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to

see the tongue more clearly. It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their own after saying the

words, in order to see the tongue more clearly. For ‘heart’ (the BATH vowel sound) encourage the

lips to be neutral, the back of the tongue to be low in the back of the mouth and the sound to be long in

duration. For ‘hut’ (this is the target STRUT vowel sound) encourage the lips to remain neutral, but

the sound to be short in duration, and the middle of the tongue to be low in the centre of the mouth.

And for ‘hurt’ (the NURSE vowel sound) encourage the lips to remain neutral, but the sound to be

long in duration, and the middle of the tongue to be in the middle of the centre of the mouth.

BATH STRUT NURSE

This BATH, STRUT and NURSE vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of three

words. Play with these words and encourage the middle of your tongue to remain in between the

positions for the BATH and NURSE vowel sounds. Encourage the lips to be neutral and the sound to

be short in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

heart hut hurt part putt pert Bart but Bert barn bun burn

If your habit is to replace the STRUT vowel sound with the TRAP or SCHWA vowel sound, essentially,

your tongue position is too far forward or too high. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words

with the BATH vowel sound (which is made with the tongue low in the back of the mouth) before

saying words with the STRUT vowel sound, in order to encourage your tongue into a lower and more

central position. For example:

heart hut part putt Bart but barn bun farce fuss last lust

Similarly, if your habit is to replace the STRUT vowel sound with the BATH or LOT vowel sound,

then your tongue position is too far back. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the

TRAP vowel sound (which is made with the tongue low in the front of the mouth) before saying words

with the STRUT vowel sound, in order to encourage your tongue into a more central position. For

example:

hat hut pat putt bat but ban bun pack puck lack luck

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the STRUT vowel sound on its own before saying each word,

to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference

434

strut

111

phonetic symbol -

435

436

437

for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

uh... cup cut suck much done come love mother touch

enough young double does blood ood

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the STRUT vowel sound

u cup cut suck much snuff fuss rush rub bud jug budge

buzz hum run lung dull pulse bulge punch lump hunt trunk

butter study punish number mustn’t must Guthrie fun cut shut

butter hunter stuff Sunday hurry o done come love mother

omach monk tongue onion money front colour some something

nothing wonderful son honey dozen one once London

worry ou touch enough young double southern tough country

oe does oo blood ood

> Practice Sentences for the STRUT vowel sound

• I wonder whether I earn enough money to live in London – it’s something I’d love to do!

• A double Southern Comfort on a Monday afternoon!? You’re either glum or in trouble!

• He’s a lovely, wonderful son-in-law, I’ve nothing bad to say. He’s coming to lunch on Sunday.

• She studies hard, she cares for her elderly mother, and she’s young – maybe twenty-one.

p.260

strut

112

phonetic symbol - ɑɪ

20min

438

439

441

440

This sound is pronounced in words like:

i_e ripe write five like ie die tried cried i I Friday silent

child y try shy why my ye dye rye ei eider kaleidoscope

igh ight sigh night light ig sign benign eigh height

ui guide disguise quite uy buy guy other eye aisle indict

> How is the PRICE vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The PRICE vowel sound is a diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides into

the other. The PRICE vowel sound starts as a slightly shorter version of the BATH vowel sound (p.104

- where the tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth, the back of the tongue is low in the back of the mouth,

and the lips are neutral) which slides into a slightly shorter version of the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137

- where the tongue tip stays behind the

bottom teeth, the front of the tongue slides high and forwards

into the front of the mouth and the lips slightly spread). The jaw is loose, the teeth are apart, and the

sound is long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Do your lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout the whole diphthong?

Some speakers move their tongue through the accurate positions and make the sound long in duration,

but their lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout instead of sliding from neutral to slightly

spread, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the lips rounded, then neutral, then spread, and then sliding from neutral to slightly spread,

as they should be in RP: ‘ripe’, ‘tried’, ‘I’, ‘try’, ‘rye’, ‘height’, ‘night’, ‘sign’, ‘guide’, ‘buy’, ‘eye’, ‘aisle’ and

‘indict’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making this diphthong too long or too short in duration?

Some speakers move their tongue and lips through the accurate positions but they make the diphthong

too short or too long in duration, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. If you are

making the diphthong too long, either both vowel sounds in the diphthong will be too long, which will

make it sound like two syllables instead of one, or one of the vowel sounds in the diphthong will be

too long. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with this diphthong too short in duration, then

with both vowel sounds too long, then with the rst vowel sound too long, then with the second

vowel sound too long, and nally as they should be in RP: ‘ripe’, ‘tried’, ‘I’, ‘try’, ‘rye’, ‘height’, ‘night’, ‘sign’,

‘guide’, ‘buy’, ‘eye’, ‘aisle’ and ‘indict’. If you do this, go to

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442

443

444

445

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (BATH) with the TRAP vowel sound (p.129), which is

made with the front of the tongue low in the front of the mouth and the lips slightly spread. Listen to

the following words, rstly spoken with the TRAP vowel sound at the beginning of this diphthong and

then with a slightly shorter version of the BATH vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be in

RP: ‘ripe’, ‘tried’, ‘I’, ‘try’, ‘rye’, ‘height’, ‘night’, ‘sign’, ‘guide’, ‘buy’, ‘eye’, ‘aisle’ and ‘indict’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (BATH) with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149), which

is made with the front of the tongue in the middle of the front of the mouth and the lips slightly spread.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the DRESS vowel sound at the beginning of this

diphthong and then with a slightly shorter version of the BATH vowel sound at the beginning, as they

should be in RP: ‘ripe’, ‘tried’, ‘I’, ‘try’, ‘rye’, ‘height’, ‘night’. ‘sign’, ‘guide’, ‘buy’, ‘eye’, ‘aisle’ and ‘indict’. If

you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (BATH) with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120),

which is made with the back of the tongue in the middle of the back of the mouth and the lips rounded.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the THOUGHT vowel sound at the beginning of

this diphthong and then with a slightly shorter version of the BATH vowel sound at the beginning, as

they should be in RP: ‘ripe’, ‘tried’, ‘I’, ‘try’, ‘rye’, ‘height’, ‘night’, ‘sign’, ‘guide’, ‘buy’ , ‘ eye’, ‘ aisle’ and ‘indict’.

If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the PRICE vowel sound can be represented as the ‘ai’ in ‘aisle’, the ‘ei’ in ‘kaleidoscope’, the ‘eigh’ in

‘height’, the ‘ie’ in ‘tried’, and the ‘y’ in ‘type’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘eigh’ in ‘height’

as the FACE vowel sound (p.153 - as in ‘eight’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling,

are pronounced with the PRICE vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘i’ with the PRICE vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘i’ would be pronounced as the PRICE vowel sound. Sadly, this is

not true, as the ‘i’ in ‘ship’ should be pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141 - as in ‘it’), and in

‘police’ it is pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137 - as in ‘he’). All of this might seem a bit

overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

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phonetic symbol -

ɑɪ

447

448

449

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the PRICE vowel sound?

Firstly, ensure that you are accurately pronouncing the two component vowel sounds in this diphthong

by following the exercises in the sections entitled How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the

BATH vowel sound? (p.106) and How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the FLEECE vowel sound?

(p.139).

Once you feel condent with how to make each vowel sound, your tongue needs to slide from one

into the other to make the diphthong. Say each sound on its own, one after the other, with a brief

pause between them. Watch your tongue and lips in a mirror and then take out the pause, sliding them

into one another. All diphthongs are made with the rst vowel slightly more stressed than the second.

This being said, it is only slightly more stressed and should be observed with care. And remember that

the two vowel sounds in a diphthong make a single syllable: the tongue slides smoothly but swiftly and

the sound is long, but not too long.

Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to check whether you are accurately

pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong – BATH. Listen to the audio to help you imitate

the sound accurately:

rah… ripe trah… tried trah… try rah… rye hah… height nah… night

sah… sign gah… guild bah… buy ah… aisle indah… indict

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

- The LIAR triphthong: phonemic symbol

aɪə

There are ve of the eight diphthongs that can be extended with a nal SCHWA vowel sound, which

turns the diphthong into a triphthong – a combination of three vowel sounds where one slides into

another. The PRICE vowel sound is one such diphthong, so words like ‘liar’, ‘tire’, ‘pyre’ and ‘briar’ are

pronounced with the PRICE vowel sound followed by a SCHWA vowel sound. The lips relax back

to neutral and the tongue slides from being in the back of the mouth to the middle of the centre of the

mouth.

Some RP speakers add a YOD (p35.) to link the PRICE vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel sound

(p.92). This makes words like ‘liar’, ‘tire’, ‘pyre’ and ‘briar’ sound like two syllable words instead of one.

In this version, the tongue moves quite suddenly into the SCHWA. Other speakers do not add a YOD.

Instead, they make the transition of their tongue from the PRICE vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel

sound much more smoothly. This makes the words above sound more like one syllable.

This variation in pronunciation is in part to do with the evolving nature of accents. And unfortunately

these variations are not accounted for in a reliable dictionary. In some ways, this ambiguity could be

seen as a frustrating, but another perspective would be to say that is allows for choice, as both are

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considered correct. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the YOD and then without:

higher wire acquire prior attire dryer re retire buyer

And lastly, many words with these triphthongs have a written ‘r’ in the spelling, which should not

be spoken, unless they are followed by a spoken vowel sound (p.19). Encourage your tongue tip to

remain down, touching the bottom front teeth at the end of the triphthong.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the PRICE vowel sound

i_e ripe write ve drive like knife ice tribe side arrive writhe

rise time ne kite mile ie die tried cried i I Friday tiger

silent violent liar science indict isle child pint nd ninth Chr

ist

viscount bicycle island hi y type try shy sly hyper y Cyprus

hydrogen rhyme sky hybrid style why my ye dye rye ei eider

kaleidoscope height igh ght ight sigh night light sight high

ig sign benign eigh height ui beguile guide disguise quite

uy buy guy other spellings eye aisle indict

> Practice Sentences for the PRICE vowel sound

• I’d like to invite you to mine on Friday, would that be alright? We’ll eat ice cream all night!

• Why do you keep on lying to me? I hate it! It’s childish! I’m almost frightened to know the truth

• I’m so tired. My eyes are weary. It would be nice to lie down in silence!

• I want to find out why the gures in July were so high, and the kind of clients who were buying.

p.261

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phonetic symbol - ɒ

20min

453

454

456

455

This sound is pronounced in words like:

o stop not pot a what quality yacht ow knowledge acknowledge

au Australia Austria Austin sausage ou Gloucester cough trough

> How is the LOT vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the back of the tongue is low in the back of the mouth.

The lips are slightly rounded, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The LOT vowel sound is short

in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are your lips spread or neutral instead of rounded?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound short in duration, but

their lips are neutral or spread instead of slightly rounded, which impacts on the quality and tone of

the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips spread, then neutral, and then

slightly rounded, as they should be in RP: ‘stop’, ‘what’, ‘knowledge’, ‘sausage’ and ‘cough’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you pronouncing the LOT vowel sound too long?

Some speakers have their tongue and lips in an accurate position but they make the sound long in

duration, instead of short, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with the sound long in duration and then short, as they should be in RP: ‘stop’,

‘what’, ‘knowledge’, ‘sausage’ and ‘cough’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the LOT vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the LOT vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120), which is

made with the back of the tongue slightly higher in the back of the mouth, the sound long in duration

and the lips are slightly more rounded. So words like ‘stock’ sound more like ‘stalk’, and ‘rod’ sounds

more like ‘roared’. If you do this, go to

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phonetic symbol - ɒ

458

459

460

461

- Are you replacing the LOT vowel sound with the BATH vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the LOT vowel sound with the BATH vowel sound (p.104), which is made

with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth. The lips are neutral and the sound is long in

duration. So words like ‘stock’ sound more like ‘stark’, and ‘lock’ sounds more like ‘lark’. If you do

this, go to

- Are you replacing the LOT vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the LOT vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108), which is made

with the middle of the tongue low in the middle of the mouth. The lips are neutral and the sound is equally

as short in duration. So words like ‘stock’ sound more like ‘stuck’ and ‘lock’ sounds more like ‘luck’. If

you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the LOT vowel sound with the GOAT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the LOT vowel sound with the GOAT vowel sound (p.100), which is a

diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides into the other. The GOAT vowel

sound starts with the middle of the tongue in the middle of the centre of the mouth and the lips neutral

and then the tongue slides upwards and backwards high into the back of the mouth and the lips round.

The sound is long in duration. So words like ‘stock’ sound more like ‘stoke’, ‘cot’ sounds more like

‘coat’, ‘clock’ sounds more like ‘cloak’ and ‘sock’ sounds more like ‘soak’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the LOT vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the LOT vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound (p.129), which is made

with the front of the tongue low in the front of the mouth. The lips are slightly spread and the sound is

equally as short in duration. So words like ‘rot’ sound more like ‘rat’, and ‘lock’ sounds more like ‘lack’.

If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because British

English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings. For

this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example, the

LOT vowel sound can be represented as the ‘a’ in ‘what’, the ‘au’ in ‘Australia’, the ‘ow’ in ‘knowledge’,

and the ‘ou’ in ‘cough’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘a’ in ‘what’ as the TRAP vowel sound

(p.129 - as in ‘pat’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the

LOT vowel sound.

It’s quite typical to have a certain spelling associated with a vowel sound. For example, many speakers

associate the spelling ‘o’ with the LOT vowel sound. One might then hope that all words spelt with

‘o’ would be pronounced as the LOT vowel sound. Sadly, this is not true, as the ‘o’ in the singular

of ‘woman’ should be pronounced as the FOOT vowel sound (p.165 - as in ‘should’), in ‘done’ it is

pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108 - as in ‘hut’), in the plural of ‘women’ it is pronounced

as the KIT vowel sound (p.141 - as in ‘it’), in ‘offend’ it is pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound

(p.92 - as in ‘tuna’), in ‘do’ it is pronounced as the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161 - as in ‘food’), and

in ‘no’ it is pronounced as the GOAT vowel sound (p.100 - as in ‘low’). All of this might seem a bit

overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

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phonetic symbol -

465

466

467

468

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to be rounded?

The only way to guarantee that your lips are rounded accurately instead of being neutral or spread is

to use a mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by putting one

nger in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed forwards; and

if your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say the following words, either

looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them to be rounded accurately:

stop not pot sock what swan quality yacht knowledge

acknowledge Australia Austria Austin sausage Gloucester cough trough

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the LOT vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the LOT vowel sound is similar to their positions for the

BATH vowel sound (p.104) and THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120), so it might be helpful to compare

them. Look in a mirror as you say ‘heart’, ‘hot’ and ‘hoard’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a

very small torch - although you might still struggle to see the back of the tongue because the lips need

to be rounded when saying these vowel sounds). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their

own after saying the words, in order to see the tongue more clearly. For ‘heart’ (the BATH vowel

sound) encourage the lips to be neutral, the back of the tongue to be low in the back of the mouth and

the sound to be long in duration. For ‘hot’ (this is the target LOT vowel sound) encourage the lips

to be slightly rounded, the sound to be short in duration, and the back of the tongue to be only slightly

higher in the back of the mouth. And for ‘hoar

d’ (the THOUGHT vowel sound) encourage the lips

to be more rounded, the back of the tongue to be slightly higher still in the back of the mouth and the

sound to be long in duration.

BATH LOT THOUGHT

This BATH, LOT and THOUGHT vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of three

words. Play with these words and encourage the front of your tongue to remain in between the

positions for the BATH and THOUGHT vowel sounds. Encourage the lips to be slightly rounded and

the sound to be long in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

stark stock stalk lark lock lawn shark shock short card cod cord

If your habit is to replace the LOT vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound, essentially, your

tongue position is too high. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the BATH vowel

sound (which is made with the tongue lower in the back of the mouth) before saying words with the

LOT vowel sound, in order to encourage your tongue into a lower position. For example:

stark stock lark lock shark shock card cod heart hot part pot

464

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phonetic symbol -

469

470

471

472

Similarly, if your habit is to replace the LOT vowel sound with the BATH, STRUT or TRAP vowel

sound, then your tongue position is too low or too far forward. For this reason, it might be helpful to

say words with the THOUGHT vowel sound (which is made with the tongue in the slightly higher in

the back of the mouth) before saying words with the LOT vowel sound, in order to encourage your

tongue higher and further back. For example:

stalk stock lawn lock short shock cord cod hoard hot port pot

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the LOT vowel sound on its own before saying each word,

to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference

for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

stop not pot sock what swan quality yacht knowledge

acknowledge Australia Austria Austin sausage Gloucester cough trough

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the LOT vowel sound

o stop not pot sock notch Goth rob odd cog dodge

Tom con doll solve romp font copse bo

x prot possible

proverb bother rosin honest ponder off broth froth cross across

loss oss toss doss soft croft lost oft cost frost often

soften lofty gone moth boss gloss joss moss Ross long strong

wrong gong song tongs throng coffee coffer cofn offer

ofce ofcer glossy foster Boston origin Oregon oratory orator

orange authority borrow categorical correlate coroner coral orid

Florida orist historic horrid h

orrible majority horrify horror

metaphoric Morris moral porridge rhetorical sorrel sorrow

tomorrow sorry a what swan quality yacht wasp watch squabble

wafe quarrel quantity quarry warrant warren warrior wash wanted

ow knowledge acknowledge au Australia Austria Austin sausage

Laurence laurel ou Gloucester cough trough

> Practice Sentences for the LOT vowel sound

• What are you doing tomorrow? Are you at the ofce? Is it possible to drop Lolly off at the orist?

• My boss is on Holiday until Monday. She’s gone to Gloucester with Rob. I’m completely swamped!

• Is your porridge hot enough Scott? I’ve also made some wafes, with orange compote. Coffee?

• You always wear odd socks! What’s wrong with you? Do you not stop to look?

p.262

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phonetic symbol - ɔː

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474

476

475

This sound is pronounced in words like:

au sauce cause Paul autumn aw crawl sawn yawn law

ar toward war quarter ward a water all fall small

augh taught caught naughty daughter al chalk talk walk stalk

ough brought fought sought thought

oa broad hoary oar hoarse

board hoard boarder our your mourn course court or or

short George sport ore more sore before explore

> How is the THOUGHT vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the

back of the tongue is in the middle of the back of the

mouth. The lips are rounded, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The THOUGHT vowel sound is

long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you pronouncing every written ‘r’?

If you are a rhotic speaker (p.19), your habit is to pronounce every written ‘r’. The THOUGHT vowel

sound is often spelt with a written ‘r’, as in ‘ward’, ‘ board’, ‘your’, ‘ or’ and ‘more’. But RP is a non-rhotic

accent so a written ‘r’ is only spoken when it is followed by a spoken vowel sound. Listen to the

words above, rstly spoken with the R sound and then without, as they should be in RP. If you do

this, go to

- Are your lips spread or neutral instead of rounded?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound long in duration, but

their lips are neutral, spread or too rounded, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen

to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips neutral, then spread, then too rounded, and then

slightly rounded, as they should be in RP: ‘sauce’, ‘law’, ‘war’, ‘all’, ‘taught’, ‘talk’, ‘broad’, ‘board’, ‘your’, ‘ or’

and ‘more’. If you do this, go to

- Are you pronouncing the THOUGHT vowel sound too short?

Some speakers have their tongue and lips in an accurate position but they make the sound short in

thought, north, force

121

duration, instead of long, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with the sound short in duration and then long, as they should be in RP: ‘sauce’,

‘law’, ‘war’, ‘all’, ‘taught’, ‘talk’, ‘broad’, ‘board’, ‘your’, ‘or’ and ‘more’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the THOUGHT vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the THOUGHT vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound (p.116) which is

made with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth, the lips slightly less rounded and the

sound short in duration. So words like ‘caught’ sound more like ‘cot’, and ‘short’ sounds more like

‘shot’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the THOUGHT vowel sound with the BATH vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the THOUGHT vowel sound with the BATH vowel sound (p.104), which is

made with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth. The lips are neutral and the sound is

equally as long in duration. So words like ‘caught’ sound more like ‘cart’, and ‘port’ sounds more like

‘part’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the THOUGHT vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the THOUGHT vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108), which is

made with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth. The lips are neutral and the sound

is short in duration. So words like ‘caught’ sound more like ‘cut’, and ‘bought’ sounds more like ‘but’.

If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because British

English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings. For

this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example, the

THOUGHT vowel sound can be represented as the ‘a’ in ‘all’, the ‘au’ in ‘sauce’, the ‘ar’ in ‘toward’, the

‘aw’ in ‘yawn’, the ‘augh’ in ‘caught’, the ‘al’ in ‘talk’, the ‘ough’ in ‘bought’, the ‘our’ in ‘course’, the ‘oa’

in ‘broad’, the ‘oar’ in ‘board’ and the ‘ore’ in ‘more’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘ough’ in

‘bought’ as the GOAT vowel sound (p.100 - as in ‘although’). But all these words, despite the variation

in spelling, are pronounced with the THOUGHT vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘or’ with the THOUGHT vowel sound. One might

then hope that all words spelt with ‘or’ would be pronounced as the THOUGHT vowel sound. Sadly,

this is not true, as the ‘or’ in ‘forget’ should be pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - as

in ‘tuna’), and in ‘work’ it is pronounced as the NURSE vowel sound (p.96 - as in ‘her’). All of this

might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you:

go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid pronouncing a written ‘r’ that should not be pronounced?

There are a number of words pronounced with the THOUGHT vowel sound which are called

phonetic symbol - ɔː

477

478

479

480

481

482

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homophones – words pronounced the same but spelt differently with different meanings, for example

‘saw’ and ‘sore’. Many come in pairs, one with a written ‘r’ and one without, so it might be helpful

to compare them. When saying ‘saw’, encourage your tongue tip to be behind your bottom front teeth

after the ‘s’ – so the tongue tip moves from it’s position for the ‘s’ down behind the bottom front

teeth without touching anything along the way. When saying ‘sore’, encourage the tongue tip to do

exactly the same thing. This way, the words rhyme with one another, as they should in RP. Play with

the following pairs of words, and encourage the tongue tip to stay down behind the bottom front teeth

during the THOUGHT vowel sound in both words. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound

accurately and watch your tongue in a mirror:

saw sore paw poor raw roar awe or law lore caught court

- How do I encourage my lips to be rounded?

The only way to guarantee that your lips are rounded accurately instead of being neutral, spread or too

rounded is to use a mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by

putting one nger in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed

forwards; and if your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. If your lips are

too rounded, they will be pushed slightly further forward than for the THOUGHT vowel sound. Say

the following words, either looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them

to be rounded accurately:

sauce cause yawn law toward ward water all taught caught talk

walk broad board hoard your

course court or short more

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the THOUGHT vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the THOUGHT vowel sound is similar to their positions for

the LOT vowel sound (p.116) and FOOT vowel sound (p.165), so it might be helpful to compare

them. Look in a mirror as you say ‘hot’, ‘hoard’ and ‘hood’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a

very small torch - although you might still struggle to see the back of the tongue because the lips need

to be rounded when saying these vowel sounds). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their

own after saying the words, in order to see the tongue more clearly. For ‘hot’ (the LOT vowel sound)

encourage the lips to be slightly rounded, the back of the tongue to be low in the back of the mouth, and

the sound to be short in duration. For ‘hoard’ (this is the target THOUGHT vowel sound) encourage

the lips to be more rounded, the back of the tongue to in the middle of the back of the mouth, and the

sound to be long in duration. And for ‘hood’ (the FOOT vowel sound) encourage the lips to be more

rounded, the back of the tongue to be slightly higher still in the back of the mouth and the sound to be

long in duration.

LOT THOUGHT FOOT

phonetic symbol -

ɔː

483

484

485

486

487

thought, north, force

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phonetic symbol -

ɔː

488

489

490

491

This LOT, THOUGHT and FOOT vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of

three words. Play with these words and encourage the back of your tongue to remain in between the

positions for the LOT and FOOT vowel sounds. Encourage the lips to be rounded and the sound to

be long in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

cot caught cook shock short shook top talk took what ward wood

If your habit is to replace the THOUGHT vowel sound with the LOT, BATH or STRUT vowel sound,

essentially, your tongue position is too low. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the

FOOT vowel sound (which is made with the tongue slightly higher) before saying words with the

THOUGHT vowel sound, in order to encourage your tongue into a higher position. For example:

cook caught shook short took talk wood ward hood hoard took talk

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the THOUGHT vowel sound on its own before saying each

word, to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a

reference for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound

accurately:

sauce cause yawn law toward ward water all taught caught talk

walk broad board hoard your course court or short more

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

This is a very minor detail, but sometimes, when the THOUGHT vowel sound is followed by a

dark L (p.57 - a written ‘l’ that is followed by a consonant sound or by a pause) some RP speakers

pronounce the vowel as the THOUGHT vowel sound and some pronounce it with the LOT vowel

sound (p.116).

This can be heard in words like ‘halt’, ‘salt’, ‘malt’ and occasionally in words like ‘false’, ‘alter’, ‘also’,

‘alderman’, ‘walrus’, ‘fault’, ‘vault’ (on the audio they are spoken rstly with the THOUGHT vowel

sound and then with the LOT vowel sound). This variation is indicated in most reliable pronunciation

dictionaries for words such as ‘halt’, ‘salt’ and ‘malt’, but not for others. As I said, this is a very

minor detail and would add further specicity to your pronunciation, but if you were to continue to

pronounce the THOUGHT vowel sound in words like these, you will still be clearly understood and

your pronunciation will lie within the RP canon.

thought, north, force

124

phonetic symbol -

ɔː

492

493

> Practice words and typical spellings for the THOUGHT vowel sound

au sauce cause Paul autumn caution author Laura aw gawp

hawk crawl sawn yawn jaw law saw draw awe paw

ar toward war quart quarter quartz sward swarm swarthy warble

ward warden wardrobe warlock warm warmth warp Warsaw wart

a water all fall small wall appall install bald tall augh taught

caught naughty daughter naught

ough ought bought wrought brought

fought sought th

ought al chalk talk walk stalk calk oa broad

hoary oar hoarse board hoard boarder our your mourn course

court fourth course resource source courtier pour

or or short

George sport form born fortunate important shorten order ordinary

organise normal forward report support afford sword torn

ore more sore before explore ignore more score snore store

> Practice Sentences for the THOUGHT vowel sound

• I thought that we all agreed – the tallest rst and the shortest last? The order is important!

• I bought a warm jumper in autumn and I’m wearing it in August!? It’s appalling! I’m bored of it!

• It’s fortunate that I was walking behind you. You would have fallen and broken your jaw!

• Before we talk, I implore you not to mention Paul. It’s too awkward. Laura? Are you alright?

p.263

thought, north, force

125

phonetic symbol - ɔɪ

20min

494

495

496

497

This sound is pronounced in words like:

oy boy toy annoy employ oi noise choice rejoice coin join

> How is the CHOICE vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The CHOICE vowel sound is a diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides

into the other. The CHOICE vowel sound starts as the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120 - where the

tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth, the back of the tongue is in the middle of the back of the mouth,

and the lips are rounded) which slides into a slightly shorter version of the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137

- where the tongue tip stays behind the bottom teeth, the front of the tongue slides high and forwards

into the front of the mouth and the lips slightly spread). The jaw is loose, the teeth are apart, and the

sound is long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Do your lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout the whole diphthong?

Some speakers move their tongue through the accurate positions and make the sound long in duration,

but their lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout instead of sliding from rounded to slightly

spread, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the lips rounded, then neutral, then spread, and then sliding from rounded to slightly spread,

as they should be in RP: ‘boy’, ‘toy’, ‘annoy’, ‘employ’, ‘noise’, ‘choice’, ‘rejoice’, ‘coin’ and ‘join’. If you

do this, go to

- Are you making this diphthong too long or too short in duration?

Some speakers move their tongue and lips through the accurate positions but they make the diphthong

too short or too long in duration, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. If you are

making the diphthong too long, either both vowel sounds in the diphthong will be too long, which will

make it sound like two syllables instead of one, or one of the vowel sounds in the diphthong will be

too long. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the diphthong too short in duration, then

with both vowel sounds too long, then with the rst vowel sound too long, then with the second

vowel sound too long, and nally as they should be in RP: ‘boy’, ‘toy’, ‘annoy’, ‘employ’, ‘noise’, ‘choice’,

‘rejoice’, ‘coin’ and ‘join’. If you do this, go to

choice

126

phonetic symbol - ɔɪ

498

499

500

501

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (THOUGHT) with the LOT vowel sound (p.116),

which is made with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth and the lips slightly less rounded.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the LOT vowel sound at the beginning of this

diphthong and then with the THOUGHT vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be in RP: ‘boy’,

‘toy’, ‘annoy’, ‘employ’, ‘noise’, ‘choice’, ‘rejoice’, ‘coin’ and ‘join’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (THOUGHT) with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108),

which is made with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth and the lips neutral. Listen

to the following words, rstly spoken with the STRUT vowel sound at the beginning of this diphthong

and then with the THOUGHT vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be in RP: ‘boy’, ‘toy’,

‘annoy’, ‘employ’, ‘noise’, ‘choice’, ‘rejoice’, ‘coin’ and ‘join’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the CHOICE vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the CHOICE vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120). The

THOUGHT vowel sound is made with the back of the tongue in the middle of the back of the mouth,

the lips rounded and the sound long in duration. Listen to the following words, spoken rstly only with

a THOUGHT vowel sound, and then the CHOICE vowel sound, as they should be in RP: ‘boy’, ‘toy’,

‘annoy’, ‘employ’, ‘noise’, ‘choice’, ‘rejoice’, ‘coin’ and ‘join’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. However,

unlike almost all other vowel sounds, the CHOICE vowel sound tends only to be represented by the

letters ‘oi’ and ‘oy’, and thankfully, no other vowel sound tends to use this spelling. This means that

when you see the spelling ‘oi’ or ‘oy’ we can say almost certainly that you should use the CHOICE

vowel sound.

There are a few exceptions: in ‘memoir’ it is a weak syllable, and is pronounced with the BATH vowel

sound (p.104), preceded by a W sound; in ‘choir’, it is the LIAR triphthong (p.114); and in ‘coincide’ and

‘going’ they are separated into two syllables, pronounced as the GOAT vowel sound (p.100) followed

by the KIT vowel sound (p.141). If you confuse the pronunciation words like these, go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the CHOICE vowel sound?

Firstly, ensure that you are accurately pronouncing the two component vowel sounds in this diphthong

by following the exercises in the sections entitled How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the

THOUGHT vowel sound? (p.122) and How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the FLEECE vowel

sound? (p.139).

choice

127

phonetic symbol -

ɔɪ

502

503

504

Once you feel condent with how to make each vowel sound, your tongue needs to slide from one

into the other to make the diphthong. Say each sound on its own, one after the other, with a brief

pause between them. Watch your tongue and lips in a mirror and then take out the pause, sliding them

into one another. All diphthongs are made with the rst vowel slightly more stressed than the second.

This being said, it is only slightly more stressed and should be observed with care. And remember that

the two vowel sounds in a diphthong make a single syllable: the tongue slides smoothly but swiftly and

the sound is long, but not too long.

Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to check whether you are accurately

pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong – THOUGHT (which has been written as ‘or’

and rhotic speakers must remember to avoid pronouncing the written ‘r’). Listen to the audio to help

you imitate the sound accurately:

bor… boy tor… toy annor… annoy emplor… employ nor… noise

chor… choice rejor… rejoice cor… coin jor… join

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

- The LAWYER triphthong: phonetic symbol

ɔɪə

There are ve of the eight diphthongs that can be extended with a nal SCHWA vowel sound, which

turns the diphthong into a triphthong – a combination of three vowel sounds where one slides into

another. The CHOICE vowel sound is one such diphthong, so words like ‘lawyer’, ‘soya’ and ‘employer’,

‘paranoia’, ‘loyal’ and ‘royal’ are pronounced with the CHOICE vowel sound followed by a SCHWA

vowel sound. The lips relax back to neutral and the tongue slides from being in the back of the mouth

to the middle of the centre of the mouth.

Some RP speakers add a YOD (p.35) to link the CHOICE vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel sound.

This makes words like ‘lawyer’, ‘soya’ and ‘employer’ sound like two syllable words instead of one. In

this version, the tongue moves quite suddenly into the SCHWA. Other speakers do not add a YOD.

Instead, they make the transition of their tongue from the CHOICE vowel sound to the SCHWA

vowel sound much more smoothly. This makes the words above sound more like one syllable.

This variation in pronunciation is in part to do with the evolving nature of accents. And unfortunately

these variations are not accounted for in a reliable dictionary. In some ways, this ambiguity could be

seen as a frustrating, but another perspective would be to say that is allows for choice, as both are

considered correct. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the YOD and then without:

lawyer soya employer royal loyal paranoia

And lastly, many words with these triphthongs have a written ‘r’ in the spelling, which should not

be spoken, unless they are followed by a spoken vowel sound (p.19). Encourage your tongue tip to

remain down, touching the bottom front teeth at the end of the triphthong.

505

choice

128

phonetic symbol -

ɔɪ

506

507

> Practice words and typical spellings for the CHOICE vowel sound

oy boy toy joy annoy oyster coy buoy employ oi noise voice

choice rejoice void moist coin join oil boil soil spoil toil

poison ointment groin loiter hoist joist noisy exploited alloy

> Practice Sentences for the CHOICE vowel sound

• You annoyed me yesterday. You were so boisterous and noisy that you spoiled the atmosphere.

• The point of joining the march is to boycott the organisation and use your voice.

• He was overjoyed! He enjoyed every second. The toys were perfect! He was buoyant all day!

• Her employer destroyed all of her condence by breaking its loyalty – it’s embroiled in scandal!

p.264

choice

129

This sound is pronounced in words like:

a pattern match cash mad standard ham man understand hang

shall matter hand thank angry tax carriage cancel sand lack sack

rack land gap slam ai plaid ua guarantee

> How is the TRAP vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the front of the tongue is low in the front of the mouth.

The lips are slightly spread, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The TRAP vowel sound is short in

duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are your lips rounded or neutral instead of slightly spread?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound short in duration, but

their lips are rounded instead of slightly spread, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips rounded and then with the lips slightly spread,

as they should be in RP: ‘pattern’, ‘cash’, ‘cancel’, ‘plaid’ and ‘guarantee’. If you do this, go to

- Are you pronouncing the TRAP vowel sound too long?

Some speakers have their tongue and lips in an accurate position but they make the sound long in

duration, instead of short, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with the sound

long in duration and then short, as they should be in RP: ‘pattern’,

‘cash’, ‘matter’, ‘tax’ and ‘guarantee’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the TRAP vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the TRAP vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149), which is made

with the front of the tongue very slightly higher in the front of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread

for both vowel sounds and they are equally as short in duration. So words like ‘man’ sound more like

‘men’, and ‘sand’ sounds more like ‘send’. If you do this, go to

phonetic symbol - æ

20min

508

509

510

511

512

trap

130

phonetic symbol - æ

513

514

515

516

- Are you replacing the TRAP vowel sound with the BATH vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the TRAP vowel sound with the BATH vowel sound (p.104), which is made

with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth, the sound is longer in duration and the lips

are neutral. So words like ‘cat’ sound more like ‘cart’, and ‘ban’ sounds more like ‘barn’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you replacing the TRAP vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the TRAP vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108), which is made

with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread for both

vowel sounds and they are equally as short in duration. So words like ‘cat’ sound more like ‘cut’, and

‘fan’ sounds more like ‘fun’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the TRAP vowel sound can be represented as the ‘ai’ in ‘plaid’ and the ‘ua’ in ‘guarantee’. So, you might

mistakenly pronounce the ‘ai’ in ‘plaid’ as the FACE vowel sound (p.153 - as in ‘wait’). But all these

words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the TRAP vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘a’ with the TRAP vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘a’ would be pronounced as the TRAP vowel sound. Sadly, this is not

true, as the ‘a’ in ‘any’ should be pronounced as the DRESS vowel sound (p.149 - as in ‘then’), in

‘watch’ it is pronounced as the LOT vowel sound (p.116 - as in ‘hot’), in ‘all’ it is pronounced as the

THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120 - as in ‘north’), in ‘grass’ it is pronounced as the BATH vowel sound

(p.104 - as in ‘art’), in ‘station’ it is pronounced as the FACE vowel sound (p.153 - as in ‘weigh’), and

in ‘various’ it is pronounced as the SQUARE vowel sound (p.157 - as in ‘air’). All of this might seem a

bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to be slightly spread?

The only way to guarantee that you are slightly spreading your lips accurately instead of rounding

them is to use a mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by

putting one nger in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed

forwards; and if your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say the following

words, either looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them to be slightly

spread accurately:

pattern match cash mad standard ham man understand hang

shall matter hand thank angry tax carriage cancel plaid guarantee

517

trap

131

phonetic symbol -

518

519

520

521

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the TRAP vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the TRAP vowel sound is similar to their positions for the

NURSE vowel sound (p.96) and DRESS vowel sound (p.149), so it might be helpful to compare them.

Look in a mirror as you say ‘heard’, ‘had’ and ‘head’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a very small

torch). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to

see the tongue more clearly. For ‘heard’ (the NURSE vowel sound) encourage the lips to be neutral,

the middle of the tongue to be in the middle of the centre of the mouth and the sound to be long in

duration. For ‘had’ (this is the target TRAP vowel sound) encourage the lips to be slightly spread, the

sound to be short in duration and the front of the tongue to be low in the front of the mouth, just visible

over the bottom front teeth. And for ‘head’ (the DRESS vowel sound) encourage the lips to be equally

as spread, and the sound to be equally as short in duration but the front of the tongue to be very slightly

higher in the front of the mouth.

NURSE TRAP DRESS

This NURSE, TRAP and DRESS vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of three

words. Play with these words and encourage the front of your tongue to remain low in the front of the

mouth, somewhat between the NURSE and DRESS vowel sounds. Encourage the lips to be slightly

spread and the sound to be short in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound

accurately:

pert pat pet fern fan fen burn ban Ben perk pack peck

If your habit is to replace the TRAP vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound, essentially, your

tongue position is too high. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the STRUT vowel

sound (which is made with the tongue lower) before saying words with the TRAP vowel sound, in

order to encourage your tongue into a lower position. For example:

putt pat fun fan bun ban puck pack tug tag rug rag

Similarly, if your habit is to replace the TRAP vowel sound with the BATH or STRUT vowel sound,

then your tongue position is too low. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the DRESS

vowel sound (which is made with the tongue higher) before saying words with the TRAP vowel sound,

in order to encourage your tongue into a higher position. For example:

pet pat fen fan Ben ban peck pack slept slapped wreck rack

522

trap

132

phonetic symbol -

523

524

525

526

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the TRAP vowel sound on its own before saying each word,

to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference

for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

a... pattern match cash mad standard ham man understand hang

shall matter hand thank angry tax carriage cancel plaid guarantee

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

This is a very minor detail, but when the TRAP vowel sound precedes some voiced consonants –

especially, (but not consistently) the N sound (p.54) – it is slightly longer in duration. This can be heard

in words like ‘than’, ‘and’, ‘canvas’, ‘expansion’, ‘family’, ‘land’, ‘man’, ‘ant’, ‘bag’, ‘band’, ‘ag’ ‘hand’, ‘bad’,

‘sad’, ‘mad’, ‘rag’, ‘badge’, ‘began’, ‘standard’, ‘ham’, ‘understand’, ‘candle’, ‘lamb’, ‘mandatory’, ‘cancel’ and

‘panda’. This is not indicated in pronunciation dictionaries as it only occurs in a handful of words,

namely the ones above. As I said, this is a very minor detail and would add further specicity to your

pronunciation, but if you were to continue to pronounce the TRAP vowel sound in words like these

as short in duration, you will still be clearly understood and your pronunciation will lie within the RP

canon.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the TRAP vowel sound

a tap cat ba

tch pattern fat gaff mathematics mass match

dash cash mad rag badge began standard have jazz ham man

understand hang magic candle shall scalp lamb ant matter hand

thank angry lapse tax arrow carriage mandatory banner abbey tassel

cancel panda plastic elastic gymnastic enthusiastic masculine blasphemy

masturbate circumstantial intransigent substantial transit transport transfer

transform transitory transient alto Cleopatra ai plaid ua guarantee

> Practice Sentences for the TRAP vowel sound

• I haven’t had any time to relax – it’s been manic! Handling the family well is a massive challenge!

• He’s a happily married man who manages a transport company but he fancies himself as an actor

• I was hanging around after the match when Sam called: he’s damaged his back in an accident!

• Have you got the map and your thermal hat? What about the black rucksack? Language Jack!

p.265

trap

133

phonetic symbol - aʊ

20min

527

528

529

530

This sound is pronounced in words like:

ou out doubt council house ow browse down allow town

ough bough plough doughty other MacCleod

> How is the MOUTH vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The MOUTH vowel sound is a diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides into

the other. The MOUTH vowel sound starts as the TRAP vowel sound (p.129 - where the tongue tip is

behind the bottom teeth, the front of the tongue is low in the front of the mouth, and the lips are slightly

spread) which slides into a slightly shorter version of the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161 - where the

tongue tip stays behind the bottom teeth, the back of the tongue slides high and backwards into the back

of the mouth, and the lips round). The jaw is loose, the teeth are apart, and the sound is long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Do your lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout the whole diphthong?

Some speakers move their tongue through the accurate positions and make the sound long in duration,

but their lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout instead of sliding from slightly spread to

rounded, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the lips rounded, then neutral, then spread, and then sliding from slightly spread to rounded,

as they should be in RP: ‘out’, ‘town’, ‘plough’ and ‘MacCleod’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making this diphthong too long or too short in duration?

Some speakers move their tongue and lips through the accurate positions but they make the diphthong

too short or too long in duration, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. If you are

making the diphthong too long, either both vowel sounds in the diphthong will be too long, which will

make it sound like two syllables instead of one, or one of the vowel sounds in the diphthong will be

too long. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the diphthong too short in duration, then

with both vowel sounds too long, then with the rst vowel sound too long, then with the second

vowel sound too long, and nally as they should be in RP: ‘out’, ‘town’, ‘plough’ and ‘MacCleod’. If you

do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (TRAP) with the LOT vowel sound (p.116), which is

made with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth, the lips slightly rounded and the sound

mouth

134

phonetic symbol - aʊ

531

532

533

535

short in duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the LOT vowel sound at the

beginning of this diphthong and then with the TRAP vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be

in RP: ‘out’, ‘town’, ‘plough’ and ‘MacCleod’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (TRAP) with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108), which is

made with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth, the lips neutral and the sound short in

duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the STRUT vowel sound at the beginning

of this diphthong and then with the TRAP vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be in RP: ‘out’,

‘town’, ‘plough’ and ‘MacCleod’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the FOOT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (TRAP) with the FOOT vowel sound (p.165), which is

made with the back of the tongue high in the back of the mouth, the lips rounded and the sound short in

duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the FOOT vowel sound at the beginning

of this diphthong and then with the TRAP vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be in RP: ‘out’,

‘town’, ‘plough’ and ‘MacCleod’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the MOUTH vowel sound can be represented as the ‘ow’ in ‘down’, the ‘ough’ in ‘plough’ and the ‘eo’

in ‘MacCleod’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘ough’ in ‘plough’ as the GOAT vowel sound

(p.100 - as in ‘although’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with

the MOUTH vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘ou’ with the MOUTH vowel sound. One might

then hope that all words spelt with ‘ou’ would be pronounced as the MOUTH vowel sound. Sadly,

this is not true, as the ‘ou’ in ‘touch’ should be pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108 -

as in ‘cup’), in ‘could’ it is pronounced as the FOOT vowel sound (p.165 - as in ‘put’), in ‘cough’ it

is pronounced as the LOT vowel sound (p.116 - as in ‘hot’), in ‘gracious’ it is pronounced as the

SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - as in ‘tuna’), in ‘group’ it is pronounced as the GOOSE vowel sound

(p.161 - as in ‘food’), and in ‘soul’ it is pronounced as the GOAL version of the GOAT vowel sound

(p.100 - as in ‘hole’). All of this might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective

solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the MOUTH vowel sound?

Firstly, ensure that you are accurately pronouncing the two component vowel sounds in this diphthong

by following the exercises in the sections entitled How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the TRAP

vowel sound? (p.131) and How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the GOOSE vowel sound? (p.163).

534

mouth

135

phonetic symbol -

aʊ

536

537

538

Once you feel condent with how to make each vowel sound, your tongue needs to slide from one

into the other to make the diphthong. Say each sound on its own, one after the other, with a brief

pause between them. Watch your tongue and lips in a mirror and then take out the pause, sliding them

into one another. All diphthongs are made with the rst vowel slightly more stressed than the second.

This being said, it is only slightly more stressed and should be observed with care. And remember that

the two vowel sounds in a diphthong make a single syllable: the tongue slides smoothly but swiftly and

the sound is long, but not too long.

Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to check whether you are accurately

pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong – TRAP. Listen to the audio to help you imitate

the sound accurately:

a… out ta… town pla… plough MacCla… MacCleod

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

- The HOUR triphthong: phonetic symbol aʊə

There are ve of the eight diphthongs that can be extended with a nal SCHWA vowel sound, which

turns the diphthong into a triphthong – a combination of three vowel sounds where one slides into

another. The MOUTH vowel sound is one such diphthong, so words like ‘hour’ , ‘ our’, ‘tower’ and ‘sour’

are pronounced with the MOUTH vowel sound followed by a SCHWA vowel sound. The lips relax

back to neutral and the tongue slides from being in the back of the mouth to the middle of the centre

of the mouth.

Some RP speakers add a W (p.28) to link the MOUTH vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel sound.

This makes words like ‘hour’, ‘our’, ‘tower’ and ‘sour’ sound like two syllable words instead of one. In

this version, the lips round too much at the end of the diphthong and then release quite suddenly into

the SCHWA. Other speakers do not add a W. Instead, they make the transition of their lips from the

MOUTH vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel sound much more smoothly. This makes the words

above sound more like one syllable.

This variation in pronunciation is in part to do with the evolving nature of accents. And unfortunately

these variations are not accounted for in a reliable dictionary. In some ways, this ambiguity could be

seen as a frustrating, but another perspective would be to say that is allows for choice, as both are

considered correct. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the W and then without:

our sour ower coward power tower cower shower hour

And lastly, many words with these triphthongs have a written ‘r’ in the spelling, which should not be

spoken, unless they are followed by a spoken vowel sound. Encourage your tongue tip to remain

down, touching the bottom front teeth at the end of the triphthong.

539

mouth

136

phonetic symbol -

aʊ

540

541

> Practice words and typical spellings for the MOUTH vowel sound

ou out pouch doubt south house shout loud gouge mouth v.

rouse noun foul thou count round pronounce oust trousers

mountain proud council boundary around bounce ow crowd browse

owl down cow allow dowry frown towel powder town brown

ough bough plough doughty other spellings MacCleod

> Practice Sentences for the MOUTH vowel sound

• Go left out of my house, around the roundabout towards town and down towards the council.

• It was such a loud sound - the crowd were astounded. There must have been a thousand or so.

• The amount of foul language they allowed is outrageous. I lost count! And they were so proud!

• I fell from the bough of that tree, split my brown trousers and gouged my leg on the ground.

p.266

mouth

137

phonetic symbol - iː

20min

542

544

543

545

This sound is pronounced in words like:

ee meet teeth cheese see marquee e me be even these

ie belief brief piece believe ei ceiling deceive receive seize

ey key money y happy worry sorry hurry eo people Phoenix

subpoena foetus ea each meat speak teach ae Caesar anaemic

Aesop i police unique machine visa ay Quay

> How is the FLEECE vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the front of the tongue is high in the front of the mouth.

The lips are slightly spread, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The FLEECE vowel sound is long

in duration. Compared to all other vowel sounds, the front of the tongue is most high and forwards

for

the FLEECE vowel sound.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are your lips rounded or neutral instead of slightly spread?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound long in duration, but

their lips are rounded or neutral instead of slightly spread, which impacts on the quality and tone of

the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips rounded, then neutral and then

slightly spread, as they should be in RP: ‘meet’, ‘me’, ‘belief’, ‘ceiling’, ‘money’, ‘people’, ‘subpoena’, ‘each’,

‘anaemic’, ‘police’ and ‘Quay’. If you do this, go to

- Are you pronouncing the FLEECE vowel sound too short?

Some speakers have their tongue and lips in an accurate position but they make the sound short in

duration, instead of long, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with the sound short in duration and then long, as they should be in RP: ‘meet’,

‘me’, ‘belief’, ‘ceiling’, ‘money’, ‘people’, ‘subpoena’, ‘each’, ‘anaemic’, ‘police’ and ‘Quay’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you replacing the FLEECE vowel sound with the KIT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the FLEECE vowel sound with the KIT vowel sound (p.141), which is made

eece

138

with the front of the tongue slightly lower in the front of the mouth, and sound short in duration. The

lips are equally as spread for both vowel sounds. So words like ‘seen’ sound more like ‘sin’, and ‘heat’

sounds more like ‘hit’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the FLEECE vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the FLEECE vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149), which is made

with the front of the tongue in the middle of the front of the mouth, and the sound is short in duration.

The lips are equally as spread for both vowel sounds. So words like ‘peak’ sound more like ‘peck’, and

‘been’ sounds more like ‘Ben’. If you do this, go to

- Are you adding a SCHWA vowel sound before the FLEECE vowel sound?

Some speakers add a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92), as in ‘tuna’, just before the FLEECE vowel sound, so

the middle of the tongue starts in the middle of the centre of the mouth before sliding up and forwards.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with a SCHWA vowel sound before the FLEECE vowel

sound, and then just with the FLEECE vowel sound, as they should be in RP: ‘meet’, ‘me’, ‘belief ’,

‘ceiling’, ‘money’, ‘people’, ‘subpoena’, ‘each’, ‘anaemic’, ‘police’ and ‘Quay’. If you do this, go to

- Is your tongue too high?

Some speakers make the FLEECE vowel sound with their tongue too high in the front of the mouth. It

is still clearly the FLEECE vowel sound and is not misunderstood as another vowel sound but it has

a different quality and tone. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the tongue too high,

and then with the tongue slightly lower and more relaxed, as they should be in RP: ‘meet’, ‘me’, ‘belief ’,

‘ceiling’, ‘money’, ‘people’, ‘subpoena’, ‘each’, ‘anaemic’, ‘police’ and ‘Quay’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the FLEECE vowel sound can be represented as the ‘ae’ in ‘anaemic’, the ‘ay’ in ‘quay’, the ‘e’ in ‘these’,

the ‘ea’ in ‘meat’, the ‘eo’ in ‘people’, the ‘ei’ in ‘receive’, the ‘ey’ in ‘key’, the ‘i_e’ in ‘police’ and the ‘ie’

in ‘brief’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘ea’ in ‘meat’ as the FACE vowel sound (p.153 - as

in ‘great’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the FLEECE

vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘ee’ with the FLEECE vowel sound. And thankfully,

this spelling is a good guide to when to use this vowel sound, except that in ‘eerie’ it should be

pronounced as the NEAR vowel sound (p.145 - as in ‘ear’). All of this might seem a bit overwhelming,

but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to be slightly spread?

The only way to guarantee that you are slightly spreading your lips accurately instead of them being

phonetic symbol - iː

546

547

548

550

549

551

eece

139

phonetic symbol -

iː

552

553

554

555

rounded or neutral is to use a mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in

your lips by putting one nger in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will

be pushed forwards; and if your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say

the following words, either looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them

to be slightly spread accurately:

meet see me be belief brief deceive receive key money

happy sorry people Phoenix subpoena each meat Caesar

anaemic police visa Quay

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the FLEECE vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the FLEECE vowel sound is similar to their positions for the

DRESS vowel sound (p.149) and KIT vowel sound (p.141), so it might be helpful to compare them.

Look in a mirror as you say ‘head’, ‘hid’ and ‘heed’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a very small

torch). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to

see the tongue more clearly. In all of these vowel sounds the lips are slightly spread. For ‘head’ (the

DRESS vowel sound) encourage the front of the tongue to be in the middle of the front of the mouth and

the sound to be short in duration. For ‘hid’ (the KIT vowel sound) encourage the sound to be equally

as short in duration, but the front of the tongue to be slightly higher in the front of the mouth. And for

‘heed’ (this is the target FLEECE vowel sound) encourage the front of the tongue to be slightly higher

still in the front of the mouth and the sound to be long in duration.

DRESS KIT FLEECE

This DRESS, KIT and FLEECE vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of three

words. Play with these groups of three words, and encourage the front of your tongue to be in the

highest position for the nal word. Encourage the lips to be slightly spread and the sound to be long

in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

pet pit peat set sit seat net nit neat bet bit beat bed bid bead

Here’s another game to play that might be helpful (especially if you discovered that you were adding

a SCHWA vowel sound before the FLEECE vowel sound): say the FLEECE vowel sound on its own

before saying each word, to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also

to give you a reference for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate

the sound accurately:

ee... meet see me be belief brief deceive receive key money

happy sorry people Phoenix subpoena each meat Caesar

anaemic police visa Quay

556

eece

140

phonetic symbol -

iː

558

559

560

561

If you discovered that you were making the FLEECE vowel sound with your tongue was too high you

might play with replacing the FLEECE vowel sound with the KIT vowel sound (p.141 - which is made

with the tongue lower). So say ‘heat’ then ‘hit’, paying attention to the feeling of the tongue being lower

for ‘hit’. Then say ‘heat’ again, encouraging your tongue not to move too much away from its position

for ‘hit’. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

pit peat sit seat nit neat bit beat bid bead litter litre t feet

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

This is a very minor detail, but when the FLEECE vowel sound is spelt ‘y’ at the end of a word, it

is very slightly shorter in duration, as in ‘happy’, ‘sorry’, ‘worry’, ‘hurry’ and ‘carry’. In some reliable

dictionaries, this can be seen in the phonetic transcription as iː without the dots – i . Avoid it being

too short in duration, or else it will sound like the KIT vowel sound (p.141). Listen to the words

above, rstly spoken with the sound long in duration and then slightly shorter, as they should be in RP.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the FLEECE vowel sound

ee creep meet seek beech reef teeth seed sleeve seethe

cheese seem green feel see tr

ee agree needle feeder sweeten

e grebe these Peter even be me metre equal decent legal

penal complete scene she he we ie shriek belief brief piece

believe grieve eld ei ceiling Keith Sheila deceive receive seize

ey key money y happy worry marry sorry hurry eo people

oe Phoenix subpoena foetus ea reap each meat speak teach

leaf beneath sea peace leash lead league lea

ve pea breathe

please team mean deal sea tea feats reason weasel easy Easter

ae Caesar anaemic Aesop i police unique machine prestige elite

mosquito casino visa trio ski chic ay Quay

> Practice Sentences for the FLEECE vowel sound

• The people are easy going, the streets are clean, the evenings are peaceful – it’s a dream!

• Hurry up! We have to meet Lee on Oxford Street at three o’clock. Please! He will leave!

• Have you received the league tables yet? What reason did they give? Even Keith has seen them!

• Have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea? Coffee? Whiskey? I make a mean margarita!?

p.267

557

eece

141

phonetic symbol - ɪ

20min

562

563

564

565

This sound is pronounced in words like:

i him bit with stiff y myth symbol rhythm Flynn e pretty

England English ui build guilt biscuit a damage manage salvage

village o women pl. ie sieve u busy business

ai captain mountain fountain

> How is the KIT vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the front of the tongue is high in the front of the mouth.

The lips are slightly spread, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The KIT vowel sound is short in

duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are your lips rounded or neutral instead of slightly spread?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound short in duration, but

their lips are rounded instead of slightly spread, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips rounded and then with the lips slightly spread,

as they should be in RP: ‘ship’, ‘symbol’, ‘pretty’, ‘English’, ‘build’, ‘dam

age’, ‘women’, ‘sieve’, ‘busy’ and

‘business’. If you do this, go to

- Are you pronouncing the KIT vowel sound too long?

Some speakers have their tongue and lips in an accurate position but they make the sound long

in duration, instead of short, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the

following words, rstly spoken with the sound long in duration and then short, as they should be in RP:

‘ship’, ‘symbol’, ‘pretty’, ‘English’, ‘build’, ‘damage’, ‘women’, ‘sieve’, ‘busy’ and ‘business’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you replacing the KIT vowel sound with the FLEECE vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the KIT vowel sound with the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137), which is made

with the front of the tongue very slightly higher in the front of the mouth, and the sound longer in

duration. The lips are equally as spread for both vowel sounds. So words like ‘pit’ sound more like

‘Pete’, ‘hit’ sounds more like ‘heat’, ‘it’ sounds more like ‘eat’ and ‘is’ sounds more like ‘ease’. If you do

this, go to

566

kit

142

phonetic symbol - ɪ

567

568

569

570

- Are you replacing the KIT vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the KIT vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149), which is made

with the front of the tongue very slightly lower in the front of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread

for both vowel sounds and they are equally as short in duration. So words like ‘pit’ sound more like

‘pet’, ‘slipped’ sounds more like ‘slept’, ‘ll’ sounds more like ‘fell’ and ‘Jill’ sounds more like ‘gel’. If you

do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because British

English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings. For

this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example, the

KIT vowel sound can be represented as the ‘y’ in ‘symbol’, the ‘e’ in ‘England’, the ‘ui’ in ‘build’, the ‘a’

in ‘village’, the ‘o’ in the plural ‘women’, the ‘ie’ in ‘sieve’, the ‘u’ in ‘busy’ and the ‘ai’ in ‘captain’. So, you

might mistakenly pronounce the ‘e’ in ‘England’ as the DRESS vowel sound (p.149 - as in ‘end’), or the

‘a’ in ‘village’ as the FACE vowel sound (p.153 - as in ‘age’). But all these words, despite the variation

in spelling, are pronounced with the KIT vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘i’ with the KIT vowel sound. One might then hope

that all words spelt with ‘i’ would be pronounced as the KIT vowel sound. Sadly, this is not true, as

the ‘i’ in ‘police’ should be pronounced as the longer FLEECE vowel sound (p.137 - as in ‘seen’), and

in ‘ice’ it is pronounced as the PRICE vowel sound (p.112 - as in ‘eye’). All of this might seem a bit

overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to be slightly spread?

The only way to guarantee that you are slightly spreading your lips accurately instead of rounding

them is to use a mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by

putting one nger in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed

forwards; and if your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say the following

words, either looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them to be slightly

spread accurately:

ship bit myth symbol pretty England build guilt damage manage

women pl. sieve busy business mountain fountain

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the KIT vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the KIT vowel sound is similar to their positions for the DRESS

vowel sound (p.149) and FLEECE vowel sound (p.137), so it might be helpful to compare them. Look

in a mirror as you say ‘head’, ‘hid’ and ‘heed’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a very small torch).

It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to see the

tongue more clearly. For ‘head’ (the DRESS vowel sound) encourage the lips to be slightly spread, the

front of the tongue to be in the middle of the front of the mouth and the sound to be short in duration.

For ‘hid’ (this is the target KIT vowel sound) encourage the lips to be just as spread, the sound to be

571

kit

143

phonetic symbol -

572

573

574

575

just as short in duration, but the front of the tongue to be very slightly higher in the front of the mouth.

And for ‘heed’ (the FLEECE vowel sound) encourage the lips to be just as spread, but the front of the

tongue to be slightly higher still in the front of the mouth and the sound to be longer in duration.

DRESS KIT FLEECE

This DRESS, KIT and FLEECE vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of three

words. Play with these words and encourage the front of your tongue to remain in between the

positions for the DRESS and FLEECE vowel sounds. Encourage the lips to be slightly spread and the

sound to be short in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

pet pit peat Len Lynn lean Ben bin bean when win wean

If your habit is to replace the KIT vowel sound with the FLEECE vowel sound, essentially, your tongue

position is too high and forward. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the DRESS

vowel sound (which is made with the tongue slightly lower) before saying words with the KIT vowel

sound, in order to encourage your tongue into a lower position. For example:

pet pit Len Lynn Ben bin when win hem him slept slipped

Similarly, if your habit is to replace the KIT vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound, then your

tongue position is too low. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the FLEECE vowel

sound (which is made with the tongue slightly higher) before saying words with the KIT vowel sound,

in order to encourage your tongue into a higher position. For example:

peat pit lean Lynn bean bin wean win sleep slip weep whip

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the KIT vowel sound on its own before saying each word, to

help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference for

how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

i... him bit with myth symbol pretty England English build

guilt damage manage village women pl. sieve busy business mountain

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

576

kit

144

phonetic symbol -

577

578

> Practice words and typical spellings for the KIT vowel sound

i ship bit sick stiff pith this wish rib kid dig bridge give

his dim skin sing ll milk limp hint drink lift list plinth

mix slither vision spirit dinner silly winter sister service y myth

symbol rhythm Flynn gym e pretty England English women (pl)

ui build guilt biscuit a(ge) damage manage salvage village baggage

cabbage o women pl. ie sieve

u busy business ai captain

mountain fountain

> Practice Sentences for the KIT vowel sound

• The women in the lm are interesting mythical characters but he gave them such dismal narrative.

• Is Kim going to inquire about the missing data? It’s incredible that Philip is still working here!

• If we go to the gym, will you consider coming to swim with me? It’s really intimidating!

• The mountains are enormous; the people are fascinating; and the cottage is beautiful!

p.268

kit

145

phonetic symbol - ɪə

20min

579

582

580

581

This sound is pronounced in words like:

eer beer deer cheer career ere here mere sincere interfere

ier pier erce cashier pierce eir weird weir ear fear ear

near appear e serious mysterious period hero ee eerie peerage

ea real idea really European eu Museum Colosseum

other diarrhoea Madeira

> How is the NEAR vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The NEAR vowel sound is a diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides into

the other. The NEAR vowel sound starts as the KIT vowel sound (p.141 - where the tongue tip is

behind the bottom teeth, the front of the tongue is high in the front of the mouth, and the lips are slightly

spread) which slides into the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - where the tongue tip stays behind the

bottom teeth, the lips release back to neutral and the middle of the tongue slides back into the middle of

the centre of the mouth). The jaw is loose, the teeth are apart, and the sound is long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you pronouncing every written ‘r’?

If you are a rhotic

speaker (p.19), your habit is to pronounce every written ‘r’. The NEAR vowel sound

is often spelt with a written ‘r’ as in ‘appear’, ‘sincere’, ‘beer’, ‘here’, ‘pier’, ‘weir’ and ‘fear’. But RP is a

non-rhotic accent so a written ‘r’ is only pronounced when it is followed by a spoken vowel sound.

Listen to the words above, rstly spoken with the R sound and then without, as they should be in

R P. If you do this, go to

- Do your lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout the whole diphthong?

Some speakers move their tongue through the accurate positions and make the sound long in duration,

but their lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout instead of sliding from being slightly spread

to neutral, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the lips rounded, then neutral, then spread, and then sliding from being slightly spread to

neutral, as they should be in RP: ‘beer’, ‘ here’, ‘pier’, ‘weir’, ‘fear’, ‘serious’, ‘eerie’, ‘idea’ and ‘museum’. If

you do this, go to

near

146

phonetic symbol - ɪə

583

584

585

586

- Are you making this diphthong too long or too short in duration?

Some speakers move their tongue and lips through the accurate positions but they make the diphthong

too short or too long in duration, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. If you are

making the diphthong too long, either both vowel sounds in the diphthong will be too long, which will

make it sound like two syllables instead of one, or one of the vowel sounds in the diphthong will be

too long. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the diphthong too short in duration, then

with both vowel sounds too long, then with the rst vowel sound too long, then with the second

vowel sound too long, and nally as they should be in RP: ‘beer’, ‘here’, ‘pier’, ‘weir’, ‘fear’, ‘serious’,

‘eerie’, ‘idea’ and ‘museum’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (KIT) with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149), which is

made with the front of the tongue slightly lower in the front of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread

for both vowel sounds. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the DRESS vowel sound at

the beginning of this diphthong and then with the KIT vowel sound at the beginning, as they should

be in RP: ‘beer’, ‘here’, ‘pier’, ‘weir’, ‘fear’, ‘serious’, ‘eerie’, ‘idea’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the FLEECE vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (KIT) with the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137), which is

made with the front of the tongue slightly higher in the front of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread

for both vowel sounds. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the FLEECE vowel sound at

the beginning of this diphthong and then with the KIT vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be

in RP: ‘beer’, ‘here’, ‘pier’, ‘weir’, ‘fear’, ‘serious’, ‘eerie’, ‘idea’ and ‘museum’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the second vowel sound with the STRUT or DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the nal vowel sound (SCHWA) with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108) –

which is made with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth and the lips equally as neutral

– or with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149) – which is made with the front of the tongue in the middle

of the front of the mouth and the lips slightly spread. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with

the STRUT vowel sound as the nal vowel sound of this diphthong, then with the DRESS vowel sound

as the nal vowel sound, and then with the SCHWA vowel sound as the vowel sound, as they should

be in RP: ‘beer’, ‘here’, ‘pier’, ‘weir’, ‘fear’, and ‘idea’. If you do this, go to

- Are you only pronouncing the KIT vowel sound and making it too long in duration?

Some speakers only say the KIT vowel sound (p.141 - which is made with the front of the tongue high

in the front of the mouth and the lips slightly spread) but they also make the sound long in duration.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with a lengthened KIT vowel sound and then with the

NEAR vowel sound, as they should be in RP: ‘beer’, ‘here’, ‘pier’, ‘weir’, ‘fear’ and ‘idea’. If you do this,

go to

587

near

147

phonetic symbol -

ɪə

588

589

590

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the NEAR vowel sound can be represented as the ‘e’ in ‘serious’, the ‘ee’ in ‘eerie’, the ‘eer’ in ‘beer’,

the ‘ere’ in ‘here’, the ‘ear’ in ‘near’, the ‘ei’ in ‘madeira’, the ‘eir’ in ‘weird’, the ‘ie’ in ‘erce’, and the

‘eoa’ in ‘diarrheoa’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘ear’ in ‘near’ as the NURSE vowel sound

(p.96 - as in ‘earth’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the

NEAR vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘ea’ with the NEAR vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘ea’ would be pronounced as the NEAR vowel sound. Sadly, this is not

true, as the ‘ea’ in ‘threat’ is pronounced as the DRESS vowel sound (p. 149 - as in ‘let’), in ‘sergeant’

it is pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - as in ‘tuna’), in ‘great’ it is pronounced as the

FACE vowel sound (p.153 - as in ‘day’), and in ‘meat’ it is pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound

(p.137 - as in ‘he’). All of this might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective

solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid pronouncing a written ‘r’ that should not be pronounced?

Firstly, encourage your tongue tip to stay down, touching the bottom front teeth when you are saying

the vowel sound. Secondly, unless the vowel sound is followed by another consonant, encourage the

tongue to stay completely still throughout, avoiding any movement at the end of the sound. When it is

followed by a consonant that needs the tongue, encourage the tongue to move directly to the position

for whatever consonant it needs to make, and not to pronounce an R sound just before.

Here is an exercise to help you avoid the R sound. Say the word ‘museum’ without the nal ‘m’ to

help you hear the NEAR vowel sound without an R sound. Say this version of the word before each

of the other words to help you nd the accurate tongue position without a R sound. Listen to the

audio to help you imitate the sound accurately and watch your tongue in a mirror:

musea… appear sincere beer here pier weir fear

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the NEAR vowel sound?

Firstly, ensure that you are accurately pronouncing the two component vowel sounds in this diphthong

by following the exercises in the sections entitled How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the KIT

vowel sound? (p.142) and How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the SCHWA vowel sound? (p.93).

Once you feel condent with how to make each vowel sound, your tongue needs to slide from one

into the other to make the diphthong. Say each sound on its own, one after the other, with a brief

pause between them. Watch your tongue and lips in a mirror and then take out the pause, sliding them

into one another. All diphthongs are made with the rst vowel slightly more stressed than the second.

This being said, it is only slightly more stressed and should be observed with care. And remember that

the two vowel sounds in a diphthong make a single syllable: the tongue slides smoothly but swiftly and

near

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the sound is long, but not too long. Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to

check whether you are accurately pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong - KIT. Listen to

the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

bi… beer hi… here pi… pier wi… weir … fear

si… serious i… eerie idi… idea musi… museum

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the NEAR vowel sound

eer beer deer cheer career meerkat ere here mere sincere

interfere ier bier pier erce cashier pierce eir weird weir

ear fear ear tearful appear yearling beard near spear clear

e serious mysterious period serum superior diphtheria hero

ee eerie peerage ea dreary idea really Korea European Jacobean

Crimean r

eal ideal theatre eu Museum Colosseum

other spellings diarrhoea Madeira theory

> Practice Sentences for the NEAR vowel sound

• I’m really fearful of going near the edge. I’m serious! It’s not weird! Look – real tears!

• I began my career in theatre the same year that you started at that dreary Museum.

• I’m being sincere! Get your ears pierced and I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll have chips on the pier.

• Come here! Look at those deer! These woods are so mysterious. They’re quite eerie.

p.269

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

e dress Wednesday step yes ea threat sweat spread deaf

eo leopard Leonard ie friend ai said again

a any many says u bury

> How is the DRESS vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the front of the tongue is in the middle of the front of the

mouth. The lips are slightly spread, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The DRESS vowel sound is

short in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are your lips rounded or neutral instead of slightly spread?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound short in duration, but

their lips are rounded instead of slightly spread, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips rounded and then with the lips slightly spread,

as they should be in RP: ‘dress’, ‘threat’, ‘leopard’, ‘friend’, ‘said’, ‘any’, ‘bury’ and ‘says’. If you do this, go

- Are you pronouncing the DRESS vowel sound too long?

Some speakers have their tongue and lips in an accurate position but they make the sound long in

duration, instead of short, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following

words, rstly spoken with the sound long in duration and then short, as they should be in RP: ‘dr

ess’,

‘very’, ‘ferry’, ‘threat’, ‘leopard’, ‘friend’, ‘said’, ‘any’, ‘bury’ and ‘says’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the DRESS vowel sound with the KIT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the DRESS vowel sound with the KIT vowel sound (p.141), which is made

with the front of the tongue slightly higher in the front of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread for

both vowel sounds and they are equally as short in duration. So words like ‘pet’ sound more like ‘pit’,

‘let’ sounds more like ‘lit’, ‘bet’ sounds more like ‘bit’ and ‘sell’ sounds more like ‘sill’. If you do this,

go to

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- Are you replacing the DRESS vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the DRESS vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound (p.129), which is made

with the front of the tongue low in the front of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread for both vowel

sounds and they are equally as short in duration. So words like ‘pet’ sound more like ‘pat’, ‘slept’

sounds more like ‘slapped’, ‘met’ sounds more like ‘mat’ and ‘Ben’ sounds more like ‘ban’. If you do

this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because British

English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings. For

this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example, the

DRESS vowel sound can be represented as the ‘ea’ in ‘threat’, the ‘eo’ in ‘leopard’, the ‘ie’ in ‘friends’,

the ‘ai’ in ‘said’, the ‘a’ in ‘any’, the ‘u’ in ‘bury’ and the ‘ay’ in ‘says’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce

the ‘a’ in ‘any’ as the TRAP vowel sound (p.129 - as in ‘and’), or the ‘u’ in ‘bury’ as the STRUT vowel

sound (p.108 - as in ‘hurry’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced

with the DRESS vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘e’ with the DRESS vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘e’ would be pronounced as the DRESS vowel sound. Sadly, this is

not true, as the ‘e’ in ‘England’ should be pronounced as the longer KIT vowel sound (p.141 - as in

‘it’), in ‘these’ it is pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137 - as in ‘seen’), and in ‘serious’ it is

pronounced as the NEAR vowel sound (p.145 - as in ‘ear’). All of this might seem a bit overwhelming,

but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to be slightly spread?

The only way to guarantee that you are slightly spreading your lips accurately instead of rounding

them is to use a mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by

putting one nger in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed

forwards; and if your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say the following

words, either looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them to be slightly

spread accurately:

dress Wednesday step yes threat sweat spread deaf leopard

Leonard friend said again any many bury says

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the DRESS vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the DRESS vowel sound is similar to their positions for the

TRAP vowel sound (p.129) and KIT vowel sound (p.141), so it might be helpful to compare them.

Look in a mirror as you say ‘had’, ‘head’ and ‘hid’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a very small

torch). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to

see the tongue more clearly. For ‘had’ (the TRAP vowel sound) encourage the lips to be slightly spread,

the front of the tongue to be low in the front of the mouth and the sound to be short in duration. For

dress

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604

605

606

‘head’ (this is the target DRESS vowel sound) encourage the lips to be equally as spread, the sound

to be equally as short in duration, but the front of the tongue to be in the middle of the front of the

mouth. And for ‘hid’ (the KIT vowel sound) encourage the lips to be equally as spread, the sound to be

equally as short in duration, but the front of the tongue to be slightly higher still in the front of the mouth.

TRAP DRESS KIT

This TRAP, DRESS and KIT vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of three words.

Play with these words and encourage the front of your tongue to remain in between the positions for

the TRAP and KIT vowel sounds. In all three sounds, encourage the lips to be slightly spread and the

sound to be short in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

pat pet pit bat bet bit gnat net nit pan pen pin sat set sit

If your habit is to replace the DRESS vowel sound with the KIT vowel sound, essentially, your tongue

position is too high. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the TRAP vowel sound

(which is made with the tongue lower) before saying words with the DRESS vowel sound, in order to

encourage your tongue into a lower position. For example:

pat pet bat bet gnat net pan pen sat set lad lead vat vet

Similarly, if your habit is to replace the DRESS vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound, then your

tongue position is too low. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the KIT vowel sound

(which is made with the tongue higher) before saying words with the DRESS vowel sound, in order to

encourage your tongue into a higher position. For example:

pit pet bit bet nit net pin pen sit set lit let pick peck

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the DRESS vowel sound on its own before saying each word,

to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference

for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

eh... dress Wednesday step yes threat sweat spread deaf leopard

Leonard friend said again any many bury says

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

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> Practice words and typical spellings for the DRESS vowel sound

e step bet yes neck fetch Jeff mess mesh ebb bed egg

edge rev fez hem pen bell depend shelf hemp tent separate

theft best men sex next effort method terror tenor jelly centre

pester quest red mental Wednesday ea threat sweat spread deaf

death bread dead head health realm meant breast ready jealous

pleasant weather treacherous eo Leonard leopard ie friends

ai sai

d again a any anything many u bury ay says

> Practice Sentences for the DRESS vowel sound

• The weather is terrible this weekend again! I envy Meg – she emigrates to Mexico in December!

• I regret sending that letter to Jeff. He’s been a friend for years! He meant well… I’ll make amends.

• She explained everything. I can empathise. Greg left me in September after eleven years!

• Every September we collect everything we own and together we sell it to have a fresh start.

p.270

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

a_e tape late cake safe ay day play way stay ey they

whey hey obey ea great steak break yea a bacon nature lazy

station ai wait faith raid main ei rein veil beige feint

eigh weigh weight eight aigh straight aig campaign eig deign

> How is the FACE vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The FACE vowel sound is a diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides into

the other. The FACE vowel sound starts as the DRESS vowel sound (p.149 - where the tongue tip is

behind the bottom teeth, the front of the tongue is in the middle of the front of the mouth, and the lips are

slightly spread) which slides into a slightly shorter version of the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137 - where

the tongue tip stays behind the bottom teeth

, the lips continue to be slightly spread but the front of the

tongue slides slightly higher into the front of the mouth). The jaw is loose, the teeth are apart, and the

sound is long in duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Do your lips remain neutral or rounded throughout the whole diphthong?

Some speakers move their tongue through the accurate positions and make the sound long in duration,

but their lips are neutral or rounded instead of slightly spread, which impacts on the quality and tone

of the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips rounded, then neutral, and then

slightly spread, as they should be in RP: ‘late’, ‘day’, ‘they’, ‘great’, ‘lazy’, ‘wait’, ‘feint’, ‘weight’, ‘straight’,

‘campaign’ and ‘deign’. If you do this, go to

- Are you making this diphthong too long or too short in duration?

Some speakers move their tongue and lips through the accurate positions but they make the diphthong

too short or too long in duration, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. If you are

making the diphthong too long, either both vowel sounds in the diphthong will be too long, which will

make it sound like two syllables instead of one, or one of the vowel sounds in the diphthong will be

too long. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the diphthong too short in duration, then

with both vowel sounds too long, then with the rst vowel sound too long, then with the second

vowel sound too long, and nally as they should be in RP: ‘late’, ‘day’, ‘they’, ‘great’, ‘lazy’, ‘wait’, ‘feint’,

‘weight’, ‘straight’, ‘campaign’ and ‘deign’. If you do this, go to

face

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phonetic symbol - eɪ

615

616

617

618

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the TRAP vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (DRESS) with the TRAP vowel sound (p.129), which

is made with the front of the tongue low in the front of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread for

both vowel sounds. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the TRAP vowel sound at the

beginning of this diphthong and then with the DRESS vowel sound at the beginning, as they should

be in RP: ‘late’, ‘day’, ‘they’, ‘great’, ‘lazy’, ‘wait’, ‘feint’, ‘weight’, ‘straight’, ‘campaign’ and ‘deign’. If you do

this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (DRESS) with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108), which is

made with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth and the lips are neutral. Listen to the

following words, rstly spoken with the STRUT vowel sound at the beginning of this diphthong and

then with the DRESS vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be in RP: ‘late’, ‘day’, ‘they’, ‘great’,

‘lazy’, ‘wait’, ‘feint’, ‘weight’, ‘straight’, ‘campaign’ and ‘deign’. If you do this, go to

- Are you only saying the DRESS vowel sound and making it too long in duration?

Some speakers replace this diphthong with a longer version of the DRESS vowel sound (p.149). Listen

to the following words, rstly spoken with a longer version of the DRESS vowel sound, and then

the FACE vowel sound, as they should be in RP: ‘late’, ‘day’, ‘they’, ‘great’, ‘lazy’, ‘wait’, ‘feint’, ‘weight’,

‘straight’, ‘campaign’ and ‘deign’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the FACE vowel sound can be represented as the ‘a_e’ in ‘late’, the ‘ay’ in ‘day’, the ‘ey’ in ‘they’, the

‘ea’ in ‘great’, the ‘ai’ in ‘wait’, and the ‘aigh’ in ‘straight’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘ea’ in

‘great’ as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137 - as in ‘meat’). But all these words, despite the variation in

spelling, are pronounced with the FACE vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘ei’ with the FACE vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘ei’ would be pronounced as the FACE vowel sound. Sadly, this is not

true, as the ‘ei’ in ‘receive’ should be pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137 - as in ’he’), in

‘kaleidoscope’ and ‘height’ it is pronounced as the PRICE vowel sound (p.112 - as in ‘eye’), and in

‘Madeira’ it is pronounced as the NEAR vowel sound (p.145 - as in ‘ear’). All of this might seem a bit

overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

619

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phonetic symbol -

eɪ

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621

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the FACE vowel sound?

Firstly, ensure that you are accurately pronouncing the two component vowel sounds in this diphthong

by following the exercises in the sections entitled How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the

DRESS vowel sound? (p.150) and How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the FLEECE vowel sound?

(p.139).

Once you feel condent with how to make each vowel sound, your tongue needs to slide from one

into the other to make the diphthong. Say each sound on its own, one after the other, with a brief

pause between them. Watch your tongue and lips in a mirror and then take out the pause, sliding them

into one another. All diphthongs are made with the rst vowel slightly more stressed than the second.

This being said, it is only slightly more stressed and should be observed with care. And remember that

the two vowel sounds in a diphthong make a single syllable: the tongue slides smoothly but swiftly and

the sound is long, but not too long.

Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to check whether you are accurately

pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong - DRESS. Listen to the audio to help you imitate

the sound accurately:

le… late de… day the… they gre… great le… lazy we… wait

fe… feint we… weight stre… straight campe… campaign de… deign

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection(p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

- The LAYER triphthong: phonemic symbol

eɪə

There are ve of the eight diphthongs that can be extended with a nal SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

which turns the diphthong into a triphthong – a combination of three vowel sounds where one slides

into another. The FACE vowel sound is one such diphthong, so words like ‘layer’, ‘player’ and ‘slayer’

are pronounced with the FACE vowel sound followed by a SCHWA vowel sound. The lips relax back

to neutral and the tongue slides from being in the front of the mouth to the middle of the centre of the

mouth.

Some RP speakers add a YOD (p.35) to link the FACE vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel sound.

This makes words like ‘layer’, ‘player’ and ‘slayer’ sound like two syllable words instead of one. In

this version, the tongue moves quite suddenly into the SCHWA. Other speakers do not add a YOD.

Instead they make the transition of their tongue from the FACE vowel sound to the SCHWA vowel

sound much more smoothly, which makes the words above sound more like one syllable.

This variation in pronunciation is in part to do with the evolving nature of accents. And unfortunately

these variations are not accounted for in a reliable dictionary. In some ways, this ambiguity could be

seen as a frustrating, but another perspective would be to say that is allows for choice, as both are

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considered correct. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the YOD and then without:

layer player slayer payer conveyor surveyor

And lastly, many words with these triphthongs have a written ‘r’ in the spelling, which should not be

spoken, unless they are followed by a spoken vowel sound. Encourage your tongue tip to remain

down, touching the bottom front teeth at the end of the triphthong.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the FACE vowel sound

a_e tape late cake safe case spade babe fade vague hate age

wave bathe craze name mane vale cage change ace amaze waste

ay day play hay way Sunday stay gray ey they whey hey

obey ea great steak break yea a taper bacon nature l

azy

station amazing lady raven invasion April bass (guitar) au gauge

ao gaol ai jail wait waiter faith plaice aitch raid Spain nail

main faint sprain ei rein veil beige feint reindeer eigh weigh

weight eight aigh straight aig campaign eig deign

> Practice Sentences for the FACE vowel sound

• What days are you available? Monday? Would eight o’clock be too late? Great – it’s a date!

• I’m amazed they renewed his contract! He is so lazy! April’s gures were outrageous!

• After the play we went to a café. We waited for ages, so they gave out cake. We didn’t say no!

• What a waste of time! I’ve complained! Just be straight with us – should we stay or go?

p.271

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

ar scarce are care share stare compare air fair hair pair

stair a vary Mary various area ai dairy prairie fairy

ear wear bear pear swear eir heir their ere there where

other prayer mayor aerial

> How is the SQUARE vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The SQUARE vowel sound is a diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides into

the other. The SQUARE vowel sound starts as the DRESS vowel sound (p.149 - where the tongue

tip is behind the bottom teeth, the front of the tongue is in the middle of the front of the mouth, and the

lips are slightly spread) which slides into the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - where the tongue tip stays

behind the bottom teeth, the lips release back to neutral and the middle of the tongue slides back into

the middle of the centre of the mouth). The jaw is loose, the teeth are apart, and the sound is long in

duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you pronouncing every written ‘r’?

If you are a rhotic speaker (p.19), your habit is to pronounce every written ‘r’. The SQUARE vowel

sound is often spelt with a written ‘r’, as in ‘scarce’, ‘

care’, ‘fair’, ‘wear’ ‘their’, ‘there’ and ‘prayer’. But

RP is a non-rhotic accent so a written ‘r’ is only pronounced when it is followed by a spoken vowel

sound. Listen to the words above, rstly spoken with the R sound and then without, as they should

be in RP. If you do this, go to

- Do your lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout the whole diphthong?

Some speakers move their tongue through the accurate positions and make the sound long in duration,

but their lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout instead of sliding from slightly spread to

neutral, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the lips rounded, then neutral, then spread, and then sliding from slightly spread to neutral,

as they should be in RP: ‘scarce’, ‘care’, ‘fair’, ‘wear’ ‘their’, ‘there’, ‘prayer’, ‘vary’ and ‘dairy’. If you do

this, go to

square

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phonetic symbol - eə

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633

- Are you making this diphthong too short or too long in duration?

Some speakers move their tongue and lips through the accurate positions but they make the diphthong

too short or too long in duration, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. If you are

making the diphthong too long, either both vowel sounds in the diphthong will be too long, which will

make it sound like two syllables instead of one, or one of the vowel sounds in the diphthong will be

too long. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the diphthong too short in duration, then

with both vowel sounds too long, then with the rst vowel sound too long, then with the second

vowel sound too long, and nally as they should be in RP: ‘scarce’, ‘care’, ‘fair’, ‘wear’ ‘their’, ‘there’,

‘prayer’, ‘vary’ and ‘dairy’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the rst vowel sound with the KIT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the rst vowel sound (DRESS) with the KIT vowel sound (p.141) which is

made with the front of the tongue slightly higher in the front of the mouth. The lips are equally as spread

for both vowel sounds. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the KIT vowel sound at the

beginning of this diphthong and then with the DRESS vowel sound at the beginning, as they should be

in RP: ‘scarce’, ‘care’, ‘fair’, ‘wear’ ‘their’, ‘there’, ‘prayer’, ‘vary’ and ‘dairy’. If you do this, go to

- Are you only pronouncing the DRESS vowel sound and making it too long in duration?

Some speakers only say the DRESS vowel sound (p.149 - which is made with the front of the tongue

in the middle of the front of the mouth and the lips slightly spread) but they also make the sound long

in duration. And there are some RP speakers who do do this. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the lengthened DRESS vowel sound and then with the SQUARE vowel sound, as they

should be in RP: ‘scarce’, ‘care’, ‘fair’, ‘wear’ ‘their’, ‘there’, ‘prayer’, ‘vary’ and ‘dairy’. If you do this,

go to

- Are you replacing the second vowel sound with the STRUT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the nal vowel sound (SCHWA) with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108) –

which is made with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth and the lips equally as neutral.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the STRUT vowel sound as the nal vowel sound

of this diphthong, and then with the SCHWA vowel sound as the nal vowel sound, as they should be

in RP: ‘care’, ‘fair’, ‘wear’ ‘their’, ‘there’, ‘prayer’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the SQUARE vowel sound can be represented as the ‘ar’ in ‘scarce’, the ‘ayer’ in ‘prayer’, the ‘ayor’

in ‘mayor’, the ‘ear’ as in ‘wear’ and the ‘ae’ in ‘aerial’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘eir’ in

‘their’ as the NEAR vowel sound (p.145 - as in ‘weird’). But all these words, despite the variation in

spelling, are pronounced with the SQUARE vowel sound.

634

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eə

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637

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘air’ with the SQUARE vowel sound. And thankfully

words spelt with ‘air’ tend only to be pronounced with the SQUARE vowel sound, as in ‘stair’, ‘hair’

and ‘fair’. This means that when you see the spelling ‘air’ we can say almost certainly that you should

use the SQUARE vowel sound. All of this might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and

effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid pronouncing a written ‘r’ that should not be pronounced?

Firstly, encourage your tongue tip to stay down, touching the bottom front teeth when you are saying

the vowel sound. Secondly, unless the vowel sound is followed by another consonant, encourage the

tongue to stay completely still throughout, avoiding any movement at the end of the sound. When it

is followed by a consonant that needs the tongue tip, encourage the tongue to move directly to the

position for that consonant, and not to pronounce an R sound just before. Listen to the audio to help

you imitate the sound accurately and watch your tongue in a mirror:

scarce care fair wear their there prayer

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the SQUARE vowel sound?

Firstly, ensure that you are accurately pronouncing the two component vowel sounds in this diphthong

by following the exercises in the sections entitled How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the

DRESS vowel sound? (p.150) and How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the SCHWA vowel sound?

(p.93).

Once you feel condent with how to make each vowel sound, your tongue needs to slide from one

into the other to make the diphthong. Say each sound on its own, one after the other, with a brief

pause between them. Watch your tongue and lips in a mirror and then take out the pause, sliding them

into one another. All diphthongs are made with the rst vowel slightly more stressed than the second.

This being said, it is only slightly more stressed and should be observed with care. And remember that

the two vowel sounds in a diphthong make a single syllable: the tongue slides smoothly but swiftly and

the sound is long, but not too long.

Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to check whether you are accurately

pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong – DRESS. Listen to the audio to help you imitate

the sound accurately:

sce… scarce ce… care fe… fair we… wear the… their

the… there pre… prayer ve… vary de… dairy

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

square

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eə

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639

> Practice words and typical spellings for the SQUARE vowel sound

ar scarce are hare care share mare bare stare compare

air air fair air hair pair stair a vary canary Mary aquarium

various precarious rarity area Pharaoh ai dairy prairie fairy

ear wear bear pear swear eir heir their ere there where

other spellings Ayr Eyre prayer mayor aerial Eire

> Practice Sentences for the SQUARE vowel sound

• We’ve shared a house for years. We’re quite fair. We ght here and there, but he’s bearable.

• Did you compare the gures? They really vary! It’s scary. In what areas can we improve?

• Where are we going? What should I wear? Should I do my hair? Who’s going to be there?

• I’ve been very careful to make everyone aware of the precarious state of the stairs.

p.272

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Uː

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

oo food proof loose mood o_e move prove lose whose

oe shoe o do movie who two ou group youth ghoul you

ough through u prudent u lucid crucial ui bruise fruit juice

cruise ue blue glue true rue eu sleuth deuce feud neutral

ew newt new few knew view review eau beauty beautiful

> How is the GOOSE vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the back of the tongue is high in the back of the mouth.

The lips are

rounded, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The GOOSE vowel sound is long in

duration. Compared to all other vowel sounds, the back of the tongue is most high and back for the

GOOSE vowel sound.

> Some words are preceded by a YOD

Some words that are pronounced with the GOOSE vowel sound are often preceded by a YOD

(p.35), as in ‘deuce’, ‘feud’, ‘neutral’, ‘new’, ‘few’, ‘view’, ‘review’, ‘amuse’ and ‘beauty’. Whilst there is no

conclusive spelling pattern that will help you to know when to use the YOD, one way to be sure is

to look at the phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary. When listening to the audio examples in

this section, pay attention to the presence or absence of the YOD so as to avoid mispronunciation.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are your lips spread or neutral instead of rounded?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound short in duration, but

their lips are neutral or spread instead of rounded, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips spread, then neutral, and then rounded, as

they should be in RP: ‘food’, ‘move’, ‘shoe’, ‘do’, ‘group’, ‘through’, ‘u’, ‘fruit’, ‘blue’, ‘neutral’, ‘new’, ‘two’,

‘beauty’ and ‘view’. If you do this, go to

goose

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phonetic symbol - Uː

644

645

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647

- Are you replacing the GOOSE vowel sound with the FOOT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the GOOSE vowel sound with the FOOT vowel sound (p.165), which is made

with the back of the tongue slightly lower in the back of the mouth, the lips slightly less rounded and the

sound short in duration. So words like ‘Luke’ sound more like ‘look’, and ‘wooed’ sounds more like

‘wood’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the GOOSE vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the GOOSE vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120), which

is made with the back of the tongue in the middle of the back of the mouth, the lips slightly less rounded

and the sound equally as long in duration. So words like ‘soon’ sound more like ‘sawn’, and ‘moon’

sounds more like ‘mourn’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the GOOSE vowel sound can be represented as the ‘o_e’ in ‘move’, the ‘o’ in ‘who’, the ‘ou’ in ‘group’,

the ‘ough’ in ‘through’, the ‘ui’ in ‘fruit’, the ‘ue’ in ‘true’, the ‘eu’ in ‘neutral’, the ‘ew’ in ‘new’, the ‘eau’

in ‘beauty’, and the ‘iew’ in ‘review’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘o’ in ‘move’ as the LOT

vowel sound (p.116 - as in ‘of’), or the ‘ough’ in ‘through’ as the GOAT vowel sound (p.100 - as in

‘although’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with the GOOSE

vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘oo’ with the GOOSE vowel sound. One might

then hope that all words spelt with ‘oo’ would be pronounced as the GOOSE vowel sound. Sadly,

this is not true, as the ‘oo’ in blood’ is pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108 - as in ‘cup’),

in ‘good’ it is pronounced as the FOOT vowel sound (p.165 - as in ‘should’), and in ‘brooch’ it is

pronounced as the GOAT vowel sound (p.100 - as in ‘no’). All of this might seem a bit overwhelming,

but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to be rounded?

The only way to guarantee that your lips are rounded accurately instead of being neutral or spread is

to use a mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by putting one

nger in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed forwards; and

if your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say the following words, either

looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them to be rounded accurately:

food proof move prove shoe do who group youth through u

crucial fruit juice blue glue feud neutral new few beauty beautiful

648

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phonetic symbol -

Uː

649

651

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652

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the GOOSE vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the GOOSE vowel sound is similar to their positions for the

THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120) and FOOT vowel sound (p.165), so it might be helpful to compare

them. Look in a mirror as you say ‘hoard’, ‘hood’ and ‘who’ (angle yourself towards a light or use a

very small torch – although you might still struggle to see the back of the tongue because the lips need

to be rounded when saying these vowel sounds). It might be helpful to say the vowel sounds on their

own after saying the words, in order to see the tongue more clearly. For ‘hoard’ (the THOUGHT

vowel sound) encourage the lips to be rounded, the back of the tongue to be in the middle of the back

of the mouth and the sound to be long in duration. For ‘hood’ (the FOOT vowel sound) encourage the

lips to be more rounded, the back of the tongue to be very slightly higher in the back of the mouth and

the sound to be short in duration. And for ‘who’ (this is the target GOOSE vowel sound) encourage

the lips to be more rounded still, the back of the tongue to be higher still in the back of the mouth and

the sound to be long in duration.

THOUGHT FOOT GOOSE

This THOUGHT, FOOT and GOOSE vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets of

three words. Play with these words and encourage the back of your tongue to be higher and the lips

to be more rounded than the FOOT vowel sound. Encourage the sound to be long in duration. Listen

to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

ward wood wooed cord could cooed shore shook shoe

Here’s another game to play: say the GOOSE vowel sound on its own before saying each word, to

help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a reference for

how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

food proof move prove shoe do who group youth through u

crucial fruit juice blue glue feud neutral new few beauty beautiful

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

This is a very minor detail, but sometimes, when the GOOSE vowel sound is followed by a dark L

(p.57 - a written L that is followed by a consonant sound or by a pause) some RP speakers now use a

slightly hybrid vowel sound that is a cross between the GOOSE vowel sound and THOUGHT vowel

sound (p.120), so something between ‘rue’ and ‘roar’.

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This can be heard in words like ‘fool’, ‘school’, ‘pool’, ‘rule’, ‘mule’, ‘tool’, ‘stool’, ‘cool’ and ‘fuel’. So ‘rule’

is being pronounced a bit like ‘roar’ with an L sound on the end: ‘roar-l’ (it’s tricky to describe this, so

listen to the audio). This is not indicated in pronunciation dictionaries as it only occurs in a handful of

words, namely the ones above. As I said, this is a very minor detail and would add further specicity

to your pronunciation, but if you were to continue to pronounce the GOOSE vowel sound in words

like these, you will still be clearly understood and your pronunciation will lie within the RP canon.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the GOOSE vowel sound

oo loop shoot spook smooch food proof loose mood groove

smooth choose boom spoon fool too boost sooner booty tooth

roof hoof o_e move prove lose whose rude plume oe shoe

o tomb do movie who two ou group youth ghoul you

ough through u lucre prudent u

lucid crucial ludicrous lunatic

dupe mute duke truth obtuse cube fugue huge tuna amuse tune

funeral duty pupil mucus confusion music human nude ui bruise

fruit juice cruise nuisance ue blue glue true rue eu sleuth

deuce feud neutral feudal eunuch ew newt new few knew

sewage threw wo two eau beauty beautiful ie view review

> Practice Sentences for the GOOSE vowel sound

• The dresses are too beautiful to choose between. I’m confused! What to do? I’ll get two!

• He threw the tools on the oor, called me a ludicrous nuisance and ran out through the hall!

• Very few things move me like these salubrious Peruvian tunes and Luke’s amusing anecdotes.

• I think it’s crucial to begin soon . You get the students, I’ll start the music and we’ll conclude .

p.273

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

u put bush full butcher oo good stood wood wool foot look

o woman sing. wolf bosom ou could should would shouldn’t

> How is the FOOT vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The tongue tip is behind the bottom teeth and the back of the tongue is high in the back of the mouth.

The lips are rounded, the jaw is loose and the teeth are apart. The FOOT vowel sound is short in

duration.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are your lips spread or neutral instead of rounded?

Some speakers have their tongue in an accurate position and make the sound short in duration, but

their lips are neutral or spread instead of rounded, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound.

Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the lips spread, then neutral, and then rounded, as

they should be in RP: ‘put’, ‘full’, ‘good’, ‘look’, ‘woman’ (sing.), ‘wolf’, ‘could’ and ‘shouldn’t’. If you do

this, go to

- Are you replacing the FOOT vowel sound with the SCHWA vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the FOOT vowel sound with the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92), which is made

with the middle of the tongue in the middle of the centre of the mouth, the lips neutral and the sound

equally as short in duration. It is tricky to directly compare words with the SCHWA vowel sound, as

it is the sound that tends to represent the weak syllable in a word (p.183), and so it can be spelt in

many ways. It is the sound that ends words like ‘pizza’ and ‘tuna’. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the SCHWA vowel sound, then with the FOOT vowel sound, as they should be in RP:

‘put’, ‘full’, ‘good’, ‘look’, ‘woman’ (sing.), ‘wolf’, ‘could’ and ‘shouldn’t’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the FOOT vowel sound with the GOOSE vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the FOOT vowel sound with the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161) – especially

when it is spelt ‘oo’ as in ‘good’ and ‘stood’ - which is made with the back of the tongue slightly higher

in the back of the mouth, the sound longer in duration, and the lips very slightly more rounded. So words

foot

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phonetic symbol - ʊ

661

662

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664

like ‘wood’ sound more like ‘wooed’, and ‘look’ sounds more like ‘Luke’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the FOOT vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the FOOT vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120), which is

made with the back of the tongue very slightly lower in the back of the mouth, and the sound longer in

duration. So words like ‘hook’ sound more like ‘hawk’, ‘could’ sounds more like ‘cord’, ‘cook’ sounds

more like ‘cork’ and ‘took’ sounds more like ‘talk’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because

British English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings.

For this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example,

the FOOT vowel sound can be represented as the ‘oo’ in ‘good’, the ‘o’ in the singular of ‘woman’

and the ‘ou’ in ‘should’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘oo’ in ‘good’ as the GOOSE vowel

sound (p.161 - as in ‘food’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced with

the FOOT vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘u’ with the FOOT vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘u’ would be pronounced as the FOOT vowel sound. Sadly, this is not

true, as the ‘u’ in ‘cut’ should be pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108 - as in ‘shut’), in ‘busy’

it is pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141 - as in ‘it’), in ‘bury’ it is pronounced as the DRESS

vowel sound (p.149 - as in ‘let’), in ‘huge’ it is pronounced as the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161 - as in

‘food’), and in ‘security’ it is pronounced as the CURE vowel sound (p.169 - as in ‘manure’). All of this

might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that will help you: go

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I encourage my lips to be rounded?

The only way to guarantee that your lips are rounded accurately instead of being neutral or spread is

to use a mirror when you practice. Otherwise, you can feel the movement in your lips by putting one

nger in a vertical line over your lips – if your lips are rounding your nger will be pushed forwards; and

if your lips are neutral or slightly spreading your nger will remain still. Say the following words, either

looking in a mirror or with one nger on your lips, and encourage them to be rounded accurately:

put bush full butcher good stood wood wool foot look

woman sing. wolf bosom could should would shouldn’t

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the FOOT vowel sound?

The position of the tongue and lips for the FOOT vowel sound is similar to their positions for

the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120) and GOOSE vowel sound (p.161), so it might be helpful to

compare them. Look in a mirror as you say ‘hoard’, ‘hood’ and ‘who’ (angle yourself towards a light

or use a very small torch – although you might still struggle to see the back of the tongue because

the lips need to be rounded when saying these vowel sounds). It might be helpful to say the vowel

665

foot

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phonetic symbol -

666

667

668

669

sounds on their own after saying the words, in order to see the tongue more clearly. For ‘hoard’ (the

THOUGHT vowel sound) encourage the lips to be rounded, the sound to be long in duration, and the

back of the tongue to be in the middle of the back of the mouth. For ‘hood’ (this is the target FOOT

vowel sound) encourage the lips to be slightly more rounded, the back of the tongue to be very slightly

higher in the back of the mouth, and the sound to be short in duration. And for ‘who’ (the GOOSE

vowel sound) encourage the lips to be slightly more rounded, the back of the tongue to be very slightly

higher still in the back of the mouth, and the sound to be longer in duration.

THOUGHT FOOT GOOSE

This THOUGHT, FOOT and GOOSE vowel sound sequence can be heard in the following sets

of three words. Play with these words and encourage the back of your tongue and lips to remain in

between the positions for the THOUGHT and GOOSE vowel sounds. Encourage the sound to be

short in duration. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound accurately:

lawn look Luke sawn soot soon bought book boot shorn shook shoe

If your habit is to replace the FOOT vowel sound with the GOOSE vowel sound, essentially, your

tongue position is too high. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words with the THOUGHT

vowel sound (which is made with the tongue lower) before saying words with the FOOT vowel sound,

in order to encourage your tongue into a lower position. For example:

lawn look sawn soot bought book shorn shook cork cook hoard hood

Similarly, if your habit is to replace the FOOT vowel sound with the SCHWA or THOUGHT vowel

sound, then your tongue position is too low or central. For this reason, it might be helpful to say words

with the GOOSE vowel sound (which is made with the tongue higher in the back of the mouth) before

saying words with the FOOT vowel sound, in order to encourage your tongue into a position that is

higher and further back. For example:

Luke look soon soot boot book shoe shook wooed wood

Lastly, here’s another game to play: say the FOOT vowel sound on its own before saying each

word, to help you hear whether or not you are pronouncing it accurately and also to give you a

reference for how it should sound in the word. Listen to the audio to help you imitate the sound

accurately:

put bush full butcher good stood wood wool foot look

woman sing. wolf bosom could should would shouldn’t

670

671

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phonetic symbol -

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673

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the FOOT vowel sound

u put bush full butcher cushion pudding bullet push pull sugar

oo good stood wood wool cook look shook foot hood

o woman sing. wolf bosom ou could should would shouldn’t

> Practice Sentences for the FOOT vowel sound

• I could just bully my way to the top, but I wouldn’t establish any good will – I’d look stupid.

• Our local butcher cooked a roast for us on Sunday. He was so full of good humor.

• The woods are beautiful. I’d take a wooly jumper and good footwear. You will love it, trust me!

• I shouldn’t have any more sugar. I look awful. Give me a cushion would you? I need to lie down.

p.274

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This sound is pronounced in words like:

our gourmet tourniquet oor spoor ure manure mature pure

secure u rural curious furious luxurious eu Europe neuron pleurisy

> How is the CURE vowel sound made in an RP accent?

The CURE vowel sound is a diphthong – a combination of two vowel sounds where one slides into

the other. The CURE vowel sound starts as the FOOT vowel sound (p.165 - where the tongue tip is

behind the bottom teeth, the back of the tongue is high in the back of the mouth, and the lips are rounded)

which slides into the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - where the tongue tip stays behind the bottom teeth,

the lips release back to neutral and the middle of the tongue slides back into the middle of the centre of

the mouth). The jaw is loose, the teeth are apart, and the sound is long in duration.

> Some words are preceded by a YOD

Some words that are pronounced with the CURE vowel sound are often preceded by a YOD (p.35),

as in ‘endure’, ‘manure’, ‘obscure’, ‘pure’, ‘secure’, ‘curious’, ‘furious’, ‘Europe’, ‘neural’ and ‘neuron’.

Whilst there is no conclusive spelling pattern that will help you to know when to use the YOD, one

way to be sure is to look at the phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary. When listening to the

audio examples in this section, pay attention to the presence or absence of the YOD so as to avoid

mispronunciation.

> What do I do habitually?

- Are you pronouncing every written ‘r’?

If you are a rhotic speaker (p.19) your habit is to pronounce every written ‘r’. The CURE vowel sound

is often spelt with a written ‘r’ as in ‘gourmet’, ‘ spoor’, ‘

endure’, ‘ manure’ and ‘mature’. But RP is a non-

rhotic accent so a written ‘r’ is only pronounced when it is followed by a spoken vowel sound. Listen

to the words above, rstly spoken with the R sound and then without, as they should be in RP. If you

do this, go to

- Do your lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout the whole diphthong?

Some speakers move their tongue through the accurate positions and make the sound long in duration,

but their lips remain rounded, neutral or spread throughout instead of sliding from being rounded to

neutral, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. Listen to the following words, rstly

spoken with the lips rounded, then neutral, then spread, and then sliding from being rounded to neutral,

as they should be in RP: ‘gourmet’, ‘furious’, ‘endure’, ‘rural’ and ‘Europe’. If you do this, go to

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682

- Are you making this diphthong too long or too short in duration?

Some speakers move their tongue and lips through the accurate positions but they make the diphthong

too short or too long in duration, which impacts on the quality and tone of the sound. If you are

making the diphthong too long, either both vowel sounds in the diphthong will be too long, which will

make it sound like two syllables instead of one, or one of the vowel sounds in the diphthong will be

too long. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the diphthong too short in duration, then

with both vowel sounds too long, then with the rst vowel sound too long, then with the second

vowel sound too long, and nally as they should be in RP: ‘gourmet’, ‘furious’, ‘endure’, ‘rural’ and

‘Europe’. If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the CURE vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the CURE vowel sound with the LOT vowel sound (p.116), which is made

with the back of the tongue low in the back of the mouth, the lips slightly rounded and the sound short

in duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the LOT vowel sound, and then with

the CURE vowel sound, as they should be in RP: ‘gourmet’, ‘furious’, ‘endure’, ‘rural’ and ‘Europe’. If

you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the CURE vowel sound with the NURSE vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the CURE vowel sound with the NURSE vowel sound (p.96), which is made

with the middle of the tongue in the middle of the centre of the mouth, the lips neutral and the sound

long in duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the NURSE vowel sound, and then

with the CURE vowel sound, as they should be in RP: ‘gourmet’, ‘ furious’, ‘endure’, ‘ rural’ and ‘Europe’.

If you do this, go to

- Are you replacing the CURE vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the CURE vowel sound with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120), which is

made with the back of the tongue in the middle of the back of the mouth, the lips rounded and the sound

long in duration. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the THOUGHT vowel sound, and

then with the CURE vowel sound, as they should be in RP: ‘gourmet’, ‘furious’, ‘endure’, ‘rural’ and

‘Europe’. If you do this, go to

The CURE vowel sound has been evolving for some years, and there are some words in this lexical set

(p.90) now pronounced with the THOUGHT vowel sound by most RP speakers, partly because they

share many of the same spellings. For example ‘pure’ is most commonly pronounced with the CURE

vowel sound, whereas many speakers now pronounce ‘sure’ with the THOUGHT vowel sound, as in

‘shore’. See the Anything Else? (p.172) section below for more information about this.

- Are you replacing the second vowel sound with the STRUT or DRESS vowel sound?

Some speakers replace the nal vowel sound (SCHWA) with the STRUT vowel sound (p.108 - which

is made with the middle of the tongue low in the centre of the mouth and the lips equally as neutral) or

with the DRESS vowel sound (p.149 - which is made with the front of the tongue in the middle in the

front of the mouth and the lips slightly spread). Listen to the following words, rstly spoken with the

STRUT vowel sound as the nal vowel sound of the diphthong, then with the DRESS vowel sound

as the nal vowel sound, and lastly with the SCHWA vowel sound as the nal vowel sound, as they

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should be in RP: ‘pure’, ‘spoor’, ‘endure’, ‘manure’, ‘secure’ and ‘mature’. If you do this, go to

- Is your pronunciation guided by the spelling?

Many non-native speakers use the spelling of a word as a guide to its pronunciation. But because British

English is not written phonetically, one vowel sound can be represented by numerous spellings. For

this reason, the spelling in British English cannot be trusted for vowel pronunciation. For example, the

CURE vowel sound can be represented as the ‘our’ in ‘gourmet’, the ‘oor’ in ‘spoor’, the ‘u’ in ‘rural’,

and the ‘eu’ in ‘Europe’. So, you might mistakenly pronounce the ‘u’ in ‘fury’ as the STRUT vowel

sound (p.108 - as in ‘hurry’). But all these words, despite the variation in spelling, are pronounced

with the CURE vowel sound.

It is also typical for a speaker to have a certain spelling that they often associate with a vowel sound.

For example, many speakers associate the spelling ‘ure’ with the CURE vowel sound. One might then

hope that all words spelt with ‘ure’ would be pronounced as the CURE vowel sound. Sadly, this is not

true, as the ‘ure’ in ‘sure’ can be pronounced as the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120 - as in ‘shore’),

and when it’s a weak syllable as in ‘nature’ it is pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92 - as in

‘tuna’). All of this might seem a bit overwhelming, but I have some simple and effective solutions that

will help you: go to

> How do I change my habit?

- How do I avoid pronouncing a written ‘r’ that should not be pronounced?

Firstly, encourage your tongue tip to stay down, touching the bottom front teeth when you are saying

the vowel sound. Secondly, unless the vowel sound is followed by another consonant, encourage the

tongue to stay completely still throughout, avoiding any movement at the end of the sound. When it

is followed by a consonant that needs the tongue tip, encourage the tongue to move directly to the

position for that consonant, and not to pronounce an R sound just before. Listen to the audio to help

you imitate the sound accurately and watch your tongue in a mirror:

gourmet pure spoor endure manure secure mature

- How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the CURE vowel sound?

Firstly, ensure that you are accurately pronouncing the two component vowel sounds in this diphthong

by following the exercises in the sections entitled How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the

FOOT vowel sound? (p.166) and How do I nd the accurate tongue position for the SCHWA vowel sound?

(p.93).

Once you feel condent with how to make each vowel sound, your tongue needs to slide from one

into the other to make the diphthong. Say each sound on its own, one after the other, with a brief

pause between them. Watch your tongue and lips in a mirror and then take out the pause, sliding them

into one another. All diphthongs are made with the rst vowel slightly more stressed than the second.

This being said, it is only slightly more stressed and should be observed with care. And remember that

the two vowel sounds in a diphthong make a single syllable: the tongue slides smoothly but swiftly and

the sound is long, but not too long.

Play with the following exercise. It offers you an opportunity to check whether you are accurately

cure

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phonetic symbol -

ʊə

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pronouncing the rst vowel sound in the diphthong – FOOT. Listen to the audio to help you imitate

the sound accurately:

gu… gourmet spu… spoor endu… endure ru… rural u… Europe

- How do I avoid being guided by the spelling?

Once you have used the exercises above to help you achieve an accurate pronunciation of this vowel

sound, go to the Lexical Sets subsection (p.90) for advice on how to avoid being guided by the spelling.

> Anything Else?

- The evolving CURE vowel sound

The CURE vowel sound has been evolving for a number of years, and there are some words in this

lexical set that some RP speakers pronounce with the THOUGHT vowel sound. For example, ‘sure’

can be pronounced with the THOUGHT vowel sound, as in ‘shore’. Thankfully, there are very few

words in the CURE lexical set. And most speakers now pronounce the examples given below with

the THOUGHT vowel sound, and you may come across others. This is not to say that pronouncing

them with the CURE vowel sound is incorrect, but simply that it is a slightly more traditional

pronunciation often associated with older speakers. Listen to the following words, rstly spoken

with the THOUGHT vowel sound and then the CURE vowel sound:

our tour gourd ou tourism tourist oor moor poor

oo boorish ure surely assure ensure insure

sure abjure endure u assurance insurance

- ‘tourney’ and ‘tournament’

Some speakers pronounce words like ‘tourney’ and ‘tournament’ with the NURSE vowel sound

(p.96) some with the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120) and some with the CURE vowel sound.

> Practice words and typical spellings for the CURE vowel sound

our amour bourse bourgeois gourmand gourmet tourniquet

oor spoor ure adjure allure demure endure immure in

ure lure

manure mature u angostura bravura bureau caesura incurable

mural jury lurid maturity obscurity purify purity security sulphuric

eu Europe neural neuron pleurisy

> Practice Sentences for the CURE vowel sound

• The room was luxurious, but Muriel was rather curious about the large mural of rural France.

• I just hope there is a cure. Enduring any more of this obscure treatment will make me furious!

• I sold the bureau to a mature gentleman during the war. He was a neurosurgeon!

• She was a demure lady, with a kind and pure nature. The jury felt secure in their judgement.

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Syllables

and Word Stress

Syllable stress

p.174

Dates, times, money

p.180

Unstressed syllables

p.183

Compound words

p.177

Primary/secondary stress

p.182

Prexes & Sufxes

p.186

My Pronunciation Roadmap

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Stressing the right syllable in a word is an important part of pronunciation. Sometimes it can even

change the meaning of a word. Moreover, learning how to stress a syllable in an RP accent will also

help with intonation and inection.

> How might I approach syllables and word stress?

Much of this section is about understanding the structure of words, the nature and number of

syllables in a word, and learning patterns. This is as much to do with the English language, as it is

to do with speech, pronunciation and communication style. For these reasons, the habits amongst

non-native and regional English speakers have not been identied. Instead, the focus is on clarifying

the typical word stress patterns in British English and the ways that an RP might stress a syllable or

word. Hence, there are lot of facts and descriptions but also a lot of examples and audio for you to

listen to and imitate.

Treat each page like an actual coaching session: each page suggests how long to set aside. Take your

time it. Read each part, record yourself when recommended and listen to the audio examples. Where

appropriate, use a mirror to see what your habit might be. Play with each exercise and by the end

you will hopefully know and feel what to aim for, what your habit is, how to change it and how to

practice the new habit.

> What is a syllable?

Generally speaking, a syllable is a single unit of speech. Typically, this unit of speech is made up of a

vowel (known as the centre or nucleus of the syllable), which may have a consonant or consonant

cluster before and/or after it. For example: ‘at’, ‘to’, ‘bit’ and ‘can’.

> What is the difference between monosyllables and polysyllables?

A word that is monosyllabic simply means a word made up of only one syllable:

at to bit can bite stack thwart click our or are

A word that is polysyllabic is made up of two or more syllables (the dot (.) in the following words

indicate the syllable divisions):

2 3 4 5 6

a.head a.men.ded ra.di.at.or a.bbre.vi.a.ted au.tho.ri.ta.ri.an

> Polysyllables - Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

In polysyllabic words it is important to know which syllables are stressed and which are unstressed. For

example, in a word like ‘a.HEAD’, ‘HEAD’ is the stressed syllable and ‘a’ is unstressed. In ‘a.MEN.ded’,

‘MEN’ is the stressed syllable, and so ‘a’ and ‘ded’ are unstressed. Some speakers stress too many the

syllables and some stress the wrong ones. I’ll talk more about how to identify the correct stressed and

unstressed syllables later on. The stressed syllables in the following words are written in capital letters:

RA.di.at.or a.BBRE.vi.a.ted au.tho.ri.TA.ri.an a.MA.zing WON.der.ful

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> How should I stress a syllable in a polysyllabic word?

Record yourself saying the following sentence:

al.THOUGH you are a GE.ni.us you are in.CRE.dib.ly frus.TRA.ting

Stressing a syllable in a polysyllabic word is quite simply about making the right part of a word stand

out. For now, let’s keep it simple. There are three main ways to stress a syllable in a polysyllabic word:

pitch, loudness and pace. In my opinion, loudness is not as relevant or useful as pitch or pace, simply

because loudness tends to make people sound unclear in speech. For example, speak the sentence

above, and make yourself louder on the stressed syllables indicated in capitals and remain at your

normal volume of speaking for all other syllables and monosyllabic words in lower case letters.

The stressed syllables certainly stand out, but hopefully you also noticed how it makes your speech

sound very jumpy, almost like a thudding pulse, slightly staccato, and so there isn’t a natural ow to

your speech. The phrase ‘boom and fade’ might be a good way to describe this method of stressing

syllables, particularly because the unstressed syllables and other monosyllabic words seem to fade away

and sound unclear.

Say the sentence again, and this time let volume remain constant, and instead focus on pitch. The way

pitch is used in speech varies greatly and is inuenced by a number of things, and we’ll talk more

about this in the section entitled Intonation – Pitch (p.213). Listen back to your recording and pay

attention to how you use pitch: you might be using lower pitches to make the stressed syllables stand

out; or the stressed and unstressed syllables might have the same pitch; or you might be using higher

pitches on the stressed syllables.

RP speakers tend to use a slightly higher pitch on stressed syllables and the unstressed syllables and

other monosyllabic words have a lower pitch. Picture the way a heart monitor measures the rate of the

heart - think of the vertical peak of the line on the monitor as the stressed syllables and the unstressed

syllables as the resting horizontal line in-between the strong beats. Listen to the audio to help guide

you.

al.THOUGH you are a GE.ni.us you are in.CRE.dib.ly frus.TRA.ting

You may have noticed how the stressed syllables stand out but also your speech ows from one word

to another. For now, the focus is just on stressing syllables in polysyllabic words, and we’ll move onto

what to do in sentences a bit later. Remember this – typically, stressed syllables have a slightly higher

pitch and unstressed syllables have a slightly lower in pitch. Have another go with these individual

polysyllabic words:

al.THOUGH GE.ni.us in.CRE.dib.ly frus.TRA.ting RA.di.at.or

a.BBRE.vi.a.ted au.tho.ri.TA.ri.an a.MA.zing WON.der.ful

> Which syllable should I stress?

Stressing the right syllable in a polysyllabic word can mean the difference between correct and

incorrect pronunciation in RP, even if you are pronouncing the vowels and consonants accurately.

The only conclusive way of knowing is by checking a word in a reliable dictionary – or better still a

pronunciation dictionary – which often marks the stressed syllable like this ˈ - so ‘al.THOUGH’ would

Syllables and Word Stress

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be written ɔɫˈðəʊ. One thing is certain, always stress the vowel and never stress the consonant(s).

However, there are some useful patterns that might be helpful to consider. The following suggestions

cannot be described as conclusive rules, as there are always exceptions, but for the most part, they

will form a useful guide. Consider recording yourself saying the words in each of the subsections

below before reading about how to stress them accurately.

- Pattern 1 - Two-syllable verbs, nouns and adjectives

Often, two-syllable verbs stress the second syllable:

a.TTACK pro.VOKE en.TICE a.TTRACT se.DUCE ex.CITE in.DULGE

Often, two-syllable nouns and adjectives stress the rst syllable:

nouns: TA.ble AR.tist CA.ble FAR.mer SAUS.age WAR.drobe KE.ttle SO.fa

adjectives: PAS.ty UG.ly LONE.ly LOF.ty FUN.ny FA.mous HA.ppy LAN.ky

However, consider the word ‘abstract’, which can be a verb, noun and adjective. If you stress the rst

syllable ‘AB.stract’, it is understood as the noun and adjective, but if you stress the second syllable

‘ab.STRACT’, it is understood as the verb. There are many two-syllable verbs, nouns and adjectives,

spelt the same, whose meaning is changed simply by changing the stressed syllable. Here are some

other examples that follow this pattern, with rst-syllable stress forming the adjective or noun and

second-syllable stress forming the equivalent verb:

ab.sent ac.cent com.bine co.mmune com.pact com.pound com.press

con.duct con.ict con.script con.serve con.sole con.sort con.struct con.tent

con.test con.tract con.trast con.verse con.vert con.vict dic.tate di.gest

dis.card dis.charge dis.count dis.course es.cort es.say ex.cise ex.ploit ex.port

ex.tract fer.ment fre.quent im.pact im.plant im.port im.print in.cense in.cline

in.crease in.dent in.lay in.sert in.sult in.tern in.trigue in.vite mis.match

ob.ject per.fect per.mit per.vert pre.sent pro.duce pro.gress

pro.ject pro.test pur.port re.bel re.call re.coil re.cord re.ll re.fund

re.fuse re.ject re.lapse re.lay re.make re.print re.search re.take

re.tard re.write seg.ment sub.ject sur.vey sus.pect tor.ment trans.fer

tran.splant tran.sport tra.verse up.date up.grade up.lift up.set

- Pattern 2 - Words with three or more syllables ending in ‘ic’, ‘sion’ and ‘tion’

The stress often falls on the penultimate syllable:

a.po.lo.GE.tic an.o.RE.xic an.a.phy.LAC.tic ga.LAC.tic cha.ris.MA.tic

in.CLU.sion di.CI.sion i.LLU.sion con.DI.tion co.RREC.tion gra.du.A.tion

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- Pattern 3 - Words with four or more syllables ending in ‘cy’, ‘ty’, ‘phy’, ‘gy’ and ‘al’

The stress often falls on the antepenultimate syllable:

e.MER.gen.cy de.MO.cra.cy bu.REAU.cra.cy con.SIS.ten.cy di.PLO.ma.cy

dex.TER.i.ty cu.ri.OUS.i.ty hos.pi.TA.li.ty ab.SUR.di.ty i.DEN.ti.ty

bi.O.gra.phy phi.LO.so.phy cho.re.O.gra.phy ge.O.gra.phy car.di.O.gra.phy

an.AL.o.gy a.PO.lo.gy i.de.O.lo.gy chro.NO.lo.gy the.O.lo.gy pa.THO.lo.gy

ab.DO.mi.nal sa.TI.ri.cal bac.TE.ri.al ex.CEP.tion.al con.VEN.tion.al

> Compound Words

A compound word could be dened as two words that exist in their own right coming together to

create a new meaning. Often they are hyphenated, as in ‘old-fashioned’, sometimes they are physically

joined in terms of spelling (closed), as in - ‘briefcase’, and sometimes there is space between them

(open), as in ‘half sister’. But in any case, their relationship creates new meaning. When these words

come together, their stressed syllable/s might change. Whilst there are no conclusive rules to follow,

here are some useful patterns that might be helpful to consider. As always, there are exceptions, but

for the most part, the following examples might form a useful guide. Consider recording yourself

saying the words in each of the subsections below before reading about how to stress them correctly.

- Compound Nouns

Often, in compound nouns the stress is on the appropriate syllable of the rst word:

WIND.mill RAIL.way TOOTH.paste BLACK.board FIRE.works GRASS.hopper

EARTH.quake MOUSE.trap BOOK.shelf ARM.chair MOTHER-in-law

- Compound Adjectives

Often, in compound adjectives the stress is on the appropriate syllable of the second word:

self-CON.scious half-FULL du.ty-FREE good-LOOK.ing well-KNOWN

old-FASH.ioned o.pen-MIN.ded well-be.HAVED

Some RP speakers stress the rst word in compound adjectives if in a sentence the next word begins

with a stressed syllable:

he is a GOOD-look.ing AC.tor I’ve got a PART-time JOB

it was a LAST-min.ute THING these are OLD.fash.ioned VA.lues

If one of the two words in a compound adjective is a noun, the noun will often be stressed:

SUN-dried TONGUE-tied SEA-sick LAW-a.bi.ding CO.lour-blind DEEP-sea DI.ver

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- Compound Verbs

Because compound verbs take on a number of forms, the following patterns and examples rely on

a condent understanding of grammar. If you struggle with grammar, take each part one at a time.

Maybe you could create some sentences in which you might use the examples or come up with

further examples. There are further examples in the Practice Pages (p.277). You may nd that it is really

clear and straightforward, but either way, take your time. You can always return to this section at a

later point.

Where there is a combination of two or more words (usually ending in a verb) to form a single verb,

the stress will often be on the appropriate stressed syllable of the rst word:

HOUSE-sit WA.ter-proof WIN.dow-shop SOUND-proof BRAIN-wash HOUSE-hunt

In phrasal verbs (combination of a verb – ‘tear’ – and an adverb – ‘off’) the stress is on the appropriate

stressed syllable of the second word:

tear OFF pull THROUGH run OUT burst OUT took OFF

take ON break OFF look FOR.ward call UP put OFF

When the phrasal verb does relate to an object, and the adverb is after it, the stress remains on the

expected stressed syllable of the adverb:

I’m ready to take the world ON take that jumper OFF he ran the business BACK.wards

The same is true for when the adverb is after a pronoun:

I want to tear it OFF just call him UP I took her OFF the project He put me

THROUGH

But when the adverb is before the object, the stress moves to the verb:

I’m ready to TAKE on the world I want to RUN out into the rain he BURST out of the ofce

Nouns derived from phrasal verbs often stress the appropriate syllable of the rst word:

HAND out DROP out HAND over CRACK down FOL.low through COME back

In prepositional verbs (combination of a verb – ‘care’ – and a preposition – ‘about’) the stress is often

on the appropriate syllable of the rst word:

CARE about be.LIEVE in LOOK at SEND for re.LY on STARE at

Remember that prepositions always have objects (‘I CARE about cats’ and ‘I like to LOOK at art’)

whereas phrasal verbs use adverbs to alter or adapt the meaning of the verb (‘it was something I

was looking FORWARD to’ and ‘he is going to pull THROUGH’). I say this because a number of

compound verbs can be phrasal or prepositional depending on their context and use. Consider the

use of ‘took off’ in these statements: ‘he took off his jacket’ (where ‘off’ is a preposition), and ‘he

took off into the night’ (where ‘off’ is an adverb). You should stress ‘took’ in ‘he TOOK off his jacket’

because it is prepositional, whereas you would stress ‘off’ in ‘he took OFF into the night’ because it

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is phrasal. The same would be true for ‘run out’ in ‘she could run out in front of the car’ (where ‘out’

is a preposition), and ‘we’ve run out of paper’ (where ‘out’ is an adverb). You would stress ‘run’ in

‘she could RUN out in front of the car’ because it is prepositional, whereas you would stress ‘out’ in

‘we’ve run OUT of paper’ because it is phrasal.

Of course, these are just patterns that some RP speakers would adhere to strictly, and others would

be more relaxed about. It is not to say that they have little value and should be disregarded, but

simply that variation is part of the evolution of a language. So conversely, you may hear some RP

speakers saying ‘she could run OUT in front of the car’ and ‘we’ve RUN out of paper’.

- Compound Numerals

The stress is often on the rst part of the compound numbers between 13-20:

THIR.teen FOUR.teen FIF.teen SIX.teen

SE.ven.teen EIGH.teen NINE.teen TWEN.ty

If you were asked, ‘how old are you/are they/is she?’ and your answer was a simple statement, ‘I’m/

they are/she is FOUR.teen’ you would stress the numbers in the same way. If you wanted to suggest

disbelief, excitement or anxiety about the consequences of revealing the age, the stress might change

to the nal syllable ‘…four.TEEN’. It would also change if the number were being compared to

another, for example ‘I’m FOUR.teen and he’s FIF.teen’.

The same is true for when referring to dates:

THIR.teenth FOUR.teenth FIF.teenth SIX.teenth

SE.ven.teenth EIGH.teenth NINE.teenth TWEN.tieth

The stress is often on the second part of the compound numbers 21-99:

twen.ty-ONE thir.ty-TWO for.ty-THREE f.ty-FOUR

six.ty-FIVE se.ven.ty-SIX eigh.ty-SE.ven nine.ty-EIGHT

The same is true for when referring to dates 21-31 excluding 30, (which stresses the rst syllable):

twen.ty-FIRST twen.ty-SE.cond twen.ty-THIRD twen.ty-FOURTH

twen.ty-FIFTH twen.ty-SIXTH twen.ty-SE.venth twen.ty-EIGHTH

twen.ty-NINETH THIR.ti.eth thir.ty-FIRST

If you said ‘there’s thirty-two people here’ or ‘it’s the twenty-rst of May’ the rst syllable of the

rst number might be stressed if it were a general statement. This would be the same if there were

confusion over the multiples of ten. But if there were confusion of the number of units, then ‘two’

and ‘rst’ would be stressed.

p.277

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> Stress patterns in dates, times and money

- Days of the Week

MONday TUESday WEDNESday THURSday FRIday SATurday SUNday

- Months

JANuary FEBruary MARCH A.pril MAY JUNE JuLY

AUgust SepTEMber OcTOber NoVEMber DeCEMber

- Days of the Month

FIRST SEcond THIRD FOURTH FIFTH SIXTH SEventh EIGHTH NINTH

TENTH eLEventh TWELFTH THIRteenth FOURteenth FIFteenth SIXteenth

SEventeenth EIGHteenth NINEteenth TWENtieth twenty-FIRST twenty-SEcond

twenty-THIRD twenty-FOURTH twenty-FIFTH twenty-SIXTH twenty-SEventh

twenty-EIGHTH twenty-NINTH THIRtieth thirty-FIRST

- Years

When talking about a specic date in recent history, the nal two numbers of the date often follow

the primary stress pattern for compound numerals, so if you said ‘I was born in 1981’, ‘ONE’ would

be the primary stressed syllable, so you would say ‘I was born in nineteen-eighty-ONE’. Here are

other examples:

1799 – ‘seventeen-ninety-NINE’

1901 – ‘nineteen-o-ONE’ or, less commonly ‘nineteen-hundred-and-ONE’

1811 – ‘eighteen-evLEven’ or, less commonly ‘eighteen-hundred-and-eLEven’

If the century you are talking about is a given, you might hear people referring to the decade they

were born in, or the decade of an event or time ‘the TWENties, THIRties, SEventies, NINEties…’. You

may hear the more recent decades 2000-2009 being referred to as ‘the NAUGHties’ as in naught

or zero and 2010-2019 you might hear as ‘the twenty-TENS’, although these are much debated

classications.

If you were talking about a specic century, you would often follow the primary stress patterns in

the days of the month section. So if you said, ‘I was born in the 20

century’, you would say, ‘I was born

in the TWENtieth century’ or ‘NINEteen-hundreds’. If you were talking about the 19

century, you

might say ‘this movement was prominent in the NINEteenth century’, or ‘EIGHteen-hundreds’.

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- Time - Hours

In the UK, the time of day is often spoken using the 12hr time notation, especially in conversational

speech. The primary stress pattern would be as follows:

ONE o’clock TWO o’clock THREE o’clock FOUR o’clock FIVE o’clock

SIX o’clock SEven o’clock EIGHT o’clock NINE o’clock

TEN o’clock eLEven o’clock TWELVE o’clock

To be more specic, you could say ‘it’s ONE o’clock in the after-NOON’ or ‘it’s ONE o’clock in

the MORNing’ or ‘it’s NINE o’clock in the EVening’ or ‘it’s NINE o’clock at NIGHT’. Some people

leave out the ‘o’clock’, saying ‘it’s ONE in the MORNing’. You may hear some people using ‘a.m.’ and

‘p.m.’ instead, saying ‘it’s ONE p.m.’ or ‘it’s ONE a.m.’. 12:00 is often claried by saying ‘it’s TWELVE

o’clock NOON’ or ‘it’s TWELVE o’clock midDAY’, and sometimes without saying ‘o’clock’ so just ‘it’s

NOON’ or ‘it’s midDAY’. And then 24:00 would be ‘it’s TWELVE o’clock at NIGHT’, ‘it’s TWELVE at

NIGHT’ or just ‘it’s MIDnight’.

24hr time notation is occasionally used, but predominantly amongst those for whom accuracy is

essential, for example those in the military, astronomy, aviation, computing, logistics, healthcare,

emergency services, and timetables/scheduling. For times up until 09:00 you would often hear ‘ZERO

nine-hundred’ or ‘ZERO nine-hundred hours’ or ‘O nine-hundred’. From 10:00 to 19:00, you would

often hear ‘ten-HUNdred’ or ‘TEN-hundred hours’ and ‘NINEteen-hundred’ or ‘NINEteen-hundred

hours’ and from 20:00 to 24:00, the rst syllable is often the primary stressed syllable as in ‘TWENty-

one-HUNdred’ or ‘TWENty-two-HUNdred hours’.

- Time - Minutes

In conversational speech, describing minutes is often done in multiples of ve. So, 9:05 would be ‘FIVE

past nine’, then ‘TEN past…’, ‘QUARter past…’, ‘TWENty past…’ and ‘twenty FIVE past…’ although

some people say ‘TWENty ve past…’. 9:30 would be ‘HALF past nine’ or if the hour is known, you

may hear people just say ‘it’s HALF-PAST’. From 9:35 onwards, instead of ‘past’ it’s ‘to’ so 9:35 would

be ‘TWENty ve to TEN’ or ‘Twenty FIVE to TEN’ then ‘TWENty to…’, ‘QUARter to…’, ‘TEN to…’

and ‘FIVE to…’.

If you needed or wanted to be more specic, you could add the specic minute saying ‘it’s THIRteen

minutes past NINE’ for 9:13, and ‘TWENty-eight…’ or ‘twenty-EIGHT minutes past NINE’ for 9:28.

For 9:31 you could say ‘it’s THIRTY-one…’ or ‘thirty-ONE minutes past NINE’ or you could say

‘it’s TWENty nine…’ or ‘twenty NINE minutes to TEN’ and for 9:59 you could say ‘it’s fty-NINE

minutes past NINE’ or probably just ‘it’s ONE minute to TEN’.

- Time - Seconds

Quite simply, when counting the seconds in a minute, you often hear the same primary stress

patterns for when counting compound numerals 13-60. There is only one stressed syllable in the

numbers 1 to 6, 8 to 10 and 12 because they are all monosyllabic. 7 stresses the rst syllable ‘SEven’

and 11 stresses the second ‘eLEven’.

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738

739

- Money

These have mostly been covered in the section on compound numerals (p.179) subsections: so, the

primary stress is often on the rst part of the compound numbers between 13-20 but for compound

numbers 21-99 some stress the second part (as previously discussed) but many speaker stress both

parts, for example ‘FOUR.ty EIGHT’. Here are some examples of typical amounts:

‘That’s ONE POUND please’ ‘That’ll be TWEN.ty POUNDS please’

‘a HUN.dred POUNDS please’ ‘it’s NINE.teen NINE.ty FIVE’

‘that’ll be EIGH.ty SIX FOUR.ty EIGHT please’

Here are some examples for hundreds, thousands and millions:

‘That’s ONE hundred POUNDS please’ ‘That’ll be FOUR hundred POUNDS please’

‘it’s a HUN.dred and EIGH.ty SIX THOU.sand POUNDS’

‘The national debt is rising on average by ONE hundred and SEVEN BILL.ion POUNDS a YEAR’

> Primary and Secondary Stressed Syllables

Many polysyllabic words only have one stressed syllable or what is also known as a primary stressed

syllable, but there are some polysyllabic words, often ones with four or more syllables, that have one

or possibly more secondary stressed syllables. Secondary stressed syllables are weaker than the primary

stressed syllable although slightly stronger than the unstressed syllables.

Record yourself saying ‘photographic’. Listen back, and identify which part or parts of the word it is

that you are stressing. In RP, ‘GRAPH’ would be the primary stressed syllable, but the rst syllable ‘pho’

is also slightly stressed, not as much as ‘GRAPH’, but more than ‘to’ and ‘ic’, so ‘pho’. So you would

say that ‘GRAPH’ is the primary stressed syllable, ‘pho’ is the secondary stressed syllable and ‘to’ and ‘ic’

are unstressed – ‘pho.to.GRAPH.ic’. In the word ‘anthropomorphic’, the fourth syllable ‘MOR’ is the

primary stressed syllable, but the rst syllable ‘an’ is also slightly stressed, not as much as ‘MOR’, but

more than ‘thro’, ‘po’ and ‘phic’. So you would say that ‘MOR’ is the primary stressed syllable, ‘an’ is the

secondary stressed syllable and ‘thro’, ‘po’ and ‘phic’ are unstressed – ‘an.thro.po.MOR.phic’.

The only conclusive way of knowing this is by checking words in a reliable pronunciation dictionary,

which often marks the primary stressed syllable like this (

ˈ ) and a secondary stressed syllable like

this ( ˌ ) leaving the unstressed syllables unmarked – so ‘pho.to.GRAPH.ic’ would be look like this

ˌfəʊtəˈgræfɪk. As you can see, the stress symbols appear before the stressed syllables. Here are some

other examples - the secondary stressed syllables have been underlined. Consider recording yourself

saying the words below before listening and imitating the audio.

ci.ne.MA.tic os.te.O.pa.thy en.thu.si.AS.tic cha.ris.MA.tic bi.o.LO.gi.cal math.e.MA.tics

20min

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- How should I stress a secondary stressed syllable?

As I said in the section entitled How should I stress a syllable in a polysyllabic word (p.175), the stressed

syllables – or what you now know to be primary stressed syllables – are spoken with a slightly higher

pitch and unstressed syllables are spoken with a lower pitch. For secondary stressed syllables, RP speakers

tend to use a slightly higher pitch, in a similar way to primary stressed syllables, but perhaps not quite

as high, so as to indicate their secondary status. Perhaps you could think of them as having a medium

pitch. If we revisit the heart beat monitor image, the primary stressed syllables are the top peaks, the

unstressed syllables are the resting horizontal lines and the secondary stressed syllables are peaks in-

between the two. This is an ultra simplistic way of talking about how to stress a primary and secondary

stressed syllable, but this straightforward approach is effective for now, and I’ll offer you some subtler

and more sophisticated ways later on. Play with the following words - listen to the audio to help you

imitate accurately:

sys.te.MA.tic id.i.O.tic eu.ro.PE.an as.tro.NO.mi.cal xe.no.PHO.bi.a

> Unstressed/Weak Syllables

Because stressed syllables – primary or secondary – stand out in a word, we might say that by comparison

unstressed syllables are less prominent. And their lack of prominence is indicated through a slightly

lower pitch. Hopefully, by listening and imitating all the examples so far, you have started to develop

a sense of how an RP speaker stresses syllables in polysyllabic words, and therefore how to avoid

stressing unstressed syllables.

Knowing which syllables to stress is as important as knowing which ones not to stress. Knowing when

and how to pronounce an unstressed syllable will enable you to achieve better pronunciation, accurate

meaning and the beginnings of a good rhythm of speech.

- How can I identify an unstressed syllable?

Many unstressed syllables are pronounced with a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92). If the vowel is

pronounced as a SCHWA, you can conclusively say that the syllable is unstressed. For example, in the

following words the unstressed syllables pronounced with a SCHWA have been italicised:

a.BOUT ob.TUSE CUS.to.mer su.PPOSE MA.jor YES.ter.day sur.VIVE

NA.ture HUN.dred STAN.dard VI.cious THO.rough CO.lour

For more examples of polysyllabic words with unstressed syllables that are pronounced with a SCHWA

go the section entitled SCHWA (p.92). However, in a word like ‘e.ccle.si.AS.tic’, none of the vowels in

the

unstressed syllables are pronounced with a SCHWA vowel sound. So the only way to be sure of

the status of a syllable is to check in a reliable pronunciation dictionary. Unlike primary and secondary

stressed syllables, unstressed syllables remain unmarked when transcribed – which is how you can tell

that it is unstressed – so ‘e.ccle.si.AS.tic’ looks like ɪˌkliːziːˈæstɪk.

- Pronunciation of the unstressed syllable in two-syllable verbs, nouns and adjectives

Whilst there are no patterns to follow, it might be helpful to get a bit more clarity about the

pronunciation of the vowels in the unstressed syllables of these Chameleon-like two-syllable verbs,

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nouns and adjectives – as their pronunciation can change depending on which word class you use

(the category a word falls into – verb, noun, adjective, adverb etc…).

In the section entitled Which syllable do I stress (p.175) we looked at how stressing the rst syllable in

‘AB.stract’ would be understood as the noun and adjective and how stressing the second syllable, as

in ‘ab.STRACT’ would change the word to a verb. Another example would be ‘tra.verse’. ‘TRA.verse’

is understood as the noun, and ‘tra.VERSE’ is understood as the verb.

In the example ‘tra.verse’, the ‘a’ in the noun ‘TRA.verse’ is stressed and pronounced with the TRAP

vowel sound (p.129), whereas in the verb ‘tra.VERSE’, it is unstressed and pronounced with a SCHWA

vowel sound (p.92). Here are some examples of two-syllable words where the rst syllable is

pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound when it is a verb, and changes when it is the stressed syllable

in a noun or adjective. Consider recording yourself saying the words in each of the subsections

below before reading about how to stress them and pronounce them accurately. The following sub-

headings, for example The SCHWA vowel sound changes to the TRAP vowel sound, indicates the change

in vowel pronunciation in the rst syllable depending on which syllable is stressed:

The SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) changes to the TRAP vowel sound (p.129)

tra.VERSE v. TRA.verse n. a.TTRI.bute v. A.ttri.bute n. (three syllables!)

The SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) changes to the NURSE vowel sound (p.96)

fer.MENT v. FER.ment n. per.MIT v. PER.mit n.

per.VERT v. PER.vert n. pur.PORT v. PUR.port n.

The SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) changes to the LOT vowel sound (p.116)

ob.JECT v. OB.ject n. pro.DUCE v. PRO.duce n.

pro

.JECT v. PRO.ject n. con.VICT v. CON.vict n.

The SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) changes to the GOAT vowel sound (p.100)

pro.TEST v. PRO.test n. pro.CESS v. (to make a procession) PRO.cess n.

pro.GRESS v. PRO.gress n.

The SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) changes to the STRUT vowel sound (p.108)

sub.JECT v. SUB.ject n., adj. sus.PECT v. SUS.pect n., adj.

Not all two-syllable verbs begin with the SCHWA vowel sound, however. For example, the ‘re’ in ‘RE.

cord’ is pronounced with the DRESS vowel sound when is it stressed as a noun – but as a verb, the

‘re’ is unstressed (i.e. ‘re.CORD’) and its pronunciation changes to the KIT vowel sound (p.141). Here

are some other examples. Consider recording yourself saying the words below before reading about

how to stress them and pronounce them accurately.

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752

753

754

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The KIT vowel sound (p.141) changes to the DRESS vowel sound (p.149) when spelt ‘es…’ and ‘re…’

es.COURT v. ES.cort n. ex.CISE v. EX.cise n.

ex.PLOIT v. EX.ploit n. ex.PORT v. EX.port n.

ex.TRACT v. EX.tract n. re.CORD v. RE.cord n.

re.FUSE v. RE.fuse n.

The KIT vowel sound (p.141) changes to the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) when spelt ‘de…’ and

‘re…’

de.FECT v. DE.fect n. re.COIL v. RE.coil n.

re.COUNT v. RE.count n. re.FUND v. RE.fund n.

re.JECT v. RE.ject n. re.LAY v. RE.lay n.

re.TARD v. RE.tard n. de.CREASE v. DE

.crease n.

However, this change in pronunciation and stress does not tend to happen when the verb version of

these two-syllable words are extended with a sufx like ‘-tion’, ‘-ing’ or ‘-ment’ to form a noun. For

example, in the verbs ‘re.JECT’ and ‘re.CORD’ the ‘re’ is unstressed and is pronounced with the KIT

vowel sound, and remains so when becoming the nouns ‘re.JEC.tion’ and ‘re.CORD.ing’.

- What about ‘AB.stract’ and ‘ab.STRACT’?

In ‘AB.stract’ and ‘ab.STRACT’, the vowel in the rst syllable ‘ab’ is always pronounced as the TRAP

vowel sound (p.129), irrespective of whether it is stressed or unstressed. Here are some other

examples of where the rst syllable vowel pronunciation does not change when the stressed syllable

alters to indicate a different word class. Consider recording yourself saying the words below before

reading about how to stress them and pronounce them accurately.

es.say dic.tate im.pact im.plant im.port im.print in.cense in.cline

in.crease in.dent in.lay in.sert in.sult in.tern in.trigue

in.vite mis.match re.make re.print re.write tor.ment trans.fer

trans.plant tran.sport up.date up.grade up.lift up.set

Non-native English speakers tend to pronounce unstressed syllables phonetically, that is to say that

they see a vowel letter and pronounce the sound that they associate with that letter. For ‘ab.stract’,

this is not an issue, but for words like ‘tra.verse’, this might lead to both syllables sounding stressed,

which more importantly might confuse the listener as to which word class you’re using. Getting

really condent and clear about the pronunciation and stress in these sorts of words can be really

transformative.

- Other occasional patterns

You may not have noticed, but the second syllable vowel pronunciation in all of the word examples

in the above section also remained the same, irrespective of the change in stress and word class.

Listen again. However, there are some situations when the pronunciation of the vowel in both

syllables change. For example, in ‘per.FECT’, as the verb, the vowel in the rst syllable is pronounced

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758

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as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) and the second syllable is pronounced as the DRESS vowel sound

(p.149). But for the adjective ‘PER.fect’, the vowel in the rst syllable changes to the NURSE vowel

sound (p.96) and the second syllable changes to the KIT vowel sound (p.141). Here are some other

unusual examples:

KIT / DRESS FLEECE / SCHWA KIT / NURSE DRESS / SCHWA

fre.QUENT v. FRE.quent n. de.SERT v. DE.sert n.

KIT / DRESS DRESS / SCHWA KIT / DRESS DRESS / SCHWA

pre.SENT v. PRE.sent n. re.BEL v. RE.bel n.

- Some rare patterns

There are also the occasional words, like ‘seg.ment’, where the rst syllable pronunciation stays

constant but the vowel in the second syllable changes when the word class changes. For example, as

a verb, the vowel in the rst syllable of ‘seg.MENT’ is pronounced as the DRESS vowel sound (p.149)

and the vowel in the second syllable is also the DRESS vowel sound. For the noun ‘SEG.ment’ the

vowel in the rst syllable vowel remains the same but the vowel in the second syllable changes to

the SCHWA vowel sound.

There are also some words where neither the stress or vowel pronunciation changes when the

word class changes:

ad.DRESS COM.bat COM.post OFF.set re.DRESS

DE.tail PER.fume PRE.x RE.cap re.PEAT TRAF.c

And nally, there are some words that have several pronunciations and stress patterns, allowing for

choice:

.nance gal.lant man.date de.le.gate de.li.be.rate

re.call di.gest re.cess re.search sub.ject

> Prexes and Sufxes

Prexes and sufxes are used so regularly in words, that it might be really useful to consider their

pronunciation as well as their impact, if any, on the stress in the word. This is because once you have

discovered your habits, you can apply them to so many other words with the same prexes and

sufxes. Consider recording yourself saying the words in the subsections below before reading about

how to stress them and pronounce them accurately.

> Prexes

A prex is a type of afx that can be attached to the beginning of a word, often altering its meaning.

For example ‘dis-’ is a prex that when added to the beginning of ‘honest’ completely changes the

meaning: ‘dishonest’. And the vowel in the prex ‘dis-‘ is mostly pronounced as the KIT vowel sound,

so this is a pattern that you can follow. I’ve written some of the most typical prexes but not all.

30min

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767

Notice that the vowel pronunciation in the prex almost always stays the same. Sometimes a prex

is unstressed, sometimes it is the secondary stressed syllable (underlined), and very occasionally it is

the primary stressed syllable (capitals) – notice where the stress lies in each word: where a pattern

emerges, you can usually apply it to many other words with the same prex. Some of the examples

are two-syllable words and may follow patterns outlined earlier in the subsections Two-syllable verbs,

nouns and adjectives (p.176) and Pronunciation of the unstressed syllable in two-syllable verbs, nouns and

adjectives (p.183):

dis- pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

dis.HON.est adj. dis.A.ble v. dis.a.GREE v. dis.ap.POINT.ing adj. dis.a.PPEAR v.

in- pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

in.com.PLETE n. in.AC.tive adj. in.AD.e.quate adj. in.ap.PRO.pri.ate adj.

il- pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

il.LE.gal adj. il.LE.gi.ble adj. il.LI.ter.ate adj. il.LO.gi.cal adj. il.le.GI.ti.mate adj.

re- pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

re.NEW v. re.TRACE v. re.CALL v. re.CESS n. re.CLAIM v.

mis- pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

mis.CAL.cu.late v. mis.DIAG.nose v. mis.GUI.ded adj. mis.LEA.ding adj.

en- pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

en.LIGHT.en v. en.RAP.ture v. en.SHRINE v. en.SNARE v. en.TRUST v.

in.ter- ‘in’ pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141) & ‘ter’ pronounced as a SCHWA vowel

sound (p.92)

in.ter.AC.tive adj. in.ter.NA.tion.al adj. in.ter.WEAVE v. in.ter.ME.di.ate n., adj.

re- pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) often, but not always when a secondary stressed

syllable

re.MA.rry v. re.VI.sit v. re.IS.sue v. re.as.SEM.ble v. re.af.FIRM v.

pre- pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) and is often a secondary stressed syllable

pre.a.RANGED adj. pre.con.CIEVED adj. pre.EM.in.ent adj. pre.JUDGE v.

de- pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) and is often a secondary stressed syllable

de.AC.tiv.ate v. de.BRIEF v. de.CAF.fein.a.ted adj. de.con.STRUCT v.

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un- pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108)

un.LU.cky adj. un.A.ble adj. un.ac.CEP.ta.ble adj. un.a.CHIE.va.ble adj.

an.ti- ‘an’ pronounced as the TRAP vowel (p.129) and is often a secondary stressed syllable and ‘ti’

pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

an.ti.bac.TE.ri.al adj. an.ti.CLOCK.wise adv., adj. an.ti.de.PRES.sant n. an.ti.GRAV.i.ty n.

non- pronounced as the LOT vowel sound (p.116) and is often a secondary stressed syllable

non.al.co.HO.lic adj. non.es.SEN.tial adj. non.e.XIS.tent adj. non.FIC.tion n.

o.ver- ‘o’ pronounced as the GOAT vowel sound (p.100) & ‘ver’ pronounced as the SCHWA vowel

sound (p.92)

o.ver.a.CHIEVE v. o.ver.RAC.tive adj. o.ver.am.BI.tious adj. o.ver.CAU.tious adj.

pro- pronounced as the GOAT vowel sound (p.100) or SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

GOAT vowel sound - pro.AC.tive adj. PRO.noun n. PRO.cre.ate v.

SCHWA vowel sound - pro.LONG v. pro.FESS v. pro.BA.tion n. pro.CEED v.

se.mi- ‘se’ pronounced as the DRESS vowel sound (p.149) & ‘me’ pronounced as the FLEECE vowel

sound (p.137)

se.mi.au.to.MA.tic adj. se.mi.de.TACHED adj. se.mi.FI.nal n. se.mi.SKIMMED

adj.

sub- pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108)

sub.CON.scious n., adj. sub.HEAD.ing n. SUB.sec.tion n. SUB.to.tal n.

trans- pronounced as the TRAP vowel sound (p.129)

trans.at.LAN.tic adj. trans.for.MA.tion n. trans.AC.tion n. TRANS.cript n.

un.der- ‘un’ pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108) & ‘der’ pronounced as the SCHWA

vowel sound (p.92)

un.der.a.CHIEVE v. un.der.CO.ver adj. un.der.COOK v. un.der.ES.tim.ate v.

post- pronounced as the GOAT vowel sound (p.100)

post.GRA.du.ate n., adj. post.MO.dern adj. post.MOR.tem n. post.NA.tal adj.

p.279

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772

775

777

774

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> Sufxes

A sufx is a type of afx that can be attached to the end of a word, often altering its meaning. For

instance ‘ee’ is a sufx that when added to the end of ‘trust’ completely changes the meaning: ‘trustee’.

I’ve written some of the most typical sufxes but not all. Notice that the vowel pronunciation in the

sufx almost always stays the same. Sometimes a sufx is unstressed and sometimes it is the primary

stressed syllable (capitals) – notice where the stress lies in each word: where a pattern emerges, you

can usually apply it to many other words with the same sufx:

ee – often pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) and it is also typically the primary stressed

syllable

a.ddres.SEE n. li.cen.SEE n. e.va.cu.EE n. tru.STEE n.

es – often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

HOUS.es n., v. BOX.es n., v. CLA.shes n., v. PEA.ches n. HE.dges n., v. MA.zes n.

es – and occasionally the vowel sound is omitted - you simply add the ‘s’ to the end of the word

po.TA.toes n. to.MA.toes n. a.vo.CA.does n. HE.roes n. GOES v.

est – often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

BRA.vest adj. LO.west adj. LONG.est adj. OL.dest adj. EL.dest. adj.

e.ous – as two syllables when the ‘e’ is not part of the original word, it is often pronounced as the

FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) & the ‘ous’ is often pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

BOUN.te.ous adj. COUR.te.ous adj. mis.cel.LA.ne.ous adj. BEAU.te.ous adj.

This is unlike the words ‘courageous’ and ‘advantageous’, where the ‘e’ is part of the original word

and so ‘eous’ is pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

ed – when it preceded by a written ‘t’ or ‘d’ it is treated as an extra syllable and is often pronounced

as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

DE.di.ca.ted v. adj. down.LOA.ded adj., v. o.pen.END.ed adj. re.VIS.it.ed v.

MEL.ted v. NEE.ded adj. PLAN.ted v. SHOU.ted v. TAR.ge.ted

TREA.ted v. VI.si.ted v. WAI.ted v. WAN.ted v., adj. HA.ted v., adj.

ad.MIT.ted v. CHAT.ted v. KNIT.ted v. PAT.ted v.

ed – when treated as part of the nal syllable the ‘e’ isn’t spoken - just add a D sound (p.61)

a.SHAMED adj. a.BAN.doned adj., v. MUR.dered adj. v. PLA.stered adj., v.

783

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ed – when treated as part of the nal syllable, and the nal consonant sound is voiceless consonant

(p.14), not only would the ‘e’ not be spoken, but the ‘d’ would be spoken as a T sound (p.61).

pro.VOKED adj., v. WISHED v. LAUGHED v. BASHED v.

en – often pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

LENGH.then v. BRO.ken adj., v. for.SA.ken adj., v. LOO.sen v.

en – when the proceeding consonant is a ‘t’ or ‘d’, it can either be pronounced as a SCHWA vowel

sound (p.92) or if you treat it as a syllabic consonant (p.66), the vowel is omitted

FRIGH.ten v. TIGH.ten v. SAD.den v. for.BID.den adj.

er – often pronounced as a SCHWA sound vowel (p.92)

FOL.lo.wer n. KID.nap.per n. MUR.de.rer n. re.CEI.ver n.

eer – often pronounced as the NEAR vowel sound (p.145) and is typically the primary stressed syllable

au.ction.EER n. pup.pe.TEER n. vo.lun.TEER v., n. pro..TEER v., n.

ity – the ‘i’ is often pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) and the ‘y’ is often pronounced

as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

fra.GIL.i.ty n. mo.BIL.i.ty n. fu.TIL.i.ty n. el.i.gi.BIL.i.ty n.

tox.IC.i.ty n. e.lec.TRI.ci.ty n. sim.PLI.ci.ty n. eth.NI.ci.ty n.

re.A.li.ty n. ab.nor.MA.li.ty n. phy.si.CA.li.ty n. se.xu.A.li.ty n.

ivity – both ‘i’ letters are often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141) and the ‘y’ is often

pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

sub.jec.TI.vi.ty

n. con.nec.TI.vi.ty n. ex.pres.SI.vi.ty n. ob.jec.TI.vi.ty n.

ify – the ‘i’ is often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141) and the ‘y’ is often pronounced as

the PRICE vowel sound (p.112)

in.TEN.si.fy v. FAL.si.fy v. di.VER.si.fy v. hu.MI.di.fy v. SIM.pli.fy v.

ion – often proceeded by a ‘t’ or ‘s’ - the ‘io’ is pronounced as a quick SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

sus.PEN.sion n. di.GES.tion n. im.MER.sion n. in.FEC.tion n.

ab.OR.tion n. su.GGES.tion n. in.FLA.tion n. con.GES.tion n.

i.an – as two syllables the ‘i’ often is pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) and the ‘a’ is

often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

hi.STO.ri.an n. rep.TIL.i.an n., adj. ci.VIL.ian n. GUAR.di.an n. cus.TO.di.an n.

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ian – when treated as a single syllable, the ‘ia’ is often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

ma.GIC.ian n. po.li.TIC.ian n. cli.NI.cian n. e.lec.TRI.cian n.

i.ent – as two syllables the ‘i’ is often pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) and the ‘e’ is

often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

o.BE.di.ent adj. sub.SER.vi.ent adj. in.GRE.di.ent n. re.CI.pi.ent n., adj.

ive – often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

de.DUC.tive adj. pro.DUC.tive adj. co.RREC.tive n., adj. de.STRUC.tive adj.

com.PE.ti.tive adj. re.PE.ti.tive adj. in.FI.ni.tive adj. de.FI.ni.tive adj.

ic – often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

i.CO.nic adj. ro.BO.tic adj. sa.DIS.tic adj. a.po.lo.GE.tic adj.

i.cal – the ‘i’ is often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141) and the ‘a’ is often pronounced as

a very quick SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

hy.po.CRI.ti.cal adj. bio.LO.gi.cal adj. his.TO.ri.cal adj. the.o.LO.gi.cal adj.

ial – often pronounced as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

com.MER.cial adj., n. cir.cum.STAN.tial adj. con.tro.VER.sial adj. re.ve.REN.tial adj.

i.al – as two syllables the ‘i’ is often pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) and the ‘a’ is

often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

pro.VER.bi.al adj. di.rec.TO.ri.al adj. ad.ver.SA.ri.al adj. ad.VER.bi.al adj.

i.ble – the ‘i’ is often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92), and the ‘ble’ is often pronounced

‘bl’ without a vowel between

ac.CESS.i.ble adj. co.LLAP.si.ble adj.

re.VER.si.ble adj. com.PA.ti.ble adj.

ing - often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

COUGH.ing v. ASK.ing v. RUNN.ing v. SORT.ing v. re.PEAT.ing v.

ious – often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

LUS.cious adj. GRA.cious adj. in.FEC.tious adj. VI.cious adj.

i.ous – as two syllables the ‘i’ is often pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137) and the ‘ou’

is often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

ce.re.MO.ni.ous adj. EN.vi.ous adj. FU.ri.ous adj. VA.ri.ous adj.

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ish – often pronounced as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

BRU.tish adj. RE.ddish adj. BRI.tish adj. BOY.ish adj.

a.ble – often, the ‘a’ is pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92), and the ‘ble’ is often pronounced

‘bl’ without a vowel sound in-between

res.PEC.ta.ble adj. af.FOR.da.ble adj. pre.VEN.ta.ble adj. FASHIO.na.ble adj.

a.bi.li.ty – the ‘a’ is often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92), both ‘i’ letters as the KIT

vowel sound (p.141) and the ‘y’ as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

de.si.ra.BI.li.ty n. a.ccoun.ta.BI.li.ty n. a.fford.da.BI.li.ty n. pro.ba.BI.li.ty n.

a.tor – the ‘a’ is often pronounced as the FACE vowel sound (p.153) and the ‘or’ is often pronounced

as the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

RES.pi.ra.tor n. ad.MI.ni.stra.tor n. NA.vi.ga.tor n. na.RRA.tor n. in.VES.ti.ga.tor n.

al – the ‘a’ is often pronounced as a very quick SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

ab.DO.mi.nal adj., n. a.ROU.sal n. MU.si.cal adj., n. CY.ni.cal adj.

a.tion – the ‘a’ is often pronounced as the FACE vowel sound (p.153) and the ‘io’ is often pronounced

as a very quick SCHWA sound (p.92)

de.co.RA.tion n. a.vi.A.tion n. e.man.ci.PA.tion n. de.cla.RA.tion n.

ac.tive – the ‘a’ is often pronounced as the TRAP vowel sound (p.129) and the ‘i’ is often pronounced

as the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

ra.di.o.AC.tive adj. hy.pe.RAC.tive adj. bi.o.AC.tive adj. coun.te.RAC.tive adj.

ant – often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

con.SUL.tant n. com.PLI.ant adj. re.SIS.tant adj. ob.SER.vant adj.

ous – often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

BUL.bous adj. DAN.ge.rous adj. FA.mous adj. GLU.ti.nous adj.

or – often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

AC.tor n. DE.co.ra.tor n. PRO.se.cu.tor n. NA.vi.ga.tor n.

less – often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

HOPE.less adj. FEAR.less adj. HOME.less adj. FACE.less adj.

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ness – often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

SAD.ness n. HAP.pi.ness n. HOPE.ful.ness n. BASH.ful.ness n.

ment – often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

a.BAN.don.ment n. en.GAGE.ment n. em.PLOY.ment n. a.RRANGE.ment n.

some – often pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

WHOLE.some adj. FUL.some adj. AWE.some adj. TIRE.some adj.

tude – often pronounced as a YOD (p.35), followed by the GOOSE vowel sound (p.163)

MUL.ti.tude n. PLEN.ti.tude n. in.EP.ti.tude n. AP.ti.tude n.

lyse – often pronounced as the PRICE vowel sound (p.112)

A.na.lyse v. PA.ra.lyse v. BREATH.a.lyse v.

ly.sis – often, the ‘y’ is pronounced as a SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) and the ‘i’ is pronounced as the

KIT vowel sound (p.141)

a.NA.ly.sis n. pa.RA.ly.sis n. di.A.ly.sis n. e.lec.TRO.ly.sis n. hy.DRO.ly.sis n.

ful – the ‘u’ is often pronounced as a very quick SCHWA vowel sound (p.92)

WASTE.ful adj. HARM.ful adj. SHAME.ful adj. PAIN.ful adj.

ly – often pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

BAD.ly adv., adj. KIND.ly adv., adj. adv. AW.kward.ly adv. NER.vous.ly adv.

cy – often pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

de.MO.cra.cy n. RE.si.den.cy n. FRE.quen.cy n. PREG.nan.cy n.

per.SIS.ten.cy n. trans.PA.ren.cy n. de.FI.cien.cy n. pro.FI.cien.cy n.

ry – often pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

DEN.tis.try n. CIR.cui.try n. BRA.ve.ry n. WI.zard.ry

y – often pronounced as the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

WEE.dy adj. SNOW.y adj. SIL.ky adj. SMO.ky adj.

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Relationships

Between Words -

Connected Speech

Linking/intrusive sounds

p.195

Assimilation

p.199

Elision & contractions

p.198

Weak forms

p.202

My Pronunciation Roadmap

195

> Pronunciation meets Communication

Up until now we have been talking mostly about stress, pronunciation and articulation in relation to

individual words and syllables. When words meet others in live speech, or what is sometimes called

connected speech, most are pronounced and stressed as they are in isolation. However, it might

be useful to notice that when some words come together and meet one another, the relationship

between these words can bring about new and interesting pronunciations and stresses. This is largely

due to context and intention – after all, communication is a very changeable thing, depending on

whom we are speaking to, what we are speaking about and where we are speaking to them. For

example, conding in a close friend in your home is different to joking with them over dinner at a

restaurant or shouting at them in the middle of a shopping complex because they’ve humiliated you;

addressing a potential employer at an interview may be different to addressing colleagues in a meeting

or greeting the CEO at a luncheon; rallying support on the picket line is different to debating on a

televised news discussion. It would take some time to account for what happens to the relationships

between words in all of these given situations, but we might consider the difference between what

we’ll call cautious and casual speech.

- Cautious Speech

If, in communication, we spoke each word in a thought with a degree of cautiousness, each word

would certainly be spoken very clearly and accurately, but it might sound a bit robotic, anxious or

preoccupied about whether or not your speech was accurate. It may unintentionally make you

sound a bit pretentious, as if you were trying to outdo your listener with the clarity and accuracy of

your speech and pronunciation. So whilst you may want to be heard and understood, it is as equally

important to feel relaxed, condent and in rapport with whomever you are communicating. That

said, there are indeed times for extra clarity and denition in speech, especially when we are being

emphatic, need to address a group of people in a large space, need to call to someone at a distance,

alert someone in a moment of danger, or ensure that information is delivered accurately. In these

moments, hearing each word fully is of great importance. Otherwise, nding a balance is essential.

- Casual Speech

Unfortunately, this can often be associated with lazy and unintelligible speech. However, in this

context casual speech refers to accurate and clear pronunciation, but acknowledges the importance

of ow and natural rhythm in conversation. And it is this ow and natural rhythm that inuences

the relationships between words when communicating in casual speech. This is what we’re going to

spend some time exploring.

> Linking R

If you remember from the section entitled rhoticity (p.19) we looked at when and when not to

pronounce the written ‘r’ in a word. Remember that RP speakers only pronounce the written ‘r’

if it is followed by a spoken vowel sound, which means that there are many words that end with a

written ‘r’ which should not be pronounced, as in ‘major’, ‘longer’, ‘posture’, ‘colour’, ‘near’, ‘square’,

‘cure’, ‘car’, ‘more’, ‘there’, ‘here’, ‘your’, ‘are’ and ‘Oscar’.

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However, in the phrase ‘Oscar and Angelica’, the ‘r’ in ‘Oscar’ is then followed by the spoken vowel of

the following word ‘…and’. In connected casual speech, most RP speakers would pronounce the ‘r’

in order to help bridge the words together. This is called a linking R and it does exactly that, it links

the two words together, creating more of a sense of ow and natural rhythm in speech. One reason

for this is that most polysyllabic words tend to keep to a consonant-vowel-consonant sequence.

And whilst it’s quite common to have two or more consonant sounds neighbouring one-another,

two vowel sounds seldom neighbour one-another (unless they form a diphthong). For this reason,

when two vowels neighbour one-another between words in connected speech, as in ‘Oscar and…’

the typical pattern is to divide them with a consonant. And when there is a written ‘r’ at the end

of the rst word, the ‘r’ is used to link the vowels together. In the following phrases, the linking R

is underlined (also, remember that the ‘r’ in words like ‘arms’, ‘alarm’, ‘aren’t and ‘are’ should not be

pronounced):

Oscar and Angelica major investment longer arms posture is good colour orange

near enough square envelope cure in sight car alarm

more about you there aren’t here are your arms are all

When using the linking R the following vowel should feel as though it is icked off the ‘r’. Also, it is

vital to make the ‘r’ part of the following word. This is especially important for rhotic speakers (p.19),

as your tendency may be to make the ‘r’ part of the end of the rst word. To encourage this, I’ve

re-written the phrases with ‘…’ during which, keep your tongue tip behind your bottom front teeth,

allowing it to come up to make the ‘r’ only at the beginning of the following word:

Osca…r and Angelica majo…r investment longe…r arms postu…re is good

colo…r orange nea…r enough squa…re envelope cu…re in sight ca…r alarm

mo…re about you the…re aren’t he…re are you…r arms a…re all

> Intrusive R, YOD and W

An intrusive R sound (p.15), W sound (p.28) and YOD (p.35) are similar to the linking R except that

they are not written on the page. They’re like unexpected but welcome guests at a party: in connected

speech, they help to create more of a ow and natural rhythm. Like the linking R, they occur between

two words where two spoken vowels neighbour one another.

- Intrusive R

The intrusive R typically occurs when the rst word ends with the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92) or

the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120). Here are some examples of words ending with the SCHWA

vowel sound. The intrusive R has been indicated like this: ‘r’.

Angela r and Oscar Korma r and rice be thorough r Anna put the pizza r in the oven

Here are some examples of words ending with the THOUGHT vowel sound:

It’s raw r in the middle law r abiding citizen saw r in half

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This also extends to a small number of words that end with the THOUGHT vowel sound which can

be extended with the sufx ‘-ing’, as in:

draw r ing room she was claw r ing at the door saw r ing up the wood it’s thaw r ing

- Intrusive YOD

The YOD (p.35) is the sound at the beginning of ‘yellow’ and ‘yes’. An intrusive YOD typically occurs

when the rst word ends with the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137). This includes diphthongs that end

with the FLEECE vowel sound: FACE (p.153), PRICE (p.112) and CHOICE vowel sounds (p.125).

Some of these words end with a written ‘y’, which is a helpful prompt. The intrusive YOD has been

indicated like this: ‘y’. Here are some examples of words ending with the FLEECE vowel sound:

Lee y asked she y opened he y always she y acted

he y invested she y ate he y entered

Here are some examples of words ending with the FACE vowel sound:

weigh y in play y on weigh y it play y outside play y always play y up

Here are some examples of words ending with the PRICE vowel sound:

I y opened I y entered I y asked I y ordered I y invited I y ate

Here are some examples of words ending with the CHOICE vowel sound:

boy y opened boy y entered boy y asked boy y ordered boy y invited boy y ate

- Intrusive W

The intrusive W typically occurs when the rst word ends with the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161).

Again, this includes diphthongs that end with the GOOSE vowel sound: the GOAT vowel sound

(p.100) and MOUTH vowel sound (p.133). Some of these words end with a written ‘w’, which is a

helpful prompt. The intrusive W has been indicated like this: ‘w’. Here are some examples of words

ending with the GOOSE vowel sound:

who w opened through w every through w all true w if few w hours review w of

Here are some examples of words ending with the GOAT vowel sound:

w open no w entry though w every toe w in sew w up

Here are some examples of words ending with the MOUTH vowel sound:

Plough w every eld plough w up how w on earth how w open

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> Linking R and intrusive R, YOD and W meet commas and pauses

In live speech, there are natural pauses between some words, and at changes or ends of thoughts.

When reading aloud, commas are used to help with syntax, but in live speech pauses are more

spontaneous. If there were two words where two spoken vowels neighbour one another and there

were a natural or spontaneous pause between the words, an RP speaker would not use a linking R or

an intrusive R, W or YOD. For instance, in the phrase ‘I love the colour orange’, an RP speaker might

use the linking R if they knew for certain that the colour they were intending to say was orange, and

so the ‘colour orange’ would follow without a break. But if they needed to clarify to themselves what

colour they did indeed ‘love’, there might be a hesitation after the word ‘colour’, and so they would

not use the linking R. I have marked the absence of the linking and intrusive consonants by underlining

where they may have been used. Here are some examples where the linking R would be dropped:

‘I love the colour… (pause – to think about the colour)… orange

It’s taken some time, but the cure… (pause – to draw in the listener)… is in sight

Here are some examples where the intrusive YOD and R, respectively, would be dropped:

I want to be… a law… (pause – to be emphatic)… abiding citizen

The little boy… (pause – to create drama)… opened his mouth, dropped his jaw… and yelled

Here are some examples where the intrusive W would be dropped:

It was so… (pause – to consider which word to use)… wonderful to go… I’m so thankful

Are you… (pause – because you are apprehensive)… an orphan?

> Elision and Contractions

In some words, a written vowel letter does not always indicate a spoken vowel. For example, in

‘every’ RP speakers often elide the second ‘e’, so instead of being three syllables, it is only two

syllables, sounding much more like ‘ev-ry’. The same is true for the ‘e’ in ‘lovely, which should sound

more like ‘lov-ly’. This is called elision. Here are a number of other words, where the elided vowel has

been underlined:

every lovely general evening different several reasonable comfortable

military natural history ordinary library secretary interesting vegetable

literature temperature business

This also tends to happen with contractions – a shortened form of a word or phrase, so ‘he will’

becomes ‘he’ll’, ‘it will’ becomes ‘it’ll’ and ‘should not’ becomes ‘shouldn’t’ This is often indicated

in language with an apostrophe marking the absent letters or sounds. A contraction in speech and

language terms is, for some, a contentious subject: some consider it as a sign of lazy speech or

poor grammar. The fact is that most RP speakers use contractions because it helps speech to ow

and sounds less formal. Language and pronunciation has always been something that we adjust in

different circumstances with different people, and so we might say that in moments of formality or

emphasis, your words may need to carry more weight, and so the phrase ‘I do not want to go’ helps

to communicate your resistance, whereas ‘I don’t want to go’, might have a less threatening tone.

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So contractions are about choice and appropriateness under the given circumstances. Here are some

more examples of elision in contractions:

‘I am here’ becomes ‘I’m here’ ‘he is there’ becomes ‘he’s there’

‘we are blessed’ becomes ‘we’re

blessed’ ‘he would never know’ becomes ‘he’d never know’

‘did you ask?’ becomes ‘d’you

ask?’ ‘he has gone’ becomes ‘he’s gone’

‘we have nished’ becomes ‘we’ve

nished’ ‘they had stopped’ becomes ‘they’d stopped’

‘let us eat’ becomes ‘let’s

eat’ ‘he had never been’ becomes ‘he’d never been’

‘do you know’ becomes ‘d’you

know’ ‘it will happen’ becomes ‘it’ll happen’

‘she had always worked’ becomes ‘she’d always worked’

‘where did you go?’ becomes ‘where’d you go?’

‘what have you done?’ becomes ‘what’ve you done?’

‘I can not go’ becomes ‘I can’t

go’ ‘do not go’ becomes ‘don’t go’

‘I did not know’ becomes ‘I didn’t

know’ ‘I will not go’ becomes ‘I won’t go’

‘I shall not go’ becomes ‘I shan’t go’

‘you were not invited’ becomes ‘you weren’t invited’

‘he is not interesting’ becomes ‘he isn’t interesting’

‘it does not make sense’ becomes ‘it doesn’t make sense’

‘I had not considered that’ becomes ‘I hadn’t considered that’

‘you are not going’ becomes ‘you aren’t

going’ ‘I was not asked’ becomes ‘I wasn’t asked’

‘I have not been’ becomes ‘I haven’t

been’ ‘he has not asked’ becomes ‘he hasn’t asked’

‘I could not ask’ becomes ‘I couldn’t

ask’ ‘I must not touch it’ becomes ‘I mustn’t touch it’

‘I should not eat it’ becomes ‘I shouldn’t

eat it’ ‘I would not dare’ becomes ‘I wouldn’t dare’

‘I dare not’ becomes ‘I daren’t

’ ‘He need not ask’ becomes ‘I needn’t ask’

Some speakers also contract:

‘what does she think?’ to ‘what’s she think?’

Although could be considered grammatically incorrect, and the ‘s’ is also assimilated (explained below)

to an SH sound (p.74).

> Assimilation

There are some instances where the consonant sound at the beginning or end of a word may

change because of its relationship with the consonant sound of a neighbouring word. These sounds

may change in terms of where, how and with which articulators they are made and whether they

are voiced or voiceless (p.14). This is called assimilation. As with the linking and intrusive consonants,

assimilation is a very specic part of the overall accent picture and whilst its observance might add

specicity, it should not create cautiousness. Fortunately, many speakers use assimilation naturally

without thinking, and so many of the examples below might feel normal.

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As with contractions, for some assimilation is a contentious subject for the same reasons – some

consider it a sign of lazy speech. Indeed we might say that in moments of formality or emphasis,

your words may need to carry more weight, and so pronouncing the initial or nal consonant as

it is written may help you to achieve this. But in reality most RP speakers use assimilation, probably

without realising, simply because it helps speech to ow and sounds less formal. Over the page are

some of the most typical and simple examples.

- T or D sounds change to P or B sounds

If a word ends with a T or D sound (p.61) and the following word begins with a P or B sound (p.24),

the T or D change to an unreleased P or B. This is not to say that you pronounce the P or B twice,

simply that the lips come together and hold the sound for a split second (they are ‘unreleased’), to

indicate the assimilated T or D, and then they release for the P or B at the beginning of the following

word:

‘thought provoking’ becomes ‘thoughp…provoking’

‘private balcony’ becomes ‘privab…balcony’

‘proud parents’ becomes ‘proup…parents’

‘added bonus’ becomes ‘addeb…bonus’

- T or D sounds change to K or G sounds

If a word ends with a T or D sound (p.61) and the following word begins with a K or G sound (p.70),

the T or D change to an unreleased K or G. This is not to say that you pronounce the K or G twice,

simply that the back of the tongue comes up to the soft palate and holds the sound for a split second

(they are ‘unreleased’), to indicate the assimilated T or D, and then the back of the tongue releases

down for the K or G sound at the beginning of the following word:

‘hot cakes’ becomes ‘hok…cakes’

‘spoilt girl’ becomes ‘spoilg…girl’

‘hard question’ becomes ‘hark…question’

‘hooded gown’ becomes ‘hoodeg…gown’

- T, D, L or N sounds release as TH sounds at the beginning of the next word

If a word ends with a T or D (p.61), L (p.57) or N sound (p.54) and following word begins with TH

sound (p.45) the tongue tip goes to the place where the TH sound is made instead of the alveolar

ridge, and is then released into the TH, rather than being a separate sound before the TH. The voiced

TH sounds have been italicised:

‘great thought’ ‘plate these up’* ‘gold th

imble’* ‘read this’

‘‘real thunder’’ ‘feel this’ ‘genuine thank you’ ‘clean that’ ‘bold thinker’

* You might also notice that when a voiceless T sound releases into a voiced TH sound, it sounds

slightly more like a voiced D sound, and when a voiced D releases into a voiceless TH sound, is sounds

slightly more like a voiceless T sound.

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- N sounds change to M sounds

If a word ends with an N sound (p.54) and the following word begins with an M sound (p.22), the

N changes to an unreleased M. This is not to say that you pronounce the M twice, simply that the

lips come together and hold the M sound for a split second (they are ‘unreleased’), to indicate the

assimilated N, and then release for the M at the beginning of the following word:

‘ten millipedes’ becomes ‘tem…millipedes’

‘clean my car’ becomes ‘cleam…my car’

- T and D sounds change to a P or B sounds, when followed by an M sounds

If a word ends with a T or D sound (p.61) and the following word begins with an M sound (p.22),

the T or D change to an unreleased P or B. The lips come together to make a P or B instead of a T

or D and hold the sound for a split second (they are ‘unreleased’), to indicate the assimilated T or

D. However, instead of releasing, the lips remain together and the sound changes into an M at the

beginning of the following word. This might sound a bit strange, but it’s true:

‘light massage’ becomes ‘lighp…massage’

‘feed my cat’ becomes ‘feeb…my cat’

However, consider the phrase ‘he’s a hit man’. If the T is assimilated, and becomes a silent, held P,

the phrase might be misunderstood as ‘he’s a hip man’, which would be far from clear or effective

communication. So be shrewd when observing assimilation when a T and D sound is followed by an

M sound. It is also worth saying that some speakers might glottalise (p.62) the T sound before an M

sound instead of using assimilation. Repeated glottalising can cause tension in the vocal folds and can

lead to a feeling of tightness when speaking.

- S sounds change to SH sounds

If a word ends with an S sound (p.41) and the following word begins with a SH sound (p.74), the S

sound changes to a SH sound (p.74). This is not to say that you pronounce the SH twice, simply that

the SH is sustained between the words, so as to indicate the assimilated S, and then it is released into

the rst vowel of the following word:

‘his shoulder’ becomes ‘hish…shoulder’

‘this sheet’ becomes ‘thish…sheet’

However, in some uncommon combinations of words, the need for clarity might restrict the use of

assimilation, which would otherwise make:

‘lace shawl’ change to ‘lash…shawl’

- Z sounds change to ZH sounds when followed by a YOD

For more information on the YOD, revisit (p.35). If a word ends with a Z sound (p.41 -

sometimes it

is written as an ‘s’) and the following word begins with a YOD, the Z sound changes to a ZH sound

(p.74 - the body of the tongue is raised up toward the roof of the mouth and there is a narrow space

between the tongue blade and area just behind the alveolar ridge). It is also lengthened slightly so as to

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indicate the assimilated Z. However, not all RP speakers do this:

‘please use the stairs’ becomes ‘pleazh…use the stairs’

‘use your own’ becomes ‘uzh…your own’

‘italicise your headings’ becomes ‘italicizh…your headings’

- N sounds change to NG sounds when followed by G or K sounds

If a word ends with an N sound (p.54) and the following word begins with a K or G sound (p.70), the

N sound changes to an NG sound (p.49) – the back of the tongue rises and touches the soft palate,

which sends all the vibrations up through the nose. The K or G sounds are then released, as you

would expect, at the beginning of the following word:

‘green coat’ becomes ‘greeng…coat’

‘have you seen Gail’ becomes ‘have you seeng…gail’

- N sounds change to M sounds when followed by P or B sounds

If a word ends with an N sound (p.54) and the following word begins with a P or B sound (p.24),

the N changes to an M sound. The lips come together, which sends all the vibrations up through the

nose. However, the P and B are released as you would expect at the beginning of the following word:

‘brown bus’ becomes ‘browm bus’

‘green purse’ becomes ‘greem purse’

- Don’t say it twice

If a word ends with the same consonant that begins the following word, there is no need to pronounce

both. Instead, the rst sound is lengthened slightly so as to indicate the assimilated sound, before

being released just once into the beginning of the second word:

‘get tough’ ‘stand down’ ‘I’m mad’ ‘can not’ ‘feel lazy’ ‘stop picking’

‘fab boots’ ‘stack crates’ ‘big glasses’

> Weak Forms - The SCHWA in grammatical words

When we looked at the SCHWA vowel sound (p.92), we noticed how it often represents the

unstressed syllable(s) in a polysyllabic word, as in ‘a.BOUT’, ‘NA.ture’ and ‘CU.sto.mer’. The SCHWA is

a very simple sound – the lips are relaxed and the tongue is central. We likened it to a pre-language

Neanderthal grunt. This simple, shapeless sound is perfect for representing unstressed syllables. So we

might say that the unstressed syllables are not as important as the stressed syllables.

We can extend this idea to phrases and sentences in connected speech: some words are less

important and some words are more important (or more essential) in the creation of meaning.

Consider the sentence below:

I’d love to go to the cinema, watch a lm, and relax for an hour or two

Relationships Between Words - Connected Speech

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Of course, depending on meaning, context and intention, the most important or essential words may

change, but here is one version with the most important or essential words bold and in capitals.

I’d LOVE to GO to the CI.ne.ma, WATCH a FILM, and re.LAX for an HOUR or TWO

If you only said the essential words, they might sound slightly clumsy together, but the message or

essence of the meaning is still communicated:

LOVE GO CI.ne.ma WATCH FILM re.LAX HOUR TWO

Here are the remaining words:

I’d to to the a and for an or

One broad denition for these types of words might be that they are grammatical words – pronouns,

prepositions, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions, etc. You might know them as structural words or functional

words. In this example, we might say that they are useful in their ability to bridge the important,

essential words together, but they themselves are not vital in terms of the essence of the meaning

– we could say by comparison they are weaker. Much of this can be achieved through pitch, as we

described in the section entitled How should I stress a syllable in a polysyllabic word (p.175) However,

in the same way that the SCHWA vowel sound is perfect for representing unstressed syllables in

polysyllabic words, the SCHWA vowel sound can also be used to replace the vowel sound expected

in some (but not all) grammatical words. By doing so, its naturally weak quality helps to reduce their

importance and in turn strengthens the essential words:

I’d love to go to the cinema, watch a lm, and relax for an hour or two

All RP speakers do this, because it helps the essential words to stand out in the sentence, thereby

helping the meaning and feeling to be communicated more efciently and effectively. Here are some

other examples of grammatical words whose vowels can be reduced to a SCHWA vowel sound: ‘the’,

‘a’, ‘an’, ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘that’, ‘than’, ‘your’, ‘them’, ‘at’, ‘for’, ‘from’, ‘of’, ‘to’, ‘some’, ‘can’, ‘could’, ‘have’, ‘has’,

‘had’, ‘shall’, ‘should’, ‘must’, ‘do’, ‘does’, ‘am’, ‘are’, ‘was’ and ‘were’. These could also be described as

weak forms. Here are some phrases in which vowel pronunciation in these grammatical words might

change to the SCHWA:

as – ‘not as often as you’ and – ‘me and you’ but – ‘all but empty’

that – ‘I hope that you’re happy’ than – ‘more than ever your – ‘it’s your own fault’

them – ‘pass them here’ at – ‘really, at your age?’ from – ‘All the way from London’

of – ‘we’re out of milk’ some – ‘get some chocolate’ can – ‘I can roller-skate’

could – ‘they could always stay’ have – ‘I have never dared’ has – ‘he has always lied’

had – ‘I wish I had done more’ shall – ‘we shall go to the beach’ am – ‘I am livid with you’

should – ‘I should never have gone’ must – ‘you must promise not to go’ do – ‘do you know?’

does – ‘does it come with salad?’ are – ‘strawberries are lovely’

was – ‘who was in the front?’ were – ‘I wish I were you’

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It is not to say that it is incorrect to pronounce the vowels with their expected vowel sound in

the examples above, simply that more interesting vowel sounds can cause the phrase or sentences

to sound crowded. The grammatical words start to compete with the essential words. It’s a sort of

over-pronunciation, and might mistakenly be perceived as cautiousness or pretentiousness. Arguably,

though, when we do want to be emphatic, giving every vowel in every word its full pronunciation

might be a very effective way of driving our message. But in most other situations, there is a hierarchy

to the words we use. Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives are simply more vital. Allowing

these words to have prominence can be achieved by the use of pitch as well as reducing the vowels

in some grammatical words to the SCHWA vowel sound (note that the vowel sound in ‘it’, ‘this’, ‘in’

and ‘if’ are never reduced to a SCHWA in RP).

However, there are some other situations where the expected pronunciation of the vowel is retained,

and Peter Roach in his English Phonetics and Phonology 3rd Ed best articulates the patterns for when

this might occur (note that there are prepositions used at the ends of some of the follow phrases,

as well as the inclusion of some split innitives - both are contentious uses of grammar, but both are

used by some RP speakers):

- When the word is at the end of a sentence

The vowel in ‘at’, ‘as’, ‘have’, ‘has’, ‘had’, ‘shall’ and ‘am’ is pronounced as the TRAP vowel sound (p.129):

at – ‘That’s the car that I’ve been looking at’ as – ‘that’s what it was advertised as’

have – ‘well, I could have’ has – ‘that’s the one he has’ had – ‘I wish I had’

shall – ‘Don’t panic, I shall’ am – ‘you may not be going, but I am’

The vowel in ‘for’ is pronounced as the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120):

for – ‘what are you asking for?’ ‘the car has not been paid for’

The vowel in ‘from’, ‘of’ and ‘was’ is pronounced as the LOT vowel sound (p.116):

from – ‘who are you running from?’ of – ‘show me what you’re made of’

was – ‘I assure you he was’

The vowel in ‘to’ and ‘do’ is pronounced as the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161):

to – ‘now they want to’ do – ‘how do you do?’

The vowel in ‘some’, ‘must’ and ‘does’ is pronounced as the STRUT vowel sound (p.108):

some – ‘do you denitely want some?’ must – ‘I simply must’

does – ‘it’s what he does’

The vowel in ‘should’ is pronounced as the FOOT vowel sound (p.165):

should – ‘do you think I should?’

The vowel in ‘were’ is pronounced as the NURSE vowel sound (p.96):

were – ‘it’s just who we were’

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And ‘are’ is pronounced as the BATH vowel sound (p.104):

are – ‘here we are’

- When the word is being contrasted or there is a coordinated use of prepositions

‘to and from’ – ‘she goes to and from the ofce’

‘of and about’ – ‘this discussion is of and about internal procedures’

- When the word is stressed for emphasis

must – ‘you MUST come to the party!’ are – ‘you ARE talented!’ does – ‘it DOES matter!’

have – ‘I HAVE done it’ do – ‘I DO see how hard you work’

- When the word is quoted

had – “the word ‘had’ can be pronounced in two ways…”

of – “some disagree with using a preposition like ‘of’ at the end of a sentence”

- When there is a spoken vowel at the beginning of the following word

the – ‘the apple’ ‘the airport’ ‘the ofce’

to – ‘I’m going to open up’ ‘you are beginning to intrigue me’

do – ‘do anchovies taste nice?’ ‘do all animals do that?’

- When ‘the’ is stressed in order to single out the important or status of a place, person, event or process

the – ‘it’s the place to be’ ‘it is the lm of the year ’ ‘it is the greatest play ever written’

For more on these ‘spoken vowel’ examples, see the section entitled Intrusive YOD and Intrusive W

(p.197).

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Intonation -

Rhythm and Pitch

Syllable/stress timed

p.208

High Rise Tone

p.222

Parenthesis

p.227

Resting rhythm

p.208

Responding to questions

p.222

Quoting/paraphrasing

p.227

Mono/polysyllabic words

p.210

Statements, commands...

p.224

Irony/sarcasm/satire

p.229

Short/long vowels

p.211

Apologising

p.224

Expanding a statement

p.229

Phrasing/pausing

p.211

Ongoing thought

p.225

Antithesis

p.230

Asking a question

p.221

Listing

p.225

but... or... so...

p.231

Rhetorical questions

p.222

Naming places, people...

p.226

My Pronunciation Roadmap

207

> What is intonation?

Intonation is essentially the way in which each one of us uses our voice to infer meaning by changing

two things – rhythm and pitch. Through intonation we turn words into opinions, stories, feelings etc…

Without intonation, speech would sound robotic. That is to say that without intonation the rhythm of

speech would be a consistent beat, and every syllable and every word would be spoken on the same

pitch. So intonation helps to bring life and colour and more complex meaning to what we say.

> How might I approach intonation?

Intonation is such a varied aspect of how we communicate and is inuenced by so many different

factors. For these reasons, the many, many possible patterns and habits amongst non-native and

regional English speakers have not been identied, as has been attempted in the sections on vowels

and consonants. Instead, the focus is on clarifying the typical intonation patterns of native RP speakers

in as many of the quantiable communication situations as possible. Hence, there are lot of facts and

descriptions but also a lot of examples and audio for you to listen to and imitate.

Treat each page like an actual coaching session: each page suggests how long to set aside. Take your

time it. Read each part, record yourself when recommended and listen to the audio examples. Where

appropriate, use a mirror to see what your habit might be. Play with each exercise and by the end

you will hopefully know and feel what to aim for, what your habit is, how to change it and how to

practice the new habit.

Remember that for most speakers, we learn our rst language (their mother tongue) through

imitation, experimentation and repetition. We watch and listen to those around us and copy the

sounds they make and the way they make them in relationship to the context in which they are using

them. This is also true for intonation. Learning the rhythm and inection patterns is done through

imitation, experimentation and repetition. And it is through intonation that accurate pronunciation

and word stress come together to complete the full picture of communication: sharing our thoughts

and feelings about ourselves and the world in which we live.

> Rhythm

Rhythm in speech can be likened to rhythm in music. Some music is very constant, some erratic,

some slow, some fast – and all the variations in between. Similarly, some speakers have a very steady

and regular rhythm, some are very inconsistent, some have more of a staccato rhythm, some have

more of a owing and wave-like rhythm, and so on.

The reasons for these variations are complex, and are inuenced by many factors other than just

language. For example, rhythm of speech might be affected by: the rhythms of the lifestyle associated

with a region; the rhythms of the typical music associated with a certain culture, country, region and

language; and, it might sound abstract, but speech rhythms might even be inuenced by geography

– by the topography and climate of an area. The rhythm of speech, even within one region, can vary

greatly. This is because we each have our own unique tempo that might be affected by the way we

approach life, our professional environment, and the learnt behaviour we acquire from family or

friends.

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Aside from these complex and abstract inuences, the essence of rhythm comes from language and

its pronunciation, and this will be our focus.

- Syllable-timed languages vs. stress-timed languages

Some languages can be described as syllable-timed, which means that the time it takes to say what

you say is based on the number of syllables in that phrase or sentence, which would all be spoken

with approximately equal length. For example ‘I want to go for a walk’ has seven syllables. To feel the

rhythm of a syllable-timed language, say each syllable with the same length.

Other languages can be described as stress-timed, which means that the time it takes to say what

you say depends on the number of stressed syllables or stressed words, simply because the words in-

between are not spoken with the same emphasis. For example, ‘I want to go for a walk’ might have

two or three stressed words, as in:

‘I WANT to go for a WALK’ or ‘I WANT to GO for a WALK’

Listen to the audio of these phrases and you may notice that it takes very slightly less time to say

the rst than the second, and even less time compared to the syllable-timed version. Record yourself

saying this phrase and consider which best describes your habit.

The British English language spoken in an RP accent is stress-timed, so the length of what you say is

based on the number of stressed words or stressed syllables in any one given phrase or sentence. This

translates as a rhythm in speech, so the change of rhythm between the rst and second examples

above is because of the differing number of words that are stressed.

Listen to the audio and then repeat the following examples spoken rstly in syllable-timed and then

stress-timed:

‘What’s the most im.POR.tant part of this training?’

‘I’m going to the shops, do you want anything?

‘I’ve never own before – I’m quite NER.vous.’

‘We all arrived on time, but Tom was three hours late!’

- The Resting Rhythm of Speech

In the section entitled How should I stress a syllable in a polysyllabic word (p.175), I said that the simplest

way to indicate the primary and secondary stressed syllables in a polysyllabic word is with a slightly higher

pitch, and unstressed syllables with a slightly lower pitch. For a moment, extend this idea to the way in

which we might stress the important, essential words in a sentence and the way in which we might

weaken grammatical words: to stress important, essential words, we might use a slightly higher pitch

and to weaken grammatical words we might use a slightly lower pitch. Listen and play with the following

sentence. The stressed words are in bold capitals:

‘I’d LOVE to GO to BED, READ a BOOK, and REST for an HOUR or TWO’

Whilst this is a simplistic way of looking at how to stress important, essential words, it is a useful

starting place. You might also notice that when stressing these words in this way, a natural rhythm

develops, much like the resting rhythm of the heart. Pay attention to this rhythm, especially in these

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parts of the sentence:

‘I’d LOVE to GO to BED READ a BOOK and REST an HOUR or TWO’

If we use ‘tee’ for a weak syllable and weak forms of grammatical words and ‘TUM’ for a stressed syllable

and important, essential words, we might rewrite the sentence:

tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM TUM tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM

‘I’d LOVE to GO to BED READ a BOOK and REST an HOUR or TWO’

This rhythm is very much embedded in the British English language, and it is in part because of

William Shakespeare, his peers and predecessors. Essentially, Shakespeare and his peers inherited a

form of writing called verse, which was at the time a very fashionable way of writing dramatic and

poetic language. Verse, of any kind, tends to have a rhythmic structure. For example, in Shakespeare’s

Sonnet Twelve:

‘When I do COUNT the CLOCK that TELLS the TIME’

tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM tee TUM

We might say that this ‘tee TUM tee TUM’ rhythm is clock-like, metronomic, like the resting rhythm

of the heart, or indeed the resting rhythm of speech. Another way of writing this might be ‘weak

STRONG weak STRONG’ – a weak syllable or word followed by a strong, stressed syllable or stressed

word. Pay particular attention to this part of the line:

‘the CLOCK that TELLS the TIME’

weak STRONG weak STRONG weak STRONG

Here, the grammatical words ‘the’, ‘that’ and ‘the’ are weak but they are also pronounced with the

SCHWA vowel sound (p.92), which is, as I have said, a naturally weak sounding vowel sound. So

observing the SCHWA vowel sound in grammatical words not only helps to strengthen the essential

words, but also reinforces this aspect of intonation – the resting rhythm of speech. Even in the beginning

of the line:

‘When I do COUNT’

Whilst the words ‘when’ and ‘do’ are not pronounced with the SCHWA vowel sound, this resting

rhythm is still present, so long as you lift the pitch of the essential words and lower the pitch of ‘when’

and ‘do’. Here are some other examples of this resting rhythm of speech. Any words pronounced with

the SCHWA vowel sound have been underlined:

‘the WAY to OX.ford CIR.cus’ ‘I’ve GOT to GO to WORK’

‘we HAVE t

o CATCH the BUS’ ‘I’ll CLEAN the CAR to.NIGHT’

‘WE should GO and ASK’ ‘WHO was IN the PUB’

‘we’re OUT of ALL the BREAD’ ‘I’m NOT as FIT as YOU’

‘but ALL the TOYS have GONE’ ‘ALL the WAY from LON.don TOWN’

Of course, just as the heartbeat changes rhythm depending on what you’re doing or feeling, the

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rhythm of speech changes depending on the words being used, their order, the context of the

situation, the speaker’s intention and their emotional state. But we might conclude that this resting

rhythm is the inherent, typical rhythm of this accent, to which an RP speaker will always return.

Observing the stress-timed nature of RP and the resting rhythm of speech are the most vital aspects

of rhythm to explore. However, here are four further aspects that are not essential but could add

further detail and subtlety to your spoken English.

- The Rhythm of Monosyllabic Words vs Polysyllabic Words

In this stress-timed accent, monosyllabic words have a different rhythm to polysyllabic words. A series

of monosyllabic words – one syllable words – spoken one after another struggle to be spoken quickly,

simply because each word is its own unit and needs weight and time. It’s not to say that they can’t be

spoken quickly or that it’s impossible, but we might say that it is awkward and makes speech sound

rushed and gabbled. Listen to the following sentence containing only monosyllabic words. Firstly they

are spoken rather quickly, and then at a pace that works better for monosyllables:

‘you have to go now to move your car or else you’ll be clamped’

So, we might say that when a number of monosyllabic words come together, they need a bit more

space and time and this in turn affects the pace and rhythm of speech. It’s not to say that the words

should be separated or that you should pause between each one, but simply that they are weighted.

This inherent weight will add clarity but also gravitas to phrases with monosyllabic words. Try the

sentence again with the idea of giving the words more space, weight and time. Here are some more

practice sentences and phrases for monosyllabic words:

‘Why would you go and do that?’ ‘You know more than I do.’

‘I would hope that this is a one time thing.’ ‘Could you ask him rst and then do it?’

‘This must stop now’ ‘you are mad’ ‘wait right there’ ‘clean your teeth please’

In contrast, a polysyllabic word – a word made up of two or more syllables – has a lighter quality

about it. This would not be the case in a syllable-timed accent because every syllable would have equal

weight, so the rhythm of the word would be based on the number of syllables. Whereas in polysyllabic

words in RP, there is one primary stressed syllable with possibly one or two secondary stresses; the time

it takes to say the word is based on the stresses not the syllables, which means that these words ow

with a lighter and more buoyant rhythm. They stressed syllables should almost feel and sound like the

physical act of icking your hand in the air, as if you were casually batting away a y. Here are some

practice sentences and phrases for polysyllabic words. The syllables are divided with a dot (.) and the

stressed syllables are in bold:

‘mo.ther rare.ly a.nnoun.ces her birth.day in or.der to con.ceal her age’

‘It was an a.ma.zing e.vent. The peo.ple were bri.lli.ant. The mu.sic was in.cre.di.ble.’

‘The dead.line is to.day. We’re mee.ting the cli.ent to.mo.rrow. This is.n’t ac.cep.ta.ble.’

‘Hu.rry! Hu.rry! It’s twen.ty to se.ven! They’re lea.ving with.out us!’

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> The Rhythm of Short Vowels vs Long Vowels, Diphthongs and Triphthongs

When we looked at vowels, we noticed that some are short in length, some are long and some are

combinations of two or three vowel sounds – diphthongs and triphthongs:

Short Vowels Long Vowels Diphthongs Triphthongs

KIT (p.141) FLEECE (p.137) FACE (p.153) LAYER (p.156)

DRESS (p.149)

NURSE (p.96) PRICE (p.112) LIAR (p.115)

STRUT (p108.)

BATH (p.104) CHOICE (p.125) LAWYER (p.128)

LOT (p.116)

THOUGHT (p.120) GOAT (p.100) LOWER (p.103)

FOOT (p.165)

GOOSE (p.161) MOUTH (p.133) FLOWER (p.136)

SCHWA (p.92)

NEAR (p.145)

SQUARE (p.157)

CURE (p.169)

The fact that these vowels vary in duration has an immediate impact on the rhythm of speech,

especially when a number of them appear one after another. It is worth noticing that short vowels

have a more staccato rhythm whereas long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs have a slightly smoother,

gliding rhythm. It’s a bit like Morse code: the short vowels are like the short dot-like sounds and the long

vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs are more like the long dash-like sounds. Here are some examples

of phrases with short vowel sounds – pay attention to their inherent staccato, dot-dot-dot quality:

‘never get Tim and Oscar together’ ‘it was a catastrophic event’ ‘forever and ever’

‘the children sing Christmas carols in December’

Here are some examples of phrases with predominantly long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs – pay

attention to their inherent gliding, dash-dash-dash quality:

‘you are always late’ ‘they can’t serve me cake’ ‘we were

only joking’ ‘they all came down’

‘owers make me smile’ ‘I hear her heart beat slowly’ ‘I fear he won’t return’

You might also hear some speakers really drawing out these gliding, dash-like longer vowel sounds

(especially in monosyllabic words) to signify intensity of feeling and emotion or some sort of

signicance. For example:

‘you need to help him’ ‘they call me every day’ ‘it really hurts, you know?’

> Phrasing

In the same way that music has phrases and phrasing, thoughts in speech have a sort of phrasing that

can differ from language to language and accent to accent. Arguably it can even differ from speaker

to speaker, although we might say that there are some typical patterns in any language and accent

that can observed.

In RP, there is a tradition in public speaking from the early part of the 20

Century (and arguably a

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long time before that) of speaking in no more than four to six word phrases (indicated thus ‘ / ’), for

example:

‘I am speaking to you / at a time / when the world / needs your help’

As opposed to:

‘I am speaking to you at a time when the world needs your help’

Listen to many of the public and political speakers of the time, and you will hear this tendency. In

some ways, it set the tone for how to speak ‘well’ in everyday communication. It has a specic rhythm

and pace.

Thankfully, communication styles change, but this pattern can still be heard in modern RP speakers

when there is a need to be emphatic, formal, clear or weighty in speech. So, in the context of rhythm,

we can compare the difference in phrasing between this way of phrasing and a more casual, informal,

relaxed (although sometimes urgent) speech. For examples:

casual phrasing – ‘I really couldn’t care less about whether we stay or go’

emphatic phrasing – ‘I really / couldn’t care less / about whether we stay / or go’

casual phrasing – ‘it was the most amazing experience’

emphatic phrasing – ‘it was / the most / amazing / experience’

Another way to think about phrasing is to consider whether the component parts of the content of

your thoughts are digestible. If the component parts of your content were slices of cake, how big or

small are the slices that you serve, and would the listener be overwhelmed, left wanting or satised?

This idea is not exclusively to do with RP but more about communicating your thoughts and feelings

with clarity. It is very subjective, in part because it is inuenced by the context, relationship with the

listener and your intention or emotional state. However, speak the following sentence and draw

forward-slashes to divide the thoughts into phrases, as you would say them. Then, allow some space

between the thoughts. This is not necessarily a pause, but space enough for the listener to engage

fully with your content.

‘I was wondering whether you might be interested in coming to a play that I’m going to.

It’s at the Royal this coming Friday. It’s about a guy who loses everything and discovers himself.

It’s got really great reviews and I thought that we could go to that Italian pizza place close to the

tube station. Their dough-balls are amazing!’

Here is one of many possible versions: marked with forward-slashes. Listen and imitate.

‘I was wondering / whether you might be interested / in coming to a play that I’m going to. /

It’s at the Royal / this coming Friday. It’s about a guy / who loses everything /

and discovers himself. /

It’s got really great reviews / and I thought / that we could go to that

Italian pizza place / close to the tube station. / Their dough-balls / are amazing!’

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This is perhaps more to do with effective communication, irrespective of language or accent, but it

will certainly help to ensure that your thoughts are conveyed clearly.

> Pausing

The section above introduces the idea of phrasing: by adding space between words: where thoughts

are divided into digestible chunks for your listener. If, between every phrase, you paused (…) it would

make (…) your thoughts (…) sound (…) quite (…) disjointed. So we might distinguish a difference,

in this context, between pausing and space. We could say that there is space between phrases, but

not a full pause.

Pauses tend to be used almost exclusively for the purpose of creating drama or raising the stakes.

For example:

‘I walked down to the bus stop, and who did I see (…) Peter!’

‘So I just sat there (…) staring at him. (…) And I waited (…) and waited (…) and waited!’

‘This has to stop! (…) I’ve had enough of your excuses! (…) Unless you change (…) that’s it!’

Use pauses sparingly and be clear not to confuse the idea of space between phrases with these more

dramatic pauses.

> Pitch

Pitch can help draw attention to certain words or certain parts of words to infer specic meaning.

The microtonal variations in pitch help to communicate the subtlest changes in meaning, emotion

and intention, but these subtleties are only best understood within the relevant social-cultural

framework. The use of pitch in speech can be based on language and grammar, but also on location,

culture, inuences, profession and even musical heritage, to name but a few.

Exposure, observation and imitation are the best ways to learn these complex subtle variations

within any language or accent. But to help you pay more specic attention to how and when to

use pitch, the most straightforward way of describing it might be to say that sometimes it rises,

sometimes it falls, and sometimes it remains constant. You might be more familiar with the word

inection for changes in pitch, for example upward inection would be the same a rise and downward

inection would be the same as fall. The pitch might rise then fall or fall then rise. Listen to these in the

following phrase:

‘Would you like to a cup of tea?’

And the pitch might start in the high, mid or low part of the voice. So, I’ll use this language (rise, fall,

constant) to help describe how an RP speaker might use pitch, but I might also use adjectives and

some imagery to help explain the intricate business of intonation, for example to say that the pitch

is light and swoops up or down may help to support the more technical descriptions.

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- Conveying information

If an RP speaker were simply trying to convey information to instruct or inform somebody, without

any emotion or opinion, the use of pitch would be quite repetitive and simple. Here is the sentence

we looked at earlier in the section entitled The Resting Rhythm of Speech (p.208) If treated purely as

the conveyance of information, listen to the repetitive use of pitch:

‘I’d LOVE to GO to BED, READ a BOOK, and REST for an HOUR or TWO’

Hopefully you can hear how the stressed words have an almost uniform pitch that is slightly higher than

the unstressed words. Here are some further examples of inection used to simply convey information:

‘It’s twen.ty-eight de.grees out.side’

‘It’s ve o’clock in the mor.ning’

‘The slugs are ea.ting the ca.bba.ges’

‘These trou.sers are too small’

- Emotion and Attitude

Thankfully speech is more than just information giving - it involves emotion and attitude, which is

shaped by the relationship(s) with the listener/s, the context in which you’re speaking, the content

of the conversation and where you are speaking, to name but a few factors. Look again at the ‘I’d

LOVE to GO to BED…’ sentence. If instead of trying to convey information, you were trying to

communicate your feelings of fatigue and stress with the responsibilities you have at work, the words

would still convey information but it is the way you feel and your need to unburden yourself that

would be captured through your use of pitch. This might sound like:

Hopefully you heard the same essential words being stressed through changes in pitch, but that some

words were higher in pitch, some lower, and also some were elongated – all of which suggests more

than just information.

Here’s an attempt to describe those changes in pitch and rhythm in the more emotional version: the

word ‘love’ was in

the mid part of the voice and was elongated, which suggests a sense of longing;

‘bed’ was higher in pitch and had a icking quality to suggest how it might be an unusual time to want

to sleep, thus signifying how tired you feel; ‘read a book’ was in the mid part of the voice, at a constant

pitch and slightly pressed to suggest how such a simple activity would be such a treat for you; ‘relax’

was in a high pitch, with a icking quality to suggest that relaxing is such a strange and forgotten thing

to you; and nally ‘hour or two’ was in a low pitch and said lazily to suggest that it isn’t a lot time to

be asking for. Hopefully, you can see that variations in pitch and tone help to suggest emotion and

attitude. And typically, the intensity of emotion is in relationship with the height or depth of pitch. So,

we could say that the bigger the range in pitch the greater the size of emotion.

> to Convey a Feeling of…

There are innite ways in which to use pitch to convey emotions, intentions and attitudes and there

is no right or wrong way to inect. For these reasons, it is a complex thing to describe and capture.

But, we might say that in all cultures and languages there are recognised patterns in the use of pitch

that infer a specic meaning and feeling. So here are some examples of typical uses of pitch that you

might hear when an RP speaker is conveying a specic feeling in British English. Consider recording

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yourself saying the following phrases rst, before listening and imitating the audio examples. Pay

attention to the use of pitch and rhythm and notice any patterns that occur:

- Excitement and Happiness

‘I’m going to Caribbean’ ‘This has been the best week ever’

‘I can’t wait till Friday’ ‘You are never going to believe what just happened’

- Contentedness and Peace

‘It’s so warm today’ ‘Let’s go for a walk by the sea’

‘That’s just what I needed’ ‘This is a real treat, thanks’

- Fatigue and Exhaustion

‘I just can’t seem to get this through to you’ ‘It would be nice if you could help out sometimes’

‘How come you’ve taken so long?’ ‘I can’t possibly get that in by Friday’

- Boredom

‘This lm is awful’ ‘He just keeps going on and on and on’

‘It feels as if we’ve been here for hours’ ‘I don’t think I can listen to this music any longer’

- Sadness

‘I don’t really want to go to be honest’ ‘Could we rearrange lunch to tomorrow?’

‘I’m nding it really hard to focus right now’ ‘I’m going to go for walk’

- Anger

‘That’s a very inappropriate comment’ ‘You’re infuriating, do you know that?’

‘This is the last time I offer you help’ ‘I can’t believe that you would do that’

- Fear, Trepidation and Nervousness

‘Can we go the other way?’ ‘What’s that noise?’

‘I don’t know if I can do this’ ‘I don’t think that’s the right thing to do’

- Stress, Irritation and Frustration

‘Okay, you go that way and I’ll go this way’ ‘We’re going to be late, come on’

‘You don’t seem to understand the problem’ ‘How are we going to solve this then?’

- Relief

‘I’m so glad that’s nished’ ‘What a week that’s been’

‘That’s a good cup of tea’ ‘It’s so good to be home’

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- Tenderness

‘If you put that there, it’ll work’ ‘Can I ask, when did you start feeling this way?’

‘Take every day as it comes’ ‘Why don’t we go together?’

- Gratitude

‘It’s the most amazing thing!’ ‘You’re a star, do you know that?’

‘I couldn’t have done it without you’ ‘I shan’t forget this’

- Jealousy and Envy

‘She just seems to able to do it so easily’ ‘Where did you get that from?’

‘How long are you going there for?’ ‘It just doesn’t seem fair that’s all’

- Embarrassment and Self-Consciousness

‘I didn’t mean to say that, I’m so sorry’ ‘Could we do this another time, I’ve got to go’

‘Honestly it’s ne, I can come back later’ ‘Well, you know, I do my best’

- Surprise, Astonishment and Shock

‘What do you mean he can’t do it?’ ‘I can’t believe that we’ve done it’

‘Did they? When did that happen?’ ‘But it’s only three weeks away…’

- Temptation and Attraction

‘That chocolate cake looks so tasty’ ‘She is absolutely gorgeous’

‘Why can’t we be there now’ ‘I wonder if I could nish early and go tonight’

- Pride

‘You’re an absolute inspiration’ ‘It has taken a long time but we’re nally here’

‘She did it, she passed her test’ ‘I never thought that I would ever achieve this’

- Anticipation

‘Did you get it or not?’ ‘Are they coming tonight or tomorrow?’

‘Are we going to get there on time?’ ‘I can’t bear the suspense, come on, tell me’

- Disappointment

‘I just wasn’t expecting that, you know?’ ‘It doesn’t mater now’

‘They decided not to come’ ‘I was really hoping we could make it’

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- Disgust

‘What possessed him to do that?’ ‘Have you seen the state of the bathroom?’

‘I’m sorry but I just can’t go back’ ‘That’s not acceptable’

- Awe and Wonderment

‘Are you serious?’ ‘That’s amazing!’

‘Well? Is it true?’ ‘Look at that!’ ‘This is the most incredible thing’

- Loneliness

‘It’s hard working from home, you know?’ ‘It would be great to see you’

‘I’m nding it tough, to be honest’ ‘I’m sure it’ll pass and things will change’

- Confusion

‘What do you mean? Did you or didn’t you?’ ‘What was the point of that?’

‘You went to the shop and they were out of milk?’ ‘What do you mean ‘they sacked you’?’

- Guilt

‘I really didn’t realise what would happen’ ‘I wish I could have been there more’

‘If I hadn’t said that, she wouldn’t have done it’ ‘There’s absolutely nothing I can do now’

- Hope

‘This could make so much difference for us’ ‘She’s perfect for the job, she’ll be great, I know it’

‘If everything happens as planned we’ll get there’ ‘I’ve done all I can, now we just have to wait’

- Panic

‘What do you mean he wasn’t there?’ ‘I can’t wait, I need to know now’

‘But if it hasn’t been sent by tonight, we’ll lose the contract’ ‘It’s here, I know it, keep looking’

> to Convey an Intention

In addition to our desire to communicate the emotion or attitude that we feel, we often have a desire

to do something to the other person or change them in some way – intention. For example, if you

are sat in a café and someone from another table asks, ‘Do you know where the toilets are?’, your

response, irrespective of the words that you use, will be about trying to inform, instruct or advise

them. In this way, you are changing them from their state of being curious, confused or frustrated to

informed and educated. Verbs are often best to describe your intention, so you might be trying to

alert, alarm, astound or amaze.

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As I said before, there are no right or wrong ways to inect, as there are innite ways in which

to alert, alarm, astound, amaze or whatever the intention. But we might say that there are some

culturally recognised patterns of inection that infer a specic meaning and feeling in British English

when speaking in an RP accent. So here are some examples of some of the typical uses of inection

that you might hear when conveying a specic intention. Consider recording yourself saying the

following phrases rst, before listening and imitating the audio examples. Pay attention to the use of

pitch and rhythm and notice any patterns that occur:

- to Inform, Advise, Instruct

‘I’m back from work at six tonight’ ‘I’ve got my dentist appointment on Wednesday’

‘That doesn’t work for me’ ‘This needs careful consideration’

- to Alert, Alarm

‘We’ve missed our target four weeks in a row’ ‘You’ve got two minutes left’

‘I’m going to do it now’ ‘Look out!’ ‘You’re going to miss it’ ‘Hurry up’

- to Astound, Amaze, Impress

‘We’ve been together for ve years!’ ‘I haven’t smoked for two weeks’

‘I’ve got tickets to see the Beatles’ ‘He nally proposed to me’

- to Attack, Challenge

‘I was there every day and you were nowhere to be seen!’

‘I’m sorry, but that is not the right way to do it’

‘You’ve told me this before, but I wonder when things are going to change?’

- to Captivate, Charm / Persuade, Urge, Appeal / Cajole, Entice, Allure / Tease

‘I really need some help, could you come back tomorrow?’

‘I’m sure you can stay another hour can’t you?’

‘You’re so talented – go on play another one’

‘I know I’m pushing you, but it’s such a great cause’

- to Amuse

‘She was wearing a Tiara, smoking a pipe and walked about in ip-ops!’

‘Can you really trust a man who thinks that the world is at?!’

- to Appal, Disgust, Horrify, Sicken

‘He had been wearing the same socks for a month!’ ‘She has never apologised for it!’

‘It was riddled with mould!” ‘It’s been going on for 20 years!’

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- to Sooth, Relax, Calm, Pacify, Relax,

‘Take a breath, it’s okay’ ‘Let’s go for a walk and get some fresh air’

‘Take each section one by one’ ‘There’s no need to get so angry’

- to Assess, Evaluate, Scrutinise

‘So you’ve denitely looked over every document before you sent them?’

‘Do you feel condent with the new system?’ ‘Tell me what you would do in that situation?’

- to Encourage, Afrm, Applaud, Congratulate, Assure

‘You’ve hit every target this quarter’ ‘You made that happen all by yourself’

‘It’s everything I hoped for’ ‘You’ve worked so hard, you absolutely deserve it’

- to Accuse

‘It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been there’ ‘You haven’t helped in any way whatsoever’

‘I should never have let you do the painting’ ‘You sent all those cards without checking’

- to Dissuade

‘I understand, but it’s quite dangerous’ ‘Could you go tomorrow instead?’

‘They are very complicated, you know?’ ‘Are you sure it’s what you want to do?’

- to Avenge, Punish,

‘That’s it, I’m not coming’ ‘This is your nal warning, do you understand?’

‘That’s the last time I do you any favours’ ‘If you need any advice in the future, don’t ask me’

- to Awaken, Provoke, Stimulate, Inspire, Motivate, Rouse, Praise, Validate, Excite

‘Come on, let’s get going’ ‘If you don’t do it now, we won’t get another chance’

‘You’re so good at it though, you’re going to miss out’ ‘We’ve only got ve days to go!’

- to Stabilise, Root, Ground

‘Just focus on this for now’ ‘I know it’s tough but you have made the right the decision’

‘Don’t worry about him, it’s you that’s important’ ‘She’s perfect for you, trust me’

- to Prepare, Strengthen

‘Have you gone through it step by step’

‘Think about everything that you’ve done to make this possible’

‘You know what you’re doing, you’ve done it a hundred times’

‘It’s the right thing at the right time’

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- to Defend, Protect,

‘You can’t say that, he’s been there at every stage’ ‘It’s exactly what we need to be doing now’

‘We have spent a long time on this – it’s perfect’ ‘I’ve done everything in the way you described’

- to Undermine, Belittle, Insult, Humiliate

‘You haven’t listen to anything I’ve said’ ‘You say you’re helpful, but you’re not in the slightest’

‘Evidently I can’t depend on you for anything’ ‘You’re not capable of what you say you are’

‘Is that the best that you can do?’ ‘Well done. That was easy, wasn’t it?’

> Same phrase, different intention

Here are some phrases spoken with different intentions. Pay attention to the way in which the pitch

and rhythm change for each intention. Each phrase is spoken in three different intentions that are

written after each phrase respectively. Listen and imitate:

‘Are you sure this is the best way to go?’ – Undermine / Stabilise / Scrutinise

‘You are a remarkable person’ – Strengthen / Rouse / Soothe

‘We need to pack the suitcase and collect the keys’ – Inform / Stimulate / Alert

> Pitch patterns in everyday conversation

In addition to the way an RP speaker uses pitch to convey emotion, attitude and intention, in everyday

conversation there are various situations and patterns that we can explore, like asking and responding

to questions, making statements, commands or exclamations, apologising, interrupting, listing etc…

As I said before, there are no right or wrong ways to inect, as there are innite ways in which to

ask a question or make a statement. But we might say that there are some culturally recognised

patterns of inection that infer a specic meaning and feeling in British English when speaking in an

RP accent. So here are some examples of some of the typical uses of inection that you might hear in

everyday conversation. Listen to and imitate the audio examples, paying attention to the use of pitch

and rhythm and noticing any patterns that occur.

Whilst the following aspects of everyday conversation have been grouped together under this 40min

subsection, I would encourage you to look at a few aspects only, get more specic and condent with

them, and then pick up from where you left off when you’re ready.

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- Asking a Question

You can ask a question in many different ways depending on the content of the question, the context

in which you are asking and to whom you are asking. These factors tend to change the word or

words in the question that carry the primary stress, for example:

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you knew about the event at all

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions in a accusatory way as to whether you knew

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you knew for certain

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you are sure of who is responsible

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you know the state of the car

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether the listener knows it’s the best one

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you know what was ‘crashed’

In all of these examples, the common characteristic is the upward inection or rise in pitch on the nal

syllable or the nal word of the question. The pitch might slide up or might just jump straight onto

a high pitch.

This is the rst of three typical ways in which to ask a question, irrespective of which word in the

sentence carries the primary stress. The second way is to use what can technically be described as

a circumex inection, where the pitch on the nal syllable starts high, then falls, and then rises very

slightly. For example:

“did you know that she crashed the car?”

The third way is where the pitch on the nal syllable starts high, then falls slightly without coming

back up again.

“did you know that she crashed the car?”

In the audio example of the following questions, you will hear each being spoken three times, the rst

has a rise in pitch, the second is a circumex inection – the pitch starts high, then falls and then rises

very slightly – and in the third the pitch starts high, then falls slightly without coming back up again:

‘Are you going?’ ‘When are you home?’ ‘What time does the meeting start?’

‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ ‘Where would you like to go?’ ‘Have you seen this before?’

Here are some more phrases spoken again three times in these three typical ways. Under each

phrase is the inferred meaning of each version:

‘Would you like a cup of tea?’

Version one – a light hearted genuine question; version two – you think that the other person may

have had a hard day and that a cup of tea would be the perfect way to relax; Version three – you’ve

asked the question previously and have failed to get an answer so you are expressing your frustration.

‘Do you know where the market is on Sunday?’

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Version one – genuine curiosity; version two – you know where the market is and you think that

they will be shocked to hear, so you are drawing them in playfully; version three – you know where

the market is, and you are annoyed about where it is, perhaps because you were planning to go, and

you think the other person will also be annoyed.

‘Are you coming out tonight?’

Version one – genuine curiosity, possibly with a sense that it would please you if they did; version

two – maybe they have declined the invitation on other nights and you’re wondering whether tonight

is any different; version three – you simply want to know one way or the other.

- Rhetorical Questions

There is variation in the way RP speakers inect rhetorical questions. Some people use an upward

inection on the last word – rise – as if to pose a genuine question; some speakers use a downward

inection on the last word – fall – which doesn’t engage the listener in quite the same active way. The

following examples are spoken twice, demonstrating these two variations:

‘Is it possible to understand quantum physics? … Yes, I think it is.’

‘Is it enjoyable to grapple with quantum physics? … Thoroughly!’

Listen again, and pay attention to the way in which ‘possible’ and ‘enjoyable’ can be inected with

either the highest or lowest pitch.

- High Rise Tone

The typical questioning inection that rises up at the end of a question is common in many accents.

However, there are some accents, such as some Australian and North American, that use it other

than when questioning. This is known as High Rise Tone – HRT. For these speakers, it is simply part of

their cultural communication style. However, to an RP speaker, using upward inection in anything

other than questions – especially statements and commands – is often associated with uncertainty

and the seeking of reassurance. Listen to these examples of statements and commands, spoken rstly

with HRT and then correctly with a downward inection:

‘I must go to the shops’ ‘That’s fantastic’ ‘Don’t do that’ ‘I’ve had such a great time’

- Responding to a Question or Request

‘Would you like to go to the cinema?’

The way that you use pitch to answer a question reveals more than just a simple decision. The three

typical ways to answer a question are ‘yes’, ‘no’ and ‘maybe’. If your answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’,

the pitch would typically fall from high to low.

‘Yes!’

If it were a denite ‘No!’, the pitch would typically fall from high to low or be at a constant low pitch.

‘No!’

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Or if it were a stalling or mischievous ‘Maybe…’, the pitch would typically fall then rise; or just rise.

‘Maybe…’

You might infer ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘maybe’ with other words. For example, you might infer a resounding

‘yes’ by saying:

‘I’d love to go to the cinema!’

The word ‘love’ would have the highest pitch, thus revealing your enthusiasm, and the statement

would end with a downward inection. As a resounding ‘no!’ you would obviously not use a word like

‘love’, but instead you might say:

‘I do not want to go to the cinema!’

The words ‘not’ and ‘cinema’ would have the highest pitches and the phrase would end with a

downward inection. If you need to be particularly rm or emphatic or want to reveal how appalled

you are by the suggestion, you might actually use a low pitch to stress the words. And then as a

‘maybe…’ you might still say:

‘I’d love to go to the cinema’

The word ‘love’ would still have the highest pitch, but the pitch would fall throughout the rest of

the phrase before rising on the word ‘cinema’, suggesting your uncertainty, perhaps because there

is something or someone that needs to be considered before you can give a denite answer. If the

obstacle were easily overcome, the rhythm might be more buoyant, light and quick. But if it were

more difcult, and you felt reluctance, nervousness or anxiety, the rhythm might be drawn out.

An alternative to ‘maybe’ might be:

‘Yes, but…’

The ‘but’ could be for many reasons, all with varying pitch patterns. Here are four versions and the

meaning inferred is written below. Listen and imitate the audio:

1. You may want to go but can only go under certain conditions, such as you need to get home

for eight o’clock.

2. You want to go but can’t because of something else that you have to do.

3. You’ve been with this person many times and their constant talking really annoys you, so you’ll

go but on the condition that they don’t talk.

4. Similar to number three, there is some sort of history to consider and a warning of sorts, as if

to suggest ‘you remember what happened last time, don’t you?!’.

Finally, your answer might be:

‘no… but…’

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Again, the ‘but’ could be for many reasons, all with varying pitch patterns. Here are four versions and

the meaning inferred is written below. Listen and imitate the audio:

1. You really hate going to the cinema and wouldn’t go with anyone, but don’t want to let your

friend down, so you infer that you have a suggestion.

2. You just don’t feel like going right now but don’t want to let your friend down, so you infer that

you have a suggestion.

3. You might want to infer that you can’t go immediately but could go later.

4. Or you might want to infer that you could be persuaded to go if the other person is willing to

do something for you.

- Statement, Command or Exclamation

Quite simply, statements tend only to use a downward inection – a falling pitch. The downward inection

is denitive and conclusive in nature. The stressed words or stressed syllables in the phrase will have a

higher pitch, but the last word in the phrase would be downwardly inected. Listen and play with these

phrases:

‘Yes’ ‘No’ ‘I must go to the shops’ ‘That’s fantastic’ ‘Thanks’ ‘Don’t do that’

An exception to this is when as part of a group you have been asked a question such as, ‘do you like

ice cream?’ to which you respond with ‘I like ice cream’. Whilst it is a statement, the last word would

have a rising upward inection, simultaneously questioning whether or not the speaker had heard your

response.

- Apologising

Typically, an apology or apologetic tone would involve a falling downward inection, as if to accept full

responsibility and admit fault. Listen and play with these phrases:

‘I’m so sorry’ ‘I apologise’ ‘It won’t happen again’

‘I know, I really shouldn’t have done that’ ‘I should know better’

If you accept responsibility in part but feel that you need to qualify, justify or explain yourself, then the

nal word in the phrase might be upwardly inected, to suggest a ‘but’ or ‘these are the reasons why’.

- Interrupting

Whilst it may be considered discourteous to interrupt, it is something that we all do if we feel that

we need to alert, undermine or correct someone urgently. There are no specic patterns of inection

in the way one might interrupt. We might say that if the need to interrupt were important or urgent,

the pitch of the stressed words or stressed syllables would be higher in pitch and the nal word would

either be at a constant mid pitch or would rise. Equally, if you were astonished or disgusted by what

is being said and need to interrupt, the inection would tend to fall into the deeper, authoritative

part of the voice. Listen and play with these phrases (which a repeat with the variations inection as

described above):

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‘Excuse me, but…’ ‘Wait there a second…’ ‘I’m going to have to stop you there’

‘Unfortunately…’ ‘That’s not fair to say at all…’ ‘That’s not what I said’

‘I understand what you’re saying, but…’ ‘Stop that, now!’

‘Isn’t in obvious that you’re upsetting him’ ‘That’s a lie and you know it’

- Ongoing Thought

Live speech is spontaneous, even if it is a situation or content with which you are familiar. Some

thoughts are longer than others, and some thoughts have various parts that need communicating

before a statement or conclusion can be reached. To suggest to the listener that we haven’t nished

yet, we mostly use a circumex inection or just an upward inection. Listen and play with these phrases:

‘I went to the baker’s yesterday… and as I walked past the post ofce… I saw Gregory’

‘Here is the problem with moving the meeting to 12 o’clock… you can’t ensure full attendance’

‘I understand… but I return to my earlier point… we simply haven’t got the budget’

‘You talk so passionately… but I don’t feel that we’re moving forwards… or achieving anything’

- Listing

The inection used for lists changes depending on the context and content. Even a simple shopping

list might be conveyed in a number of ways. Typically, a list would be indicated by an upward inection

at the end of every item until the last, which would downwardly inect to infer the end of the list:

‘I’d like some eggs, bread, milk, butter and cheese’

If it is a very familiar list and you want to suggest that it bores you to have to say it, the inection

would tend to remain at a constant repetitive pitch. The same inection could be used to suggest that

someone else’s list is boring, meaningless or uninspired:

‘It’s always the same: I won’t do it again; I’ll be more conscientious;

I’ll think before I speak... I’ve heard it all before’

‘I understand that the these processes are important;

that everything must be done in sequence;

and that missing a stage out would potentially ruin the system…

but there has to be a simpler way.’

When you have to repeat a list again and again because the other person can’t remember it and you

are frustrated, it is typical for an RP speaker to use either a rising pitch on each item, implying the

question, ‘do you understand?’, ‘remember?’, or a falling pitch to suggest the simplicity of the list, and

how annoyed you are at having to repeat it:

You go to ‘le’; click ‘select all’; click ‘copy’; open a new document and click ‘paste’.

‘You remember this?’

If the list is intended to exemplify the attributes or components of something or someone, the list

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might use a downward inection on each word, so that each new item somehow builds the importance

or signicance of the subject. The nal item often uses a lower pitch in order to indicate the climax

and then conclusion of the list.

‘She is a woman of great signicance: she redesigned the systems under which we now operate;

she founded essential structures for support that are now essential to the organisations’ success;

and she broke down the stigmas to enable our growth and development.’

‘He was a best friend; a companion; a true supporter; a loyal and trustworthy condant;

an esteemed colleague; and an inspired man.’

The same is true for lists that need to make an impact:

‘We cannot keep making the same mistakes; we cannot keep asking the same questions;

we cannot pretend that these problems will resolve themselves –

something has to be done, and it must be done now’

- Giving directions

There are two typical pitch patterns for giving directions that are very similar to the patterns in the

sections entitled Ongoing thought (above) and Listing (below). The rst is use a rising upward inection

at the end of each section or component part of the directions, nishing with a falling downward

inection on the last part, which sound like this:

‘Go down the road… past the doctors… turn left at the trafc lights…

take the third exit at the roundabout… and then you’re there.’

Alternatively, you might use a falling downward inection on every section, which is a slightly rmer and

emphatic way to give directions, which would sound like this:

‘Turn left after the playground… keep walking until you come to a telephone box…

go through the underpass… And you’ll be there.’

- Naming places, people, objects, titles, processes…

There are many places, people, objects, titles and processes with names that are number of words

in length, for example:

‘the London Eye’ ‘the leaning tower of Pisa’ ‘the Royal Bank of Scotland’

‘Camilla Parker Bowles’ ‘Charles, the Prince of Wales’ ‘Helena Bonham Carter’

‘Cognitive Behavioural Therapy’ ‘Best Management Practices’ ‘Driving Theory Test’

In these example, and others like them, the stressed syllable of each word is spoken at almost exactly

the same pitch to suggest that they belong to each other and that they describe one thing. Many

non-native speakers incorrectly stress just one word in the group, typically the rst. Listen again, and

imitate the use of pitch and stress.

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- Parroting

Parroting might be used for many reasons, and typically the words and intonation will be parroted

like for like. If it is used in a light-hearted way it might be to soften someone, make them laugh or

even to irt with them. Other reasons might be to belittle, patronise, dismiss, annoy or mock. In

some situations, the intonation might be exaggerated, especially if you are trying to belittle, mock or

patronise:

‘I can’t stand it when you leave the fridge open.’ “I can’t stand it when you leave the fridge open”

‘You make things so difcult’ “You make things so difcult”

‘It is vital that we keep focused on the goal…’ “It is vital that we keep focused on the goal”

‘You’re so annoying, do you know that?...’ “You’re so annoying, do you know that?”

‘Stop it!...’ “Stop it!”

‘Come on, that’s so childish!...’ “Come on, that’s so childish!”

- Parenthesising

In live speech, we think, feel and speak almost simultaneously, which means that part way through

one thought we might need to add some extra information, give more context or express our

feelings or opinions about what we have just said before being able to continue. It tends to happen

in the middle of an ongoing or developing thought, and so the pitch needs to reect the fact that

this is a supporting comment – a side note – but that that there is still more to come. Typically,

the parenthetical comment tends to be spoken in a lower part of the voice (to indicate that it is an

additional/supporting comment) compared to what has come before and what will come after. And

the essential words in the comment are stressed as usual with higher pitches, but perhaps not as high

as you would in the main content of the thought. In addition to this, it is also typical for the pitch to

rise on the nal word of the parenthetical comment, to suggest that you are going to return to the

main point:

‘The issue with the way that he approaches these challenges – and this has been going on for some

time – is that he focuses on the problem and not the solution’

‘The scale of growth in these emerging markets – I’ll talk more specically about the gures and

statistics later on – is extraordinary’

‘Every time we discuss this subject – and it’s one I always dread – we never come to a

conclusion and it always ends in tears’

- Quoting and Paraphrasing – ‘he said, she said, I said…’

The range of reasons for quoting and paraphrasing and the purpose for doing so varies so much

that it is difcult to describe any particular tendencies in terms of pitch and inection. Quoting or

paraphrasing might be used in order to educate, undermine, uphold, mock, uplift or humiliate, so you

might want to look back at the section entitled To convey an intention (p.217) and listen to the use of

pitch in the phrases given.

However, it might be useful to look at the most common use of quoting and paraphrasing: ‘he said…’,

‘she said…’, ‘they said…’, ‘I said…’ and ‘we said…’ Again, this is done for a variety of reasons and the

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intonation would depend on the context and intention. When recalling what it was that he, she or

a group of people have said, the intonation tends to be exaggerated in order to reect the way the

other person/people have made you feel, often to win sympathy from the person you are speaking to:

“I said, ‘you are being outrageous’ and he said ‘you simply can’t handle the facts’,

so I said, ‘the facts are clear, you just can’t take any responsibility’

and he said, ‘you’re being childish, I’ll talk to you when you’ve grown up!’ ”

It might also be useful to notice that the intonation on the ‘he/she/they/I said…’ changes depending

on what is trying to be communicated. If you were trying to communicate that the conversation that

you were having or that you overheard was like a boxing match, the pitch of each ‘she said’ and ‘he

said’ would get higher:

“She said ‘this, this and this’, and then he said, ‘this, this and this’,

and so she said ‘this, this and this’, and then he said, ‘this, this and this’…”

If there were a winner in the conversation, then the nal ‘he said’ preceding the winning comment

would have the most exaggerated inection at a higher pitch.

Another example might be that you want to communicate that what was said has all been said before

and made you feel a sense of despair. So, the pitch for ‘she said’ and ‘he said’ would be almost identical,

as if to communicate the repetitiveness of the event.

Or if you want to communicate your frustration that the conversation didn’t conclude, maybe

because the other person was being stubborn and not really listening, the pitch for ‘she said’ and ‘he

said’ would again be almost identical, but with slightly different inections.

Aside from this common use of quoting in conversation, you might also nd yourself interspersing

conversation with direct or paraphrased quotes without the structure of ‘he/she/they/we said’. For

example

“He regularly describes how he often nds himself ‘on the brink of a breakdown’ before a show”.

In this case, the pitch would rise slightly just before the quote, as a sort of signpost, and you will also

often hear a slight pause before and after the quote, to suggest that it is someone else’s thought.

Listen again. Here is another example. Listen and imitate:

“And if you get through lunch without hearing ‘don’t you just hate it when’: you’re lucky!”

And lastly, words can be put in inverted commas, especially when the speaker is being cynical. For

example:

“And what’s all this nonsense about upholding ‘family values’? It’s a joke!”

Here, the speaker clearly feels that the person being quoted knows nothing about upholding family

values. Again, the pitch would rise slightly just before the words in inverted commas, as a sort of

signpost, and you will also often hear a slight pause before and after the quote.

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- Ironic, sarcastic and satirical comments

In speech, ironic, sarcastic and satirical comments often have the same inection patterns, despite

their different functions. Irony in particular has a number of forms, but in speech, it is a way of saying

one thing but meaning another. For example:

‘I’m really thrilled that soon I will be jumping out of this aircraft

hurtling towards the earth at between two to three hundred miles per hour’

The use of the adjective ‘thrilled’ is ironic, because the implication is that you are actually ‘terried’

to be skydiving. Here, it is the mainly through inection that the irony is understood (although body

language and facial expression can also help to communicate irony). And it can be achieved through

many subtle variations in pitch and tone. Listen and imitate the same example spoken in four different

ways - all of which would be understood as irony.

And as I said, a sarcastic or satirical comment often has the same inection and tone that its sincere

counterpart would have. Listen and imitate the follow examples:

‘Me, sarcastic, who do you think I am?’

‘I’d rather eat my own eyes than your food!’

‘I’ve been told that it takes a fool to know a fool. Am I a fool?

‘Sorry, I can’t come to work today, I won the jackpot last night and I’m off to Vegas!’

- Expanding on a statement

Let’s say that you are explaining that a recent independent report identied an issue to do with best

management practice. You might begin by saying:

‘Having read the recent survey, there appears to be an issue to do with best management

practice…’

Your main objective is to alert the listener to the ‘issue’. If you then continued with:

‘…the crux of the issue, appears is to be poor people skills.’

The word ‘issue’ is repeated, therefore would not need to be stressed again. Instead, the word ‘crux’

is more essential to stress, so the pitch would be high for ‘crux’, low for ‘of the’ and then would rise

for the second syllable of ‘issue’ in order to suggest that you are about to identify ‘the crux of the

issue’. Here some other examples:

‘She has had many achievements… but perhaps her best achievement was…’

‘I’m very aware of the support that I’ve been given…

and the most overwhelming support has come from…’

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- Antithesis

Antithesis can mean the opposite of something, or something that is being compared, for instance:

‘Labour stands for this, whilst the Tories stand for that’

‘Water is a liquid, whereas air is a gas’

‘It’s easy to say, but so hard to do’

‘We must build on our successes and learn from our failures’

So ‘Labour’ is compared to ‘Tories and ‘this’ is compared to ‘that’, ‘water’ is compared to ‘air’ and

‘liquid’ to ‘gas’, ‘easy’ is compared to ‘hard’ and ‘say’ is compared to ‘do’, and ‘build is compared

to ‘learn’ and ‘successes’ is compared to ‘failures’. The pitch tends to be high for these essential

antithetical words, but there is a slight variation in how high, so as to indicate their comparison. This

can also be used to reveal different attitudes towards the meaning of the antithetical words, for

example:

‘Let’s celebrate our achievements; and learn from our failures’

If ‘celebrate’ has the highest pitch and ‘learn’ has a slightly lower pitch, it suggests that the learning

curve may be steep and will probably require time and energy. Whereas, if ‘celebrate’ was lower

than ‘learn’, then it suggests that celebrating will probably happen as a matter of course but that the

learning is something that should be embraced and need not be an arduous task.

When using antithesis for the same word that is modied by a prex or sufx, be aware that the

stress in the word can change in order to indicate the difference. For instance:

‘some were E.du.ca.ted; and some were UN.e.du.ca.ted’

The ‘un’ becomes the primary stressed syllable, whereas in any other context, the primary stress would

fall on the second syllable ‘e’ – ‘un.E.du.ca.ted’. Listen to the same phenomenon in the following

examples:

‘some say it’s OR.din.ary… I say it’s EX.tra.or.din.ary!’

‘do they seem en.FRAN.chised or DIS.en.fran.chised?’

‘was he CON.scious or UN.con.scious?’

Antithesis might also be used to add emphasis:

‘It wasn’t good… it was great! ’

‘There are versions that are brilliant… and then there’s this! ’

Antithesis can also be shared between two speakers, and the second speaker tends to use a higher

pitch on the antithetical word:

A: ‘You never tidy your room’ B: ‘I always tidy my room’

A: ‘I thought you loved pizza’ B: ‘I hate pizza’

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And antithesis can also be heard in ultimatums:

‘If you swear once more, I’m going to walk out’

‘I’ll help you this time, but next time you’re on your own’

- ‘but…’, ‘or…’, ‘so…’

Most communication is storytelling, whether it’s the story about what your weekend was like, the

story of your power-hungry boss, the story of the way forwards in the business or the story of what

you want, are having or have had for lunch. A story tends to have a beginning, middle and end. And

along the way there are various events and signposts. These events and signposts are sometimes

indicated by coordinating conjunctions like ‘but…’, ‘or…’, ‘so…’, ‘yet…’ and ‘and…’. And sometimes

by subordinating conjunctions like ‘although…’, ‘because…’, ‘if…’, ‘now…’, ‘until…’ and ‘whereas…’

amongst many others. They are like pivot-points in your story. Listen to the following phrases:

‘we were walking quite happily along the canal, until…’

‘they said all the right things, but…’

‘so… I told her that I wasn’t going to be treated like that anymore, and she left!’

‘we can debate this all you like, although… I’m not the one whose job is on the line.’

‘I did all these things for you, because… I love you’

‘I’ll help you with everything, if… you tell me what happened.’

In these examples, notice rstly how there tends to be a slight pause after the conjunction (although

this is not essential), and secondly that the pitch either falls, falls then rises or is at a constant pitch.

Listen again.

I am not saying that all conjunctions (even the ones above) should be spoken in this way. Instead,

simply consider whether they help to build the necessary suspense or drama in your story given the

context in which you’re speaking and person to whom you are speaking. It often goes hand in hand

with conveying intentions like to entice, to shock, to warn, to excite, to unsettle etc… Essentially, if

it feels like a pivotal point in your story, and you want to up the stakes, then use them in this way.

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> Putting all these elements together

Here is an opportunity to experiment with the various pitch patterns used in everyday conversation.

The follow is a mock-conversation between two friends that include most of the previously explored

aspects of everyday conversation. Obviously, there are countless ways in which this might be spoken,

and countless variations and nuances in pitch as well as rhythm. Before you listen and imitate, speak

it aloud and record yourself, comparing the differences, which should help you focus on the areas in

which you were less clear or less condent. It is also spoken twice: the rst time as if it were a live

conversation; and the second time in smaller, repeatable sections:

“

Claire: So, did you talk to your boss?

James: He’s a nightmare, Claire. Talking to my boss is like voluntarily sticking your head in the oven!

I’m no better off; in fact, I may have lost any chance of being promoted – but that’s the least

of my worries. Anyway… I made a point of ling every last piece of paperwork – so that he

couldn’t use that against me – and caught him at the very beginning of the day – before he

could blame his attitude on stress. I knocked on the door, he answered - in his usual dreary

tone – and I said my piece.

Claire: What did he say?

James: At rst, he was surprisingly upbeat. He said things like, ‘you’re a valued member of staff’ and

‘I’m glad you were condent enough to share the way you feel about this’ and something

about best management practice. So all of that sounded really positive and I thought we

were getting somewhere, until he said ‘James, there is a bigger issue at hand…’.

Claire: Which was?

James: I’m getting to it, be patient.

Claire: Sorry.

James: He said, ‘there is a bigger issue at hand… the company’s imminent takeover is the bigger

issue’. It turns out the company is being bought by some big conglomerate and that in six

months no one knows where the company will be and whether or not we could all be facing

redundancy. He told me not to tell anyone, to start considering other job opportunities, to

make sure that I have all my work up-to-date all the time etc, etc. So, that’s where I am. It’s

either: be a good boy and keep your head low; or hedge my bets and quit while I’m ahead.

Claire: Look for a new job.

James: Look for a new job! Yea, right! I can’t wait to see the look on Sarah’s face when I say that I’ve

just been down the job centre! And let’s be clear about this, should I really put all my faith

and trust in a man who thinks that aliens live among us? I fear not!

”

Intonation - Pitch

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Cheat Sheet:

Creating Meaning

- Stressing

the Right Word

234

20min

995

As we have previously described, some words are more essential than others – and stressing the

right word with the right inection is vital if you want to be understood and correctly interpreted.

Look again at this example from the section entitled Asking a question (p.221), and you can see and

hear how stress and inection of different words can directly impact on meaning:

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you knew about the event at all

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions in a accusatory way as to whether you knew

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you knew for certain

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you are sure of who is responsible

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you know the state of the car

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether the listener knows it’s the best one

‘Did you know that she crashed the car?’ - questions whether you know what was ‘crashed’

Trying to capture and describe the nuance of thought, feeling and intention in what you say is a

complex thing. And perhaps it is even more challenging to talk about conclusive ways to choose the

‘right’ word, in order to communicate subtle changes in meaning. Whilst there are some patterns

that seem to reoccur within any one language and any one accent, the treatment of language in terms

of intonation is largely an individual thing based on the context, content and relationship with the

listener(s).

Whilst it is too complex to anticipate and describe specic patterns for which word to stress and

how to stress it given the context, content and relationship with the listener(s), here is a cheat

sheet - a sort of hierarchical checklist as a general guide. Begin at the top for the more important

considerations and then work down. Think of it as a sort of identication process that with practice

and condence will be become instinct. Initially, you can apply it when reading aloud a section from

a newspaper or magazine article or paragraph from a book or presentation.

Prepositions, conjunctions and

determiners tend not to be stressed

but the exceptions are outlined in the

section entitled Schwa in grammatical

words (p.202).

Verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs

and exclamatory words and

phrases carry the most essential

information to help create

meaning.

Pronouns might occasionally be

stressed especially if they are

possessive or used when quoting

or comparing: ‘then he said...’..

Creating Meaning - Stressing the Right Word

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Having decided on the essential words, here’s an at-a-glance guide on how to arrive at the intonation:

Use a HIGHER pitch on the essential

words and the correct primary

and secondary stressed syllables in

polysyllabic words.

Of those essential words, which one

or two are the most essential? They

need to have the HIGHEST pitch.

Use a LOWER pitch on the

unstressed syllables, and identify which

syllables and grammatical words are

pronounced with a SCHWA vowel

sound.

Pay attention to the ‘tee TUM tee TUM’

weak STRONG weak STRONG rhythms

in the phrase, as well as the different

rhythms of short vowels compared with

long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs

and nally the different rhythms of

monosyllabic words compared with

polysyllabic words.

Bring together all of these technical

considerations of rhythm and pitch,

and now consider how you can use

them to convey emotion, attitude and

intention.

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> Putting it all together

Here is an opportunity to experiment with this identication process. The choice of essential words,

phrasing and use of pitch and rhythm is very subjective and inuenced by many factors. Obviously,

there are countless ways in which this might be spoken, with countless variations and nuances in

pitch and rhythm. Before you listen and imitate, speak it aloud and record yourself, comparing the

differences, which should help you focus on the areas in which you were less clear or less condent. It

is spoken twice: the rst time without any breaks, and the second time in smaller, repeatable sections:

“

One of the challenges that we all face is motivation. Between being a father, and husband, friend,

and colleague, I nd myself struggling to nd space for the things that inspire and motivate me to

be the best I can be. I feel selsh asking for the time and guilty when I have the time. I guess I can’t

really allow myself to experience the time fully and use it effectively, let alone enjoy it. My head

goes into a bit of a spin: I procrastinate, I daydream, I nd the time goes so quickly that afterwards

I’m left feeling resentful of my other commitments, in so much as I wasn’t able to let go and be

fully present in that space I had.

This is something that I hear almost all of my friends talking about, denitely my wife – although

that can be a contentious conversation – and some of my colleagues who are courageous enough

to be a bit more vulnerable. And I think the key to my lack of motivation comes from my inability

to exercise full engagement during this time. So, I’m curious about how to fully engage.

A friend said to me, ‘I know exactly what you mean and you have two options’. I was sceptical to

say the least. Surely there wasn’t a one-size-ts-all solution. She said, ‘You either take more time

or give yourself something to do in that time’. I thought, well I can’t take more time – I don’t have

it. And I’m not sure I have a ‘something’ to do. But, I tried both, and for me at least, she couldn’t

have been more accurate. Clearly, it takes time to get out of one space or rhythm and fully

embrace a new one, so I needed more time to ‘fully’ engage in the time I had. And equally, when I

gave myself a specic ‘something to do’, like alphabetising my books, or searching for old friends

on social media, or whatever trivial thing it is that I choose to do, I am so engaged, and move

so fully into that space, that I feel released into the other parts of my life, and motivated to be

better.

”

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> Repetition, repetition, repetition

It sounds obvious and potentially quite boring, but it is the only sure way to build muscle memory

and enable these new habits to manifest in live speech. However, here are three main ways in which

you can practice:

- Sit, listen and imitate

Set aside a period of time, as regularly as you can, to sit down with the book, and practice the areas

that you found challenging. Take your time, repeat the exercises, listen to the audio, imitate the

examples whilst watching yourself in a mirror and record yourself.

- Listen, listen, listen

Most of us live very busy lives, and even nding ten minutes to practice can be challenging. But

we all have time while we are doing other things, like travelling, eating, cleaning, cooking, waiting

etc… where we could do some listening. Even when we can’t actually practice aloud, just listening

can be very productive! I won’t bore you with the science, but the brain and body engage in some

very sophisticated imitative processes while listening, and so download the audio, have it on your

computer or mobile device and listen to it. Have it on in the background while you’re cooking or

cleaning. Have it on your phone and listen on your headphones if you’re travelling on a train or bus

or taxi. Just surround yourself with the sounds that you’re hoping to inhabit.

- Stealing the ‘best bits’

Look and listen out for speakers who embody the pronunciation and intonation habits that you’re

hoping to inhabit. These might be friends and colleagues, or people in the media, who you might

be able to hear regularly and steal some of what they’re doing really well. It’s nothing to do with

becoming them, but simply having a reference to inspire and guide you.

- Expand your word banks and rehearse phrases

Hopefully, you’ve been building a word bank for each new sound and feature that you’ve explored

through the book. Take time to reect on the language you use day to day, and expand those word

banks to focusing your practice on words and phrases that you can then use in daily speech. Build

these words into typical phrases and expressions that you use regularly, for example, ‘I’ll be home

at six’, ‘what time is the meeting?’ or ‘do you want to go for lunch?’. Rehearsing these phrases might

enable you to have greater control of how you pronounce the vowels and consonants, and which

stresses and intonation you use, so that when you speak it is less like a game of roulette, and more

specic and condent.

- Have a ‘second take’

After any conversation, meeting or presentation, you’ll be surprised at how you will have identied

some words and phrases that you weren’t happy with in terms of pronunciation or intonation. ‘Strike

while the iron is hot’ as we would say – nd a couple of minutes to note down some of those words

or phrases and immediately give them another go or a ‘second take’. Get really specic about what

could have been better, maybe check their phonetic transcription in a reliable dictionary and play

with them over the following days and weeks.

How do I Integrate these New Habits into Live Speech

238

Bonus Section:

Practice Pages

Intonation - Pitch and Rhythm

Relationships between Words - Connected Speech

Syllables and Word Stress

Vowels

Consonants

239

10min

1010

phonetic symbol – r

- Ex. 1 - Spot the R sound (p.15)

1 I drove Robin from Rochester to Reading 2 Travelling by train can be great - mostly

3 I drew a green eld with grey rain clouds 4 Is this right? This is Broad Street.

5 We’ve been approved to distribute the food 6 We trawled through last month’s report

7 I’m protesting because he broke the rules 8 The rota is crazy – we must take control

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

drink grip history increase industry instrument interest print religion

rhythm trick brick bridge prison ring spring military different every

very credit direction friend record regret request respect rest

secretary stretch berry dress thread umbrella electric general necessary

present ready separate crack carriage camera rat angry married

natural parallel narrow country crush current destruction discovery

front rub run trouble brush rough across f

rom tomorrow authority

prot drop orange rod probable responsible wrong strong agreement

degree reading receipt tree free

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the R sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing R the sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

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Practice Pages - R

240

10min

- Ex. 1 - Spot the r’s that shouldn’t be pronounced (p.19)

1 The more we are heard, the better. 2 Your proposal has been considered

3 Where do your parents come from Oscar? 4 The fear was overwhelming. I nearly fainted

5 I work in marketing. It’s rewarding. 6 George and Peter have never seen it.

7 Last year was more challenging than others 8 He’s the worst person to ask for help.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (underlined r’s shouldn’t be pronounced)

together expert leather letter pleasure weather butter colour copper

collar sugar birth burst journey purpose word work churc h

circle girl shirt skirt dirty early argument art start arch arm

army card cart star dark or cork daughter order record sort

war water cord door horse store warm short humour danger

organisation tired wire owner hour sour shower here near ear

clea

r dear there air care square share wear rare picture bitter

actor author Arthur border avour scare toaster car park alarm

torn born four jar pear beer

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing r’s that shouldn’t be pronounced?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing r’s that shouldn’t be pronounced?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.295

1012

1013

Practice Pages - Rhotic Speakers

241

10min

phonetic symbol - m

- Ex. 1 - Spot the M sound (p.22)

1 Martin mumbles so much don’t you think? 2 I’m making marmite sandwiches for Mum.

3 Can you get Martha’s jumper in medium? 4 Your camera is amazing. How much was it?

5 It might rain, so bring a mac and umbrella. 6 Sorry, I wish I had more money on me.

7 Sam’s honeymoon sounds marvellous! 8 Come here! There’s a mouse on the mat!

Ex. 2 - Everyday words

committee competition limit middle mist rhythm swim system mi x e d

military

attempt development measure memory metal smell stem chemical

animal comparison damage man manager mass smash hammer map match

stamp automatic married among some adjustment comfort company

government jump month mother number punishment summer monkey

muscle pump stomach thumb from tomorrow common complex woman

seem agreement machine meal meat meeting steam female complete

advertisement worm argument example harmony mark market almost

ornament

Ex. 3 - Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the M sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the M sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.295

1014

1015

Practice Pages - M

242

10min

phonetic symbol - p and b

- Ex. 1 - Spot the P and B sounds (p.24)

1 Could you pass me the black pen please? 2 I tried to comb it out but it wouldn’t budge

3 We’ll need some lamb mince and potatoes 4 I’m all packed, but where’s my passport?

5 Did you ask Ben if he posted the photos? 6 The computer is broken, I can’t press play!

7 I found some beautiful blue eggs in the park 8 What’s happening for Sebastian’s birthday?

Ex. 2 - Everyday words (P is underlined and B is in bold)

brass example harbour part plant basket bath branch parcel past

sharp

before porter support ball board important poor approval

distribution

group produce soup boot spoon apparatus base behaviour

observation

page operation pain paint paper paste payment place play

representation space baby basin blade brain brake plane plate spade

table able by bite price surprise library pipe private bright point

poison boy boiling blow hope process prose protest slope boat

power

experience bit building business grip impulse opinion position

bone

open about powder plough brown

Ex. 3 - Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the P and B sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the P and B sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.295

1016

1017

Practice Pages - P and B

243

10min

phonetic symbol - w

- Ex. 1 - Spot the W sound (p.28)

1 I was walking through the woods in Warwick. 2 I’ve been waiting since Wednesday.

When do you want to work next week? 4 The questions were easy. It’s a walkover.

They wouldn’t consider what we proposed. 6 I’ve been awake since one! I’m weary.

The weather is wild out there. I’m windswept. 8 It is quality workmanship. It is wonderful.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

will with liquid twist whip window wing quick language wax wash

watch wool week wheel equal frequent sweet wall way weight

while why quite wine wide wise white quiet wound web wet

wok won wig wit when woken word wept weed warm waste

went wage wife whisper women witch wealthy worm watch wander

wished willow whisky whinge wallow walnut waft wafe win wiggle

whisker wheeze welcome

whacky weave wicked worship wager warble

woven whale worry

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the W sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the W sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.295

1018

1019

Practice Pages - W

244

10min

phonetic symbol - f and v

- Ex. 1 - Spot the F and V sounds (p.31)

1 Have you got notes from Friday’s meeting? 2 Vanessa didn’t like the vase I’m afraid

3 We’re travelling to France in the camper van 4 I’m fed up here so I’m leaving tomorrow

5 Can you feed the sh and water the owers? 6 I’ve never seen such despicable behaviour!

7 Where are the leftovers from the party? 8 Let’s go, they’re serving food all afternoon

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (F is underlined and V is in bold)

give division if ction lift river silver nger xed living stiff different

every ever very effect event friend invention level self vessel fever

shelf canvas fact family value ag fat at cover discovery front

love glove oven off of offer prot ofce false soft foot full woof

even belief feeling eld leaf chief feeble curve servant verse nerve

fertile rst after far father farm for forward fall force oor fork

food fruit move view foolish future ame wave face safe driving

ght ight y knife re violent voice fold physical enough

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the F and V sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the F and V sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.296

1020

1021

Practice Pages - F and V

245

10min

phonetic symbol - j

- Ex. 1 - Spot the YOD sound (p.35)

1 Do you start university on Tuesday? 2 The new amusement arcade is a nuisance.

3 The music was unusual but therapeutic. 4 The union rebuked her comments.

5 I’ve been queuing forever. It’s so stupid! 6 They seduced me. I’m only human.

It’s really humid in the computer room. 8 Can I have tuna, cucumber and mayonnaise?

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

you unanimous universe uniform unity usual use universal union

Ukraine bubonic abuse rebuke accuse acute dupe duet duke duel

induce subdue produce reduce neutral newt pneumonia neur o t i c

neurological nuance tune tube tutor astute enthuse pupil puma

assume presume fumes pubescent cue stew music immunity muc u s

mute view review hue human huge fugitive few fumigate funeral

fuse futile confusion euthanasia unanimity unanimous

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the YOD sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing YOD the sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.296

1022

1023

Practice Pages - YOD

246

10min

phonetic symbol – s and z

- Ex. 1 - Spot the S and Z sounds (p.41)

1 It sounds like it’s going to be cold by the sea 2 Did you send Daisy the purse that she lost?

3 It’s just a phase, she’ll soon get over it. 4 Be safe on your travels and wear sunscreen

5 Is it ready? I’ve been sitting here for ages! 6 She wore a lovely silk scarf, I was jealous!

7 Please don’t sing, I’m trying to practice 8 We’re going to the zoo by bus on Tuesday

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (S is underlined and Z is in bold)

this still decision distance existence history increase industry inse c t

instrument

interest kiss list sister slip stitch prison scissors sk i n

spring

stick whistle sticky simple yesterday west yes request respect

rest secretary selection sense sex step stretch suggestion tendency test

chest dress pencil necessary present second separate as balance sand

acid elastic sad such destruction discussion disgust dust son structure

substance summer sponge sun sudden across because loss salt stop

sock stocking conscious solid strong responsible opposite possible see

east disease increase

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the S and Z sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the S and Z sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.296

1024

1025

Practice Pages - S and Z

247

10min

phonetic symbols – ð and θ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the TH sounds (p.45)

1 This is great, thank you for thinking of me 2 There was a big thorn stuck in my thigh!

3 Nothing grows here other than thistles! 4 That python is the scariest thing I’ve seen

5 I thought Thelma gave birth on Thursday 6 My clothes are lthy, I’m having a bath.

7 Nothing could be further from the truth 8 They have both been faithful, I know that.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (voiceless is underlined and voiced is in bold)

brother thunder authority cloth earth north through tooth smooth

mouth

throat theory moth booth depth month author death scathe

beneath enthuse weather maths path pith myth sloth smith apathy

south breath depth faith fourth gather lather mother father another

athlete empathy healthy leather length bother cathedral teeth

ethereal farthing growth seventh ethical gathering homeopath plinth

menthol atheist fathom ninth heath froth ethos ethnic gothic growth

method pathos rather seethe breathe enthral ethanol farther

lather lethal rhythm

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the TH sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the TH sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.296

1026

1027

Practice Pages - Voiceless and Voiced TH

248

10min

phonetic symbol - ŋ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the NG sound (p.49)

1 It’s raining! I only just hung the washing out. 2 Are you coming to the book signing?

3 I’m looking for my ring. I keep losing it. 4 He’s acting strange; he won’t say anything.

5 I’m juggling too much. I long for a day off! 6 I’ve been calling and emailing all morning!

I’m wearing those earrings; they’re amazing. 8 I love Springtime - it’s up-lifting.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

young wrong wing sing rang hang bang song rung swing lung

going ing bring raging along wiring typing thing string strung spying

skiing saving rising ruling saying posing poking naming mixing making

hiring feeling facing doing blogging coping crying coming caring biting

asking adding ageing aching wording yawning willing whining

weaning wasting warming washing wedding walking swinging snoring

sobbing spacing soaking

smiling slicing showing signing sighing sibling

shutting sipping shaving shining seeking coughing ringing raising proving

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the NG sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the NG sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.296

1028

1029

Practice Pages - NG

249

10min

phonetic symbol - n

- Ex. 1 - Spot the N sound (p.54)

1 The boiler’s broken. It’s nearly November! 2 I need help, I’m new here, I can’t nd Ben.

3 Nick is so nervous for his interview 4 When will it end? It’s non stop noise!

5 My niece is nine on Monday, so grown up! 6 Leave the window open its not raining

7 I’ve never been to Nottingham by train 8 The dance begins at seven tonight.

Ex. 2 - Everyday words

condition linen minute religion tin wind winter chin pin thin any

when

then attention direction question engine net neck pen dependent

general bent than land transport ant band hand natural narrow under

enough country current punishment run gun nut cotton knot orange

cushion between reason sneeze knee needle clean green burn journey

learning person turn curtain certain chance answer garden horn normal

amusement news unit wound moon against education name nation

relation statement chain drain nail snake design mind science island

line kind join only

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the N sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the N sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.297

1030

1031

Practice Pages - N

250

10min

phonetic symbols – l and ɫ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the L sounds (p.57)

1 I’m still not looking forward to leaving. 2 Did you get my email? I called yesterday.

3 I sold it to Laura last week. 4 I’m probably going to look online.

5 The longer I sleep the lazier I seem to get. 6 I like the layout but the angles are all wrong

7 You look beautiful in the silk scarf. 8 I’m healthy and full of life. I feel great!

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (dark l’s are in bold and light l’s are underlined)

till little milk lip political ill let well help bell electric medical

regular leg special apple parallel black blood trouble polish knowledge

bottle clock lock long probable look pull detail lead steel la u g h

last glass all tall rule jewel school blue cruel loose scale rail

sail table trail able male late light smile like oil low coal

control gold ro

ll cold old cloud loud material fail feel employer

nancial peel smile loss trial line le belated class align ight

scale beetle style pile trial lane loiter loser whilst he’ll she’ll

they’ll

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the L sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the L sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.297

1032

1033

Practice Pages - Light and Dark L

251

10min

phonetic symbols – t and d

- Ex. 1 - Spot the T and D sounds (p.61)

1 I wanted to go to the train station today. 2 I’ve got to get Ian a tennis racket.

Do you want a cup of tea or coffee David? 4 Without a doubt, I’d say it’s the best offer.

I’d love to talk to you about travelling abroad. 6 Dad, would you get me a book of stamps?

7 The days are getting shorter now it’s winter. 8 The lights are so bright. Turn them down.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (T is underlined and D is in bold)

addition trick ticket get credit death debt end record bed thread

ready wet dead delicate at that and attack act tax cat hat

rat bad but bucket bud tongue cut shut body property top

pocket pot road dog drop put degree need reading teaching

receipt seed street tree deep secret story thought draw do to

root t

rue take rate shade taste trade stage tray great straight

strange guide might side society time tight right dry note road

stone coat goat toe down out account amount doubt mountain

sound town trousers round

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the T and D sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the T and D sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.297

1034

1035

Practice Pages - T and D

252

10min

- Ex. 1 - Spot the TN DN TL DL consonants (p.66)

1 I shouldn’t ask but I’m in a real muddle. 2 It’s a burden, I’ve written as much as I can.

The warden is a frightening young man. 4 Here is the button, cotton and the needle.

5 The beetle is in the middle of the puddle. 6 They’re hidden in the forbidden garden.

She’s brutal. You’ll end up in hospital. 8 I’ve forgotten the digital camera.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

battle belittle kettle bottle settle rattle shuttle gentle petal metal

fatal mortal mental brutal rental noodle cuddle handle toddling

candle paddle ddle huddle poodle waddle dwindle bitten eaten

tighten rotten pattern kitten beaten written sweeten atten forgotten

threaten straighten carton glutton scrutinise wooden ridden sodden

sudden golden burden overladen harden trodden Jordan pardon hadn’t

couldn’t shuttle skittles

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the TN DN TL DL syllabic consonants?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the TN DN TL DL syllabic consonants?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.297

1036

1037

Practice Pages - Syllabic Consonants TD, DN, TL, DL

253

10min

phonetic symbols - k and g

- Ex. 1 - Spot the K and G sounds (p.70)

1 The guy at the desk was so grumpy. 2 I’m going to a gig with Craig later.

I came across this article in the Guardian. 4 Could I have a packet of crisps?

5 We got a kitten at the weekend. He’s cute. 6 Mike was really great with Meg.

7 I called the company about our gas meter. 8 He gave a compelling talk at the Gala.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (K is underlined and G is in bold)

drink kick brick pig thick connection egg kettle crack back reaction

beg carriage angry come crush cup public copy cough shock cook

book keep key grass cause chalk make shake cake grey crime

cry guide go growth smoke comb broken cow acclaim kid get

game hug rug shrug jet-lag g bag log kept crayon kiss qu i t e

quiet queen quilt

quote quarter quiz sock sack rack rock sick

doctor stagger locker bigger mega quality grapes cucumber take

lake strike stroke brake tackle struggle crackle crockery character

gregarious charismatic quest

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the K and G sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the K and G sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.298

1038

1039

Practice Pages - K and G

254

10min

phonetic symbol - ʃ and ʒ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the SH and ZH sounds (p.74)

1 It’s nished. It’s a real accomplishment. 2 I wish the enclosure was bigger and shadier.

3 I should have shown you the shelves I put up. 4 I’ve washed and polished the dishes.

5 That new fashion shop has shutdown. 6 It was a pleasure to meet Josh and Sheila.

7 Could you measure the size of the shed? 8 The collection in the shop is astonishing.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (SH is underlined and ZH is in bold)

sure seizure measure treasure reassure pressure exposure leisure cash

sh dash she shoe push wish bush shrug shone shave sho c k

shook smash shame sharp shout shove shore ship brush ash esh

harsh ush blush shriek vanish squash shower shrill perish sheet

punish fetish Cashew worship shampoo shadow admonish rubbish publish

refresh selsh Kashmir garnish babyish workshop sunshine vanquish

shortcut shrivel shoulder shredder shortage

shameful

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the SH and ZH sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the SH and ZH sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.298

1040

1041

Practice Pages - SH and ZH

255

10min

phonetic symbol - dʒ and tʃ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the CH and DG sounds (p.77)

1 Charlie was chosen to judge the contest. 2 I need courage to look over the edge.

3 The porridge was too stodgy and cold. 4 It’s just too challenging to change it now.

We went sledging in January with James. 6 I reached for the jam and smashed the jar.

7 Jill and Jane are like chalk and cheese. 8 I’d love to juggle but I can’t catch.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words (CH is underlined and DG is in bold)

badge budge hedge ledge ridge widget wedges lodger fudge

dget dodge budget bridge gadget grudge dodgy badger midget

pledge smudge merge range verge cage huge page wage rage

sage gouge surge image large manage emerge charge garage lounge

orange whinge strange passage postage chop chip itch each rich

arch chat such chin inch fetch coach choke child cheat batch

bench

chant charm chess chose patch torch pitch march chest

chase touch hatch cheap detach choice chilly cherry blanch church

chocolate achieving teacher butcher voucher switch

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the CH and DG sounds?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the CH and DG sounds?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.298

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Practice Pages - DG and CH

256

10min

phonetic symbol - h

- Ex. 1 - Spot the H sound (p.82)

1 Have you had a chance to re-heel your shoes 2 But he has seen who is headlining

3 I hope Helen is happy with this headdress 4 Her eyes were hazel and her hair was blue

5 I haven’t had a holiday in over ten years 6 I’m hiding here until the hurricane has gone

7 Hang on I was hoping for a hug 8 I’m heading home in half-an-hour

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

how house here hearing hair head hanging hospital hollow ho o k

her him heat heart hard who hate high whose hot honey

haste ahead hood hose howl hold hill home hero host hun t

horn hidden hint heap hall hare hype humour hotel horse hoist

hinge hostel hoax hiccup help hello habit hundred however hassle

harmony harvest hapless handles hamster hallway hedge healthy hygienic

hypnosis hallway hummous happened

harass hardware hammer hydrate

humiliate hysterical height horrible human

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the H sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing H the sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.298

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Practice Pages - H

257

10min

phonetic symbol - ɜː

- Ex. 1 - Spot the NURSE vowel sound (p.96)

“The rst thing to say, is that you’ve all worked really hard. And on Thursday, we found out that

we’re now third in the country, competing with the likes of Earnest Worthing and Scott Burns!

The purpose of our recent advertisement was to raise the prole and start the next part of our

journey. We’ve come a long way in thirteen years, mostly due to your commitment. Those early

starts have paid off, and every person here is part of this success. The question is – how do we

become rst in the country? We need to learn more, assert ourselves and cause a stir in the

industry. We’ll reinvent this rm and in doing so, you’ll all earn a bit more money!”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

birth burst curve earth purpose servant turn verse word work

bird church circle curtain girl nerve shirt skirt worm fertile certain

dirty purpose hurt irt burn earn alert search worth rst emerg e n c y

concern lurking surf purpose transfer fur further rm murder term

germs permanent discern perm churn sir thirsty thirty third her

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the NURSE vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the NURSE vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

1046

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Practice Pages - nurse

p.299

258

10min

phonetic symbol – əʊ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the GOAT vowel sound (p.100)

“I got a new coat today. I know, I should be saving up for the boat trip with Owen but it was on

offer and I couldn’t say no! It’s mauve with roses sewn onto the pockets. They were about to close,

and they only had one left and it was in my size. I don’t treat myself very often, and it’s so warm I

can wear it when we’re out cruising on the ocean. I should go home and show Owen. He doesn’t

go back on the road until tomorrow.”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

over no though so blow growth hope motion note owner proc e s s

prose protest slope smoke snow soap stone bone comb goat

nose throat toe broken open low slow go show gloat coat toast

roast boast most phone photo photograph boat close code condone

groan poke soak stroke loan alone know yoke envelope post

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the GOAT vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the GOAT vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.299

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Practice Pages - goat

259

10min

phonetic symbol – ɑː

- Ex. 1 - Spot the BATH vowel sound (p.104)

“I agree, but the answer is not to sack the staff. The branch has no clear direction… Don’t laugh –

They all work very hard… Please don’t interrupt me. They all work hard - without any appreciation

I might add – the issue is poor management. Arthur is not a leader. From the very start he has

been argumentative; he’s clueless about the state of the market; he’s not part of the team.

For example, I asked him to talk to Martha to reassure her that we’ll support her through these

difcult circumstances. He refused and made some alarming remark about hormones and barged

past. The answer is to sack Arthur.”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

after far argument art brass chance example father glass grass

harbour harmony mark plant arch arm army basket bath card cart

farm garden heart parcel star hard sharp dark last pass grasp

last fast nasty fasten disaster advance answer demand advantage dan c e

grant ask daft banana sample branch contrast

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the BATH vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the BATH vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.299

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Practice Pages - bath, palm, start

260

10min

phonetic symbol - ʌ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the STRUT vowel sound (p.108)

“Could you pick up the kids from school today? Come on Duncan! I seldom ask you for anything,

and I’m under so much pressure. I’ve got to run through the agenda for Monday, do some number

crunching, and then collect the cupcakes from Mum for the fund raiser on Sunday. It’s just this

once! After this month it’ll all be done. I love you. Please don’t punish me. It’ll be summer soon.

We’ll have such fun in London. Kate’s son is coming, and your brother is always such great company.

I’ll make it up to you, I promise!”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

among under other some such but enough adjustment blood butter

colour comfort country cover crush current destruction discovery

discussion disgust dust front government judge jump money mother

rub run structure substance thunder touch trouble brush buc k e t

bud button cup glove gun monkey muscle nut oven pump sponge

stomach sun thumb tongue cut sudden young public rough shut

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the STRUT vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the STRUT vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.300

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Practice Pages - strut

261

10min

phonetic symbol - ɑɪ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the PRICE vowel sound (p.112)

“We’ve been to Venice twice this year! Eileen told us to go to see the sights and taste the food,

and both were wonderful. The ight over is easy and we always pack light. It’s expensive, but the

experience is priceless. And the people are so kind and friendly, I cried when we said goodbye! But

on our last night we tried a new restaurant. The food wasn’t good and there was a ght outside,

so next time we’ll nd somewhere nicer.”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

by I while why quite bite crime cry design driving ght guide

ice iron light mind mine might price rice science side sign siz e

sky smile society surprise time wine write eye y island knif e

library line pipe bright high like private quiet right tight wide

wise dry white

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the PRICE vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the PRICE vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.300

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1055

Practice Pages - price

262

10min

phonetic symbol - ɒ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the LOT vowel sound (p.116)

“I’ve got a new job! I’ve been at Hobsons for too long, it wasn’t satisfying me any more. So, I got

the paper and saw an opportunity at Godrey’s Locksmiths in Gloucester. I applied, went down to

their ofces, talked about my experience and they offered it to me on the spot! I said ‘could I get

back to you tomorrow? I’m just considering my options’. What else was I to do? They told me that

I’ve got to do some more training in October, and I’ll be on probation for six months, but Oscar

works there and he said that offers like this don’t come along that often and I should take it. So

I did!”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

across from off on of because not tomorrow authority body cloth

copper copy cotton cough knowledge loss polish prot property

quality salt shock song stop top wash bottle box clock collar

dog drop hospital knot orange pocket pot rod sock stocking wat c h

common complex conscious hollow long possible probable responsible

strong false opposite soft solid wrong

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the LOT vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the LOT vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.300

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1057

Practice Pages - lot, cloth

263

10min

phonetic symbol - ɔː

- Ex. 1 - Spot the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.120)

“Do you have to work tonight Paul? Why don’t we go for a walk? Or order a takeaway? I thought

I could get a couple of bottles of wine, you could hire a lm, and we could just relax for a bit.

I’ve found things so stressful recently. Work has been mad. I’ve been given all these reports to do,

and I’m not coping with it very well. George starts high school next week. Laura is organising an

auction at the village hall and wants me to give a talk…. I need a holiday, that’s what I need. Come

on - it’s just one night… If I take the kids out tomorrow morning you could work then instead.”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

before for all or forward almost north cause chalk cork daughter

fall force law ornament porter record v. reward sort story support

thought war water ball board cord door draw oor fork horn

horse store wall important normal poor tall warm short small

talk assort distort form torture orthodox organ wardrobe ignore pork torn

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the THOUGHT vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the THOUGHT vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.300

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Practice Pages - thought, north, force

264

10min

phonetic symbol - ɔɪ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the CHOICE vowel sound (p.125)

I’ve been getting really annoyed at Joy. She’s always spoiling things by talking rudely, and the toys

she got Lloyd are so inappropriate. Why can’t she just employ some common sense? She’ll upset

everyone if she keeps going like this, but it’s her choice. Anyway I shouldn’t loiter here any longer,

you’ve got potatoes to boil and the kids to put to bed. It was a lovely party, and the soy-yoghurts

went down well! No need for my paranoia after all.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

join noise oil point poison voice boy coin toil void soil tabloid

hoist avoid moist steroid joy toy decoy envoy annoy oyster

voyage employ destroy deploy coil soil spoil poise joist joint

toilet embroiled anoint rejoice loiter choice hemorrhoid foil thyroid

paranoid embroidery asteroid

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the CHOICE vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the CHOICE vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.301

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1061

Practice Pages - choice

265

10min

phonetic symbol - æ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the TRAP vowel sound (p.129)

“We’re going to a tango dance class on Saturday, would you like to come? Andrew is coming. So

is Mathew, Andrea and Sam. Come on, we just stomp around for a bit. It’s great! It’s mad but such

a laugh. And the man that leads it is very attractive. He isn’t married, and he has a waxed chest!!

Then we’ll head back to mine, have a glass or two and then go down to the Fat Cat – that pub on

the corner of Ashford road, near Amber’s house. There’s a band playing – they’re called the Mad

Hatters I think. How does that sound?”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

at as than act animal attack back balance canvas comparison crac k

damage expansion fact family land language manager mass reac t i o n

sand smash tax transport n. value angle ant apple bag camera

carriage ag hammer hand map match rat acid angry automat i c

black elastic at hanging happy natural parallel bad narrow sad

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the TRAP vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the TRAP vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.301

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1063

Practice Pages - trap

266

10min

phonetic symbol - aʊ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the MOUTH vowel sound (p.133)

I can’t believe we sold the house! We should celebrate! The MacCleods seem like a nice family.

We should leave the towel rail and I doubt we’ll need the dishwasher. Do you remember there’s

that brown stain on the bath? We need to get that out. It’ll be strange to leave this town, but I’m

sure it’ll be lovely down south. We’ve looked around, it’s a good area.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

about how now out account amount mountain powder sound

wound (past tense of the verb ‘wind’) cloud cow fowl mouth v. plough trousers

round loud astound ground mound sound growl foul rouse noun

stout pouch mouse mount gouge couch found pound devout lounge

south count pronounce council boundary crowd browse allow

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the MOUTH vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the MOUTH vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.301

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1065

Practice Pages - mouth

267

10min

phonetic symbol - iː

- Ex. 1 - Spot the FLEECE vowel sound (p.137)

“Are you free next week? I’ve got this meeting on Wednesday evening and I’m feeling so uneasy

about it. Could you come round, read my notes and then give me some feedback? I’d really

appreciate it! It’s about the team’s recent performance gures. We had three people quit last

month and they want me to give some reasons why I think they left, and it’s in front of the chief

exec. Maxine will be there, which is a relief. But nonetheless, I’m a complete wreck! I’ve been

dreaming about it for weeks. Even Steven noticed that I’ve been acting sheepish recently, and that’s

something!”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

keep seem be see between the he east please agreement belief

degree detail disease eld heat increase v. lead machine meal meat

need peace reading sea sleep sneeze steam steel teaching week

bee cheese key knee leaf receipt seed street tree wheel

cheap clean deep equal free frequent adj. sweet female feeble green

secret

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the FLEECE vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the FLEECE vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.301

1066

1067

Practice Pages - eece

268

123

10min

phonetic symbol - ɪ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the KIT vowel sound (p.141)

“I’ve been given this extra work to do, but I don’t think it’s fair. Jim has never taken any work

home in the last four years and it’s frustrating not to have even been acknowledged for putting in

additional evenings and weekends. He just goes to the gym every night. I’ve helped Flynn build this

business! He can’t manage his staff. If it doesn’t change soon, I’ll be looking for a new job, that’s

for sure!”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

will in with till still little addition bit competition condition decision

distance division drink existence ction grip history impulse increase n.

industry insect instrument interest kick kiss lift limit linen liq u i d

list middle milk minute mist opinion position print religion rhythm

river silver sister slip stitch swim system thing tin trick twist

wind winter brick ship skin spring stick ticket whi

stle window wing

xed living military physical political quick sticky stiff thick bitter

different ill mixed

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the KIT vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the KIT vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.302

1068

1069

Practice Pages - kit

269

10min

phonetic symbol - ɪə

- Ex. 1 - Spot the NEAR vowel sound (p.145)

He’s handed in his notice at the museum. He wants to pursue a career in medicine! He’s got so

much studying to do, but he really is serious about it. I don’t want to interfere. I think it’s clear

in his mind and that’s all that matters. It’s weird to think he’ll be going back to university after all

these years. I fear change – I don’t think I could do it.

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

here near experience hearing idea theory year ear material ser i o u s

dear tear sear gear shear bleary dreary appear mere we’re adhere

sphere coherent severe revere austere sincere persevere career

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the NEAR vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the NEAR vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

p.302

1070

1071

Practice Pages - near

270

10min

phonetic symbol - e

- Ex. 1 - Spot the DRESS vowel sound (p.149)

“Have you heard about Emily? You know that she’s been applying to different universities to do her

PHD? Well, she got in! Guess where! Oxford! She’s thrilled. A bit overwhelmed no doubt, but so

happy. The selection process is rigorous. I hope she’s ready!? I’m so envious! Greg is over the

moon. He’s taking her to Edinburgh for a special celebratory weekend away together!”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

get let send any every when ever then very yesterday west

yes attempt attention bread breath connection credit death debt

development digestion direction edge effect end error event ex p e r t

friend help invention jelly leather letter level measure memory metal

pleasure question record n. regret request respect rest secretary sel f

sense sex smell step stretch suggestion tendency test vessel weather

d bell berry chest shelf stem thread umbrella chemical dependent

electric general health medical necessary present n. present v. reg u l a r

irregular second separate adj. separate v. wet yellow dead delicate left

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the DRESS vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the DRESS vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

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10min

phonetic symbol - eɪ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the FACE vowel sound (p.153)

“I’ve been at the station for hours. I think the train is delayed. I’m so sorry. It’s just started to rain

as well! What a crazy day! Sorry for the wait! Are you free in April, could I come and stay then?

Great! And I won’t be late! We’ll have an amazing time! I think I’ll go by plane next time.”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

make take say may again apparatus base behaviour change danger

education exchange ame grain hate name nation observation operation

organisation page pain paint paper paste payment place play range

rate ray relation representation scale shade shake shame space stage

statement taste trade wave way weight baby basin blade brain

brake cake chain drain face nail plate potato rail sail snak e

ade table trail train tray able grey male same straight awak e

safe strange

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the FACE vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the FACE vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

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phonetic symbol - eə

- Ex. 1 - Spot the SQUARE vowel sound (p.157)

“We went to the fayre today. Mary absolutely loved it. There were various tents and stalls. There

was one selling homemade pear cider. I bought ve bottles! What you can buy in the supermarket

just doesn’t compare to this. There was a whole area that had been turned into a fairy grotto. And

there was a very precarious looking tree house. I was worried when the children were running

up and down those stairs, but no one was hurt and it did look beautiful. Whoever designed it has

a lot of artistic air!”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

where air care hair square share wear rare fair compare fare

dare swear scare blare aware are beware declare prepare ensnare

nightmare pair air affair éclair stairs dairy canary millionaire Claire

despair bare heir pear scarce vary

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the SQUARE vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the SQUARE vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

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273

10min

phonetic symbol - Uː

- Ex. 1 - Spot the GOOSE vowel sound (p.161)

“How was your holiday? Where did you go? Sounds beautiful! No, we stayed here. I’m working

really hard trying to get this assignment nished. I think I’m losing my mind – it’s gruelling! I’m

getting up at six… It’s true! I’m out by seven then I’m either writing, proofreading or editing up

until half ve everyday day. It’s hard to get in the groove, you know? I’m still doing my private work

but when I do, if I’m honest, I just can’t focus on anything. The deadline is looming and who knows

if I’ll be done. It’s two weeks today! Who knew that writing and thinking could be so exhausting!

I’ll be done soon. Once I’ve nished, I think I’ll sleep for a week!”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

through to amusement approval distribution food fruit group hum o u r

move music news produce room rule soup unit use view wound

(injury) boot jewel moon roof root school screw shoe spoon

tooth new smooth blue cruel foolish future lose review juic e

nuisance confusion crucial through tooth choose boost

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the GOOSE vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the GOOSE vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

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10min

phonetic symbol - ʊ

- Ex. 1 - Spot the FOOT vowel sound (p.165)

“I shouldn’t be here. I’m sorry. I know how awkward it makes you. I couldn’t make it last week,

because I was at that book fair in town. I stood for hours. It was good though, but the host was

awful - so full of himself… Do you want a cushion? That bed looks so uncomfortable… How do

you feel now? That woman next door looks grumpy… How’s the food? Would you like me to

cook you something?”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

put look pull push sugar wood wool foot hook could should

wouldn’t shouldn’t shook crook took hood shook cookie bush

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the FOOT vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the FOOT vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

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Practice Pages - foot

275

10min

phonetic symbol - ʊə

- Ex. 1 - Spot the CURE vowel sound (p.169)

“The doctors say it’s incurable. I was furious at rst, but I’m coming to terms with it now. She

doesn’t want to have to endure any more tests. She’s so calm and mature about it. She’s very

inspiring. I’m not coping as well, but I think she feels very secure in the home and they’re doing

everything they can for her. Her room’s quite luxurious, and it’s good that it’s so rural, she can

watch the deer from her window.”

- Ex. 2 - Everyday words

insurance assure impure obscure procure pure secure cure plural rural

Tr uro centurion curious furious injurious luxurious mural penur i o u s

spurious curate during fury

- Ex. 3 – Create phrases from the words above

Create 6 phrases that you might use containing words from Ex. 2 above.

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

- Ex. 4 - My Word Bank

What are your 12 most frequently used words containing the CURE vowel sound?

1 ………………… 2 ………………… 3 ………………… 4 …………………

5 ………………… 6 ………………… 7 ………………… 8 …………………

9 ………………… 10 ………………… 11 ………………… 12 …………………

- Ex. 5 - My Phrase Bank

What are your 6 most frequently used phrases containing the CURE vowel sound?

1 ….…………….……………………………… 2 ….…………….………………………………

3 ….…………….……………………………… 4 ….…………….………………………………

5 ….…………….……………………………… 6 ….…………….………………………………

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> What is the difference between monosyllables and polysyllables? (p.174)

- Ex. 1 – Count how many syllables there are in the words below:

amazing confront driving photograph mum rearranging sure computer

salary bag wallet purse keys shopping lm dinner wonderful

experimental jumper skirt typing shower fortunate well illness

- Ex. 2 – Count the number of syllables of each word in the sentence below:

“What time do you want me to pick you up? I can’t leave for another ten minutes. I’m just waiting

on a call. Shall I collect you from the station or near the roundabout? And do you need to go

shopping today? Do you want to do that now or this evening? I’ve got some work to do, so I

could do that while you’re shopping and then pick you up and we could go for dinner somewhere.

Maybe, Alexander’s? What do you think?”

> Which syllable should I stress? (p.175)

- Ex. 1 – Circle the correct stressed syllable in these two-syllable verbs, nouns and adjectives (words in bold):

a) I want to upgrade my phone… is the upgrade available to me on this contract?

b) Progress is so slow… can you progress without my help?

c) It’s faulty. I’d like a refund please… it’s been over 21 days, so I can’t refund your money

d) I suspect she feels awful about it… he’s their main suspect

e) Have you heard about this project?... They project a loss of 4.1bn

- Ex. 2 – Spot the correct stress in the words with three or more syllables ending in ‘ic’, ‘sion’ and ‘tion’:

a) I’m not sure if I’m an atheist or agnostic… The doctor gave me antibiotics...

b) It was fantastic… he’s completely neurotic… call the paramedics, quickly…

c) Don’t worry, it’s under my supervision... The recession has hit us hard…

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d) We’re starting the extension in April… it was a difcult decision…

e) What do you think about the coalition?... But it’s a tradition!

f) You are the exception to the rule… you are my motivation... it’s an addiction...

- Ex. 3 – Spot the correct stress in the words with four or more syllables ending ‘cy’, ‘ty’, ‘phy’, ‘gy’ and ‘al’:

a) Complete nancial dependency... what is the discrepancy?... utter amboyancy...

b) It was an abnormality… please avoid ambiguity… it’s a matter of compatibility

c) Look at the topography… check out his discography… it’s written in calligraphy

d) Technology is amazing… Here’s the Oncology department…. She’s teaches biology

e) A custodial sentence… continual noise all day… They are fanatical

> Compound Words (p.177)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the correct stress in these compound nouns (words in bold):

Have you got your notebook? Could you pass the teaspoon?

Would you like a pancake? He’s in the greenhouse. Where’s my raincoat?

- Ex. 2 – Spot the correct stress in these compound adjectives (words in bold):

She’s a really high-ranking ofcer! The fares are really low-cost.

She a really quick-thinker. He has such a bad-temper. She’s fair-haired and ery.

It’s our rst custom-built car. They have a power-driven pushchair.

He’s so accident-prone. Harry is such a childlike man

- Ex. 3 – Spot the correct stress in these compound verbs (words in bold):

Do you like to ice-skate? I’ve got to baby-sit tonight Have you seen him sleep-walk?

I had to brake up with him. You need to calm down. I’ve got to clean up.

I want to talk about it. I need to wait for Jack. I listen to music for hours.

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> Primary and Secondary Stressed Syllables (p.182)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the primary and secondary stressed syllables in the polysyllabic (words in bold):

Your pronunciation is much better. I’m interested in archeology.

Where is that, geographically? I’m considering hypnotherapy.

You’re enthusiastic! That’s positive discrimination.

> Unstressed Syllables (p.183)

- Ex. 1 – First, spot the unstressed syllables (words in bold). Then write the SCHWA above the unstressed

syllables that should be pronounced as a SCHWA, see the rst example:

SCHWA

a) I need to perfect my speech… Your speech was perfect!

b) There always seems to be conict… Those are conicting ideas.

c) Have you seen the new combine harvester?... We must combine our efforts!

d) You are perverting the course of justice… He’s a bit of a pervert.

e) I’m quite content really… I love the content of the new book!

- Ex. 2 – First, spot the unstressed syllables (words in bold). Ask yourself which vowel sound is used in the

unstressed syllables and then write the word that we’ve used to represent each vowel sound (for example,

KIT, DRESS, STRUT, GOAT, THOUGHT), as per the rst example:

SCHWA KIT

a) I need to perfect my speech… Your speech was perfect!

b) He’s a rebel… You should rebel, what have you to lose?

c) She’s just deserted me… The desert was the most amazing place.

d) He’s on the rebound… The ball rebounded off the bar.

e) I can’t recall the last time we spoke… I got a recall for the audition.

f) I was incensed by the lack of leadership… Where did you buy this incense from?

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g) Did you get the new upload? … I uploaded it hours ago!

> Prexes (p.186)

- Ex. 1 – More practice words for the pronunciation and stress in common prexes. Listen and imitate:

dis dis.a.BI.li.ty dis.in.GEN.uo.us dis.TASTE.ful dis.a.PPROVE dis.as.SO.ci.ate

in.A.ni.mate in.AU.dible in.ca.PA.ci.ta.ted in.COM.pe.tent in.con.CLU.sive

il.LU.min.ate il.LUS.tri.ous

re re.CITE re.CLINE re.COIL

mis mis.a.LIGNED mis.be.HAVE mis.com.MU.ni.cate mis.con.CEIVED

en en.ABLE en.ACT en.CASE en.CIR.cle en.DAN.ger en.LARGE en.SLAVE

inter in.ter.BREED in.ter.CEDE in.ter.con.NECT IN.ter.course in.ter.de.part.MEN.tal

re.ACT re.ad.MIT re.a.LIGN re.A.llo.cate re.a.PPEAR re.in.VENT

pre pre.su.PPOSE pre.NUP.tial pre-BOOK pre.con.DI.tioned pre.CUR.sor

de de.co.MMIS.sion de.CAF.fein.a.ted de.CE.le.rated de.CEN.tra.lize

un un.E.du.ca.ted un.an.NOUNCED un.RE.cog.ni.sa.ble un.a.BRIDGED

anti AN.ti.freeze an.ti.O.xi.dants an.ti.PERS.pi.rant an.ti.SEP.tic

non non.a.BRA.sive non.a.TTEN.dance non.com.PLI.ance non.con.FOR.mist

over o.ve.RAGE o.ver.WHELMED o.ver.BEA.ring o.ver.CAME o.ve.RES.ti.ma.ted

pro pro.CLAIM pro.FOUND pro.LONG pro.NOUNCE pro.POR.tion

semi se.mi.au.to.bi.o.GRA.phi.cal SE.mi.cir.cle se.mi.CO.lon se.mi.pro.FES.sio.nal

sub

sub.STAN.dard sub.CON.ti.nent sub.con.TRAC.tor sub.di.VIDE sub.JEC.tive

trans trans.GEN.der trans.FI.gure trans.FU.sion trans.MUTE trans.SE.xual

under un.de.ra.PPREC.i.a.ted un.der.CHARGED un.der.de.VE.loped un.der.HAND

post

post.pro.DUC.tion post.DA.ted pos.TO.pera.tive

> Sufx (p.189)

- Ex. 1 – More practice words for the pronunciation and stress in common sufxes. Listen and imitate:

ee a.dop.TEE ab.sen.TEE de.tai.NEE in.ter.vie.WEE re.tur.NEE

AB.sen.ces BACK.la.shes MA.tches FO.xes WAT.ches DAN.ces

es BU.ffa.loes CAR.goes DO.mi.noes E.choes MAN.goes tor.NA.does

est SMAR.test TIGH.test MIGH.ti.est SMA.llest KIN.dest SLO.west FAS.test

eous dis.COUR.te.ous PI.te.ous PLEN.te.ous ex.tem.po.RA.ne.ous

eous

cur.VA.ceous ho.MO.ge.neous out.RA.geous RIGH.teous NAU.seous

ed a.CCO.mmo.da.ted a.DOP.ted a.DDIC.ted a.RRES.ted back.DA.ted BLOA.ted

CAP.ti.va.ted DE.co.ra.ted NEE.ded pro.VI.ded in.CLU.ded su.GGES.ted

ed FORMED WATCHED CALLED SEEMED con.CERNED HA.ppened O.ffered

ASKED KISSED RUSHED PUSHED pro.DUCED es.TAB.lished

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en SO.ften LES.sen a.WA.ken DAR.ken dis.PRO.ven GI.ven

WI.den DEA.den FLA.tten HAR.den KI.tten RE.dden

er SPEA.ker HIGH.er GREA.ter DRI.ver em.PLOY.er ma.nu.FAC.tu.rer

eer

moun.tain.EER com.man.DEER en.gin.EER ra.cke.TEER

ity

co.MMU.ni.ty po.ssi.BI.li.ty ex.i.BI.li.ty a.vai.la.BI.li.ty in.TEN.si.ty

pub.LI.ci.ty spe.ci.FI.ci.ty e.las.TI.ci.ty au.then.TI.ci.ty e.ccen.TRI.ci.ty

func.tio.NA.li.ty con.ven.tio.NA.li.ty o.ri.gi.NA.li.ty per.so.NA.li.ty

ivity

pro.duc.TI.vi.ty cre.a.TI.vi.ty re.la.TI.vi.ty se.lec.TI.vi.ty

ify

JUS.ti.fy QUA.li.fy ex.EM.pli.fy QUAN.ti.fy MAG.ni.fy GRA.ti.fy so.LI.di.fy

ion in.for.MA.tion e.du.CA.tion pro.DUC.tion as.so.ci.A.tion dis.CU.ssion

o.ppo.SI.tion com.pe.TI.tion ex.hi.BI.tion in.hi.BI.tion com.po.SI.tion

AC.tion pro.DUC.tion e.LEC.tion di.REC.tion co.LLEC.tion pro.TEC.tion

ian li.BRA.ri.an au.tho.ri.TA.ri.an co.ME.di.an u.TO.pi.an par.lia.men.TA.ri.an

ian

mu.SI.cian phy.SI.cian tech.NI.cian mathe.ma.TI.cian op.TI.cian pae.di.a.TRI.cian

ient

con.VE.ni.ent om.NIS.ci.ent GRA.di.ent TRAN.si.ent dis.O.ri.ent sub.SER.vi.ent

ive al.TER.na.tive con.SER.va.tive i.NI.tia.tive per.SPEC.tive im.PRE.ssive

PRI.mi.tive TRAN.si.tive a.CQUI.si.tive SEN.si.tive A.ddi.tive

ic e.co.NO.mic de.mo.CRA.tic spe.CI.c dra.MA.tic his.TO.ric re.a.LIS.tic

ical

psy.cho.LO.gi.cal BIB.li.cal sy.MME.tri.cal bo.TA.ni.cal al.pha.BE.ti.cal

ial

.NAN.cial pro.VIN.cial in.u.EN.tial di.ffe.REN.tial con..DEN.tial

ial

in.DUS.tri.al me.MO.ri.al e.di.TO.ri.al co.LO.ni.al ma.na.GE.ri.al te.rri.TO.ri.al

ible

re.SPON.si.ble SEN.si.ble ir.re.SIS.ti.ble con.VER.ti.ble AU.di.ble per.MIS.si.ble

ing

HA.ving WOR.king MA.king TRAI.ning FEE.ling TRY.ing WAI.ting EA.ting

ious SPA.cious pres.TI.gious con.TEN.tious ma.LI.cious te.NA.cious FRAC.tious

ious GLO.ri.ous mys.TE.ri.ous lu.XU.ri.ous har.MO.ni.ous vic.TO.ri.ous hi.LA.ri.ous

ish FOO.lish SEL.sh CHIL.dish re.FUR.bish FE.ve.rish BRU.tish a.BO.lish

able con.SI.de.ra.ble REASO.na.ble SUI.ta.ble COMFOR.ta.ble ac.CEP.ta.ble

ability sui.ta.BI.li.ty ac.cep.ta.BI.li.ty sus.tai.na.BI.li.ty pre.dic.ta.BI.li.ty a.dap.ta.BI.li.ty

ator

COM.men.ta.tor ac.CE.le.ra.tor DE.co.ra.tor CAL.cu.la.tor E.du.ca.tor

al NA.tio.nal po.LI.ti.cal PER.so.nal pro.FES.sio.nal o.RI.gi.nal tra.DI.tio.nal

ation in.for.MA.tion e.du.CA.tion or.ga.ni.SA.tion con.si.de.RA.tion con.ver.SA.tion

active

o.ve.RAC.tive in.te.RAC.tive psy.cho.AC.tive pro.AC.tive

ant

de.FEN.dant sig.NI..cant a.CCOUN.tant in.HA.bi.tant a.TTEN.dant

ous

NER.vous con.TIN.u.ous VI.go.rous HA.zar.dous PROS.pe.rous

or di.REC.tor pro.FE.ssor SEC.tor VI.si.tor so.LI.ci.tor in.SPEC.tor GO.ver.nor

less END.less re.GARD.less WIRE.less MEA.ning.less HARM.less COUNT.less

ness a.WARE.ness DARK.ness WEAK.ness SICK.ness MAD.ness GOOD.ness

ment MOVE.ment a.GREE.ment in.VEST.ment PAY.ment re.QUIRE.ment

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some TROU.ble.some FEAR.some QUA.rrel.some TWO.some IRK.some

tude MAG.ni.tude GRA.ti.tude AP.ti.tude FOR.ti.tude SER.vi.tude

ful suc.CESS.ful CARE.ful POWER.ful HAND.ful PEACE.ful DOUBT.ful

ly CER.tain.ly LOVE.ly QUICK.ly RE.cent.ly OB.vi.ous.ly ex.ACT.ly

cy ef.FI.cien.cy re.DUN.dan.cy UR.gen.cy de.PEN.den.cy BANK.rupt.cy

in.con.SIS.ten.cy com.PLA.cen.cy FLU.en.cy

CHE.mis.try SCE.ne.ry LAUN.dry RE.gis.try FO.re.stry MA.son.ry

y BUM.py CUR.ly DIR.ty HAN.dy JUI.cy LEA.fy WA.vey JUM.py

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> Linking R (p.195)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the linking R:

a) Here are the papers you asked for. Is there anything else I can do?

b) Could you put that letter in that envelope? Jennifer is coming soon to collect it.

c) Mr. Astler is so boring! We’re always so tired after English lessons.

d) Did you hear Ian talking about the career opportunities in the car industry?

> Intrusive R, YOD and W (p.196)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the intrusive R, YOD and W:

a) They did a thorough investigation. I saw a young man eeing the scene.

b) I’ll have a tuna and mayo baguette please - no onions - and a coffee and croissant.

c) You always put the comma in the wrong place and you act so innocent about it!?

d) I’m so envious of your shoes. I’ve worn through all of mine. How are yours so clean?

e) I invested so many hours into this. If only I could see into the future!

f) They asked if they could stay a bit longer, but he opened the door and he ordered them to

go!

> Elision and Contractions (p.198)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the elided vowels:

1) It’s such a comfortable chair, we’re going to move it into the conservatory.

2) Have you tried these new chocolate covered strawberries?

3) Raspberry tea is very fashionable I’ll have you know!

4) Silence is mandatory in libraries I’m afraid.

5) Did you hear about that guy who built a luxury home in an old lavatory?

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- Ex. 2 – Rewrite the sentences using contractions:

1) I am in a real rush. …….…………….………………………………

2) He is a wonderful man. …….…………….………………………………

3) We are on holiday at the moment. …….…………….………………………………

4) Do you realise what that means? …….…………….………………………………

5) He has never been interested. …….…………….………………………………

6) We have been asking for ages. …….…………….………………………………

7) They had been trained for that. …….…………….………………………………

8) What does he think about this? …….…………….………………………………

9) It will be over by six. …….…………….………………………………

10) Let us think about what that means. …….…………….………………………………

11) She had been planning to go for weeks. …….…………….………………………………

12) Do not go without me. …….…………….………………………………

13) She does not like you doing that. …….…………….………………………………

14) They did not know until just now. …….…………….………………………………

15) Sam will not trust him. …….…………….………………………………

16) They shall not go until I’m ready. …….…………….………………………………

17) We are not in a position to say. …….…………….………………………………

18) I was not made aware of that. …….…………….………………………………

19) We were not able to go in the end. …….…………….………………………………

20) They have not written back. …….…………….………………………………

21) I had not realised untill now. …….…………….………………………………

22) Mum can not take us any more. …….…………….………………………………

23) I could not even if I wanted to. …….…………….………………………………

24) You must not tell anyone. …….…………….………………………………

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25) I should not be such a pessimist. …….…………….………………………………

26) They would not take me back. …….…………….………………………………

27) I dare not ask to be honest. …….…………….………………………………

28) You need not worry, she’s ne. …….…………….………………………………

29) I wish you were not so stubborn. …….…………….………………………………

30) I had not been there that long. …….…………….………………………………

31) What have you been doing in there? …….…………….………………………………

32) Surely he would never ask that of you? …….…………….………………………………

> Assimilation (p.199)

- Ex. 1 – Underline the assimilated consonants:

1) I overheard Paul talking about buying a house in the street behind Patrick’s place.

2) Could Brian borrow your car? He’s had plenty of practice.

3) I’ve got to get permission from Ian. He let Peter go, so I’m hopeful.

4) She’d been calling for weeks, so I nally got back to her yesterday.

5) If I didn’t sit cross-legged and perfectly still she would give me a horrible look!

6) I should go shouldn’t I? There’s just a lot going on right now.

7) They’d create havoc if I wasn’t there. I might get Graham to come as well.

8) I had quite a bad experience last time, all because I didn’t ask the right question.

9) I ran through the things on your list. Will that be enough?

10) Can we meet this Thursday after work? Have you seen that new bar on the high street?

11) I let things slip and the house fell through!

12) They had thought that they were properly balanced. I weighed them myself.

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13) When my bond matures, they can make me redundant for all I care!

14) Did you get my text? We’re in a right mess!

15) Would Monday be possible for you? Could Martin cover, I really need your help.

16) We should force Shane to stop the mice shredding the newspaper.

17) You’ve got to raise your game. Those youngsters will beat you to it.

18) Would you loan Kate your wine glasses?

20) I’m standing at the main gate in my bright pink rain coat.

21) Maybe we should write the plan before we go. Can Peter help us?

22) Don’t run past me without stopping! Oh yeah, and can I have my phone back please?

23) Could you stop Paul from making so much noise? I’ve got to get things ready.

24) The last time I drank coffee was when Neil and Dan were here.

25) Do you like carrots? They’re in the red draw.

26) Someone has stolen Nigel’s bag. It’s the same make as yours.

27) Grab Brian’s wallet and get some matches and ripe pears.

28) Could you steal Laura’s pale lilac pen just for a second?

29) I wish she had done it before we spoke. I had a big game plan, which is now ruined.

30) Look at that Stag grazing over there. Could you grab Bill’s camera?

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> The SCHWA in grammatical words (p.202)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the SCHWA vowel sound in the grammatical words (as in ‘a’, ‘the’, ‘an’):

“I had to go to the doctors this afternoon because I still can’t shake off this cough – I’ve had it for

weeks now. I hope they don’t just give me another prescription. The Doctor has always just given

me prescriptions! Does your Doctor do that? I think I need to see a consultant or someone that

can tell me what it is. It’s worrying me if I’m honest. I couldn’t sleep last night. I just lay awake

thinking about all the things it might or might not be. And you hear some awful stories. I don’t

know. It’s probably nothing. I’m t and healthy otherwise, but I just need to know. Just to put

my mind at rest. I was going to cancel tonight but I think I should go, don’t you? You are always

optimistic and I have always been a glass half empty kind of guy. I must be more like you! Do you

worry at all about anything? How are you so relaxed all the time? I shall die worrying I think! I’m

better than I was! I’m not as bad as my mother. I remember her being so on-edge all the time from

as early as I can recall. Your mother is your role-model. I am living-proof! So, do you think I should

ask them for a referral or not? My Doctor has always been so casual about this sort of stuff!”

- Ex. 2 – Further practice for grammatical words that are NOT pronounced with a SCHWA vowel because

of their use and context (in bold). Ask yourself with which vowel sound they should be pronounced and then

write the word that we’ve used to represent each vowel sound (for example, KIT, DRESS, STRUT, GOAT,

THOUGHT) above the syllable, as per the rst example:

TRAP

1) If it were in a different context, you know that I would have?

2) No-one thinks that I am going to do it, but I am!

3) I didn’t actually go to the States, but everyone thought I had!

4) Sally wouldn’t leave until Martha had bought the same shoes that she has.

5) That scab nally came off, you know, the one I’ve been picking at.

6) I couldn’t do it before now, but I shall.

7) Can I ask you exactly who it is that you are looking for?

8) You both look exhausted, where have you come from?

9) What is this stuff? Do you know what it’s made out of?

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10) I know that some of you doubt whether Claire was committed, but she certainly was!

11) I don’t understand – rst they don’t want to come, and now they want to!?

12) I’m clear about what they would do, but what would you do?

13) Have you got any of that chocolate left over? Can I have some?

14) We say that we’ll go every year, but this year, we must!

15) You may not think that it affects you, but it does.

16) I’ve been debating this for some time, and I decided that I should.

17) We only ordered these yesterday, and here they are!

18) We were as surprised as you were.

19) The journey to and from work isn’t that far to be honest.

20) The arrangement in and of itself is not an issue.

21) The conversation is of and about the failures in the response to this crisis.

22) You simply must shave before the wedding!

23) I know you don’t believe me but they really are coming!

24) I remember being told never to use “and/or” in a sentence.

25) The only way to open that jar is to hit the lid on the edge of the table – so I’ve been told!?

26) Do any of the answers make sense? They ought to offer some guidelines.

27) Do Amy’s parents know about the after-show party?

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> Syllable-timed languages vs. stress-timed languages (p.208)

- Ex. 1 – Further practice for the stress-timed rhythm of RP. The stressed words have been written in bold.

Listen and imitate:

1) I know that you do. I don’t care anymore. Just leave it.

2) I know that you say that there isn’t a way, but we have to nd a way to make this work.

3) The main thing that we need to do is to stay focused.

4) It’s probably the most amazing place that I’ve been.

5) We were about to go, until Jack walked in. He’s always making us late.

> The Resting Rhythm of Speech (p.208)

- Ex. 1 – Further practice for the stress-timed rhythm of RP. The stressed words have been written in bold

and words pronounced with the SCHWA vowel sound have been underlined. Listen and imitate:

1) Can we go to bed at 10? I’m REA.lly tired to.DAY! I think I’ll sleep down here.

2) The shops were REA.lly BU.sy. I COUL.dn’t nd that bar. Was it on the high

street?

3) I think I’m GO.ing mad. Have we met be.FORE? I swear I’ve seen your face.

4) The beach was AWE.some. The food was great. T he beer was good. A PER.fect

day.

5) It’s the ON.ly way to know. Shut it down, then clean it out, and start a.GAIN.

> The Rhythm of Monosyllabic Words vs Polysyllabic Words (p.210)

- Ex. 1 – First, underline the polysyllabic words leaving the monosyllabic words unmarked. Then, listen and

imitate:

1) You have nothing to be afraid of. It is a simple procedure. They do this all day long.

2) You know that park in town, near to that new supermarket? It’s really creepy.

3) I’ve done everything that you asked me to do. I’m not taking the blame this time.

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4) The probability of nishing tonight is zero! There is so much to do. I can’t think straight!

5) We’re really excited to receive this award. It is quite an honour actually.

> The Rhythm of Short Vowels vs Long Vowels, Diphthongs and Triphthongs (p.211)

- Ex. 1 – First, underline the long vowels, diphthongs and triphthongs in the stressed syllable of the

appropriate words below, then listen and imitate:

1) I’m willing to try, but I’m feeling quite nervous. I’ve never done anything like this before.

2) I’ve got to drive to Cornwall on Thursday. It’ll take me hours. Fancy coming?

3) We were amazed! It came as such a shock. It changes everything.

4) It’s nice now that the evenings are lighter. Shall we eat outside tonight?

5) I had my interview for university. It was grueling. All I can do is hope.

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> Asking a Question (p.221)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) Excuse me. Do you know how to get to the train station from here?

2) I’m going to London next week. Do you want to come?

3) How many days are there in September?

4) Would you help me move house at the weekend?

5) Do you have any of the money-off vouchers left for that restaurant?

> Rhetorical Questions (p.222)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) Do I still believe that this is the best way forward? Absolutely.

2) Are we going to win this ght against corruption? I hope so, I really do!

3) Who else would we consider a worthy leader? Not him, that’s for sure!

4) Will we give in? No. Will we compromise? No. Will we agree? Never!

5) Do you think things have been easy for me either? They’ve been harder than ever.

> Responding to a Question or Request (p.222)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) … Absolutely, I’ll be ready in two minutes.

2) … Yes, but only if you promise not to crack any of your stupid jokes!

3) … Maybe, I don’t know, I’ve never done anything like that before…

4) … You know I would, but things have been so mad recently.

5) … No way, sorry, one time was enough for me!

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> Statement, Command or Exclamation (p.224)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) The place is amazing. I’ve never had so much fun in all my life! It was perfect!

2) It has been designed so that people can make a choice that works for them.

3) You need to go and tell him now and make amends!

4) The best time of year to see them is autumn. In winter they hibernate.

5) I can’t believe that you’ve done it. It’s a real achievement. I’m so proud of you!

> Apologising (p.224)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) I didn’t mean to offend you, I’m really sorry.

2) I understand completely, I take full responsibility.

3) I know how much it means to you, I should have asked before I did it. Sorry.

4) It’s appalling I know, I wish I hadn’t said it. I apologise.

5) I’m so sorry I’m just not thinking straight at the moment, I love you.

> Interrupting (p.224)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) I’m sorry, but you can’t say that, it’s just not true.

2) Stop right there, I can’t listen for a moment longer. I’m going.

3) That’s outrageous - you haven’t done any of those things.

4) Excuse me, wait there, I need to correct you about that.

5) Wait, wait, wait, that’s not fair, you have no right to say that.

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> Ongoing Thought (p.225)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) I know what you’re saying… I just can’t be sure about it… I nd it really confusing…

2) I’m not sure how to say this but… it’s been on my mind… I’ve got to tell you at some point.

3) We’ve been looking at lots of houses… and I’m just not sure… it’s a big thing, you know?

4) We’re on our way to the restaurant… when John calls… and tells us he’s not coming.

5) They told me about the letters… but not about the emails… or the voicemails.

> Listing (p.225)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) I’ve got to collect John, take the owers to Jane, buy some cakes and then I’ll be with you.

2) So that’s 450g of cooking apples, 2 tbsp of sugar and 25g of butter.

3) Could you email Paul, rearrange the time of the meeting, get the invoice out and call Becky.

4) Could you buy some milk, some cheese, some bread, some butter and some potatoes?

5) So, you turn left, then right, go under the bridge, right at the roundabout and it’s there.

> Giving directions (p.226)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) Go northbound on the M25… take the A41 towards Aylesbury… and Tring is signposted.

2) Take the rst left… then left again… then right at the chip shop… and you’re there!

3) There’s a pizza place on your right… go down past the church… and into the thoroughfare.

4) Go down the corridor… past the hall… through the canteen… and up the stairs.

5) Go down there… past the supermarket… take the third right… and it’s at the bottom.

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> Naming places, people, objects, titles, processes… (p.226)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) Last summer I visited the Great Chinese Wall in China.

2) Could you tell me the cost of debt ratio?

3) They’re part of the Confederation of British Industry.

4) Have you heard of shaken baby syndrome?

5) We want to pay off our mortgage but they’ll apply early repayment charges.

> Parroting (p.227)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) I told you a hundred times… I’ve told you a hundred times…

2) Don’t do that… Don’t do that… It’s so childish… It’s so childish… Stop… Stop…

3) We’ve got to stay focused… We’ve got to stay focused… come on… come on…

4) Do you think we can start now? Do you think we can start now? Really? Really?

5) I’m not taking any notice… I’m not taking any notice… I’m an idiot… I’m an idiot…

> Parenthesis (p.227)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) Part of the problem – which I’ve said many times – is your attitude.

2) Tax savings – which we’ll talk about in more detail later – need addressing.

3) Shelia – who has no idea what’s been happening – is getting married again.

4) In the time we have – and we don’t have much – I’d like to decide the make and model.

5) When we have more time – I know things are tight right now – perhaps we could talk?

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> Quoting and Paraphrasing – ‘he said, she said, I said…’ (p.227)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) I said, ‘you can’t do that’, and she said, ‘just you watch me’, so I said, ‘I’ll have to tell Sue’.

2) Of all the things he could have said, he chose ‘it’s great’… How uninspiring!

3) As Shakespeare said, ‘in sooth I know not why I am so sad’…

4) He said, ‘neither of us should go’ to which I replied ‘suit yourself, but I’m deantly going’.

5) They say ‘things should be more productive’, but I say ‘productivity comes from efciency’.

> Expanding on a statement (p.229)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) I really love coffee… but Peter makes the best coffee.

2) The purpose is to raise money… but perhaps the main purpose is to raise awareness!

3) I think I’ll choose that one… although that one is patterned.

4) Focus on the question… Come on, it’s in a reasonable question…

5) I’ve told you that we need more time… we need time to get things organized.

> Antithesis (p.230)

- Ex. 1 – More practice phrases and sentences. Listen and imitate:

1) If we don’t do it now, we’ll never do it.

2) You’ve got more than just passion, you’ve got integrity – and that’s priceless!

3) I need to go to the shops and you need to collect Sarah.

4) It was pretty good, but not a good as the rst one.

5) You can talk all you want, but until you do it, I won’t believe you.

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> the R sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the R sound (p.239)

1 I drove Robin from Rochester to Reading 2 Travelling by train can be great - mostly

I drew a green eld with grey rain clouds 4 Is this right? This is Broad Street.

We’ve been approved to distribute the food 6 We trawled through last month’s report

I’m protesting because he broke the rules 8 The rota is crazy – we must take control

> Rhoticity

- Ex. 1 - Spot the r’s that shouldn’t be pronounced (p.240)

1 The more we are heard, the better. 2 Yo u r proposal has been considered

Where do your parents come from Oscar? 4 The fear was overwhelming. I nearly fainted

I work in marketing. It’s rewarding. 6 George and Peter have never seen it.

Last year was more challenging than others 8 He’s the worst person to ask for help.

> the M sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the M sound (p.241)

1 Martin mumbles so much don’t you think? 2 I’m making marmite sandwiches for mum.

Can you get Martha’s jumper in medium? 4 Your camera is amazing. How much was it?

It might rain, so bring a mac and umbrella. 6 Sorry, I wish I had more money on me .

Sam’s honeymoon sounds marvellous! 8 Come here! There’s a mouse on the mat!

> the P and B sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the P and B sounds (P is underlined and B is in bold) (p.242)

Could you pass me the black pen please? 2 I tried to comb it out but it wouldn’t

budge

We’ll need some lamb mince and potatoes 4 I’m all packed, but where’s my passport?

Did you ask Ben if he posted the photos? 6 The computer is broken, I can’t press play!

I found some beautiful blue eggs in the park 8 What’s happening for Sebastian’s birthday?

> the W sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the W sound (p.243)

I was walking through the woods in Warwick. 2 I’ve been waiting since Wednesday.

When do you want to work next week? 4 The questions were easy. It’s a walkover.

They wouldn’t consider what we proposed. 6 I’ve been awake since one! I’m weary.

The weather is wild out there. I’m windswept. 8 It is quality workmanship. It is wonderful.

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> the F and V sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the F and V sounds (F is underlined and V is in bold) (p.244)

1 Have you got notes from Friday’s meeting? 2 Vanessa didn’t like the vase I’m afraid

We’re travelling to France in the camper van 4 I’m fed up here so I’m leaving tomorrow

Can you feed the sh and water the owers? 6 I’ve never seen such despicable behaviour!

Where are the leftovers from the party? 8 Let’s go, they’re serving food all afternoon

> the YOD sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the YOD sound (p.245)

1 Do you start university on Tuesday? 2 The new amusement arcade is a nuisance.

The music was unusual but therapeutic. 4 The union rebuked her comments.

I’ve been queuing forever. It’s so stupid! 6 They seduced me. I’m only human.

It’s really humid in the computer room. 8 Can I have tuna, cucumber and mayonnaise?

> the S and Z sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the S and Z sounds (S is underlined and Z is in bold) (p.246)

1 It sounds like it’s going to be cold by the sea 2 Did you send Daisy the purse that she lost?

It’s just a phase, she’ll soon get over it. 4 Be safe on your travels and wear sunscreen

Is it ready? I’ve been sitting here for ages! 6 She wore a lovely silk scarf, I was jealous!

Please don’t sing, I’m trying to practice 8 We’re going to the zoo by bus on Tuesday

> the TH sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the TH sounds (voiceless is underlined and voiced is in bold) (p.247)

1 This is great, thank you for thinking of me 2 There was a big thorn stuck in my thigh!

Nothing grows here other than thistles! 4 That python is the scariest thing I’ve seen

I thought Thelma gave birth on Thursday 6 My clothes are lthy, I’m having a bath.

Nothing could be further from the truth 8 They have both been faithful, I know that.

> the NG sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the NG sound (p.248)

1 It’s raining! I only just hung the washing out. 2 Are you coming to the book signing?

I’m looking for my ring. I keep losing it. 4 He’s acting strange; he won’t say anything.

I’m juggling too much. I long for a day off! 6 I’ve been calling and emailing all morning!

I’m wearing those earrings; they’re amazing. 8 I love Springtime - it’s up-lifting.

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> the N sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the N sound (p.249)

The boiler’s broken. It’s nearly November! 2 I need help, I’m new here and can’t nd

Ben.

Nick is so nervous for his interview 4 When will it end? It’s non-stop noise!

My niece is nine on Monday; so grown up! 6 Leave the window open its not raining

I’ve never been to Nottingham by train 8 The dance begins at seven tonight.

> the L sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the L sounds (dark l’s are in bold and light l’s are underlined) (p.250)

1 I’m still not looking forward to leaving. 2 Did you get my email? I called yesterday.

I sold it to Laura last week. 4 I’m probably going to look online.

The longer I sleep the lazier I seem to get. 6 I like the layout but the angles are wrong.

You look beautiful in the silk scarf. 8 I’m healthy and full of life. I feel great!

> the T and D sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the T and D sounds (T is underlined and D is in bold) (p.251)

1 I wanted to go to the train station today. 2 I’ve got to get Ian a tennis racket.

Do you want a cup of tea or coffee David? 4 Without a doubt, I’d say it’s the best offer.

I’d love to talk to you about travelling abroad. 6 Dad, would you get me a book of stamps?

The days are getting shorter now it’s winter. 8 The lights are so bright. Turn them down.

> Syllabic Consonants TN DN TL DL

- Ex. 1 - Spot the syllabic consonants TN DN TL DL (p.252)

I wouldn’t usually ask but I’m in a real muddle.2 It’s a burden, I’ve written as much as I

can.

3 The warden is a frightening young man. 4 Here are the buttons, cotton and the

needle

The beetle is in the middle of the puddle. 6 They’re hidden in the forbidden garden.

She’s brutal. Yo u ’ll end up in hospital. 8 I’ve forgotten the digital camera.

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> the K and G sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the K and G sounds (K is underlined and G is in bold) (p.253)

1 The guy at the desk was so grumpy. 2 I’m going to a gig with Craig later.

I came across this article in the Guardian. 4 Could I have a packet of crisps?

We got a kitten at the weekend. He’s cute. 6 Mike was really great with Meg.

I called the company about our gas meter. 8 He gave a compelling talk at the Gala.

> the SH and ZH sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the SH and ZH sounds (SH is underlined and ZH is in bold) (p.254)

It’s nished. It’s a real accomplishment. 2 I wish the enclosure was bigger and

shadier.

I should have shown you the shelves I put up. 4 I’ve washed and polished the dishes.

That new fashion shop has shutdown. 6 It was a pleasure to meet Josh and Sheila.

Could you measure the size of the shed? 8 The collection in the shop is astonishing.

> the CH and DG sounds

- Ex. 1 - Spot the CH and DG sounds (CH is underlined and DG is in bold) (p.255)

1 Charlie was chosen to judge the contest. 2 I need courage to look over the edge.

The porridge was too stodgy and cold. 4 It’s just too challenging to change it now.

We went sledging in January with James. 6 I reached for the jam and smashed the jar.

Jill and Jane are like chalk and cheese. 8 I’d love to juggle but I can’t catch.

> the H sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the H sound (p.256)

1 Have you had a chance to re-heel your shoes 2 But he has seen who is headlining

I hope Helen is happy with this headdress 4 Her eyes were hazel and her hair was blue

I haven’t had a holiday in over ten years 6 I’m hiding here until the hurricane has gone

Hang on I was hoping for a hug 8 I’m heading home in half-an-hour

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> the NURSE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the NURSE vowel sound (p.257)

“The rst thing to say, is that you’ve all worked really hard. And on Thursday, we found out that

we’re now third in the country, competing with the likes of Earnest Worthing and Scott Burns!

The purpose of our recent advertisement was to raise the prole of the company and start the

next part of our journey. We’ve come a long way in thirteen years, mostly due to your commitment.

Those early starts have paid off, and every person here is part of this success. The question is –

how do we become rst in the country? We need to learn more, assert ourselves and cause a stir

in the industry. We’ll reinvent this rm and in doing so, you’ll all earn a bit more money!

> the GOAT vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the GOAT vowel sound (p.258)

“I got a new coat today. I know, I should be saving up for the boat trip with Owen but it was on

offer and I couldn’t say no! It’s mauve with roses sewn onto the pockets. They were about to close,

and they only had one left and it was in my size. I don’t treat myself very often, and it’s so warm I

can wear it when we’re out cruising on the ocean. I should go home and show Owen. He doesn’t

go back on the road until tomorrow.”

> the BATH, PALM, START vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the BATH vowel sound (p.259)

“I agree, but the answer is not to sack the staff. The branch has no clear direction… Don’t laugh –

They all work very hard… Please don’t interrupt me. They all work hard - without any appreciation

I might add – the issue is poor management. Arthur is not a leader. From the very start he has

been argumentative; he’s clueless about the state of the market; he’s not part of the team.

For example, I asked him to talk to Mar

tha to reassure her that we’ll support her through these

difcult circumstances. He refused and made some alarming remark about hormones and barged

past. The answer is to sack Arthur.”

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> the STRUT vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the TRAP vowel sound (p.260)

“Could you pick up the kids from school today? Come on Duncan! I seldom ask you for anything,

and I’m under so much pressure. I’ve got to run through the agenda for Monday, do some number

crunching, and then collect the cupcakes from Mum for the fundraiser on Sunday. It’s just this

once! After this month it’ll all be done. I love you. Please don’t punish me. It’ll be summer soon.

We’ll have such fun in London. Kate’s son is coming, and your brother is always such great company.

I’ll make it up to you, I promise!”

> the PRICE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the PRICE vowel sound (p.261)

“We’ve been to Venice twice this year! Eileen told us to go to see the sights and taste the food,

and both were wonderful. The ight over is easy and we always pack light. It’s expensive, but the

experience is priceless. And the people are so kind and friendly, I cried when we said goodbye! But

on our last night we tried a new restaurant. The food wasn’t good and there was a ght outside ,

so next time we’ll nd somewhere nicer.”

> the LOT vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the LOT vowel sound (p.262)

“I’ve got a new job! I’ve been at Hobsons for too long, it wasn’t satisfying me any more. So, I got

the paper and saw an opportunity at Godrey’s Locksmiths in Gloucester. I applied, went down to

their

ofces, talked about my experience and they offered it to me on the spot! I said ‘could I get

back to you tomorrow? I’m just considering my options’. What else was I to do? They told me that

I’ve got to do some more training in October, and I’ll be on probation for six months, but Oscar

works there and he said that offers like this don’t come along that often and I should take it. So

I did!”

> the THOUGHT, NORTH, FORCE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the THOUGHT vowel sound (p.263)

“Do you have to work tonight Paul? Why don’t we go for a walk? Or order a takeaway? I thought

I could get a couple of bottles of wine, you could hire a lm, and we could just relax for a bit.

I’ve found things so stressful recently. Work has been mad. I’ve been given all these reports to do,

and I’m not coping with it very well. George starts high school next week. Laura is organising an

auction at the village hall and wants me to give a talk…. I need a holiday, that’s what I need. Come

on - it’s just one night… If I take the kids out tomorrow morning you could work then instead.”

Practice Pages - Answers

301

1060

1066

1062

1064

> the CHOICE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the CHOICE vowel sound (p.264)

“I’ve been getting really annoyed at Joy. She’s always spoiling things by talking rudely, and the toys

she got Lloyd are so inappropriate. Why can’t she just employ some common sense? She’ll upset

everyone if she keeps going on like this, but it’s her choice. Anyway I shouldn’t loiter here any longer,

you’ve got potatoes to boil and the kids to put to bed. It was a lovely party, and the soy-yoghurts

went down well! No need for my paranoia after all.”

> the TRAP vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the TRAP vowel sound (p.265)

“We’re going to a tango dance class on Saturday, would you like to come? Andrew is coming. So

is Mathew, Andrea and Sam. Come on, we just stamp around for a bit. It’s great! It’s mad but such

a laugh. And the man that leads it is very attractive. He isn’t married, and he has a waxed chest!!

Then we’ll head back to mine, have a glass or two and then go down to the Fat Cat – that pub on

the corner of Ashford road, near Amber’s house. There’s a band playing – they’re called the Mad

Hatters I think. How does that sound?”

> the MOUTH vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the MOUTH vowel sound (p.266)

“I can’t believe we sold the house! We should celebrate! The MacCleods seem like a nice family.

We should leave the towel rail and I doubt we’ll need the dishwasher. Do you remember there’s

that brown stain on the bath? We need to get that out. It’ll be strange to leave this town, but I’m

sure it’ll be lovely down south. We’ve looked around, it’s a good area.”

> the FLEECE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the FLEECE vowel sound (p.267)

“Are you free next week? I’ve got this meeting on Wednesday evening and I’m f

eeling so uneasy

about it. Could you come round, read my notes and then give me some feedback? I’d really

appreciate it! It’s about the team’s recent performance gures. We had three people quit last

month and they want me to give some reasons why I think they left, and it’s in front of the chief

exec. Maxine will be there, which is a relief. But nonetheless, I’m a complete wreck! I’ve been

dreaming about it for weeks. Even Steven noticed that I’ve been acting sheepish recently, and that’s

something!”

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1068

1070

1072

1074

> the KIT vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the KIT vowel sound (p.268)

“I’ve been given this extra work to do, but I don’t think it’s fair. Jim has never taken any work

home in the last four years and it’s frustrating not to have even been acknowledged for putting in

additional evenings and weekends. He just goes to the gym every night. I’ve helped Flynn build this

business! He can’t manage his staff. If it doesn’t change soon, I’ll be looking for a new job, that’s

for sure!”

> the NEAR vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the NEAR vowel sound (p.269)

“He’s handed in his notice at the museum. He wants to pursue a career in medicine! He’s got so

much studying to do, but he really is serious about it. I don’t want to interfere. I think it’s clear

in his mind and that’s all that matters. It’s weird to think he’ll be going back to university after all

these years. I fear change – I don’t think I could do it.”

> the DRESS vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the DRESS vowel sound (p.270)

“Have you heard about Emily? You know that she’s been applying to different universities to do

her PHD? Well, she got in! Guess where! Oxford! She’s thrilled. A bit overwhelmed no doubt, but

so happy. The selection process is rigorous. I hope she’s ready!? I’m so envious! Greg is over the

moon. He’s taking her to Edinburgh for a special celebratory weekend away together!”

> the FACE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the FACE vowel sound (p.271)

“I’ve been at the station for hours. I think the train is delayed. I’m so sorry. It’s just started to rain

as well! What a crazy day! Sorry for the wait! Are you free in April, could I come and stay

then?

Great! And I won’t be late! We’ll have an amazing time! I think I’ll go by plane next time.”

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1076

1080

1078

1082

> the SQUARE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the SQAURE vowel sound (p.272)

“We went to the fayre today. Mary absolutely loved it. There were various tents and stalls. There

was one selling homemade pear cider. I bought ve bottles! What you can buy in the supermarket

just doesn’t compare to this. There was a whole area that had been turned into a fairy grotto. And

there was a very precarious looking tree house. I was worried when the children were running

up and down those stairs, but no one was hurt and it did look beautiful. Whoever designed it has

a lot of artistic air!”

> the GOOSE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the GOOSE vowel sound (p.273)

“How was your holiday? Where did you go? Sounds beautiful! No, we stayed here. I’m working

really hard trying to get this assignment nished. I think I’m losing my mind – it’s gruelling! I’m

getting up at six… It’s true! I’m out by seven then I’m either writing, proofreading or editing up

until half ve everyday day. It’s hard to get in the groove, you know? I’m still doing my private work

but when I do, if I’m honest, I just can’t focus on anything. The deadline is looming and who knows

if I’ll be done. It’s two weeks today! Who knew that writing and thinking could be so exhausting!

I’ll be done soon. Once I’ve nished, I think I’ll sleep for a week!”

> the FOOT vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the FOOT vowel sound (p.274)

“I shouldn’t be here. I’m sorry. I know how awkward it makes you. I couldn’t make it last week,

because I was at that book fair in town. I stood for hours. It was good though, but the host was

awful - so full of himself… Do you want a cushion? That bed looks so uncomfortable… How do

you feel now? That woman next door looks grumpy… How’s the food? Would you like me to

cook you something?”

> the CURE vowel sound

- Ex. 1 - Spot the CURE vowel sound (p.275)

“The doctors say it’s incurable. I was furious at rst, but I’m coming to terms with it now. She

doesn’t want to have to endure any more tests. She’s so calm and mature about it. She’s very

inspiring. I’m not coping as well, but I think she feels very secure in the home and they’re doing

everything they can for her. Her room’s quite luxurious, and it’s good that it’s so rural, she can

watch the deer from her window.”

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304

1084

1085

1086

> What is the difference between monosyllables and polysyllables? (p.276)

- Ex. 1 – Count how many syllables there are in the words below:

3 2 2 3 1 4 1 3

amazing confront driving photograph mum rearranging sure computer

3 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 3

salary bag wallet purse keys shopping lm dinner wonderful

5 2 1 2 2 3 1 2

experimental jumper skirt typing shower fortunate well illness

- Ex. 2 – Count the number of syllables of each word in the sentence below:

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 1 2

What time do you want me to pick you up? I can’t leave for another ten minutes. I’m just waiting

1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1

on a call. Shall I collect you from the station or near the roundabout? And do you need to go

2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

shopping today? Do you want to do that now or this evening? I’ve got some work to do, so I

1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2

could do that while you’re shopping and then pick you up and we could go for dinner

2 2 4 1 1 1 1

somewhere. Maybe, Alexander’s? What do you think?

> Which syllable should I stress? (p.276)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the correct stress in the two-syllable verbs, nouns and adjectives:

a) I want to up.GRADE my phone… is the UP.grade available to me on this contract?

b) PRO.gress is so slow… can you pro.GRESS without my help?

c) It’s faulty, I’d like a RE.fund please… it’s been over 21 days, so I can’t re.FUND your money..

d) I sus.PECT she feels awful about it… he’s their main SUS.pect…

e) Have you heard about this PRO.ject?... They pro.JECT a loss of 4.1bn…

- Ex. 2 – Spot the correct stress in the words with three or more syllables ending in ‘ic’, ‘sion’ and ‘tion’:

a) I’m not sure if I’m an atheist or ag.NOS.tic… The doctor gave me an.ti.bi.O.tics…

b) It was fan.TAS.tic… he’s completely neu.RO.tic… call the pa.ra.ME.dics, quickly…

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1088

1089

1090

c) Don’t worry, it’s under my su.per.VI.sion... The re.CES.sion has hit us hard…

d) We’re starting the ex.TEN.sion in April… it was a difcult de.CI.sion…

e) What do you think about the co.a.LI.tion?... But it’s a tra.DI.tion!

f) You are the ex.CEP.tion to the rule… you are my mo.ti.VA.tion... it’s an a.DDIC.tion...

- Ex. 3 – Spot the correct stress in the words with four or more syllables ending ‘cy’, ‘ty’, ‘phy’, ‘gy’ and ‘al’:

a) Complete nancial de.PEN.den.cy... what is the dis.CRE.pan.cy?... utter am.BO.yan.cy...

b) It was an ab.nor.MA.li.ty… please avoid am.bi.GU.i.ty… it’s a matter of com.pa.ti.BI.li.ty

c) Look at the to.PO.gra.phy… check out his dis.co.GRA.phy… it’s written in ca.LLI.gra.phy

d) Tech.NO.lo.gy is amazing… Here’s the on.CO.lo.gy department…. She’s teaches bi.O.lo.gy

e) A cus.TO.di.al sentence… con.TIN.u.al noise all day… They are fa.NA.ti.cal

> Compound Words (p.277)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the correct stress in these compound nouns:

Have you got your NOTE.book? Could you pass the TEA.spoon?

Would you like a PAN.cake? He’s in the GREEN.house. Where’s my RAIN.coat?

- Ex. 2 – Spot the correct stress in these compound adjectives:

She’s a really high.RAN.king ofcer The fares are really low.COST

She a really quick-THINK.er He has such a bad.TEM.per She’s fair-HAIRED and ery

It’s our rst CUS.tom-built car They have a POWER-dri.ven pushchair

He’s so AC.ci.dent-prone Harry is such a CHILD.like man

- Ex. 3 – Spot the correct stress in these compound verbs:

Do you like to ICE.skate? I’ve got to BA.by-sit tonight Have you seen him SLEEP-walk?

I had to brake UP with him You need to calm DOWN I’ve got to clean UP

I want to TALK about it I need to WAIT for Jack I LIST.en to music for hours

1091

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306

1092

1094

1093

> Primary and Secondary Stressed Syllables (p.278)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the primary and secondary stressed syllables in the polysyllabic words in the sentence below

(primary stressed syllables in capitals, and secondary stressed syllables are underlined):

Your pro.nun.ci.A.tion is much better I’m interested in ar.che.O.lo.gy.

Where is that, ge.o.GRA.phic.ally? I’m considering hyp.no.THE.ra.py.

You’re en.thu.si.AS.tic! That’s positive di.scri.mi.NA.tion.

> Unstressed Syllables (p.278)

- Ex. 1 – First, spot the unstressed syllables in the words in bold. Then write the SCHWA above the

unstressed syllables that should be pronounced as a SCHWA, see the rst example:

SCHWA

a) I need to per.FECT my speech… Your speech was PER.fect!

SCHWA

b) There always seems to be CON.ict… Those are con.FLIC.ting ideas.

SCHWA

c) Have you seen the new COM.bine harvester?... We must com.BINE our efforts!

SCHWA

d) You are per.VER.ting the course of justice… He’s a bit of a PER.vert.

SCHWA

e) I’m quite con.TENT… I love the CON.tent of the new book!

- Ex. 2 – First, spot the unstressed syllables in the words in bold. Then write the correct lexical set word for

the vowel sound with which they should be pronounced, see the rst example:

SCHWA KIT

a) I need to per.FECT my speech… Your speech was PER.fect!

SCHWA KIT

b) He’s a RE.bel… You should re.BEL, what have you to lose?

KIT KIT SCHWA

c) She’s just de.SER.ted me… The DE.sert was the most amazing place.

MOUTH KIT KIT

d) He’s on the RE.bound… The ball re.BOUN.ded off the bar.

KIT THOUGHT

e) I can’t re.CALL the last time we spoke… I got a RE.call for the audition.

KIT DRESS

f) I was in.CENSED by the lack of leadership… Where did you buy this IN.cense from?

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1097

1098

1099

GOAT STRUT KIT

g) Did you get the new UP.load?... I up.LOA.ded it hours ago!

> Linking R (p.282)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the linking R:

a) Here are the papers you asked for. Is there anything else I can do?

b) Could you put that letter in that envelope? Jennifer is coming soon to collect it.

c) Mr. Astler is so boring! We’re always so tired after English lessons.

d) Did you hear Ian talking about the career opportunities in the car industry?

> Intrusive R, YOD and W (p.282)

- Ex. 2 – Spot the intrusive R, YOD and W:

a) They did a thorough r investigation. I saw r a young man eeing the scene.

b) I’ll have a tuna r and mayo baguette please - no w onions - and a coffee y and croissant.

c) You w always put the comma r in the wrong place and you w act so w innocent about it!?

d) I’m so w envious of your shoes. I’ve worn through w all of mine. How w are yours so

clean?

e) I y invested so many hours into this. If only I could see y into the future!

f) They y asked if they could stay y a bit longer, but he y opened the door and he y ordered

them to go!

> Elision and Contractions (p.282)

- Ex. 1 – Spot the elided vowels:

1) It’s such a comfortable chair, we’re going to move it into the conservator y.

2) Have you tried these new chocolate covered strawberries?

3) Raspberry tea is very fashionable I’ll have you know!

4) Silence is mandatory in libraries I’m afraid.

5) Did you hear about that guy who built a luxury home in an old lavatory?

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308

1100

- Ex. 2 – Rewrite the sentences using contractions:

1) I am in a rush. I’m in a rush.

2) He is a wonderful man. He’s a wonderful man.

3) We are on holiday at the moment. We’re on holiday at the moment.

4) Do you realise what that means? D’you realise what that means?

5) He has never been interested. He’s never been interested.

6) We have been asking for ages. We’ve been asking for ages.

7) They had been trained for that. They’d been trained for that.

8) What does he think about this? What’s he think about this?

9) It will be over by six. It’ll be over by six.

10) Let us think about what that means. Let’s think about what that means.

11) She had been planning to go for weeks. She’d been planning to go for week.

12) Do not go without me. Don’t go without me.

13) She does not like you doing that. She doesn’t like you doing that.

14) They did not know until just now. They didn’t know until just now.

15) Sam will not trust him. Sam won’t trust him.

16) They shall not go until I’m ready. They shan’t go until I’m ready.

17) We are not in a position to say. We aren’t in a position to say.

18) I was not made aware of that. I wasn’t made aware of that.

19) We were not able to go in the end. We weren’t able to go in the end.

20) They have not written back. They haven’t written back.

21) I had not realised until now. I hadn’t realised until now.

22) Mum can not take us any more. Mum can’t take us any more.

23) I could not even if I wanted to. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.

24) You must not tell anyone. You mustn’t tell anyone.

25) I should not be such a pessimist. I shouldn’t be such a pessimist.

26) They would not take me back. They wouldn’t take me back.

27) I dare not ask to be honest. I daren’t ask to be honest.

28) You need not worry, she’s ne. You needn’t worry, she’s ne.

29) I wish you were not so stubborn. I wish you weren’t so stubborn.

30) I had not been there that long. I hadn’t been there that long.

31) What have you been doing in there? What’ve you been doing in there?

32) Surely he would never ask that of you? Surely he’d never ask that of you?

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1101

> Assimilation (p.284)