Module 1 Perfect Pronunciation in 25 hours

7/30/2019 Module 1 Perfect Pronunciation in 25 hours

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Module 1

Module 1 will cover the ollowing:

Te schwa /@/

EnglishPronunciation made easy

Accessible

Online Pronunciation course - 25hours via Blended learning.

Sounds

Concepts

30 common wordswords

In module 1:

Class 1 - 45 minutesCoursework - 1 hourReview - 45 minutes

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Class 1 - 45 minutesYoull study this in your video-conference class

@

The word the has 2 orms :

The usual - /@/ is the weak orm. This is because only the im-portant words in a sentence are stressed, the is an article and

thereore usually thrown away or pronounced in its weak

orm. The schwa, or /@/ is the weak orm.

To make a word weak you change the vowel to the schwa /@/and link the word to the next. N.B You do not use the weak

orm beore a vowel sound.

For example:

Whats the time?

The time is two oclock.

Whats @-time?@-time is two oclock

2

You can listen the the audioversion o this class afer thelesson by clicking here


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You pronounce the stressed the /i:/ when an article precedesa vowel sound. You also pronounce the in its stressed orm /i:/when you want to emphasise that one thing is the specic thing thatyou are reerring to. For example:

Tat wasnt a reason I le University, it was the reason.

Tat was Di: only reason.

Te majority of the time you will use its unstressed form.

Word 2 - of /@v/

@ v

The word o has 2 orms :

The usual - /@v/ is the weak orm. This is because only the im-portant words in a sentence are stressed, o is a preposition and

thereore usually thrown away or pronounced in weak orm.

The schwa, or /@/ is the weak orm.

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Whats the date?

Its the 1st o July.

Whats @-date?

Its @-1st @v-July

Word 3 - to /t@/

t @

In the weak orm o to you link it to the next word, like thewords the and o.

Whats the time?Its ve to seven.

Whats @-time?Its fve t@-seven

Where are you going?to the beach.

Where are you going?t@-@-beach

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Use the strong orm o to when you end a sentence with a preposi-tion

What are you doing?What you asked me to.

What are you doing?What you asked me tu:

t u:

Word 4 - and /{nd/

{ n d

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And also has 2 orms. Te stressed orm, with the {symbol, is used oremphasis only.

Did you want just this one?

No, I wanted this one and that one?

Te weak orm - with the schwa, is much more common. Its linked tothe ollowing word, like the previous words weve looked at.

Whats the date and time o the event?

Whats @ date @nd-time of the event?

Its ten to nine on the seventh o July

Its ten t@-nine on @-seventh @v-July

Practice:

Its 10 to 2 on the 7th o August

Its 3 oclock on the 5th o December

Word 5 - a/ei/

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Te article a has two orms

Te strong /ei/ used or emphasis and the weak, the schwa, used in mostcases.

Whats the date and time o the event?Whats @ date @nd-time of the event?

Its a quarter to nine on the 20th o Januaryit's @-quarter t@-nine on D@-twentieth-@v-January

Word 6 - in /In/

I n

Wheres the event going to be held?In the conerence hall

Where's Di:-event going t@-be held?In @-conerence hall

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Word 7 - is /Iz/

Te word is is pronounced with the sound z, not s

When is Julien arriving rom France?When iz Julien arriving rom France?

Tere is no weak orm o is

Word 8 - it /It/

I z

I t

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Is it 8 o clock?

No, Its a quarter to 8.

Iz It eight @-clock?no, Itz @-quarter tu:-8

Notice that it is /tu:/ and not /t@/ because the preposition precedes avowel.

Word 9 - you /ju:/

j u:

You is made with a consonant sound, the /j/ consonant is distinctrom the i: vowel as the /j/ is made with the tongue touching bothsides o the mouth and teeth. Tere is a weak orm, with the schwa,when the word isnt emphasised.

Where are you having lunch?At the restaurant

Where are j@ having lunch?@t-@-restaurant

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Word 10 - that /D@t/

Te word that has a strong and weak orm. Te weak orm is usu-ally used as a relative clause

Its the photo that I took Its the thing that you use to cut grass

itz @ photo D@t I took.Itz D@-thing D@t-you use t@-cut grass

Te strong orm /D{t/, like cat, is usually used as an adverb

Im not thatgood at ootball!

Im not D{t good @t-ootball!

That concludes Class 1. The next thing that you shouldstudy is Coursework 1

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Coursework 1Do this 1-2 days after your class

Focus 1: the schwaTe Schwa is the most common sound in the English language. It occurs

only in unstressed syllables and getting it correct helps spoken English tosound more natural and uent.

Any vowel letter can be pronounced as schwa and the pronunciation o avowel letter can change depending on whether the syllable in which it oc-

curs is stressed or not.

Te phonemic symbol or schwa is:

/@/Where is it ound?

1. /@/ can usually be ound in unction words which are unstressed in thesentence, unction words serve a purpose in the sentence but are not themain words. Examples are:

Articles a, an, the,

Prepositions

at, to, o, or

Modal verbscan

@, @n, D@ - @-name, @n-apple, D@-people

@t, t@, @f, f@ - @t-D@-door, t@-me, queen @f-England not @-mec@n - c@n-I have

You should study this sectionon your own, read it severaltimes and make sure you un-derstand it. You can also listenthe the audio version by click-ing here


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Auxiliaries / verb to be are, was, were, had, have, has

Are you OK? @-you OK?Was the shop open? w@s-D@-shop open?

Were the shops open?w@-D@

-shops open?He had lost his wallet. he-@d-lost his wallet.Have you been to Germany? h@v-you been t@-Germany?

Has he been to Germany? H@s he been t@ Germany?

Conjugations (joining words) and, or, than, that

...you and I... ...you-@nd-I...

...this or that... [email protected] taller than you. Im taller @n-you

...the photo that I took... ...D@-photo D@t-I took...

Pronouns them, you, your

Give them back! Give th@m-back!Did you know? Did y@-know?Heres your pen. Heres y@-pen.

2. /@/can also be ound in content words as part o their normal pro-

nunciation, not weak orm:

Te schwa sound is oen represented by the letters a (usually at thebeginning), ai, e, o, and le, er and or (usually at the end o a word likespectacle, doctor and Lawyer). Te schwa is also oen represented bysuces such as able, ible, tion, sion

Listen to and read the sounds, then repeat them yoursel.

according, account, action, araid, ago, agree, allow, alone, along, amount, article,attempt, away,


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battle, became, become, begin, believe, belong,

captain, certain, certainly, character, children, command, common, comconsider, contain, continue,

decide, declare, degree, demand, desire, destroy, diference, diferent, direction,discover, distance, double,

garden, general, given, golden

Tis is only a small sample, there are hundreds more examples o this.Many common words contain the schwa sound as their normal spelling.

Exercise 1

In this exercise, look at these sentences and decide where the schwasound occurs. It may occur more than once in each sentence. Te mini-mum number o schwas in a sentence is 1, the maximum 7. Te rst one

has been done or you.

1 . I t s o r y o uIts and you are both stressed words - the subject and the object - so they are not pronouncedin weak form

2 . I t t a k e s a l o t o t i m e

3 . H o w a b o u t a c u p o t e a ?

4 . W h a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o n i g h t ?

5 . W h a t t i m e w i l l y o u a r r i v e a t V i c t o r i a ?

6 . I w a s g o i n g t o t e l l y o u


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7 . h e l e i s u r e c e n t r e i s c l o s e d o r a p r i v a t e u n c t i o n

8 . h e a i r p o r t i s n o t a r r o m t h e c a p i t a l c i t y

9 . h e b o o k i s a b o u t p r o n u n c i a t i o n

1 0 . W e n e e d m o r e i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t

1 1 . Y o u n e e d t o p a y a t t e n t i o n a l l t h e t i m e

1 2 . I t i s a v e r y t h o r o u g h r e p o r t

Exercise 2

Look at the words below and decide where in the word the schwasound occurs.

Underline and/or write the schwa symbol over the correct part o theword. Te rst one has been done or you.

Hint: One word has two examples o schwa. All the others have onlyone.

d o c t o r b a n a n a t o m o r r o w d i i c u l ts u m m e r l e v e l p r o t e c t s u r v i v e

p u p i l t h e a t r e m e a s u r e w i z a r d


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Answers to exercise 1

1 . I t s o r y o u

2 . I t t a k e s a l o t o t i m e

3 . H o w a b o u t a c u p o t e a ?

4 . W h a t a r e y o u d o i n g t o n i g h t ?

5 . W h a t t i m e w i l l y o u a r r i v e a t V i c t o r i a?

6 . I w a s g o i n g t o t e l l y o u

7 . h e l e i s u r e c e n t r e i s c l o s e d o r a p r i v a t e u n c t i o n

8 . h e a i r p o r t i s n o t a r r o m t h e c a p i t a l c i t y

9 . h e b o o k i s a b o u t p r o n u n c i a t i o n

1 0 . W e n e e d m o r e i n a n c i a l s u p p o r t

1 1 . Y o u n e e d t o p a y a t t e n t i on a l l t h e t i m e

1 2 . I t i s a v e r y t h o r o u g h r e p o r t

Answers to exercise 2

d o c t o r b a n a n a t o m o r r o w d i i c u l t

s u m m e r l e v e l p r o t e c t s u r v i v ep u p i l t h e a t r e m e a s u r e w i z a r d

You can listen to the theanswers here


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Focus 2: words 11-25

Word 11 - he /hi:/

h i:

He has two orms. the h sound is oen dropped making the word soundlike /i:/. Read the examples, listen and practice

Whats i: done now?

Did you do what i: said?

Hes arriving at noon

Really? Tat wasnt what hi: told me?

Did i: place the order with the supplier?

Do you know what i: said to me?

Rules - use the weak orm in unstressed positions. Usually not at the be-ginning o a sentence

You should study this sectionseveral times, with the recordingand without, paying attention tohow the words sound and tryingto copy them.


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Word 12 - was /wQz/

w Q z

Was has two orms, read, listen to and repeat the example sentencesbelow. Te phonetics in examples will show you which are strong ormand which are weak. ake notice o the patterns, when is was in itsstressed orm and when is it in its weak orm?

It w@s thD 3rd @f j@ly

he wQsn't @ very nice man

the flight wQsn't on time

w@s the report OK?

don't tell me what it wQs, tell me what it wQsn't!

Rules - use the weak orm in unstressed positions and, generally, in thearmative only.


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Word 13 - for /f@/

@

For has two orms, /O:/ and /f@/. Read, listen to and repeat the exam-ple sentences below. Te phonetics in examples will show you which arestrong orm and which are weak. ake notice o the patterns, when is orin its stressed orm and when is it in its weak orm?

C@n you take minutes @f this meeting f@r the records?

What @re you asking me fQr? (why are you asking me?)

F@ when would y@ like D@ r@port?

Will y@ write @n e-mail f@ me?

No I won't do it fO: you, but I'll help you.

Rules - use the weak orm in unstressed positions. Use the stressed ormonly when you want to emphasis the word.


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Word 14 - on /Qn/

Q n

On doesnt have two orms but its pronunciation can vary depending onhow you emphasis the word

Read the examples, listen and practice

Te report's on the desk

Did y@ sayD@ report w@s Qn the desk@r in D@ desk?

Can y@ come t@D@ meeting on Di: 18th @ J@ly?

Im sorry, I wont be on time @D@ meeting, D@ trac is terrible!

Rules - stress the word more i its part o a phrase like on time and i its

important or the meaning o the sentence.


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Word 15 - are /a:/

a:

Are has two orms, /a:/ and /@/read, listen to and repeat the example sen-tences below. Te phonetics in examples will show you which are strongorm and which are weak orm. ake notice o the patterns, when is are inits stressed orm and when is it in its weak orm?

@ y@ going t@ be @t D@ meeting next week?

they @ not Di: only examples @v unethical business practice. (or they're not)

hey a: import@nt examples, though.

Tey can't come here, we'll have t@ go t@ where they a:

Rules - use the weak orm in unstressed positions, use a: or emphasis andat the end o sentences.


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Word 16 - as /{z/

{ z

As has two orms, but the weak orm /@z/ is much more common. Tephonetics in the examples will show you which are the stressed orm andwhich are the unstressed. ake notice o the patterns, when is as in itsstressed orm /{z/ and when is it in its weak orm /@z/?

Its D@ same price @z that one.

Im going t@ choose D@ second option @z its cheap@

{z you know, todays meeting Iz @bout D@ merger

Rules - use the weak orm in unstressed positions and, use /{z/ at the

beginning of a sentnce or for emphasis.


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Word 17 - with /wID/

w I D

With doesnt have two orms but its pronunciation can vary depending onhow you emphasis the word.

Im nQt going wID you

C@n y@ come t@ D@ supermarket wIDme?

Lets look at this sentence slowly

CAN YOU COME O HE SUPERMARKE WIH ME?

C{N ju: COME U: D3: SUPERMARKE WID ME?

Weak orm - normal orm with important words underlined

C@N j@ COME @ D@ SUPERMARKE WID ME?


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Word 18 - his /hIz/

h I z

His doesnt have two orms however the h sound is ofen dropped andis so the word sounds like Iz. Remember the previous rule about the weakhe - /i:/. Look at the examples below

Has i: caught Iz ight yet?

It's not yours, it's hIz

HIz last speech w@z fantastic!

Hi: cleans Iz car every day!

Rules - use the weak orm in unstressed positions and, usually, not at thebeginning o a sentence


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Word 19 - they /DeI/

D eI

Tey doesnt have two orms but its pronunciation can vary dependingon how you emphasis the word.

n.b. they is a subject pronoun

DeI havent been ormally introduced yet.

H@vDeI met the new CEO?

DeI dont want @ big cel@bration, just @ ew drinks.


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Word 20 - I /AI/

aI

I has two orms, when the subject I is not important, or obvious in thecontext it is said using the schwa sound /@/. Te stressed sound is com-mon, however. When you want to say Ill, the sound sounds more like along a /a:/ - a:ll

WhyIz i: so late? ai dont knowWhyIz i: so late? @ dont know

ai don't think he ever wanted th@ job (formal, less use of weak vowels)

do y@ think a:'ll get D@ promotion?

Rules - use the weak orm in when you don't want to emphasise yoursel,the subject.


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Word 21 - at /{t/

{ t

at has strong and weak orms - /{t/ and /@t/. Look at the examples below

I'll meet you @t D@ bank@t 08:30

No, don't meet me {t D@ bank, meet me in the bank

Is D@ conerence being held @t D@ conerence centre?


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Word 22 - be /bi:/

b i:

Be only has one orm - /bi:/

I it's meant t@ be, It'll be.

You should bi: happy, y@'re going on holiday next week!


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Word 23 - this /DIs/

D I s

Tis only has one orm - /DIs/

DIs iz D@ building ai w@z reerring to.

Do y@ want DIs?


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Word 24 - have /h{v/

h { v

have has both strong and weak orms, the strong orm - / h{v/ andthe weak form / h@v/. ake notice o the patterns, when is have in itsstressed orm and when is it in its weak orm?

H@v y@ got D@ time?

C@n aI have @ cup @v cofee please?

Would y@ like t@ have @ bett@ car?

When d@ we have that meeting, Paul?

Tey havent got @clue, h@v they!

@v y@ seen d@ new batman lm?

Rules - use the weak orm as an auxiliary (except in ormal speech and

negative sentences). Many people drop the initial h, (nal example) butthis isnt considered correct pronunciation.


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Word 25 - from /frQm/

f r Q m

rom has both strong and weak orms, the strong orm /frQm/ and the

weak form /fr@m/. ake notice o the patterns, when is rQm in itsstressed orm and when is it in its weak orm /r@m/?

Can you get me some money r@m the bank?

Where did y@ get y@ phone rQm?

I got it r@m D@ shop on D@ high street

Rules - use the strong orm /rQm/, only or emphasis and at the end o asentence.

That concludes Coursework 1. The next thing that youshould study is class 2. Revision 1 will come after class 2


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Module 2


elision


Accessible


Sounds

Concepts

26-28words

In module 1:

Class 1 - 45 minutesCoursework - 1 hourReview - 45 minutes

1


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Class 2 - 45 minutesYoull study this in your video-conference class

2

You can listen the the audioversion o this class aer thelesson by clicking here

How do you pronounce these words?

Wednesdayoenextraordinary

What is elision?

elision is all dropping sounds or not pronouncing them ully in u-ent speech. Elision occurs when two sounds that are created in asimilar way by the mouth are next to each other in a sentence.

For instance, we know that the word round is pronounced /raUnd/and the word to is pronounced /t@/. However, when the words are

used together as in round to, we oen drop the nal /d/, so thatphonetically it reads /raUn t@/. Tis is because /t/ and /d/ are bothlabio-dental sounds, and we tend to drop one in this case the

voiced /d/. Tis is called elision.

http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/english/rameset.html

Some words regularly attract the stress, while others dont. Tosethat are regularly unstressed are:

Focus 1 - elision


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auxiliary verbs primary and modal determiners (articles, demonstrative pronouns, etc.) subject pronouns (he, she, it, they, etc.)

prepositions (one/two syllable words e.g. on, in, at, upon, etc.) conjunctions (and, but, so, etc.)

You will notice that these are primarily grammatical words, ratherthan content words such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. We mightthink o them as small words but technically they are called unc-

tion words.

Tere are 3 main phonetic environments where this occurs:

a) Syllable-fnal clusters involving /t, d/

conscripts is pronounced /kQnscrips/acts is pronounced /ks/the act that is pronounced /@ k {t/

Helens machine stopped printing is pronounced

/hel@nz m@Si:n stQp prInti/

/h/ and /j/ tend not to create this elision but other consonants can inrapid speech such as

-pt, -kt, -st, -, -St, -tSt, -bd, -gd, -nd, -ld, -zd, -dZd, -vd, -d:

next day /neks deI/mashed potatoes /mS p@teItAUz/the last post /lA:s pAUst/


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b) Te elision o /@/

Tis can occur in several environments. In connected speech /@/ caneasily disappear at word boundaries when the sound comes at the starto the next word as in:

go away /gaU_weI/

or when it is ollowed by a stressed syllable beginning with /r/ or /l/

police /plis/

Elision can also occur when the sound comes in the middle or nalcombinations as in:

preerable /prer@b/

library /laIbri:/

c) Te loss o /h/

/h/ is lost in pronominal weak forms (i.e. the weak form of the pro-noun) when they dont occur at the start of an utterance. As you cansee rom the example below, the /h/ o the two masculine pronouns isretained at the beginning o the sentence

He, but gets elided when it occurs or a second time, in the middle othe sentence.

He passed his exam is pronounced

/hi: p={st Iz Igzm/


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Practice with these examples

Te old man told me to go away

Te city is most amous or its cathedrals and churches

Tey said he should buy her a hand bag

With the following words, try to rememberwhat we learned in module 1

Word 26 - had /h{d/

h { d

Had has two orms - h{d and h@d. Which are stressed and which areunstressed?

You can listen the the audioversion o this class aer the

lesson by clicking here


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Had you been there beore?

had he had a bad day?

You got the same mark that I had.

Tey hadnt been there long when she ell ill

Word 27 - or /O:/

O:


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You has both strong and weak orms /O:/ and /@/. Which arestressed and which are unstressed?

Do you want this one or that one?

On the menu today we have sh...or....meat.

No, you cant have both - you have have one or the other

Can I enter or am I too late?

Word 28 - one /wVn/

w V n


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One only has one orm - /wVn/ the reason the 'uh sound is not the schwais because its a stressed syllable - the schwa only occurs in unstressed syl-lables.

How many do you want?

One please

Ive only met him on one occassion.

What times the event?

It starts at hal past one

That concludes class 2 - you should review thisclass and then do coursework 2


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Coursework 2Do this 1-2 days after your class

Focus 1: sounds

You should study this sectionon your own, read it severaltimes and make sure you un-derstand it. You can also listenthe the audio version by click-

ing here

Study the ollowing exercises on mimimal pairs, sounds are comparedto make them easier to pronounce and distinguish between


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That concludes coursework 2 - you should reviewthis class and then do review 1


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Review 1Do this 1-2 days after your class

You should study this sectionon your own, read it severaltimes and make sure you un-derstand it. You can also listenthe the audio version by click-ing here

Focus: the schwa, elision & minimal pairs

1. Which words contain the schwa in each o the sentences orphrases below?

Which words are prepositions in each o the sentences or phrasesbelow? Do you notice anything?


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Answer to the exercise

2. Look at the poem below. Which words contain the schwa?

Tere once was was lady rom Niger,

Who went or a ride on a tiger.

Tey came back rom the ride

With the lady inside,

And a smile on the face of the tiger.


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Check your answers then listen and check.





And a smile on the ace o the tiger.

3. Look at the poem again. Which words are stressed?Listen to the poem again and try to copy the ryhthm. Aerwards,choose which words are stressed, the rst line has been done or you.Te answer is on the next page.





And a smile on the face of the tiger.


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And a smile on the ace o the tiger.

How are the ollowing word or phrases pronounced? Which letters areremoved?

Te next day.

Te last car

Hold the dog!

Send Frank a card.

lunchtime

strange days

I can speak.

I cant speak

secretary

camera

memory


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How are the ollowing word or phrases pronounced? Which lettersare removed?

Te next day. D@ nex deI

Te last car D@ la:s ka:

Hold the dog! haul D@ dQg

Send Frank a card. sen fr{ak @ ca:d

lunchtime lUnStaIm

strange days stranZdeIz

I can speak. AI cUn spi:k

I cant speak aI ca:n spi:k

secretary sekr@tri:

camera kamr@

memory memri:


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In the ollowing exercises, listen to the words spoken one time and decidei the speaker says the same words or diferent words the next time.


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Answers


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Module 2


-ed endings & plurals


Accessible

nline Pronunciation course - 25ours via Blended learning.

Sounds

Concepts

28-60words

In module 3:

Class 3 - 45 minutesCoursework 3 - 1 hourReview 2 - 45 minutes


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-ed endings

How do you pronounce the endings o these verbs?

to wantto believeto wish

I a veb ends with a t or d its pronounced /ID/.I a verb ends with a voiced sound its pronounced /d/I a verb ends with an unvoiced sound its pronounced /t/

Lets look at the phonetic symbols and decide i they are voiced or un-voiced.


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disapprovedisarmdiscoverdislikedivide

doubledoubtdragdraindream

explainexplodeextend

orceormoundramerighten

ry

heathelphookhophopehover

increaseinuenceinorminjectinjure

instruct

jokejudge

kickkill

queue

removerepairrepeatreplacereply

x-rayyawnyellzip


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Plurals

You pronounce the plural orm o nouns by adding an /s/ sound. Tere areexceptions.

Exception 1:Nouns that in ch, s, sh, x, or z orm the plural by adding es to the singular.Its because these words which end in ch, s, sh, x or z would be dicult topronounce i only an s were added. Here are some examples:

branch branchesox oxes

bus buses

Exception 2:Nouns that end in y which are preceded by a consonant orm the plural bychanging the y to i and then adding an es. Heres an example:

city cities

Exception 3:Nouns that end in orm the plural by changing the to v and then add-ing an es. Here are some examples:

hal halveslea leavesthie thieves

wol wolves

Exception 4:Nouns that end in e orm the plural by changing the to v and then addingonly an s. Here are some examples:

knie kniveslie lives


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Finally, there are many irregular plural noun orms which one mustcommit to memory. Here are some examples:

man menwoman womenchild children

tooth teeth

oot eetlouse licemouse mice

ox oxengoose geese

How do you pronounce the plurals o the 50 most common nouns? Re-member the schwa, sentence stress and elision when you pronounce thesentences

age Te age o my daughter is three.air Te air is quite clear today.anger His anger knows no limits.animal Im not sure o the name o that animal over there in that cage.answer He provided an excellent answer to my question.apple I love a good red apple aer dinner.

area Tis area is intended or recreationarm He put his arm out or inspection.art It would be dicult to live without art.atom One o the smallest elements is the atom.baby She put her baby into its crib.back I turned my back on that outrageous man.ball He hit the ball out o the park.


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bar Lets go to the bar and get a beer.base He works at the base on the otherside o town.bat I you look up there you can see a bat ying between the trees.bear Te bear is a dangerous but playul animal.

beauty Te countryside is splendid in its beauty.bell He rang the bell to signal the end o class.bird Do you know the name o that bird on that branch?bit Could you hand me that bit or this drill?block He picked up the block o wood and began to work on it.blood Look at the blood on the oor! Whats happened?blow He received a mighty blow rom his opponent in the boxing

match.board Use that board over there to cover up the window.boat He bought a new boat or his birthday.body He le the body at the side o the road.bone I ound a prehistoric bone in the desert.book You should read this book!bottom You will fnd the coin at the bottom o the lake.box I put the extra clothes into that box.boy Do you see that boy over there?branch Tere is a bird on that branch.bread Could you get some bread when you go to the supermarket?break Ill take a fve minute break and then get back to work.brother My brother lives in Seattle.call Give me a call when you arrive.camp I set up camp at the edge o the wood.capital Te capital o Washington state is Olympia.captain Te captain told his crew to raise the sail.car He drove his car very ast.


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Coursework 3

1 Hour

Review

What is Voiced?

A simple explanation o voiced consonants is that they use the voice. Tis is easy

to test by putting your nger on your throat. I you eel a vibration the consonantis voiced. Here is a list o some voiced consonants. Pronounce each consonantsound (not the letter) and eel the vibration o your vocal chords.

bdth (as in then)v

lrzdZ (as in Jane)

What is Voiceless?

Voiceless consonants do not use the voice. Tey are percussive and use hard

sounds. Once again, you can test i a consonant is voiceless by putting your ngeron your throat. You will eel no vibration in your throat, just a short explosion oair as you pronounce. Pronounce each o these consonant sounds and eel NOvibration in your throat.

ptk

sshchth (as in thing)

You should study this class withand without the audio playingto get a good understanding othe work covered here


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Consonants having multipe pronunciation

When consonants are put in groups they can change the voiced or voiceless qual-ity o the consonant that ollows. A great example o this is the past simple orm

o regular verbs. As you know, regular verbs add -ed to the end o the verb in thepast simple.

play - playedwash - washedlive - lived etc.

Tese past simple verbs all end in -ed. However, some o the verbs are pro-

nounced with a voiceless t sound and some are pronounced with the voiced dsound. Why? Here are the rules:

I -ed is preceded by a voiceless consonant sound (p, k, sh, etc.) -ed sounds as avoiceless t. Remember that the e is silent.

I -ed is preceded by a voiced consonant sound (d, b, v, etc.) -ed sounds as avoiced d. Remember that the e is silent.

I -ed is preceded by a vowel sound (oen ay) -ed sounds as a voiced d becausevowels are always voiced. Remember that the e is silent.

Exception: I -ed is preceded by t pronounce a voiced -id. In this case, the e ispronounced.

Tis pattern can also be ound with plural orms. I the consonant preceding the

s is voiced, s will sound as voiced z:

chairsmachinesbags

I the consonant preceding the s is voiceless, s will sound as voiceless s:

batsparkspipes


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Connected Speech

Finally, when speaking in sentences the ending consonant sounds can changebased on the ollowing words. Tis is oen reerred to as connected speech.Here is an example o a change rom a voiced b in the word club to a voiceless

p because o the voiced t o to o the ollowing word:

We went to the club to meet some riends.

Here is an example o a change rom a voiced d past simple verb changed tovoiceless t:

We played tennis yesterday aernoon.

Exercise

ake this list o words and decide i the nal consonants are voiced or

voiceless.

washedtraveledcoatsglovesshells

watchedstartedchangedbookswheelsliveddreams

seatsdropped

exchangedglobesphonescartslistened

organized


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Are the ollowing endings correct?Remember, a regular verb in the past ends with an /ID/, /D/ or //sound.

Te bear jump// out o its cage and into the crowd. She must have realiz/D/that this was her best chance to escape. Te bears trainer look// as thoughhe were about to aint rom the terror o it all; it seem/ID/ like his worst night-mare come true. He scrambl/D/ to his eet and start/ID/ waving his hands andshouting to get the bears attention. She stop/D/ her wild rampage only or amoment at the sound o her trainers pleas. She quickly turn/D/ back to thecrowd and resum// knocking people to the oor. Te trainer suddenly had anidea. He reach/D/ into his pocket and pull/D/ out a large chocolate cover/ID/

treat a known avorite o the bear. He shout/ID/ the bears name once moreto get its attention. She turn/D/ to ace him. She saw the treat and ran in ullgallop towards him. He threw the treat into the cage and the bear ollow/ID/.He lock// the door behind her and ell to the oor in relie. Apparently, thebear valu// ood more than reedom.

Answers

Exercise 1

washed - voicelesstraveled - voicedcoats - voicelessgloves - voicedshells - voicedwatched - voicelessstarted - voicedchanged - voicedbooks - voicelesswheels - voiced

lived - voiceddreams - voicedseats - voiceless


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dropped - voicelessexchanged - voicedglobes - voicedphones - voicedcarts - voiceless

listened - voicedorganized - voiced

Exercise 2

Te bear jump// out o its cage and into the crowd. She must have realiz/D/that this was her best chance to escape. Te bears trainer look// as though hewere about to aint rom the terror o it all; it seem/D/ like his worst nightmarecome true. He scrambl/D/ to his eet and start/ID/ waving his hands and shout-ing to get the bears attention. She stop// her wild rampage only or a momentat the sound o her trainers pleas. She quickly turn/D/ back to the crowd andresum/D/ knocking people to the oor. Te trainer suddenly had an idea. Hereach// into his pocket and pull/D/ out a large chocolate cover/D/ treat a

known avorite o the bear. He shout/ID/ the bears name once more to get its at-tention. She turn/D/ to ace him. She saw the treat and ran in ull gallop towardshim. He threw the treat into the cage and the bear ollow/D/. He lock// thedoor behind her and ell to the oor in relie. Apparently, the bear valu/D/ oodmore than reedom.


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What is a Plural?

One object (e.g., one hat, one pen) is reerred to as singular because it is one sin-

gle object. I we want to reer to more than one (e.g., three hats, ve pens), an s isadded to the word (hats, pens), and we call it plural.

Pronouncing Plural Endings

Te sound o a plural s changes rom /s/ to /z/ depending on whether it ollows a

voiced or voiceless consonant.

Plural S is /s/:

All the nal consonants in the singular orm o the ollowing words are voiceless;thereore, the sound or s is /s/.

Examples: rats, cufs, cups, kits

When s is added to words ending in the voiceless consonant sounds , k, p, t, andck, the plural s will have the sound o voiceless /s/.

Examples: cufs, parks, pups, cats, stacks, etc.

Plural S is /z/:

Te nal consonant in the singular orm o the ollowing words are voiced;thereore, the sound o the plural s is /z/.

Examples: ags, jobs, ans, pads

When an s is added to words ending in the voiced consonant sounds b, d, g, l, m,n, r, and v, the plural s will have the sound o voiced /z/.

Examples: cubs, hands, dogs, calls, clams, bins, cars, gloves


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Plural S is /iz/:

I a word ends in double s, double z, x, sh, or ch, -es must be added to ormthe plural. Te sound or -es is /iz/.

Examples: classes, buzzes, boxes, wishes, matches

Note:

Tese pronunciation rules also apply to verbs that have an -s or -es added.

Examples: clap/claps, tap/taps, run/runs, sob/sobs, pass/passes, miss/misses

Exercise

How are the ollowing plural nouns pronounced?

chipsrentsthanksparentsstreetsapartmentsbagshoursyearscartonsceilingsgardenstomatoesmountainsvegetables

buses


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Revision 2

45m

In this document we will review:

the schwa (weak vowel) elision -ed endings plurals

Please read this document be-ore listening to it. And review itseveral times to ensure that youunderstand.

Tis is a poem by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloudTat oats on high oer vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host, o golden daodils;Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shineAnd twinkle on the milky way,Tey stretched in never-ending lineAlong the margin o a bay:en thousand saw I at a glance,ossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Te waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed---and gazed---but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:

For o, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,Tey ash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss o solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure flls,And dances with the daodils.


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Here is the poem again

I wander/d/ lonely@s @ cloudT@t oats on high oer vale/z/ @nd hill/z/,When all @t once I saw@ crowd,@ host, @ golden daodil/z/;Beside th@ lake, beneath th@ tree/z/,

Fluttering @nd dancing in th@ breeze.

Continuous @s th@ star/z/ th@t shine@nd twinkle on th@ milky way,Tey stretch/t/ in never-ending lineAlong th@ margin @@ bay:en thousand saw I @t @ glance,

ossing their heads in sprightly dance.

I have highlighted

the schwa (weak vowel) elision -ed endings plurals sentence stress


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Now look at the third and ourth verses and, on a piece o pa-per, note down examples o:

Te waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed---and gazed---but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:

For o, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,Tey ash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss o solitude;And then my heart with pleasure flls,And dances with the daodils.

William Wordsworth

Aer you have done this, look at the next page and compareyour work with my answer

the schwa (weak vowel)

elision -ed endings plurals sentence stress


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My answer

T@ waves beside them dance/t/; but theyOut-did th@ sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such @ jocund company:I gazed---@nd gazed---but little thoughtWhat wealth th@ show t@ me h@d brought:

F@r o, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,Tey ash upon that inward eyeWhich is th@ bliss @ solitude;And then my heart with pleasure flls,And dances with th@ daodils.

William Wordsworth


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Module 4


Sentence stress


Accessible


Sounds

Concepts

28-60words

In module 4:

Class 4 - 45 minutesCoursework 4 - 1 hourReview 3 - 45 minutes

1


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Sentence stressSentence stress is the music o spoken English. Like word stress, sentencestress can help you to understand spoken English, especially when spo-

ken ast.

Sentence stress is what gives English its rhythm or beat. You rememberthat word stress is accent on one syllable within a word. Sentence stressis accent on certain words within a sentence.

Most sentences have two types o word:

content wordsstructure words

Content words are the key words o a sentence. Tey are the importantwords that carry the meaning or sense.

Structure words are not very important words. Tey are small, simplewords that make the sentence correct grammatically. Tey give the sen-tence its correct orm or structure.

I you remove the structure words rom a sentence, you will probablystill understand the sentence.

I you remove the content words rom a sentence, you will not under-stand the sentence. Te sentence has no sense or meaning.

Imagine that you receive this telegram message:

SELL CAR GONE FRANCE


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Tis sentence is not complete. It is not a grammatically correct sen-tence. But you probably understand it. Tese 4 words communicate very

well. Somebody wants you to sell their car or them because they havegone to France. We can add a ew words:

SELL my CAR Ive GONE to FRANCE

Te new words do not really add any more inormation. But they makethe message more correct grammatically. We can add even more words to

make one complete, grammatically correct sentence. But the inormationis basically the same:

Will you SELL my CAR because Ive GONE to FRANCE.

In our sentence, the 4 key words (sell, car, gone, France) are accentuatedor stressed.

Why is this important or pronunciation? It is important because itadds music to the language. It is the rhythm o the English language.It changes the speed at which we speak (and listen to) the language. Tetime between each stressed word is the same.

In our sentence, there is 1 syllable between SELL and CAR and 3 sylla-bles between CAR and GONE. But the time (t) between SELL and CARand between CAR and GONE is the same. We maintain a constant beaton the stressed words. o do this, we say my more slowly, and becauseIve more quickly. We change the speed o the small structure words sothat the rhythm o the key content words stays the same.


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Syllables2 1 3 1

Will you SELL myCARbecause Ive GONE to FRANCE.

ime

1 1 1 1Will you SELL myCARbecause Ive GONE to FRANCE.

Te basic rules o sentence stress are:

content words are stressedstructure words are unstressedthe time between stressed words is always the sameTe ollowing tables can help you decide which words are content words and

which words are structure words:

Content words - stressed

Words carrying the meaning Examplemain verbs SELL, GIVE, EMPLOYnouns CAR, MUSIC, MARYadjectives RED, BIG, INERESINGadverbs QUICKLY, LOUDLY, NEVERnegative auxiliaries DON, AREN, CAN

Structure words - unstressed

Words or correct grammar Examplepronouns he, we, theyprepositions on, at, into

articles a, an, theconjunctions and, but, becauseauxiliary verbs do, be, have, can, must


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Te rules are or or what is called neutral or normal stress. But some-times we can stress a word that would normally be only a structureword, or example to correct inormation. Look at the ollowing dia-

logue:

Teyve been to Mongolia, havent they?No, HEY havent, but WE have.

Note also that when be is used as a main verb, it is usually unstressed(even though in this case it is a content word).

Sentence stress exercises

First, you need to be able to immediately distinguish between content

and unction words. Are the ollowing words unction or content?

wentwith

justquicklythehardnext toCD ROMopenhad


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Next, take a look at the sentences and choose the words that should bestressed.

Example: Jackwent to the shop to grab some coke.

He had nished breakast beore I arrived.

Phillip ordered a huge steak or dinner.

Tey will have to stay up late i they are going to nish their homework.

It must have been something in the air that caused Jack to shout.

Could you please be more quiet?

Notice how some o the shorter sentences actually have more stressedwords than the longer ones (2 compared to 3). Tese shorter sentencescan oen take longer to speak than longer sentences with many unc-tion words!!!

Now go to the video below and look at some real lie examples o sen-

tence stress:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19243357

That concludes lesson 4, now study coursework 4


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Coursework 4


Accessible

Online Pronunciation course - 25hours via Blended learning. In module 4:

Class 4 - 45 minutesCoursework 4 - 1 hourReview 3 - 45 minutesSentence stress and words 28-45

Now well cover words 28 - 60. In the example sentences, the stressed words

are underlined. However, as you know, word stress can change dependingon the emphasis the speaker wants to give. Click your ngers on the un-derlined words and remember the time (t) between each underlined wordmust be the same.

Word 28 - by /baI/

By is a preposition (next to; close to) and adverb (to go past). Look atthese examples.

Preposition

Te shop is by the Restaurant

Adverb

Te crowd cheered as the Royal Family went by


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Word 29 - hot /hQt/

As an adjective, hot is in a stressed position.

this soup is equally good hot or cold

flled with passionate excitement, anger, or other strong emotion:

she was hot with rage

inormal involving much activity, debate, or interest:

I have got some hot gossip!

inormal very knowledgeable or skilul:

oni is very hot on local history

Word 30 - but /bVt/

But is a conjunction, and unstressed in most cases.

used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting with what has already been men-tioned:

he stumbled but didnt all

the ood is cheap but delicious

used to indicate the impossibility o anything other than what is being stated:

one cannot but sympathize

there was nothing they could do but swallow their pride


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Word 31 - some /sVm/

Some is a determiner and pronoun. Look at the ollowing examples. Re-member to ocus on the sentence stress.

Determiner

an unspecifed amount or number o:

I made some money running errands

he played some records or me

used to reer to someone or something that is unknown or unspecifed:

she married some newspaper magnate twice her age

there must* be some mistake

* Stress on the must or emphasis

(pronounced stressing some) a considerable amount or number o:

he went to some trouble

Ive known you or some years now

(pronounced stressing some) at least a small amount or number o:

he liked some music but generally wasnt musical

Pronoun

1an unspecifed number or amount o people or things:

here are some o our suggestions


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Word 32 - what /wQt/What has three uses - as an interrogative pronoun, relative pronoun,interroragive determiner, relative determiner

Interrogatives are usually stressed

[interrogative pronoun] asking or inormation speciying something:

whats your name?Im not sure what you mean

[relative pronoun] the thing or things that (used in speciying something):

what we need is a commitment

[interrogative determiner] asking or inormation speciying something:

what time is it?

do you know what excuse he gave?

[relative determiner] (reerring to the whole o an amount) whatever:

he had been robbed o what little money he had

Word 33 - there/De@/

Tere is an adverb. So its un a stressed position

we went to Paris and stayed there ten days

at the end o the day we are there to make money

I dont agree with you there


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Word 34 - all /O:l/

All is a determiner, pronoun and adverb and thereore usually in an un-stressed position except when used as an adverb

we all have dierent needs

determiner

10 percent o all cars sold

he slept all day

adverb

dressed all in black

shes been all round the world

Word 35 - your /jO:/

Your is a possessitve determiner, so its unstressed (except i it needs em-phasis)

Whats your name?

Can I see your ticket, sir?

Tats not mybag, itsyours!


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Word 36 - when /wen/

when is an interrogative and a conjunction.

when did you last see him?

when would such a rule be justiable?

Conjunction

call me when youve nished

can you spare ve minutes when its convenient?

Word 37 - when /wen/

when is an interrogative and a conjunction.

when did you last see him?

when would such a rule be justiable?

Conjunction

call me when youve nished

can you spare ve minutes when its convenient?


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Word 38 - up /Vp/

Up is usually used as an adverb and a preposition.

Adverb

two o the men helped her up

she made her way up to bed

Preposition

she climbed up a fight o steps

he lived up the road

Word 39 - use /ju:s/

Use is a verb and thereore is a stressed word within a sentence

she used her key to open the door

the poem uses simple language

I couldnt help eeling that she was using me (exploiting me)


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Word 40 - we /wi:/

we is a pronoun and is therore usually unstressed

shall we have a drink?

we should eat as varied and well-balanced a diet as possible

Word 41 - can /c{n/

can is a modal verb and usually unstressed. It has lots o unc-tions: to give permission, express ability, express possibility andexpress a request.

they can run ast

I can speak Italian

there are many ways holidaymakers can take money abroad

you can use the phone i you want to

can you open the window?


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Pronunciation andUnderstanding Native Speakers25 HOUR COURSE

Module 4

revision 3

words 42-60


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Words 42 - 60

This document will cover words 42 - 60.

Up to this point we have studied the following linguistic concepts

the schwa /@/.

We pronounce many vowel sounds as the weak /@/ in unstressed positions,

this makes it easier to say these words quickly.

elision of the /h/, the /@/ and of /t/ and /d/ in consonant clusters.

Again, this makes it easier for us pronunce words quickly, in both stressed

and unstressed positions

the pronunciation of -ed endings of verbs / adjectives and the

plural form of nouns and 3rd person present simple verbs.

voiced and unvoiced consonants are the key here, remember that if the end-

ingoftheinnitiveorrootofawordisanunvoicedsoundthensoisthe

past /plural form.

Sentence stress

The content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) give the sentence its

rhythm, the time (t) between each stress word should be the same.

Strong and weak forms of words

This is different to sentence stress, sometimes we choose to emphasise

one word more than others, to show that the opposite is not true, for exam-ple. This can change the meaning of the sentence


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Word42-when/wen/

If when is an interrogative - when do you want to go?,thenitisusually stressed.

As a relative adverb - saturday is the day when I get my hair done,

it is usually unstressed.

Notethatdoneisntunderlinedinthesentenceabove.Thisisbecauseitis

part of the passive construction to get / have something done / verb inpastparticiple.

As a conjunction - callmewhenyouvenished,itisusuallyun-

stressed

Letslookatsomemoresentenceswiththewordwhen.

When is the concert?

wen iz D@ cAnc@t?

Whenwouldyouprefertoseethelm?

wen wUd y@ prVf3: t@ si: D@ fIlm

Can you spare 5 minutes when it's convenient?

c@n y@ spa@ faIv mInIts wen Its c@nvi:nj@nt?

I loved maths when I was at school

ai lVvd m{Ts wen aI wVz @t sku:l


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Word43-word/w3:d/

As a noun, word is in a stressed position,

Illjusthaveawordwithhim

(speakbrieytosomeoneprivately)

aIl jVst (h){v @ w3:d wiD (h)Im

you know that I always keep my word(keep my promise)

ju: naU D@t aI O:lweIz ki:p maI wO:d

Word44-how/haU/

Howisanadverb,usuallyaninterrogativeadverb,soitsusuallyina

stressed position.

how old are you?

haU @Uld @ ju:

hedidntknowhowtobehave

hi: dIdnt n@U haU t@ bi:h@iv


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Word45-said/sed/

Asthepastformoftheverbtosay,itisinastressedposition.

Well thats not what he said to me!

w@l th{ts nAt wAt (h)i: sed t@ me!

She said that she'll be here in 15 minutes.

Si: sed th@t Si:l bi: hI@ In fIfti:n mInIts

Word46-an/{n/, /@n/

Anisanarticle,thereforeinmostcasesitisinanunstressedposi-

tion and the /{/ vowel becomes the /@/

Can you give me an apple?

c@n j@ gIv mi: @n {p@l

Thatsaninterestingpointofview.

D{ts @n IntrestIn pOInt @v vju:


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Word47-each/i:tS/

As a determiner - 'each car costs 19.95' and pronoun - Derek hadmoneyfromeachofhisveuncles'theword'each'isinanun-

stressed position. As an adverb, placed after a noun - Paul and Bill

have a glass each' it is stressed.

Herearesomefurtherexamples:

each battery is in a separate compartment

i:tS b{tri: Iz In @ sVpr@t k@mpa:rtm@nt

the cameras cost 35 each

D@ c{mr@z cAst T3:ti: faIv paUndz i:tS

Word48-she/Si:/

As a pronoun, she is usually in an unstressed position

Why was she so late?

waI w@z Si: saU leIt?

She forgot her passport!

Si: f@gAt (h)3: pa:spO:t


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Word49-her/h3:/

As a pronoun, her is unstressed.

she knew I hated her

Si: nju: aI heItId (h)3:

But

usedaftertheverbtobeandafterthanoras:

it must be her

It mVst bi: h3:

Word50-which/wItS/

Ifwhichisusedasaninterrogative-whichphoneshouldIbuy?

thenitsusuallyinastressedposition.Ifusedasarelativepronoun

ordeterminer-itwasaproblemforwhichIwastotallyunprepared

then it is usually unstressed.

which way is the wind blowing?

wItS weI Iz D@ wInd blaUinN


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Word51-do/du:/

When do is an auxiliary - 'where do you live?' when it is unstressed.

Asamainverbitisstressed.Youcanusethescwaforthe/u:/in

its unstressed form.

What do you do for a living?

wAt d@ j@ du: f@(r)@ living?

(notice the linking r)

IdontknowifIshoulddoitnow,orlater.

aI daUnt naU If aI SUd du: It naU O: leIt@

Word52-their/Te@/

As a pronoun, their is usually in an unstressed position.

They forgot their passports!

TeI f@gAt Te@ pa:spO:ts!

Luckily,theirightwasdelayed

LVkIli:, Te@ flaIt w@z d@laId


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Word53-time/taIm/

When do is an auxiliary - 'where do you live?' when it is unstressed.

Asamainverbitisstressed.Youcanusethescwaforthe/u:/in

its unstressed form.

What do you do for a living?

wAt d@ j@ du: f@(r)@ living?

(notice the linking r)

IdontknowifIshoulddoitnow,orlater.

aI daUnt naU If aI SUd du: It naU O: leIt@

Word54-time/taIm/

Asanounoraverb,itsinastressedposition.

Are you having a good time?

@ y@ h{viN @ gUd taIm?

What time is it?

wAt taIm Iz It?


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Word55-if/If/

If is a conjunction, so it is normally unstressed

What would you do if you lost your job?

wAt wUd j@ du: If j@ lAst y@ jAb?

well,ifitisntFrank!

(expressingsurpriseatseeingFrank)

wel If It Isnt fr{nk

Word56-will/wIl/

willisamodalverb,soitsinanunstressedposition

will you have a cup of coffee with me?

wIl j@ h{v @ cVp @v cAfi: wID mi:

accidents will happen

{ksId@nts wIl h{p@n


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Word57-way/weI/

Wayisanounwhichusuallyreferstoanindividualscharacteristic

orhabitualbehaviour-hediditinhistypicalwayoranaspectof

something-Ihavechangedineverysingleway.Itisalsoanadverb

usedinformally-hewasdrivingwaytoofast.Inbothcasesitis

therefore usually in a stressed position.

there are two ways of approaching this problem

De@ @ tu: weIz @v @praUtSIN DIs prAbl@m

Itswaytoolatetostartanotherlmnow

Its weI tu: leIt t@ st{t @ fIlm naU

Word58-about/@baUt/

Asaprepositionmeaningonthesubectofsomethinglike-Ive

beenthinkingaboutyouitisusuallyunstressed.Itcanalsobeused

asanadverbwithnumberorquantity-Therewereabout250peo-

pleinthevenueyoushouldstresstheword.

This is a book about ancient Greece

DIs Iz @ bUk @baUt eInS@nt gri:s

Sales have reduced by about 15%

seIlz (h)@v r@dju:ct baI @baUt fIfti:n p@cent


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Word59-many/meni:/

asadeterminer:

many people agreed with her

meni: pi:pl @gri:d wID h3:

as pronoun

the solution to many of our problems

D@ s@lu:S@n t@ meni: @v a: prAbl@ms

as adjective

one of my many errorswVn @v maI meni: er@z

Word60-these/Di:z/

Thepluralofthisisusuallyunstressed.Likethisitisapronounora

determiner.

these are different from those

Di:z @ dIfr@nt fr@m DaUz

Where do you work these days?

we@ d@ y@ wO:k Di:z deIz?


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Module 4


Strong and weak orms o words


Accessible


Sounds

Concepts

60-80words

In module 4:

Class 4 - 45 minutes

Coursework 4 - 1 hourReview 3 - 45 minutes

1


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When you are speaking English the words you stress can change the under-lying meaning o a sentence. Lets take a look at the ollowing sentence:

I dont think he should get the job.

Tis simple sentence can have many levels o meaning based on the word you stress.Consider the meaning o the ollowing sentences with the stressed word in bold. Readeach sentence aloud and give a strong stress to the word in bold:

I dont think he should get the job.

Meaning: Somebody else thinks he should get the job.

I dont think he should get the job.Meaning: Its not true that I think he should get the job.

I dont thinkhe should get that job.Meaning: Tats not really what I mean. OR Im not sure hell get that job.

I dont thinkhe should get that job.Meaning: Somebody else should get that job.

I dont think he should get that job.Meaning: In my opinion its wrong that hes going to get that job.

I dont think he should get that job.Meaning: He should have to earn (be worthy o, work hard or) that job.

I dont think he should get thatjob.Meaning: He should get another job.

I dont think he should get that job.Meaning: Maybe he should get something else instead.

As you can see, there are many dierent ways this sentence can be understood. Te impor-tant point to remember is that the true meaning o the sentence is also expressed through

the stressed word or words.


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Here is an exercise to help you develop the art o correct word stress. ake the ol-lowing sentence:

I said she might consider a new haircut.

Say the sentence aloud using the stress word marked in bold. Once you have spoken

the sentence a ew times, match the sentence version to the meaning below. You willfnd the answers to this quiz on the ollowing page.

I said she should consider a new haircut.







A dierent hairstyle

Its a possibility.

It was my idea.

Not something else.

Dont you understand me?

Not another person.

She should think about it. its a good idea..

Finish this sentence, with a stress on each word in the rst clause:

I told you to paint the kitchen blue, not / i didnt...


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Word 60 - then /Den/

Ten is an adverb and is usually in a stressed position

Consider these examples:

at that time; at the time in question:

I was living in Cairo then

Phoebe by then was exhausted

he accepted a peerage rom the then Prime Minister, Edward Heath

aer that; next; aerwards:

she won the frst and then the second game

also; in addition:

Im paid a generous salary, and then theres the money Ive made at the races

in that case; thereore:

i you do what I tell you, then theres nothing to worry about

well, thats okay then

used at the end o a sentence to emphasize an inerence being drawn:

so youre still here then

used to nish of a conversation:

see you in an hour then

When a word has so many uses, it is up to you to decide when to stress the

word and when no to.


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Word 61 - them /Dem/

Tem is a pronoun and usually unstressed, except to show emphasis

I bathed the kids and read them stories

rows o doors, most o them locked

how well do you have to know someone beore you call them a riend?

But:

used aer the verb to be and aer than or as:

you reckon thats them?

were better than them

Word 62 - write/rait/

Wrote is a verb and thereor in a stressed position, look at these examples:

he wrote his name on the paper

Alice wrote down the address

he couldnt read or write

he had to write a cheque or 800

I wrote a letter to Alison

he has written a song specifcally or her


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Word 63 - would /wUd/

Would is a modal verb, a structure word. You can stress the word to

emphasise that something is conditional or hypothetical

he said he would be away or a couple o days

I wouldnt drink that i I were you

would you like some water?

I would have to agree

they would say that, wouldnt they?

Here is an example where you might emphasis the word would

I would have gone, except I had a doctors appointment

Word 64 - like /laik/

Like is a preposition and is usually in unstressed positions, here are

some examples:

having the same characteristics or qualities as; similar to:

he used to have a car like mine

they were like brothers

she looked nothing like Audrey Hepburn


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in the manner o; in the same way or to the same degree as:

he was screaming like a banshee

In stressed positions

used in questions to ask about the characteristics or nature o someone or something:

what is it like to be a tuna fsherman?

whats she like?

Word 65 - so /saU/

When so is used as an adverb it is in a stressed position. When it;s usedas a conjunction, its unstressed. Consider these examples:

she looked so pretty

thats so not air

you are so going to regret this

Documents

Module 1 Perfect Pronunciation in 25 hours