Set of exercises in order to improve the students" pronunciation in English (página 3)
Enviado por Carlos Franco Castellanos
3. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /ð/.
a) This is a picture of my father and mother.
b) I want this book, not that one.
c) This boy is taller than that one.
d) Although it"s late, my brother is coming.
e) I can either go by car or by train.
f) The man on the corner is a friend of mine.
g) I don"t know the other man.
h) These bananas are good; those are bad.
4. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /d/.
a) He"s going to Denver in December.
b) It was a dark day.
c) The child was looking for a dog.
d) The movie was good. It wasn"t bad.
e) The food was good. It wasn"t bad.
f) I have to wash the dinner dishes.
g) He made a good grade on the test.
h) It"s difficult to drive in the winter.
5. Practice the sentences. The sounds /ð/ and /d/ are both included in these sentences as shown.
a) I dare you to go there.
b) Dan bought a dozen roses.
c) They"ve gone away for the day.
d) What"s the date of the dance?
e) Today is Monday.
f) Don"t touch your teeth when you pronounce a "d".
g) The word is doze, not those.
h) That was a good movie.
Exercise 17
/s/ and /z/
1. Listen while the teacher pronounces the following sentences and select the correct one.
I"m going to pronounce the word Sue.
I"m going to pronounce the word zoo.
The sound /s/ is a voiceless fricative pronounced with the tongue close to the teeth, the teeth closed, and the tongue grooved. The air makes a hissing sound as it passes over the tongue and between the teeth.
The sound /z/ is a voiced fricative pronounced with the tongue in the same position as for /s/. It is a voiced sound; the vocal cords are vibrating. This produces a buzzing sound as the air passes out through the mouth.
2. Pronounce the words in the columns below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.
(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then, all of the words in column 2.
1 2
/s/ /z/
seal zeal
Sue zoo
sink zinc
see "z"
(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above columns. Be sure that you make a difference in the two sounds being practiced.
(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving the number of the column or by holding up either one or two fingers.
3. Practice the sentences in exercise 15. All these sentences contain the sound /s/.
4. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /z/.
a) He"s going to the zoo.
b) Close your eyes, please.
c) We have bananas and apples today.
d) Those houses are new.
e) Her eyes are full of tears.
f) On Thursday he arose early.
g) His business is good this year.
h) The boys are playing a game.
5. Practice the following sentences. The sound /s/ and /z/ are both included in these sentences as shown.
a) Sue is going to the zoo.
b) Steam makes a hissing sound.
c) Mosquitos make a buzzing sound.
d) They raise rice in China.
e) Baseball and Tennis are good games.
f) We sometimes go to the movies.
g) Please pass me the cigarettes.
h) When does his niece start classes?
Whenever the basic form of the word ends in one of the following sounds a separate syllable is added in pronouncing the –s suffix: /s, z, ?, ?, ?, ?/. This syllable is usually pronounced /?Z/.
Whenever the basic form of a word ends in a voiceless sound (except /s/, / ?/, /?/) the –s suffix is pronounced /s/ and is added without pronouncing an extra syllable.
Whenever the basic form of a word ends in a voiced sound (except /z/, /?/, /?/) the –s suffix is pronounced /z/ and is added without pronouncing an extra syllable.
The contraction of the word is follows these same rules, except that it is the final sound of the preceding word which determines the choice of pronunciation. When the preceding word ends in a sibilant sound the word is cannot be contracted.
Exercise 18
/?/ /?/ /?/
1. Listen while the teacher pronounces the following sentences and select the correct one.
She"s going to wash.
She"s going to watch.
The sound /?/ is a voiceless fricative pronounced with the tip of the tongue drawn back toward the palate. The tongue is grooved, the lips are pushed outward, and the teeth are close together. (Pronounce the two sounds /s/ and /?/ in order to notice the difference in position of the tongue.)
The sound /?/ is a voiceless affricate, and the pronunciation is almost the same as for /?/. However, in pronouncing the first part of this sound, the tongue tip touches the tooth ridge, thus giving the impression that /?/ begins as a /t/ and ends as a /?/.
2. Pronounce the words in the columns below. Use as many of these exercises as you think you need.
(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then, all of the words in column 2.
1 2
/?/ /?/
ship chip
wash watch
cash catch
share chair
(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above columns, for example, ship, chip. Be sure that you make a difference in the sounds.
(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving the number of the column or by holding up either one or two fingers.
3. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /?/.
a) He"s going to shave.
b) He"s fishing.
c) Brush your shoes.
d) We"re washing the dishes.
e) It"s a fishing boat.
4. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /?/.
a) The children were in the kitchen.
b) Try to catch me.
c) She likes her teacher very much.
d) Don"t catch cold.
e) They were watching the preacher.
5. Practice the following sentences. The sounds /?/ and /?/ are both included in these sentences as shown.
a) You should get a watch.
b) He wants to catch some fish.
c) I don"t know whether he hurt his shin or his chin.
d) Where does she teach?
e) Put the cherries in a dish.
6. The consonant sound in the middle of the word measure is symbolized /?/. It is pronounced with the tongue and lips in the same position as for /?/. The only difference is that /?/ is a voiced sound.
7. Practice the pronunciation of /?/ in the following words:
division conclusion leisure
treasure vision pleasure
8. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /?/.
a) It"s a pleasure to know you.
b) Are you looking for treasure?
c) He has perfect vision.
d) The office was in confusion.
e) You can draw your own conclusion.
9. Practice the following sentences. The sounds /?/ and /?/ are both included in these sentences as shown.
a) I go fishing occasionally.
b) It"s a pleasure to take a cold shower.
c) Did you measure the shelf?
d) He washes the dishes occasionally.
e) You should make a final decision.
f) I like leisure of social activities.
g) The boy was sharing his treasures.
h) They were measuring the fish.
Exercise 19
/?/ and /?/
1. Listen while the teacher pronounces the following sentences and select the correct one.
They are chocking.
They are joking.
The sound /?/ is a voiceless affricate pronounced by putting the tongue against the tooth ridge as if for /t/ and then pronouncing /?/.
The sound /?/ is a voiced affricate and differs from /?/ only by being voiced. In pronouncing the first part of this sound the tongue tip touches the tooth ridge giving the impression that /?/ begins with the sound /d/.
2. Pronounce the words in the columns below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.
(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then, all of the words in column 2.
1 2
/?/ /?/
choke joke
cheap jeep
chew Jew
cheer jeer
cherry Jerry
(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above columns. Be sure that you make a difference in the sounds.
(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving the number of the column or by holding up one or two fingers.
3. Practice the sentences in exercise 18. All these sentences contain the sound /?/.
4. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /?/.
a) The judge has a white hair.
b) Jack was joking with the girls.
c) The midget"s name was John.
d) They are driving a jeep.
e) There are lots of pigeons in the trees.
5. Practice the following sentences. The sounds /?/ and /?/ are both included in these sentences as shown.
a) The children were jumping and playing catch.
b) The judge sent the man to jail.
c) This jelly is made of cherries.
d) The jeep is not cheap.
e) She"s going to change the furniture in this room.
f) Charles was looking for a job.
g) Sometimes they cheer, sometimes they jeer.
h) Take this check to the manager.
Exercise 20
/w/ /j/ /?/
1. The initial sound in the word window is very confused for Spanish speakers and sometimes it is mispronounced. In pronouncing this sound in such words as wish, way, will we begin with the tongue in the position for the vowel sound /u/, then, the tongue glides into the position of the vowel sound which follows. This sound is represented by the symbol /w/.
Pronounce the following words:
way one wonderful
wide work waste
2. The initial sound in the word yet is represented by the symbol /j/. In pronouncing /j/ we begin with the tongue in the position for the vowel sound /i/. Then the tongue glides smoothly into the position of the vowels which follows.
yet yellow yesterday
you yard university
3. Practice the following sentences. The sounds /w/ and /j/ are both included in these sentences as shown.
a) The walls were painted yellow.
b) Are you going to Washington this year?
c) Do you like the winter weather?
d) I had to work yesterday.
e) The youngest boy is going to work.
f) He wants to go to the university.
g) The suit was made of wool.
h) The woman was washing the walls.
4. Listen while the teacher pronounces the following sentences and select the correct one.
He"s going to Yale.
He"s going to jail.
5. Pronounce the words in the columns below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.
(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then, all of the words in column 2.
1 2
/j/ /?/
Yale jail
yellow jello
yoke joke
use (noun) juice
yet jet
(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above columns, for example, Yale, jail. Be sure that you make a difference in the sounds.
(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving the number of the column or by holding up one or two fingers.
6. Practice the following sentences. The sounds /j/ and /dz/ are both included in these sentences as shown.
a) The jet planes haven"t arrived yet.
b) The jello is yellow
c) I"ve heard a few new jokes this year.
d) Yale is a famous university.
e) He was in jail for a year.
f) I"ll use the juice to make jello.
g) We have no use for this tomatoe juice.
h) The manager was a young man.
Exercise 21
/f/ /v/ /b/
1. The initial sound in the words fat, feel is symbolized /f/. This sound is pronounced with the upper teeth placed on the lower lip.
Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /f/.
a) I feel fine.
b) The paper fell on the floor.
c) His father works at the factory.
d) He"s a fine fellow.
2. The initial sound in the words very, vote is symbolized by /v/. This sound is pronounced with the upper teeth placed on the lower lip, just as in the sound /f/. The only difference between this sound and /f/ is voicing. The sound /v/ is voiced.
Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /v/.
a) I"m going to invite her to dinner.
b) We are going to vote tomorrow.
c) We have to visit the school today.
d) Put some vinegar on the vegetables.
e) She has a very nice voice.
3. The teacher will pronounce one of the following sentences. Tick (x) the one you hear.
He"s talking about boat.
He"s talking about vote.
The sound /b/ is a voiced stop pronounced with the two lips pressed tightly together, then released.
4. Pronounce the words in the columns below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.
(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then, all of the words in column 2.
1 2
/b/ /v/
bat vat
best vest
base vase
robe rove
(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above columns, for example, boat, vote. Be sure that you make a difference in the sounds.
(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving the number of the column or by holding up one or two fingers.
5. Practice the following sentences. The sounds /b/ and /v/ are both included in these sentences as shown.
a) I like blueberries very much.
b) The movie was very bad.
c) We are invited to a banquet.
d) The boys are playing volleyball.
e) Get into the boat.
f) I have a savings account at the bank.
g) She bought some vegetables.
h) The village was burned during the war.
Exercise 22
/m/ /n/ /?/
1. Listen while the teacher pronounces the following sentences and select the correct one.
He wants a comb.
He wants a cone.
The sound /m/ is pronounced with the lips completely closed. The tongue is relaxed. The air comes through the nose.
The sound /n/ is pronounced with the tip of the tongue on the tooth ridge and the air comes through the nose.
2. Pronounce the words in the columns below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.
(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then, all of the words in column 2.
1 2
/m/ /n/
comb cone
came cane
game gain
dime dine
(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above columns. Be sure that you make a difference in the sounds.
(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving the number of the column or by holding up one or two fingers.
3. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /m/
a) I"m coming home on Monday.
b) The comb cost a dime.
c) What time is the baseball game?
d) Please give me some ham.
e) Some of the people came yesterday.
4. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /n/.
a) The man ran to the train.
b) The plane leaves at nine.
c) There is a lot of sunshine here.
d) There were ten men on the plane.
e) The barn was green.
5. Listen while the teacher pronounces the following sentences and select the correct one.
It"s a ton.
It"s a tongue.
The sound /?/ is pronounced with the back of the tongue high in the back of the mouth, against the velum, and the air comes through the nose. The front of the tongue is placed down behind the front lower teeth. If you have difficulty pronouncing the sound /?/, place a pencil across the front of your tongue to hold it down.
6. Pronounce the words in the columns below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.
(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then, all of the words in column 2.
1 2
/n/ /?/
ton tongue
son song
run rung
thin thing
(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above columns. Be sure that you make a difference in the consonant sounds.
(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word from either column. Tell which column each sentence is from by giving the number of the column or by holding up either one or two fingers.
7. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /?/. The sound is often spelled ng, but the g is seldom pronounced.
a) He likes to sing that song.
b) He"s singing.
c) Thank you for the ink.
8. Practice the following sentences. The sounds /m/, /n/ and /?/ are all included in these sentences as shown.
a) I want an ice cream cone.
b) He"s swimming and playing baseball today.
c) Someone was running the wrong way.
d) I"m going to swim today.
e) I"m going to sing today.
f) The suit is hanging on the hanger.
g) His home is on the farm.
h) It was raining into the room.
Exercise 23
/p/ /t/ /k/
1. When we pronounce the initial sound such words as pair, tear the consonant sounds are followed by a puff of air, just like an /h/ sound. This /h/ sound after stop consonants such as /p/, /t/ and /k/ is called aspiration.
Pronounce the following words:
pin tin car
pack tip can
pit tan kill
2. In certain positions, especially at the ends of syllables, these sounds are not usually pronounced with aspiration. Pronounce the following words:
keep cat lake
deep rat take
3. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of words contain the sounds /p/, /t/ and /k/ which are to be pronounced with aspiration or a slight puff of air following them.
a) Wait till the cows come home.
b) I spilled the pills.
c) He has pencil in his pocket.
d) The car cost a lot.
e) This is terrible.
f) Plesa tell me a story.
g) There are ten people in the room.
h) Can you get the tickets for me?
Exercise 24
/l/
1. In English there are two kinds of /l/ sounds. The /l/ sound in the words below is pronounced with the front of the tongue spread out across the tooth ridge. Pronounce the following words:
live long letter
late land listen
Notice that in all of these words the /l/ sound appears before vowels at the beginning of a syllable.
2. When the /l/ sound appears at the end of a syllable after a vowel it"s pronounced differently than before vowels. Listen to the pronunciation of the following words and imitate them.
all meal pull
ill peel pool
The middle of the tongue is very low while pronouncing this kind of /l/. Only the tip of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth. The front of the tongue is not spread out against the tooth ridge as in the pronunciation of the sound in the previous group of words. The transition between the vowel and the /l/ sound is very slow in such words as the following. Pronounce the following words and make the vowel sound very long and the /l/ sound with only the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth.
peel meal felt
kneel wool milk
3. Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the words contain the /l/ sound at the end of a syllable after a vowel.
a) How do you feel?
b) I feel fine.
c) The child is very tall.
d) Please put the milk on the table.
e) He was peeling an apple.
f) I want to help him.
g) The child is playing with a doll.
h) They are going to fill the pool.
Conclusions
Through this project, I learnt important aspects to take into account when studying a foreign language, in this case English. It was an outstanding experience for me because it helped me know things that I couldn"t imagine they exist. However I think those students, who are in college, should consult this work to widen their knowledge and obtain some ideas they must know when they began to study Phonetics in the third year; but not only for them but also for those who are in High and Polytechnical Schools.
Recommendations
It is suggested to the Department of Human Science and the Bachelor Degree in English Olga Cruz González to review this set of exercises above applicated in order to improve the students" pronunciation in Luis Ramírez López Polytechnical Economy Institute.
It is recommended to applicate these exercises in other educational levels to get a better pronunciation in English.
Dedicatory:
This project is dedicated to:
My grandmother who was my inspiration and gave me comprehension when I needed most, thank you very much indeed wherever you are.
My family, especially my father who taught me to fight for what I want.
Author:
Carlos Franco Castellanos
"Luis Ramírez López"
Polytechnical Economy Institute
Scholar Forum
"Year of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution"
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