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Content
Unit 1: Contractions 1. Short forms with I 2. Short forms with she, he and it 3. Short forms with we, you and they 4. Short forms with other pronouns 5. Short forms with not Unit 2: Plural -s 1. Three different sounds of plural -s 2. Some rules 3. Test yourself Unit 3: Third person -s 1. Three different sounds of third person -s 2. Test yourself Unit 4: Pronouncing -ough1. Seven different ways 2. Pronouncing -ought Unit 5: -d sound 1. Three different sounds of past tense -d 2. Some rules 3. Test yourself Unit 6: Pronunciation of ch 1. ch sound as in watch 2. ch sound as in chemical 3. ch sound as in chef Unit 7: Pronunciation of -et 1. -et pronounced as it 2. -et pronounced as ay Unit 8: Pronouncing -ment 1. -ment generally pronounced 2. Stress on -ment Unit 9: Pronouncing -age and -ege 1. Practice with -age and -ege
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Unit 10: Silent letters 1. Silent b 2. Silent c 3. Silent d 4. Silent g 5. Silent h 6. Silent k 7. Silent l 8. Silent n 9. Silent p 10. Silent s 11. Silent t 12. Silent w Unit 11: Homophones 1. Practice with homophones Unit 12: Homographs 1. Common homographs 2. Stress makes a difference Unit 13: Word stress 1. Common nouns and adjectives 2. Compound words 3. Part of speech 4. Self practice 5. Endings that are stressed 6. Endings that do not influence 7. Endings that influence 8. More practice with common words Unit 14: Names of days and months 1. Days 2. Months Unit 15: Commonly mispronounced words Unit 16: Phonetic symbols Unit 17: Am, Br differences
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1 Contractions
In everyday speech and informal writing, short forms are frequently used. Listen and practice.
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shes shed
shell
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she will
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Hes good at maths. Hes gone out. If only hed known the answer! Hed be really happy. Hell be sad to hear the news. Its a nice day today. Its got a bushy tail. Itll help you a lot.
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were weve wed well
youre youd
youll
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you will
Theyre coming today. Theyve helped us a lot. They realised that theyd made a mistake.
they would Theyd definitely feel good about it. theyll they will Theyll never forget this event.
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heres thatll thats
theres whats
wheres where is
whod whos
Whod been there before us? Whos there? Whos taken my umbrella?
Some verb forms have two short forms, for example, hes not and he isnt. You can use either form but in the audio you will hear the second type only, except for Im not. am not are not cannot did not does not do not has not have not had not Im not arent cant didnt doesnt dont hasnt havent hadnt Im not interested. Arent you helping us? I cant swim like you do. She couldnt remember my name. He called you, didnt he? It doesnt matter. We dont have a problem. Hasnt your sister arrived yet? Havent you seen a snail before? We ate like pigs because we hadnt eaten for days.
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is not must not need not was not were not will not
This isnt my cup of tea. You mustnt forget that tomorrow is the big day. You neednt worry. Im there. He shouldnt have gone to the party. I wasnt aware of your illness. They werent very friendly with us. My car wont start. He wouldnt listen to me.
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2 Plural -s
The plural s is pronounced in three ways, /s/, /z/ and /Iz/. (Exercises 2 and 3 of this unit are not recorded on the cassette.)
Some rules
Study the rules regarding the pronunciation of plural s. -s is pronounced as /s/ when the words end in -f sound as in chief, graph, cough chiefs, graphs -k sound as in park, cake parks, cakes -p sound as in cup, tape cups, tapes -t sound as in hat, classmate hats, classmates -th sound as in path paths (but not as in then)
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-s is pronounced as I/z/ when the words end in -s sound as in glass, house, sentence, box houses glasses, -ch sound as in bench -sh sound as in bush -z as in blouse, maze -j as in page, bridge benches bushes blouses, mazes pages, bridges
-s is pronounced as /z/ when the words do not end in the sounds given in the two lists above. For example dogs, scarves, hotels, mangoes etc.
Test yourself
Now put these words into the three boxes given on the facing page. Then practice saying the words. cups lamps houses boxes hands tables hats pandas marks trains brushes hills parks foxes tubs oranges matches handerchiefs sentences photographs
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-s pronounced as /s/
-s pronounced as /z/
-s pronounced as I/z/
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3 Third person -s
The rules regarding the pronunciation of third person singular -s are exactly the same as the rules for the plural -s.(Exercises 2 of this unit is not recorded on the cassette.)
Test yourself
Now put these words into the three boxes given on the facing page. Then practice saying the words. counts praises eats boxes passes carries
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-s pronounced as /s/
-s pronounced as /z/
-s pronounced as I/z/
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4 Pronouncing -oughThe combination of letters ough is included in a number of words, and is pronounced in several different ways.
Here are seven different ways in which ough is pronounced. Listen and practice. 1. although, dough, though, 2. enough, rough, tough 3. through 4. bough, drought, plough 5. borough, thorough 6. cough, trough 7. hiccough
Pronouncing -ought
Listen and practice saying the words that end in ought. bought ought brought sought fought thought nought
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5 -d sound
The past tense -d of regular verbs is pronounced in I three ways, /t/, /d/, and /d/. (Exercises 2 and 3 of this unit are not recorded on the cassette.)
Three different sounds of past tense /d/ allowed banned called carried combed /Id/ avoided awarded decided invested planted
Some rules
Study the rules regarding the pronunciation of the past tense d of regular verbs. -d is pronounced as /t/ when the words end in -ch sound as in watch watched -f sound as in laugh, photgraph laughed, photographed -k sound as in talk, bake talked, baked -p sound as in clap, tape clapped, taped -s and -sh sound as in miss, push missed, pushed
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-d is pronounced as I/d/ when the words end in -t sound as in paint, rent -d sound as in mend, decide painted, rented mended, decided
-d is pronounced as /d/ when the words do not end in the sounds given in the two lists above. For example, climbed, played, allowed, listened etc.
Test yourself
Now put these words into the three columns given on the facing page. Then practice saying the words. brushed helped cried cooked regardedrented passed wanted needed talked walked handed mended exercised judged listened coughed missed played waited poured watchedtowed painted studied worked
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-s pronounced as /t/
-s pronounced as /d/
-s pronounced as Id/ /
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6 Pronunciation of ch
The letters ch can be pronounced in three ways. Listen and practice.
ch sound as in watch
He remained a bachelor until he was 40. Im in charge of this office. You can pay in cash or by cheque. Jane has three children. Youre allowed to choose a gift for yourself. Hes a bishop in a church. He thinks hes a macho man. Meat and nuts are rich in protein.
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ache
ch sound as in chemical
Ive got a terrible ache in my abdomen. Hes a funny character. I love chemistry classes because of the practicals.
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character chemistry
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Mr Gomes is a devout Christian. The hall echoed with laughter. My car badly needs a good mechanic.
psychiatrist Shes depressed I think should see a psychiatrist. technology Modern technology is amazing, isnt it?
ch sound as in chef
The details are given in the travel brochure. The police have seized a cache of explosives.
brochure cache
champagneLets celebrate with a bottle of champagne. charades chauffeur machine Lets play a game of charades. Why dont you hire a chauffeur for your limousine? The machines in the factory are too old.
moustache Hes got a big scary moustache. sachet Theres a free sachet of shampoo with this soap.
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7 Pronunciation of -et
et at the end of words is pronounced in more than one way.
-et pronounced as it
In most two or more syllabled words ending in -et, -et is pronounced as It/. Listen and practice. / basket blanket bonnet budget bullet carpet closet faucet ferret hatchet market millet plummet puppet supermarket
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-et pronounced as ay
Note that some words ending in -et are borrowed from French. In these words -et is pronounced ay. ballet beret bouquet cabaret cachet chalet croquet duvet parquet ricochet sorbet Are you coming to the ballet tonight? Thats a nice beret youre wearing. I bought a bouquet at the florists. The club is famous for its cabaret. The cachet he has earned comes from his wealth. I used to play croquet at school. For tonight, Ill use the duvet, you use the blanket. Parquet is becoming more popular than the carpet these days. Can I have a glass of lemon sorbet, please?
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8 Pronouncing -ment
The ending -ment may look too simple. But trying to pronounce a few words with this ending will do no harm.
Listen to these words that end in ment. Pay attention to how -ment is pronounced. Then practice saying the words. advancement employment filament government payment advertisement environment fulfilment management tournament
Stress on -ment
In the following words -ment is stressed and so pronounced differently. Listen and practice. cement
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lament
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10Silent letters
The following letters may be silent in the pronunciation of some words: b, c, d, g, h, k, l, n, p, s, t, w. Listen and practice.
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bomb numb limb
Silent b
comb climb succumb crumb plumber debt doubt subtle
Silent c
scene scientist scent scissors
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muscle sceptre
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Silent d
handkerchief handsome
grandfather
Silent g
benign champagne design ensign gnarled gnat gnome paradigm reign sign
assign campaign consign diaphragm foreign gnash gnaw malign phlegm resign
Silent h
exhibition honest hour
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knee knit knot
Silent k
knife knock know
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balm calf chalk folk palm
Silent l
behalf calm could half salmon stalk walk yolk
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Silent n
column damn solemn
Silent p
pneumonia pseudonym psychology
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aisle island corps isle
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castle christen debut glisten listen mortgage thistle wrestle chasten Christmas fasten hasten moisten soften whistle
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12 Silent w
answer who whom wrap wreck wretched wrist sword whole whose wrath wrench wrinkle writhe
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11Homophones
A homophone is a word with the same pronunciation as another word, but with different spelling and meaning. Following is a list of homophones. Listen and practice.
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be bean heal meat
morning mourning
peace piece scene seen steal steel weak week knew new knight night knot not
berth birth curb fir guessed leased passed kerb fur guest least past
heard herd
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brake break stake steak male sale tale rain wait way pray mail sail tail rein weight weigh prey reign
blue flu too route Ill by dye I higher isle bye two
threw through
write right aloud allowed foul berry bread weather fowl bury bred whether
cereal serial
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know no loan pole road role sew lone poll rode roll so
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12Homographs
Homographs are words with different meanings and origins which have the same spelling. The pronunciation is usually the same (A bear is a wild animal; I cant bear the pain). But some homographs differ in their pronunciation (I live in Nepal; I saw a live concert yesterday).
Common homographs
close
adj verb
Im not very close to him. Please close the door. Wait a minute, please. Pay attention to even the minute details.
minute
noun adj
row
line fight
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word
sentence
tear
noun verb
fluid
wind
noun verb
air turn
The wind is blowing fiercely. You need to wind the handle to the left.
wound
noun verb
injury wrap
I got this wound in an accident. She wound a scarf around her neck.
lead
noun adj
metal main
Lead pipes are dangerous. Hes the lead singer of the band.
verb show wayPlease lead me to the office. sow noun verb bow noun noun pig plant The sow has three piglets. Farmers sow seeds.
weaponArchers use bows and arrows. knot I tied the ribbon around the parcel in a pretty bow.
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verb
bend
Some homographs differ in their pronunciation because of the stress. Pay close attention to how the following homographs are pronounced and notice the difference in meaning. Listen and practice. word content part of meaning speech noun adj contract noun verb object noun amount satisfied sentence Chocolate has a high fat content. Hes content with what he has.
agreement Lets not delay in signing the contract. shorten item Metals contract on cooling. That strange object really frightened me.
disagree work
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13Word stress
In every English word of two or more syllables, one syllable is given particular emphasis compared to the others. This is called primary stress. Although it is often not possible to know where to place the stress in an unfamiliar word, it can be helpful to remember the following approximate rules.
Many common nouns and adjectives are stressed on the first syllable, especially those words that have two syllables. Listen and practice.
athlete breakfast brother building carrot evening father metal better clever funny happy naughty stupid utter yellow
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Compound words
Compound words, particualrly nouns, are usually stressed on the first part. Listen and practice. barber shop can opener clock tower motorcycle post office travel agent wrist watch
Part of speech
In some words with two syllables, the first syllable is stressed when the word is a noun or adjective, but the second syllable is stressed when it is a verb. Listen and practice. export: He has an export company. He exports carpets. conduct: Her bad conduct disturbed everyone. Please conduct the test well. produce: This juice is a produce of Australia. Please produce your documents tomorrow. progress:
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Shes making good progress in her studies. Im sure shell progress in life.
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Self practice
The following is a list of words similar to the ones in exercise 3. Pronounce each of them twice - first with the stress on the first syllable and then with the stress on the second syllable. combat compound construct contest contract contrast convert convict decrease exploit extract frequent insult object perfect permit present project protest recall record reject subject survey suspect transfer transport upset
Now, practice saying each of the words above in sentences of your own.
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Note that the following word endings are usually stressed. Listen and practice. -ee -ese -ique -eer -esque -ette referee Japanese physique mountaineer picturesque brunette
The following word endings do not usually cause the primary stress to move. Listen and practice. -age patron patronage -en -ful -ing -less -ly -ment -ness -y
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comfortably
The following endings cause the stress to move to the syllable immediately before the ending. Listen and practice. -graphy -eous -ious -ial -ian -ion -ic -ical -ity photograph advantage injury commerce comedy conserve academy economy able photography advantageous injurious commercial comedian conservation academic economic ability
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Listen and practice. Stress on first syllable astronaut chicken childhood coffee devastate doctor favourite interesting pencil popular president restaurant salad Stress on second syllable confess delicious determine develop electric potato ridiculous success surprising terrific today tomorrow
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Months
15Commonly mispronounced
words
Non-native speakers of English tend to mispronounce a number of words. The following list contains words that are frequently mispronounced by non-native speakers of English in Asia. Listen and practice
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bowl deaf exhibit exhibition for loose lose of opportunity vehicle
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a bowl of soup deaf and dumb exhibit ones work an art exhibition Its for you. a loose garment lose or win a man of honour a career opportunity
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a heavy vehicle
about about 2 oclock accept accept an offer addition in addition to this ago ten years ago Asia countries in Asia balloon blow a balloon bear a bear and a tiger because because of the rain bicycle a beautiful bicycle binoculars a pair of binoculars boat a fishing boat buffalo a cow and a buffalo bury bury the hatchet cassette a cassette player chew chew the food clothes winter clothes cucumber a cucumber and a carrot debt run into debt eight the number eight elephant a huge elephant evening an evening gown film an Oscar winning film flew flew away flour wheat flour healthy a healthy diet here Come here. men men at work onion onion soup englishtalkstation.blogspot.com
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2
photo photographer pigeon play secret spinach sure table there today tomato tonight tortoise vitamin wealthy were woman women yacht zero
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a photo album a fashion photographer feed the pigeons play games keep a secret Spinach is good for health. Sure. No problem. a table and a chair here, there, everywhere yesterday, today and tomorrow tomato ketchup See you tonight. a hare and a tortoise vitamin C healthy, wealthy and wise I wish I were a man and a woman men and women a yacht, not a boat zero to five
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admission admit adult available beat (past tense) envelop envelope marriage medicine opposite question quiet receipt restaurant salad shoulder soldier stomach suggestion target admission open admit a crime an adult magazine not available in the market Who beat him? enveloped in mist on the back of an envelope a marriage certificate traditional medicine in the opposite direction question and answer calm and quiet bills and receipts Chinese restaurant green salad head and shoulder a brave soldier a severe stomachache a good suggestion hit the target
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accurate advance adventure appreciate arrange bison bouquet cafe camera capable career chore company competition decade guardian heroine studious sympathy tuition
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an accurate answer pay in advance an adventure story appreciate the gesture arrange a meeting a fierce bison a bouquet of red roses The Bakery Cafe a digital camera a capable person a career in medicine finish the chores an insurance company fierce competition more than a decade parents and guardians a beautiful heroine a studious child sincere sympathy tuition fees
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boutique consume comsumption desert (noun) desert (verb) deserted (adj) dessert determine develop development famine fete fungi grease learned (adjective) orchid pleasant sesame together best boutiques in town consume too much fuel comsumption of junk food the Sahara Desert desert ones family deserted streets icecream for dessert determine ones future develop the country growth and development widespread famine a summer fete a growth of fungi grease the ball bearings a learned scholar an orchid garden a pleasant surprise Open, sesame! work together
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academic academy analyse analysis doughnut dove fianc gauge gauze luxurious luxury matinee pageant pizza president procedure pronunciation rapport receipt visa
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a purely academic course the police academy analyse the facts a careful analysis a ring doughnut the cooing of doves Marys fianc a rain gauge a piece of sterile gauze a luxurious life live in luxury a matinee show a beauty pageant a mushroom pizza the party president a complicated procedure pronunciation practice build a rapport bills and receipts get a visa
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accessible chaos conch conservation depot exaggerate fatigue gigantic granite hypocrite manoeuvre marijuana martyr mirage mythology statistics taboo tulip veto violent violet accessible by road and air chaos on the roads blow the conch soil conservation a bus depot exaggerate the facts fatigue and stress a gigantic creature a granite floor a shameless hypocrite a clever manoeuvre a marijuana addict honour the martyrs a mirage in a desert Greek mythology vital statistics a taboo in some societies tulips and roses the power of veto a violent storm red, blue and violet
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avalanche camouflage cappuccino chivalry combustion coup en route entrepreneur espionage facade finale foetus freight genie genre kaleidoscope liaison naive poignant suite
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a devastating avalanche camouflage in the forest expresso or cappuccino men with chivalry a combustion engine a military coup en route from Paris to Tokyo a daring entrepreneur military espionage an appealing facade the grand finale a developing foetus a freight train a genie in a bottle the genre of pop music a kaleidoscope of colours a liaison officer too young and naive poignant memories a hotel suite
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lingerie morale obese phoenix rendezvous saut souvenir vignette a lingerie shop boost the morale fat but not obese rise from the ashes like a phoenix rendezvous with Simi Garewal saut the meat buy a souvenir a vignette of village life
Freud Ganges Hugh Hughes Loch Ness Magi McDonald Midas Nazi Nike Socrates Venus Virgo
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Sigmund Freud The Ganges River Hugh Grant Langston Hughes the Loch Ness monster the gift of he Magi a McDonald outlet King Midas the Nazi party Nike shoes a follower of Socrates the planet Venus the sign Virgo
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16Phonetic symbols
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17Am, Br differences
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