English Phonetics and Phonology

A practical course
Fourth edition Peter Roach

Chapter 1

Written exercise

Each item is a pair of words. For each pair, you must decide if their BBC pronunciations are the same or
different; choose from same or different on the drop-down menus. When you have made your decision,
check your answers by clicking the Check answers button.

1 right – write <select>

2 caught – court <select>

3 three – tree <select>

4 knot – not <select>

5 pool – pull <select>

6 sitting – seating <select>

7 chews – choose <select>

8 bowl – bowel <select>

9 walk – work <select>

10 grate – great <select>

Check Answers Start Again

1 Cambridge University Press

Audio Exercise

Click on the Play button for each item. Each time you hear a word, you must identify it as one of three
possible words given in spelling form. Choose a, b or c and click the corresponding radio button. When
you have made your decision, check your answers by clicking the Check answers button.

(a) (b) (c)

1 (a)train
train chain
(b) chain strain
(c)  strain

2 wetter
(a) wetter feather
(b) feather weather
(c) weather

3 (a) pest
pest (b) pests
pests (c) pets
pets

4 gull
(a) gull curl
(b) curl girl
(c) girl

5 flight
(a) flight fright
(b) fright fight
(c) fight

6 gale
(a) gale scale
(b) scale sale
(c) sale

7 paying
(a) paying playing
(b) playing pain
(c) pain

8 brand
(a) brand band
(b) band bland
(c) bland

9 (a) might
might (b) nice
nice (c) night
night

Check Answers Start Again

2 Cambridge University Press

Answers, Chapter 1 Audio exercise

1 b chain tʃen

2 a wetter wetə

3 b pests pests

4 c girl l

5 a flight flat

6 c sale sel

7 a paying peŋ

8 c bland blænd

9 b nice nas

3 Cambridge University Press