PRONUNCIATION TIPS

PRONUNCIATION TIP 01: 

One of the main differences between English and Spanish is the pronunciation of
vowels. Whereas Spanish has five vowels, English has twelve vowel sounds and all of
them are different from the Spanish ones. In this section, we will look at the main
differences between:

Spanish: [ and English: 


English anddiffer both in quality and duration.is similar to the Spanish
[but is much longer than the Spanish sound (for example, sheep). In phonetic
transcription the two dots () indicate a long sound. , on the other hand, is shorter
and its quality is between the Spanish [and [(for example, ship).

A common mistake for Spanish speakers is to pronounce sheep and ship with the same
vowel quality ([). This may cause misunderstandings with English speakers since it is
not clear whether the sentence “I’ve got a sh[p” means “I’ve got a sheep” or “I’ve got
a ship”. Therefore it is important for Spanish speakers both to perceive and produce the
two vowel qualities.

I’ve got a sheep I’ve got a ship

   

Look at the following pairs of words and listen to the pronunciation of only one of
them. You will hear each pronunciation twice. Circle the word that is produced.

Example: cheap chip

 
1. beat bit
2. peak pick
3. read rid
4. sheep ship
5. peel pill
6. lead lid
7. cheap chip
8. feel fill

Common spellings 
 “i” trip  “ee” meet
“y” hymn “ea” read
“e” reflect “ie” piece
“i” machine
“e” theme
PRONUNCIATION TIP 02: 

Spanish: [  English: 


As and English anddiffer both in quality and duration.is
similar to the Spanish [but is much longer than the Spanish sound (for example,
pool). , on the other hand, is shorter and its quality is between the Spanish [and
[(for example, pull).

A common mistake for Spanish speakers is to pronounce pool and pull with the same
vowel quality ([). This may cause misunderstandings with English speakers since it is
not clear whether the sentence “This is a p[ll” means “This is a pool” or “This is a
pull”. Therefore it is important for Spanish speakers both to perceive and produce the
two vowel qualities.

This is a pool This is a pull

  

Listen to the pronunciation of the following words and decide whether they are
produced with or . Circle the right answer. You will hear each pronunciation
twice.

Example: cook  

1. look  

2. book  
3. food  
4. foot  
5. should  
6. full  
7. put  
8. tool  

Common spellings 
 “oo” goose  “oo” good
“ue” blue “u” put
“o” two
PRONUNCIATION TIP 03: 

Listen to the following words from the previous conversation. They all contain an “o”
sound. However, the quality of the “o” sound is different in one of the words. Can you
decide which one?

tour morning holiday your sure

Let us now look at the differences between Spanish [andEnglish 


English  anddiffer both in quality and duration.is similar to the Spanish
[but is much longer than the Spanish sound, as indicated by the two dots () (for
example, tour, morning). , on the other hand, is shorter and its quality is more open
than  issimilar to the Catalan pronunciation of the “o” in Jordi (for example,
holiday, lot).

Listen to the pronunciation of the following words and decide whether they are
produced with  orCircle the right answer. You will hear each pronunciation
twice.

Example: more   

1. call   

2. port  
3. lot  
4. fog  
5. fault  
6. almost  
7. thought  
8. pot  
9. horse  
10. tour  

Common spellings 
 “or” north  “o” lot
“a” all “a” wash
“ou” tour
“au” fraud
“aw” law
NOTE: In American English, the sound  does not exist. Words such as lot, fog or pot
are produced with(as in car). Thus, these words sound: lot, fog, pot.

Listen to the following words and decide whether they are produced with an American
English (AE) or a British English (BE) pronunciation. Circle the right answer. You will
hear each pronunciation twice.

Example: lot AE :  BE:

1. not AE :  BE:

2. odd AE :  BE:
3. pot AE :  BE:
4. cod AE :  BE:
5. lot AE :  BE:

PRONUNCIATION TIP 04: 

Spanish: [  English: 


English has three vowels with an “a-type” of quality, which are different from the
Spanish [English as in car; as in cat; as in must.
  is a long and back vowel. In order to produce this vowel, imagine that
you are yawning or gargling ().
 The quality of  is between Spanish [and Say a long Spanish
[and in the middle try to change it to [without moving the position of the
articulators.
is the shortest “a-type” vowel. It is similar to the exclamation “ah”,
when it is said in a short and sharp way (as in: Ah! What a shame!)

The wrong usage of these vowels may cause misunderstandings in English since words
such as barn (), ban (), and bun () might be confused.

You will now listen to the pronunciation of one of the following words barn, ban and
bun. For each pronunciation, circle the word that is produced. You will hear each
pronunciation twice.

Example: barn ban bun



1. barn ban bun

2. barn ban bun
3. barn ban bun
4. barn ban bun
5. barn ban bun
6. barn ban bun
7. barn ban bun
8. barn ban bun

Listen to the pronunciation of the following words and decide whether they are
produced with or Circle the right answer. You will hear each
pronunciation twice.

Example: sad   

1. package   

2. bar   
3. sand   
4. sun   
5. jetlag   
6. love   
7. cut   
8. fun   
9. madam   
10. farm   

Common spellings 
 “a” father  “a” bad “u” cut
“ar” car “o” love

PRONUNCIATION TIP 05: 

Spanish: [  English: 


English anddiffer both in quality and duration.is similar to the Spanish
[but is a bit more open than the Spanish sound, (for example, bed). , on the
other hand, is similar in quality to English  butis much longer than  and mainly
occurs in stressed syllable (for example, sir).

Listen to the pronunciation of the following words and decide whether they are
produced with  orCircle the right answer. You will hear each pronunciation
twice.
Example: fresh  

1. error  

2. net  
3. nerd  
4. nerve  
5. refer  
6. reflect  
7. third  
8. curd  
9. bed  
10. bird  

Common spellings 
 “e” let  “ir” sir
“ai” said “ur” fur
“er” verdant

PRONUNCIATION TIP 06: (in unstressed syllables)

The most frequent vowel in English is This vowel does not exist in Spanish.  is
a neutral vowel which only appears in unstressed syllables. It is produced with a narrow
opening of the mouth but without changes in the other articulators. English is
similar to the Catalan vowel at the end of hola.

English occurs in some unstressed syllables of lexical words (verbs, nouns,

adjectives and adverbs).

Examples (the underlined syllables are those that contain the ):
centre cathedral dangerous supply umbrella
    

Listen to the following expressions and underline the syllables that are produced with
 You will hear each pronunciation twice.

Example: general accountant


1. flight connections center
2. underground economy
 3. reservations department
4. letter of complaint
5. accommodation office
6. assistant manager
7. travel agents
8. business traveller

PRONUNCIATION TIP 07: (in weak forms)

Some English auxiliary verbs, prepositions, pronouns, articles and conjunctions can be
pronounced in two ways: 1) a strong form and 2) a weak form.
 The strong form is produced when these words are said in isolation or when
they are emphasized. In strong forms any English vowel can be used except for the .
 The weak form, on the other hand, appears when these words are said in
connected speech. Weak forms are more frequently produced than strong forms and
they tend to have a .

Spanish students of English must learn how to pronounce weak forms since they are
crucial for intelligibility.

Examples: Strong Weak

1 was  

2 are : 
3 have  
4 can  
5 of  
6 from  
7 for  
8 at  
9 her : 
10 us  
11 the    
12 a  
13 and  
14 but    

Example of weak forms in connected speech (weak forms are underlined):

The boy and the girl are going to the cinema

   
Notice that if strong forms were used instead of the weak ones, the outcome would be a
very odd and uncommon pronunciation.

 The boy and the girl are going to the cinema

  :

As mentioned before, the most common contexts for strong forms to appear are in
emphatic situations.

Example: The boy AND the girl are going to the cinema
 

Listen to the following expressions and decide whether the underlined words are
produced in their weak or strong forms. Circle the right answer. You will hear each
pronunciation twice.

Example: bed and breakfast weak strong

1. cup of tea weak strong

2. you can pay here weak strong
3. she’s from Canada weak strong
4. salt and pepper weak strong
5. they are disappointed weak strong
6. the manager’s upset weak strong
7. Tell us the truth weak strong
8. The hotel’s burning weak strong

PRONUNCIATION TIP 08: []

One of the most common mistakes for Spanish students of English is the pronunciation
of the [] sound, which is produced in several English words such as hello, how, high,
hotel and hot. The sound [] does not exist in Spanish and hence Spanish students of
English produce the previous words with [], which is the sound that begins the Spanish
word jardín. Thus, Spanish students of English tend to say * hello, *how,* high, *hotel
and *hot.

Make sure that when you pronounce these words, you use the [] sound, which is
similar to the expulsion of air through the mouth in a strong breathing: hello, how, high,
hotel, hot.

Listen now to the pronunciation of English words beginning with the [] sound. In
some cases the speaker produces the right sound, but in other cases she produces the
wrong sound (as the Spanish [] in jardín). For each word identify whether the
pronunciation is right or not. You will hear each pronunciation twice.

Example: hi right wrong

he right wrong

1. hotel right wrong

2. hire right wrong
3. happy right wrong
4. handkerchief right wrong
5. harbor right wrong
6. Hilton right wrong
7. house right wrong
8. hundred right wrong

You will listen the phrase Hi, welcome to the Hilton Hotel four times. For each
pronunciation, indicate which h-sounds are wrongly produced by circling them.

Example: Hi, welcome to the Hilton Hotel

1. Hi, welcome to the Hilton Hotel

2. Hi, welcome to the Hilton Hotel
3. Hi, welcome to the Hilton Hotel
4. Hi, welcome to the Hilton Hotel

PRONUNCIATION TIP 09: Aspiration

One of the main differences between English and Spanish pronunciation is the
production of words beginning with andsounds. In English these sounds
are produced with aspiration, that is, a quality (like a short expulsion of breath) that
follows the sounds. Aspiration does not occur in Spanish.

Example: pack tour call

   

Aspiration in English occurs in stressed syllables which start with or. Thus,
it is obligatory to aspirate the first syllable of paper because it is stressed but not the
second one.

Spanish students of English must practice and produce aspiration, otherwise they will
sound as foreign and inappropriate as English students of Spanish when they aspirate
Spanish words, as in *palo, *torre, *come.
Listen now to the pronunciation of English words beginning with an aspirated
or. In some cases the speaker produces the right sound (with aspiration),
but in other cases she produces the wrong sound (without aspiration). For each word
identify whether the pronunciation is right (with aspiration) or wrong (without
aspiration). You will hear each pronunciation twice.

Example: pie right wrong

tall right wrong

1. park right wrong

2. car right wrong
3. time right wrong
4. tube right wrong
5. pull right wrong
6. call right wrong
7. two right wrong
8. kind right wrong
9. pain right wrong
10. take right wrong

and  are not aspirated in unstressed syllables or when they are preceded by
an Thus, the in pain is aspirated but the one is Spain is not.

Read the following phrases and underline the and  sounds that you think
should be aspirated. Then listen to them and check your answers.

package tour passport control

take your time tourist marketing
accommodation type call the police
standard contract starred hotel
petty cash standby tickets

PRONUNCIATION TIP 10: [] []

[] is the sound produced at the beginning of the words check and children. It is the
same sound as the Spanish sound at the beginning of chocolate. [] is the sound that
begins the words ship and sugar. It is common in some Spanish accents, such as the
Andalusian accent. For example, in the word, salchichón: sal[] i[] ón.

Common spellings 
 “ch” chocolate  “sh” shine
“tch” match “s” sure
“tu” nature “ti” station
“ch” brochure
Look at the following pairs of words and listen to the pronunciation of only one of
them. You will hear each pronunciation twice. Circle the word that is produced.

[] []
1. shop chop
2. sheep cheap
3. ship chip
4. shin chin
5. mash match
6. cash catch

PRONUNCIATION TIP 11: 

Both and  are produced with the tip of the tongue between the teeth. However,
is voiceless and  is voiced. English is the same as the Spanish sound at the
beginning of the word zapato (i.e. ). The most common spelling for English
is “th”. Examples of words containing this sound in English are:

think theme theatre author path

   

English  is similar to the Spanish pronunciation of “d” between vowels, as in the
word cada ([]). As for , the most common spelling for English is “th”.

Listen to the following words which contain a “th” spelling. Indicate whether they are
produced with  or  Circle the right answer. You will hear each pronunciation
twice.

Example: other  


1. teeth  
2. smooth  
3. fourth  
4. loathe  
5. breath  
6. breathing  
7. mother  
8. them  
The sound is mostly used for determinants and pronouns: the, this, these, that,
those, they, them, their, there, etc. A common mistake for Spanish speakers is to
produce these words with rather than .

Listen to the following pronunciation of some English determinants and pronouns.

Indicate whether they are produced with the correct sound () or the wrong one
(). Circle the right answer. You will hear each pronunciation twice.

Example: they correct:  wrong: 

1. this correct:  wrong: 

2. those correct:  wrong: 
3. them correct:  wrong: 
4. theirs correct:  wrong: 
5. that correct:  wrong: 
6. these correct:  wrong: 

PRONUNCIATION TIP 12: [] []

[] is the sound produced at the beginning of the words John and George. This sound
is not part of the standard Spanish pronunciation, although sometimes it is produced at
the beginning of the word yo. [] is found in the middle of the word vision. It is also
found in a lot of French words, such as gendarme or rouge. In Spanish it can be found
in some accents, such as the Argentinian accent, as in the word calla.

Common spellings 
[] “j” James  “s” pleasure
“g” age “ge” rouge
“gde” judge “g” gigolo
“di” soldier

In English [] is very frequently used across words as a result of an assimilation

between two sounds, namely, [] and [] as in the expressions did you or would you.
Thus those expressions can be pronounced in two differents ways as illustrated below.

Did you Would you

1. Less frequent [ ] [ ]
2. Very frequent [] []

Listen to a few questions which start either with did you or would you. Indicate whether
the pronunciation in each case is [] and [] or [].You will hear each pronunciation
twice. Circle the right answer.
Example: Did you like it, sir? [] + [] []

1. Would you like some? [] + [] []

2. Did you visit the National Gallery? [] + [] []
3. Did you book the tickets? [] + [] []
4. Would you like a cup of tea? [] + [] []
5. Did you sign the contract? [] + [] []
6. Would you go abroad? [] + [] []

Note that the pronunciation of [] in such expressions is more frequent than [] + [].
Make sure that you know how to produce [] in such cases.

PRONUNCIATION TIP 13: [] []

Whereas in Spanish the spelling “b” and “v” are both produced as [], English speakers
distinguish between [] for “b” as in bat and [] for “v” as in vat. It is thus very
important for Spanish speakers to make sure that they produce [] when necessary,
otherwise they may be subject to misunderstandings.

Listen and repeat the following words:

very vacancy vacation value view visit

Look at the following pairs of words and listen to the pronunciation of only one of
them. You will hear each pronunciation twice. Circle the word that is produced.

[] []
1. bet vet
2. best vest
3. by vie
4. bolt volt
5. bow vow

PRONUNCIATION TIP 14: Nasals

English has three nasal sounds

[] as in night 
[] as in mother 
[] as in ring (this sound is similar to the Spanish “n” in the
word increible)
Common spellings
[] “m” milk [] “n” new []* “ng” sing
“mm” hammer “nn” funny “n” thanks
“kn” know
“gn” sign

*[] is always followed by “g” or “k” in the spelling. The [k] is always pronounced (ex:
thanks []), whereas the [g] sometimes is pronounced (ex: [) and
sometimes is not (ex: ringing [).

Listen and repeat the following words. Make sure that you know how to produce [.

singing long rang bank tongue clinging

Look at the following pairs of words and listen to the pronunciation of only one of
them. You will hear each pronunciation twice. Circle the word that is produced.

1. sing sin
2. rung run
3. tongue tun
4. ling Lynn
5. rang ran

PRONUNCIATION TIP 15: [] []

[] is the sound produced at the beginning of the word sign and sip. It is similar to the
Spanish sound in sola. [] is produced at the beginning of zero and zip. In Spanish it
may occur across words as the first “s” in los niños.

Common spellings 
 “s” sister  “z” zero
“c” cider “s” rose
“zz” buzz

Look at the following pairs of words and listen to the pronunciation of only one of
them. You will hear each pronunciation twice. Circle the word that is produced.

[] []
1. seal zeal
2. sap zap
3. Sue zoo
4. bus buzz
5. sing zing

Note that the plural ending “-s” sometimes is pronounced [] and sometimes []
depending on the preceding sound. If the word ends with a voiceless (sordo) consonant,
then [] is produced. If it ends with a voiced (sonoro) consonant or a vowel, then [] is
used.

Example: cat[] pen[] brochures[]

Listen to the following words in plural. Decide whether they end with [] or []. You
will hear each pronunciation twice. Circle the sound you hear.

Example: planes [] []

1. hotels [] []

2. tourists [] []
3. trips [] []
4. journeys [] []
5. managers [] []
6. agents [] []
7. beds [] []
8. forks [] []

PRONUNCIATION TIP 16:  + consonant

A lot of English words start with a combination of two consonants which consist of an
and another consonant, such as (Spain), (station),(sky),
(smile),(snore), etc. Since in Spanish there are no words which start with
an “ + consonant” cluster, it is difficult for Spanish speakers to produce the former
words and the option adopted is to produce these clusters preceded by the vowel
(Example: *or *. These pronunciations sound very
foreigner and we should try to avoid them.

Listen to the following words which start with an “ + consonant” cluster. Indicate
whether they are produced with the right pronunciation ( + consonant) or not
( + consonant). Circle the right answer. You will hear each pronunciation twice.

Example: smart right: + C wrong: + C

1. strange right: + C wrong: + C

2. space right: + C wrong: + C
3. sky right: + C wrong: + C
4. Spain right: + C wrong: + C
5. strike right: + C wrong: + C
6. stool right: + C wrong: + C

PRONUNCIATION TIP 17: The intonation of apologies

We will now study two of the most common intonation patterns for an apology in
English. The first pattern has a nuance of assertiveness and emphasis. It is produced
with a fall in pitch on the last content word. The second pattern is used to express
sympathy to the other person. It is produced with a fall in pitch followed by a rise on the
last content word.

Examples: Pattern 1 (assertiveness) Pattern 2 (sympathy)

I’m sorry! I’m sorry!

If the apology is followed by a vocative (such as sir or madam, etc.), the intonation
trace remains low and level in pattern 1 and keeps rising in pattern 2.

Pattern 1 (assertiveness) Pattern 2 (sympathy)

I’m sorry, sir! I’m sorry, sir!

Listen to the following apologies and decide whether they express assertiveness or
sympathy. Circle the right answer. You will hear each pronunciation twice.

1. My apologies, sir! assertiveness sympathy

2. I’m awfully sorry, Mr. Page! assertiveness sympathy
3. Oh! I’m so sorry, madam! assertiveness sympathy
4. I really apologise for it, sir! assertiveness sympathy
5. Sorry for causing so much trouble! assertiveness sympathy
6. My most sincere apologies, Mrs. Brown! assertiveness sympathy

PRONUNCIATION TIP 18: Intonation when expressing gratitude

In Spanish, the functions of expressing gratitude and replying tend to have a rather fixed
formula:
-(Muchas) gracias.
-De nada.

In English, on the other hand, the reply has several varieties:

-Thank you (very much)
-You are welcome / -Not at all / -Pleasure / -By all means
Another very common way of replying to “thank you” is saying “thank you” again but
with a different intonation. Listen to the following intonation patterns of “thank you”.
The first one is the normal intonation, which involves a high pitch on the word “thank”
followed by a low pitch in “you”. The second one is used as a reply to a previous “thank
you”. In that case, “thank” has a low pitch and “you” has a high pitch.

(1)

-Thank you (equivalent to the Spanish “gracias”)

(2)

-Thank you (equivalent to the Spanish “a ti” or “gracias a ti”)

Listen to the following short dialogue which illustrates the two intonations of “thank
you”.
B. Good morning, sir. May I help you?
C. Two return tickets to Canterbury, please.
A. Here you are, sir.
B. Thank you.
A. Thank you, sir.

Listen to the following pronunciations of the expression thank you. Indicate whether
they correspond to the thanking expression (“gracias”) or the reply (“a ti” or “gracias a
ti”). You will hear each pronunciation twice. Circle the right answer.

Example: gracias a ti

1. gracias a ti
2. gracias a ti
3. gracias a ti
4. gracias a ti
5. gracias a ti
6. gracias a ti

PRONUNCIATION TIP 19: Intonation of requests 1 (yes-no questions)

“Yes-no questions” are those questions that prompt a reply which involves either a
“yes” or a “no”. For example, Would you like some beer? Yes, please/No, thanks. “Yes-
no questions” contrast with “wh-questions” which are those questions that prompt an
open answer and that usually start with a wh-pronoun. For example, What would you
like, sir? A lager, please.

In this section, we will concentrate on the intonation of “yes-no questions” (see Unit 17
for the intonation of “wh-questions”). The intonation of “yes-no questions” can vary
depending on the meaning the speaker wishes to convey. However, here we will look at
two of the most common intonation patterns for “yes-no questions”. The first pattern
involves a routine and a monotonous intonation which is frequent for those people that
repeat the same question several times, such as a receptionist answering the phone. The
second pattern shows more involvement and interest.

1. Routine and monotonous request

This intonation pattern starts with a mid-pitch on the first word which is maintained till
the last lexical word where a fall in pitch is produced. Whenever there is a vocative
(such as “sir”, “madam”, “Mr. X”, etc.) the pitch remains low and level.

Ex:

May I help you? Would you like some beer, sir?

2. Involved and interested request

This intonation pattern starts with a high pitch on the first word which is maintained till
the last lexical word where a fall in pitch is produced followed by a rise. Whenever
there is a vocative (such as “sir”, “madam”, “Mr. X”, etc.) the pitch keeps rising.

Ex:

May I help you? Would you like some beer, sir?

Listen to the following requests produced with the two intonation patterns. Decide
whether the speaker produced them with the first pattern (routine) or the second one
(interest). Each sentence will be repeated twice. Circle the right answer.

Ex: Are you all right? routine interest

1. Can I have the bill, please? routine interest

2. Would you like a glass of wine, madam? routine interest
3. Would you like me to open the window for you, sir? routine interest
4. May I have your name, please? routine interest
5. Can I have your address, please? routine interest
6. Shall I bring the menu for you? routine interest
7. Could you pass me the salt, please? routine interest
8. Can you wake me up at 7:30, please? routine interest
PRONUNCIATION TIP 20: Intonation of requests 2 (wh-questions)

Similar to “yes-no questions” the intonation of “wh-questions” can vary depending on

the meaning the speaker wishes to convey. However, one of the most common
intonation patterns for such question types involves a high pitch on the first word which
is maintained till the last lexical word where there is a fall in pitch. Whenever there is a
vocative (such as “sir”, “madam”, “Mr. X”, etc.) the pitch remains low and level after
the fall. This intonation pattern is used to express involvement and kindness.

Example:

Where would you like to go, madam?

A similar pattern but with a narrow pitch range, that is, starting with a mid-pitch and
ending with a low fall is used in more detached and serious questions.

Example:

Where would you like to go, madam?


Listen to the following wh-questions produced with the two intonation patterns. Decide
whether the speaker produced them with the first pattern (involvement) or the second
one (detachment). Each sentence will be produced twice. Circle the right answer.

Ex: How are you? involvement detachment

1. What are the main duties of a hotel manager? involvement detachment

2. What would you like to drink, sir? involvement detachment
3. When would you like to stay? involvement detachment
4. What kind of room would you like? involvement detachment
5. When are you leaving? involvement detachment
6. Why are you so late? involvement detachment
7. How many rooms will you book? involvement detachment
8. How much does it cost? involvement detachment