THTR10019 Clear Speech and Communication Week 10 Worksheet

WEEK 10

Exercise 1: Tongue Twister Challenge

She sells seashells by the seashore

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Any noise annoys an oyster, but a noisy noise annoys an oyster more

My mother makes me munch my mini M&Ms on a Monday morning

Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie?

I thought a thought, but the thought I thought wasn’t the thought I thought I thought

I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit

If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?

Round and round the rugged rocks the rural ragged rascal rudely ran

Three thousand thin tress tried to topple thirty-two thousand thick trees

A big bug bit the little beetle but the little beetle bit the big bug back

These thousand tricky tongue twisters trip thrillingly off the tongue

If you notice this notice, you will notice that this notice is not worth noticing

I like New York, New York’s unique; I like unique New York

Does your sport shop stock short socks with spots?

Many mumbling mice are making merry music in the moonlight

I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit; upon the slitted sheet I sit

I saw a saw that could out saw any other saw I ever saw

The great Greek grape growers grow great Greek grapes

Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?

#CHALLENGE Students will be divided into small groups and each group will need to come up with one
original tongue twister that they will then teach the rest of the class at the end of this group activity.

© Mark Wong 2020

THTR10019 Clear Speech and Communication Week 10 Worksheet

Exercise 2: Vowels Revision

Practice speaking the words given in each column below and make sure to emphasize the vowel sounds clearly.
Be sure to clearly differentiate the monophthongs from the diphthongs.

/e/ /æ/ /aɪ/ /eɪ/

met mat might mate
get gap guide gate
bet bad bite bake
fed fat find fail
let lack like late
test task time take
help have high hate
pet plan pile pain
quest quack quite quaint
sketch scam sky scale
stench stand style stay
blend bland blithe blame
trend track trial trade
gem jam jibe jade
drench drank drive drain
swept swank swipe suede
crept crash crime crêpe
spend spam spy spade
clench clap climb clay
pledge plan plight plain
prep pram pride pray
bread / bred brand bright brave
next nap night name

Exercise 3: Speaking Practice

Speak the following speech excerpt by Steven Spielberg. Try your best to incorporate all the right speech
sounds, word and sentence stresses as well as connected speech as you vocalize the speech. If you’re doing this
in small groups, take turns to read parts of the speech while the others listen and try to point out if the speaker
has made any speech inaccuracies.

Follow Your Intuition

© Mark Wong 2020
THTR10019 Clear Speech and Communication Week 10 Worksheet

by Steven Spielberg
Speech excerpt taken and adapted from https://www.englishspeecheschannel.com/english-speeches/steven-spielberg-speech/

[…] I want to be clear that your intuition is different from your conscience. They work in tandem, but
here’s the distinction: Your conscience shouts, ‘here’s what you should do,’ while your intuition
whispers, ‘here’s what you could do.’

[…] This is why it’s so important to listen to your internal whisper. […] In your defining moments, do
not let your morals be swayed by convenience or expediency. Sticking to your character requires a lot of
courage. And to be courageous, you’re going to need a lot of support.

[…] So please stay connected. Please never lose eye contact. This may not be a lesson you want to hear
from a person who creates media, but we are spending more time looking down at our devices than we
are looking in each other’s eyes.

[…] If you remember nothing else from today, I hope you remember this moment of human connection
… [because] today you start down the path of becoming the generation on which the next generation
stands. And I’ve imagined many possible futures in my films, but you will determine the actual future.
And I hope that it’s filled with justice and peace.

Exercise 4: Mini Masterclass

A few students who are ready to deliver their final presentation speeches in front of the class will be selected
and work individually with their tutor. Feedback will be given based on clarity of speech, effective use of the
body, breath and voice as well as pace, pause and timing.

© Mark Wong 2020