5 Day Audio

MINI COURSE
for the 5 Most Commonly Mispronounced
Consonant Sounds
in Standard British English

Z R NG TH H

5 MINS A DAY!
 Copyright © 2015 Ashley Howard

Ashley Howard has asserted his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All right reserved. No part of this publication, including the accompanying audio, may be reproduced in any form of
binding or cover or circulated electronically without prior permission of Edwin Publishing and Media Ltd.

Edwin Publishing and Media Ltd

First published in 2015 by Edwin Publishing and Media Ltd

57 London Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP11 1BS
www.edwinpublishing.co.uk
 5 Day Audio
MINI COURSE

for the 5 Most Commonly Mispronounced

Consonant Sounds in Standard British English

written and illustrated by

Ashley Howard
 Hello, and Congratulations!
You’ve taken a vital step on your pronunciation ‘roadmap’ journey towards speaking British English
with more clarity and more confidence.

So, Let’s Get Straight To It!

Step 1: Decide whether you are a ‘sit-down’ learner or an ‘on-the-go’ kind of learner.

‘Sit-Down’ Learner - Chose the best 5 minutes in your day where you can indulge
your pronunciation dreams. Then bring up this guide on your computer, tablet or
phone (or you could print it out). Get your headphones or turn up your speakers
and have the audio ready to go.

‘On-The-Go’ Learner - You could just download the audio to your phone, tablet
or portable music device and grab your headphones. Or download this guide
onto your phone or tablet along with the audio and get ready watch, listen and learn.

Step 2: Go to DAY 1 in this guide, read the blurb at the top and look at pictures. Then play
AUDIO 1 and listen and repeat and listen and repeat. If you are just listening to the
audio without the guide, then just listen and repeat.

Step 3: At the end of each page, there is a subheading ‘Today’s 5 Words’ - these are 5 words
that you could listen out for in your conversations and if nothing else, encourage
your newly learnt pronunciation in those 5 words. This might be a more managable
way to start to integrate this skills into live speech, and it’s a bit like dominoes - once
you change one word, others start to fall in to place naturally!

That’s It - Good Luck And Go For It!

Oh, and if you’ve downloaded this as an EPUB most devices will allow you to click on the audio icon.

If not, or if you have downloaded this as a PDF, click this link (or copy and paste it into your browser)
to dowload the audio and then refer to the track numbers next to each audio icon to guide you:

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com/download-consonants

And if you need me at any point, just reach out and I or one of the team will help you:

support@englishpronunciationroadmap.com
 DAY 1
Target Sound: the NG consonant sound
1

Phonetic symbol: ŋ

Pronunciation: In an RP accent the NG sound is made with the back of the tongue raising up
in the back of the mouth, touching the beginning of the soft palate which
encourages the sound up into the nose. The jaw is loose and the teeth and
the lips loosely are apart. This sound is voiced.

VIDEO
CLICK HERE
https://englishpronunciationroadmap.com/how-to-pronounce-ng/

Common Words and Typical Spellings:

rung sang sing song king gong

emailing asking eating sleeping writing reading speaking

NG bring hang ring rang strong thing wrong young

among hanger belong ING (suffix) being calling boiling clearing
evening lighting missing meeting morning during living playing saying
something nothing washing willing N (followed by a K sound) bank drunk
stink think anchor blanket function puncture tranquil conquer
sanction distinct instinct punctuation

Practice Phrases:

• I’ve been asking Andrew to clarify the emailing and filing policies for months.
• Wearing Lycra and dancing madly is not something I feel comfortable doing in public!
• We walked along the river in Kettering on Sunday and it was snowing like mad.
• They rang every hour yesterday – I’m going crazy! It’s alarming! It’s infuriating!

Today’s 5 Words: bring rang calling nothing morning

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com 1 Copyright © 2015 Ashley Howard

 What’s your No. 1 Top Struggle
with Spoken English?
We want to know because we want to help you. Seriously! So, click
on the link right now to head over to our Facebook page. Hit ‘Like’
and then post your No. 1 Top Struggle with Spoken English.

https://www.facebook.com/EnglishPronunciationRoadmap

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com 2 Copyright © 2015 Ashley Howard

 DAY 2
Target Sound: the TH consonant sound 2

Phonetic symbol: ð (voiced) and θ (voiceless)

Pronunciation: The TH sound is made with the tongue tip gently touching just behind or just
under the top front teeth. The body of the tongue is long and thin and its sides
are not touching any of the other teeth. There is a voiceless and voiced TH
sound, so the breath or vibration should be able to come out through your
mouth around your tongue. The jaw is loose and the teeth and the lips loosely
are apart.

VIDEO
CLICK HERE
https://englishpronunciationroadmap.com/th-sound/

Common Words and Typical Spellings:

Voiced - TH the these this then those that they though there
rather another either weather mother father clothing although
Northern Southern together booth mouth v.
THE breathe scathe bathe teethe clothe seethe

Voiceless - TH think thought thank Thursday thing thousand third

thirteen three thirsty thorough thunder therapy toothbrush healthy
truthful something author method nothing everything youthful authority
birthday sympathetic pathway cloth beneath earth tenth mouth teeth
strength north locksmith south both aftermath growth

Practice Phrases (voiceless TH is underlined and voiced TH is in bold):

• Putting on her thimble, Beth threaded the needle.

• Father Benjamin sat in the cathedral listening to the thunder.
• Keith was a thickset man with thinning hair and crooked teeth.
• Both Ruth and Garth sat beneath the shelter, their teeth chattering as the snow thawed.

Today’s 5 Words: voiced: the that weather voiceless: thank thing

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com 3 Copyright © 2015 Ashley Howard

 DAY 3
Target Sound: the H consonant sound
3

Phonetic symbol: h

Pronunciation: The H sound is made with the vocal folds approximating (almost touching).
The tongue tip is behind the bottom front teeth and the middle of the tongue
is in the middle of the mouth. The jaw is loose and the teeth and the lips are
loosely apart.You can’t see this sound being made but if you hold your hand
up in front of your mouth, as you make an H sound, you should be able to
feel a nearly silent warm breath on the palm of your hand. This sound is
voiceless.

VIDEO
CLICK HERE
https://englishpronunciationroadmap.com/how-to-pronounce-h/

Common Words and Typical Spellings:

H hi how him his her here behind hold

have hand help high house hope home hurt heart handshake
hundred homework homemade hospital happy headache hearing holiday
history helicopter reheat behaviour rehearsal forehead inhalation

Practice Phrases:

• The hen hurried to the hen house to check on her eggs before they hatched.
• Henry seems happy today! I hope he hasn’t bought everyone homemade brownies again.
• Her behaviour is abhorred – I haven’t heard any positive feedback from her clients.
• I hear that Harry Howard and Hazel are getting hitched! Harry and Hazel Howard! Hilarious!

Today’s 5 Words: have home house hundred help

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com 4 Copyright © 2015 Ashley Howard

 DAY 4
Target Sound: the R consonant sound 4

Phonetic symbol: r

Pronunciation: The R sound is made with the tongue tip curling up towards the area just
behind the alveolar ridge – but not touching – and the body of the tongue
scooping in the middle. The jaw should remain relaxed, the teeth parted and
the lips in a very loose pouting shape. The R is a voiced sound.

VIDEO
CLICK HERE
https://englishpronunciationroadmap.com/r-sound/

Common Words and Typical Spellings:

rip ran rotten railway rocket ripple grey from

pretty scream hurry sorry worry berries

R original rang ring pride broken crash RR marry worried

surround carry WR wrong write wrap wreathe RH rhubarb
rhythm diarrhoea rhetoric rhapsody rheumatic

Practice Phrases:

• The road we live on is right next to Reading train station.

• Thankfully Chris is through the really problematic phase of his treatment.
• Ralph is always running late. His unpredictability is infuriating.
• I’ve been brought the wrong files. Who is responsible?
• Would you carry that furry grey cat and put him outside the orange basket.

Today’s 5 Words: rang carry ring worried sorry

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com 5 Copyright © 2015 Ashley Howard

 DAY 5
Target Sound: the Z consonant sound 5

Phonetic symbol: z

Pronunciation: This sound belongs to a pair of sounds - Z and S. The only difference
between the S and Z sounds is that the S is a voiceless sound and the Z is
a voiced sound. One of the most typical ways to make the S and Z
sounds is by creating a narrow space between the tongue blade and the
alveolar ridge. This space is almost like a v-shaped furrow running from the
middle to the tip of the tongue. The tongue blade doesn’t touch the alveolar
ridge – the breath or vibration simply travels over it. With both sounds, the
jaw is loose and the teeth and the lips are loosely apart. For some, the tongue
tip is hovering close to but not touching the alveolar ridge, and for others it is
behind the bottom teeth.

VIDEO
CLICK HERE
https://englishpronunciationroadmap.com/z-sound/

Common Words and Typical Spellings:

Voiceless S sound - S sister sell salmon sat sit sun Saturday seen
south sock C central circle cycle receive decide fancy cereal
specific cell CE juice pronounce pace Greece ice prance pence
SS cross massive fitness assignment necessity SC scent muscle
fascinating SE goose house purpose grease X (KS) experience excite
expert

Voiced Z sound - Z zone size crazy zoo zip horizon ZE amaze

prize sneeze ZZ jazz fizzy puzzle SE organise cheese please
whose because close those supervise S has his was presume
music reason season president SS dessert scissors X (GZ) exert
exalt exude

Practice Phrases:

• Simon, Sarah and Susan are ecstatic about starting summer school.
• This scooter is the fastest I’ve ever seen or experienced.
• Most citizens settle in one district for some time.
• I’m amazed at your brazen attitude towards the disorganisation of this present situation.

Today’s 5 Words: was organise reason because please

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com 6 Copyright © 2015 Ashley Howard

 So, what’s next?
One step at a time...

I know life is busy and most of us who want to improve our pronunciation want to do so as fast as
possible. But as with everything that is worthwhile, it’ll take time, lots of practice and a bit of patience
- but you WILL get there, and that’s a fact! As one client said to me, ‘I’ve learnt to let it percolate - just
like how I brew my coffee’ - wise words from a very wise and successful woman.

However, it’s nice to have a PLAN - right? So you focus on this 5 Day Audio MINI COURSE and let me
take care of the rest. Once you have completed the course, I’ll let you know the next best step to
get you accelerating in your vocal transformation - I promise.

I’ll speak to you soon

Ashley

P.S. There are some FREE GIFTS on their way to you as we speak (just because I really want you to
succeed) so keep checking your email.

What’s your No. 1 Top Struggle with Spoken English?

Have you posted your No.1 Top Struggle yet? We want to know because we want to help you.
Seriously! So, click on the link right now, head over to our Facebook page, hit ‘Like’ and then post
your No. 1 Top Struggle with Spoken English.

https://www.facebook.com/EnglishPronunciationRoadmap

www.englishpronunciationroadmap.com 7 Copyright © 2015 Ashley Howard