UNIVERSIDAD DE LA SERENA

CAREER: ENGLISH TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMME

SUBJECT: PRONUNCIATION IN ENGLISH I
INSTRUCTOR: CARLOS TAPIA MICHEA
TOPIC: THE ENGLISH VOWELS

1- / i:/
Sound and spelling relation
a) ee: see - agree - green - deep - meet - teen - feel - fees - heel - seem - wheel
freezer - cheese - cheesy - keeper - sheen - esteem - street - fleet - sheep - squeeze -
b) ea: eat - meat - dean - seal - veal - feast - clean - lead - please - steal - meal - leak -
appeal - appease - breathe - disease - release - cease - reason - treason . heat
c) ie: field - piece - niece - yielding - shield - chief - thief - priest - achieve - relieve
d) ei: ceiling - receive - deceive - concieve - caffein - protein - seize – seizure- conceit -
e) e: secret - evening - metre - these - equal - email - museum - European - Chinese -
demon - evil - vehicle - procedure - convenient - sequence – zebra
 2- /I/
Sound and spelling relation
a) i: listen - if - dinner - fit - hill - miss - swim - will - tin - fist - mill - fit - sick - cliff -
this - silly - chill - thrill - signature - discipline - vitamin - figure vinegar – whisper
b) u: busy - lettuce - business - minute - missus .
c) a+ge: marriage - image - village - vicarage - cottage - breakage - heritage –
d) a+te: (adjectives and nouns) private - senate - advocate - emirate - consulate - certificate
- graduate - candidate - associate - laureate - delegate - magistrate - accurate - delicate -
fortunate - illiterate - estimate - separate

Exercise 1
Practice the following pairs of words contrasting the vowel sounds / i:/ and /I/

/ i:/ /I/
beat bit
cheap chip
deed did
deep dip
feel fill
feast fist
feet fit
heal / heel hill
kneel nil
sheep ship
seek sick
teen tin

Exercise 2
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
vowels //i:/ and /I/
1. A cheese sandwich, a glass of milk and some biscuits for me, please.
2. Theresa doesn’t want to live in a big city like this.
3. My niece Sheila is in her teens.
4. Edith believed she would be with Phil through thick and thin.
5. This little book about calm is really interesting.

Exercise 3
Read the following text paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels /i:/ and
/I/
The new home schoolers aren’t hermits. They are diverse parents who are getting results –
and putting the heat on public schools.
 Over the past decade, the ranks of families home schooling have grown dramatically.
According to a new federal report, at least two million students were learning at home in
2015, the most recent year studied: some experts believe the figure is actually twice that.
As recently as 2010 the government estimated the number as 1.5 million. True, even the
largest estimates still put the home schooled at only 4% of the total K-12 population – but
that would mean more kids learn at home than attend all the public schools in Alaska and 9
other States combined.

3 /e/
Sound and spelling relation
a) e: second - check - letter - correct - sentence - red - hell - bet - spell - smell - render -
senator - devil - gender - lapel - genetics - setting - melting - tenth – twenty - debtor -
lender - welcome - expensive dentistry - pressure - elementary - jet - yet - engine –
e) ea: bread - head - read (past) - health - wealth - heavy - ready - meadow - steady –
leather - feather - weather - weapon - dead - deadly - death - deaf - dreamt - jealous -
breast - dread - dreadful - threat - threaten - breath - spread - instead - tread - measure -
treasure - pleasure - steady -

4- /æ/
Sound-spelling relation
a) a not followed by ‘r’ in the same syllable: back - map - tack - rash - math - factory -
manager - clap - chat - wrap - sap - character - stamp - enamel - raffle - family - gather
flash - flap - latter - ambience - saccharin(e) - slash - dash - catholic - thanks - practice
- anxious - gas - capsule - captain - man - slam - cab - sad - bag - badge - fan - ram - jam
- land - hand - mad - tan - plan - lad - crab - clam - dam - van - ran - handbag - yam - rag -
stand - lab

Exercise 4
Practice the following pairs of words contrasting the vowel sounds /e/ and /æ/

/e/ /æ/
beck back
beg bag
bet bat
bend band
blend bland
dead dad
flesh flash
led lad
lend land
men man
Exercise 5
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels
/e/ and /æ/

1. Countries using chemical weapons can pose a major threat to the rest of the world.
2. Pat is the manager of a battery factory in Alabama.
3. Jack practices badminton and handball.
4. Twenty of their family members are catholic.
5. Only ten sentences out of twenty were correct in your test.

Exercise 6
Read the following text paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels
/e/ and /æ/
It may have been a comedy, or it may have been a tragedy. It cost one man his reason. It
cost me a blood-letting, and it cost yet another man the penalties of the law. Yet there was
certainly an element of comedy. Well, you shall judge for yourselves.
I remember the date very well, for it was in the same month that Sherlock Holmes
refused a knighthood for services which may perhaps someday be described. I only refer to
the matter in passing, for in my position of partner and confident I’m obliged to be
particularly careful to avoid any indiscretion. I repeat, however, that this enables me to fix
the date, which was the latter end of June, 1902, shortly after the conclusion of the South
African war.
5- /α:/
Sound-spelling relation
a) ar: star - scar- march - far - farther - darn - jar - dark - smart - bar - cardigan - card
–
shark - dart - park - artist - garden - large - spark - darling - barking - pardon - scarf –
b) as, ass: ask - gasp - grasp - cast - last - past - fast - blast -fasten - vast - master - castle
- nasty - disaster - broadcast - forecast - flask - basket - mask - class - mass - glass - pass -
grass - surpass -
c) a+nasal: dance - chance - demand - plant - answer - grant - branch - glance - France -
banana - sample - example - drama - advantage - can’t - shan’t - advance -
d) au: aunt - laugh - draught
f) a+ge: collage - fuselage - mirage - garage - massage - camouflage - sabotage
g) other spellings: heart - bazaar - after - draft - half - calf - staff - father - bath - rather -
giraffe - wrath - alms - guard - pajamas - seismograph - draft - rafting

10- /ʌ/
Sound-spelling relation
a) o: above - dove - love - glove - cover - oven - recover - govern - another -brother - other
- mother - worry - colour - dozen - nothing - thorough - tongue - monkey - among - come -
become - company - accompany - comfort - some - stomach - done - front - honey -
London - Monday - money - month - none - one - once - onion - son - sponge - wonder -
ton - outcome -
b) u: lucky - number - uncle - under - study - run - much - Sunday - sunny - fun - funny –
- hut - hunt - cup - junk - cut - stunning - stubborn - stuck - dull - hurry - gun - shut -
duck - slums - supper - nun - lunch - brunch - bubble - summary - jug - cunning - crumb -
- culture - lung - chunk - fuss - custom - rush - adult - adultery - abrupt - judge - just -
puzzle - punctual - public - puncture - punctuation - punishment - pub - result - dumb -
- Dutch - thumb - bungalow - hustle - bustle - thunder
c) ou: touch - double - trouble - courage - young - couple - flourish - nourish - country -
cousin - southern - rough - tough - enough - Douglas
d) other spellings: does - blood - flood

Exercise 7
Practice the following pairs of words contrasting the vowel sounds /α:/ and /ʌ/
/α:/ /ʌ/
bark buck
calm come
card cud
dark duck
harsh hush
heart hut
lark luck
march much

Exercise 8
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
vowels /α:/ and /ʌ/
1. None of his younger brothers really worry about money.
2. Cousin Justin’s remarks are hard to understand.
3. Mark doesn’t like the hustle and bustle of the city.
4. I was far asleep in Margaret’s apartment when the hurricane hit.
5. Barbara goes hiking once a month.

Exercise 9
Read the following text paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels
/α:/ and /ʌ/.
The other day I took my younger children to a burger king for lunch and there was a
line of about a dozen cars at the drive-through window. Now, a drive-through window
is not a window you drive through, but a window you drive up to and collect your food
from, having placed your order over a speakerphone along the way; the idea is to
provide quick takeaway food for those in a hurry.
We parked, went in, ordered and ate and came out again, all in about ten minutes,
As we departed, I noticed that a white pickup truck that had been last in the queue
when we arrived, was still four or five cars back from collecting its food. It would have
been much quicker if the driver had parked like us and gone in and got his food
himself, but he would never have thought that way because the drive-through window
is supposed to be speedier and more convenient.

6- /ɒ/
Sound-spelling relation
a) o not followed by ‘r’ in the same syllable: coffee –-glossary - rocky - choppy copper -
lottery - jogging - chopper - blond - modern - clock - bottle - boxing - doctor - chocolate -
wrong - cost - song - top - cops - shopping - possible - donkey - prompter - cross - bother -
hospital - rotten - dot - lost - knot - soccer - proper - posh - moth - politics - comparable -
knock - common - jogging - toboggan - sponsor - dolphin - collagen - college - hostage -
odd - rob - cloth - mockery - orange - office - colleague - apology - solve - beyond -
nonsense - boss - gossip - proper - prophesy - policy - logic - lobby - locker- foster - solid -
chronic - pocket - shock - flock - bomb

Other spellings:
b) au: cauliflower - because - sausage – laurel
c) o+C+e: gone - shone - scone
d) a: what - squash - wasp - quality - quantity - wander - quarrel - yacht

7- /ɔ:/
Sound-spelling relation
a) or: born - horse - forty - corner - sort - corn - dormant - Lord - shorter - border -
forward - scorpion - corn - gorgeous - format - fork - forger - forgery
b) aw: raw - saw - straw - claw - laws - jaw - yawn - dawn - awkward - paw
flaw - brawl - shawl - gawky - pawn
c) a+ll & a+l:+ C: wall - ball - call - tall - fall - hall - allspice - almighty - always - also
alter - altar - altogether - already - almost - although - alteration - false - halt - salt
d) au: vault - cause - autumn - saucer - pause - daughter - audience - naughty clause
haul - fault - applause - aplaud - automobile - sauce - assault - auction - auspices
auxiliary - cause - author - authentic - saucy
e) ore: store - boredom - before - more - gore - core - tore - shore - folklore - chore
Other spellings
f) a+ silent l: walk - talk - stalk - chalk
g) au+silent gh: caught - daughter - taught - slaughter
h) ou+ silent gh: ought - sought - fought - thought - wrought
i) oor: door - floor - poor
j) oar: roar - boar - board - soar
k) ar: war - warm - quarter - quartz - swarm - warning - award - warrant - wardrobe -
ward - wardroom - warrior
l) oa: broad - abroad - roaring - soaring - board - coarse -
m) our: pour - four - course - court - contour - your - you’re - source - court
n) miscellaneous spellings: water - awe - Sean - sure - wrath - water - walrus - walnut -
waltz

Exercise 10
Practice the following pairs of words contrasting the vowel sounds /ɒ/ and /ɔ:/
/ɒ/ /ɔ:/
cod cord
con corn
cot court / caught
fox forks
moss Morse
pot port
shot short
sot sort

Exercise 11
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
vowels /ɒ/ and /ɔ:/
1. Sean and Paul were born in New York.
2. Jonathan stopped smoking when he was forty-four.
3. Jocelyn saw George playing golf with his friend Tom.
4. Flora’s daughter bought a Straw hat and a pinafore dress.
5. Claude bought four boxes of chocolate and some coffee at a corner shop.

Exercise 12
Read the following text paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels /ɒ/ and
/ɔ:/
An American psychiatrist has launched trials of a drug to help people who cannot stop
spending. Professor Loran Koran of Standford University in California believes he has
found a cure for shopaholics.
 The news will come as a great relief to millions of people suffering from compulsive
shopping disorder, a condition which is thought to afflict up to one in thirty American
women.
The considerable interest in the supposed cure comes as no surprise to Koran who has
been aware of the extent of the problem for many years. Koran, however, describes it as a
“hidden epidemic” comparable to compulsive gambling, kleptomania and pyromania.

8- / ʊ/
Sound-spelling relation
a) u+l: full - bull - bullet - bulletin - bully - pull - fulfill - bullion -
b) oo+k: look - book - shook - brook - hook - nook - cook - rook - cookie -
c) ou: would - could - should - courier - bouquet
d) o: woman - bosom - wolf -
d) other spellings: good - sugar - put - pudding - butcher - wood - wool - hood - stood -
soot - foot - bush - cushion - push - pussy - pulpit - woozy -

9- /u:/
Sound-spelling relation
a) oo: food - cool - school - too - pool - shoot - foolish - moonlight - brood - broom - loose
- boost - room - doom - tool - stool - stoop - root - choose - choosy - bloomer - boot - booth
proof - goose - google - goofy

b) ew: few - stew - news - chew - crew - steward - sewer - sewage - view - review - dew -
c) eu: neutrally - neutralise - pseudo - therapeutic - euphemism - euphoria - euthanasia -
d) ue: blue - clue - rue - due - sue - fuel - cue - hue - argue - pursue - accrue - true -
issue - tissue -
e) u: student - fugitive - human - music - duce - rule - nucleus - cube - dunes - union -
punitive - duty - cute - acute - abuse - enthusiasm - assume - consume - presume - allusion
- confusion - solution - pollution - devolution - supermarket - superficial - superstition -
supervision - future - duke - truth - flu - refuse - reunion - produce - punitive -
f) ui: fruit - juice - suit - pursuit - suitable - bruise - cruise - nuisance - suicide - suitcase

Exercise 13
Practice the following pairs of words contrasting the vowel sounds / ʊ/ and /u:/
/ ʊ/ /u:/
full fool
pull pool
soot suit
to too / two
Exercise 14
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels
/ʊ/ and /u:/

1. Bruce’s house has a library full of good books.

2. Governments should find a good solution to pollution soon.
3. That’s Lucy’s gloomy view of the future.
4. You can choose from a variety of seafood.
5. Ruth doesn’t add sugar to her fruit juice.

Exercise 15
Read the following text paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels / ʊ/ and
/u:/
I prefer a trip to a large out of town supermarket to shopping in the local corner shop
because there is so much more variety. You can choose between all the usual well-known
brands, or if you prefer, there are the store’s cheaper own-brand products. As well as tinned
and frozen convenience food, there’s a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish
and other foodstuffs. The household goods are particularly good value for money,
compared to other shops.

11- З:/
Sound-spelling relation
a) ir: first - shirt - bird - birthday - dirty - sir - circle - stir - firm - girl - thirty- flirt -
chirp - skirt - virgin - virtue - virtuous - virtual - stir –
b) er(r): mercy - term - dermatology - serve - service - prefer - dessert - verb - university
- German - Germany - refer - merchant - verdict - verbal - superb - reverse - deserve -
vermin - verse - eternal - err
c) ur(r): turn - Thursday - burn - fur - church - purse - curb - turkey - turmoil - burden -
furnish - furniture - curd - curtain - cursory - surtax - burgle - absurd - purpose - survey
- surname - surgeon - surgery - surfing - burst - blur - murder - purr
d) or: attorney - work - word - world - worse - worst - worth - worthy - worm - worship
e) ear: earth - early - heard - learn - pearl - earl - yearn -
f) our: courtesy - courteous - journey - journal -

12- /ә/
Sound-spelling relation
Decorative - afterward - vocabulary - interference - compulsory - tolerant successfully
communicative - butterfly - asparagus - ago, - acute – weather - vinegar - actor -
paprika - colour - dollar - treasure - dilemma - behavior - cuppa
Exercise 16
Practice the following pairs of words contrasting the vowel sounds /З:/ and /ә/
/З:/ /ә/
Bert but
curd could
word would

Exercise 17
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels
/З:/ and /ә/
1. Pearl Curtis, who’s only thirty, is a superb attorney.
2. The early bird catches the worm.
3. Bert works at a shirt factory in Germany.
4. Mister Searle was a succesful Canadian.surgeon.
5. Berth wants to learn to speak Turkish.

Exercise 18
Read the following text paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels /З:/ and
/ә/
The birds burst from the marshes singly and in groups, the flights at the beginning
seemingly without pattern. But as they gain altitude, the straggling lines of geese begin to
straighten. At first, it looks like a single line of birds, with one flying faster, becoming the
leader. But that follow-the-leader group slowly shapes into a loose V outline, with the birds
churning closer together, as if obeying commands from a flight leader.

DIPHTONGS

13- /eI/
Sound spelling relation
a) ai: main - rain - waist - aim - rail - fail - lain - claim - chain - pain - hail - jail - mosaic -
remain - straight - faith - stain - terrain - contain - prevail - acclaim - nail - snail - praise -
appraise - appraisal - retain - complain - complaint - brain - railway - drainage -
b) ay: may - say - way - ray stay - clay - day - away - pay - lay - pray - gray - relay -
replay - essay -
c) a+C+silent e: same - lame - flame - shame - plane - came - shake - rape - lake - ape -
late - base - make - fame - rate - framework - crane - fate - trade - lane - lemonade -
blockade - parade - barricade - decade - escapade - raven - scrape - age - escape - face
shape - ablaze - orangeade - ache - vane - ashame - behave - space - race - amaze -
d) ei/ey: veil - eight - weigh - weight - reign - apartheid - neighbour - sheik(h) - feign -
vein - freight - prey - obey - grey - abeyance - survey - convey -

Exercise 19
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
diphthong /eI/.

1. Shakespeare is one of the most famous playwrights in history.

2. Jacob’s teachers are full of praise for the progress he’s making.
3. James likes the way Daisy plays baseball and table tennis.
4. Graham Green, one of the greatest novelists of the twentieth century, wrote many
amazing short stories.
5. Grace and Raymond attended the same school in Stratford upon Avon.

14- /әʊ/

Sound spelling relation

a) ow: row - low - know - show - bow - rainbow - crow - scarecrow - slow - growth –
shadow - tomorrow - borrow - sorrow - glow - glowworm - narrow - blow - pillow -
own - owe - widow - sow - bowl - hollow - hallow - shallow -
b) oa: oat - boat - coat - roam - loam - coach - road - foam - toad - coal - shoal - goal -
approach - roast - float - soak - bloated - load - oaktree - cloak - soap -
c) o+C+silent e: phone - stone - alone - drone - clone - prone - dome - tone - bone -
close - cone - tadpole - drove - home - scope - froze - stolen - hole - whole - role - pole -
explode - propose - cope -
d) o in final position: go - so - no - tobacco - domino - casino - banjo -

Exercise 20
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
diphthong /әʊ/
1. Joseph and Jerome show great skills in rowing and snowboarding
2. Fiona borrowed Joan’s drone.
3. Joe doesn’t know where to go.
4. Rose is an au pair girl in Pomona.
5. Traffic is slow in most roads.

15- /aI/
Sound spelling relation
a) i+C+silent e: like - time - fine - line - shine - vine - spine - wine - lime - mine - pine -
write - crime - finite - white - ripe - shine - dine - five - prime - comprise - mile - shrine -
swine - chime - mobile - advertise - advise - advice - file - profile - wipe - mice - lice - rise
- while - quite - polite - lively - snipe - alive -
b) i+silent gh: high - sigh - light - night - right - fight - sight - knight - frighten - mighty
tight - skylight -
c) i+nd: kind - mind - find - blind - rind -
d) y in final position: shy - my - dry - July - why - sky - fry - sky- spy - sty - apply - by -
butterfly - supply - sly

Exercise 21
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
diphthong /aI/
1. Isaac is applying for a scholarship to study at University of Brighton.
2. Guy was suggested to try curry pie.
3. Ivan likes flying kites.
4. Ivy cried all night long.
5. Ivan had a wild look in his eyes.

16- /aʊ/
Sound-spelling relation
a) ow: now - how - cow - frown - brown - clown - down - crowd - sow - bow - owl -
browser - eyebrow - crown - vow -
b) ou: loud - sound - mouth - round - house - pound - shout - count - countdown - about
doubt - scout - astound - proud - found - shroud - ground - amount - account - cloud -
announce - outskirts - mouse - spout - bound - boundary - bounty - bounce - lounge - gout
south - doubt -

Exercise 22
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
diphthong /aʊ/
1. Mr Macleod is proud of being a clown.
2. Come down now.
3. Mister Brown announced he had sold his house.
4. Look at those clouds coming from the south.
5. They found a great amount of owls.

17- /ɔI/
Sound-spelling relation
a) oi: coin - point - voice - noise - spoil - coil - join - conjoined - moisture - toilet - toil -
invoice - cloister - appoint - exploit - poison - broil -
b) oy: toy - boy - soy - joy - enjoy - oyster - annoy - boycott
Exercise 23
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
diphthong /ɔI/
1. That noise is really annoying.
2. The boy spoilt some of his toys.
3. Those boys really enjoyed the oysters and the soy sauce
4. Roy was appointed chairman of a toy factory.
5. Chloe avoided talking about her voyage.

18- /Iә/
Sound-spelling relation
a) ear: ear - near - nearly - clear - fear - tear - shear - rear - dear - hear - year - beard -
weary - dreary - appear - arrears -
b) eer: cheers - cheery - beer - deer - steer - steeringwheel - veneer - cheerio - engineer
mountaineer - auctioneer - pioneer -
c) ere: here - mere - merely - we’re - adhere - adherent -
d) ier: fierce - piercing -

Exercise 24
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
diphthong /Iә/
1. Oh, dear. it’s clear that you fear your peers.
2. We’re adherent to that idea.
3. Those mountaineers live near here.
4. The auctioneer is drinking beer at the cafeteria.
5. Deirdre was a Pioneer as an engineer here.

19- /eә/
Sound-spelling relation
a) are: care - careful - fare - rare - stare - share - spare - square - mare - compare -scare
- bare - dare - welfare
b) air: air - fair - stair - stairway - hair - chair - chairman - affair - repair - prairie -
clairvoyance - clairvoyant -

Exercise 25
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
diphthong /eә/
1. That affair is not fair.
2. Mary’s got fair hair.
3. They’re scared of the predictions of the clairvoyant.
4. Where is the stairway?
5. Clare really cares about her children’s welfare.

20- /ʊә/
Sound-spelling relation
a) our: tour - amour -gourd - contour - gourmet
b) u: during - enduring - sure - pure - purify - purulent - purulency -
c) ua: estuary - February -
d) oor: poor - moor -
Exercise 26
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of
diphthong /ʊә/
1. We are sure to see thousands of tourists here in February.
2. During the low season, there are convenient tours for poor elderly people.
3. Estuary English is not pure.
4. I’m sure Howard doesn’t like gourd
5. Michelle is a French gourmet

Exercise 25
Read the following text paying special attention to the pronunciation of diphthongs.

Been to Benidorm, Bali and the Greek Isles? Tired of all the typical tourist resorts? Why
not treat youself to a holiday in space?
In just a few years from now, your local travel agent may well try to tempt you in this
way into taking a short break in a futuristic space hotel, with the chance to look down on all
the sights of our planet from over sixty miles up.
Not so long ago the idea of space travel for all was just a dream. Now, at the start of new
millenium, it is beginning to become a reality. With the first short commercial passenger
flights into space already fully booked, private companies are now turning their attention to
holidaymakers wanting to spend longer periods of time outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
Tourists will soon be preparing to stay for several days in an orbiting space hotel.

Exercise 17
Read the following sentences paying special attention to the pronunciation of the
words in bold

When the English tongue we speak, why is break not rhymed with weak? Won’t you tell
me why it’s true we say sew, but also few? And the maker of a verse cannot rhyme his
horse with worse? Beard is not the same as heard. Cord is different from word. Cow is
cow but low is low. Shoe is never rhymed with foe. Think of hose and dose and lose. And
think of goose and yet of choose. Think of comb and tomb and bomb. Doll and roll and
home and some. And since pay is rhymed with say, why not paid with said I pray? Think
of blood and food and good; mould is not pronounced like could. Why is it done, but gone
and lone? – Is there any reason known? To sum up, it seems to me that sounds and letters
don’t agree.