The ugly duckling

/ðiː ˈʌgliː ˈdʌklɪŋ/

1. There is a mother duck. She lays three eggs.

ðer ɪz ə ˈmʌðər dʌk/ ./ʃiː ˈleɪz θriː egz/

2. Soon, they are three baby birds.

/suːn ðeɪ ɑːr θriː ˈbeɪbiː bɜːrdz/

3. Two of the birds are very beautiful.

/tuː əv ðə bɜːrdz ɑːr ˈveriː ˈbjuːtəfəl/

4. One of them is quite ugly.

/wʌn əv ðem ɪz kwaɪt ˈʌgliː/

5. The beautiful ducklings make fun of their ugly brother.

/ðə ˈbjuːtəfəl ˈdʌklɪŋz meɪk fʌn əv ðer ˈʌgliː ˈbrʌðər/

6. The poor things is very unhappy.

/ðə pʊr θɪŋz ɪz ˈveriː ənˈhæpiː/

7. As the three birds grow older, the ugly duckling begins to

change.
/æz ðə θriː bɜːrdz groʊ ˈoʊldə ðiː ˈʌgliː ˈdʌklɪŋ bɪˈgɪnz tuː ʧeɪnʤ/

8. His gray feathers turn snowy white.

/hɪz greɪ ˈfeðərz tɜːrn ˈsnoʊiː hwaɪt/

9. His gangly neck become beautifully smooth.

/hɪz ˈgæŋli nek bɪˈkʌm ˈbjuːtəfəlli smuːð/

10. In early spring, the ugly duckling is swimming in a small pond in

the back yard of the old farm.
/ɪn iːrliː sprɪŋ ðiː ˈʌgliː ˈdʌklɪŋ ɪz ˈswɪmɪŋ ɪn ə smɔːl pɑːnd ɪn ðə
bæk jɑːrd əv ðiː oʊld fɑːrm/

11. He sees his shimmering reflection in the clear water.

/hiː siːz hɪz ˈʃɪmərɪŋ rɪˈflekʃən ɪn ðə kliːr ˈwɔːtər/

12. What a great surprise! He is no longer an ugly duckling.

/hwʌt ə greɪt sərˈpraɪz/ /hiː ɪz noʊ lɔːŋʌr ʌn ˈʌgliː ˈdʌklɪŋ/
13. He has grown into a lovely swan.
/hiː həz groʊn ˈɪntuː ə ˈlʌvliː swɑːn/