ENGLISH VOWEL AND CONSONANT SOUNDS

Chart: the 44 English phonemes

Vowel Phonemes Consonant Phonemes

01 Pit 21 Pit

02 Pet 22 Bit

03 Pat 23 Time

04 Pot 24 Door

05 Luck 25 Cat

06 Good 26 Get

07 Ago 27 Fan

08 Meat 28 Van

09 Car 29 Think

10 Door 30 That

11 Girl 31 Send

12 Too 32 Zip

SELI ENGLISH COURSE. Contact: 08586104 /40837470/nzueolivier01@gmail.com Page 1

13 Day 33 Man

14 Sky 34 Nice

15 Boy 35 Ring

16 Beer 36 Leg

17 Bear 37 Rat

18 Tour 38 Wet

19 Go 39 Hat

20 Cow 40 Yet

41 Shop

42 Leisure

43 Chop

44 Jump

SELI ENGLISH COURSE. Contact: 08586104 /40837470/nzueolivier01@gmail.com Page 2

English vowel sounds

VowelPhonemes

Lips loosely spread. Pit

Tongue lax with less
tension than / i: /

Lips loosely spread Pet

and slighly wider
apart than / ɪ /

Lips neutrally open Pat cat fat bad

and slightly wider
apart than / e /

Open lip-rounding, Pot

wide open jaws, back
of tongue low.

Lips neutrally open. Luck

Open jaws.
Centralizedquality.

Lips loose, but Good

closely rounded.
Tongue not as tense
as in / u: /

Lips in neutral Ago a

position.
Centralized. Tongue
slightly higher than
in /ʌ/

Lips spread. Tongue Meat

tense (front raised)
with sides touching
upper molars.

SELI ENGLISH COURSE. Contact: 08586104 /40837470/nzueolivier01@gmail.com Page 3

Lips neutrally open Car
and jaws far apart.
Centre to back of
tongue fully open.

Medium lip Door

rounding. Tongue
drawn back making
no contact with
upper molars.

Lips neutrally Girl

spread. Tongue
slightly higher than
/ə/ (no firm contact
with upper molars)

Lips closely rounded. Too

Back of tongue high.
Tensecomparedwith
/ʊ/

English diphthongs

yourtongue
moves to:

yourtongue
moves to:

yourtongue
moves to:

SELI ENGLISH COURSE. Contact: 08586104 /40837470/nzueolivier01@gmail.com Page 4

PHONEMIC CHART

TEXT TO PRACTISE SHORT ENGLISH VOWEL SOUNDS

The story of Betty Botter and the butter - short vowels

Betty Botter had some butter,

"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.
If I put it in my batter,
It would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter-
Better than the bitter butter-
That would make my batter better."

So she bought a bit of butter,

Better than the bitter butter,
And she put it in her batter,
And it made her batter better.

So it was better Betty Botter

Bought a bit of better butter.

SELI ENGLISH COURSE. Contact: 08586104 /40837470/nzueolivier01@gmail.com Page 5

The cold old house - long vowels and diphthongs

I once knew a house,

A cold, old house,
A cold, old house by the sea.
If I were a mouse,
In a cold, old house,
What a cold, old mouse I would be!

I joined the navy - long vowels and diphthongs

I joined the navy,

To see the sea.
And what did I see?
I saw the sea.

The wild rover - long vowels and diphthongs

I've been a wild rover for many a year,

And I've spent all my money on whisky and beer,
But now I'm returning with gold in great store,
Now I never will play the wild rover no more

And it's no, nay, never,

No nay never, no more,
Will I play the wild rover?
No, never, no more.

SELI ENGLISH COURSE. Contact: 08586104 /40837470/nzueolivier01@gmail.com Page 6