English

27.05.20
Pronunciation of English Words
Learning Objectives and Success Criteria

L.O: To be able to improve some of my pronunciation by understanding what the

IPA is and get an introduction to some proper English pronunciation.

S.C:
• I can understand what the IPA is.
• I can see exceptions to different sounds.
• I can start to improve my English pronunciation.
 Starter
Hob1 (Noun)
A cooking appliance, or the flat top part of a cooker.
Answers:
Synonyms: Chimney, furnace, stove

?
ms for it?
Introduction
When speaking proper English, it is fine to
have an accent. There are many different
accents in Britain and around the world, but
what is important about speaking English is
that it is spoken clearly, and that you do not
stop other people from listening to what you
say. Watch the video to the right for more
information about this.
What You Need for English Pronunciation
To help you to pronounce English words in a better way, all you need is two
things: a native speaker (coming from a country that speaks the language) and
something called the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which is very useful
for pronouncing tricky words and easy ones. You may not understand what the
IPA is, but I will explain it in the next slides.
The International Phonetic Alphabet
In many languages, each letter is only one sound, so it is easier to learn how to
pronounce many words, just by looking at the spelling of it. But English is much
more complicated than this. For example, in the letter ‘C’, it is pronounced like ‘k’
in cup, but in the word ‘place’, it is pronounced like ‘s’. Also ‘c’ often pronounced
like ‘ch’ when next to a ‘h’, like in ‘chat’. But, in the word ‘ache’, it is pronounced
like a ‘c’ again! All of this writing will probably make you very confused, so this is
why learning the IPA is so useful, as every sound in it has a symbol. It can not
only help you pronounce incorrect words correctly, but also help you say sounds
that are not used in your original country’s language.
The International Phonetic Alphabet
(Continued)
As an example, the words ‘though’, ‘thought’ and
‘cough’ all have the same letters ‘ough’ in them, but
when you say them, they are pronounced very
differently. The symbols that you can see to the right of
the words might make you quite confused, especially as
you haven’t seen the IPA before. But even though they
might make you confused, they are extremely helpful
for improving your English pronunciation, as it tells you
how to say the word.
The IPA: Vowels, Diphthongs and Consonants
How many letters are in the English alphabet? This is a very small amount
compared to the 44 different SOUNDS, which is so much more than the letters!
This is why the IPA is so useful, as it shows how many different variations of the
same sounds there are in our alphabet. Watch the video in the link below for
information on the IPA’s vowels, consonants and diphthongs. (Watch from 3:29
to 7:03)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n4NVPg2kHv4
Task
Your task is to revise and
pronounce all of the sounds of
the IPA to the right. With my
help and the video’s help as
well, you will soon be able to
pronounce many English words
correctly that you haven’t
before.
Plenary
Your plenary is to convert the words
below from English letters into the
letters of the IPA. Use the table to the
right to help you:
• Though
• Thought
• Cough
• Vision
• Hat
• Man
The IPA: Vowels, Diphthongs and Consonants