Phonetics: reading and writing

English pronunciation and phonetics

 STAGE 1 STAGE 2

Practising your Reading

pronunciation, phonetics

noticing

phonetics and

learning it

subconsciously.
 STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3

Practising your Reading Writing

pronunciation, phonetics phonetics

noticing

phonetics and

learning it

subconsciously.
1 Vowels

2 Diphthongs

3 Consonants
1 Vowels

2 Diphthongs

3 Consonants
 Vowels

/ɪ/ /i/ /iː/

kit happy /ˈhæpi/ fleece /’fliːs/
/’kɪt/ weary /ˈwɪəri/ sea
bid hearty /ˈhɑːti/ /’siː/
/’bɪd/ machine /məˈʃiːn/
him
/’hɪm/
minute /ˈmɪnɪt/
 Vowels

/ɒ/ /ɔː/ /ɑː/

lot thought /’θɔːt/ father /ˈfɑː.ðə/
/’lɒt/ law start
odd /’lɔː/ /’stɑːt/
/’ɒd/ north /’nɔːθ/ hard
pot war /’hɑːd/
/’pɒt/ /’wɔː/
 Vowels

/ʊ/ /u:/
foot goose /’gu:s/
/’fʊt/ two
put /’tu:/
/’pʊt/ blue
good /’gʊd/ /’blu:/
cook group /’gru:p/
/’kʊk/
 Vowels

/e/ /æ/
dress /’dres/ tramp /’træmp/
bed stamp /’stæmp/
/’bed/ bad
head /’hed/ /’bæd/
many /’meni/ back
/’bæk/
 Vowels

/ʌ/ /ɜː/ /ə/

onion /ˈʌnjən/ nurse /’nɜːs/ again /əˈɡen/
oven / stir /’stɜː/ police /pəˈliːs/
ˈʌvən/ learn /’lɜːn/ summer /ˈsʌmə/
umbrella /ʌmˈbrelə/ shirt /’ʃɜːt/ centre /ˈsentə/
uncle /ˈʌŋkl/
/ʌ/ or /ə/?

/ʌ/: very often stressed

Position:
- at the beginning of a word; e.g. /’ʌnjən/
- in the middle of a word; e.g. /’brʌðə/
/ʌ/ or /ə/ ?

/ə/: the schwa-sound (most common sound in English)

• Mainly found in unstressed positions

→ what remains when you remove almost all the energy from a vowel
• Position: at the beginning of a word

e.g. / ə’baʊt/

in the middle of a word

e.g. /,ɪntrə’dju:s/

at the end of a word

e.g. /’sentə/
Short vowels + slightly longer ones

him /ɪ/
dress /e/
trap /æ/
/ʊ/
put
/ɒ/
lot
/ʌ/
uncle
/ə/
about /u/
influence /i/
happy
Longer vowels

deep /iː/
four
car /ɔː/
shirt /ɑː/
goose /ɜː/
/u:/
Practice

1 live /’lɪv/
2 trouble /’trʌbl/
3 woman /’wʊmən/
4 women /’wɪmɪn/
5 man /’mæn/
6 half /’hɑːf/
7 business
/’bɪznəs/
8 daughter
/’dɔːtə/
9 wheel
/’wiːl/
10 taught
/’tɔːt/
11 cook
/’kʊk/
Practice

12 scholar /’skɒlə/
13 drank /…ŋ./ /’dræŋk/
14 kettle /’ketl/
15 wonderful
16 skirt /ˈwʌndəfəl/
17 sit /’skɜːt/
18 seat
19 burden /’sɪt/
20 occur
/’si:t/
21 ignorant /.g……/

/ˈbɜːdn/
1 Vowels

2 Diphthongs

3 Consonants
 Diphthongs

/eɪ/ /aɪ/ /ɔɪ/

face /’feɪs/ price /’praɪs/ boy /’bɔɪ/
day /’deɪ/ high /’haɪ/ voice /’vɔɪs/
break /’breɪk/ try /’traɪ/ oyster /ˈɔɪstə/
Diphthongs

/aʊ/ /əʊ/
how /’haʊ/ low /’ləʊ/
owl /’aʊl/ toe /’təʊ/
about /əˈbaʊt/ old /’əʊld/
allow /əˈlaʊ/ Rome /’rəʊm/
 Diphthongs

/ɪə/ /eə/ /ʊə/

near /’nɪə/ square /’skweə/ tour
here /’hɪə/ fair /’tʊə/
serious /ˈsɪəriəs/ /’feə/ jury
idea various /ˈveəriəs/ /ˈʤʊəri/
/aɪˈdɪə/ cure /’kjʊə/
Repeat after me

high /aɪ/
house /aʊ/
here /ɪə/
boy /ɔɪ/
/eə/
square
/əʊ/
boat
/ʊə/
cure
/eɪ/
day
Practice

1 polite /pəˈlaɪt/ 8 broken /ˈbrəʊkən/

2 royal /ˈrɔɪəl/ 9 excited /ɪkˈsaɪtɪd/
3 oyster /ˈɔɪstə/ 10 wear /’weə/
4 idea /aɪˈdɪə/ 11 fortnight /’fɔːtnaɪt/
5 various 12 hour /‘aʊə/
6 pairs /ˈveəriəs/ 13 kilo /’ki:ləʊ/
7 fears /’peəz/ 14 career /kə’rɪə/
/’fɪəz/ 15 admire /əd’maɪə/
1 Vowels

2 Diphthongs

3 Consonants
Voiced – voiceless consonants

Many consonant sounds come in pairs (e.g. pit and bit)

- /p/ and /b/ are produced in the same place in the mouth with the
tongue in the same positions.
- /p/ = voiceless (unvoiced) and /b/ = voiced
- voiceless: no vibration or trembling of vocal cords ↔ voiced
Consonants

/p/ /b/
pen back /’bæk/
/’pen/ baby /ˈbeɪbi/
copy /ˈkɒpi/ job
happen /ˈhæpən/ /’ʤɒb/
voiceless voiced
Consonants

/t/ /d/
tea day
/’tiː/ /’deɪ/
tight /’taɪt/ ladder /ˈlædə/
button /ˈbʌtən/ odd
voiceless /’ɒd/ voiced
Consonants

/k/ /g/
key get
/’kiː/ /’get/
clock /’klɒk/ giggle /ˈgɪgəl/
school /’skuːl/ ghost /’gəʊst/
voiceless voiced
Consonants

/s/ /z/
soon /’suːn/ zero
cease /’siːs/ /ˈzɪərəʊ/
sister /ˈsɪstə/ music /ˈmjuːzɪk/
roses /ˈrəʊzɪz/
voiceless voiced
Consonants

/f/ /v/
fat view /’vjuː/
/’fæt/ heavy /ˈhevi/
coffee /ˈkɔfi/ move /’muːv/
rough /’rʌf/
voiceless voiced
Consonants

/m/ /n/ /ŋ/

more /’mɔː/ nice ring
hammer /ˈhæmə/ /’naɪs/ /’rɪŋ/
sum know /’nəʊ/ anger /ˈæŋgə/
/’sʌm/ funny /ˈfʌni/ sung /’sʌŋ/
Consonants

/l/ /h/ /r/

light /’laɪt/ hot right /’raɪt/
valley /ˈvæli/ /’hɒt/ wrong /’rɒŋ/
feel whole /’həʊl/ sorry /ˈsɒri/
/’fiːl/ ahead /əˈhed/
Consonants

/j/ /w/
yet wet
/’jet/ /’wet/
use one
/’juːz/ /’wʌn/
beauty /’bjuːti/ when /’wen/
 Special consonants

/ʃ/ /tʃ/ /ʒ/ /dʒ/

ship church /’ʧɜːʧ/ pleasure /ˈpleʒə/ judge /’ʤʌʤ/
/’ʃɪp/ match /’mæʧ/ leisure /ˈleʒə/ age
sure nature /ˈneɪʧə/ vision /ˈvɪʒən/ /’eɪʤ/
/’ʃɔː/ soldier /ˈsəʊlʤə/

voiceless
national /ˈnæʃnəl/ voiceless voiced voiced
Special consonants

/θ/ /ð/
three /’θri:/ this
thin /’ðɪs /
/’θIn/ other /ˈʌðə/
fourth /’fɔːθ/ smooth /’smuːð/
voiceless voiced
Repeat after me

ship /ʃ/
church /tʃ/
pleasure /ʒ/
jewel /dʒ/
think /θ/
this /ð/
/ŋ/
ring
Practice

1 giggle /ˈgɪgəl/
2 soldier /ˈsəʊlʤə/
3 loaded /’ləʊdɪd/
4 distinguishing /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃɪŋ/
5 courage /’kʌrɪdʒ/
6 dough /’dəʊ/
7 threat /’θret/
8 sought /’sɔːt/
9 lieutenant /lef’tenənt/
10 comb /’kəʊm/
Practice

11 pays /’peɪz/
12 pace /’peɪs/
13 happen /ˈhæpən/
14 baby /ˈbeɪbi/
15 button /ˈbʌtən/
16 valley /ˈvæli/
17 photo /ˈfəʊtəʊ/
18 school /’skuːl/
19 soon /’suːn/
20 arrange /əˈreɪnʤ/
21 beauty /’bjuːti/
 /s/ /z/ /ɪz/
(1) bets /’bets/ (1) bags /’bæɡz/ (1) buses /’bʌsɪz/
(2) books /’bʊks/ (2) balls /’bɔːlz/ (2) bushes /’bʊʃɪz/
(3) coughs /’kɒfs/ (3) bars /’bɑːz/ (3) catches /’kætʃɪz/
(4) hips /’hIps/ (4) bathes /’beɪðz/ (4) misses /’mɪsɪz/
(5) lights /’laɪts/ (5) booths /’buːðz/ (5) ridges /’rɪdʒɪz/
(6) moths /’mɒθs/ (6) cabs /’kæbz/ (6) roses /’rəʊzɪz/
(7) smokes /’sməʊks/ (7) enters /ˈentəz/
(8) goes /’ɡəʊz/
(9) kings /’kɪŋz/
(10) loads /’ləʊdz/
(11) loves /’lʌvz/
(12) pens /’penz/
(13) storms /’stɔːmz/
(14) swims /’swɪmz/
(15) teas /’tiːz/
(16) trays /’treɪz/
(17) zoos /’zuːz/

after voiceless after voiced consonants,

after sibilants
consonants vowels and diphthongs
How to pronounce the following past verb
forms?
/t/ /d/ /ɪd/
(1)helped /’helpt/ (1)showed /’ʃəʊd/ (1)fitted /’fɪtɪd/
(2)knocked /’nɒkt/ (2)starred /’stɑːd/ (2)loaded /’ləʊdɪd/

after voiced consonants,

after voiceless consonants after /t/, /d/
vowels and diphthongs