4. Pronunciation tips: consonants review
Let's review the following vowel sounds studied this year. Can you give an example for each of these sounds?
| /tʃ/ | /s/ | /w/ | /h/ | /θ/ | /v/ |
| /dʒ/ | /ʃ/ | /j/ | /f/ | /ð/ | /b/ |
Do you remember consonants clusters in unit 5? Review them giving examples. Remember, the sounds for clusters are:
| /sk/ | /skr/ | /sl/ | /sm/ | /sn/ | /sp/ | /spl/ | /spr/ | /st/ | /str/ | /sw/ |
Do it yourself
How are these words pronounced? Choose the correct consonant sound for the part of the word in bold. Some words are used as distracting words.
Moving on
Review some consonantic sounds learnt this course reading the following tongue twisters:
| I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop. Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits. |
| Denise sees the fleece, Denise sees the fleas. At least Denise could sneeze and feed and freeze the fleas. |
| The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday. |
| Something in a thirty-acre thermal thicket of thorns and thistles thumped and thundered threatening the three-D thoughts of Matthew the thug - although, theatrically, it was only the thirteen-thousand thistles and thorns through the underneath of his thigh that the thirty year old thug thought of that morning. |
| Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks. |
| I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish. |
| There was a fisherman named Fisher who fished for some fish in a fissure. Till a fish with a grin, pulled the fisherman in. Now they're fishing the fissure for Fisher. |
| To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock, Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block! To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock, In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock, Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock, From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block! A dull, dark dock, a life-long lock, A short, sharp shock, a big black block! To sit in solemn silence in a pestilential prison, And awaiting the sensation From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block! |
| There those thousand thinkers were thinking how did the other three thieves go through. |
| I scream, you scream, we all scream for icecream! |
| Hassock hassock, black spotted hassock. Black spot on a black back of a black spotted hassock. |
| She saw Sherif's shoes on the sofa. But was she so sure she saw Sherif's shoes on the sofa? |
| Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew. While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew. Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze. Freezy trees made these trees' cheese freeze. That's what made these three free fleas sneeze. |
| There once was a man who had a sister, his name was Mr. Fister. Mr. Fister's sister sold sea shells by the sea shore. Mr. Fister didn't sell sea shells, he sold silk sheets. Mr. Fister told his sister that he sold six silk sheets to six shieks. The sister of Mr. Fister said I sold six shells to six shieks too! |
| Sister Suzie sewing shirts for soldiers Such skill as sewing shirts Our shy young sister Suzie shows Some soldiers send epistles Say they'd rather sleep in thistles Than the saucy, soft short shirts for soldiers Sister Suzie sews. |
| Hercules, a hardy hunter, hunted a hare in the Hampshire Hills. Hit him on the head with a hard, hard hammer and he howled horribly! |
| V: Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. [carves V into poster on wall] V: The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. [giggles] V: Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V. |
| A happy hippo hopped and hiccupped. |
Culture counts
What is the longest word in English? Go on reading and try to pronounce them correctly and fluently if you can!
The longest word in popular usage is ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM (a movement opposed to the separation of church and state) at 28 letters.
The 45 letter word PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS (a lung disease caused by breathing in certain particles) also appears in many English dictionaries. However, as it's use is strictly medical or scientific, some may not consider this truely part of the English language.