Fifth Edition · 2 Talking Business: When English is Your Second Language Table of Contents Welcome

Fifth Edition

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Talking Business: When English is Your Second Language

www.CorporateSpeechSolutions.com

Talking Business: When English Is Your Second Language

Fifth Edition Written by: Jayne Latz and Stacey Rimikis

© Copyright 2020 by Corporate Speech Solutions, LLC All rights reserved. No part of this publication or accompanying media files may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including scanning, photocopying, photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system without prior permission from the authors. For inquiries or requests, contact: Corporate Speech Solutions, LLC 150 East 61st St. New York, NY 10065 [email protected] www.corporatespeechsolutions.com www.facebook.com/corporatespeechsolutions

ISBN: 978-0-615-57349-6

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.corporatespeechsolution/

http://www.facebook.com/corporatespeechsolutions

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Table of Contents

Welcome! .................................................................................................................. 5

Chapter 1: Communication Skills for Better Business ......................................... 6

Communicating with Clarity and Confidence ........................................................... 7

Non-Verbal Communication Tips ............................................................................ 8

Take Your Time .................................................................................................... 14

Volume .................................................................................................................. 15

Breath Support ...................................................................................................... 16

Tips for Being a Good Listener ............................................................................. 18

Chapter 2: Vowels .................................................................................................. 20

Vowel Pronunciation Guide ................................................................................... 21

Introduction to Vowels ........................................................................................... 22

The Vowel Quadrilateral ........................................................................................ 23

Front Vowels ......................................................................................................... 24

Back Vowels ......................................................................................................... 27

Central Vowels ...................................................................................................... 30

Diphthongs ............................................................................................................ 31

R-Colored Vowels ................................................................................................. 32

Vowel Practice

/i/ .................................................................................................................. 34

/I/ .................................................................................................................. 35

/e/ ................................................................................................................. 36

/Ɛ/ ................................................................................................................. 37

/æ/ ................................................................................................................ 38

/u/ ................................................................................................................. 39

/Ʊ/ ................................................................................................................. 40

/o/ ................................................................................................................. 41

/ɔ/ ................................................................................................................. 42

/ɑ/ ................................................................................................................. 43

/ʌ/ ................................................................................................................. 44

/ə/ ................................................................................................................. 45

Diphthong Practice

/ɑɪ/ ................................................................................................................ 46

/ɑu/ ............................................................................................................... 47

/ɔɪ/ ................................................................................................................ 48

R-Colored Vowel Practice

/ir/ ................................................................................................................ 49

/er/ ................................................................................................................ 50

/or/................................................................................................................ 51

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/ɑr/ ............................................................................................................... 52

/ɑɪr/ .............................................................................................................. 53

/ɚ/ ................................................................................................................ 54

/ɝ/ ................................................................................................................ 55

Chapter 3: Consonants ......................................................................................... 56

Consonant Pronunciation Guide ........................................................................... 57

Introduction to Consonants ................................................................................... 58

The International Phonetic Alphabet Chart ........................................................... 61

Consonant Practice

/p/................................................................................................................. 66

/b/ ................................................................................................................. 67

/t/ ................................................................................................................. 68

/d/................................................................................................................. 69

/k/ ................................................................................................................. 70

/g/ ................................................................................................................. 71

/m/ ................................................................................................................ 72

/n/................................................................................................................. 73

/ŋ/ ................................................................................................................. 74

-ing: Present Progressive ................................................................................ 75

/f/ ................................................................................................................. 76

/v/ ................................................................................................................. 77

/Ɵ/ ................................................................................................................ 78

/ð/ ................................................................................................................. 79

/s/ ................................................................................................................. 80

/z/ ................................................................................................................. 81

/ʃ/ .................................................................................................................. 82

/Ʒ/ ................................................................................................................. 83

/ʧ/ ................................................................................................................. 84

/ʤ/ ............................................................................................................... 85

/h/ ................................................................................................................. 86

/r/ ................................................................................................................. 87

/j/ .................................................................................................................. 88

/l/ (initial and final) ....................................................................................... 89

/l/ (medial) ................................................................................................... 90

/w/ ................................................................................................................ 91

Initial Consonant Clusters

/b/ Blends ..................................................................................................... 92

/k/ Blends ..................................................................................................... 93

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/d/ Blends ..................................................................................................... 94

/f/ Blends ...................................................................................................... 95

/g/ Blends ..................................................................................................... 96

/p/ Blends ..................................................................................................... 97

/s/ Blends Part 1 ........................................................................................... 98

/s/ Blends Part 2 ........................................................................................... 99

/ʃ/ and /Ɵ/ Blends ...................................................................................... 100

/t/ Blends .................................................................................................... 101

Final Consonant Clusters

/ld/ .............................................................................................................. 102

/st/ .............................................................................................................. 103

/ts/ .............................................................................................................. 104

Voiced and Unvoiced Pairs.................................................................................. 105

Chapter 4: Helpful Hints ...................................................................................... 107

Final /t/ Sound ..................................................................................................... 108

Pronunciation: Final /s/ ........................................................................................ 109

Pronunciation: Past Tense Endings ..................................................................... 112

Subject-Verb Agreement ..................................................................................... 115

Irregular Past-Tense Verbs.................................................................................. 117

Practice Makes Perfect! ...................................................................................... 119

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Welcome!

Our goal at Corporate Speech Solutions is to provide individuals with the skills

to be clear, articulate and confident communicators when speaking Standard

American English (SAE). In 2009 Corporate Speech Solutions conducted a

poll on communication in the workplace. Ninety percent of respondents stated

that they view communication in the workplace as “very important”; not

“important”, not “somewhat important”, but “very important.”

Learning to communicate well and achieve success in the production of the

many sounds of SAE isn’t easy. Changing the way one speaks takes

commitment and practice. We’ve designed this workbook to help you develop

the essential skills needed to become a dynamic and confident speaker. In

addition to the written guide, audio files are also available, in which much of

the workbook content is spoken by a native English speaker. Use these files

to help you fine-tune your production of the sounds of SAE as you go along.

Wherever you see this symbol , an audio file is available for the given

material. You can access and download the audio files for this workbook at

www.corporatespeechsolutions.com/sound-files

This workbook has been designed for independent work as well as for training

and coaching. The goal of this workbook is not just to practice the sounds of

SAE but to improve your business communication skills as well. Our goal is to

provide you with the skills to turn your speech and communication into

powerful business tools they were meant to be.

We wish you lots of success in learning to “Say it better!”

~Jayne Latz and the Team at Corporate Speech Solutions

http://www.corporatespeechsolutions.com/sound-files

6 Chapter 1: Communication for Better Business



Chapter 1: Communication for Better Business 7



™

Confidence is a key component in creating a strong, capable professional

image. When communicating in a professional setting, projecting confidence

can make or break an interaction and have a significant impact on how others

perceive your character and professional abilities. Those who appear

confident are often assumed to be more capable in their jobs and more worthy

of trust and respect. While a lucky few may naturally project a confident air,

the majority of us must work to develop this skill. Chapter one will provide you

with tips for developing the confident communication skills you need to

succeed in the workplace. Through non-verbal communication skills, business

communication tips, and speech improvement exercises, this section of our

workbook will help mold your speech, language, and overall communication

so that you can communicate with clarity and confidence!




Good communication is the foundation of successful relationships, both personally

and professionally. But we communicate with much more than words. In fact,

research shows that the majority of our communication is nonverbal. Nonverbal

communication, or body language, includes our facial expressions, gestures, eye

contact, posture, and even the tone of our voice.

The ability to understand and use nonverbal communication is a powerful tool that

will help you connect with others, express what you really mean, navigate

challenging situations, and build better relationships at home and work. The next few

pages will guide you through some of the most important aspects of nonverbal

communication you will encounter in the workplace.

The Importance of Eye Contact

In both your personal and professional life, how you meet the eyes of a conversation

partner is crucial in communication. Although many give it little thought, eye contact

is key in relating your message, holding your listener’s attention, and gauging their

response to what it is you’re saying.

Basic Rules for Effective Eye Contact

How and when you make eye contact can have a significant effect on your

communication. If you look at your conversation

partner too intently or for too long, it can be seen as

aggressive or uncomfortable. However, if you look at

them too infrequently, it may appear that you are

uninterested in the conversation. Too little eye contact

can also give the impression that you are dishonest—

as most people find it difficult to meet someone’s eyes

while lying, looking away from your listener too

frequently can impact the sincerity of your message.




A good rule for maintaining the appropriate amount of eye contact is to meet your

partner’s eyes for about 80% of the time. The best way to do this is to maintain

steady eye contact for approximately four to five seconds, and then briefly shift your

gaze for a second or so. This allows you to maintain interest without staring too

intently at your partner. When breaking eye contact, it is best to look up or to the

side, rather than down. Gazing downward can display a lack of confidence or

indicate that you are finished speaking.

While in social situations we may shift our gaze to different parts of a person’s face

or even body, in business it is best to restrict your gaze to a more specific region.

Imagine a “T” across your listener’s face, with the top part connecting their eyes and

the lower line extending to the top of their lips—limit your eye contact to this specific

area as you speak.

Eye contact can be adjusted to be more effective for different situations:

As a Listener:

Eye contact helps you to stay focused on what it is your conversation partner is

saying. Too often people give the impression of listening, while in reality they are

simply planning what it is they want to say next. Meeting your conversation partner’s

gaze can help prevent this all too common mistake. It also gives the other person a

sense that you are genuinely interested in what they are saying. As you listen, meet

your partner’s gaze, but occasionally shift your gaze from one of your partner’s eyes

to the other in order to prevent staring too intently. Punctuate this with the occasional

nod or agreement sound (such as “uh-huh”, “hmm”, or “yes”) and your conversation

partner will feel comfortable communicating openly with you.

When Addressing a Group:

Eye contact is just as important when speaking to a group as it is in one-on-one

conversations. When speaking in front of a group, occasionally make eye contact

with individual members of the audience for about three seconds per person. Make

sure that you’re looking at people in various parts of the crowd, so that the entire

audience feels as though they’re being spoken to. Vary these individual moments of

contact with gazes out at the audience as a whole. This will help to give your

presentation a personal touch without feeling as though you are singling anyone out.




In Different Cultures:

What is regarded as “appropriate” eye contact can vary from culture to culture. While

Americans tend to view eye contact as a sign of honesty, many Eastern cultures find

too much eye contact to be impolite or even disrespectful. Always take your

listener’s background and personality into account during a conversation, and follow

their lead—if their eye contact is significantly different from your own, adjust your

style slightly to be more similar to theirs.

When Arguing or Negotiating:

Situations in which you are trying to persuade someone require slightly stronger eye

contact than typical conversation. While you still want to avoid aggressively staring

your partner down, it can be effective to hold your partner’s gaze for longer than

usual. This is especially true when you are trying to convince someone of something

or make a specific point. Maintaining eye contact also allows you to gauge your

listener’s reaction to your message. By looking into someone’s eyes, you can

determine whether they are following your argument, feeling offended, or

disagreeing with what it is you’re saying. Being aware of your partner’s feelings

helps you to adjust your speaking style and message accordingly.




Perfecting the Handshake

It is said that one establishes their opinion of another person within the first five

seconds of meeting them. One critical action that takes place during this time is the

introductory handshake. What does your handshake say about you and how can you

improve it? Read the following tips to help you make the most of this little gesture:

Verbally Introduce the Handshake: Never shake hands silently. As you reach for the

person’s hand, introduce yourself verbally (e.g. “Hi, I’m Mike.”). Or, if someone else

has made the introduction for you, offer a word of greeting (e.g. “Nice to meet you,”

or “It’s a pleasure meeting you.”).

Perfect the Grip: No one likes to shake a limp hand—it comes across as passive and

disinterested. However, too firm of a handshake may seem aggressive or

uncomfortable. Practice lightly squeezing your own forearm to gauge how strong of

a grip is comfortable and how it feels to you.

Timing: It’s important that a handshake last for the right amount of time. A typical

handshake should last approximately three to four seconds. This allows enough time

to make a connection, but doesn’t last long enough to feel awkward.

Motion: Don’t simply hold the other person’s hand; lightly pump their hand up and

down two to three times, leading from the elbow. Again, moderation is key:

remaining motionless is awkward, but aggressively pulling your partner’s hand up

and down is equally uncomfortable.

Eye contact: Always ALWAYS look your partner in the eye as you shake their hand.

It helps you to appear friendly, confident, and professional.




The Power of Gestures

The ways in which you gesture can make or break the image you project to others.

Many people are uncomfortable using their hands when they speak and fall into

default positions that limit their movement. While this may be suitable on occasion,

continually lapsing into a fixed position will make you appear immobile and insecure.

In particular, the following habits can be particularly harmful:

• Sitting with your chin in your hands: this casual posture makes you look

overly relaxed. Sitting with your chin in your hands may also make you

appear inexperienced or unprofessional in comparison with those around you.

• Folding your arms: The person who takes up the most physical space in a

contained group setting is generally perceived to be dominant over his or her

peers. Habitually folding your arms creates the impression you’re trying to

take up as little space as possible and fade into the background. This creates

an air of passivity and uncertainty.

Instead of allowing yourself to fall into a fixed posture like those above, become

comfortable utilizing gestures. Not only do natural gestures make you appear

confident and at ease, they can also be used to draw attention to important points in

your speech. Making subtle but definite gestures during key moments will help your

listener focus on these points. One movement that works particularly well is

gesturing toward your listener with your palm facing upwards. The forward motion

signals strength and security, while your upturned palm projects openness and

honesty.

To get a good sense of how you gesture on a regular basis, ask a friend or close

coworker to keep an eye on how you move during a typical interaction and provide

feedback.




What Does Your Posture Say About You?

One of the things that most strongly affects

people’s perception of an individual is his or her

posture. A weak stance or slumping shoulders can

give the impression that you are unsure of yourself

and unconsciously trying to hide. When standing,

keep your feet planted firmly on the ground,

roughly shoulder-width apart. Hold your shoulders

back, and keep your chin level with the ground.

One way to ensure strong posture while standing,

is to concentrate on pulling your naval in toward

your spine. This simple move will instantly create a

stronger, more erect stance.

When sitting, keep your back straight and avoid the

temptation to slouch. Lean slightly forward from the

waist, letting your forearms rest on the table in front

of you. This helps show that you are engaged and ready to take action, rather than

passively absorbing the conversation. To remember to sit with good posture, use

this visualization technique: imagine there is an invisible string running through your

body and coming out the top of your head. Now picture this string being pulled

straight up toward the ceiling, straightening your body in the process. The more

often you sit tall, the more naturally it will come.

So the next time you glance in a mirror, take note of how you are standing. What

does your posture say about you? Do you see a strong, confident leader, or a self-

conscious, uncomfortable slumper? Creating and maintaining good posture will let

others know you are confident in who you are and what you are saying.




Take Your Time!

No matter how clear your speech is, it can be hard for your listener to understand

what you’re saying if you speak too quickly. People often rush their speech when

nervous, excited, or speaking about an issue they feel passionate about. Take your

time while speaking to ensure that your speech is understandable. Pausing

occasionally while speaking will not only help you to slow down, but will give your

audience a chance to fully process the information. It can also help to emphasize an

important point or clarify your message.

Try reading the following passages aloud, using the marks below as a guide for how

and when to pause.

/ = short pause, used to emphasize a particular word or point

// = mid-length pause, used to break up sections of a sentence or add particularly

strong emphasis to a word or phrase

///= long pause, generally used between sentences

1. Sir?// I’m sorry to bother you./// Could I come in?/// As you know,/ I’ve been with

the company for thirteen years now./// I feel that I’m an excellent worker;// I

come to work on time every day,// my work is of the highest quality/ and always

completed on time./// However,/ in all my years with the company,// I have never

received a raise./// I do love working here,// but frankly I can’t survive on my

current salary./// I have two children now,// and unless you give me a raise,// I’ll

be forced to quit.

2. First of all,/ I’d like to thank everyone for coming to this meeting on such short

notice./// I know you all have very busy schedules,// and taking time to meet up

like this is not easy./// However,/ I think you’ll be happy that you came today.///

As you are aware,/ we have had a very good year:// sales have been higher

than ever before,/ and they show no signs of slowing./// As a company,/ we

value our employees,// the people who make our success possible./// As such,

we’d like to make sure our appreciation is known:/// this year,/ due to our

success/, each of you will be receiving a $2000 bonus/ and two extra days of

vacation!




Volume

The volume at which you say something can make a big difference in how your

listener receives your message. If you don’t speak loudly enough, your listener may

miss important information. Speak too loudly, and you risk irritating your listener or

making him or her uncomfortable. Practice saying the list of numbers below,

following directions and paying close attention to your volume.

Say these words in order, following the directions below:

1. one

2. two

3. three

4. four

5. five

6. six

First time through:

1. Softly

2. Twice as loud

3. As loud as you can

4. Half that loud

5. Just a little bit softer

6. Whisper

Second time through:

1. You are in the library and don’t want to disturb the other people in the room.

2. You are speaking to an elderly man who has trouble hearing.

3. You are in noisy restaurant, speaking to someone at the other end of a large

table.

4. You are at home having dinner with your partner in your kitchen.

5. You are speaking on the telephone, and your listener has the television on

loudly and a baby is crying in the background.

6. You are trying to get your friend’s attention across a crowded room.




Breath Support

Remember that air is the power behind your voice. Proper breathing will help you to

project your voice and present yourself as clear and confident. Use the following

exercises to practice breath support and increase the amount of speech you can

produce with one breath.

1. When is the meeting?

When is the meeting that Dave organized?

When is the meeting that Dave organized to discuss the proposal?

When is the meeting that Dave organized to discuss the proposal that Sarah

wrote?


wrote about the new client?


wrote about the new client in Afghanistan?

2. Where were you?

Where were you last Thursday night?

Where were you last Thursday night at eight o’clock?

Where were you last Thursday night at eight o’clock when I tried to call you?

Where were you last Thursday night at eight o’clock when I tried to call you about

the presentation?


the presentation that you were supposed to prepare?


the presentation that you were supposed to prepare for today?




3. Where is the archived file?

Where is the archived file that I need?

Where is the archived file that I need to help me with my project?

Where is the archived file that I need to help me with my project on statistical

analysis?


analysis which is due tomorrow morning?


analysis which is due tomorrow morning before the meeting?


analysis which is due tomorrow morning before the meeting with the accounting

department?

4. Who is that?

Who is that woman over there?

Who is that woman over there by the table?

Who is that woman over there by the table in the corner?

Who is that woman over there by the table in the corner wearing a red dress?

Who is that woman over there by the table in the corner wearing a red dress and

talking to the man?


talking to the man who we met last night?


talking to the man who we met last night at the restaurant?




Tips for Being a Good Listener

Often people are so intent on improving their speech, that they forget that

communication is a two-way street. Learning to listen well can be just as important

as improving your speech and language skills. Use the tips below to become a

better listener and conversation partner:

Pay Attention! All too often, the listener in a

conversation will be looking at the speaker, but

not truly listening to what it is they’re saying.

Instead, they’re thinking about how to respond.

This means you may miss part of your

conversation partner’s message. Make

understanding, not simply responding, your

primary objective.

Listen Actively: Don’t just passively absorb

what your conversational partner is saying: ask

questions and make comments throughout the

conversation. If something is unclear, ask for

clarification, examples, or details. Another

strategy is rephrasing what the person just said

to make sure you understand. For example,

you might say, “If I understand correctly, you’re

saying that_____, is that right?” This helps

ensure that you receive the message and also

signals to the speaker that you are invested in

the conversation.

Silence is Golden: Don’t interrupt your partner! Often people are so eager to

demonstrate their knowledge or give input, they cut off their speaker or try to finish

their sentences for them. Avoid this at all costs. It will do nothing but offend your

conversational partner and make you appear rude. Instead, not only wait until your

partner has finished speaking, but allow a pause before you respond. This focuses

your listener’s attention and also gives the impression that you value their message.




Read between the Lines: Often a speaker may not say exactly what it is they’re

thinking or feeling. Try to gather extra meaning from inferences and non-verbal cues,

such as tone of voice or facial expression. You’ll be surprised at how much extra

information you can gather just by paying attention.

Show Interest: Show your partner that you are interested in what they are saying by

nodding, smiling, and making eye contact. You can also use occasional filler words

such as “uh-huh”, “yeah”, or “really?” to help indicate that you are involved. And

whatever you do, don’t multitask. If you are doodling or checking your Blackberry, it

indicates that the speaker is not a priority for you at the moment. This not only

alienates your speaker, but may also result in you missing important conversational

points and nuances.

Moving on…

Now that you have some of the basics of business communication, let’s take a look

at speech itself. In the following two chapters, we’ve broken down each sound of

Standard American English, providing information on how each sound is produced

along with plenty of audio files to serve as a guide. As you go through these next

chapters, take the time to really concentrate on your voice and speech as you

practice out loud and learn to produce the sounds of Standard American English.

20 Chapter 2: Vowels



Chapter 2: Vowels 21



Your Guide to Pronouncing English Vowels

IPA Symbol

Key Word Personal Key

Word Placement Spelling Variations

/i/ see high front i, e, ei, ea, ey, e_e, ee, ie

/I/ sit high front e, i, y, u, ui, ee, u_y

/e/ fake high-mid front a, ei, ai, ey, ay, a_e

/Ɛ/ pet low-mid front e, ai, ea, a, ue

/æ/ at low front a, au

/u/ soon high back u, ue, u_e, ui, ou, oo, o_e, o, oe, wo, ew

/Ʊ/ put high back o, u, oo, ou

/o/ phone high-mid back o, ow, oa, ew, o_e, ou

/ɔ/ law low-mid back aw, o, ou, a, au, oa

/ɑ/ rob low back a, o

/ə/ about mid central a, u, o, io (unstressed syllables)

/ʌ/ cut low-mid back-central u, o, oo, ou, oe

/ɚ/ cover mid central er, or (“er” in an unstressed syllable)

/ɝ/ burn mid central er, ir, or, ur, our, ear

Diphthongs: two separate vowels combined to form a single sound

IPA Symbol

Key Word Personal Key

Word Spelling Variations

/ɔɪ/ boy oi, oy

/ɑu/ mouse ou, ow

/ɑɪ/ by y, i, igh, i_e, uy, y, ei, ye, ai, ie

/ɑr/ bar ar, ear

/er/ hair ear, are, air, ere, eir

/ir/ near ir, ear, ier, ere, eer

/or/ more ar, or, oar, oor, our, ore

/ɑɪr/ liar ire, oir, uire, ier, iar, uyer, yer

Note: “_” used in spelling variations indicates “any consonant”




What is a Vowel?

The sounds of the English language can be divided into two main groups:

consonants and vowels. Consonants are produced by blocking the air flow at some

point in the vocal tract. Vowels, on the other hand, are produced with relatively no

obstruction of air flow. So what differentiates one vowel from another?

Tongue Position

Tongue position refers to how the tongue is situated in the mouth and can be

broken down into two categories: tongue advancement and tongue height.

Tongue advancement describes how far forward the tongue is in the mouth.

Vowels are divided into three categories of tongue advancement: front (towards the

teeth), central (in the middle), and back (towards the throat). Tongue height refers to

how high the tongue is. Like tongue advancement, tongue height is divided into

three groups: high, central, and low.

To feel the difference in tongue position, say the word “see” aloud. You will

notice that your tongue is in a high and forward position as you pronounce the word.

Now say the word “on”—your tongue is in a much lower and farther back position

than it was while pronouncing “see.”

Lip Position

There are three different lip positions in vowel production: rounded (pushed

forward, as in a kissing position), retracted (pulled back), and neutral. Typically, the

lips are rounded when producing front vowels and retracted when producing back

vowels. Neutral lip position occurs with central vowels.

To see and feel the difference in lip position, say the following words aloud

while looking in a mirror: “moon”, “mom”, “mean”. Note that your lips are pushed

forward when pronouncing “moon” (rounded lip position), pulled back when

pronouncing “mean” (retracted lip position), and neither rounded nor retracted when

producing “mom” (neutral lip position).

Tension

Different vowels are produced with varying levels of tension in the tongue.

Tense vowels require more muscular effort to produce and are generally longer in

duration. Lax vowels are produced with a more relaxed tongue and are shorter than

tense vowels.

Say the following pairs of words aloud, paying close attention to the amount

of tension you feel: “heat”/”hit”, “mood”/”mud”. In both pairs, you should have felt

more tension in the first word, and a greater sense of relaxation in the second.




The Vowel Quadrilateral

As we’ve already mentioned, the tongue’s position within the mouth is a major factor in vowel production. In order to better visualize the idea of tongue advancement and height, visualize the mouth as the space represented by the figure below. This figure, called the vowel quadrilateral, is divided into three columns representing tongue advancement (front, central, and back) and three rows representing tongue height (high, mid, and low). As we go through each vowel sound individually in this chapter, we will classify them in terms of tongue position. As you progress through the chapter, refer back to the vowel quadrilateral to help familiarize yourself with the tongue’s position within the mouth.

Vowels Organized by Tongue Position

High Front Vowels: /i/ as in “see”

/I/ as in “sit” Mid Front Vowels: /e/ as in “fake” /Ɛ/ as in “pet” Low Front Vowel: /æ/ as in “at”

Central Vowels: /ǝ/ as in “about” /ʌ/ as in “cut”

/ɚ/ as in “cover” /ɝ/ as in “burn”

High Back Vowels: /u/ as in “soon”

/Ʊ/ as in “put” Mid Back Vowels: /o/ as in “phone” /ɔ/ as in “law” Low Back Vowels: /ɑ/ as in “rob”




Front Vowels

High-Front Vowels

/i/

Key Word: see Lip Position: retracted Tongue Tension: tense

Spelling Variations:

i machine ea mean ee seen e he ey key ie believe ei receive e_e eve

/I/

Key Word: sit Lip Position: retracted Tongue Tension: lax


e pretty u business ee been

i it ui building u_y busy

y gym

Although both the /i/ and /I/ vowels are pronounced with a high-front tongue position, there are some slight differences in how they are produced. The /i/ is pronounced in a slightly higher and more forward position. In addition, there is more tension in the /i/ vowel and it is slightly longer in duration. To contrast the two sounds, practice saying the following pairs of words aloud:

Track 1

/i/ /I/ /i/ /I/ /i/ /I/ seen sin sheep ship eat it

seat sit feet fit bean bin

sleep slip green grin beat bit




Mid-Front Vowels

/e/

Key Word: fake Lip Position: retracted Tongue Tension: tense

Spelling Variations: a table ai paint ay day ei weigh ey grey a_e late

/Ɛ/

Key Word: pet Lip Position: retracted Tongue Tension: lax

Spelling Variations: e red ea bread ue guest ai said a many

While both /e/ and /Ɛ/ are categorized as mid-front vowels, the tongue height is not exactly

in the center of the mouth for either sound: /e/ is produced with the tongue slightly higher

than center while /Ɛ/ is produced with the tongue slightly lower. In addition, the two vowels

differ in the amount of tension used, with /e/ having more tension than the lax /Ɛ/.

To practice the difference between /e/ and /Ɛ/, say the following pairs of words:

Track 2

/e/ /Ɛ/ /e/ /Ɛ/ /e/ /Ɛ/ fade fed late let rake wreck main men shade shed raid red

Now, try contrasting /e/ and /Ɛ/ with /i/ and /I/:

Track 3

/e/ /i/ /Ɛ/ /I/ sale seal sell sill fade feed let lit main mean head hid hate heat set sit mate meet met mitt




Low-Front Vowel

/æ/

Key Word: at Lip Position: retracted Tongue Tension: lax

Spelling Variations: a sad au laugh

The /æ/ vowel is the lowest of the five front vowels. Like the rest of the front vowels, the lips

are retracted and like /I/ and /Ɛ/, it is produced with little tension.

Take a moment to practice /æ/ in contrast to the other front vowels:

Track 4

/æ/ /e/

mad made

rack rake

lack lake

/æ/ /Ɛ/ bad bed

man men

had head

/æ/ /i/

mat meet

sat seat

fat feet

/æ/ /I/ hat hit

bat bit

sack sick




Back Vowels

High-Back Vowels

/u/

Key Word: soon Lip Position: rounded Tongue Tension: tense

Spelling Variations: u unique ui suit o_e move wo two ue glue ou you o to ew grew u_e flute oo cool oe shoe

/Ʊ/

Key Word: put Lip Position: rounded Tongue Tension: lax

Spelling Variations: u pull ou should oo wood o wolf

The high-back vowels, /u/ and /Ʊ/, are mirror images of the high-front vowels, /i/ and /I/. This

means that /u/ and /i/ are at nearly the exact same tongue height, as are /Ʊ/ and /I/. The

main difference is in tongue advancement: while /i/ and /I/ are at the extreme front of the

mouth, /u/ and /Ʊ/ are at the extreme back. Another difference is that while all of the front vowels are pronounced with retracted lips, the lips are rounded for nearly all the back vowels. The differences in pronunciation between /u/ and /Ʊ/ are in tongue height and tension, with

the tongue being more lax and slightly lower in the mouth for /Ʊ/. To practice the difference, say the following pairs of words:

Track 5

/u/ /Ʊ/ /u/ /Ʊ/ /u/ /Ʊ/ pool pull suit soot food foot wooed wood Luke look fool full




Mid-Back Vowels

/o/

Key Word: phone Lip Position: rounded Tongue Tension: tense

Spelling Variations: o toll oa toad o_e broke ow show ew sew ou soul

/ɔ/

Key Word: law Lip Position: rounded Tongue Tension: tense

Spelling Variations: aw saw ou thought au taught o wrong a fall oa broad

The main difference that separates the two mid-back vowels is tongue height. Although both

/o/ and /ɔ/ are produced in the mid-back portion of the mouth, the tongue is positioned

slightly higher in the mouth during the production of /o/ and lower during the production of

/ɔ/.

Say the following pairs of words aloud to practice the difference between the two mid-back vowels:

Track 7

/o/ /ɔ/ /o/ /ɔ/ coat caught loan lawn low law boat bought toll tall so saw phone fawn tote taught




Low-Back Vowel

/ɑ/

Key Word: rob Lip Position: neutral Tongue Tension: tense

Spelling Variations: a father o mob

The /ɑ/ vowel is the lowest of the five back vowels. The lip position of /ɑ/ differs slightly from

the rest of the back vowels: while the lips are rounded for /u/, /Ʊ/, /o/, and /ɔ/, they are in a

neutral position for /ɑ/, being neither rounded nor retracted.

Use the following pairs of words to practice /ɑ/ in contrast to the other back vowels:

Track 7

/ɑ/ /u/ rod rude lock Luke

/ɑ/ /Ʊ/ lock look shock shook

/ɑ/ /o/ rod road rob robe

/ɑ/ /ɔ/ rot wrought clod clawed




Central Vowels

/ə/

Key Word: about Lip Position: neutral Tongue Tension: lax

Spelling Variations: a agree u unhappy o control io mention

/ʌ/

Key Word: cut Lip Position: neutral Tongue Tension: lax

Spelling Variations: u mud o son oo blood ou trouble oe does

The central vowels /ə/ and /ʌ/ are nearly identical in production: both are produced with a

neutral lip position and little tension in the tongue. There is a slight variation in placement,

with /ʌ/ being slightly lower and farther to the back. However, the main difference in how the

two are used. The /ə/ vowel is only used in unstressed syllables while /ʌ/ is used in stressed

syllables and monosyllabic words.

Take a look at the following lists of words to see the difference in how /ə/ and /ʌ/ are used:

/ə/ /ʌ/ about Monday

alone but

tuna money

unlikely run

machine button




Diphthongs

Diphthongs are produced when two vowel sounds are closely combined to make one new sound. During the production of the diphthong, the tongue changes position, moving from the position of the first vowel to the second. In the English language, the first position of a

diphthong is always lower than the second. The three English diphthongs are: /ɑI/, /ɑu/, and

/ɔI/.

/ɑɪ/

Key Word: by

Spelling Variations: i hi igh high i_e ride uy buy y my ei height ye bye ai aisle

/ɑu/

Key Word: mouse


ow howl ou house

/ɔɪ/

Key Word: boy

Spelling Variations: oi boil oy royal

While all three diphthongs have a similar pattern of tongue movement (from a lower to a higher position), they have very different lip positions. The diphthong /ɔɪ/ begins with rounded lips and transitions to a retracted lip position. Conversely, the diphthong /ɑu/ ends in a rounded position and begins with neutral lip positioning. The diphthong /ɑɪ/ on the other hand, involves slight movement, shifting from a neutral position to a retracted lip position. Say the following words, and notice the movement of your lips and tongue as you pronounce the diphthongs:

/ɑɪ/ /ɑu/ /ɔɪ/ ride loud toy fly cow boil buy bow boy




R-Colored Vowels

R-colored vowels, also known as rhotic diphthongs, are produced when certain vowel sounds are followed by the consonant sound /r/.

/ir/

Key Word: near


ear fear eer steer ir irresistible eir weird ier fierce ere here

/er/

Key Word: hair

Spelling Variations: air flair eir their ear bear are spare ere where

/or/

Key Word: more


ar warm or sort oar soar oor door our tour ore core




/ɑr/

Key Word: bar

Spelling Variations: ar shark ear heart

/ɑɪr/

Key Word: liar


ire fire oir choir uire require ier brier iar liar uyer buyer yer flyer

Practice the r-colored vowels by saying the following words:

Track 8

/ir/ /er/ /or/ /ɑr/ /ɑɪr/ fear fair for far fire beer bear boar bar buyer spear spare spore spar spire tear tear tore tar tire pier pair pour part pyre




In this section, you’ll have the opportunity to practice the vowel sounds in words and sentences. Let’s get started!

/i/ Track 9

he

key

tea

me

see

free

ski

knee

flea

tree

eat

week

seal

mean

leave

read

need

heat

neat

meat

keep

beat

feet

leaf

feed

leak

bead

beam

peel

beak

beef

cease

deep

deed

Jeep

lean

leap

weep

reef

scene

seed

teal

veal

three

steal

sleep

dream

freak

green

scream

steep

Greek

bleed

brief

meeting

people

reason

leader

machine

receive

creepy

rebound

succeed

previous

Track 10 1. She eats beef each week.

2. We sleep deeply in the heat.

3. The three Greeks need to meet.

4. He sees me eat meat with Steve.

5. The green tree is full of leaves.

6. She screamed at the scene with the creepy man.

7. The steep ski slope made my knee bleed.

8. We read and drink tea before we sleep.

9. Lee keeps the keys to his Jeep in the briefcase.

10. We need to see the reason she weeps.




/I/ Track 11

it

sit

tip

kid

sick

bit

his

kick

hit

bill

pit

lit

been

rip

lid

big

kill

build

did

dip

pig

ditch

fin

fish

fifth

gin

give

gym

hid

him

Jill

knit

lick

lift

lips

mini

mitt

miss

nifty

pick

pin

quit

rich

rid

river

thick

brick

thin

grid

drip

drift

grip

think

flip

business

mister

until

middle

different

pretty

winter

silly

kitten

itchy

bitter

little

hippo

Track 12

1. Nick hid his mitt in the ditch.

2. Give him the little pig in the middle.

3. Jill misses Kris and his kids.

4. That little kid is silly.

5. The fickle rich kid quit quickly.

6. Lift the big pig out of the pit.

7. Rick sits by the river and fishes.

8. Mickey knits itchy mittens.

9. They threw the bricks in the ditch.

10. The fish in the river are quick.

11. Mister Smith builds equipment.

12. They lift weights in the gym.

13. We ripped the lid off the bin.

14. He quit the business last winter.




/e/

Track 13

day

say

lay

may

they

pay

bay

gay

hey

ray

pray

ate

ape

late

paid

name

rain

made

make

same

fake

safe

case

main

game

take

gate

babe

bake

came

cane

cape

dame

drape

wake

eight

face

fade

fame

fate

gain

bait

gape

gaze

hate

jade

lake

lame

lane

mate

maze

pain

race

rake

rate

tame

vein

table

great

grape

brave

break

flake

frame

plane

crazy

baby

neighbor

Track 14

1. Jake will bake a cake for his neighbor.

2. They say fake names are okay.

3. Jane was late for the game the same day.

4. The baby ape tried to escape from his cage.

5. He paid for the bait, then came to the lake.

6. Dave hates lame games and tame dames.

7. We play crazy eights late in the day.

8. He stayed on the plane at the gate while it rained.

9. Kate ate the great cake that Ray made.

10. Take the fake jade and place it on the table.




/Ɛ/

Track 15

met

pen

said

men

red

wet

yell

set

dead

tell

get

head

sell

led

well

let

bell

fed

bet

bread

credit

deaf

death

den

end

gel

hell

deck

help

kept

left

lend

neck

peck

friend

bled

guest

next

send

sex

trek

wreck

better

many

never

ready

member

yellow

jelly

heaven

pepper

metal

jester

gecko

mellow

temp

Track 16

1. Ed read The Jester’s Quest.

2. I said my guest could rest in the bed.

3. Tell Ben to get bread and pepper at the market.

4. It will get better next February.

5. Never extend credit to a friend.

6. Fred gets jealous when Ellen helps his friend.

7. Ted spread ketchup on the bread.

8. The yellow petals are better than the red.

9. Get ready to tell them about the celebration.

10. I fed my pet gecko a heavenly blend of insects.




/æ/

Track 17

at

had

fat

man

tap

bad

sat

mat

dad

mad

ran

has

hat

map

jab

rag

pad

ham

pal

pan

jam

lack

cap

rat

sad

cat

fan

nag

sag

nap

bat

and

apple

back

ban

clap

flag

grab

grand

gather

hand

lamp

laugh

match

pack

rack

raft

slap

snack

snap

tack

tank

thank

track

trap

happy

family

candy

rabbit

rally

ladder

married

wrap

Track 18

1. Dan ran after the fast man.

2. Sam had a jam sandwich for a snack.

3. The man’s fans clapped their hands.

4. Mack lacks a grand plan.

5. My dad had a ladder in the back yard.

6. Stan trapped the cat and brought it back.

7. We had the canned ham in the pan.

8. Jan grabbed her bag and ran from the van.

9. The fat cat sat on the mat.

10. Jack laughed at his sad pal.




/u/

Track 19

do

to

few

who

you

new

zoo

knew

shoe

chew

flew

flu

drew

brew

move

noon

rude

June

boot

cool

mood

pool

booth

broom

choose

tooth

crude

fluke

flute

food

fool

glue

goose

moon

mute

plume

roof

room

root

ruby

scoop

screw

shoot

soothe

stew

stool

stoop

sued

threw

through

Tuesday

ruthless

Track 20

1. Sue drew a kangaroo for you.

2. The goose flew to the roof and wouldn’t move.

3. He consumed the stew and chewed his food.

4. The new student had cool used boots.

5. He used the broom to clean the room.

6. The moon in June is huge and new.

7. Luke moved the stool to the new room.

8. Whose shoes did Drew choose?

9. He fumed and stewed while in a rude mood.

10. Boone will shoot the moose soon.




/Ʊ/

Track 21

book

good

took

put

cook

foot

would

look

could

bull

brook

hook

bush

full

hood

nook

pull

push

rook

shook

should

stood

wolf

wood

wool

soot

woman

cushion

bullet

pudding

bulletin

crook

butcher

bully

bushel

Track 22

1. He took a look at the book.

2. I should put the hood on the hook.

3. She cooks pudding with sugar.

4. Could you put the book in the wooden nook?

5. The cushion looked crooked.

6. Push and pull the bushel of wool.

7. He put a bullet in the wolf’s foot in the woods

8. We stood in the brook and shook.

9. Brooke looked good in her hood.

10. The bully pushed him and took his books.




/o/

Track 23

no

so

toe

row

know

sew

mow

blow

flow

glow

snow

note

home

phone

joke

road

hope

boat

coat

soap

old

hole

nose

bold

rope

bone

roll

bowl

close

hold

cold

foam

clothes

code

roam

dough

float

fold

ghost

gold

groan

grow

hose

host

load

moan

mold

poke

post

probe

roach

robe

Rome

scold

soda

sold

stove

vote

won’t

wrote

Track 24

1. The ghost moans and floats through our home.

2. The bowl of dough is on the stove.

3. Moe hopes it snows in November.

4. We boldly row the boat as the river flows.

5. Joe knows how to sew his clothes.

6. There’s gold in the hole by the old hotel.

7. Lois wrote the note as a joke.

8. Close your coat; it’s cold in the snow!

9. We go down the road toting a load.

10. Joan sold her home to a man in Rome.




/ɔ/ Track 25

law

paw

saw

raw

draw

all

off

call

talk

boss

wall

dog

hall

walk

long

caught

fall

lost

bald

fought

ball

bought

thought

broad

cloth

cough

fawn

floss

fault

gloss

lawn

mall

wrong

ought

pawn

Paul

sauce

soft

tall

gawk

taught

stalk

vault

brawl

often

coffee

awful

auto

August

daughter

faucet

autumn

foster

awesome

naughty

Track 26

1. Maude saw that the dog caught the ball.

2. Maude coughed into the soft cloth.

3. They caught my daughter who fought the law.

4. The wall in the hall is glossy and long.

5. All fall I thought I ought to talk to Paul.

6. I fought with my awful boss often.

7. Saul is bald, tall, and haughty.

8. There’s a fawn on our lawn every autumn.

9. I thought the sauce was salty and the meat was raw.

10. He coughed and thought he ought to call the doctor.




/ɑ/ Track 27

not

job

lot

lock

rock

got

hot

top

cop

mob

God

rot

sock

calm

box

knot

doll

rod

cot

fox

stock

want

block

shop

shot

bomb

dodge

palm

pond

solve

stop

doctor

problem

model

bother

body

taco

monster

novel

bottle

bottom

father

mom

toddler

dominate

lottery

wand

Track 28

1. The doctor and cop play dominoes on the dock.

2. Put the rocks and socks at the bottom of the box.

3. Scott tied a knot at the top and the bottom.

4. My mom solves problems by shopping.

5. Calm down; the monster is not going to bother you.

6. Bob shot the fox as it dodged through the rocks.

7. Don wants the palm trees at the pond

8. The toddler wants a doll and lollipop.

9. I got a job building bombs for the mob.

10. Tom has a problem staying calm.




/ʌ/ Track 29

of

up

was

cut

run

rug

son

does

but

gum

fun

cup

nut

rub

dumb

mug

rum

gun

bud

love

rough

bun

club

cuff

must

much

rush

blood

drunk

duck

dust

flood

glove

hung

junk

luck

mud

mutt

plum

puck

rut

shove

shut

slum

such

stuck

thumb

trunk

money

cover

trouble

Monday

study

button

puppy

ugly

muffin

uncle

under

lumber

Track 30

1. Chuck rubbed mud on his glove.

2. The button on the cuff is stuck.

3. He hung the gun under the cupboard.

4. Sunday was fun, but Monday was rough.

5. My son must study before he does fun stuff.

6. The dumb monkey rushed to pluck the duck.

7. Money is much better than luck or love.

8. I must rush and run to the club.

9. My ugly uncle brought gum, fudge, and muffins.

10. It’s tons of fun to cut a rug.




/ə/ Track 31

ago

compare

arrive

support

attach

control

adult

alone

comply

about

account

achieve

across

adjust

around

attack

awake

award

away

balloon

Brazil

cologne

combine

command

company

condemn

contain

direct

enemy

handsome

ketchup

machine

material

unlikely

obscure

obsess

parade

parental

patrol

peanut

polite

safari

salute

subdue

tuna

official

suppose

undone

communicate

commercial

necessity

accomplish

tradition

abandon

suspend

another

apartment

occasion

attorney

relevant

proposal

essential

photograph

domestic

mechanical

rearrange

mundane

unhappy

Track 32

1. We arrived at the apartment with balloons.

2. He politely communicated his proposal to the attorney.

3. She mentioned her problem to the mechanic.

4. An official parade is essential to celebrate the occasion.

5. Tuna, salami, and peanut butter sandwiches are provided.

6. The conductor directed us to the official compartment.

7. It’s essential to mention the condition of the machine.

8. Combine and rearrange the material again.

9. The Brazilian giraffe has another parasite.

10. He obsessively photographed the parade.




/ɑɪ/ Track 33

eye

buy

tie

dye

rye

pie

lie

my

high

guy

cry

hive

shy

sigh

died

fry

line

sky

try

fly

dry

sign

time

five

ride

mine

dive

fine

dime

side

live

rise

hide

size

wise

bide

ply

bride

child

chime

climb

dine

file

drive

kind

lime

mile

pine

pride

pry

rhyme

shine

wind

smile

tiny

bribe

July

wi-fi

wine

alive

dial

arrive

final

apply

Track 34

1. We fly to Ohio on Friday.

2. The child jumped off the high dive.

3. That guy seems quiet and shy.

4. The child climbed the high fence.

5. Try to arrive on time.

6. He sighed and signed the papers.

7. The tiny bird will try to fly.

8. The sun shines on the pine tree.

9. My son is kind and never lies.

10. I cried at the final scene.

11. The bride’s eyes were shining.

12. Sign the paper and file it.

13. I drive to work on Fridays.

14. The shy girl hides her smile.




/ɑu/ Track 35

cow

how

now

wow

bow

chow

plow

down

house

town

noun

pout

proud

bounce

bout

found

crowd

sound

mouth

doubt

shout

brow

brown

mouse

howl

browse

cloud

crown

pound

drown

frown

hound

howdy

loud

mound

round

south

towel

shower

lousy

clout

bound

pounce

tout

rowdy

Track 36

1. The mouse made a loud squeaky sound.

2. I’m bringing my new beach towel to Maui.

3. Let’s go to town to chow down on some barbecue.

4. How do birds know when to fly south?

5. I scrounged around under my sofa and found some money.

6. The rowdy cowboys shouted “Howdy!” to everyone they met.

7. The sound of the jousting match was drowned out by the crowd.

8. The rain pounded down from the clouds.

9. The kids counted down the minutes until the lousy clown was done.

10. The brown dog howls at the pound.




/ɔɪ/ Track 37

toy

joy

oil

Roy

coy

boy

soy

coin

foil

voice

oink

soil

choice

noise

boil

cloy

coil

joint

loyal

moist

ploy

poi

point

royal

spoil

poise

toil

hoist

loin

broil

enjoy

annoy

avoid

destroy

employ

poison

rejoice

oyster

loiter

devoid

deploy

android

Track 38

1. I avoid my annoying friend.

2. Boiled meat doesn’t spoil.

3. We enjoy moist cake.

4. Her voice was devoid of joy.

5. I think the oysters were poisoned.

6. The royal family is very poised.

7. We employ a loyal staff.

8. Those boys are so noisy!

9. He enjoys collecting coins.

10. The pig oinked joyfully.

11. Roy toils to finish his work.

12. He pointed to his first choice.

13. Flowers grew in the moist soil.

14. The soy burger was wrapped in foil.

15. The angry child destroyed the toys.

16. The puppy is loyal but annoying.




/ir/ Track 39

ear

year

hear

near

beer

dear

fear

tear

rear

gear

mere

peer

queer

jeer

leer

sheer

veer

seer

cheer

smear

clear

steer

fierce

beard

weird

spear

pierce

sneer

sphere

dreary

career

sincere

revere

severe

eerie

bleary

veneer

adhere

Track 40

1. They pierced the sheer fabric.

2. The man with the beard is sincere.

3. It’s clear they revere their parents.

4. I fear today will be dreary.

5. She smeared grease on the gears.

6. He speared the fierce monster.

7. She has clear career goals.

8. They drink beer out on the pier.

9. They jeered at the weird boy.

10. He changed gears as he steered.

11. I’m going to get my ears pierced.

12. She is cheerful with her peers.

13. She saw a deer and veered left.

14. She held the phone near her ear.

15. It has been a dreary year.

16. I can’t hear you clearly.




/er/ Track 41

air

bear

care

where

blare

dare

tear

fair

hair

there

rare

lair

mare

pear

share

scare

chair

square

flare

Claire

glare

prayer

spare

stare

swear

snare

dairy

aware

compare

repair

despair

impair

prairie

affair

declare

pair

Track 42

1. Blaire says she doesn’t care.

2. The scared boy said a prayer.

3. They dared her to cut her hair.

4. We all stared at the rare bird.

5. The mare ran across the prairie.

6. She was unaware he had an affair.

7. Claire can’t eat dairy.

8. Can we share the last pear?

9. Their son glared angrily.

10. She swears she’ll repair the car.

11. They compared the two chairs.

12. They’re aware of the problem.

13. Where is the spare tire?

14. The bear scared the campers.

15. We need to repair the square table.

16. Put the chair over there.




/or/ Track 43

or

for

more

poor

war

door

tore

core

roar

bore

sore

nor

store

floor

shore

cord

gore

fork

force

sort

warm

bored

born

chore

coarse

cork

dork

lord

dorm

horse

ford

storm

fourth

horn

north

forge

porch

hoard

lore

morph

mourn

orb

pork

stork

sword

torch

ward

warn

shorn

coral

warp

Track 44

1. The poor girl’s clothes were torn.

2. There were four men with swords.

3. He used force to close the door.

4. He dropped his fork on the floor.

5. Pull the cork and pour the wine.

6. Do your chores before you play.

7. Morton is sore from riding his horse.

8. We can’t afford that Porsche.

9. The dorm had three floors.

10. The storm blew in from the north.

11. The war tore the country apart.

12. He rode his horse along the shore.

13. I sit on the porch when it’s warm.

14. He was born on the fourth of July.

15. The lion roared a warning.

16. They bought pork at the store.




/ɑr/ Track 45

are

far

bar

car

jar

tar

mar

par

star

scar

spar

art

arch

arm

arc

park

hard

yarn

card

dark

part

heart

dart

farm

yard

bark

barn

harm

Bart

Carl

cart

char

shark

charge

charm

barge

darn

farce

guard

hark

harp

harsh

lard

large

lark

march

mark

marsh

parch

carp

scarf

shard

sharp

sparse

starch

stark

start

tarp

tart

chart

Track 46

1. He filled the cart with bars of gold.

2. The farm has a huge yard.

3. The apple was tart and too hard.

4. The movie star had a scar.

5. The shark’s teeth are long and sharp.

6. Bart plays cards well.

7. They charged too much for the car.

8. They play in the yard after dark.

9. It’s hard to start the car.

10. The army marched far away.

11. The stars shine in the dark.

12. She used yarn to make the scarf.

13. The dog barks by the barn.

14. Mark plays darts at the bar.




/ɑɪr/

Track 47

fire

liar

buyer

tire

choir

flyer

higher

hire

crier

brier

spire

pliers

pyre

dryer

mire

dire

require

fryer

Track 48

1. My little brother is a liar.

2. There was a fire in the basement.

3. The old car had a flat tire.

4. They put the chicken in the fryer.

5. The choir sings beautiful songs.

6. They found a buyer for the product.

7. Our boss hired a new employee

8. He used pliers to fix the sink.

9. The rabbit ran through the briar patch.

10. Those classes are required to graduate




/ɚ/ (unstressed –er)

Track 49

over

ever

other

center

inner

actor

enter

never

sister

dinner

closer

matter

anger

corner

father

danger

bother

winter

taller

summer

soccer

writer

older

river

owner

rather

singer

mother

colder

monster

batter

faster

fatter

bitter

boxer

brother

butter

clover

dagger

dancer

driver

farther

feather

fiber

higher

hitter

hunger

killer

leather

liver

locker

louder

outer

painter

player

shorter

smoker

stranger

mutter

thinner

beaver

bicker

blister

chowder

flutter

rudder

shiver

suitor

Track 50

1. Winter is colder than summer.

2. My grandmother is a singer.

3. The feather pillow is warmer.

4. The boxer put his gloves in a locker.

5. The doctor checked his liver.

6. My father loves leather coats.

7. They bicker over who’s right.

8. The actor and painter are at dinner.

9. His sister is afraid of the monster.

10. A smoker often gets cancer.

11. The food is bitter but full of fiber.

12. Her older brother is a writer.

13. The feather pillow is in the corner.

14. It doesn’t matter who’s better.

15. The soccer player is in the center.

16. I’ve never eaten a burger.

17. The stranger moved closer.

18. My father says not to mutter.

19. Does your sister ever bother you?

20. The dancer’s shoes are in a locker.




/ɝ/ (stressed –er)

Track 51

her

fur

sir

work

word

turn

hurt

first

learn

worst

burn

dirt

blur

perk

heard

purse

chirp

earth

early

circle

certain

jury

purple

journal

turtle

turkey

circus

birthday

surely

permit (noun)

curdle

further

girlfriend

turnip

hurdle

journey

thirsty

murder

perfect (adj)

perky

purchase

rural

sterling

surefire

plural

surfboard

furniture

merchandise

tournament

turpentine

alternative

worship

Track 52

1. He took his girlfriend to the circus.

2. Myrtle has a sterling silver necklace.

3. The rural town is further away.

4. They purchased all of the merchandise.

5. It’s hard to draw a perfect circle.

6. They served turkey and turnips for lunch.

7. She got a purple surfboard for her birthday.

8. The jury found the murderer guilty.

9. Herb was thirsty after his long journey.

10. The work permit is perfectly legal.

56 Chapter 3: Consonants



Chapter 3: Consonants 57



Your Guide to Pronouncing English

Consonants

IPA Symbol Key Words Personal Key Words Spelling

Variations Initial Sound Final Sound Initial Sound Final Sound

/p/ paint cop p, pp

/b/ bar rob b, bb

/t/ tell sit t, tt

/d/ drum mad d, dd

/k/ kill desk k, ck, ch, c, q

/g/ gun bug g, gg

/m/ man ham m, mm, mn

/n/ next spoon n, gn. kn, nn

/ŋ/ X ring ng, n

/f/ free half f, ff, ph

/v/ vote love v, f

/Ɵ/ think health th

/ð/ this breathe th

/s/ sell class s, ss, c

/z/ zebra jazz z, s, x

/ʃ/ ship crash sh, c, ch

/Ʒ/ X massage z, s, ge

/ʧ/ cheat catch ch, c, tu, tch

/ʤ/ jump page dg, g, d, j

/h/ hat X h

/r/ run X r, w

/j/ you X y, u, eu, li

/l/ look hill l, ll

/w/ will X w, wh

X= Sound does not occur in the English language




What is a Consonant?

Consonants are produced by blocking air at some point as it travels from the lungs through

the mouth. Consonants are categorized by three major features: place of articulation,

manner of articulation, and voicing.

Place of Articulation The place of articulation for a consonant describes where the air is blocked or restricted as it

flows through the vocal system. The parts of the mouth and neck that can be used for this

restriction or blockage are called articulators: the lips, teeth, tongue, alveolar ridge, hard

palate, and soft palate. Look at the drawing below to get an idea of where each articulator is

located:

Places of articulation can be divided into the following categories:

Bilabial: consonants pronounced with the two lips. When producing bilabial consonants, the

lips may either be pressed together (as in /m/) or rounded (as in /w/).

Bilabial Consonants: /m/, /p/, /b/, /w/

Practice Sentence: Baby and mom want to pop the bubble.

Labiodental: consonants produced with the lips and teeth. While producing a labiodental

consonant, the upper teeth are pressed against the lower lip.

Labiodental Consonants: /f/, /v/

Practice Sentence: Fill the vat full of vinegar.

Linguadental: consonants produced using the tongue and teeth. The tip of the tongue

protrudes between the upper and lower teeth during the production of linguadental

consonants.

Linguadental Consonants: /ð/, /Ɵ/

Practice Sentence: Think this through thoroughly by Thursday.




Alveolar: consonants pronounced by touching the tip of the tongue to the alveolar ridge (the

hard bump directly behind your upper teeth).

Alveolar Consonants: /t/, /d/, /n/, /s/, /z/, /l/

Practice Sentence: Dad didn’t sell Tad’s size twelve slacks.

Postalveolar: consonants produced with the tongue touching the sides of the teeth as well

as the roof of the mouth, slightly further back than the alveolar ridge.

Postalveolar Consonants: /r/, /ʃ/, /Ʒ/, /ʧ/, /ʤ/

Practice Sentence: Josh rushes to jump on the chair.

Palatal: consonants pronounced with the tongue touching the hard palate

Palatal Consonant: /j/

Practice Sentence: Your yak yells in the yard.

Velar: consonants produced using the back of the tongue and the soft palate

Velar Consonants: /k/, /g/, /ŋ/

Practice Sentence: The king’s gold keg is getting cold.

Glottal: consonants produced by slightly restricting air at the level of the vocal chords

Glottal Consonant: /h/

Practice Sentence: He has happy, hairy hogs.

Manner of Articulation All English consonants are created by restricting or blocking airflow from the lungs. The

manner of articulation describes how the air is blocked or restricted as it flows through the

vocal system. Manner of articulation can be broken down into the following categories:

Stops: When producing a stop consonant, the airflow is briefly blocked by the articulators

and then released. Which articulators are involved in stopping the airflow depends on the

place of articulation. For example, the bilabial consonant /p/ briefly stops the flow of air at

the level of the lips. The velar consonant /k/ on the other hand, stops the flow of air with the

meeting of the back of the tongue and the soft palate.

Stops: /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/

Practice Sentence: Pat’s daddy got a bad goat.




Fricatives: Fricative consonants are produced by restricting airflow, forcing it through a

small opening formed by the articulators. As with stop consonants, which articulators are

involved in the restriction of the airflow depend on the place of articulation. Unlike stop

consonants, the airflow is never blocked completely while producing fricative consonants.

Fricatives: /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /Ɵ/, /ð/, /ʃ/, /Ʒ/

Practice Sentence: Val’s fifth flash shows fizz.

Affricates: Affricates are produced by combining a stop and fricative to make a single

consonant sound.

Affricates: /ʧ/, /ʤ/

Practice Sentence: Chad just chooses juice in January.

Nasals: Nasals are consonants that are produced by redirecting airflow through the nose

rather than the mouth. To see first-hand how sound is produced through the nose, try saying

“mmmmm” and pinching your nose shut halfway through—you’ll notice that the sound is

impossible to produce without air flowing from your nose.

Nasals: /m/, /n/, /ŋ/

Practice Sentence: Mommy and Nancy sing mean songs.

Approximants: When producing approximates, the vocal tract is constricted very slightly,

allowing air to flow with little resistance. As there is little audible restriction of air, such as in

vowels, approximants are often referred to as “semivowels”.

Approximants: /r/, /l/, /w/, /j/

Practice Sentence: Roy will yell, “War!”

Voicing Voicing refers to whether sound is simply produced by restriction of air or if the vocal chords

are utilized as well. To get a better idea of how voicing works, put your hand on your throat

and say “sssss”. Now, keeping your hand on your throat, say “zzzzzzz”. You should have felt

vibration in your throat while pronouncing the /z/, but nothing at all while pronouncing the /s/.

This is because /s/ is an unvoiced consonant, with sound being produced solely by the

constriction of air, while /z/ also uses the vocal chords to produce sound.

Voiced Consonants: /b/, /d/, /g/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /v/, /ð/, /z/, /Ʒ/, /ʤ/, /j/, /r/, /l/, /w/

Unvoiced Consonants: /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /Ɵ/, /s/, /ʃ/, /ʧ/, /h/




The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Chart The properties of place, manner, and voicing of consonants are summarized in the IPA

chart. You will find place of articulation across the top of the chart, voicing directly

underneath (UV=unvoiced; V=voiced), and manner of articulation down the left side of the

chart. You may find it helpful to refer to this chart as your practice pronouncing the

consonants.

Bilabial Labiodental Linguadental

Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar Glottal

UV V UV V UV V UV V UV V UV V UV V UV V

Stop p b t d Nasal m n ŋ Fricative f v Ɵ ð s z ʃ Ʒ h Approximant w r l j Affricate tʃ dƷ

/p/ Place of articulation: bilabial Manner of articulation: stop Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: p person pp happy

/b/ Place of articulation: bilabial Manner of articulation: stop Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: b bill bb rubber

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /p/ and /b/:

pat bat pill bill

cap cab pack back

pan ban rip rib

slap slab rope robe

/t/ Place of articulation: alveolar Manner of articulation: stop Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: t tree tt kitten

/d/ Place of articulation: alveolar Manner of articulation: stop Voicing: voiced

Spelling variations: d dance dd address

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /t/ and /d/:

bid bit dip tip

dank tank mad mat

fad fat Dan tan

sad sat do to




/k/ Place of articulation: velar Manner of articulation: stop Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: k key ck smack ch chaos c car qu quiet

/g/ Place of articulation: velar Manner of articulation: stop Voicing: voiced

Spelling variations: g go gg egg gh ghost

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /k/ and /g/:

coat goat kill gill

tack tag come gum

back bag cool ghoul

coast ghost cap gap

/m/ Place of articulation: bilabial Manner of articulation: nasal Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: m camp mm hammer mn autumn

/n/ Place of articulation: alveolar Manner of articulation: nasal Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: n nut nn manner kn know gn campaign

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /k/ and /g/:

ram ran map nap

moon noon gum gun

rum run moat note

dumb done foam phone

/ŋ/ Place of articulation: velar Manner of articulation: nasal Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: ng sing

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /n/ and /ŋ/:

thin thing sin sing

kin king ran rang

ban bang lawn long




/f/ Place of articulation: labiodental Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: f feel ph phone ff effort gh laugh

/v/ Place of articulation: labiodental Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: v dive f of

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /f/ and /v/:

fan van float vote

file vile fine vine

friend vend fail veil

/Ɵ/ Place of articulation: linguadental Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: th throw

/ð/ Place of articulation: linguadental Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: th that

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /Ɵ/ and /ð/:

thick this throw though

thigh they thirty father

thing other thin these

Now try comparing /Ɵ/ and /ð/ with these other sounds:

/Ɵ/ /t/

three tree thought taught path pat

/ð/ /d/ they day though dough there dare

/Ɵ/ /s/

thick sick thin sin bath bass




/s/ Place of articulation: alveolar Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: s sit ss cross ce race

/z/ Place of articulation: alveolar Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: z zero s has x xylophone

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /s/ and /z/: Sue zoo this is

pass has kiss fizz

sip zip sewn zone

/ʃ/ Place of articulation: postalveolar Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: sh shirt s sure

/Ʒ/ Place of articulation: postalveolar Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: s vision z seizure ge massage

/ʧ/ Place of articulation: postalveolar Manner of articulation: affricate Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: ch child tch match tu mature

/ʤ/ Place of articulation: poastalveolar Manner of articulation: affricate Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: dg dodge ge age j jelly

Practice- Say the following words to feel the difference between /ʤ/ /ʧ/ and /ʃ/:

/ʃ/ /ʧ/

mash match cash catch shoes choose

/ʧ/ /ʤ/

cheap Jeep chunk junk chin gin




/h/ Place of articulation: glottal Manner of articulation: fricative Voicing: unvoiced Spelling variations: h hello

/r/ Place of articulation: alveolar Manner of articulation: approximant Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: r rest wr write

/l/ Place of articulation: alveolar Manner of articulation: approximant Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: l luck ll will

/w/ Place of articulation: bilabial Manner of articulation: approximant Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: w win wh whip

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to feel the difference between /r/ /l/ and /w/:Rick lick wick rink link wink

rip lip whip lake rake wake

/j/ Place of articulation: palatal Manner of articulation: approximant Voicing: voiced Spelling variations: y young u unique eu euphoric

Practice- Say the following pairs of words to compare /j/ with /ʤ/:

yell gel use juice

yellow Jello Yale jail




In this section, you’ll have the opportunity to practice the consonant sounds in words and

sentences. Let’s get started!

/p/ Track 53

Initial Sound-

put

pea

pan

pack

pull

pop

pin

pet

post

poor

pants

poke

papa

path

pen

pick

pour

pill

pink

pole

pot

pout

pod

push

picky

paper

pony

posh

parent

puppy

potato

Final Sound-

up

map

hop

rip

soup

keep

cop

cup

deep

dip

cope

hip

hoop

hope

pup

dope

rope

heap

reap

stop

slap

flip

clap

flop

slip

chip

skip

sleep

snip

slope

peep

Track 54

Initial Sound

1. Pete put the popcorn in the pot.

2. Paula picked the potatoes.

3. We played ping pong with Pam.

4. The pink pants are in the package.

5. Pour the purple pills in the pan.

Final Sound

1. Keep the soup in the cup.

2. Wrap the map up.

3. Don’t drop the cup in the heap.

4. They skip rope and play hop-scotch.

5. Drop the rope down the slope.




/b/ Track 55

Initial Sound-

buy

big

back

beg

bear

ball

bad

bag

ban

bar

bark

bath

bead

bean

beat

bird

bite

boat

bone

book

boot

bowl

bug

but

both

burn

beard

bald

bought

before

become

boring

bitter

because

building

business

bicycle

Final Sound-

web

rub

bib

tab

bob

cab

rib

cub

gab

hub

jab

job

lab

mob

nab

pub

lob

rob

robe

dab

fib

knob

stab

club

crab

slob

flab

slab

swab

blob

grub

blab

scrub

drab

throb

shrub

Track 56

Initial Sound

1. The boy begged for a bicycle.

2. Both businesses bought buildings.

3. Bill battled the bear.

4. Betty buys boring books.

5. Beth bakes with beans and butter.

Final Sound

1. We gab in the cab.

2. The club and pub are full of grub.

3. A slob doesn’t scrub or swab.

4. Bob wears a drab robe.

5. We blab a fib to the mob




/t/ Track 57

Initial Sound-

to

tea

take

toe

top

tell

took

tap

talk

tab

tape

tip

tall

toss

tub

tack

tube

tad

tame

tar

taste

teach

team

tear

teen

teeth

tan

toad

tone

tooth

tough

tour

tomb

toot

tease

tuck

teal

tune

tin

Final Sound-

put

bat

hot

but

lot

cat

hit

fat

sit

pot

heat

mat

seat

rat

coat

fit

beat

bit

cut

sat

lit

feet

bite

boat

light

bought

fight

foot

kite

meet

neat

pat

rot

chat

street

suit

taught

that

wrote

Track 58

Initial Sound

1. We tossed the toad into the tub.

2. Take the tape and give it to Ted.

3. We talked about touring Thailand.

4. The turkey tastes too tough.

5. Tell Todd to drink the tea.

Final Sound

1. Matt bought a new suit.

2. The boot did not fit my foot.

3. They met on the street to fight.

4. They cut the fat from the meat.

5. We put our feet up on the seat.




/d/ Track 59

Initial Sound-

do

dad

dark

deck

dab

duck

dance

dare

date

dead

dig

deaf

dear

deed

deep

did

dim

dip

doom

dock

deal

done

door

dot

deem

dirt

debt

dish

death

depth

duke

dune

dinner

Final Sound-

bad

road

had

nod

bead

bed

fed

feed

food

head

mad

mood

need

pad

pod

read

red

cod

dude

rod

could

rude

sad

freed

seed

sued

tad

Ted

wad

nude

hood

should

wood

Track 60

Initial Sound

1. Dan dances delightfully.

2. Do you date during the week?

3. We dealt the deck of cards.

4. The dock is in the deep, dark water.

5. My dad is deaf in one ear.

6. We had duck for dinner.

Final Sound

1. We need some food for the road.

2. Ed was so mad, his face turned red.

3. The seed will need some sun.

4. We should pad the bed.

5. We could feed Ted cod.

6. He had a hood on his head.




/k/ Track 61

Initial Sound-

key

cow

cat

cup

keep

cut

can

kid

cool

kiss

cap

kick

come

cone

cook

cope

kill

care

kind

card

cough

could

color

coffee

cover

carry

carrot

kitten

continue

Final Sound-

back

cake

Coke

tack

fake

lack

lake

make

poke

rack

rake

take

rock

sack

sick

soak

sock

folk

speak

mock

spook

clock

flake

fluke

smoke

black

block

magic

revoke

Track 62

Initial Sound

1. Kathy cuddled the kitten.

2. Cover the carrots Carl cooked.

3. Keep the keys away from the kids.

4. Kip carries the cans to the cupboard.

5. Come to the café for a cup of coffee.

6. Kerry continues to comfort Carrie.

7. Kill the cockroach in the kitchen.

8. The car is coming around the curve.

Final Sound

1. Go back one block and speak to Rick.

2. Mack will bake a cake.

3. Don’t peek in the sack.

4. Put the pack on your back and walk.

5. He went to the lake to take a break.

6. Take back the magic rock.

7. That truck will block the sidewalk.

8. Don’t mock Jack; he’s sick.




/g/ Track 63

Initial Sound-

go

guy

good

get

god

gave

gun

gum

gate

goal

game

give

gear

gold

gain

girl

goose

gap

gag

ghost

gang

guide

guard

guess

garden

gather

giggle

guilty

gamble

gadget

gallery

galaxy

Final Sound-

big

leg

rug

bag

hug

beg

dig

dog

drag

drug

egg

flag

fog

frog

gag

hog

lag

log

mug

nag

pig

plug

rag

bog

clog

brag

sag

smog

hotdog

ladybug

nutmeg

catalogue

smug

Track 64

Initial Sound

1. The guys gathered to play a game.

2. The goats are in the garden.

3. Give the gift to the gorgeous girl.

4. The ghosts and ghouls are gone.

5. Garth gagged on his gum.

6. Gabe gabs with the girl.

7. The guy with the gun is guilty.

8. The girls gossip and giggle.

Final Sound

1. Don’t nag and beg.

2. The frog will snag the bug.

3. Meg had an egg and a hotdog.

4. The pug is snug sitting on the rug.

5. Craig ordered from the catalogue.

6. The big pig sits in the bog.

7. Greg is smug and loves to brag.

8. The dog dug a hole in the rug.




/m/ Track 65

Initial Sound-

mad

move

make

mud

man

many

mom

map

match

maid

meet

men

mouth

might

mix

moon

moose

more

mouse

mend

money

model

mirror

middle

marry

movie

monkey

magic

murder

modern

moody

memory

mansion

maximum

mundane

Final Sound-

him

time

game

come

same

room

some

seem

calm

name

beam

bomb

home

came

dim

doom

fame

foam

gloom

gum

mom

ham

jam

lamb

lame

loom

ram

rim

roam

rum

plum

scream

brim

become

redeem

Track 66

Initial Sound

1. Mike might move to Mexico.

2. My mom mends men’s clothes.

3. Does Mary make much money?

4. Moody men make me mad.

5. The magic mirror is in the middle.

6. The men in the mall murdered Max.

7. Mitch and Marie met at the movies.

8. Mack meant to marry a model.

Final Sound

1. Sam wants some ham and rum.

2. They scream at the same time.

3. Jim came home with some gum.

4. The lame lamb cannot roam.

5. The game became glum.

6. It’s dim in the calm room.

7. We claim the same dumb chum.

8. The name of the tame dame is Kim.




/n/ Track 67

Initial Sound-

no

new

now

nine

need

near

nap

name

none

knee

note

knife

knock

knot

know

nail

neat

neck

nod

noon

nose

knit

north

next

notice

never

nobody

nothing

normal

nowhere

number

naked

napkin

nation

nifty

necklace

nickel

Final Sound-

in

can

one

ran

pen

man

fun

when

sun

ban

soon

been

phone

gone

mean

pain

done

sign

fan

gun

lawn

lean

line

tan

loan

main

moon

pin

rain

run

scene

sin

thin

spin

spoon

train

motion

Track 68

Initial Sound

1. Nick needs a knife now.

2. We know no one is nearby.

3. It’s normal to nap at noon.

4. He knew the number on the napkin.

5. I noticed Nora’s new necklace.

6. Does Nancy know Norm’s number?

7. No one knows her name.

8. We noticed the newt and nodded.

Final Sound

1. Jon ran to the train at noon.

2. The raccoon is in the main cabin.

3. Ben will loan a pen to Ron.

4. He has seen the sun and moon.

5. Will the plane run in the rain?

6. One gun was at the scene.

7. Jon saw the sun at dawn.

8. Can Dan phone Ben soon?




/ŋ/ Track 69

bang

wrong

young

bring

thing

sing

hang

king

long

song

ping

rang

ring

rung

sang

hung

gang

sting

string

stung

sung

fling

pang

swing

swung

thong

flung

wing

dung

cling

fang

strong

clang

strung

belong

along

among

wring

wrung

zing

Track 70

1. If you swing the door, it will bang.

2. The king is being difficult.

3. We play ping-pong all day long.

4. That gang is so young.

5. It is wrong to fling dung.

6. She has rings on her fingers.

7. The tiger’s fang was long.

8. They will sing for a long time.

9. The strong monkey will swing.

10. They are doing the wrong thing.

11. The bird’s song rang in the trees.

12. Tie the string to the Ming vase.

13. The bee stung the king.

14. Jane sang a pretty song.

15. The strong man swung the hammer.




-ing: Present Progressive working

putting

going

eating

seeing

smelling

reading

staying

letting

touching

hoping

giving

taking

sitting

writing

showing

calling

opening

closing

covering

pouring

raining

filling

sleeping

kicking

playing

smiling

crying

cleaning

working

dreading

washing

sweeping

feeding

turning

looking

making

watching

rolling

zipping

telling

saying

faxing

cheating

holding

meeting

dealing

sending

creating

marketing

performing

networking

upsetting

e-mailing

attending

receiving

alarming

progressing

notifying

organizing

plugging

covering

handling

conducting

1. They are meeting in the conference room.

2. She is sending the e-mail right now.

3. We should be closing the deal soon.

4. Roy and Bob are working through the weekend.

5. I’m hoping for a raise this year.

6. The administration is reorganizing the department.

7. Sarah said she’ll be attending the workshop.

8. They’re holding the conference in Detroit.

9. He’s making a new pot of coffee.

10. How are they marketing the new product.

11. They’re promoting Amy next week.

12. We’ve been dropping too many clients.

13. I’m dreading this assignment.

14. Our numbers have been falling sharply this quarter.

15. She’s contacting all of the team members by phone.




/f/ Track 71

Initial Sound-

fat

face

fun

food

fill

fake

feet

fact

fell

far

file

fear

fish

fade

fork

fail

fair

fire

phone

fall

farm

fast

few

fatal

fault

fancy

fence

fight

film

faith

final

football

forgive

form

former

Final Sound-

off

if

beef

wife

leaf

roof

deaf

safe

chief

calf

cuff

cough

goof

graph

grief

half

hoof

laugh

poof

proof

reef

riff

rough

sniff

staff

stiff

thief

tough

knife

giraffe

enough

belief

chef

stuff

bluff

Track 72

Initial Sound

1. The fight was fast and furious.

2. Phil’s fall wasn’t fatal.

3. This food is full of fat.

4. I forgot to film the show.

5. The football player fell on the field.

6. The fancy car goes fast.

7. The fence is four feet tall.

8. The farm is far away.

Final Sound

1. The giraffe ate the leaf.

2. The thief is safe on the roof.

3. Don’t laugh at my wife!

4. The calf hurt its hoof.

5. One graph is enough.

6. This beef is really tough.

7. The chef has a great knife.

8. If you cough, cover your mouth.




/v/ Track 73

Initial Sound-

vain

vow

vest

view

vote

vent

voice

verb

very

veal

valid

vague

vision

veto

vast

virus

veil

vacuum

vomit

valuable

venue

vanilla

verdict

version

video

villain

vinyl

victory

vegetable

violet

vacation

variety

volunteer

Final Sound-

eve

give

move

live

have

love

glove

cave

pave

dive

slave

brave

drove

rave

prove

shove

heave

grove

sieve

above

forgive

active

alive

captive

deceive

excessive

exclusive

executive

impressive

incentive

disapprove

Track 74

Initial Sound

1. Everyone voted on the verdict.

2. The vampire video scared Veronica.

3. Her versatile voice is velvety.

4. We view the volcano in the valley.

5. Valerie plays a violet violin.

6. Vegetables make Vicky vomit.

7. The villain in the movie is violent.

8. Victor went to Venice on vacation.

Final Sound

1. Give me the glove.

2. The brave captive is over there.

3. We have an impressive grove.

4. They give exclusive parties.

5. The brave man was held captive.

6. We drove the executive home.

7. Please don’t shove the slave.

8. They disapprove when you deceive.




/Ɵ/ Track 75

Initial Sound-

thing

thumb

theme

thick

thief

thin

think

third

thorn

thought

thud

thaw

theater

thirsty

thigh

thank you

thatch

thump

thirteen

thirty

theft

theory

thousand

thunder

Thursday

Thanksgiving

Final Sound-

bath

with

eighth

teeth

both

path

Beth

math

birth

mouth

tooth

death

youth

cloth

faith

earth

booth

growth

health

moth

north

south

truth

worth

myth

wrath

wreath

beneath

girth

Track 76

Initial Sound

1. A Thermos is good for thirst.

2. Thirteen thorns are on the flower.

3. We thought she said “thank you.”

4. He will turn thirty on Thursday.

5. The thief hid in the theater.

6. He thinks her thighs are too thin.

7. The thunder caused a thud.

8. She put the thimble on her thumb.

Final Sound

1. Beth takes a bath with bubbles.

2. The wreath is beneath the bed.

3. All the teeth in her mouth hurt.

4. The path goes north and south.

5. Ruth is terrible at math.

6. Can we both fit in the booth?

7. The fountain of youth is a myth.

8. The truth is worth more than gold.




/ð/ Track 77

Initial Sound

than

those

that

they

this

the

their

them

then

there

these

though

thus

Middle Sound

other

gather

bother

father

brother

feather

mother

leather

neither

rather

another

although

rhythm

northern

southern

together

weather

worthy

smother

Heather

Final Sound

with

smooth

bathe

breathe

clothe

teethe

loathe

writhe

Track 78

1. This clothing is beautiful.

2. My brother has no rhythm.

3. We gather together every night.

4. Don’t bother her mother.

5. Neither of them is there.

6. It’s hard to breathe in this weather.

7. The smooth leather is expensive.

8. They bathe the baby together.

9. Heather is from a southern town.

10. They gathered the other children.

11. My father is taller than my brother.

12. Smooth the shirt with your hands.

13. The child bathes with her mother.

14. Another feather fell from the bird.

15. Don’t bother your brother!

16. I’d rather go to the northern part.




/s/ Track 79

Initial Sound-

so

saw

sue

say

see

sigh

sit

sick

save

soap

seem

sell

sip

safe

sale

sap

sing

sink

soak

sail

sack

sin

sock

send

soul

soup

sand

south

sound

Final Sound-

ace

ass

boss

house

less

pass

case

face

gas

race

kiss

loose

loss

mess

miss

moss

mouse

pace

hiss

bass

peace

lace

cross

cease

mass

fleece

moose

sass

harass

Track 80

Initial Sound

1. Sam said to sell the soap.

2. Sing a sad song.

3. Did you see the south side?

4. Sandra has six single sisters.

5. They sat on the sofa and sighed.

6. Sally was sick for several days.

7. Sarah served soup at the party.

Final Sound

1. Lois went to the office at six.

2. Her face was covered in grease.

3. The gas will hiss as it escapes.

4. Bring the case to the house.

5. He will pass by during the race.

6. The moose will pass by the moss.

7. The mouse is loose in this mess.




/z/ Track 81

Initial Sound-

zoo

Zach

zone

zoom

zap

zeal

zest

zebra

zinc

zero

zipper

zombie

zinger

zucchini

Final Sound-

has

use

is

his

sees

does

nose

lays

bees

says

peas

size

rose

flies

please

lies

plays

freeze

news

keys

buzz

cause

ties

ease

fizz

stays

flaws

fleas

froze

fuzz

haze

jazz

craze

Liz

maze

pause

pose

prize

raise

rise

tease

toes

blaze

phase

Track 82

Initial Sound-

1. Zach visited the zoo.

2. Pepper adds zest to zucchini.

3. I zipped the zany purse.

4. I played the xylophone with zeal.

5. I zapped the zombies.

6. The building is in zone zero.

7. Zinc will help you zoom through.

8. There are no zebras in the zoo.

Final Sound-

1. Pause before you say the news.

2. He lies to please others.

3. She says she sees her keys.

4. They tease Liz about her nose.

5. Bees buzz around the rose.

6. His flaws please no one.

7. She stays and lays on the bed.

8. We use the peas that they froze.




/ʃ/ Track 83

Initial Sound-

she

show

shoe

shout

sure

shot

share

shell

sheet

shop

shirt

shape

shade

shake

sheep

shook

shame

shave

shed

sheer

shelf

shift

shin

shine

ship

shock

shoot

shark

sharp

shore

short

shack

sham

shawl

sugar

Final Sound-

fish

cash

dish

bush

rush

wish

push

wash

bash

brush

crash

fresh

trash

mash

dash

flash

flush

gash

gosh

gush

hash

lash

mesh

mush

posh

rash

slash

smash

flesh

stash

swish

swoosh

Track 84

Initial Sound-

1. We shop for shoes and shirts.

2. The shack and shed are full.

3. She collected shells on the shore.

4. The sheets on the bed are sheer.

5. The shark’s teeth are sharp.

6. Shawn put the shotgun on the shelf.

7. The short sheik was sure of himself.

8. Sharon shouted at the ship.

Final Sound-

1. The dish fell with a crash.

2. Push the mush into the bowl.

3. The fish swims in fresh water.

4. We need cash to buy a brush.

5. Flush that gash with water.

6. I wish this rash would go away.

7. Josh was in a car crash.

8. Please wash that dish.




/Ʒ/ Track 85

Asia

measure

garage

pleasure

vision

casual

version

usual

decision

confusion

leisure

visual

delusion

diversion

illusion

massage

fusion

mirage

seizure

fission

camouflage

Polynesia

subterfuge

Track 86

1. We saw a mirage in the desert.

2. The band practices in the garage.

3. The old man was delusional.

4. Measure the fabric carefully.

5. John is a visual learner.

6. We made the decision to stay.

7. Rob planned a trip to Asia.

8. We wear casual clothes on Fridays.

9. I always get a massage on vacation.

10. The magician performed an illusion.

11. My son has terrible vision.

12. The soldiers wear camouflage.

13. He created a diversion to escape.

14. Which version of the software is it?

15. They lost it in all the confusion.

16. Make some time for leisure.




/ʧ/ Track 87

Initial Sound-

check

cheek

chair

chin

cheer

char

chase

chat

cheap

cheat

cheese

chew

chick

chief

chalk

chill

chip

choke

chain

chap

chum

choose

chance

chart

chore

champ

change

chant

Charles

chuck

chug

chafe

chaff

Final Sound-

teach

such

beach

touch

catch

watch

coach

ditch

each

itch

match

much

batch

patch

peach

pitch

reach

rich

roach

which

scotch

speech

hatch

fetch

couch

botch

latch

poach

smooch

Mitch

pooch

retch

thatch

Track 88

Initial Sound

1. She chooses to take a chance.

2. We chugged the cheap wine.

3. Chip cheats at poker.

4. The cheese is chewy and strange.

5. We chant cheerful songs.

6. They sat in the chairs and chatted.

7. Charles and Chad are chums.

8. Our chief will check the chart.

Final Sound

1. Don’t touch the angry pooch.

2. The patch doesn’t match the pants.

3. They dig a ditch on the beach.

4. We each teach different things.

5. The rich lady rides in a coach.

6. Mitch will make a speech.

7. Watch me poach this peach.

8. The roach ran behind the couch.




/ʤ/ Track 89

Initial Sound-

jam

joke

jaw

jog

job

jet

jar

gel

gem

joy

gym

jab

jug

jade

jail

jest

jig

joint

jolt

jerk

judge

juice

jewel

Jeep

jump

jock

June

junk

jeer

just

jot

jilt

jut

Final Sound-

age

edge

page

cage

change

rage

dodge

bridge

gage

sponge

merge

ridge

stage

strange

badge

sage

barge

budge

bulge

charge

forge

fridge

fringe

hinge

ledge

lounge

nudge

plunge

sludge

surge

trudge

cringe

wage

Track 90

Initial Sound

1. He just got a new job.

2. They stole the jewels and jade.

3. John took a jet to Japan.

4. Just throw the junk away.

5. Jen drank a jug of juice.

6. Jack jogs at the gym.

7. The boxer jabbed him in the jaw.

8. Jan jumped for joy.

Final Sound

1. Put the sage in the fridge.

2. The traffic will merge on the bridge.

3. He is paid a good wage for his age.

4. The actors trudge across the stage.

5. He cleans the cage with the sponge.

6. The strange man flew into a rage.

7. They charge too much in the lounge.

8. The poor men scrounge for change.




/h/ Track 91

hi

how

hay

has

he

him

hose

hum

her

hot

hug

hop

hat

hold

hole

home

his

hike

have

hire

head

hit

hope

hoop

heat

had

hen

hate

hell

ham

hiss

hair

hood

half

hall

hub

help

height

hill

hag

hail

haze

heal

heap

heck

halt

hand

hang

hard

harm

harp

hawk

heart

heft

hack

haste

hint

hoist

hone

hoof

hook

horn

host

hound

house

howl

huff

hull

hump

hung

hunt

hurl

hurt

who

whom

whose

Track 92

1. The hound howled at the moon.

2. He hates hot weather.

3. The horse hurt its hoof.

4. His whole house is heated.

5. Hank heaped ham on his plate.

6. The hunter has a hawk.

7. Our house is high on the hill.

8. She has no hair on her head.

9. Hang your hat on the hook.

10. The happy hare hopped away.

11. Hannah hit the ball the hardest.

12. Harry hugged his son.

13. We have high hopes we’ll win.

14. The host welcomed us home.

15. She hurt her heel while hiking.

16. Hand her the hammer.




/r/ Track 93

row

race

wrote

rain

red

run

right

room

rude

road

rice

rose

rip

ran

read

rag

rob

rail

roll

rat

raise

rake

ram

ramp

rare

rash

rate

reap

rear

reef

reek

rest

rib

rid

rig

rim

ripe

rise

roam

robe

rock

rod

rack

roof

root

rope

rot

rough

rub

rule

rum

raid

ream

rage

rust

rave

rife

wrap

raft

wreath

roast

wreck

wrist

wrath

Track 94

1. The raft ripped on the rocks.

2. Please raise your right hand.

3. The rotten rice reeks!

4. Ron reads romance novels.

5. The robber ran from the police.

6. The red car races down the road.

7. She reads and rests in that room.

8. Rick got rid of his old robe.

9. The ram roams around the farm.

10. Ruth makes roast rabbit.

11. The rooster sits on the roof.

12. The river runs over the hill.

13. The rat ran under the rock.

14. Rita raked the red leaves.

15. They ran the race in the rain.

16. Ryan loves rock ‘n roll.




/j/ Track 95

yes

you

yup

use

your

yet

yell

yuck

yum

year

young

yak

Yale

yam

yank

yap

yard

yarn

yawn

yearn

yeast

yellow

yolk

youth

yelp

yield

yowl

yacht

usual

yesterday

unique

Utah

utility

universe

utilize

union

unite

Track 96

1. Yams grow in our yard.

2. There are yaks in Utah.

3. The yellow yarn is the softest.

4. The young children yelled loudly.

5. The yeast tastes yucky.

6. They usually fish on their yacht.

7. You look youthful today.

8. Use the egg yolks to make a cake.

9. Last year was unique.

10. The puppy yelped and yowled.

11. We yearn for euphoria.

12. You shouldn’t yawn here.

13. They haven’t united yet.

14. He studied the universe at Yale.

15. Your dinner tasted yummy.

16. Yank the yarn to pull it through.




/l/ Track 97

Initial Sound-

low

lay

law

lot

late

look

loose

lit

lab

lip

lock

like

light

lick

lace

lack

lag

lake

lap

laugh

lawn

lead

leaf

leak

lid

life

load

loaf

loan

limb

lamb

loop

loot

lope

loss

Final Sound-

all

eel

ill

call

real

deal

will

sell

roll

ball

pool

feel

tell

pill

bowl

cool

meal

fill

kill

rule

fail

fall

fell

hall

hill

mail

nail

pal

pole

rail

seal

hell

tail

whole

fool

Track 98

Initial Sound

1. Lou listens to loud music.

2. Look at the lilies on the lawn.

3. They leap into the lake.

4. Lisa laughed loudly at the joke.

5. Lock the latch before you leave.

6. They lit the light in the living room.

7. The little lamb got loose.

8. Larry lives near the library.

Final Sound

1. I think Paul will fail the test.

2. The fool fell down the hill.

3. The pale girl took a pill.

4. Tell Bill the whole story.

5. They all feel ill.

6. The new rule is terribly cruel.

7. The mail is on the table in the hall.

8. Jill will call her mother.




/l/ Track 99

Medial Position

Hello

Color

Yellow

Silent

Island

Jello

Really

Valley

Olive

Cellar

Polar

Hollow

Polite

Gallon

Roller

Silo

Family

Highly

Relate

Pillow

Villa

Teller

Balance

Telephone

Television

Regular

Stealing

Telling

Violin

Totally

Absolute

Calorie

Vanilla

Political

Allergy

Valentine

Celebrate

Colony

Finale

Possibility

Helicopter

Holland

Relationship

Humiliate

Intellect

Invalid

Malaria

Alabama

Masculine

Abolish

Accelerate

Multicolor

Retailer

Speculate

Ventilate

Volleyball

Track 100

1. We celebrate holidays regularly in the office.

2. I watched people play volleyball on television.

3. That vanilla cake with sprinkles was delicious.

4. The political rally in Alabama was exhilarating.

5. My Valentine bought me flowers and took me out for a candlelight dinner.

6. Many celebrities live in California.

7. I need to consume low-calorie salads in order to become a ballerina.

8. The school bully tries really hard to humiliate me.

9. Every day I eat cantaloupe and a jelly sandwich for lunch.

10. My relative bought me a telephone for my belated birthday.

.




/w/ Track 101

why

won

way

we

once

well

was

wet

were

will

win

with

when

what

web

wall

wear

wait

wheel

wake

walk

war

warm

wine

woke

wood

waste

watch

wax

wed

weed

week

weird

whack

whip

white

wife

wig

wind

wipe

wise

wish

wit

witch

wiz

wane

weep

woe

woof

whiff

wick

whim

wean

wool

wheeze

wound

wad

wade

waif

wow

Track 102

1. Wendy watches western movies.

2. Will she wear the wool sweater?

3. Wipe the table with the wet rag.

4. The wicked witch is from the west.

5. His wife won’t come to the wedding.

6. I walk to work on Wednesdays.

7. Wally was wounded in the war.

8. We just washed the windows.

9. Which way does the wheel turn?

10. We pull weeds in the woods.

11. The wind whips through the willows.

12. We work late on the weekends.

13. Wear a warm coat in the winter.

14. I wonder where she went.

15. Will spilled wine on his white pants.

16. We won the worst prize.




/b/ blends Track 103 Track 104

/bl/ /br/ blow

blue

blare

blur

black

blade

blame

blab

blanch

bland

blank

blanket

blast

blaze

bleach

bleak

bleed

blend

bless

blight

blind

blink

blob

block

blood

bloom

blot

blouse

blubber

blunt

bladder

blister

blizzard

blemish

brie

brew

bride

bread

brown

brace

brag

brain

branch

brand

brass

brave

Brazil

breach

break

breath

breathe

breed

breeze

bribe

brick

bridge

brief

bright

bring

brisk

broad

broil

broke

brook

brother

brought

brunch

brush

Track 105

1. My brother broke the blender.

2. Brad brews his own beer.

3. Blair blotted the stain on her blouse.

4. A cool breeze blows over the bridge.

5. The bread tastes a little bland.

6. He received a brass medal for his bravery.

7. We took a deep breath and braved the blizzard.

8. They blamed the breakup on the bride.

9. The dead blooms were brown and broken.

10. The wind blew the blanket off the branch.




/k/ blends Track 106 Track 107

/kl/ /kr/claw

clay

class

clear

clan

clean

close

clip

clot

clap

clad

clam

claim

clang

clamp

clash

clench

clerk

climb

clinch

clog

clone

cloth

cloud

club

clue

cleat

cloak

cliff

Claire

clutter

cleaver

clutch

closet

clergy

clever

clamber

clumsy

cluster

clinical

cry

crew

crow

crawl

crab

crack

cram

cramp

crane

crepe

crass

crave

cream

crease

crime

crib

cringe

crisp

crook

cross

creak

creep

crone

craft

crowd

crude

crush

crumb

cricket

creature

crazy

crisis

create

credit

creepy

cranky

critical

criminal

cradle

crocodile

Track 108

1. Close the door before you clean.

2. The clumsy criminal left a clue.

3. The cricket crawled in the crack.

4. The clerk did crooked business.

5. The latest crisis drove him crazy.

6. The crook crept into the closet.

7. Claire looked out over the cliff.

8. The class was very clever.

9. Chris will create a new craft.

10. We have to clean this clutter.




/d/ blends

Track 109

dry

drew

draw

dream

dress

drab

drag

drain

drape

drought

draft

dread

drink

drank

drunk

drip

dredge

drill

drawl

drop

drift

drive

droll

drone

droop

drove

drown

drug

drum

drool

dreary

drawer

drama

driver

dragon

drastic

dribble

drowsy

dreadful

dresser

drizzle

dramatic

Track 110

1. We drank the last drop.

2. You should never drink and drive.

3. Drew is a driven young man.

4. Drain the lake so no one drowns.

5. She dreamed of a beautiful dress.

6. The drama teacher was a dreadful actor.

7. The dreary man drifted through life.

8. She draws the drapes each morning.

9. The dramatic man took drastic action.

10. I dreaded the drive home.




/f/ blends Track 111 Track 112

/fl/ /fr/fly

flew

flow

flea

flaw

floor

flat

flood

flip

fled

flag

flail

flake

flair

flame

flap

flash

flaunt

flax

flesh

flex

flight

fling

flirt

float

flop

floss

flunk

flute

fluid

flavor

flower

flimsy

fluctuate

free

fry

frog

freak

front

fruit

frail

Fred

frame

frown

fraught

fray

freeze

French

fresh

frenzy

frank

frantic

fraud

frequent

friction

frighten

France

fraction

fracture

fragment

frugal

frustrate

frisbee

frolic

freckle

fragile

fraternal

franchise

Track 113

1. We fried the fruit in butter.

2. She flaunted her skills on the flute.

3. Freeze the food so it stays fresh.

4. The cheap frisbee was flimsy.

5. The French food was flavorful.

6. The frail women fractured her hip.

7. We frequently flew in freezing weather.

8. I was frustrated with the flawed plan.

9. The frogs frolicked in the front yard.

10. Fred will fly to France next week.




/g/ blends

Track 114 Track 115 /gl/ /gr/glee

glow

glue

glad

glare

glob

globe

gloat

glance

glass

glib

gland

glaze

glint

glum

gloom

gloss

global

glory

glisten

glimmer

gluten

glitter

glacier

glaring

gladly

glamorous

grow

gray

grid

grill

grin

ground

group

green

great

grand

grade

greet

grain

grass

grape

grab

grace

graph

grave

grunt

greetings

gracious

gravel

gradual

graduate

gravitate

grandmother

grandfather

Track 116

1. The glamorous woman traveled the globe.

2. He gloated over his glorious win.

3. They glanced at the grave as they passed.

4. Gradually, the group grew larger.

5. My grandparents are great storytellers.

6. The glazed donut was gluten free.

7. We greeted our guests on the grass.

8. The grave was grey and gloomy.

9. She gracefully grabbed my hand.

10. Glen grinned at the great news.




/p/ blends Track 117 Track 118

/pl/ /pr/ play

ply

plea

plow

plan

please

plate

place

plot

plug

plain

plead

pluck

plum

pledge

plush

plank

plump

plant

plod

Pluto

plenty

placid

plural

pleasure

pleasant

placate

platform

plaster

plausible

pry

pray

price

prime

prove

prompt

prank

press

print

proud

preach

pride

priest

praise

prize

preen

protect

pretty

program

prepare

preserve

pressure

problem

premier

prefer

prevent

predict

precise

practice

priority

private

practical

Track 119

1. He protected the pretty girl.

2. The proud father praised his son.

3. They were pleased with the success of the program.

4. Those plants are on private property.

5. There are plenty of practical solutions.

6. The priest preached to the crowd.

7. The precise place is unknown.

8. We thought the plan was plausible.

9. They printed the price on the side.

10. Please put the plates in the sink.




/s/ blends: Part 1 Track 120 Track 121 Track 122 Track 123

/sk/ /sl/ /sm/ /sn/ski

sky skate

scare

scoot

skunk

skill

scum

scope skip scoop scab school Scott scan scam score scary

slow slew slam sleep slot slick sleet slack slink slope slit slab slim slush sleek slouch sloppy slippery slaughter

small smile smirk smite smack smell smash smart smear smock smother smudge smooth smut smoke smirk smooch smug smolder

snow snip snack sneeze snap sneak sniff snob snare snail snore snag snake snub snout sneer snort snooze snicker

Track 124 1. The noise scared the sleeping skunk. 2. The slab was slick and slippery. 3. The small girl smiled slyly. 4. Scott slammed the ball into the sky. 5. The snobby boy snickered and smirked. 6. We slowly scooted through the slush. 7. They skied down the snowy slope. 8. The snake snapped its jaws at the snail. 9. The sloppy kid smeared paint on his smock. 10. She skipped school to get some sleep.




/s/ blends: Part 2 Track 125 Track 126 Track 127

/sp/ /st/ Three-consonant Blends spa spit sport speech space speed spoke spell spare speak spot spoon spook spin spice spike spam spur span spear spark specific spectator spectacular sporadic

stew stop stab steal sting stick stage stain steam steer step stir stitch stock start stairs star stack

statue

steady

stable

station

standard

staple

/skr/

scream

scrap

screw

scratch

screen

script

scrawl

screech

scrawny

scramble

scrape

/str/

strip

street

straw

stream

stripe

straight

struck

strength

stretch

strive

stroll

strike

stroke

structure

strategy

/spl/

splash

splinter

splice

splay

splatter

splendid

/spr/

spry

spruce

sprite

spring

sprawl

sprout

spray

sprinkle

Track 128 1. The spectators screamed for the spectacular player. 2. She scrambled up the stoop and scraped her knee. 3. The swimmer’s speed increased with each stroke 4. We don’t have any new stories in stock. 5. That script is too slow for the stage. 6. Steve stacked them by the stairs. 7. The plants sprout along the street each spring. 8. Stephanie sprinkled some spices in the soup. 9. He’s too scrawny to play sports. 10. The movie star scanned her new script.




/ʃ/ and /Ɵ/ blends Track 129 Track 130

/ʃr/ /Ɵr/ shrink

shrank

shred

shrapnel

shrewd

shrew

shriek

shrine

shrug

shrill

shrimp

shrivel

shroud

shrub

throw

through

three

thrall

thrash

thread

threat

threw

thrift

thrill

thrive

throat

throne

thrust

throng

throttle

thrush

thrown

throughway

throb

Track 131

1. The crowd thronged through the streets.

2. The woman shrieked shrilly.

3. There were only three shrimp on the plate.

4. The shrapnel is a dangerous threat.

5. The heir to the throne is thriving.

6. His throat throbbed from screaming.

7. The shroud shielded her face.

8. She sewed the shredded fabric with thread.

9. He was thrown from the car on the throughway.

10. His final throw was thrilling.




/t/ blends

Track 132

try

tree

true

tray

trip

trot

trust

trash

trap

trim

treat

trek

truce

tribe

trend

troll

trace

track

trunk

troop

trudge

trade

trick

trail

trump

train

trial

truck

tricky

triple

truffle

travel

truthful

trouble

trespass

trample

trophy

traffic

trumpet

translate

transform

tropical

trustworthy

trivial

triangle

Track 133

1. We trekked through the trees on the trail.

2. They tried to trade in their old truck.

3. Travis received a trophy after his triumph.

4. The troops trudged through the tropical forest.

5. The train traveled down the tracks.

6. The two tribes declared a truce.

7. The trustworthy man went to trial.

8. I treated myself to chocolate truffles.

9. We were stuck in traffic for most of the trip.

10. The trouble with trolls is they can’t be trusted.




/ld/

Track 134

old

gold

held

bold

mild

told

bald

hold

shield

field

weld

sold

fold

build

cold

wield

yield

mold

scald

scold

sailed

killed

hailed

walled

rolled

filled

polled

chilled

called

hauled

wailed

boiled

drilled

fueled

healed

nailed

pulled

yelled

whirled

handled

sealed

mailed

canceled

penciled

circled

blindfold

dialed

labeled

settled

emerald

foothold

herald

rivaled

scribbled

household

struggled

threshold

upheld

assembled

centerfold

Track 135

1. Hold the cold jello mold while I fill it.

2. I bailed him out of jail, and then tailed him myself.

3. Harold wailed because he failed the exam.

4. I told my uncle that I had sold the gold already.

5. I dialed Paul’s number and called him.

6. He told us that he had sailed around the world.

7. The woman hauled the gold up the hill.

8. The train rumbled and squealed but failed to stop.

9. We folded the piles of unsealed mail.

10. I penciled the meeting in, then canceled it.




/st/

Track 136

most

lost

best

rest

roast

cast

ghost

last

passed

test

messed

chest

post

coast

toast

pieced

least

feast

fast

tossed

cost

exhaust

trust

bust

fist

list

wrist

beast

mast

guest

resist

blast

first

invest

request

east

west

kissed

missed

leased

almost

persist

contest

dentist

August

adjust

interest

invest

priced

suggest

honest

assessed

nearest

biggest

farthest

closest

cheapest

nicest

loudest

quietest

easiest

hardest

tallest

shortest

enticed

happiest

oldest

Track 137

1. We assessed the first project.

2. Will you invest the interest?

3. They denied the request because of the cost.

4. The cheapest item was priced too high.

5. The strongest students passed the test.

6. They leased the apartment to the highest bidder.

7. May I suggest the West Coast?

8. I almost missed the meeting.

9. The nicest weather is in August.

10. The first Broadway cast was the best.




/ts/

Track 138

eats

its

gets

cats

nuts

tots

coats

ruts

let’s

pits

goats

boots

meets

hits

nets

sits

fruits

roots

boats

jots

fights

shots

seats

pots

shouts

wants

rights

routes

lights

cheats

streets

cents

waits

heats

shoots

hates

charts

facts

parts

hearts

grants

pants

heights

refutes

defeats

creates

admits

repeats

closets

regrets

relates

baskets

events

delights

donuts

efforts

congratulates

boycotts

pilots

computes

bailouts

compensates

resonates

enunciates

Track 139

1. These routes have too may stop lights.

2. The employee shouts about his rights.

3. He waits for the boycotts to end.

4. Let’s go find our seats.

5. He refutes the charges against him.

6. She admits that she hates her boss.

7. The pilots’ seats are the most comfortable.

8. He sits and waits for the lights to go out.

9. The soup heats on the stove in pots.

10. She congratulates them and admits defeat.




Voiced and Unvoiced Pairs

There are many consonants that are produced with the same manner and place of

articulation (how and where the sound is made) with the only difference being whether or

not we use the vocal chords to produce noise. In unvoiced consonants, such as /s/, we use

only air to create the sound. In voiced consonants, such as /z/, we use our vocal chords to

produce the sound. To feel this difference, place your hand at your throat and say first /s/

and then /z/. You should have felt vibration in your throat while producing /z/ and nothing at

all while producing /s/.

To practice producing voiced and unvoiced consonants, say the following words and

sentences aloud. Each pair of consonants differs only in whether they are voiced or

unvoiced.

Track 140

/f/ and /v/

fine vine fan van ferry very file vile fast vast 1. Victor filled the van with five fine vases. 2. Phil vowed to vote for Valerie in February. 3. The ferry is very fast on Friday evenings. 4. Fred fixed the van’s fan for Vicky. 5. The view of the vast valley is fabulous in the fall.

Track 141

/p/ and /b/

pat bat poor bore pin bin pill bill pie buy 1. Bob put books beneath the pile of pillows. 2. Pete beat Betty in poker before breakfast. 3. Bill’s pills are in the pantry behind the bread. 4. The big pig in the park is breaking up the party. 5. Are Ben’s pen and backpack in their proper place?




Track 142

/t/ and /d/

tip dip tied died try dry bat bad time dime

1. Tell Dan to teach Debbie to draw tomorrow. 2. Tom’s dog has done a ton of damage to the deck. 3. The tame dame tap dances terrifically. 4. Today Donna took two dozen teens to the diner. 5. Do the two dancers tell tales and do tricks?

Track 143

/s/ and /z/

sip zip sue zoo lacey lazy race raise seal zeal

Remember: Sometimes the letter ‘s’ is pronounced with a /z/ sound in English. To help with this exercise, all /z/ sounds are bolded and all /s/ sounds are underlined. 1. Sue went to the zoo to see the zebras. 2. Sam zips Sally’s dresses. 3. The zealous salesman sold six zippers. 4. Soon he’ll zoom and race through the haze. 5. His supper sizzled and steamed.

Track 144

/k/ and /g/

coat goat clue glue cap gap come gum back bag

1. Carl and Greg gab in the cab as it goes. 2. Can you get Dick to dig the dyke? 3. He came to the game with a bag on his back. 4. The goat’s coat goes in the closet. 5. The kid cut and glued the game.

Chapter 4: Helpful Hints 107



108 Chapter 4: Helpful Hints



Track 145

At first glance, the /t/ sound may seem fairly straightforward. However, the pronunciation of

this sound can vary subtly depending on its position in a word.

• If /t/ starts the word or a stressed syllable, it is pronounced with a distinct, crisp sound.

Examples: tune, time, attack, volunteer Practice Sentences: Tom and Tim are taking a walk.

The teacher told them to turn over their tests.

Tony is tired and needs time to sleep.

• When /t/ appears at the end of a word, it is generally unreleased. This means that the tongue is in the same position, however it lacks the subsequent puff of air that accompanies the purer version.

Examples: cat, it, flat, foot Practice Sentences: The cat will eat the rat.

I got in a fight with Kurt.

That is not the shirt I bought.

• In the middle of a word that ends with /n/, the /t/ is pronounced as a glottal. This means it is produced towards the back of the throat.

Examples: kitten, button, frighten Practice Sentences: There are buttons on the satin dress.

The kitten was frightened by the noise.

I need to whiten the cotton scarf.

• If /t/ appears immediately before an unstressed syllable, it is produced as a flap. This means that it is slightly less crisp than a pure /t/ and is said with some voicing.

Examples: better, society, motor Practice Sentences: We are waiting for the meeting to end.

Does it matter what society thinks?

The security is of a better quality.




The final “-s” can be pronounced in one of three ways. The pronunciation used depends on

the spelling of the word before the “-s”. This exercise will introduce some basic rules to help

you determine which pronunciation to use. The three pronunciations for “-s” endings are:

/s/ a “s” sound, such as in the word miss

/z/ a “z” sound, such as in the word buzz

/ǝz/ a separate syllable, which sounds much like the word “is”

/s/

Track 146 The /s/ sound is used when the “-s” ending follows the voiceless

consonants /t/, /f/, /p/, /k/, and /θ/ (as in “math”). Say the following words out loud to practice

the /s/ ending:

Plurals

boats

books

cakes

coats

desks

hats

lamps

lights

maps

months

rats

ships

Possessives

aunt’s

cat’s

Chip’s

Cliff’s

Elliot’s

Jack’s

Keith’s

Matt’s

Mike’s

Ralph’s

Rick’s

Robert’s

Verbs

claps

eats

floats

keeps

laughs

leaks

meets

rips

sleeps

takes

thinks

writes

Track 147 Now, read the following sentences out loud.

1. Mike’s class meets every Thursday.

2. Rita thinks for a long time before she writes.

3. Could you put Elliot’s books on the table?

4. The rat squeaks while it eats the bits of food.

5. John sleeps on clean white sheets.

6. All of Mike’s faucets and sinks have leaks.

7. Claire makes pants, shirts, and socks.

8. He makes lists to keep track of his projects.

9. The class put their books inside their desks.

10. Rick’s mother bakes delicious cakes.




/z/ The /z/ sound is used when the root word ends in the voiced sounds /g/, /v/, /m/, /n/, /b/, /d/,

/v/, /l/, /w/, /r/, /ð/ (as in “mother”), /ŋ/ (as in “sing”) or any vowel sound. Say the following

words out loud to practice the /z/ ending:

Track 148

Plurals

arms

beds

buttons

computers

cookies

legs

pans

pencils

pictures

rags

rooms

shoes

words

Possessives

Ashley’s

Bob’s

Chad’s

cousin’s

dog’s

father’s

Irene’s

John’s

lawyer’s

mother’s

Sara’s

sister’s

uncle’s

Verbs

buys

flies

gives

lands

leaves

loves

reads

runs

says

sees

sells

shows

tells

Track 149 Now, read the following sentences out loud. Pay special attention to words

with a /z/ ending.

1. Steve’s pens and pencils are on the desk.

2. Sara’s mother buys shoes for her sisters.

3. The bug’s legs were long and thin.

4. Bob’s teacher knows many things.

5. He sells computers to kids at school.

6. John’s little brother loves cookies and muffins.

7. All of the rooms had sofas and chairs.

8. My sister’s garden grows flowers and vegetables.

9. She loves to read stories about kings and queens.

10. Laura sings songs with her school’s choir.




/Iz/ The /Iz/ sound is used when a word ends in any of the following sounds: /s/, /z/, /ʃ/ (as in

“rush”), /Ӡ/ (as in “vision”), /ʧ/ (as in “catch”), /ʤ/ (as in “jet”). Say the following words out

loud to practice the /Iz/ ending:

Track 150

Plurals

beaches

churches

dishes

faces

glasses

houses

kisses

matches

patches

peaches

places

prices

watches

Possessives

boss’s

Carlos’s

Cass’s

James’s

Jess’s

Jesus’s

Ross’s

Tess’s

the class’s

Thomas’s

Verbs

catches

closes

itches

loses

misses

passes

pushes

reaches

rushes

teaches

uses

washes

wishes

Track 151

Now, read the following sentences out loud. Pay special attention to words with a /ǝz/

ending.

1. The dresses and necklaces were on sale.

2. Sally washes her good dishes with expensive soap.

3. My boss’s secretary had messages for him.

4. Ross’s mother places his glasses on the table.

5. The bully punches the other children and pushes them down.

6. Many expensive houses are on beautiful beaches.

7. Thomas’s girlfriend inches closer and kisses him.

8. She reaches for the peaches at the top of the tree.

9. Cass’s father has visited many places.

10. The prices of those watches are way too high.




The “-ed” endings of past tense verbs can be pronounced three different ways:

- /d/ a “d” sound, such as at the end of the word “bed”

- /t/ a “t” sound, such as at the end of the word “not”

- /ǝd/ a separate syllable which sounds much like the “-id” portion of the word “kid”

/t/ The /t/ sound is used when the root word ends in any voiceless sound that isn’t /t/. This

includes:

/k/ “talked” is pronounced as talkt

/p/ “helped” is pronounced as helpt

/f/ “laughed” is pronounced as laught

/s/ “missed” is pronounced as misst

/ʃ/ (sh) “pushed” is pronounced as pusht

/ʧ/ (ch) “searched” is pronounced as searcht

Track 152 Here is a list of words and sentences in which the “–ed” ending is

pronounced as /t/. Read the words aloud to practice using this sound.

asked

chased

clapped

coughed

crossed

crushed

faked

flashed

flipped

hoped

kissed

licked

looked

matched

passed

placed

raced

reached

rushed

skipped

slipped

smoked

stopped

tapped

touched

trapped

walked

washed

watched

wished

Track 153

1. She reached across the table and brushed the crumbs off his face.

2. We walked to the store and picked up some milk.

3. Sarah chased her puppy down the street.

4. We watched this movie last week.

5. She stopped on the corner and smoked a cigarette.

6. Last time you rushed, you crashed the car.

7. Laurie ripped her favorite jacket.

8. We missed you at the party last week.

9. I dropped my food on the floor, and the dog licked it up.

10. My parents asked to speak to the manager.




/d/ The /d/ sound is used when the root word ends in any voiced sound that isn’t /d/ or a vowel.

This includes:

/b/ “robbed” is pronounced as robbd

/v/ “loved” is pronounced as lovd

/m/ “charmed” is pronounced as charmd

/n/ “explained” is pronounced as explaind

/r/ “poured” is pronounced as pourd

/l/ “called” is pronounced as calld

/th/ “smoothed” is pronounced as smoothd

/g/ “hugged” is pronounced as huggd

/z/ “pleased” is pronounced as pleasd

vowel “agreed” is pronounced as agreed

Track 154 Here is a list of words in which the “–ed” ending is pronounced as /d/.

Read the words aloud to practice using this sound.

aged

agreed

bathed

begged

bombed

bragged

braved

called

calmed

caused

changed

charmed

cried

deceived

explained

failed

filled

hugged

killed

lived

loved

mailed

paused

pleased

posed

poured

robbed

ruled

screamed

shoved

sighed

skied

smoothed

snored

surprised

Track 155 Now read the following sentences aloud. Pay particular attention to your

pronunciation of words ending in “–ed”.

1. She screamed and called for her mother.

2. They lived in that house for forty years.

3. Robert cried when he failed the test.

4. The teacher explained the answer to the class.

5. John poured the juice in the glass.

6. We all agreed to meet at the theater.

7. I received a package in the mail last week.

8. The children teased the new student.

9. Ron didn’t study, so he failed the test.

10. They gathered together and posed for the picture.




/ǝd/ The /ǝd/ sound is used when the root word ends in /t/ or /d/. Examples include:

/t/ “chatted” is pronounced as chatt-ǝd

/d/ “needed” is pronounced as need-ǝd

Track 156 Here is a list of words in which the “–ed” ending is pronounced as /ǝd/.

Read the words aloud to practice using this sound.

added

chatted

cheated

connected

hated

heated

invited

marketed

needed

nodded

patted

painted

protected

rejected

responded

rotted

seated

spotted

wanted

wasted

Track 157 Now read the following sentences aloud. Pay particular attention to your

pronunciation of words ending in “–ed”.

1. The dishonest student cheated on the test.

2. Were you invited to Michael’s birthday party?

3. They added the numbers together.

4. The children painted pictures in art class.

5. My umbrella protected me from the rain.

6. I’ve always wanted to have a pony.

7. Everyone chatted before the meeting began.

8. She has hated carrots since she was a little girl.

9. Her boss nodded in agreement.

10. They patted the puppy on the head.




A common mistake in English grammar is using a verb form that doesn’t match the subject

of a sentence. In short, a singular subject needs a singular verb; a plural subject needs a

plural verb. A singular subject is “he”, “she”, “it” or words which could substitute for these

pronouns. In the present tense, singular verbs end in an –s or –es (e.g. “runs”, “eats”,

“does”, as well as irregular verbs such as “is”, “goes”). The plural form of a verb remains

unchanged (e.g. “run”, “eat”, “do”, “are”, “go”).

Example 1: The boy reads a book.

In the above sentence, the subject (“the boy”) is singular and is therefore followed by a

singular verb (“reads”).

Example 2: The children learn mathematics.

In the above sentences, the subject (“the children”) is plural and is therefore followed by a

plural verb (“learn”).

While this rule seems straightforward, there are several situations which may make it more

complicated. Learning the following rules will help you master the art of subject-verb

agreement:

• If two subjects joined by “and” they are treated as plural, regardless of if the

individual verbs are singular or plural.

The man and woman see a movie each week.

• If two subjects are joined by “or” or “nor”, the verb agrees with the closer subject.

Either the players or the coach speaks to the press.

Either the coach or the players speak to the press.

• Indefinite pronouns (everyone, everybody, someone, somebody, anyone, anybody,

each, one, nobody, no one) are treated as singular subjects and therefore take a

singular verb.

Everyone likes the new employee.

• Be wary of phrases that come between the subject and verb. Always formulate the

verb based on the actual subject and ignore any intervening nouns or pronouns.

The girl wearing the yellow gloves looks cold.




• The words “some”, “none” and “all” depend on the noun that follow and whether it is

countable or not. This same rule applies to fractional expressions like “half” or “the

majority”

Some of the rice is burned.

Some of the cookies are burned.

• When a sentence contains “there is” or “there are”, the subject follows the verb (i.e.

“is” or “are”). The same rules apply, even though the order of the words are changed.

There are five children.

There is one child.

Practice

The first step to accurate subject verb agreement is identifying the subject. Read each of the

following sentences and circle the subject.

1. The students are taking a test.

2. All of the employees are angry.

3. Mary’s boss won’t be in until Tuesday.

4. The accounting department has a meeting each week.

5. The desk in the conference room has been broken for a week.

Now that you’ve had some practice identifying the subject, read the following sentences and

select the appropriate verb.

1. The director of marketing (call / calls) on the first of the month.

2. The owner and the store manager (arrive / arrives) early on Tuesdays.

3. My boss (think / thinks) our numbers are dropping.

4. All of the members of the committee (is / are) nervous about the meeting.

5. Nobody (remember / remembers) what the disagreement was about.

6. There (is / are) three vice-presidents in the company.

7. The report that they sent (is / are) thirty pages long.

8. Some of the money (is / are) missing.

9. I think that everyone (understand / understands) the memo you sent.

10. None of the pens in the conference room (work / works).

11. Either the boss or his employees (is / are) responsible for the misunderstanding.

12. Neither my coworkers nor my boss (enjoy / enjoys) their jobs.




While using regular past-tense verbs in English is fairly straightforward; simply add “-ed” to

the end of the verb. However, there is an entire other set of verbs which are used in a

completely different manner. Rather than simply adding “-ed” at the end, these verbs

change completely in the past tense. Unfortunately, there’s no specific rule to help learn

irregular verb tenses—they just have to be memorized. Below, we’ve provided a list of some

of the most commonly used irregular past-tense verbs. Take some time to get to know these

words, and then complete the exercise on the following page.

Present Tense Past Tense

become became

begin began

break broke

bring brought

build built

buy bought

choose chose

come came

cut cut

do did

draw drew

drink drank

drive drove

eat ate

feel felt

fight fought

forget forgot

forgive forgave

get got

give gave

go went

have had

hide hid

Present Tense Past Tense

keep kept

know knew

leave left

lend lent

let let

make made

mean meant

pay paid

put put

quit quit

read read (“red”)

say said

see saw

sell sold

shut shut

sit sat

speak spoke

spread spread

steal stole

take took

teach taught

tell told

write wrote




Practice your irregular verbs with the sentences below. The verb you need is given to you in

parenthesis at the beginning of each sentence in the present tense. Change the verb to its

irregular past-tense form and write it in the blank.

1. (speak) I _____________ with my boss after work yesterday.

2. (forget) I’m so sorry I _____________ our meeting yesterday!

3. (quit) We only have two people in accounting since Bob _____________ last week.

4. (come) I’m so glad we _____________ to the presentation last Monday.

5. (sell) He _____________ all of his company stock before the market closed.

6. (leave) Marc wasn’t feeling well, so he _____________ work early.

7. (put) I can’t find that file! I _____________ it here on my desk an hour ago!

8. (bring) Rita _____________ the folder into my office.

9. (begin) The conference _____________ promptly at ten o’clock.

10. (write) Rob _____________ that report over a year ago.

11. (eat) We _____________ lunch in the cafeteria on Monday.

12. (see) I _____________ Jim at the networking event last month.

13. (speak) Lee _____________ in front of the entire marketing department.

14. (give) The speech you _____________ at the meeting was excellent!

15. (pay) They _____________ him double his current pay check at his last job.




Now that you’ve taken the time to develop your speech, don’t let it go to waste! Like any

other skill set, speech and communication must be practiced regularly to be fully learned.

Without practice, your brain and body don’t become fully accustomed to the new skill. The

easiest way to practice your newly learned communication skills is to incorporate them into

your daily life. Use the following tips to help you practice your speech as you go about your

day:

-Leave notes for yourself in places that you will see often throughout your day. For example,

put a post it note on your phone that says “Slow down!” or “Clear and precise!” Then, each

time you pick up your phone to speak with someone, you will encounter that visual reminder

and focus on that specific skill.

-Choose a point during your day when you will take 5 minutes and think about how your

communication has gone so far. Take note of any problems you feel you may have had and

quickly jot them down on a piece of paper. Then, make a brief mental plan as to how you

can avoid making these same mistakes for the rest of the day. Make this “communication

check date” with yourself a part of your daily routine.

-When you know you will be in a situation in which good personal communication is

particularly important (e.g. a business meeting or important phone call), put aside time the

evening before to sit down and work on your communication skills. Use a mirror and a tape

recorder and practice what you are going to say, paying particular attention to your rate of

speech and clear pronunciation.

The more often you practice, the more automatic good speech will become. Over time you

will find that proper speech and good communication habits no longer require conscious

effort on your part and will become second nature. Remember: practice makes perfect!




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Fifth Edition · 2 Talking Business: When English is Your Second Language Table of Contents Welcome