There are 26 letters in the English language. In different combinations and positions they represent 44 sounds.
In the English language, there are 24 consonant sounds, and they are represented in writing by 20 letters: Bb; Cc; Dd; Ff; Gg ; Hh; Jj; Kk; LI; mm; Nn; Pp; Qq; Rr; Ss; Tt; Vv; Ww; Xx; Zz.
In the English language, there are 12 vowel sounds and 8 diphthongs, and they are represented in writing by 6 letters: Aa; Ee; li; Oo; Uu; Yy. 
Video:
[English language. Beginner course. Maria Rarenko. First educational channel.]
Transcription and stress
Phonetic transcription is an international system of symbols used to show exactly how words should be pronounced. Each sound is shown with a separate icon. These icons are always written in square brackets.
The transcription indicates verbal stress (which syllable in the word the stress falls on). Accent mark [‘]
placed before the stressed syllable.
English consonants
- Features of English consonants
- English consonants expressed by letters b, f, g, m, s, v, z, are close in pronunciation to the corresponding Russian consonants, but should sound more energetic and intense.
- English consonants are not softened.
- Voiced consonants are never deafened - neither before voiceless consonants, nor at the end of a word.
- Double consonants, that is, two identical consonants next to each other, are always pronounced as one sound.
- Some English consonants are pronounced aspirated: the tip of the tongue must be pressed firmly against the alveoli (the tubercles where the teeth are attached to the gums). Then the air between the tongue and teeth will pass with force, and the result will be a noise (explosion), that is, aspiration.
Rules for reading consonant letters in English: ,
| Table of pronunciation of English consonants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phonetic transcription | Examples | |
| [b] | b ad b ox | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [b] in the word b rat |
| [p] | o p en, p et | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [p] in the word P ero, but pronounced aspirated |
| [d] | d i d, d ay | a voiced sound similar to Russian [d] in the word d ohm, but more energetic, “sharper”; when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue rests on the alveoli |
| [t] | t ea, t ake | unvoiced sound corresponding to Russian [t] in the word T hermos, but is pronounced aspirated, with the tip of the tongue resting on the alveoli |
| [v] | v oice, v isit | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [v] in the word V osk, but more energetic |
| [f] | f ind, f ine | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [f] in the word f inic, but more energetic |
| [z] | z oo, ha s | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [z] in the word h ima |
| [s] | s un, s ee | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [s] in the word With silt, but more energetic; when pronouncing, the tip of the tongue is raised towards the alveoli |
| [g] | g ive, g o | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [g] in the word G Irya, but pronounced softer |
| [k] | c at, c an | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [k] in the word To mouth, but pronounced more energetically and aspiratedly |
| [ʒ] | vi si on, plea sur e | voiced sound corresponding to Russian [zh] in the word and macaw, but pronounced more tense and softer |
| [ʃ] | sh e, Ru ss ia | a dull sound corresponding to the Russian [ш] in the word w ina, but pronounced softer, for which you need to raise the middle part of the back of the tongue to the hard palate |
| [j] | y ellow, y ou | a sound similar to the Russian sound [th] in a word th od, but pronounced more energetically and intensely |
| [l] | l itt l e, l ike | sound similar to Russian [l] in the word l Isa, but you need the tip of the tongue to touch the alveoli |
| [m] | m an m erry | sound similar to Russian [m] in the word m ir, but more energetic; when pronouncing it, you need to close your lips more tightly |
| [n] | n o, n ame | sound similar to Russian [n] in the word n OS, but when pronouncing it, the tip of the tongue touches the alveoli, and the soft palate is lowered, and air passes through the nose |
| [ŋ] | si ng, fi ng er | a sound in which the soft palate is lowered and touches the back of the tongue, and air passes through the nose. Pronounced like Russian [ng] is incorrect; there must be a nasal sound |
| [r] | r ed, r abbit | a sound, when pronounced with the raised tip of the tongue, you need to touch the middle part of the palate, above the alveoli; tongue doesn't vibrate |
| [h] | h elp, h ow | sound reminiscent of Russian [х] as in the word X aos, but almost silent (barely audible exhalation), for which it is important not to press the tongue to the palate |
| [w] | w et, w inter | a sound similar to a very quickly pronounced Russian [ue] in a word Ue ls; in this case, the lips need to be rounded and pushed forward, and then vigorously moved apart |
| j ust, j ump | sound similar to [j] in a Russian loanword j inces, but more energetic and softer. You cannot pronounce [d] and [ʒ] separately | |
| ch eck, mu ch | sound similar to Russian [ch] in a word h ac, but harder and more intense. You cannot pronounce [t] and [ʃ] separately | |
| [ð] | th is, th ey | a ringing sound, when pronounced, the tip of the tongue must be placed between the upper and lower teeth and then quickly removed. Do not clamp the flat tongue between your teeth, but slightly push it into the gap between them. This sound (since it is voiced) is pronounced with the participation of the vocal cords. Similar to Russian [z] interdental |
| [θ] | th ink, seven th | a dull sound that is pronounced in the same way as [ð], but without a voice. Similar to Russian [s] interdental |
English vowel sounds
- The reading of each vowel depends on:
- from other letters standing next to it, in front of it or behind it;
- from being in a shock or non-stress position.
Rules for reading vowels in English: ,
| Pronunciation table for simple English vowel sounds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phonetic transcription | Examples | Approximate matches in Russian |
| [æ] | c a t,bl a ck | a short sound, intermediate between the Russian sounds [a] and [e]. To make this sound, when pronouncing Russian [a], you need to open your mouth wide and place your tongue low. Simply pronouncing Russian [e] is wrong |
| [ɑ:] | ar m, f a ther | a long sound, similar to Russian [a], but it is much longer and deeper. When pronouncing it, you need to yawn, but do not open your mouth wide, while pulling your tongue back |
| [ʌ] | c u p, r u n | a short sound similar to the Russian unstressed [a] in the word With A yes. To make this sound, when pronouncing Russian [a], you need to almost not open your mouth, while slightly stretching your lips and moving your tongue back a little. Simply pronouncing Russian [a] is wrong |
| [ɒ] | n o t, h o t | short sound similar to Russian [o] in the word d O m, but when pronouncing it you need to completely relax your lips; for Russian [o] they are slightly tense |
| [ɔ:] | sp o rt, f ou r | a long sound, similar to Russian [o], but it is much longer and deeper. When pronouncing it, you need to yawn, as if with your mouth half-open, and your lips tense and rounded |
| [ə] | a bout, a lias | a sound that is often found in the Russian language is always in an unstressed position. In English, this sound is also always unstressed. It does not have a clear sound and is referred to as an unclear sound (it cannot be replaced by any clear sound) |
| [e] | m e t,b e d | a short sound similar to Russian [e] under stress in words such as uh you, pl e d etc. English consonants before this sound cannot be softened |
| [ɜː] | w or k, l ear n | this sound does not exist in the Russian language, and it is very difficult to pronounce. Reminds me of Russian sound in words m e d, St. e cla, but you need to pull it out much longer and at the same time stretch your lips strongly without opening your mouth (you get a skeptical smile) |
| [ɪ] | i t, p i t | a short sound similar to the Russian vowel in a word w And t. You need to pronounce it abruptly |
| h e, s ee | a long sound, similar to Russian [i] under stress, but longer, and they pronounce it as if with a smile, stretching their lips. There is a Russian sound close to it in the word poem II | |
| [ʊ] | l oo k, p u t | a short sound that can be compared with the Russian unstressed [u], but it is pronounced energetically and with completely relaxed lips (lips cannot be pulled forward) |
| bl u e, f oo d | a long sound, quite similar to the Russian percussion [u], but still not the same. To make it work, when pronouncing Russian [u], you need not to stretch your lips into a tube, not to push them forward, but to round them and smile slightly. Like other long English vowels, it needs to be drawn out much longer than Russian [u] | |
| Diphthong pronunciation table | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phonetic transcription | Examples | Approximate matches in Russian |
| f i ve, ey e | diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in Russian words ah And h ah | |
| [ɔɪ] | n oi se, v oi ce | somehow. The second element, the sound [ɪ], is very short |
| br a ve, afr ai d | a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word w to her ka. The second element, the sound [ɪ], is very short | |
| t ow n, n ow | a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word With aw on. The first element is the same as in ; the second element, the sound [ʊ], is very short | |
| [əʊ] | h o me, kn ow | a diphthong similar to a combination of sounds in a Russian word cl OU n, if you do not pronounce it deliberately syllable by syllable (in this case, the consonance resembles ew ). Pronouncing this diphthong as a pure Russian consonance [ou] is wrong |
| [ɪə] | d ea r, h e re | a diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word such; consists of short sounds [ɪ] and [ə] |
| wh e re,th e re | a diphthong, similar to the combination of sounds in the Russian word dlinnosheye, if you do not pronounce it syllable by syllable. Behind the sound resembling Russian [e] in the word uh That, followed by the second element, an unclear short sound [ə] | |
| [ʊə] | t ou r, p oo r | a diphthong in which [ʊ] is followed by a second element, an unclear short sound [ə]. When pronouncing [ʊ], lips should not be pulled forward |
“It would be better if you wrote the sounds of English with Russian pronunciation”,– some students ask us, meaning transcriptions in the style of “ wonderful, beautyful, darling”.
No, friends, we (Lingualeo people) urge you not to equate Russian and English sounds. They are not identical! Writing “Russian transcriptions” is generally TABOO! It’s better to understand the scary signs of English transcription. Learn to pronounce each of these sounds. At the same time, find and work out every difference between the English sound and our “analogue”.
An article about how not to make a wild vest out of the Wild West
Today we will analyze as many as 6 consonants of the English language. Click on the link to go to the sound you are interested in:
The choice was not made by chance: all 6 sounds are formed with the participation of the lips. 
We will practice sounds according to the scheme that we used in previous articles:
- Theory: we will look in detail at what pronunciation mistakes many students make,
- Practice: let's practice using a special set of words, videos and tongue twisters,
- Examples: Let's find illustrative examples of the use of sound in a famous song.
Consonant / b / – sounds in English and their pronunciation in Russian
Pronounced in words b ack,b ill, ab oard. The articulation of the sound is the same as that of the Russian sound / b /, but the lips are compressed more tightly and the sound is pronounced more intensely.
Pronunciation of English sounds - video
EXERCISE. Practice correct pronunciation with the following words. Remember that you need to compress your lips harder than for the Russian sound!
Another difference between the /b/ sound: it NEVER softens before front vowels (like our and, e, yu, i). Yes, in a word ticket– / b’/ soft, and in the word bill- solid.
Listen to this excerpt from the song “Bit by bit” Canadian rock band Mother Mother. It is clearly audible that in the word bit /bɪt/ and in the word by /baɪ/ the sound is equally solid.
Bit by bit
Gonna get my bricks out in the sticks
Bit by bit
Gonna build my house in the wildest thickets
From 0:14 to 0:26.Find the full song and its lyrics .
EXERCISE. Practice pronouncing a hard consonant before front vowels in words. To do this, first pronounce a hard consonant and only after that raise the middle back of the tongue to the hard palate to pronounce a vowel.
beyond /biˈjɒnd/
better /betər/
before /bɪˈfɔːr/
beacon /ˈbiːk ə n/
There is another complexity to this sound- it is not stunned at the end of a word, as in our language - oak /dup/, hump /gorp/, etc. But we’ll talk about this after we deal with the next sound – /p/.
Consonant sound /p/ in English
Pronounced in words: park, pure, pilot. The difference from the Russian sound is the same as that of its ringing pair: the lips are compressed more tightly. Another important detail is that the sound is pronounced with strong aspiration.
More details in the video. To show the power of aspiration, the presenter conducts a demonstration experiment with a piece of paper (starting at 1:24).
The degree of aspiration (= aspiration) depends on the position in the word:
- Strong aspiration before a long vowel or before a diphthong (peter).
- Weaker before a short vowel (pit).
- Weaker before an unstressed vowel (cheapest) or at the end of a word (lip).
- Almost absent after /s/ (spot).
EXERCISE. Practice the correct pronunciation of the /p/ sound in words. Remember that you need to compress your lips harder and pronounce the sound with aspiration.
poach /pəʊtʃ/
The next difference from our Russian / p /– this is again the lack of palatalization (= softening) before front vowels. In Russian, a hard/soft consonant distinguishes the meaning of a word: ardor - drank, but in English there is no such thing. Yes, in a word letter the sound / p’/ will be soft, and in the word peace- hard.
Listen to Mick Jagger say the word pill/pɪl / with a hard /p/ sound and a distinct aspiration.
And though she’s not really ill
There's a little yellow pill
She goes running for the shelter of a mother’s little helper
P.S. It may seem to you that the sound is still soft (this happens), but this is just a deception of phonemic hearing: we are accustomed to softening and “want” to hear it.
From 0:22 to 0:27. You can find the full lyrics of the song.
EXERCISE. Practice pronouncing hard /p/ before front vowels. First pronounce the hard consonant and only then the vowel.
pencil /ˈpens ə l/
piano /piˈænəʊ/
English paired consonants /b–p/
Now let's talk about the promised lack of stunning/voicing of sound. In Russian there are processes:
- When a voiceless sound comes before a voiced sound, it also becomes voiced: Thatp d Yes/thenbd' is'atk/,
- when a voiced sound comes at the end of a word, it becomes voiceless: oak /dup/.
In English, the voiceless /p/ is not voiced when placed before a voiced sound: sto p B ob/stɒ p bɒb/.
And the voiced /b/ is not devoiced in final position. It becomes weaker and shorter, but remains VOID! Otherwise you can change the meaning of the word: cab (taxi) – cap (cover).
Listen to Chris Rock say the word club.
We stay in the club . We live in the clubb . We die in the club . We get our car washed in the club . We go to school in the clubb . We go to the cleaners in the club .
From the very beginning of the video
EXERCISE. Here are words ending in /b/ and /p/. Say them according to the transcription, without deafening the /b/ sound at the end. Remember that the sound /b/ becomes weaker and /p/ is pronounced with partial aspiration.
cu b/kʌ b/
cu p/kʌ p/
li b/lɪ b/
li p/lɪ p/
pu b/pʌ b/
pu p/pʌ p/
ro be/rəʊ b/
ro pe/rəʊ p/
ta b/tæ b/
ta p/tæ p/
ca b/kæ b/
ca p/kæ p/
ri b/rɪ b/
ri p/rɪ p/
bu b/bʌ b/
bum p/bʌm p/
clu b/klʌ b/
clum p/klʌm p/
When you have mastered all the details of correct pronunciation, consolidate the result with tongue twisters.
For the sound /b/
- A B ritish b wilder b uilt a b wilding of b rown b ricks. A B ulgarian b wilder b uilt a b wilding of b lack b ricks.
- A b ig b lack b ug b it a b ig b lack b ear, a b ig b lack b ear b it a b ig b lack b ug.
- B etty's b a b y's name is B ar b y. B etty's B ar b y is a b ad- b ad b oy. B aby B ar b y is a b ad b ad b aby. B etty b ought to b right b lue b lanket for her b a b y- b oy.
For the sound /p/
- P retty P olly P erkins has a p air of p retty p laits.
- P eter P i p er p icked a p eck of p ickled p e pp er, a p eck of p ickled p e pp er P eter Pi p er p icked If P eter P i p er p icked a p eck of p ickled p e pp er, where's the p eck of p ickled p e pp er P eter P i p er p icked?
- P ablo P icasso p ut off his p alette, p aintbox and p aintbrushes. And p ainted with p en a p picture of a p eaceful p lace in P aris. With a p ink p alace and a p aled p ark p lenty of p retty p lants What's the p ossible p icture's p rice?
Consonant sound /m/ – pronunciation of English sounds in Russian with transcription
Another sound that is formed using the lips. Pronounced in words mother, my, monkey. Unlike the Russian sound /m/, the lips are compressed more tightly again.
Pay attention to how tightly the presenter compresses his lips when pronouncing the sound /m/.
One more detail: the /m/ sound can be longer/shorter depending on its position in the word.
It sounds longer:
- At the end of an isolated word after a short vowel (dim),
- Before a voiced consonant (lambs),
- Before a vowel (mole).
Sounds shorter before a voiceless consonant (lamp).
EXERCISE. Practice correct articulation of sounds on the following words. Press your lips tighter and remember the positional longitude of the sound.
The next difference (I won’t get tired of repeating it): the sound does not have a soft version. Russian word Milka (name of chocolate) we pronounce it with a soft sound, and English milk (milk) – with hard.
Listen to how the combination of words is pronounced in the song Make me feel, where the /m/ sound is equally hard in both words.
From 0:43 to 1:01. Search the whole song.
EXERCISE. Practice the pronunciation of a hard consonant. To do this, first pronounce a hard consonant, and only then pronounce a vowel.
mickey /ˈmɪki/
By and large, these are all the difficulties associated with the correct pronunciation of the English sound /m/. Therefore, let’s immediately move on to tongue twisters:
- The m useu m has m any m e m orable m onu m ents to the m e m ory of so m e re m arkable
m e m bears of the M osle m co mm unity. - God m ade the bees, and the bees m ake honey, M iller's m an does all the work, but the m iller m likes the m oney.
- A m erry m iller m ills m illet at m idday. A m orose m iller m ills m illet at m idnight.
Pronunciation of the consonant sound /w/
Pronounced in words why, was, warm. The sound is already more complex and has no analogue in our language.
At the same time, many Russian speakers think that it is identical to the Russian / in /, so the writer Wa lter Scott joined us Va Walter Scott.
Another mistake is to pronounce the same Walter as Walter, that is, replacing the sound / w / with Russian / u /.
How do you pronounce this sound?
- The lips are strongly rounded and move forward somewhat, forming a narrow round opening.
- The back of the tongue rises to the soft palate. The soft palate and lateral edges of the tongue are raised and air passes along its middle.
- Instantly, the tongue and lips move into position to pronounce the next vowel.
So, pronouncing Russian / in / we press the upper teeth to the lower lip (say the word Vova and feel the articulation). To pronounce /w/ correctly, you need to very vigorously move your lips forward, as if you were to blow out a candle, and instantly move on to articulating the next vowel after /w/.
Unlike Russian /у/, the rounded lips do not move forward so much. We pronounce the sound quickly. Lips are tense.
EXERCISE. Practice correct pronunciation. Bring your tense lips into a small hole and move them forward slightly. After pronouncing the sound /w/, immediately move on to the articulation of the next vowel.
As an illustrative example, I propose to take the song “Love To See You Cry” by Enrique Iglesias, where the singer very clearly demonstrates the desired position of the lips.
I don't know why why but I love to see you cry
I don't know why why it just makes me feel alive
From 1:52 to 1:57. Look for the lyrics of the song.
EXERCISE. Practice reading the following contrasting pairs of Russian and English words. Pay attention to the energetic articulation of the sound / w / and do not replace it with Russian sounds / v, u /.
Winnie – Winnie
cooks – worried
William
water – water
fork – we’ll
screw – wind
Swift – swift
wind
It is simply necessary to train to distinguish these sounds. If you replace the sound /w/ with /v/, you can change the meaning of the word:
wet - vet (wet - veterinarian), worse - verse (worse - verse), while - vile (at that time - vile, vile), west - vest (west - vest).
We consolidate the result with tongue twisters:
- W innie is as w eak as w ater.
- Wh y w wouldn't W alter w ash w ith w ater that w asn't w arm?
- Wh y do you cry, W illie? Wh do you cry? Wh y, W illie? Wh y, W illie? Wh y, W illie? Wh y?
So, we have sorted out labial sounds. Let's move on to the labiodental.
Sound / v / – English for beginners: pronunciation of sounds
For convenience, we have now talked about Russian / v / and English / v / as similar sounds. But in reality they are different.
The English version is again more intense due to the fact that English speakers lightly bite their lip, whereas we simply touch our upper teeth to our lower lip (say the word Vova and feel the articulation).
Now watch the video and see the difference
EXERCISE. Practice correct pronunciation of words. Remember that you need to press your upper teeth closer to your lower lip, and the sound should be more intense.
vocal /ˈvəʊk ə l/
voter /ˈvəʊtər/
vodka /ˈvɒdkə/
volume /ˈvɒljuːm/
vacuum /ˈvækjuːm/
vacation /vəˈkeɪʃən/
vulgar /ˈvʌlɡər/
The next common mistake associated with this sound is softening it (yes, there it is again). I will not stop repeating: in English there is no alternation of hard and soft consonants. In a word believe we will say a soft sound, and in the word very- solid.
Listen to Carly Simon pronounce the word vain /veɪn/.
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?
From 0:53 to 1:10. Full version of the song.
EXERCISE.
vicar /ˈvɪkər/
visit /ˈvɪzɪt/
veto /ˈviːtəʊ/
vegan /ˈviːɡən/
Paired consonant /f/
Here the difference is the same: it is pronounced more energetically and clearly. In addition, the sound is longer.
EXERCISE. Practice correct articulation. To do this, press your upper teeth more tightly to your lower lip, make the sound more intense and prolonged.
You already know the next difference in sound: it never softens. In a word finish we speak a soft sound, but in a word finger- solid.
Listen to the Beatles say a combination of words feel /fiːl/ And fine /faɪn/, where you can clearly hear that the sound is equally hard in both words.
I'm in love with her and I feel fine
From 0:23 to 0:29. Full lyrics of the song.
EXERCISE. Practice pronouncing the hard consonant.
finger /ˈfɪŋɡər/
feeble /ˈfiːbl/
Well, by tradition, let’s repeat about the lack of stunning. The /v/ sound at the end of a word should be weaker and shorter, but sonorous. Remember that replacing /v/ with /f/ can change the meaning of a word: leave /li:v/ (live) – leaf /liːf/ (leaf).
As an example of sonorous pronunciation, I again suggest listening to an excerpt from the legendary Carly Simon song “You're so vain”.
You had me several years ago
When I was still quite nai ve
Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leaveve
From 1:10 to 1:27
EXERCISE. Here are words ending in /v/ and /f/. Pronounce the sounds of the English language according to transcription, without deafening the sound / v / at the end. Remember that the /v/ sound becomes weaker and shorter, but remains voiced.
lea ve/liː v/
lea f/liː f/
o f /ɒ v/
o ff /ɒ f/
gi ve /ɡɪ v/
gi f /ɡɪ f/
hal ve/hɑː v/
hal f/hɑː f/
gu v /ɡʌ v/
gu ff /ɡʌ f/
pro ve/pruː v/
proo f/pruː f/
sa ve/seɪ v/
sa fe/seɪ f/
belie ve/bɪˈliː v/
belie f/bɪˈliː f/
grie ve/ɡriː v/
grie f/ɡriː f/
ser ve/sɜː v/
sur f/sɜː f/
do ve/dʌ v/
du ff/dʌ f/
As always, we finish the training with tongue twisters to practice English sounds.
For the sound /v/
- E v e is v ery v ain and V i v ienne is v i v acious and full of v er v e.
- A v ery v ersed v aluer v cleared the v alue of the v anished V enetian v ase in V atican.
- A v illage v et v isits v illagers in the v icinity to v accinate v image cal v es from a v irulent v irus.
Tongue twisters for the sound /f/
- That f ish has a f at f in, this f ish is a f ish that has a thinner f in than that f ish.
- The f irst f ly f lies f orty- f our f eet. The f ourth f ly f lies f orty- f ive f eet. The f i f th f ly f lies f i f ty- f our f eet. What f ly f lies f i f ty- f ive f ee?
- F rank's f ather f ollowed a f ox's f ootprints in a f orest. F red's f ather f ollowed a f Erret's f ootprints in a f ield.
In the same place at the same hour
We did a great job today. Together with previous articles, 16 sounds have already been studied. So, all that remains is to sort out 44 – 16 = 28. : “options” / And / And /e/ in English (believe me, they are very different from ours). See ya!
The video lesson shows how to correctly pronounce a consonant sound. /w/ using the example of words where this sound occurs at the beginning, middle and end. And also examples compare similar sounds /w/ And /v/.
Examples of words with transcription:
wet — / wet / - wet, humid
one — / wʌn / - one
when — / wen / - When
beware — / bi'weə / - beware, beware
quick — / kwik / - fast
queen — / kwi:n / - queen
Foreigners often confuse the /w/ sound and the /v/ sound in English words. For example, in the word university, many people often mistakenly use the sound /v/.
English Joke
Everybody on earth dies and goes to heaven. God comes and says “I want the men to make two lines. One line for the men that dominated their women on earth and the other line for the men that were whipped by their women. Also, I want all the women to go with St. Peter."
Said and done, the next time God looks the women are gone and there are two lines. The line of the men that were whipped was 100 miles long, on the line of men that dominated women there was only one man.
God got mad and said, “You men should be ashamed of yourselves. I created you in my image, and you were all whipped by your mates. Look at the only one of my sons that stood up and made me proud, learn from him! Tell them my son how did you manage to be the only one on that line?”
The man said, “I don’t know. My wife told me to stand here."
We continue our lessons on teaching reading in English. On the sign on the left, green arrows indicate sounds that we have already passed. Since we have studied almost all consonants, in this lesson we will repeat 8 studied vowel sounds to consolidate their pronunciation. There are only 4 consonant sounds left. Sounds [ r] And [ w] We go through this lesson, and the sounds [j] and [ŋ] in the next one. So, let's begin!
In Lesson #14 you will learn:
- how to read english consonants Rr And Ww;
- how to read letter combinations wr, wh, rh, er/or,
Let's start with pronouncing sounds, and then move on to reading letter combinations.
So the letter Ww represents a sound in writing [w]. Letter Rr represents a sound in writing [r]. Both sounds are quite complex, because there are no similar sounds in the Russian language.
Mouth exercise which will help you learn to pronounce English sounds [w]: stretch your lips into a tube, as if you want to blow out a candle, and then sharply move the corners of your mouth to the sides, as if in a smile. And so many times: tube - smile, tube - smile, tube - smile...
Pronunciation of the English sound [w]. Now that your mouth is prepared, let's start pronouncing the sound. Pull your lips out for a moment, as if you want to pronounce the sound “u”, and when you begin to pronounce “u”, immediately smile sharply. You will get a sound a little like “v”.
Actually the sound [w] The letters “u” and “v” are very often rendered in Russian. Even in official sources the name William is spelled either William or William. Because there is NO such sound in the Russian language.
If you don't quite understand how to pronounce the English sound yet [w] correctly, then pronounce it as a short “u”, but in no case as a “v”.
Please note again that when you pronounce “u” your lips are rounded and NOT touching your teeth, the same position of your lips should be maintained when pronouncing the sound [w].
When pronouncing the sound “v”, the upper teeth touch the lower lip. This shouldn't happen!
How to pronounce the English sound [r] correctly?
I will say right away that this is a very complex sound. At least it was like that for me.
What you need to do to pronounce an English sound [r] correct and How does English [r] differ from Russian “r”?
- When pronouncing a sound [r] can come from sound [ʒ], which you already know how to pronounce. Only the tip of the tongue needs to be bent even further back ring.
- The tip of the tongue when pronouncing a sound [r] located in the back of the upper palate, the tongue does not shake. It looks like a burry “r” sound.
- When pronouncing the Russian sound “r”, the tongue shakes at the upper teeth: “pppp-pp-p...”
Listen to how sounds [w] and [r] are pronounced correctly —
Reading letter combinations with the sound R: wr, rh, er/or
2. Letter combinations er, or at the end the words are read as [ə] : sister, doctor, etc.
3. wr, rh reads like [r]: wr ist - wrist, rh ythm [‘rɪð(ə)m], as well as in such common words that we do not yet know how to read: wr ite (to write), wr ong (wrong)
Reading letter combinations with the sound W: wh
1. wh read as [w]: wh at - What, as well as in such common words that we do not yet know how to read: wh y (why), wh ite (white), wh ile (while).
Exception. Wh before o reads like [h]: wh o (who), wh ose (whose)
2. At the end of a word w unreadable: slo w
Phonetic exercises for practicing sounds [w] and [r] with audio recording (closed content)
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Title: Teaching reading in English. Subscription code 19
Description: Access to a course of lessons on teaching reading in English and pronunciation at the same time. Author T.V. Nabeeva
Word combinations with sounds [w] and [r] for practicing during the week:
- What? - What?
- When? - When?
- Very well. - Very good.
- The weather is terrible. — The weather is terrible.
- We will see. - We will think about it.
- What did she see? - What did she see?
- He's sorry. - He's sorry.
- We are ready. - We are ready.
- Get well! - Get better!
- Keep in touch. - We'll be in touch.
