2020-01-14
831
HINTS ON PRONUNCIATION FOR FOREIGNERS
I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble but not you,
On hic cough, tho rough, laugh and through …
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps.
Beware of heard: a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead: it’s said like bed not bead –
For goodness’ sake don’t call it deed.
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt!)
A moth is not a moth in mother;
Nor both in bother, broth in brothe r;
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear.
And then there’s dose and rose and lose
(Just look them up) and goose and choose,
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart …
Come, come! I’ve hardly made a start.
A dreadful language? Man alive!
I’d mastered it when I was five!
I will teach you in my verse
Words like corps, corks, horse, and worse.
For this phonetic labyrinth
Gives monkey, donkey, ninth and plinth;
Woun ded, roun ded, grieve and sieve;
Friend and fiend; alive and live.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dies and diet; lord and word,
Earth and hearth and clerk and herd;
Evil, devil, tomb, bomb, comb;
Doll, roll, dull, bull, some and home.
Finally – for I’ve said enough –
Through though thorough plo ug h cough tough!
While hiccough has the sound of cup…
My advice is: GIVE IT UP!
Put the words which are wholly or partially in italics on the correct line, according
to the pronunciation of the italicized vowel sound. Some have been done for you.
| [ʌ] | tough |
| [aʊ] | bough |
| [ ɒ ] | cough |
| [ əʊ ] | |
| [ ə ] | |
| [ ɑ: ] | |
| [ u: ] | |
| [ ɜ: ] | |
| [ ɪə ] | |
| [ e ] | |
| [ i: ] | |
| [ eī ] | |
| [ ɛə ] | |
| [ ɔ: ] | |
| [ aī ] | |
| [ ɪ ] | |
| [ ʊ ] |
Ex. 10.2 Group the letters of the English alphabet according to their pronunciation:
O P A C
H D
V F Z J Y
I
U The Alphabet B Q R
M
W G
N E S L
K
T X
| [ i: ] | [ e ] | [ eI ] | [ u: ] | [ aI ] | [ əu ] | [ ɑ: ] |
Ex. 10.3 There is one spelling mistake in each word in the following text. Underline every word which is wrongly spelt. Then write the correct spelling in the space provided at the end of the sentence.
The moon is a natural satellite that travels around the earth (_______). As the moon moves, it seemes to change shape (______). But it does not change sheipe (_____). It has no ligth of its own (_____). When we see the moon, we see sonlight reflected off it (______). We can see the moon only if the lighted part is torned towards Earth (_____). During the full moon, the lighted part of the moon is torned towards Earth (_____). There is no eaar on the moon (____). And it is very hot in the day-time on it (____). It appeares to have no live (_____). Many people wanted to lean more about the moon (_____). Long ago, people used only there eyes to look at the moon (_____). They could not see the moon’s land clealy (_____). Later, a telescope was invanted (______). Since then, people have used telescops to study the moon (_____).
Ex. 10.4 There is one spelling mistake in each line in the following text. Underline every word which is wrongly spelt. Then write the correct spelling in the space provided at the end of the sentence.
Have you ever thought that a person’s apperance ____________
revels more than we realise? According to some _____________
experts, a persons’ face, head, and body can_________________
reveal a great deal about personallity. ______________________
The art of frenology studies the form of the _________________
head, to be more acurate, the bumps on it. __________________
Phrenologists have identified forty bumps of varios ___________
shapes and sises on the human head. They “read _____________
these bumps to identifie a person’s talents and _______________
charactor. For exmple, a bump between the nose _____________
and forhead is said to be present in people who ______________
have natural elegence and love of beauty. A bump ____________
behind the cirve of the ear is the sign of ____________________
a courageous and adventerous person. _____________________
Ex. 10.5 The two words that are written after each sentence sound alike, but have different meanings and spellings (they are called homophones). Fill in the blanks with the correct words to complete each sentence.
1. The _______ spent the ______ in the castle.
A) knight B) night
2. Be sure to ______ your surname on the ______ line.
A) write B) right
3. Have you heard the fairy ______ about the cat with no ______?
A) tale B) tail
4. Didn’t you ______ Ann ask you to put the plate______.
A) here B) hear
5. The ______ on a ______ is called fur.
A) hare B) hair
6. Yesterday the sky was clear ______ and the wind ______ from the north.
A) blue B) blew
7. He decided to ______ his new belt, but he doesn’t know ______ he put it.
A) where B) wear
8. From ______ hundred flowers the prince had to find the flower before it was ______ late.
A) too B) two
9. It is not ______ if some people do not pay their bus ______.
A) fair B) fare
10. The coach announced which ______ of the teams ______ the game.
A) won B) one
11. We brought a ______ of cool water to the ______ traveler.
A) pail B) pale
12. Do you always ______ the skin off a ______ before you eat it?
A) pare B) pear
13. The Indians wrote the ______ treaty on a ______ of bark.
A) piece B) peace
14. After his illness John felt ______ for a ______.
A) week B) weak
15. The boat sailed ______ through the ______.
A) straight B) strait
Ex. 10.6 Correct the spelling mistakes in the letter below:
Deer Jane,
Hear I am in Siberia. We’ve been hear for too weaks now, and I can’t bare the thought of staying in this country any longer.
What dreadful whether! It’s bitterly cold out. When I’m chilled to the bone, I think I’ll never warm up.
Wee leave in a wooden house. It is surrounded with a huge would. The hunter, who lives with us, says that the would is full of beasts. You can walk their and meat a dear or a bear. As for me, I saw a hair’s sine.
Do you think it is fare to leave me hear! I can’t even sleep in piece. Can’t you come and stay with me? The air fair is really not very expensive. Hope to sea you soon. Your Jack.
Ex. 10.7 Find the pairs of homophones hidden in the list below:
Side/ balls/ bear/ bowled/ cue/ ducked/ fort/ work/ grate/ hair/ hare/ bales/ week/ dally/ bald/ hold/ fought/ weekly/ stoke/ walk/ missed/ air/ pure/ packed/ pear/ pore/ where/ pour/ duct/ bore/ seam/ quiet/ sought/ please/ shake/ wade/ sheikh/ pleas/ weakly/ bold/ past/ sighed/ piece/ mist/ wear/ seem/ sight/ slay/ wake/ win/ steak/ stalk/ stroke/ stork/ daily/ stake/ weak/ bare/ holed/ wine/ pact/ bawls/ passed/ wane/ queue/ great/ heir/ pair/ whine/ grant/ sleigh/ same/ weighed/ site/ peace
