Pronunciation and Spelling in English

Letter “E” (primary short and long meanings):

Letters “I/Y” (primary short and long meanings):

Letter “U” (primary short and long meanings):

 

Letter “O” (primary short and long meanings):

 

Ex.4.2

a) Make words with these beginnings and write them in the correct part of the table:  

 
 

b) Divide the words into groups according to the sounds:

Air, bear, deer, square, tour, real, giant, your, near, ear, pair, oar, more, secure, cure, fire, lure, lyre, pure, satire, board, fair, hair, hear, dear, tire, fuel, sore, our, area, near, pier, hour, fire, mere, real, diamond, ear, fierce, science, vary, zero, theory, fuel, ore, millionaire, lair, mere, where, trial, work, earn, sergeant, warm, worm, heart, world, merry, persuade, nurse, harp, early, scarcely, clerk, form, target, learn, hurry, bird, persue, war, firm, circus, turn, farm, earth, word, market, girl, fir, bargain, turkey, mortar, swirl, sword, order, urgently, orchid, appear, observe, persue, surface, disregard, perm, sardines, require, depart, quarrel. 

Ex.4.3 Read as quickly as possible:

1. Hares, rare hares, take care of rare hares; my parents take care of rare hares. My parents rarely take care of rare hares and canaries.

2. Football, more than football, basketballs more than football, adore basketball more than football, boys adore basketball more than football, tall boys adore basketball more than football. Almost all tall boys adore basketball more than football.

3. The theory, the theory of this experienced engineer is clear, the theory of this experienced engineer is really clear. My dear! The theory of this experienced engineer is really clear.

4. Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.

5. Cheers, dear! Cheers! Here’s to the bearded mountaineer!

6. Charming, large and charming, farms are large and charming, gardens and farms are large and charming. The parks, gardens and farms are large and charming.

7. A girl, a circus girl, Pearl is a circus girl, Pearl is a circus girl who works, Pearl is a circus girl who works with birds.

8. Her work, her work in workshop, her work in a dirty workshop, her work in a dirty workshop was the worst. Her work in a dirty workshop was the worst in the world. 

Ex. 4.4 Pick out the odd word:

1. term, clerk, serve, perfect.
2. target, farm, warm, market.
3. learn, earth, pearl, heart.
4. Vernon, terrible, merry, hurry.
5. word, work, world, war.
6. first, fur, far, turn.
7. girl, shirk, wire, birch, birth.
8. earn, learn, heart, early.
9. worm, worn, world, work.
10. nurse, lurk, hurry, hurt, suburb.
11. advertisement, university, reserved, western.

 

Ex. 4.5 Put the words into three columns: 

 

Tardy, sort, purge, war, heart, dormant, world, port, darling, warm, earn, lord, work, partake, furbish, learn, mortify, clerk, purblind, portly, sergeant, dart, further, partner. 

Ex. 4.6 Complete this conversation using the words in the box. Then listen and check

  ( , track 4)

 

Sid: This is a great life, with no worries or cares!

Joe: It would be nice if we had  ________  though, Sid.

Sid: I didn’t say  ______, I said  ______!

Joe: Oh, I see. Not  _______,  as in traffic, but  ______  with an ES at the end!

Sid: That’s right. I’ve always loved sleeping under the  ______.

Joe: But why? There’ hardly any space under the  ______!

Sid: No, not  ______,  ______!  You know, little lights in the sky.

Joe: Oh,  ______!  I thought you said  _________,  that people walk up!

 

Ex. 4.7 Read and transcribe the following sentences:

1. I’d like to reserve a seat on the ten-thirty flight to Birmingham, on Thursday. My name is Vernon.
2. I’ll search under the fir trees and the birches, I’ll circle the earth – and I’ll return with a superb firm earthworm for my perfect turtledove.
3. Pearl will be thirty next birthday. Her perfume from Germany is perfect.
4. Gregory reported about this story with sarcasm, then he asked rhetorical question.
5. I always think about misfortune with a horror.
6. Barbara’s government had a very bad reputation.
7. Sorry, but I don’t like horror films, I prefer going to the theatre.

 

Ex. 4.8 Listen and circle the word you hear ( , track 5)

Heart or hat? She put her hand on her heart\hat.

1. Nowhere or no way? There’s nowhere\no way to go.
2. Fair or far? It isn’t fair\far.
3. Part or port? This is the main part\port of Athens.
4. Bear or beer? That’s a strong bear\beer.
5. Come or calm? She told me to come\calm down.

 

Ex. 4.9 Practice reading

  idioms, sayings:

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

If the cap fits, wear it.

Here today, gone tomorrow.

Five fat friars frying fish.

While there is life there is hope.

No smoke without fire.

Real weird rear wheels.

First come, first served.

Even a worm will turn.

It is the early bird that catches the worm.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

One good turn deserves another.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The calm before the storm.

To put the cart before the horse.

A barking dog seldom bites.

Don’t take your harp to the party.

A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk.

Adversity makes the man wise, not rich.

Through hardship to the stars.

Return good for evil.

Better unborn than untaught.

You can bring your horse to the water but you can’t make it drink.  
 

  rhymes and twisters:

An old woman, old woman, shall we go a – shearing?

Speak a little louder, sir, - I am very hard of hearing.

Old woman, old woman, shall I love you dearly?

Thank you, kind sir, I hear you very clearly. 

How many boards

Could the Mongols hoards

If the Mongol hoards got bored? 

“What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?” 

I cannot bear to see a bear

Bear down upon a hare.

When bare of hair he strips the hare,

Right there I cry, “Forbear!”

 

5. Reading of Vowel Digraphs*

 

 

Principles of Reading Vowel Digraphs

1. The 1^st letter is read in its primary long meaning: sea [i:], oak [əυ], etc.;
2. The 2^nd letter is read in its primary long meaning: neutral [u:], either [aı], etc.;
3. Two letters are read in their primary short meanings, forming a diphthong: beige [eı], they [eı], boil [ɔI], oyster [ɔI];
4. One of the letters is read in its primary short or secondary meaning: aunt [ɑ:], theory [ıə], etc.

 

Ex. 5.1 Read the following words with digraphs [ei|ey]. Identify the sound of each line.

[ ] 1. beige, deign, heinous.

[ ] 2. either, seismograph, deictic.

[ ] 3. seize, inveigle, ceiling, receive, deceive, conceive, perceive.

[ ] 4. heir, heiress.

[ ] 5. leisure, Leicester.

[ ] 6. counterfeit, sovereign, foreign, surfeit, forfeit.

[ ] 7. eight, freight, neighbour, weight, sleigh, weigh.

[ ] 8. height, sleight.

[ ] 9. they, survey, grey, obey.

[ ] 10. eyrie.

[ ] 11. key.

[ ] 12. monkey, money, whisky, hockey, trolley.

Ex. 5.2 Which twelve of these words contain the sound [eə] (as in chair)? How are the others pronounced? Can you think of any more words with [eə]?

Air, care, dear, fair, hair, her, here, pear, pair, share, tear (verb), their, there, they’re, were, we’re, where.

 

Ex. 5.3

a) Read the poem. Explain the reading of vowel combinations.

A little health, a little wealth

A little house and freedom

With some few friends for certain ends,

But little cause to need them.

 

b) Each word on the left rhymes with one word on the right. Match the words that rhyme and try to write a short poem using some of the rhyming words.

 
 
 

Ex. 5.4

a) Put the following words in the correct column according to the pronunciation of “ea”. Careful! Three of the words have two different pronunciations (and different meanings).