| Tongue high and front. Move to centre. |
/ɪə/ |
"beer" |
/eə/ |
"bear" |
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 46 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 22 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 23 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 5 |
| Move tongue to a lower front position. |
/æ/ |
"man" |
/e/ |
"men" |
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 18-19 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 4 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 2 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 12 "How Now Brown Cow" |
| Tongue more central & mouth open. |
/ɑ:/ |
"far" |
/ɔ:/ |
"four" |
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 5 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 3 |
| Keep mouth round and tongue back. |
/ɒ/ |
"not" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 24; "Ship or Sheep" Unit 8; "Ship or Sheep" Unit 9; "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 3; "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 7; "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 12; |
| Back of tongue high. Lips rounded but relaxed. Short. |
/ʊ/ |
"full" |
/u:/ |
"fool" |
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 29 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 10 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 11 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 3 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 8 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 13 |
| Tongue low central. Lips relaxed. |
/ʌ/ |
"cup" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 25 "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 26 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 5 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 6 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 3 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 4 |
| Fix tongue in central position. Long. |
/ɜ:/ |
"bird" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 31 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 12 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 5 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 8 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 45 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 4 |
| Weak endings: e.g. "London" "England" |
/ə/ |
"the" (schwa) |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 32-33 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 13 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 31 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 1 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 12 |
| Start with tongue low front. |
/aɪ/ |
"buy" |
/ɔɪ/ |
"boy" |
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 35 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 16 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 8 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 1 |
| Start with tongue low & back. |
/ɔɪ/ |
"boy" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 36 "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 39 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 17 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 49 |
| Relax the mouth and keep sound short. |
/ɪ/ |
"sit" |
/i:/ |
"seat" |
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 15-16 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 2 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 6 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 7 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 9 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 6 |
| Tongue central. Then tightly round lips. |
/əʊ/ |
"bone" |
/ɔ:/ |
"born" |
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 42 "English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 44 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 15 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 6 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 47 |
| Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide. |
/w/ |
"west" |
/v/ |
"vest" |
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 38 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 17 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 2 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 4 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 11 |
| Tongue from centre front. Draw back to centre. |
/eə/ |
"bear" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 47 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 50 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 5 |
| Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround. |
/ʊə/ |
"tour" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 48 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "Listening Comp: Pronunciation" Unit 5 |
| Tongue low front to high front to centre. |
/aɪə/=/aɪ/+/ə/ |
"fire" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 45 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 50 |
| Tongue low front. Then round & unround lips. |
/aʊə/=/aʊ/+/ə/ |
"flour" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 45 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 50 |
| Voiceless. Friction. Tongue between teeth. |
/θ/ |
"thin" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 61 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 41 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 13 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 5 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 7 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 3 |
| Voiced. Friction. Tongue between lips. |
/ð/ |
"they" |
/d/ |
"day" |
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 42 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 5 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 7 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 22 |
| Voiced. Friction. Tongue between lips. |
/ð/ |
"clothe" |
/z/ |
"close" /z/ |
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 42 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 5 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 7 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 22 |
| Voiceless: tip of tongue behind top teeth. Friction. |
/s/ |
"rice" |
/z/ |
"rise" |
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 12; "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 3; "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 2; "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 1; "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 14; |
| Back of tongue to back roof. Nasal. |
/ŋ/ + /k/ |
"think" |
/ŋ/ + /g/ |
"thin" + k or g |
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 72 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 45 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 18 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 6 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 12 |
| British /r/ is weaker & sometimes silent. |
/r/ |
"sir" |
|
"sirrrr" |
"Ship or Sheep" Unit 49 "Headway Pronunciation UPP-INT" Unit 3 "How Now Brown Cow" Unit 27 |
| From low front vowel to lips tightly rounded. |
/aʊ/ |
"cow" |
|
|
"English Pronunc. Illustrated" pp. 41 "Ship or Sheep" Unit 19 "Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 8 "Headway Pronunciation EL" Unit 11 "Headway Pronunciation PRE-INT" Unit 10 "Headway Pronunciation INT" Unit 12 |