Listen and repeat the following pairs of words, paying close attention to the vowel sounds.
Minimal Pairs Audio Clips:
Ship - short "i"
Sheep - long "e"
Bad - short "a"
Bed - short "e"
Cat - short "a"
Cut - short "u"
Practice Exercise 2: Consonant Clusters
Listen and repeat the following words, focusing on the consonant clusters.
Words with Consonant Clusters:
Evaluation
Answers will vary based on individual pronunciation
Street: str
Spring: spr
Climb: kl
Practice Exercise 3: Intonation Patterns
Listen and repeat the following sentences, focusing on the rise and fall of your voice.
Sentences:
Are you coming to the party?
I can’t believe it’s already Friday!
She said she would arrive at five.
Audio Clips:
Answers will vary based on individual pronunciation
Are you coming to the party?
Rising intonation on party
I can’t believe it’s already Friday!
Rising intonation on Friday
She said she would arrive at five.
Falling intonation on five
Shadowing Exercise
Listen to the following passage and try to mimic the speaker’s pronunciation and intonation as closely as possible.
Audio Clip:
Answers will vary based on individual pronunciation and intonation.
Common Accents in English
Let’s listen to examples of different English accents to understand their unique features. This will help you become more adaptable and improve your own pronunciation.
Audio Clips:
Differences in Accents
British Accent:
Clear enunciation, non-rhotic (soft "r" sounds).
American Accent:
Rhotic (pronounced "r" sounds), relaxed intonation.
Australian Accent:
Distinct vowel sounds, slight nasal quality.