UNIVERSIDAD TECNOLÓGICA DE PEREIRA LICENCIATURA EN LENGUA INGLESA

PRONUNCIATION COURSE I Pronunciation Assignment

1. Complete the chart below related to vowel sounds

CONCEPT DEFINITION EXAMPLE

Single vowel sounds

A combination of vowel sounds

/i:/ /ɪ/ /u:/ /ʊ/

Open Vowels

The tongue is neither high nor low in the mouth

Lip positions

2. Look at the charts below and pronounce the words with the correct vowel sound.

3. Write the appropriate vowel sounds for the underlined letters.

seat Cake

call Toy

want High

food Beer

step Sure

about where

shirt Go

hit house

took church

hat mouth

run barn

far first

4. Read the description and choose the vowel sound that matches the description

a. This is a close vowel; the back of the tongue is raised to just below the close position. Lips are rounded, but

loosely so, the tongue is tense /u:/ /ʊ/ /ɔ:/ b. This is an open vowel; the front of the tongue is raised to just below the half-open position. Lips are

neutrally open /æ/ /ʌ/ /ə/ c. This is a close vowel; the part of the tongue slightly nearer the center is raised to just above the half close

position. The lips are spread loosely and the tongue is more relaxed. The sides of the tongue may just touch the upper molars. /ʊ/ /ɪ/ /i:/

d. This is a long mid vowel; the center of the tongue is between the half-close and half-open position. Lips are relaxed and neutrally spread. /ə/ /ʌ/ /ɜ:/

e. A diphthong that moves from a close spread relaxed vowel towards the schwa.

/əʊ/ /ɪə/ /eə/ 5. Say if the statements below are true or false and correct the false ones.

a. English speakers use twelve pure vowels. b. Vowels are differentiated from the consonants by their position of the tongue and the lips. c. Lip positions for vowel production can be rounded and neutral. d. While vowels are produced with the help of many organs, consonants depend only on the position

of the tongue and the lips. e. The position of the tongue and the lips allow for a great amount of variation enabling us to voice

many more than the familiar five vowels. f. The IPA has eight diphthongs. g. Vowels can be produced by raising the tongue high, keeping it in the middle or low in the mouth. h. Vowels can be produced alone and may be short or long. i. Vowels are classified into close, mid and open vowels.

6. Write examples for each sound.

/i:/ teacher /ɑ:/ part

/ɪ/ hit /ʌ/ run

/ɜ:/ shirt /ɔ:/ fork

/ə/ paper /ɒ/ dog

/u:/ food /e/ left

/ʊ/ good /æ/ hat

7. Cross out the word which does not contain the vowel sound on the left.

a. /e/ bread woman eggs many b. /ʌ/ enough brother sugar much c. /ɒ/ onion coffee lot what d. /ɜ:/ shirt pork world university e. /i:/ cheese tea wine magazines f. /ɑ:/ car carrots half aren´t g. /ɪ / buildings little birds milk h. /u:/ shampoo look fruit two

8. Read the words (1-8) and circle the correct phonetic transcription.

1. Wide a /weId/ b /waɪd/ c /wɪəd/ 2. Place a/pleɪs/ b /plaɪs/ c /pleəs/ 3. poison a /´pɔɪzən/ b /´pəʊzən/ c /´paʊzən/ 4. Hear a /heər/ b /hʊə/ c /hɪər/ 5. Nowhere a /´nəʊweɪr/ b /´nəʊweər/ c /´nəʊwɪər/ 6. Round a /rəʊnd/ b /rɔɪnd/ c /raʊnd/ 7. Slowly a /´sleəli/ b /´sləʊli/ c /´slaʊli/ 8. Europe a /´jaʊrəp/ b /´jerəp/ c /´jʊərəp/

9. Underline the word that has a different pronunciation pattern.

1. a. Go b. so c. no d. do

2. a. Cleared b. heard c. beard d. feared

3. a. Shoes b. goes c. nose d. toes

4. a. Great b. seat c. wait d. gate

5. a. Among b. wrong c. sung d. begun

6. a. Load b. road c. showed d. board

7. a. Hot b. done c. does d. from

8. a. Stop b. not c. dog d. lock

9. a. Cute b. fuel c. few d. rule

10. a. Spoon b. fool c. took d. moon

11. a. Work b. form c. torn d. sort

10. Choose the correct option to complete the statements below

1. The neck lace has many red _____. A. beads B. bids

2. My father-in-law has a lot of money. He’s very _____. A. reach B. rich

3. My grandmother has broken her ______. A. heap B. hip

4. That student is brilliant. He is a _______ at mathematics. A. wheeze B. whiz

5. There are 52 ________ a year. A. weeks B. wicks

11. Read the following text and circle the words with the /i:/ sound and underline the /ɪ/ sound

Sleep disorders

People have always been interested in sleep. Shakespeare’s Helmet had dreams that disturbed his sleep. Sigmund Freud started a new profession with his work on the meaning of dreams. Although most people sleep eight hours a night, people with sleep disorders may sleep much less or much more. Modern science sees sleep as an active process, with its own stages and rhythms.

The most common sleep disorder is insomnia, the inability to fall asleep or to stay asleep. At one time or another, most people had probably had insomnia. Insomnia is not itself a disease but it may be a symptom of some other disease or problem. People with different “biological clocks” may have insomnia. For example, a night person may say that he is at his best during the night and feels slow and tired during the day. Insomnia is also common among people who suffer from depression, stress or emotional problems. And insomnia can cause more insomnia; a person who is tired during the day because he cannot sleep at night may become afraid at bedtime. This fear can make his problem even worse.

12. Choose the correct transcription from the box below to match it with its correct definition

/tʃɪn/ /tʃeɪn/ /hi:t/ /hɪt/ /bɜ:rd /

/ber/ /fʌn/ /fæn/ /tʃi:p/ /ʃi:p/

a. the lower portion of the face lying below the lower lip and including the prominence of the lower jaw _____

b. added energy that causes substances to rise in temperature, fuse, evaporate, expand, or undergo any of various other related changes, that flows to a body by contact with or radiation from bodies at higher temperatures, and that can be produced in a body __________

c. Any of a family of large heavy mammals of America and Eurasia that have long shaggy hair, rudimentary tails, and plant grade feet and feed largely on fruit, plant matter, and insects as well as on flesh____________

d. An instrument for producing a current of air: as a device that is held in the hand and moved back and forth

to cool a person ____________ e. Purchasable below the going price or the real value ___________