Set of exercises in order to improve the students pronunciation in English (página 3)

Enviado por Carlos Franco Castellanos

Partes: 1, 2, 3

d) The movie was good. It wasn"t
bad.

e) The food was good. It
wasn"t bad.

f) I have to wash the dinner
dishes.

g) He made a good grade
on the test.

h) It"s difficult to
drive in the winter.

Practice the sentences. The sounds /ð/ and /d/ are both
included in these sentences as shown.

a) I dare you to go
there.

b) Dan bought a dozen
roses.

c) They"ve gone away for
the day.

d) What"s the date of
the dance?

e) Today is Monday.

f) Don"t touch your
teeth when you pronounce a "d".

g) The word is doze,
not those.

h) That was a good
movie.

Exercise 17

/s/ and /z/

1. Listen while the teacher pronounces
the following sentences and select the correct one.

I"m going to pronounce the word
Sue.

I"m going to pronounce the word
zoo.

The sound /s/ is a voiceless fricative pronounced with the
tongue close to the teeth, the teeth closed, and the tongue
grooved. The air makes a hissing sound as it passes over the
tongue and between the teeth.

The sound /z/ is a voiced fricative pronounced with the tongue
in the same position as for /s/. It is a voiced sound; the vocal
cords are vibrating. This produces a buzzing sound as the air
passes out through the mouth.

2. Pronounce the words in the columns
below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.

(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then,
all of the words in column 2.

1
                                    2

/s/
/z/

seal
                                zeal

Sue
zoo

sink
zinc

see
"z"

(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above
columns. Be sure that you make a difference in the two sounds
being practiced.

(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word
from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving
the number of the column or by holding up either one or two
fingers.

3. Practice the sentences in exercise
15. All these sentences contain the sound /s/.

4. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /z/.

a) He"s going to the
zoo.

b) Close your eyes,
please.

c) We have bananas and
apples today.

d) Those houses are
new.

e) Her eyes are full of
tears.

f) On Thursday he arose
early.

g) His business is good
this year.

h) The boys are playing a
game.

5. Practice the following sentences.
The sound /s/ and /z/ are both included in these sentences as
shown.

a) Sue is going to the
zoo.

b) Steam makes a
hissing sound.

c) Mosquitos make a
buzzing sound.

d) They raise rice in China.

e) Baseball and Tennis
are good games.

f) We sometimes go to
the movies.

g) Please pass me the
cigarettes.

h) When does his
niece start classes?

Whenever the basic form of the word ends in one of the
following sounds a separate syllable is added in pronouncing the
-s suffix: /s, z, Ʒ, ǳ, ʧ, ʃ/. This
syllable is usually pronounced /ІZ/.

Whenever the basic form of a word ends in a voiceless sound
(except /s/, / ʧ/, /ʃ/) the -s suffix is pronounced /s/
and is added without pronouncing an extra syllable.

Whenever the basic form of a word ends in a voiced sound
(except /z/, /Ʒ/, /ǳ/) the -s suffix is pronounced /z/
and is added without pronouncing an extra syllable.

The contraction of the word is follows these same
rules, except that it is the final sound of the preceding word
which determines the choice of pronunciation. When the preceding
word ends in a sibilant sound the word is cannot be
contracted.

Exercise
18

/ʃ/ /ʧ/ /Ʒ/

1. Listen while the teacher pronounces
the following sentences and select the correct one.

She"s going to wash.

She"s going to watch.

The sound /ʃ/ is a voiceless fricative pronounced with the
tip of the tongue drawn back toward the palate. The tongue is
grooved, the lips are pushed outward, and the teeth are close
together. (Pronounce the two sounds /s/ and /ʃ/ in order to
notice the difference in position of the tongue.)

The sound /ʧ/ is a voiceless affricate, and the
pronunciation is almost the same as for /ʃ/. However, in
pronouncing the first part of this sound, the tongue tip touches
the tooth ridge, thus giving the impression that /ʧ/ begins
as a /t/ and ends as a /ʃ/.

2. Pronounce the words in the columns
below. Use as many of these exercises as you think you need.

(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then,
all of the words in column 2.

1
2

/ʃ/
                    /ʧ/

ship
chip

wash
watch

cash
catch

share
chair

(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above
columns, for example, ship, chip. Be sure that you
make a difference in the sounds.

(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word
from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving
the number of the column or by holding up either one or two
fingers.

3. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /ʃ/.

a) He"s going to shave.

b) He"s fishing.

c) Brush your shoes.

d) We"re washing the
dishes.

e) It"s a fishing boat.

4. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /ʧ/.

a) The children were in the
kitchen.

b) Try to catch me.

c) She likes her teacher very
much.

d) Don"t catch cold.

e) They were watching the
preacher.

5. Practice the following sentences.
The sounds /ʃ/ and /ʧ/ are both included in these
sentences as shown.

a) You should get a
watch.

b) He wants to catch some
fish.

c) I don"t know whether he hurt his
shin or his chin.

d) Where does she teach?

e) Put the cherries in a
dish.

6. The consonant sound in the middle
of the word measure is symbolized /Ʒ/. It is
pronounced with the tongue and lips in the same position as for
/ʃ/. The only difference is that /Ʒ/ is a voiced
sound.

7. Practice the pronunciation of
/Ʒ/ in the following words:

division
conclusion
leisure

treasure
vision
          pleasure

8. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /Ʒ/.

a) It"s a pleasure to know
you.

b) Are you looking for treasure?

c) He has perfect vision.

d) The office was in
confusion.

e) You can draw your own
conclusion.

9. Practice the following sentences.
The sounds /ʃ/ and /Ʒ/ are both included in these
sentences as shown.

a) I go fishing
occasionally.

b) It"s a pleasure to take a cold
shower.

c) Did you measure the
shelf?

d) He washes the dishes
occasionally.

e) You should make a final
decision.

f) I like leisure of
social activities.

g) The boy was sharing his
treasures.

h) They were measuring the
fish.

Exercise 19

/ʧ/ and /ǳ/

1. Listen while the teacher pronounces
the following sentences and select the correct one.

They are chocking.

They are joking.

The sound /ʧ/ is a voiceless affricate pronounced
by putting the tongue against the tooth ridge as if for /t/ and
then pronouncing /ʃ/.

The sound /ǳ/ is a voiced affricate and differs from
/ʧ/ only by being voiced. In pronouncing the first part of
this sound the tongue tip touches the tooth ridge giving the
impression that /ǳ/ begins with the sound /d/.

2. Pronounce the words in the columns
below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.

(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1,
then, all of the words in column 2.

1
                         2

/ʧ/
/ǳ/

choke
joke

cheap
jeep

chew
Jew

cheer
jeer

cherry
Jerry

(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above
columns. Be sure that you make a difference in the sounds.

(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a
word from either column. Tell which column each word is from by
giving the number of the column or by holding up one or two
fingers.

3. Practice the sentences in exercise
18. All these sentences contain the sound /ʧ/.

4. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /ǳ/.

a) The judge has a white
hair.

b) Jack was joking with the
girls.

c) The midget"s name was
John.

d) They are driving a jeep.

e) There are lots of pigeons in
the trees.

5. Practice the following sentences.
The sounds /ʧ/ and /ǳ/ are both included in these
sentences as shown.

a) The children were
jumping and playing catch.

b) The judge sent the man to
jail.

c) This jelly is made of
cherries.

d) The jeep is not cheap.

e) She"s going to change
the furniture in this room.

f) Charles was looking for a
job.

g) Sometimes they cheer, sometimes
they jeer.

h) Take this check to the
manager.

Exercise
20

/w/ /j/ /ǳ/

1. The initial sound in the word
window is very confused for Spanish speakers and sometimes
it is mispronounced. In pronouncing this sound in such words as
wish, way, will we begin with the tongue in
the position for the vowel sound /u/, then, the tongue glides
into the position of the vowel sound which follows. This sound is
represented by the symbol /w/.

Pronounce the following words:

way
one
wonderful

wide
work
waste

2. The initial sound in the word
yet is represented by the symbol /j/. In pronouncing /j/
we begin with the tongue in the position for the vowel sound /i/.
Then the tongue glides smoothly into the position of the vowels
which follows.

yet
yellow
yesterday

you
yard
                                    university

3. Practice the following sentences.
The sounds /w/ and /j/ are both included in these sentences as
shown.

a) The walls were painted
yellow.

b) Are you going to Washington
this year?

c) Do you like the
winter weather?

d) I had to work
yesterday.

e) The youngest boy is going to
work.

f) He wants to go to the
university.

g) The suit was made of
wool.

h) The woman was
washing the walls.

4. Listen while the teacher pronounces
the following sentences and select the correct one.

He"s
going to Yale.

He"s going to jail.

5. Pronounce the words in the columns
below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.

(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then,
all of the words in column 2.

1
2

/j/
/ǳ/

Yale
                                    jail

yellow
jello

yoke
joke

use
(noun)
juice

yet
jet

(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above
columns, for example, Yale, jail. Be sure that you
make a difference in the sounds.

(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word
from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving
the number of the column or by holding up one or two fingers.

6. Practice the following sentences.
The sounds /j/ and /dz/ are both included in these sentences as
shown.

a) The jet planes haven"t
arrived yet.

b) The jello is yellow

c) I"ve heard a few new jokes
this year.

d) Yale is a famous
university.

e) He was in jail for a
year.

f) I"ll use the juice to
make jello.

g) We have no use for this tomatoe
juice.

h) The manager was a
young
man.

Exercise 21

/f/
/v/ /b/

1. The initial sound in the words
fat, feel is symbolized /f/. This sound is
pronounced with the upper teeth placed on the lower lip.

Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the
words contain the sound /f/.

a) I feel fine.

b) The paper fell on the
floor.

c) His father works at the
factory.

d) He"s a fine
fellow.

2. The initial sound in the words
very, vote is symbolized by /v/. This sound is
pronounced with the upper teeth placed on the lower lip, just as
in the sound /f/. The only difference between this sound and /f/
is voicing. The sound /v/ is voiced.

Practice the following sentences. The underlined parts of the
words contain the sound /v/.

a) I"m going to invite her to
dinner.

b) We are going to vote tomorrow.

c) We have to visit the school
today.

d) Put some vinegar on the
vegetables.

e) She has a very nice
voice.

3. The teacher will pronounce one of
the following sentences. Tick (x) the one you hear.

He"s talking about boat.

He"s talking about vote.

The sound /b/ is a voiced stop pronounced with the two lips
pressed tightly together, then released.

4. Pronounce the words in the columns
below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.

(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then,
all of the words in column 2.

1
2

/b/
/v/

bat
                                    vat

best
vest

base
vase

robe
rove

(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above
columns, for example, boat, vote. Be sure that you
make a difference in the sounds.

(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word
from either column. Tell which column each word is from by giving
the number of the column or by holding up one or two fingers.

5. Practice the following sentences.
The sounds /b/ and /v/ are both included in these sentences as
shown.

a) I like blueberries
very much.

b) The movie was very
bad.

c) We are invited to a
banquet.

d) The boys are playing
volleyball.

e) Get into the boat.

f) I have a savings
account at the bank.

g) She bought some
vegetables.

h) The village was
burned during the war.

Exercise 22

/m/ /n/ /η/

1. Listen while the teacher pronounces
the following sentences and select the correct one.

He wants a comb.

He wants a cone.

The sound
/m/ is pronounced with the lips completely closed. The tongue is
relaxed. The air comes through the nose.

The sound /n/ is pronounced with the tip of the tongue on the
tooth ridge and the air comes through the nose.

2. Pronounce the words in the columns
below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you need.

(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1,
then, all of the words in column 2.

1
2

/m/
/n/

comb
cone

came
             cane

game
gain

dime
dine

(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above
columns. Be sure that you make a difference in the sounds.

(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a
word from either column. Tell which column each word is from by
giving the number of the column or by holding up one or two
fingers.

3. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /m/

a) I"m coming
home on Monday.

b) The comb cost a dime.

c) What time is the baseball
game?

d) Please give me some
ham.

e) Some of the people
came yesterday.

4. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /n/.

a) The man ran to the
train.

b) The plane leaves at
nine.

c) There is a lot of
sunshine here.

d) There were ten men
on the plane.

e) The barn was
green.

5. Listen while the teacher pronounces
the following sentences and select the correct one.

It"s a ton.

It"s a tongue.

The sound /η/ is pronounced with the back of the
tongue high in the back of the mouth, against the velum, and the
air comes through the nose. The front of the tongue is placed
down behind the front lower teeth. If you have difficulty
pronouncing the sound /η/, place a pencil across the front of
your tongue to hold it down.

6. Pronounce the words in the columns
below. Use as many of the exercises as you think you
need.

(1) Pronounce all of the words in column 1, then,
all of the words in column 2.

1
2

/n/
/η/

ton
tongue

son
song

run
rung

thin
   thing

(2) Pronounce pairs of words from the above
columns. Be sure that you make a difference in the consonant
sounds.

(3) Listen while the teacher pronounces a word
from either column. Tell which column each sentence is from by
giving the number of the column or by holding up either one or
two fingers.

7. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the sound /η/. The
sound is often spelled ng, but the g is seldom
pronounced.

a) He likes to sing that
song.

b) He"s singing.

c) Thank you for the
ink.

8. Practice the following sentences.
The sounds /m/, /n/ and /η/ are all included in these
sentences as shown.

a) I want an ice
cream cone.

b) He"s swimming and
playing baseball today.

c) Someone was
running the wrong way.

d) I"m going to swim
today.

e) I"m going to
sing today.

f) The suit is hanging
on the hanger.

g) His home is on the
farm.

h) It was raining
into the room.

Exercise 23

/p/ /t/ /k/

1. When we pronounce the initial sound
such words as pair, tear the consonant sounds are
followed by a puff of air, just like an /h/ sound. This /h/ sound
after stop consonants such as /p/, /t/ and /k/ is called
aspiration.

Pronounce the following words:

pin
tin
car

pack
tip
can

pit
tan
     kill

2. In certain positions, especially at
the ends of syllables, these sounds are not usually pronounced
with aspiration. Pronounce the following words:

keep
cat
lake

deep
rat
take

3. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of words contain the sounds /p/, /t/ and /k/
which are to be pronounced with aspiration or a slight puff of
air following them.

a) Wait till the cows
come home.

b) I spilled the pills.

c) He has pencil in his
pocket.

d) The car cost a lot.

e) This is terrible.

f) Plesa tell me a story.

g) There are ten people in the
room.

h) Can you get the
tickets for me?

Exercise
24

/l/

1. In English there are two kinds of
/l/ sounds. The /l/ sound in the words below is pronounced with
the front of the tongue spread out across the tooth ridge.
Pronounce the following words:

live
long
letter

late
land
listen

Notice that in all of these words the /l/ sound appears before
vowels at the beginning of a syllable.

2. When the /l/ sound appears at the
end of a syllable after a vowel it"s pronounced differently than
before vowels. Listen to the pronunciation of the following words
and imitate them.

all
meal
pull

ill
peel
pool

The middle of the tongue is very low while pronouncing this kind
of /l/. Only the tip of the tongue touches the roof of the mouth.
The front of the tongue is not spread out against the tooth ridge
as in the pronunciation of the sound in the previous group of
words. The transition between the vowel and the /l/ sound is very
slow in such words as the following. Pronounce the following
words and make the vowel sound very long and the /l/ sound with
only the tip of the tongue touching the roof of the mouth.

peel
                       meal
felt

kneel
wool
milk

3. Practice the following sentences.
The underlined parts of the words contain the /l/ sound at the
end of a syllable after a vowel.

a) How do you feel?

b) I feel fine.

c) The child is very
tall.

d) Please put the milk on the
table.

e) He was peeling an
apple.

f) I want to help him.

g) The child is playing with a
doll.

h) They are going to fill the
pool.

Conclusions:

Through this project, I learnt important aspects to take into
account when studying a foreign language, in this case English.
It was an outstanding experience for me because it helped me know
things that I couldn"t imagine they exist. However I think those
students, who are in college, should consult this work to widen
their knowledge and obtain some ideas they must know when
they bagan to study Phonetics in the third year; but not only for
them but also for those who are in High and Polytechnical
Schools.

Recommendations:

It is suggested to the
Chief of the Department of Arts and the Bachelor Degree in
English Olga Cruz González to review this set of exercises
above applicated in order to improve the students" pronunciation
in Luis Ramírez
López Polytechnical Economy Institute.