A COURSE IN PHONICS (Book 2) – CD Script
Lesson
1 What are Syllables?
Many English words are made up of more than one part or sound. These parts are called syllables. In the first phonics book, all the words had one syllable. For example: fog, truck and cheat.
How many syllables do these words have?
thank one syllable thank (clap)
thankful two syllables thank ful (clap clap)
thankfully three syllables thank ful ly (clap clap clap)
Exercise A Listen to and say these words. For each word, say how many syllables it has. Draw a stroke between the syllables.
1. ease easy easily
2. tale story history historical
3. twelve twenty eleven forty-seven
4. word letter alphabet dictionary alphabetical
5. know knowledge understand understanding understandable
6. name Jason identity identification
Exercise B Do the
exercise first. Then listen to the CD.
1. luck One syllable lucky Two syllables luckily 3 syllables
2. real “ really
“ reality 4 “
3. sent sentence sentences 3
4. prayed parade economy 4
5. flow fellow economical 5
6. cash money monetary 4
7. stack attacks attractive 3
8. brief belief believable 4
9. vale avail availability 6
Exercise C Do
the exercise first then listen carefully to the CD to check your work
hurts entering extract fixed intended
apple screen education stopped fixes
strange open opened opening stripe
astronomical able ability individual individuality
support sport misses spotted supported
Lesson
2 Compound Words –
Short vowel sounds.
You can often join two words together to make a new word. This is called a compound word.
Listen to and repeat these examples. Then draw a stroke between the syllables:
Lesson
3 Compound Words - Long Vowel
Sounds
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the following words.
grape back black brief cross day high home key pea play rain
dream sick stroke hole mail vine case nut bow road way mate
grapevine backstroke blackmail briefcase crossroad daydream
highway homesick keyhole peanut playmate rainbow
Exercise B Listen to and repeat the following words.
day bed grave grind mean gem life hail high stone light time side boat
daylight daytime bedtime bedside gravestone graveside grindstone meantime gemstone lifetime lifeboat hailstone highlight
Lesson
4 Compound Words – R-controlled
Vowels
Listen to and repeat these examples of compound words which have an R-controlled vowel sound in at least one syllable. Then draw a stroke between the syllables:
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the following words.
air brain heart work world wide place port storm burn
airport brainstorm heartburn workplace worldwide
Exercise B Listen to and repeat the following words.
arm court door farm grave hard home net
yard way chair ship knob work pit mat
Lesson
5 Diphthongs and other Vowel
Sounds
Listen to and repeat these examples of compound words which have one of these sounds in at least one syllable – ow oy oo or. Then draw a stroke between the syllables:
cow/boy school/house fool/proof new/born fall/out
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the following words.
back book count dark drop grape hand house light loud
wife book room fruit ground down case house mouth out
Exercise B Listen to and repeat the following words.
side path stool back print smart
Do the exercise then listen to and repeat the answers.
downgrade outbreak outcast/downcast outcome outcry outdoor football
downfall foothold outfit outgrow downhill/foothill outset downgrade
outlaw footstep footstool footnote outline downpour outrage downtown
outside/downside footpath footstool outback footprint outsmart
Lesson
6 Words Ending in ED (Extra Syllable)
To
say most verbs in past tense we add -ed. But the final -ed can sound different in different words.
Listen to and say the following words: asked begged
pleaded
Which
word has two syllables? pleaded
Here
are some other words that have an -ed ending
that sounds like the one in pleaded. Repeat
each word:
tested waited
ended faded
Each word has 2 syllables.
Exercise A Listen to these words ending in ed. Write down whether they have one or two syllables.
acted printed wedded
chased fixed
worked walked matched hunted haunted
banded used ended coughed smashed
Can you find a rule? …
The ED syllable is affected by the sound that comes before it. The sounds T and D are called dental stops. When we add ED to a word that ends with T or D we must sound it as an extra syllable.
Exercise B Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
acted bonded booted dateddotted hunted lifted mendednodded parted pitted rested
sanded tilted vetted waited
Lesson
7 Words Ending in ED (No Extra Syllable)
Listen
to and repeat the following words: asked begged
Does
the -ed at the end of these words sound
exactly the same? Listen again: asked begged
When
you say asked the end sound is T.
Listen to and repeat these words, which end with a T sound.
baked
puffed stopped
missed wished
watched
Now
say the word begged again. begged The
end sound is D.
Listen
to and repeat these words, which end with a D sound.
rubbed dragged
waved caused judged called
seemed cared loaned flowed annoyed
How do we know whether a word ends with a D sound or a T sound for –ed?
It depends on the sound that comes before it.
Voiceless sounds are sounds made without vibration of the vocal chords – eg. K, F, P and S.
Voiced sounds are sounds made with vibration of the vocal chords – e.g. B, G, L, V, Z
An -ed after a voiceless sound is pronounced T. An -ed after a voiced sound is pronounced D.
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
called chased drugged fixedgained judged liked livedlopped matched missed seemedsmashed stuffed used worked
Exercise D Sometimes you can make a mistake in grammar if you don't hear the correct number of syllables. Listen to each of these sentences and tick whether it is about the past or the present.
a. We start at nine o'clock.
b. They count the syllables.
c. I often visited my friends.
d. We want to play computer games.
e. I mended my socks.
f. They tended to waste their time in class.
Lesson
8 Double
Consonants - Adding ER, ED, EST
The Magic E When E is at the end of a word it is silent, but the vowel before it changes to a long vowel (the name of the letter). The pattern of the word is usually Consonant-Vowel-Consonant-Silent E.
Listen to and say these words: fat fate pet Pete din dine lop lope cut cute
The letter E is already there, so we just add the R, D or ST.
For example: fated Peter diner loped cutest
The E still works its magic. You must say a long vowel in these words.
We need to keep the short vowel so we do not want the E to work its magic. So we double the consonant. This moves the E too far away from the vowel for the magic to work.
For example: fattest petted dinner lopped cutter
You must say a short vowel in these words.
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
banner batted better bidder biggest dotted fattest fittergutter hottest logger pitted popped sinned thinnest wettest
Dav rod his bik too fast down the slop. He put on his front brak but it was too lat. This was a bad mistak. The front wheel locked and he flew over the handlebars. He landed on a ston and brok his nos. He was in a daz for quit a long tim. His mum cam and drov him hom, and put ic on his fac to soothe his pain. “You had a lucky escap,” she said. “You must tak more care in future. But you can’t us your bik any more.”
When you put in the magic Es, it sounds like this:
Dave rode his bike too fast down the slope. He put on his front brake but it was too late. This was a bad mistake. The front wheel locked and he flew over the handlebars. He landed on a stone and broke his nose. He was in a daze for quite a long time. His mum came and drove him home, and put ice on his face to soothe his pain. “You had a lucky escape,” she said. “You must take more care in future. But you can’t use your bike any more. ”
If the last syllable of a word is Y, what happens if you add ER, ED or EST? The Y changes to I.
Listen to and say these words: worry worried hungry hungrier smelly smelliest
If Y is only part of a syllable it does not change.
Listen to and say these words: play player annoy annoyed grey greyest
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
betrayer coyest cried destroyer denied driest flayer flierfrayed fried funnier happiest hurried obeyed replied
Exercise A Try the exercise first. … Now listen and check the number of syllables in each word.
banded banned chapped chatted collapsed collated headed healed
padded panned related relaxed repealed repeated resented reserved
salted sanded sapped saved stunned stunted willed wilted
Lesson
11 Double Consonants Adding ING, Y, EN
What
happens when you add EN to a word that already ends with E?
The letter E is already there, so we just add the N. Examples: wide / widen wove / woven live / liven
The E still works its magic. You must say a long vowel in these words.
You hide the E first. Examples: fade / fading craze / crazy save / saving
Even though we can’t see it, the E still works its magic. You must say a long vowel in these words.
What
happens if you add EN to a word that does not end with E?
We need to keep the short vowel. We don’t want the E to work its magic. So we double the consonant. This moves the E too far away from the vowel for the magic to work.
Examples: fat / fatten bit / bitten sad / sadden You must say a short vowel in these words.
If we just add ING to rid we get riding. But this sounds like riding. So we have to double the consonant to show that there is no hidden magic E. It is the same when we add Y.
Examples: bid / bidding sun / sunny drag / dragging snap / snappy
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
betting bitten buddy buggy canning chatty flatten dotty flitting kittenjutting funny letting mitten patting jetty popping rotten sitting sunny
Lesson 12 Odd Word Out 1
Which word is the odd one out? Explain why.
1. soft trap plastic length crust
2. easy faster painful quickly strange
3. thinking pitiful hungry plainly piglet
4. doorknob bedpost handbag reason hotpot
5. taxed heated warned jumped burned
6. wedded clapped banned sagged popped
7. hated waded saved coded cited
8. hopped kidded wedded fitted potted
9. greyed betrayed destroyed strayed cried
10. nodding copping trotting riding bidding
11. widen woven soften given taken
12. batting betting biting cutting rotting
13. ripper fitter sinner killer finer
14. fatter later tighter meaner ruder
15. coping funny droning lazy exciting
Lesson
13 Consonant X
The
most common sound of X is KS. Examples: mix next
Another
sound of X is GZ. This sound is not common.
Examples: exam exert exaggerate
The last sound of X is Z. Very few words use this sound of X. Example: xylophone.
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
axiom boxer coax example exert extract faxed fixing sexy textile xenophobic Xerox
Lesson
14 Reading 1
1. Betty Botter 2. The Bittern
Betty
Botter had some butter, A
bitter biting bittern
"But," she said, "this butter's bitter. Bit a better brother bittern,
If I bake this bitter butter, And
the bitter better bittern
It would make my batter bitter. Bit
the bitter biter back.
But a bit of better butter-- And
the bitter bittern, bitten,
That would make my batter
better." By the
better bitten bittern,
So she bought a bit of butter, Said:
"I'm a bitter biter bit, alack!"
Better than her bitter butter,
And she baked it in her batter,
And the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter
Bought a bit of better butter.
3. Fresh Fish 4.
Tooter tutor
Do
you like fresh fish? A
Tutor who tooted a flute
It's just fine at Finney's Diner. Tried
to tutor two tooters to toot.
Finney also has some fresher fish Said
the two to their tutor,
that's fresher and much finer. "Is
it harder to toot
But his best fish is his freshest fish Or
to tutor two tooters to toot?"
and
Finney says with pride,
"The finest fish at Finney's is
my freshest fish, French-fried!" 5. Twister
SO...
don't order the fresh or the fresher fish. A
twister of twists once twisted a twist.
At Finney's, if you're wise, you'll say, And
the twist that he twisted was a three-twisted twist.
You’ll say, "Fetch me the finest, French- Now
in twisting this twist, if a twist should untwist,
fried freshest fish that Finney fries!" Would
the twist that untwisted untwist the twists?
6.
Writing on a Train 7. Tap Dancers
Writing on a railway train Twenty tiny tap dancers
Is very hard to do Tapped to a bright light tune.
For it bumps you up and down Their routine was smart and dainty
And shakes you through and through. And they tapped and they did croon.
Clickety-clack Tip tap tappety tap tap tip
Down the track Dippety, dippety tap tap dip.
Heading for the station. Teddy taught the tappers
I’ve put my pen and paper away To tap and flick their feet,
Till I reach my destination. But it sometimes happened that the twenty
Tried too hard and missed a beat,
So instead of
Tip tap tappety tap tap tip
Dippety, dippety tap tap dip,
It was
Tip tappety tappety tip
Dippety tappety dip tip dip.
The
most common sounds of the letter S are: SS and ZZ.
The
unvoiced sound SS can be heard in the words see, say, some.
The
voiced sound ZZ is also very
common. It is often heard in word
endings, especially words that end in -es
(ages) and -ies (thirties). We often
have the Z sound in a vowel-s pattern
(was, his).
Sometimes S can even have the sound SH or ZH, if it is followed by U.
Examples of SH: sure, pressure, fissure. Examples of ZH: pleasure, treasure
Exercise A The ending sound of the words U-S-E and A-B-U-S-E depends on whether it is a noun or a verb. The noun has an unvoiced S: use abuse. The verb has a voiced S: use abuse
Try reading the sentences before you listen to them.
Exercise B Try to read the tongue twisters before you listen to them.
Sammy & Suzie Say
This
Sammy
sitting singing Say
this sharply, say this sweetly,
Sought Suzie Shaw Say
this shortly, say this softly.
Since Suzie started sobbing Say
this sixteen times in succession.
Sammy's stopped seeking
Mr.
See owned a saw. Sarah
saw a shot-silk sash shop
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw. Full
of shot-silk sashes,
Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw As
the sunshine shone
Before Soar saw See, On the side of the shot-silk sash shop.
Which
made Soar sore.
If Soar had seen See's saw Silly Sally
Before See sawed Soar's seesaw,
See's saw would not have sawed Soar's seesaw. Silly
Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
It was sad to see Soar so sore The
seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed
Just because See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw! Shilly-shallied
south.
These
sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack;
Sheep should sleep in a shed.
Susan the Shoe-shiner
Susan
shines shoes and socks;
Socks and shoes shines Susan. Slippery
Sally slipped on a slippery sea shell
She
ceases shining shoes and socks, While
selling sea shells on the sea shore.
For shoes and socks shock Susan. Surely
she shouldn’t have slipped on such a sea shell.
Exercise C Listen to these words ending in s. Write down whether they have one or two syllables.
faces washes watches takes puts smiles tools kisses slices pinches
boxes fringes prices loves pieces
Can you find the rule?
Nouns and verbs ending in a sibilant (hissing) sound have an extra syllable when s is added.
Lesson
16 Words Ending in ES (Extra Syllable) S, CH, SH, X, Z
To make verbs like catch or wash
into third person singular, add ES: catches,
washes
To make nouns like fox or church
plural, add ES: foxes, churches.
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
beaches buzzes crashes fixes fizzes flasheskisses lenses lunches taxes touches wishes
Lesson
17 Words Ending in ES
(Extra Syllable) CE, GE, DGE,
SE, ZE
Words like face, age and edge already end with E, so to make a plural or third person singular, just add S:
faces,
ages, edges
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
abuses badges bounces closes fringes grudges
mazes places pledges rages sizes sneezes
Lesson
18 Words Ending in S (No Extra Syllable)
For most
words, to make a plural or third person singular, just add S. But if the word
ends with a Y syllable, change it to I and add ES: worry worries query queries sty sties
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
bones candies clocks coughs cries dunes fades fleasglides hurries queens sings stabs stares thieves trees
Lesson
19 Revision Test 2 – S Endings
Exercise A Try the exercise first. … Now listen and check the number of syllables in each word.
batches bathes chances chants collapses collates hopes hoses
parades peruses passes pasts relates relaxes repeats rephrases
scrapes scratches sleeps sneezes trudges trumps wades waxes
Exercise C Listen to six sentences. You will hear one word from each of the following pairs.
Underline the word you hear from each pair.
a. He reaches home at six o'clock.
b. If wishes were horses then beggars would ride.
c. I can catch the next train.
d. She will lose face if you don't invite her to the party.
e. Please fax me your reply by tomorrow.
f.
The company faces losses this year.
Lesson
20 More about Syllables
Exercise A In fluent natural English, some syllables are left out. For each of the words in Exercise A, write down the number of syllables you expect to hear. Then listen and write down the number you actually hear.
a. nash / nal b. lib / ry c. int / res / ting d. choc / late
e. rash / nal / ly f. ac / tshul g. awf / ly h. comf / ta /
ble
Exercise B (Dictation) Listen to these sentences and write in the missing words.
The horses are ready for the race.
The dispute ended our friendship.
We visit our grandmother on Saturday.
Food prices increased during the crisis.
We miss our houses when we are overseas.
I intended to send you a present.
My homework? I handed it to you the day before yesterday.
Listen again and count the total number of syllables.
The horses are ready for the race.
The dispute ended our friendship.
We visit our grandmother on Saturday.
Food prices increased during the crisis.
We miss our houses when we are overseas.
I intended to send you a present.
My homework? I handed it to you the day before yesterday.
Exercise C Do not listen to these sentences until you have practiced saying them.
a. I would like to buy a dozen oranges and two pieces of cake. I would also like two large boxes of dates please.
b. When I travelled to England I visited London. This is the city I liked best.
Lesson
21 Consonant Soft G
The letter G has two different sounds. It has a hard and a soft sound. The hard sound of G is G as in go.
The soft sound of G is J as in pigeon.
The Sound of G Rule is: When G is followed by E, I, or Y it is usually the soft sound (J). When G is followed by other vowels or consonants, it is usually the hard sound (G).
Examples
Soft Sound:
G followed by E gem, general, geometry, age BUT we say: get, gelding
G followed by I gin, giant, raging, gist, giraffe BUT we say: gig,
gift
G followed by Y gym, gyp, energy BUT we say: gynecologist
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
emerge gell genetic ginger gypsy hugelarge magic paging pudgy rigid stage
Lesson
22 Consonants Soft C, Q
The
letter C in English has no sound of its own. It borrows two different sounds from the consonants K and S.
Hard C sounds like K. Soft C sounds like S.
When
C is followed by E, I or Y it is usually the soft sound
(S). When C is followed by other
vowels or consonants, it is usually the hard sound (K).
Examples: CE cease, face, ceiling,
celebrate, celery
CI circle, cinema, city
CY
cyber, cycle,
fancy, cynic
The
letter Q in English is another
consonant that has no sound of its own.
It borrows sounds from K. Q is
always used with the vowel u to
create two distinct sounds: KW and K.
The
KW sound of Q is the most
common. It is often heard in words that
begin with Q, such as quite, queen, and quick.
The
K sound of Q is found much
less often. It is most often heard in words that end with -que, as in antique and plaque.
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
bicycle choice circus cyclone cygnet dunce pique placequaver question quiet quince racist romance twice unique
Lesson 23 Reading 2
Exercise A (Consonant S) Do not listen to the sentences until you have tried reading them.
1. Several sick sailors ask for sea salt.2. The assassination of the assistant secretary surprised several people.3. The sisters sat snipping with scissors.4. Stay on the east side of the street.5. Set the sack in the center of the circle.6. Six times six is thirty-six.7. The sun is stronger on the south side of the seat.8. The snake stung swiftly and slid smartly away. Exercise B (Consonants M, N, B, P and W)
Do not listen to the sentences until you have tried reading them. 1. Many moaning men are making music to the moon.
2. Nineteen noisy gnomes are never alone.
3. I mentioned minerals may be mined in mountains.
4. Pass the pens and pencils please.
5. Packing pickles poses problems.
6. The stupid spider disappeared into the upturned barrel.
7. Bobby burst the big blue balloon.
8. I bought a book about a boy who became a prince.
9. Where are the watches we wanted?
10. Why will you worry about wild winds and wet weather?
Exercise C (Consonants L, R, D and T)
Do not listen to the sentences until you have tried reading them. 1. Bring three lorries round to the front.
2. Raise the retail price of broken rope.
3. The rusty rod was wrapped in a rotting rug.
4. The river runs under the railway bridge.
5. Carry the dress round to the rest room.
6. The grain was really very brown for a rather curious reason.
7. The letter is likely to be lost.
8. He had long legs and leapt easily along the lane.
9. The flames leapt into the loft killing millions of black and blue flies.
10. It’s foolish to leave a wallet lying around.
11. The pilot landed the plane smoothly in a pool full of tall reeds.
12. The blood flowed slowly as the ball of wool rolled away.
13. He stole the gold, filled the pail full of coal, but failed to sell the needles.
14. If you delay longer we’re likely to be late so leave the lazy lion alone.
15. Don’t touch those tomatoes till I return tomorrow.
16. He didn’t want to admit that the leader was right.
Lesson
24 Consonant Digraph TH
The consonant digraph TH has two forms, voiced (th as in the) and unvoiced (th as in thin). The amount of movement of the vocal cords determines which form it is. Can you feel or hear the differences between these two words? the thin
Exercise A Try saying the words and phrases which have a voiced “th”
sound before listening to the CD.
feather the they theirs those though
rhythm therefore lather rather writhe with
gather bathe soothe smooth further either
weather father mother brother
That
was then, this is now Either
this one or that one
I
loathe this smooth leather. Smooth
breathing is soothing. Gather the
others together.
Exercise B Practice the dialogue before listening to the
CD:
A: Is your father
coming to the gathering this Saturday?
B: No. Neither is my
mother.
A: That's too bad.
My brother was looking forward to seeing them.
B: Well, they're both
a little under the weather.
A: Oh, sorry to hear
that. Can I send something or other to cheer them up?
B: Please don't
bother. They'll be fine.
Exercise C Try reading the passage before listening to
it on the CD:
Even though my father is a weatherman, he can't predict with absolute certainty whether it will rain or not. Neither can the other people who work with him. They say there's only a thirty per cent chance of rain, and the next thing you know, it's pouring. They predict snow, and there's nothing for another five days. Then, there's a blizzard. So rather than trust my father's weather forecasts, I use a more reasonable approach. I ask my mother.
Exercise D Try saying the
words and phrases with an unvoiced “th” sound before listening to the CD.
thief theft thorn thrust broth threat
month maths thrift wrath health thought thong thatch thirty theme thumb three lethal ethics author method athletic filthy length worth earth wealth broth tenth fifth Think of three themes. Through thick and thin.
The
thieves took the path to the wealthy author’s house. Thursday is his seventh birthday.
Three
thousand three hundred and thirty three feathers. Three free throws.
Exercise E Practice the dialogue before listening to it:
A: When's
Thanksgiving?
B: It's on a
Thursday in November.
A: The third
Thursday or the fourth?
B: I think it's the
fourth.
A: That would be the
twenty-fifth.
B: No, it's the
twenty-sixth.
A: Thanks.
Exercise F Try reading the passage before listening:
If
you think you're safe from thievery, think again. Most thefts occur within
three miles of the victim's home. People often venture into the streets without
giving their valuables a second thought. They leave things out in the open,
where thieves can easily spot them. Items worth thousands of dollars can be
stolen in a tenth of a second. So be thoughtful. Only you can thwart this
terrible crime. Watch your things carefully. Thieves do.
Lesson
25 Odd
Word Out 2
Which word is the odd one out? Explain why.
1. soft best was sand crust
2. goose user fuse boos blues
3. badges pitches hisses strikes washes
4. slaves edges hopes rides bones
5. trees cries tries fleas taps
6. watches witches messes bathes crushes
7. geography gentleman getting generous gender
8. gin gas gore giggle gun
9. fringe badge agenda regent regret
10. cell cold camp cook cup
11. cyber fancy recite centre cover
12. request plaque queen acquit quickly
13. thin think this thistle thicker
14. brother breath thought method month
15. healthy thimble Thursday birthday whether
Lesson
26 Spelling Test 1
Listen to the following words. Fill in the missing letters. Listen carefully for the first sound and the end sound. It may help to think of a word that rhymes.
6. cracked 7. stuffed 8. stitched 9. hurried 10. quaker
11. bosses 12. crashes 13. beaches 14. taxes 15. crops
16. matches 17. edges 18. bends 19. mazes 20. incite
Lesson
27 Stress - Using the
schwa.
In English some syllables are emphasised more than others. There are three main ways they are stressed:
Higher pitch Extra length Clearer vowel sound
Pitch When we speak our voice moves up and down. In Cantonese each word has a fixed tone. In English a higher-pitched tone is used for syllable stress, not to change the meaning of a word. Example: ba-na-na. Which syllable has higher pitch?
Exercise A Listen to these words and underline the syllable with the highest pitch. (Read down)
apple decision evidence statement beautiful
tomato forty television recreation beautician
orange fourteen dictation revolt revolution
Syllable length In English, some syllables are long and some are short. Stressed syllables are extra long.
Exercise B Listen to these names. Which syllable is longest in each word?
Raymond Mary Amanda Maria Eudora Alexander
Exercise C Listen and practise saying these words. Focus on the different lengths of the sounds.
(Read down)
farmer review decided telephone
open discuss appearing practical
take it perform he's calling thoroughly
longest approach I'm coming wait a bit
Listen and write these words in the correct column:
handicapped revolting buffalo explain danger neighbour because attention
Vowel quality In English, there are strong vowels and weak vowels.
All stressed syllables have strong vowels. Most unstressed syllables have weak vowels.
Listen to these words: banana Canada drama
Which syllable has a strong vowel sound? The other syllables have a short weak vowel sound. This sound is called a schwa. It is the most common vowel sound in English.
Exercise D Listen to the difference between strong and weak vowels. Repeat the words. Underline the strong vowels.
pot potato Tom atom ass assault
man woman men women be become
add addition office official fort effort
Athens Melbourne Sydney Paris Barcelona
Exercise E Listen and write down the missing words. Underline the strong vowels.
An old woman was assaulted in her own home.
There was an addition to the Lee family.
Attach a photograph to the application form and don't forget to sign it.
My sister wants to visit the city of Melbourne.
The Olympics were held in Athens.
Exercise F Practice saying these words and phrases before listening:
FORward WOman WOmen offICially
PHOtograph phoTOgraphy photoGRAPHic
He was in BARceLOna in the SUMmer HOlidays.
My proNUNciAtion is GETTing BETTer.
Lesson
28 Open
syllables
An open syllable is a syllable that ends with a vowel. It is nearly always a long vowel sound.
Exercise A These words begin with an open syllable. Listen, and draw a line between the syllables.
acorn betray bisect cogent defend diverge event
fatal futile genius giant haven hotel idol
labour major minor mobile mucus naval notion
boe over pagan pony pupil regal rodent
silent soda total tuba vacant vagrant Venus
Exercise
B Listen to the same words again.
This time, underline the stressed syllable. (Repeat words)
Exercise D Some words end with an open syllable, especially when the vowel is O. Listen to these words and draw a line between the syllables.
ago banjo dingo halo maybe photo veto Zulu
Lesson
29 Closed
syllables
A closed syllable is a syllable that ends with a consonant. If the syllable has a single vowel it is nearly always a short vowel sound.
Exercise A In these words both syllables are closed. Listen, and draw a line between the syllables.
actress bankroll candid confess dentist eggshell except
expert friendship gasket handbag insect insist junket
kitten lipstick metric mattress ostrich pencil rabbit
singlet static tablet topnotch transport unkind vixen
Exercise
B Listen to the same words
again. This time, underline the stressed syllable. Note – if the first syllable
is a prefix, it is usually not stressed. (Repeat words)
Lesson
30 Unstressed
syllables – le, el and al
Many words end with an unstressed syllable which sounds like L. It can be spelt in three ways – LE, EL and AL. Examples: little, double, label, shrivel, legal, journal.
Note: In words ending with STLE the T is silent. Examples: gristle, bustle.
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
bottle cattle cradle fettle fiddle handle hurtle idlekettle label meddle metal middle model mussel nodalpaddle pedal sandal scuttle settle trouble wattle whistle
Lesson
31 Revision Test 3 Open, Closed and “L” Syllables
Exercise A Do not listen to the CD until after you have tried the exercise.
Listen to the words and check your answers.
bundle rhymes with trundle rotten cotton fritter bitter crazy lazy
jumping dumping happy snappy haven shaven
middle fiddle toddle model petal settle
Exercise B Do not listen to the CD until after you have tried the reading:
1. As I grapple with the riddle, I put the fiddle in the middle of the puddle.
2. A very vocal crippled yokel gave a muffled cry as he fumbled at the local jumble sale.
3. What’ll be the title of the novel?
4. I have dental problems, rental problems and mental problems!
5. I like apple strudel and mussels with noodles.
6. The little kettle
Made of metal
Sang a subtle tune.
The little kettle made of metal
Merrily did croon.
7. A freckle and a dimple
A wrinkle and a pimple-
That’s what I find on my face.
I chuckle and I giggle
And I wobble and I wriggle
As I stumble out of this place.
8. There once was a man in a tangle
Who had mangled up his hand with a bangle
When his friends asked him why
He just held his arm high
And let his hand hang there and dangle.
Lesson
32 More
Magic E
Exercise A The magic E is found in the second syllable of each of the following words. Divide the words into syllables. Then listen to and repeat the words and underline the stressed syllable.
accuse airline athlete alone backside berate
bespoke cascade collate complete conclude condone
create debase decide define devote explode
Exercise B Here are the answers to the rhyming exercise.
refuse accuse intrude conclude remote devote beside decide (NOT backside)
effete complete (NOT athlete) hairline airline
(NOT define)
Exercise C Listen to the words after you have tried the exercise.
extreme futile gyrate impede incite inhale midwife nitrate obese
obtuse refuge refute revise seduce serene survive verbose wardrobe
Lesson 33 Spelling Test 2
Listen
to the following words. Fill in the missing letters. Listen carefully to the
sounds. It may help to think of a word that rhymes.
6. boggle 7. shuffle 8. topple 9. hobble 10. petal
16. rebuke 17. explode 18. enthuse 19. ignite 20. consume
Lesson
34 More Long Vowel Sounds
Exercise A Do the exercise before you listen to the words. Check your answers as you listen.
below beeline female freeload Friday
lonely mainstream newly nubile nightlife
pre-owned profile railroad rainbow re-use
Exercise B Do the exercise before you listen to the words. Check your answers as you listen.
appoint around ballgown buoyant compound
cowboy downpour groundwork joyous renown
royal soundproof toilet topsoil tower
Exercise C Do the exercise before you listen to the words. Check your answers as you listen.
balloon bluebird bluish cartoon cooper
clueless crewcut gruesome review into
loophole redo rhubarb shoehorn withdrew
Exercise D Do the exercise before you listen to the words. Check your answers as you listen.
applaud ballgown daughter default courthouse
downpour report shoehorn sawdust slaughter
smalltalk tautly tortoise walkway withdraw
Lesson 35 The Hidden Magic E – Adding ING
What happens when we add ING to a word which has a magic E? The E disappears, but we should imagine it is still hiding behind the ING and working its magic.
Eg. Ride becomes riding. The first syllable still has a long vowel sound. If we want to add ing to the word rid, we must double the consonant to make ridding, so that the hidden magic E is too far away to work its magic.
The diner was closing when I arrived late,
so I decided to try the place next door. It looked quite nice, so I asked for a
plate of fried tripe. When it came I tried biting it but ended up spitting it
out. It was vile. “Take this away!” I yelled. “It is bitter.”
I don’t like griping but I am used to finer dining. I strode out refusing to pay. I am not planning to return.
Lesson
36 Revision Test 4 – Long Vowel Sounds
1. I talked to my daughter, who saw a strange sort of fish in the water.
2. A tiny fly fell beside me from high in the sky, and died.
3. A day will come again when I may be able to escape from this jail.
4. Do you wear new blue shoes too?
5. I use a cow to plough the ground.
6. It’s easy to see we need a new key .
Lesson 37 Suffixes
A suffix is an ending that is added to a word to make a new word.
Examples: trust + ing = trusting end + less = endless popular + ity = popularity lion + ess = lioness noise + y = noisy quick + ly = quickly
What do you notice when you add y to noise? What happens when you add a suffix to a word ending in silent E?
Lesson 38 R-controlled Vowels UR, ER, IR, OR, OUR, AR
These words have two syllables, one of which
has an r-controlled vowel sound.
Exercise A Listen to and repeat the words from the word list.
absurd border burden concern convert dirtygarden harbour starving thirteen transport vortex
Exercise D Practice reading before you listen to the CD:
1. The parson has furnished his parlour with purple chairs. It may deter the burglars.
2. Dear Sir,
I have heard an absurd story that the barber was flirting with the servant. He may be an expert in cutting hair but I discern he has become the target of a sordid and murky rumour campaign. Of course it could be an error on my part, but I am rather concerned.
Yours truly,
Carl Firth
Lesson
39
Listen to the following words. Fill in the missing letters. Listen carefully for the first sound and the end sound. It may help to think of a word that rhymes.
6. frugal 7. untrue 8. reboot 9. hitherto 10. naughty
11. discord 12. convert 13. chalkboard 14. poorhouse 15. shamming
16. wining 17. sniping 18. flipping 19. whipping 20. wiping
Lesson
41
Listen to these words and underline the stressed syllable in each:
college exciting unexceptional present present
photograph photographer photographic permit permit
Word stress is very important in spoken English. If you place the stress on the wrong syllable a native English speaker may find it difficult to understand you.
Think about the two words photograph and photographer. Imagine you are speaking to somebody over a very bad telephone line. You hear only the first two syllables of the word, photo... How do you know if the word is photograph or photographer? If you hear PHOto... you know the word is PHOtograph. If you hear phoTO… you know the word is phoTOgrapher.
Rules of Word Stress in English There are two very simple rules about word stress:
1. A word has only one stress. (But sometimes long words have a "secondary" stress.)
2. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.
There are other rules that can help you understand where to put the stress. But there are many exceptions to these rules, so it is better to try to "feel" the music of the language and to add the stress naturally.
Exercise A Listen to these two-syllable nouns and underline the stressed syllable.
China table export money permit
present produce machine water Raymond
Which word is the odd one out? Machine has stress on the second syllable.
pretty happy slender obese tiny
crazy purple yellow anxious hungry
Which
word is the odd one out? Obese has
stress on the second syllable.
What is the rule for nouns and adjectives with two syllables?
The rule is that most two-syllable nouns and adjectives have stress on the first syllable.
create destroy export permit produce
present believe reject settle complain
Which word is the odd one out? Settle has stress on the first syllable.
What is the rule for verbs with two syllables?
The rule is that most two-syllable verbs have stress on the last syllable.
ENGlish comPUTer enterTAINment
LANguage reVISion expectAtion
SCIence exCITEment teleVISion
Exercise E Listen and mark the stresses in these words.
graphic geographic domestic plastic fantastic
terrific specific Pacific statistic electric
What is the rule for words ending in “ic”?
The rule is that words ending in “ic” usually have stress
on the second last syllable.
Exercise F Listen and mark the stresses in these words.
creation destruction permission production
presentation rejection television decision
What is the rule for words ending in “sion” and “tion”?
The rule is that words ending in “sion” and “tion” usually
have stress on the second last syllable.
Exercise G Listen and mark the strongest stresses in these words.
democracy electricity electrical exceptional
university photography photographical philosophical
dependability biology biological fundamental
policy geography geographical grammatical
What is the rule for words ending in “cy”, “ty”, “phy”, “gy” and “al”?
The rule is that words ending in “cy”, “ty”, “phy”, “gy” and “al” usually have stress on the third last syllable.
You do not need to learn these rules, but it
is useful to know that there are rules!
Lesson
42
Different kinds of words often have different stress patterns. If we don’t hear the right stress we may not understand the correct grammar. Listen and practice saying these words:
Verbs inFORM exPORT creATE
Noun informAtion EXport creAtion
Exercise A When you have tried this exercise, listen
to the CD to check whether you need to change any answers. [Read down each
column]
Verb Noun Noun Adjective
record record politics political
present present secretary secretarial
insult insult industry industrial
frequent frequency philosophy philosophical
examine examination energy energetic
oppose opposition product productive
Exercise B Listen to and repeat the following words. Underline the most strongly stressed syllable in each word.
decision commission technology technological
medical human humanity humanitarian
microscope microscopic translate translation
Exercise C Practise saying the sentences before you listen to the CD.
1. There’s too much traffic on the road today.
2. There was a lot of preparation for our thirty-fifth annivers’ry.
3. The internashnal community is taking an interest in developments in China.
Exercise D Try
reading the sentences before listening to the CD.
1. If you are present I will present you with a present.
2. A farm can produce fresh produce.
3. I can not permit you to enter without a permit.
4. I must protest. You progress too slowly.
5. The progress of the protest marchers was slow.
6. I resent your recent insult!
7. The entrance to a mall fails to entrance me.
8. The insurance for the invalid was invalid.
9. I object to this ugly object.
10. We must subject the subject to a series of tests.
11. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
Which word is the odd one out? Explain why.
1. farmer basket respect driving candle
2. define about release confuse raven
3. intended possible polluted refusal ambition
4. accepting motorist chemical elephant practical
5. definition impossible residential resolution photographic
6. silent rodent patent invent latent
7. canal petal medal fatal brutal
8. idle sandal wattle candle unreal
9. atone impose alone demote pollute
10. reside upside betide defied denied
11. athlete complete receipt defeat repeat
12. below freeload pre-owned profile re-zone
13. nightlife finite skylight wide-eyed picnic
14. confound allow exploit unbound renown15. destroy reply annoy despoil uncoil16. avoid undo review refute untrue 17. aboard daughter doorway coleslaw laughter18. showing tower shower scowling power19. inform defeat pretend product arrest20. present protest permit rebel notice
Lesson 44 Reading 3
Exercise A Try reading the poems before listening.
1. Big Black Bug 2.
Thin Things
A big black bug I can think of thin things,
Bit a big black bear, Six thin things, can you?
And made the big black bear bleed blood. Yes,
I can think of six thin things,
And of six thick things too.
3. Larry O'Reilly
Larry O’Reilly loved Nellie O’Malley 4. Ghosts
And
so, one fine day, they decided to marry. Amidst
the mists and coldest frosts,
Larry really loved Nellie. With
stoutest wrists and loudest boasts,
Nellie really loved Larry. He
thrusts his fist against the posts
Now they’re Larry and Nellie O’Reilly-O’Malley. And
still insists he sees the ghosts.
5.
Light Night 6.
A Little Lady
You've no need to light a night-light A little lady lives alone
On a light night like tonight, Close to a little lake.
For a night-light's light's a slight light, She plants blue flowers
And tonight's a night that's light. To be watered with showers
When a night's light, like tonight's
light,
And clears leaves with her rake.
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight.
7. Doctor
When
a doctor doctors a doctor,
Does the doctor doing the doctoring
Doctor as the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored or
Does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor as he wants to doctor?
8. Sally Snake
Ms.
Sylvia Snake, tired of small Sally Snake's hissin' in the pit all day,
told Sally Snake to go to Ms. Pott's pit and hiss a while.
Ms. Pott told Sally Snake to "go back to her own pit and hiss."
"But Mom sent me over here to hiss in your pit!" replied Sally Snake.
Sally Snake went back to her own pit to hiss in.
"I told you to go to Ms. Pott's pit and hiss!" shouted Mom.
"Ms. Pott told me to come hiss in my own pit," replied Sally
Snake."
"Well!" scowled Sylvia Snake. "I remember when Ms. Pott didn't even have a pit to hiss in."
Exercise B Try reading these tricky sentences before listening.
1. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
2. A cat with nine lives lives next door.
3. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
4. I shed a tear when I saw the tear in my clothes.
5. They had to wind up the picnic because of the strong wind.
6. The bandage was wound around the wound.
7. They were too close to the door to close it.
The man with the bow and arrow must bow to the man with the gun.