Christmas traditions with a twist

In this exercise I try to place Western Christian Christmas in a larger context of the origin of some of its traditions. I also mention other holidays celebrated around Christmas time.

Ex. Choose the correct option.

1. The date of Christmas coincides with the ancient Roman holiday of the sun god. What was his name?
A. Jupiter   B. Sol Invictus   C. Neptune   D. Chronos

2. Which Christmas tradition is most typical of Finland?
A. Going to a sauna.   B. Baking licorice biscuits.   C. Putting snowballs in mulled wine.   D. Reading The Kalevala.

3. Which animal was connected to a pre-Christian Germanic holiday and its straw figure is a popular Christmas ornament in the Nordic countries?
A. Yule goat   B. Yule elk   C. Yule reindeer   D. Yule bear

4. Who popularised the Christmas tree in Great Britain?
A. Charles III   B. Elizabeth I   C. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert   D. Edward VII

5. Which character of pre-Christian origin brings gifts to children in Russia and other Eastern Slavic countries?
A. Nutcracker   B. Snow King   C. Lady Winter   D. Father Frost

6. The melody of the traditional English folk song "Greensleeves" is used in a Christmas carol. Which one?
A. "The First Noel"   B. "O Little Town of Bethlehem"   C. "Ding Dong Merrily on High"   D. "What Child Is This?"

7. What probably pre-Christian demon was believed to descend from the mountains in the Alpine region before Christmas time?
A. The Grinch   B. The Groke   C. Krampus   D. Satyr

8. Where were troll-like characters known as Yule Lads supposed to live and visit people's dwellings before Christmas?
A. In Bergen, Norway.   B. In Iceland.   C. On the Faroe Islands.   D. On Gotland.

9. The tradition of Father Christmas dates back to St. Nicholas, a bishop. Where did he live?
A. In Asia Minor (Turkey).   B. In Germany.   C. In Jutland, Denmark.   D. In Thessaloniki, Greece.

10. What is a more accurate name for the Biblical Three Kings?
A. The Clever Men   B. The Professors   C. The Magi   D. The Astronomers

11. In Scandinavia a Christian martyr from Italy is venerated by choirs of young women wearing white robes with wreaths and candles. What was her name?
A. St Agnes   B. St Anne   C. St Lucy or Lucia   D. St Martha

12. Who is the current monarch of Christmas Island?
A. None - the place is fictional.   B. Elizabeth II   C. Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.   D. Pope Francis


KEY
1B, 2A, 3A, 4C, 5D (Ded Moroz in Wikipedia), 6D, 7C, 8B, 9A, 10C, 11C, 12B
I had a look at Wikipedia a few times just to make sure I wasn't wrong.

Pronunciation of digraphs beginning with "u"

Ex. Below is a list of words containing "u" followed by another vowel letter. How should they be pronounced? Note that in some of these words "u" and the next letter may belong to different syllables.

UA construal, dual, Guam

UE continue, dual, due, sue, suede

UI druid, quick, ruin, suit

UO duo, duodenum

UU continuum, triduum, vacuum

Key

/kənˈstruː.əl/, /ˈdjuːəl/, /gwɑːm/
/kənˈtɪnjuː/, /ˈdjuːəl/, /djuː/, /suː/, /sweɪd/
/ˈdruːɪd/, /kwɪk/, /rʊɪn/, /s(j)uːt/
/ˈdjuːəʊ/, ˌ/djuːəʊˈdiːnəm/
/kənˈtɪnjʊəm/, /'trɪdju:m/ or /'traɪdju:m/, /ˈvækju:m/ (sources vary as to whether "-uum" is /-u:m./ or /-ʊəm/)

References

Cambridge English Dictionary dictionary.cambridge.org

Diki diki.pl

Lexico lexico.com

ToPhonetics. tophonetics.com

Pronunciation of "u"

Ex. 1 Put the following words into categories depending on the pronunciation of the letter "u", sometimes including adjacent letters.

full, pull, cute, put, beautiful, dune, duty, careful, lute, minute (adjective), tearful, sugar, mute, cut, wonderful, nude, rebuke, rune, duck, tune, rude, luck, mutton and spuds, business, unable, minute (noun), unseen

1. /ʊ/ 2. /uː/ 3. /juː/ 4. /ʌ/ 5. /ə/ 6. /ɪ/

Ex. 2 How do we pronounce the letters "-ure" in the following words?

leisure, pure, obscure, measure, sure, endure, pleasure, lure, seizure,


Key
1. /ʊ/ full, pull, put, sugar 2. /uː/ lute, rude, rune 3. /juː/ cute, dune, duty, minute (adj), mute, nude, rebuke, tune 4. /ʌ/ cut, duck, luck, mutton and spuds, unable, unseen 5. /ə/ beautiful, careful, tearful, wonderful 6. /ɪ/ business, minute (n)

2. leisure, measure, pleasure, seizure /ə/, pure, obscure, endure, lure /jɔː/ (conservative /jʊə/), sure /ɔː/ (conservative /ʊə/)

Pronunciation of digraphs beginning with "o"

Ex. Below is a list of words containing "o" followed by another vowel letter (including "y"). How should they be pronounced? Are there any words in which "oo" are not inside one syllable?

OA boa, board, hoard, roar, soar, toad
OE doe, foe, poet, roe, shoe, toe
OI hoist, loiter, moist, oi!
OO book, cool, cooperate, loot, rook, soot,
OU bough, coup, doubt, gout, sought, through
OY boy, coy, oyster, Roy, soy, toy


Key
OA /ˈbəʊə/, /bɔːd/, /hɔːd/, /rɔː/, /sɔː/, /təʊd/
OE /dəʊ/, /fəʊ/, /ˈpəʊɪt/, /rəʊ/, /ʃuː/, /təʊ/
OI /hɔɪst/, /ˈlɔɪtə/, /mɔɪst/, /ɔɪ!/
OO /bʊk/, /kuːl/, /kəʊˈɒpəˌreɪt/, /luːt/, /rʊk/, /sʊt/,
OU /baʊ/, /kuː/, /daʊt/, /gaʊt/, /sɔːt/, /θruː/
OY /bɔɪ/, /kɔɪ/, /ˈɔɪstə/, /rɔɪ/, /sɔɪ/, /tɔɪ/
The letters "oo" in "cooperate" belong to different morphemes, hence they are in different syllables. This is why they are not pronounced as /uː/ or /ʊ/.

The transcription comes from ToPhonetics: tophonetics.com.

Pronunciation of "o"

Like some other vowel letters described before, "o" can be pronounced in several ways, sometimes depending on whether the word contains a double consonant letter, a silent or 'magic' "-e" or if the "o" is in an unstressed syllable.

Ex. 1 Put the following words into categories depending on the pronunciation of the letter "o", sometimes including adjacent letters.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (a film), one, lot, tore, come, sore, spot, some, shore, cot, more, none, job, done, core, tore, jot, dozen, shot, doll, dock, mock, frock, owl, role, consider, cowl, roll, contain, dole, contract (noun), contract (verb), How now, brown cow?, hole, other, lose, joke, coke, broke, rose, another, pose, women, propose

1. /ɒ/ 2. /ʌ/ 3. /ɔː/ 4. /əʊ/ 5. /aʊ/ 6. /ə/ 7. /uː/ 8. /ɪ/

Ex. 2 Are these pairs of words pronounced the same?

a. none - nun   sore - soar   bored - board   come - comb

b. ore - oar   lot - loot   sod - soared   loft - laughed


Key
Ex. 1
1. /ɒ/ lock, stock, lot, spot, cot, job, jot, shot, doll, dock, mock, frock, contract (n)
2. /ʌ/ one /wʌn/, come, some, none, done, dozen, other, another
3. /ɔː/ tore, sore, shore, more, core, tore
4. /əʊ/ smoking, role, roll, dole, hole, joke, coke, broke, rose, pose, propose
5. /aʊ/ owl, cowl, how, now, brown, cow
6. /ə/ consider, contain, contract (v)
7. /uː/ lose, two
8. /ɪ/ women

Ex. 2 a. yes, yes, yes, no   b. yes, no, no, no

Pronunciation of digraphs beginning with "i"

Ex. 1 Look at the following words and write how to pronounce the digraphs beginning with the letter "i". Note that in the letters in question may belong to different syllables (so the letter combinations are not technically digraphs).

IA aria, diary, liar, pariah, piano, tiara, via

IE achieve, believe, fiery, pliers, retrieve, supplier

IO biology, ion, lion, Zion
IU diuretic

Ex. 2 Do these words rhyme?

a. belief - relief   b. aria - Maria   c. liar - dire   d. lion - lying   e. liege - league


KEY

1. IA /ˈɑːrɪə/, /ˈdaɪəri/, /ˈlaɪə/, /pə'rɪə/, /pɪˈænəʊ/, /tɪˈɑːrə/, /ˈvaɪə/ 

IE /əˈʧiːv/, /bɪˈliːv/, /ˈfaɪəri/, /ˈplaɪəz/, /rɪˈtriːv/, /səˈplaɪə/

IO /baɪˈɒləʤi/, /ˈaɪən/, /ˈlaɪən/, /ˈzaɪən/
IU /ˌdaɪjʊəˈretɪk/
2. a. yes, b. no, c. yes, d. no, e. no

I used toPhonetics at https://tophonetics.com/. 

Pronunciation of "i"

The pronunciation of "i" can change depending on the surrounding sounds and their spelling, e.g. in the sequences "ir" and "-ire", or in words with a silent or 'magic' "-e".

Ex. 1 Put the following words into categories depending on the pronunciation of the letter "i", sometimes including adjacent letters.

terrine, bin, girth, dire, fir, bicycle, machine, dirt, diner, birth, bring, live (adj.), mind, poutine, mine, sir, dinner, pride, smirk, ski, fire, right, hire, kiss, spine, Ireland, lips, sire, live (v.), pig, whip

1. /ɪ/ 2. /iː/, 3. /aɪ/, 4. /aɪə/ 5. /ɜː/

Ex. 2 How do we pronounce these noun suffixes?

1. "-sion": conclusion, vision, precision, television   2. "-ssion": concussion, passion, session

3. "-shion": fashion 4. "-tion": fraction, nation, probation, ration

Key

1. 1. /ɪ/ bin, bring, dinner, kiss, lips, live (v.), pig, whip 2. /iː/ machine, poutine, ski, terrine, 3. /aɪ/ bicycle, diner, live (adj.), mind, mine, pride, right, spine 4. /aɪə/ dire, fire, hire, Ireland, sire 5. /ɜː/ birth, dirt, fir, girth, sir, smirk

2. "-sion" /-ʒən/; "-ssion", "-shion" and "-tion" /ʃən/

I looked up a few words in the Cambridge Dictionary at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/.

Silent "-e": words beginning with "w/wh"

Ex. a. Add an "-e" to the spelling of the following words to form new words and write the difference in the pronunciation of the vowel. Change the spelling from "w" to "wh" or conversely if necessary.

wad, wag, war, win, whip, wit, wok

b. Transcribe the following pairs of words phonemically.

will - while, whirr - wire, wall - whale, whiz - wise

KEY
a. wad-e /ɒ/ - /eɪ/, wag-e /wæg/ - /weɪdʒ/, war-e /ɔː/ - /eə/, win-e/whine /ɪ/ - /aɪ/, wipe /ɪ/ - /aɪ/, white /ɪ/ - /aɪ/, wok-e /ɒ/ - /əʊ/,
b. will - while /wɪl - /waɪl/, whirr - wire /wɜː/ - /waɪə/, wall - whale /wɔːl/ - /weɪl/, whiz - wise /wɪz/ - /waɪz/

Silent "-e" and changes in pronunciation

English contains thousands of words in which the final letter "e" is called 'silent e'. In fact, however, it is a sign that the previous vowel sound is a long vowel or a diphthong. Sometimes other changes in spelling and pronunciation occur as well. Some sources call it 'magic e', as it is supposed to 'make a vowel say its name'. Look at the following example:

The vowel "e" is called 'ee' /iː/. The word 'pet' is pronounced /pet/, and the name 'Pete' is pronounced /piːt/.

The same is sometimes true of the letters "a", "i", "o" and "u". Of course there are exceptions: 'come', 'some' 'one' have a 'silent e' but retain a short vowel.

When a vowel letter is followed by the letter "r" and "-e" is added, the 'magic e' rule does not apply and other changes take place. Note that Exercise 3 describes non-rhotic pronunciation (no /r/ after vowels).

Ex. 1 Add an "-e" to the following words and write how the vowels change when a new word is formed (look at the example above).

A: mat, man, pan, can, tap, fat, hat, pal

E: met, den

I: thin, lit, pin, spit, spin, win

O: cod, con, mod

U: hug, cut

Ex. 2 Change the letters "-ck" to "-ke" to form new words and write how the vowels change when a new word is formed.

A: back, lack, rack, tack   I: lick, pick, hick   O: jock, pock, stock   U: duck, luck

Ex. 3 Add an "-e" to the following words and write how the vowels change when a new word is formed (look at the example above).

A: bar, car, far, mar, scar, star   E: her, sever I: sir, fir  O: cor, for, lor

KEY

Ex. 1
A: mat-e, man-e, pan-e, can-e, tap-e, fat-e, hat-e, pal-e /æ/ - /eɪ/
E: met-e, den-e /e/ - /iː/ 

I: thin-e, lit-e, pin-e, spit-e, spin-e, win-e /ɪ/ - /aɪ/, NB. thin /θɪn/, thine /ðaɪn/
O: cod-e, con-e, mod-e /ɒ/ - /əʊ/
U: hug-e, cut-e /hʌg/ - /hjuːdʒ/, /kʌt/ - /kjuːt/

Ex. 2
A: bake, lake, rake, take /æ/ - /eɪ/, I: like, pike, hike /ɪ/ - /aɪ/ O: joke, poke, stoke /ɒ/ - /əʊ/, U: duke, Luke /ʌ/ - /uː/

Ex. 3
A: bar-e, car-e, far-e, mar-e, scar-e, star-e /ɑː/ - /eə/
E: her-e, sever-e /hɜː/ (weak /hə/) - /hɪə/, /ˈsevə/ - /sɪˈvɪə/
I: sir-e, fir-e /ɜː/ - /aɪə/
O: cor-e, for-e, lor-e no change /ɔː/

This time I got a little help from:

Tophonetics https://tophonetics.com/

Wordplays https://www.wordplays.com

Magic -e is described at Teflpedia: https://teflpedia.com/Magic_e

Facebook groups for Polish EFL teachers 2

This is the second part of my post about Polish language Facebook groups for English language teachers.

Anglistów blogi edukacyjne - grupa dla Czytelników is a group for blogging teachers like me as well as teachers looking for fresh ideas. It may even be of use to people studying English on their own. Some of the blogs are written in Polish, some others in English; some contain ready exercises to print out while others offer practical tips for teachers rather than exercises as such. Whether you want to spice up your teaching or gain new followers of your own blog, this is a great place for you.

Uczę Dorosłych - grupa dla nauczycieli języków obcych used to be a group for professionals teaching English to adult learners, and seeing that English is the most popular foreign language in Poland, it still attracts more English teachers than teachers of other languages. Similar to Nauczyciele Angielskiego, a group mentioned in Part 1, it contains a wealth of information about a wide range of topics. The major differences are that discussions about any language are welcome (English, German, French, Spanish and occasionally other ones) and of course teaching English to children and teenagers is excluded as irrelevant. As regards English teachers, the group is particularly useful for professionals teaching Business English, English for Special Purposes (ESP) and English for Academic Purposes (EAP), preparing their students for international examinations or working abroad.

Książki językowe is a place where you can buy or sell new or used textbooks, grammar books or dictionaries as well as foreign-language fiction or non-fiction. Sometimes recordings on CDs, audiobooks or board games are on sale too. Again, all languages are welcome but English prevails. Thanks to the group I have bought both textbooks and novels in English. Facebook terms and conditions regarding buy and sell groups apply, as do other regulations, e.g. against selling photocopied books or writing off-topic posts.

Facebook groups for Polish EFL teachers 1

In this post I'd like to recommend a few Facebook groups for English language teachers that I belong to. They're all in Polish, but then again, most of my readers are native Polish speakers.

Nauczyciele angielskiego is the largest, most popular group for English language teachers in Poland. Started in 2012, managed by four Wonder Women (you know who you are) and boasting over 23,000 members, the group is a veritable cornucopia of information regarding teaching English in Polish schools: curricula, materials, textbooks, classroom management, dealing with difficult students and helicopter parents, working at state and private schools and an immense number of teaching ideas. The group organises annual conferences (sing. Zlot) which attract over 120 English teachers from all over Poland as well as TEFL publishers, authors of materials and teacher trainers. Yours truly has had the honour of giving three opening speeches: in 2017, 2018 and 2019, two of which concerned English pronunciation. Since the first Zlot of 2015 the interest in the group and its events has exploded.
Most of the members are English teachers working for state schools, but many work in kindergartens, independent (private) schools, universities, colleges or private language schools. Native English speakers are in a minority, particularly those who are not fluent in Polish, but even with a little Polish it's possible to find a lot of information and participate in conversations. The group has quite a few trainee teachers who are still learning the tricks of the trade. Some of the group members are academics like myself and mention the group to their students in English departments, thus adding to the snowball effect of its popularity.
The group is neatly organised, the posts having keywords or tags, so you can easily find your way when searching for a particular topic.

Codzienna kawa nauczycieli angielskiego is the off-topic "daughter" group of Nauczyciele angielskiego, managed by the same admins. A picture of a cup of coffee greets the members every morning, hence its name. In the group you'll have a chance to talk about anything except for TEFL or school matters; discussions range from gardening, cooking or buying shoes to fixing computer bugs, with lots of humour, puns, memes and links to British comedy shows thrown in.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Pronunciation of "be-"

Polish speakers of English often mispronounce the initial letters "be-" as simply /bɛ/ or sometimes /bi/. In fact, the pronunciation differs depending on whether the first syllable is stressed and the vowel qualities are quite different from Polish vowels.

Ex. 1 Put the following words in two categories according to how "be-" is pronounced.

a. /bɪ/ b. /be/
because, Bentley, below, become, Belgium, between, Benjamin, bespoke, berry, bemoan, bench, bereave, beneath, best, beseech, before, beckon, begin, beget, bewitch, beyond

Ex. 2 Fill in the gaps with some of the words used in Ex. 1. Put the words in the correct form if necessary.

a. Brussels is the capital of ...................... .

b. Hugh knew he had to either lie to his wife or risk a terrible row. He was ...................... the devil and the deep blue sea.

c. Cruel fate ...................... the family of their youngest child.

d. In yesterday's lecture the professor ...................... the state of education in the digital age.

e. It would be ...................... me/my dignity to beg my boss for a pay rise.

f. The audience were fascinated, as if ......................, as the opera singer sang a difficult aria without a single false note.

g. The king doesn't buy ordinary clothes like common people. He has a ...................... tailor who makes all his garments.

h. Having lost all his money, the aristocrat ...................... his creditors to cancel his debt.

KEY

Ex. 1 a. /bɪ/ because, below, become, between, bespoke, bemoan, bereave, beneath, beseech, before, begin, beget, bewitch, beyond
b. /be/ Bentley, Belgium, Benjamin, berry, bench, best, beckon

Ex. 2 a. Belgium, b. between, c. bereaved/bereft, d. bemoaned, e. beneath, f. bewitched, g. bespoke, h. beseeched/besought

Pronunciation of "ough"

The sequence of letters "ough" is arguably one of the most infamous cases of English spelling. It can be pronounced in at least five different ways in ordinary words and some more in proper names. Here, as usual, we are concerned with RP.
I used toPhonetics at https://tophonetics.com/.

Ex. Transcribe the following words paying special attention to the letters "ough". They can be pronounced in the following ways:
/ə/, /əʊ/, /aʊ/, /ɒf/, /u:/, /ʌf/, /ʌp/

though, dough, through, borough, thorough, hiccough, Slough, enough, cough, Loughborough


KEY
/ðəʊ/, /dəʊ/, /θruː/, /ˈbʌrə/, /ˈθʌrə/, /ˈhɪkʌp/, /slaʊ/, /ɪˈnʌf/, /kɒf/, /lʌfb(ə)rə/

Pronunciation of digraphs beginning with "e"

I wrote the transcriptions in Ex. 1 using ToPhonetics at tophonetics.com.

Ex. 1 Look at the following words and write how to pronounce the digraphs beginning with the letter "e". Note that in some words the letters in question belong to different syllables (so the letter combinations are not technically digraphs).

EA   read (infinitive), read (past), lead (verb), lead (metal, Pb), Reading, dream team, create, reapply
EE seem, keep, need, week, peek, deer, leer
EI beige, foreign, heist, neighbour, receive, reign, reindeer, weird
EO neon, Leo, deontic, deodorant
EU Europe, eulogy, reuse (verb, noun)

Ex. 2 Are the following pairs of words pronounced the same?

a. sweet - sweat   b. peel - peal   c. wheel - we'll   d. peek - peak   e. way - whey   f. wether - weather g. wheat - wait   h. meet - meat   i. pear - peer   j. tear (crying) - tear (rip)


KEY

Ex. 1
EA /riːd/, /red/, /liːd/, /led/, /ˈredɪŋ/, /driːm tiːm/, /kri(ː)ˈeɪt/, /ˌriːəˈplaɪ/
EE /siːm/, /kiːp/, /niːd/, /wiːk/, /piːk/, /dɪə/, /lɪə/

EI /beɪʒ/, /ˈfɒrɪn/, /haɪst/, /ˈneɪbə/, /rɪˈsiːv/, /reɪn/, /ˈreɪndɪə/, /wɪəd/

EO /ˈniːən/, /ˈli(ː)əʊ/, /di(ː)'ɒntɪk/ or /deɪ'ɒntɪk/, /diːˈəʊdərənt/
EU /ˈjʊərəp/, /ˈjuːləʤi/, /riːˈjuːz/ (verb), /-s/ (noun)

Ex. 2 Ex. 2 a. no, b. yes, c. yes, d. yes, e. yes, f. yes, g. no, h. yes, i. no, j. no

Pronunciation of "e" and "e" with diacritic marks

Dear Readers, I'm back after a long break, ready to begin another year of teaching English pronunciation.

I looked up a few words in Cambridge Dictionary at dictionary.cambridge.org while writing today's exercises.

Ex. 1 Put the following words in categories depending on the pronunciation of "e". Some words have more than one letter "e".

left, Pete, abdomen, crumpet, deck, women, den, trumpet, barren, neck, jet, psyche, kite, Crete, mete, shake, Swedish

1. /e/   2. /iː/  3. /ə/   4. /ɪ/   5. silent

Ex. 2 Choose the correct transcription of the following borrowings which contain the letter "e" with diacritics. Remember that we are interested in Anglicisation according to the rules of RP, not in the original French pronunciation.

1. pâté, 2. fiancé, 3. café, 4. cafetière, 5. cause célèbre

1. A. /peɪt/, B. /ˈpæt.eɪ/, C. /'pæt.i/
2. A. /fjɒns/, B. /fiˈɒn.seɪ/, C. /'fjæn.si/
3. A. /kɑːf/, B. /ˈkæf.eɪ/, C. /kɑː'f.eɪ/
4. A. /kəf.ə'tj.eə/, B. /ˌkæf.əˈtjeə/, C. /'kɑːf.ətj.ə/
5. A. /kəʊ. 'seləbə/, B. /ˌkɔːz selˈeb.rə/, C /kɒs sə.ləb'.rɑː/


KEY

Ex. 1 1. /e/ left, deck, den, neck, jet 2. /iː/ Pete, Crete, mete, Swedish 3. /ə/ abdomen, barren,    4. /ɪ/ crumpet, women, trumpet, psyche (the allophone /i/)   5. silent Pete, kite, Crete, mete, shake
Ex. 2 All the options B are correct. 1. /ˈpæt.eɪ/, 2. /fiˈɒn.seɪ/, 3. /ˈkæf.eɪ/, 4. /ˌkæf.əˈtjeə/, 5.  /ˌkɔːz selˈeb.rə/

'Clear' and 'dark' /l/

The lateral consonant /l/ can be pronounced in two different ways (there are two basic allophones). Alveolar or 'clear' [l] is pronounced before a vowel and velarised or 'dark' [ɫ] is pronounced before a consonant or at the end of a syllable or word. I used 'IPA Phoneme /l/' at Teflpedia https://teflpedia.com/IPA_phoneme_/l/ to write today's exercise.

Ex. Decide whether the following words contain a 'clear' or a 'dark' /l/.

letter, lisp, pill, spill, lollipop, ball, lame, tall, growl, old, last, scold, lazy, alter, loom, fill, lock, table, play, stable, roll clay, lose, Paul, loose

KEY

'clear' letter, lisp, lollipop, lame, last, lazy, loom, lock, play, clay, lose, loose

'dark' pill, spill, ball, tall, growl, old, scold, alter, fill, table, stable, roll, Paul

Minimal pairs: /n/ and /ŋ/

The velar nasal consonant /ŋ/ is often a challenge for Polish speakers despite the fact that it also exists in Polish. Here are some errors typical of Polish speakers of English:
A. pronouncing the "-ing" sequence (as either a suffix or just part of a larger morpheme) as [-ink] or [-ing] (sometimes [-ink]);
B. pronouncing the vowel preceding /ŋ/ as the Polish "ą" or "ę" (nasal vowels/diphthongs; here I prefer to avoid phonetic transcription of Polish sounds);
C. pronouncing /ŋ/ instead of /n/, e.g. 'Poland', 'and' with "ę" and /ŋ/ (see C. above);
D. mispronouncing "g" in words such as 'singer' vs 'finger'.

To create the exercises, I took a few words from Baker (2006).

Ex. 1 Look at the following words containing the consonant /n/ and find their counterparts containing the consonant /ŋ/.

ban, Dan, done, fan, kin, pin, ran, Ron, run, sin, thin, win, ton

Ex. 2 Look at the following words containing the consonant /ŋ/ and find their counterparts containing the consonants /ŋk/.

bang, bring, dung, king, ping, ring/wring, rang, sing, sting, thing, wing


KEY

1. bang, dang, dung, fang, king, ping, rang, wrong, rung/wrung, sing, thing, wing, tongue
2. bank, brink, dunk, kink, pink, rink, rank, sink, stink, think, wink

Baker, Ann. 2006. Ship or Sheep? An intermediate pronunciation course. 3rd ed. Cambridge: CUP.

Syllabic [n̩] and silent "k/g" before "n"

In some sources one can find a number of words in which the sequence [ən] is given another symbol, [n̩]. This stands for syllabic /n/, i.e. a nasal which does not need a vowel sound in order to form a full syllable. When teaching pronunciation, I prefer to spell it as a schwa sound [ə] followed by a [n] to keep things simple.

The letters "g" and "k" are often silent when followed by "n", in which case only /n/ is pronounced. 

To create the first exercise below I used Teflpedia and Reszkiewicz (1984: 74).

Ex. 1 Select the words which contain the syllabic version of /n/.

a. 'Music and passion are always the fashion...'

b. Listen to Mr Parson talking about education. It's an important lesson.

c. The train was safely driven to the Manchester Central Station.

d. The kitten ate a dozen fish.

e. If you want more information, press this button and ask a question; the machine will reply.

f. I saw a documentary about environmental pollution on television.

g. What would happen if you explained the reason why Jane left the party early? Would Jason be angry?

h. The papers wrote about weapons of mass destruction.

Ex. 2 Write the transcribed words which contain "gn" or "kn" using ordinary orthographic transcription.

a. /nɪt/, /nəʊ/, /niː/, /ˈnɒlɪdʒ/, /naɪt/, /niːl/

b. /næt/, /nɔː/, /saɪn/, /əˈlaɪn/, /reɪn/, /əˈsaɪn/, /məˈlaɪn/

KEY

1 a. passion, fashion, b. listen, Parson, education, lesson, c. driven, station, d. kitten, dozen, e. information, button, question, f. pollution, television, g. happen, reason, Jason, h. weapons, destruction

2. a. knit, know, knee, knowledge, knight, kneel b. gnat, gnaw, sign, align, reign, assign, malign

IPA Phonetic symbol [n̩]. Teflpedia. Accessed 25.05.2019.
https://teflpedia.com/IPA_phonetic_symbol_%E3%80%9An%CC%A9%E3%80%9B

Reszkiewicz, Alfred. 1984. Correct Your English Pronunciation. Warszawa: PWN.

Plural, Present Simple and possessive -s

The same principles apply to three functions of the -s suffix: the plural marker, the 3rd person singular Present Simple marker and the possessive (Saxon Genitive) -'s or -s':

1. After a voiceless consonant, the -s is pronounced /-s/, as in tips, likes, Jack's.
2. After a voiced consonant, semi-vowel, vowel or diphthong, the -s is pronounced /-z/, as in bans, shoes, pays, Hugh's.
3. After /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/ or /dʒ/, the -s or -es is pronounced /-ɪz/ (some sources claim it is /-əz/), as in cases, bushes, passes, buzzes, marches or judge's.

Ex. Put the following words containing -s or -es in three categories, depending on the pronunciation of the suffix.

1. Plural -(e)s:   beets, apples, pears, oranges, peas, sweets, quiches, pizzas, chocolates, grapes
2. Present Simple -(e)s:   cooks, fries, slices, boils, bakes, dices, peels, eats, chops, seasons
3. Possessive -'s or -s':   chef's, France's, restaurant's, customer's, Italy's, gourmet's, waiter's, India's


KEY
1. /-s/ beets, sweets, chocolates, grapes /-z/ apples, pears, peas, pizzas /-ɪz/ oranges, quiches
2. /-s/ cooks, bakes, eats, chops /-z/ fries, boils, peels, seasons /-ɪz/ slices, dices
3. /-s/ chef's, restaurant's  /-z/ customer's, Italy's, gourmet's, waiter's, India's /-ɪz/ France's

Minimal pairs: /f/, /v/ and /w/

Ex. 1 Look at the following words containing the voiceless consonant /f/ and find their counterparts containing the voiced consonant /v/.

a. fail, fan, fast, fat, fault, fee, feign, fender, ferry, file, fine

Are these words minimal pairs?

b. laugh - love, phase - vase, feast - vast, fake - vague, cough - cove, often - oven

Ex. 2 Look at the following words containing the voiced consonant /v/ and find their counterparts containing the semivowel /w/.

vain, vary, veg, veil, vent, verse, vest, vet, via, vie, vile, vine, viva, volley, vow

KEY
Ex. 1 a. veil, van, vast, vat, vault, V (vee), vain/vane/vein, vendor, very, vile, vine
b. None of these is a minimal pair - there is more than difference between the words.

Ex. 2 wane, wary, wedge, wail, went, worse, west, wet, wire, why, while, wine, weaver, Wally, wow

/ʒ/ in words and phrases derived from French

The consonant /ʒ/ appeared in English after the Old English period and it is still impossible to find in words that are originally Germanic. This post focuses not on well-known words containing /ʒ/, such as television, but more foreign-sounding and looking words. Note that the pronunciation is Anglicised according to RP rules: it is not original French pronunciation.
I used Cambridge Dictionary at https://dictionary.cambridge.org to write this exercise.

Ex. Decode the orthographic spelling of the following transcribed words and phrases. Note that some of the words use diacritics which do not usually occur in English.

1. /ˌʒə nə seɪ ˈkwɑː/ 2. /ˌdeɪ.ʒɑː ˈvuː/ 3. /ˌməʊ ˈʒuːst/ 

4. /ˌbon vɔɪˈɑːʒ/ 5. /ˌdeɪ.kuːˈpɑːʒ/ 6. /ˌdeɪ.kɒl.ɪˈtɑːʒ/

KEY
1. je ne sais quoi, 2. déjà vu, 3. mot juste, 4. bon voyage, 5. découpage, 6.
décolletage

Pronunciation of "s" and "ss"

To create this exercise, I used Teflpedia: https://teflpedia.com/Decoding_the_letter_S and Cambridge Dictionary: https://dictionary.cambridge.org .

Ex. Put the following words in categories depending on their pronunciation of the letter "s" or "ss".

Arkansas, cosy, passion, measure, trousers, mission, pleasure, lose, loose, vision, island, pressure, precision, seat, sugar, soup, Aussie, dinosaur, Sean, Siobhán (Celtic names), basic, possess, ensure, class, inclusion, aisle, phrase, invasion, release, isle, desert, dessert

1. /s/   2. /z/   3. /ʃ/ 4. /ʒ/   5. silent

KEY
1. /s/ loose, seat, soup, dinosaur, basic, class, release  2. /z/ cosy, trousers (both /z/), lose, phrase, desert, dessert, Aussie, possess   3. /ʃ/ passion, mission, pressure, sugar, Sean, Siobhán, ensure 4. /ʒ/ measure, pleasure, vision, precision, inclusion, invasion  5. silent: Arkansas, island, aisle, isle

Vocabulary: Striking and protesting

Much as I avoid getting involved in political discussions, in today's post I would like to express my support for teachers on strike in Poland. I hope that the government will realise that education matters and that there can be no education without reasonable curricula, respect and financial stability for teachers.

Ex. Choose one correct option to fill in the gaps.

1. Unless the minister agrees to change the law, there will be ___.
   A. industry action   B. industrial action   C. a working event   D. a protesting action

2. Many teachers in Poland belong to the ZNP, Poland's largest ___ for teachers.
   A. guildhall   B. workers' society   C. trade union   D. professional team

3. Desperate times ___ desperate measures.
   A. call for   B. bring about   C. put out   D. take in

4. Thousands of people ___ the streets yesterday to protest the new labour law.
   A. ambled on   B. went off   C. took to   D. went about

5. Several hundred teachers and students took part in a ___: they left their classrooms at noon.
   A. walkaway   B. go-out   C. outing   D. walkout

6. The employees are dissatisfied with the management, who often drive ___.
   A. a hard bargain   B. by hook or by crook   C. to and fro   D. high and mighty

7. The privatisation of the steel industry reminds many people of 1980's ___ and the strikes that resulted from it.
   A. Reaganism   B. Bushism   C. Majorism   D. Thatcherism

8. When the unions suggested another meeting with the minister, she refused ___.
   A. make or break   B. point-blank   C. as tough as nails   D. all-around

9. People who refuse to strike and continue to work are called ___.
   A. black ravens   B. black sheep   C. blacklegs   D. blackbirds

10. This policy of ___ will get you nowhere: if you don't strike now, they'll just want more and more.
   A. appeasement   B. appraisal   C. apprehension   D. appointment


KEY 1B, 1C, 3A, 4C, 5D, 6A, 7D, 8B, 9C, 10A

Minimal pairs: /ʃ/, /s/ and /tʃ/

Ex. Look at the following words containing 1. /s/, 2. /tʃ/ and find their counterparts containing the consonant /ʃ/.

1. a. Mars, mass, sag, sale, same, sell, sin   b. seek, seep, sock, sod, sue/Sue   

c. lease, save, sea/see, seat, sort

2. a. catch, hatch, latch, match, watch, which/witch   b. chi/qi, cheap, chin, chips, chose, choose

KEY

1. a. marsh, mash, shag, shale, shame, shell, shin   b. chic, sheep, shock, shod, shoe   c. leash, shave, she, sheet, short

2. a. cache/cash, hash, lash, mash, wash, wish   b. she, sheep, shin, ships, shows, shoes

Green: idioms and collocations

Since spring is coming, here are some idioms and collocations containing the word green in different meanings. The examples used below were found in The Free Dictionary at https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com

Ex. Paraphrase the following sentences using the words in capital letters so that the meaning changes as little as possible. You should also use the word green.

1. Jack was promoted very quickly even though he's very inexperienced. GRASS
..................................................................................................................
2. After I got out of the roller coaster I was pale and sick. GILLS
..................................................................................................................
3. We can't start the project till the boss tells us we can. LIGHT
..................................................................................................................
4. Kate was very jealous when her friend showed her photos from Hawaii. ENVY
..................................................................................................................
5. Grandpa is very good at gardening. FINGERS
..................................................................................................................
6. The team needs good luck in order to win the next match. RUB
..................................................................................................................
7. If you criticise Lord Kensington for his fox hunting, he'll be enraged. WIGS
..................................................................................................................
8. Where ever did you get so dirty, Johnny? GOD'S
..................................................................................................................
9. Friends should have some privacy between them. [proverb] HEDGE
..................................................................................................................
10. The repair was very costly. [US English] FOLDING
..................................................................................................................


KEY
1. Jack was promoted very quickly even though he's (as) green as grass.
2. After I got out of the roller coaster I was green about/around the gills.
3. We can't start the project till the boss gives us the green light.
4. Kate was green with envy when her friend showed her photos from Hawaii.
5. Grandpa has green fingers. (also: a green thumb)
6. The team needs the rub of the green in order to win the next match.
7. ... hunting, there will be wigs on the green. (a reference to duels in the days when aristocrats wore wigs)
8. Where on God's green earth did you get so dirty, Johnny?
9. A hedge between keeps friendship green.
10. The repair cost a lot of green folding. (US dollars)

English voiceless plosives: aspiration 2

The English voiceless plosives are not aspirated in word-final position. Voiced plosives are not aspirated.

Ex. For each word beginning with an aspirated plosive find its minimal pair beginning with a voiced plosive and a phonetic (not spelling) anagram where the /p/, /t/ or /k/ comes at the end of the word.
e.g. [p^h] pan - [b] ban - [p] nap

[p^h] pack, pat, peak, pill, pin, post, pot
[t^h] tab, talk, tan, teal, teem, torn, tuck
[k^h] cab, cap, coast, cot, curl, cut, Kate, kit

KEY
pack-back-cap, pat-bat-tap, peak-beak-keep, pill-bill/Bill-lip, pin-bin-nip, post-boast-stop, pot-bot-top
tab-dab-bat, talk-dork-caught/court, tan-Dan-gnat, teal-deal-lead (verb), teem-deem-meet/meat, torn-dawn-naught, tuck-duck-cut
cab-gab-back, cap-gap-pack, coast-ghost-Stoke (town name), cot-got-tock, curl-girl-lurk, cut-gut-tuck, Kate-gate/gait-take, kit-git-tick

Reduplication-based idioms 3

The words used below can be found in Wiktionary at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_reduplications

Ex. I Unscramble the letters of the following idioms, collocations or slang words. How are they pronounced?
a. yoko-kopsoy   b. yintt-itgrty   c. gygip wyggi   d. ttperi-pttaer   e. gurger burgeg   f. eh idas ehs dias   g. ylsli Bylil   h. opipssll   i. eetny-eenyw   j. arew nad arte

Ex. II Fill in the gaps in the following sentences using the phrases from Exercise I.

1. The haunted house at the funfair was ............................ .
2. The student claimed Dr Jones had treated her unfairly, and Dr Jones claimed she hadn't come to his examination. ............................ - you can't really tell who was right.
3. Do you want to sleep with the blue bunny or with the pink ...............................?
4. I like it when a lecturer explains the ............................ instead of making a long introduction to the topic. In this way I know when to take notes.
5. On our holiday in Scotland we spent all days listening to the ............................. of rain on the windows instead of sunbathing.
6. Let's not invite Jane's boyfriend. He's a nasty ........................... who swears, drinks beer and talks about his rugby team all the time.
7. The writer's first essays were described as .......................... . That did not discourage him, however.
8. The machine isn't broken. Just push the red button, you .......................... .
9. The tourist took out a .......................... smartphone out of her pocket and started taking pictures. At first I thought that wasn't even a real phone.
10. Every car is subject to fair ................................. no matter how carefully you drive.
 

KEY
I. a. ooky-spooky, b. nitty-gritty, c. piggy wiggy, d. pitter-patter, e. rugger bugger, f. he said she said, g. silly Billy, h. slipslop, i. teeny weeny, j. wear and tear
a. /'uːki-ˈspuːki/, b. /ˈnɪti-ˈgrɪti/, c. /ˈpɪgi wɪgi/, d. /ˈpɪtə-ˈpætə/,e. /ˈrʌgə ˈbʌgə/, f. /hi sed ʃi sed/, g. /ˈsɪli ˈbɪli/, h. /ˈslɪpslɒp/, i. /'tiːni 'wːni/, j. /weər_ənd teə/ (linking /r/)
II. 1a, 2f 3c, 4b, 5d, 6e, 7h, 8g, 9i, 10j

English voiceless plosives: aspiration 1

When /p/, /t/ and /k/ appear on their own in word-initial position or at the beginning of a stressed syllable, they are aspirated, i.e. pronounced with more force applied than for example in consonant clusters, in other positions or in unstressed syllables. The spelling of these allophones (for they are not phonemes in English) is [p^h], [t^h] and [k^h].

Ex. The following words contain aspirated plosives. Find their counterparts that contain one more sound before them so that the plosives are unaspirated.

[p^h] paid, pan, park, pat, pay, peck, pie, pill, pin, pit, pot, port

[t^h] tab, tack, tag, talk, tan, tart, Tate, team, tick, till, top, tuck

[k^h] cam, can, cool, coop, cot, kale, Kate, key, kill, Kim, kin, kit

KEY

spade, span, spark, spat, spay, speck, spy, spill, spin, spit, spot, sport

stab, stack, stag, stalk, Stan, start, state, steam, stick, still, stop, stuck

scam, scan, school, scoop, Scot, scale, skate, ski, skill, skim, skin, skit,

Reduplication-based idioms 2

The words used below can be found in Wiktionary at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_reduplications

Ex. I Write the following idioms using ordinary (orthographic) English spelling.

a. /'tʃʌŋki 'mʌŋki/ b. /'krɪsˌkrɒs/ c. /'fʌdi-ˌdʌdi/ d. /'heltə 'skeltə/ e. /'hɒdʒˌpɒdʒ/ f. /'dʒɪbə-ˌdʒæbə/ g. /'nɪk-ˌnæk/ h. /ˌlʊki-'luː/

Ex. II Fill in the gaps in the following sentences using the phrases from Exercise I.

1. David Mitchell often plays posh, ..................... characters trying to cope with the standards of modern society.

2. The students were running ........................... instead of coming back to the classroom.

3. Do you think it's a valuable ornament or just an old glass ..................... ?

4. Sally's on a diet. She's always been a ...................... and now she wants to lose weight before summer.

5. Instead of playing games on your phone, you could go outside and play ....................... or hide-and-seek.

6. Let's stop the .......................... and get back to work.

7. When Jason fell off a ladder and spilled blue paint all over himself, several ......................s gathered around him but no one helped him.

8. Our old furniture was a .......................... of the things we'd inherited or bought cheaply in our twenties. It was time to buy something new.

KEY

I. a. chunky monkey   b. crisscross   c. fuddy-duddy   d. helter-skelter   e. hodgepodge   f. jibber-jabber   g. knick-knack   h. looky-loo

II. 1. fuddy-duddy, 2. helter-skelter, 3. knick-knack, 4. chunky monkey, 5. crisscross, 6. jibber-jabber, 7. looky-loos, 8. hodgepodge

Reduplication-based idioms 1

Some English idioms are based on reduplicated pairs or sets of words. The words often rhyme - they can also be minimal pairs - and the exercises below deal with such rhyming pairs (spelt separately, together or hyphenated). Some of these words come from children's puns or nursery rhymes while others can be 'adult' words, even taboo expressions.

The words used below can be found in Wiktionary at https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Category:English_reduplications

Ex. I Write the following idioms using ordinary (orthographic) English spelling.

a. /ˈɑːdʒi ˈbɑːdʒi/ b. /breɪn dreɪn/ c. /'klæptræp/ d. /'dɪli 'dæli/ e. /'iːzi 'piːzi/ f. /'hændi 'dændi/ g. /'heərəm 'skeərəm/ h. /'hʌm,drʌm/

Ex. II Fill in the gaps in the following sentences using the phrases from Exercise I.

1. The journey was exhausting. The kids had a/an .......................... over where to stop for lunch and there were traffic jams on the motorway.
2. A good comedian should not resort to cheap ........................... like a circus clown.
3. Countries that don't pay their scientists enough usually suffer from .......................... .
4. Now that my Spanish holiday is over, I'm back to my ......................... existence.
5. I don't want you to ............................. and play computer games all night. Your maths exam is tomorrow, remember?
6. 'Young people can be so ......................... - no wonder so many of them can't hold down a job,' said Mr Grumpy.
7. The new online shop has all sorts of clever, ....................... tools for gardeners.
8. Paolo is Italian and fluent in French, and he says learning Spanish was .......................... for him.

KEY

I. a. argy-bargy, b. brain drain, c. claptrap, d. dilly-dally, e, easy peasy, f. handy dandy, g. harum-scarum h. humdrum

II. 1. argy-bargy, 2. claptrap, 3. brain drain, 4. humdrum, 5. dilly-dally, 6. harum-scarum, 7. handy dandy, 8. easy peasy

Rhoticity: linking and intrusive /r/

In rhotic English accents - those of American, Canadian, Irish and Scottish English as well as some accents in the southwest of England - /r/ is pronounced before and after vowels. In accents like RP, however, /r/ is not pronounced after vowels, including in word-final position. There are exceptions to this rule: when <r> appears in spelling and there is no pause but another word beginning with a vowel, the /r/ is retained (perhaps square brackets as in [r] are more suitable here).

Intrusive /r/ is a special case: when a word ends with a vowel and there is no <r> in spelling but the next word also begins with a vowel, intrusive sounds appear: /w/ after /u:/, /j/ after /i/ or /i:/ and /r/ after remaining word-final vowels. Similar rules apply to diphthongs.

Ex. 1 Which of the following phrases are pronounced using linking /r/?

there are some, the bar's closed, more of them, their house, the car is, dear guests, far enough, the bitter end, the computer's broken, the floor is, four per cent, the star and the moon, the mayor of the city, hares and badgers, the fear of heights, dark clouds

Ex. 2. Which of the following phrases are pronounced using intrusive /r/? Write down where it is pronounced.

you and me, the sofa or the couch, Sue is there, vodka and gin, we are tired, the idea of it, to have a bee in the bonnet, India and Cuba and China and Britain, this shoe is too small, Barbara or Sofia or Jane,  this cappucino is cold, this pasta is great


KEY
1. there are some, more of them, the car is, far enough, the bitter end, the floor is, the star and the moon, the mayor of the city, the fear of heights

2. sofa/r/ or, vodka/r/ and gin, the idea/r/ of it, India/r/ and Cuba/r/ and China/r/ and Britain, Barbara/r/ or Sofia/r/ or Jane, this pasta/r/ is great

Diphthong + /ə/ combinations

Some of the following vowel combinations are triphthongs, in that they occur in one syllable, and some others contain a diphthong at the end of a syllable followed by a schwa in the next. This distinction, while important in phonology, is not made below.

Ex. Match the following words with the vowel combinations they contain.
1. /aɪə/, 2. /aʊə/, 3. /eɪə/, 4. /ɔɪə/, 5. /əʊə/

buyer, destroyer, dire, employer, fire, higher, hour, lawnmower, lawyer, layer, liar, lower, our, player, power, rower, sour, sprayer, tower

KEY

1. /aɪə/ buyer, dire, fire, higher, liar

2. /aʊə/ hour, our, power, sour, tower

3. /eɪə/ layer, player, sprayer

4. /ɔɪə/ destroyer, employer, lawyer

5. /əʊə/ lawnmower, lower, rower

Changing vowel sounds: /ʊə/ and /ɔː/

The diphthong /ʊə/ has merged with /ɔː/ in the pronunciation of many words even in RP. Nowadays some British English pronunciation textbooks do not explicitly mention /ʊə/ at all.
The words in the following exercises come from Teflpedia https://teflpedia.com/IPA_phoneme_/%CA%8A%C9%99/

Ex. 1. The following words whose conservative pronunciation includes /ʊə/ are now commonly pronounced with /ɔː/. Find their homophones containing /ɔː/.

boor, moor, poor, sure, tour

Ex. 2. Which of the following words contain the diphthong /ʊə/?

a. sour, door, bureau, endure   b. core, mature, spurious, flour
c. Europe, flue, neuron, bruise   d. fury, security, impure, booed


KEY
1. bore, more, pore, shore, tore
2. a. bureau, endure, b. mature, spurious, c. Europe, neuron d. fury, security, impure

Minimal pairs: /ɜː/, /ɪə/ and /eə/

Ex. 1 Look at the following words containing a. /ɜː/, b. /ɪə/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /eə/.

a. burr, err, fir/fur, her, purr

b. beer, clear, dear/deer, ear, fear, hear/here, leer, mere, peer, spear, steer, tear (crying), year

Ex. 2 Choose the correct option. 

a. All is fare/fair/fir in love and war.   

b. Please open the window. We need some air/heir.

c. Who was the air/heir/hare to the Spanish throne?   

d. Have you met the mare/mayor/mere of Paris?

e. Some teenagers start smoking because of pare/peer/pear pressure.   

f. Please be careful on the wooden stares/stairs/steers.   

g. It's best to stare/steer/stair well clear of criminals. 

h. Men shouldn't leer/lair at women. 

i. The RSPCA rescued a young deer/dear/dare in the city park yesterday. 

j. The right to bare/bear/beer arms is an often quoted American law.

k. "Nothing to fear/fir/fare but fear/fir/fare itself."  

KEY

1. a. bare/bear, air/heir, fair/fare, hair/hare, pear

    b. bare/bear, Claire, dare, air/ere, fair/fare, hair/hare, lair, mare/mayor, pair, spare, stair/stare, tear (apart), yeah

2. a. fair, b. air, c. heir, d. mayor, e. peer, f. stairs, g. steer, h. leer, i. deer, j. bear, k. fear, fear,

Minimal pairs: /iː/ and /ɪə/

Ex. 1 Look at the following words containing the vowel /iː/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /ɪə/.

be/bee, bead, dee, E, fee, he, knee, me, pea, tea/tee, we, ye

Ex. 2 In each group of words find the one which does not contain the diphthong /ɪə/.

a. friar, career, superior, sphere

b. dearest, bear, King Lear, Caribbean

c. pianist, leer, foreign, area

d. misdemeanour, we're, gear, nearer

e. pier, peer, pear, beer

KEY

1. beer, beard, dear/deer, ear, fear, hear, near, mere, pier, tear (eye), we're/weir, year

2. a. friar, b. bear, c. foreign, d. misdemeanour, e. pear

Minimal pairs: /ɑː/, /aʊ/ and /əʊ/

Ex. Look at the following words containing 1. /ɑː/, 2. /əʊ/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /aʊ/.

1. bar, Bart, can't, car, Carl, grass, maths, tart

2. boat, bro, clone, foal, goat, gross, hoe, no, road/rode, woe

KEY

1. bough, bout, count, cow, cowl, grouse, mouths, tout

2. bout, brow, clown, foul/fowl, gout, grouse, how, now, rowed (argued), wow 

Minimal pairs: /ɔː/, /ɜː/ and /əʊ/

Ex. 1 Look at the following words containing the vowel 1. /ɔː/, 2. /ɜː/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /əʊ/.

a. boar/bore, call, called, corpse, door, floor, gnaw, morn/mourn, prawn, raw/roar, soar/sore, stork, tore

b. Bert, burn, curt, earn, earth, fir, girl, hurl, learn, nurse, perk, sir, stern, turn, were

Ex. 2 How does the 'silent -e' change the pronunciation of the following words?

cod - code, cop - cope, hop - hope, mop-mope, ton-tone

KEY
1. a. bow, coal, cold, copes, dough, Flo/floe/flow, know/no, moan, prone, roe, so, stoke, toe
b. boat, bone, coat, own, oath, foe, goal, hole, loan/lone, nose, poke, sew/so, stone, tone, woe

2. In the first four words the letter <o> stands for /ɒ/ on its own and in ton it is /ʌ/, but when there is a silent <-e>, the vowel is /əʊ/.

Minimal pairs: /ɔː/, /aɪ/ and /ɔɪ/

Ex. 1 Look at the following words containing the vowel /ɔː/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /ɔɪ/. What are the homophones of boar, oar and soar?

all, ball, boar, call, core, corn, fall, oar, roar, soar, tall, tore

Ex. 2 Look at the following words containing the vowel /aɪ/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /ɔɪ/.

aisle, bile, buy, eye, Kyle, file, lighter, rye, sigh, tied, try, vied
 
KEY
1. /ɔɪ/: oil, boil, boy/buoy, coil, coy, coin, foil, oy, Roy, soy, toil, toy; homophones: bore, ore, sore
2. oil, boil, boy/buoy, oy, coil, foil, loiter, roy, soy, toyed, Troy, void

Minimal pairs: /ɑː/, /aɪ/ and /eɪ/

Ex. 1 Look at the following words containing the vowel /ɑː/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /aɪ/.

arm, bar, bard, bark, Carl, cart, darn, mar, mart, par, scar, star, tar

Ex. 2 Look at the following words containing the diphthong /eɪ/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /aɪ/.

bake, brain, day, hate, hay, lane, lay, mane/main, may/May, neigh, pay, praise, pray, raise, ray, say, stay

Ex. 3 In each group of words choose the word which does not have /aɪ/ or /eɪ/.

/aɪ/ a. incline, pine, blinder, consider   b. achieve, blight, apply, drive

/eɪ/ c. Maine, Spain, train, said   d. afraid, Norway, quay, laid

KEY

1. I'm, buy, bide, bike, Kyle, kite, dine, my, mite, pie, sky, sty, Thai

2. bike, brine, die, height, hi/high, line, lie, mine, my, nigh, pie, prize, pry, rise, rye, sigh, sty

3. /aɪ/ a. consider, b. achieve

/eɪ/ c. said, d. quay