In May 2019 I wrote about the "-(e)s" suffix in plural nouns, the 3rd person singular form in the Present Simple tense as well as the "-'s" or "-s'" in so-called Saxon Genitive. The rules concerning the pronunciation of the "-ed" suffix of the Past Simple and Past Participle of regular verbs are quite similar: the suffix is voiceless after a voiceless sound, voiced after a voiced one and an additional vowel appears when the consonant is similar to the one in the suffix.
1. After a voiceless consonant "-ed" is pronounced /t/, e.g. walked /wɔːkt/, passed /pɑːst/.
2. After a voiced consonant, semi-vowel, vowel or diphthong "-ed" is pronounced /d/, e.g. bored /bɔːd/, played /pleɪd/.
3. After /t/ or /d/ "-ed" is pronounced /ɪd/ (some sources say it is /əd/), e.g. waited /'weɪtɪd/, faded /'feɪdɪd/.
The error that is the most typical of Polish learners of English is devoicing, namely pronouncing final /d/ as /t/ and /ɪd/ as /ɛt/, /ɛ/ being a Polish vowel represented by the letter "e".
Before a pause /d/ is actually devoiced but not the same as /t/. The details will be explained in a separate post.
Ex. Put the following verb forms in categories depending on the pronunciation of the "-ed" suffix.
baked, wasted, leaked, amazed, melted, smirked, highlighted, tired, greeted, marked, hated, expired, scoffed, grazed, camped, smiled, raised, jumped, booked, helped, watched, skied, surveyed, regretted, considered, added, missed, fainted
1. /t/ 2. /d/ 3. /ɪd/
KEY
1. /t/ baked, leaked, smirked, marked, scoffed, camped, jumped, booked, helped, watched, missed
2. /d/ amazed, tired, expired, grazed, smiled, raised, skied, surveyed, considered
3. /ɪd/ wasted, melted, highlighted, greeted, hated, regretted, added, fainted
Monday, 20 April 2020
Tuesday, 4 February 2020
Pronunciation games 1
With today's post I begin a series of simple ideas to use games in pronunciation classes.
Pronunciation race 2-4 players
You'll need: a blank board game template, pieces, dice
1. Download a simple blank board game template or draw one yourself. It should be a simple start-to-finish or Chutes-and-Ladders / Snakes-and-Ladders type of game. Make sure the colours are not too bright. Print it out in the A4 format.
2. In some of the spaces write the symbols that you want to revise. In my game I used symbols for English monophthong vowels.
2. Decide how many sets you want to use in your class. Copy the boards (one for up to four players) and give each team of players a die and up to four pieces.
3. Students are supposed to throw a die, move their pieces (a six does not mean they throw again) and if they land on a space with a symbol, they should say a word which contains the sound represented. Others listen and if they disagree, someone can challenge the player and use a dictionary/smartphone to check the pronunciation of the word. A player who says nothing for e.g. a minute or gives the wrong word misses the next turn.
4. The teacher should move between the groups and listen to them play, correcting mistakes if necessary. Note that the more teams, the more difficult it becomes to catch mistakes or make sure students do not cheat or use L1 to communicate.
5. The game works best with adults: it doesn't matter who makes the fewest mistakes or reaches the goal first. Children may treat the competitive aspect of the game too seriously and be unhappy if they 'lose'. If adult students insist on counting points, they may do so provided they write down the symbols and words as well. The teacher may then check their lists to correct any mistakes made during the game.
6. After some time or after everyone has reached the finishing line in the game, the teacher may ask which sound was the most difficult.
N.B. If you use a chutes-and-ladders template or one with many spaces, the game will last longer (Chutes and Ladders adds another element of chance - students who come up with correct words may not finish the game, and students who are worse at pronunciation may reach the goal first; a template similar to Ludo can make things too complicated and the gameplay too long). Of course the more students play using one board, the longer the game takes.
A more time-consuming variant is to mark some of the spaces with the same symbol or use a highlighter to colour it in and prepare one set of cards for each team containing phonemic symbols. In this way the boards themselves can be reused for other exercises and only the cards are replaced.
This is of course the most basic idea possible. I'll be referring to today's post in some of my later posts.
Pronunciation race 2-4 players
You'll need: a blank board game template, pieces, dice
1. Download a simple blank board game template or draw one yourself. It should be a simple start-to-finish or Chutes-and-Ladders / Snakes-and-Ladders type of game. Make sure the colours are not too bright. Print it out in the A4 format.
2. In some of the spaces write the symbols that you want to revise. In my game I used symbols for English monophthong vowels.
2. Decide how many sets you want to use in your class. Copy the boards (one for up to four players) and give each team of players a die and up to four pieces.
3. Students are supposed to throw a die, move their pieces (a six does not mean they throw again) and if they land on a space with a symbol, they should say a word which contains the sound represented. Others listen and if they disagree, someone can challenge the player and use a dictionary/smartphone to check the pronunciation of the word. A player who says nothing for e.g. a minute or gives the wrong word misses the next turn.
4. The teacher should move between the groups and listen to them play, correcting mistakes if necessary. Note that the more teams, the more difficult it becomes to catch mistakes or make sure students do not cheat or use L1 to communicate.
5. The game works best with adults: it doesn't matter who makes the fewest mistakes or reaches the goal first. Children may treat the competitive aspect of the game too seriously and be unhappy if they 'lose'. If adult students insist on counting points, they may do so provided they write down the symbols and words as well. The teacher may then check their lists to correct any mistakes made during the game.
6. After some time or after everyone has reached the finishing line in the game, the teacher may ask which sound was the most difficult.
N.B. If you use a chutes-and-ladders template or one with many spaces, the game will last longer (Chutes and Ladders adds another element of chance - students who come up with correct words may not finish the game, and students who are worse at pronunciation may reach the goal first; a template similar to Ludo can make things too complicated and the gameplay too long). Of course the more students play using one board, the longer the game takes.
A more time-consuming variant is to mark some of the spaces with the same symbol or use a highlighter to colour it in and prepare one set of cards for each team containing phonemic symbols. In this way the boards themselves can be reused for other exercises and only the cards are replaced.
This is of course the most basic idea possible. I'll be referring to today's post in some of my later posts.
Friday, 24 January 2020
Calques from Polish 2
This is a continuation of an exercise I wrote in 2017.
Ex. Correct the following sentences: they contain non-native phrases translated directly from Polish.
1. When you write an essay, you have to plan it in advance to make sure it has arms and legs.
2. Jane was tired and left the party in English. No one knew she was gone until the others started to leave.
3. I know nothing about philosophy. During Professor Jones's lecture on Hegel I sat as if I was at a Turkish sermon.
4. Jake's plans to move to Portugal and open a B&B are just castles from sand.
5. Before you make business with the Chinese, you need to know a few things about Chinese culture.
6. The secretary printed out the document and put a spinach on the pages.
7. Frank's a morning bird - he gets up at six even on Sundays.
8. It's worth to see this film.
9. I can't remember the last time I watched a tele-tournament.
10. Father tried to throw smoking last year but he started to smoke again after a week.
11. She always got high marks from her English exams.
12. I forgot my umbrella and got as wet as a hen.
13. The shopkeeper doubled and tripled to serve all the customers.
14. After the divorce the actor didn't have a penny at his soul.
15. You have to pay for the course from above.
Key
1. ... it makes sense. 2. ... left the party without saying goodbye. 3. ... Hegel I couldn't understand a word/a thing. / Professor Jones's lecture on Hegel was all Greek/double Dutch to me. 4. ... are just pie in the sky. 5. ... do business. 6. ... put a paper clip on the pages. 7. ... an early bird. 8. This film is worth seeing. 9. ... a game show/quiz show on TV. 10. ... to quit/give up smoking 11. ... high marks in 12. ... soaking wet. 13. The shopkeeper bent over backwards 14. ... the actor was broke/penniless. 15. ... pay for the course up front/in advance.
Polish words mistranslated into English: 1. mieć ręce i nogi, 2. wychodzić po angielsku, 3. siedzieć jak na tureckim kazaniu, 4. zamki na piasku, 5. robić interesy/biznes, 6. spinacz, 7. ranny ptaszek, 8. warto obejrzeć, 9. teleturniej, 10. rzucić palenie, 11. oceny z egzaminów, 12. zmoknąć jak kura, 13. dwoić się i troić, 14. nie mieć grosza przy duszy, 15. z góry
Words connected by derivation: changes in pronunciation
Some words which share a common root (one is derived from the other or both are derived from another word) are pronounced differently: the stress shifts to another syllable or the stressed vowel changes its quality. Sometimes this is made obvious by the spelling, cf. long - length, think - thought; in the exercise below, however, we focus on examples where the spelling is not very helpful in determining the pronunciation.
I used Tophonetics at https://tophonetics.com/
Ex. How should we pronounce the following pairs of words? Pay attention to vowel sounds and word stress.
clean - cleanliness, clear - clarity, know - knowledge, moral - morality, nation - national, photograph - photography, social - society, various - variety, wide - width
Key
/kliːn/ - /ˈklenlɪnɪs/, /klɪə/ - /ˈklærɪti/, /nəʊ/ - /ˈnɒlɪʤ/, /ˈmɒrəl/ - /məˈrælɪti/, /ˈneɪʃən/ - /ˈnæʃənl/, /ˈfəʊtəgrɑːf/ - /fəˈtɒgrəfi/, /ˈsəʊʃəl/ - /səˈsaɪəti/, /ˈveərɪəs/ - /vəˈraɪəti/, /waɪd/ - /wɪdθ/
I used Tophonetics at https://tophonetics.com/
Ex. How should we pronounce the following pairs of words? Pay attention to vowel sounds and word stress.
clean - cleanliness, clear - clarity, know - knowledge, moral - morality, nation - national, photograph - photography, social - society, various - variety, wide - width
Key
/kliːn/ - /ˈklenlɪnɪs/, /klɪə/ - /ˈklærɪti/, /nəʊ/ - /ˈnɒlɪʤ/, /ˈmɒrəl/ - /məˈrælɪti/, /ˈneɪʃən/ - /ˈnæʃənl/, /ˈfəʊtəgrɑːf/ - /fəˈtɒgrəfi/, /ˈsəʊʃəl/ - /səˈsaɪəti/, /ˈveərɪəs/ - /vəˈraɪəti/, /waɪd/ - /wɪdθ/
Friday, 10 January 2020
Silent "-ue"
Sometimes the letters "-ue" following "g" or "q" are not pronounced. A common mistake is to pronounce the end of such words as /-gju:/ or /-kju:/ instead of /-g/ or /-k/. Interestingly, American English spelling reflects these silent letters by simply removing them, e.g. American Eng. dialog, cf. British Eng. dialogue.
Ex. How should we pronounce the following words? Pay attention to other vowels as well.
dialogue, catalogue, rogue, ague, plaque, pique, vague, vogue, meringue, torque, fugue, league, plague
KEY
/ˈdaɪəlɒg/, /ˈkætəlɒg/, /rəʊg/, /ˈeɪgjuː/, /plɑːk/, /piːk/, /veɪg/, /vəʊg/, /məˈræŋ/, /tɔːk/, /fjuːg/, /li:g/, /pleɪg/
Ex. How should we pronounce the following words? Pay attention to other vowels as well.
dialogue, catalogue, rogue, ague, plaque, pique, vague, vogue, meringue, torque, fugue, league, plague
KEY
/ˈdaɪəlɒg/, /ˈkætəlɒg/, /rəʊg/, /ˈeɪgjuː/, /plɑːk/, /piːk/, /veɪg/, /vəʊg/, /məˈræŋ/, /tɔːk/, /fjuːg/, /li:g/, /pleɪg/
Wednesday, 18 December 2019
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.
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.
Saturday, 23 November 2019
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.
/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/)
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
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