English pronunciation and phonetics
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The English language has an extensive amount of phonetic sounds and different types of pronunciation acquired through its long history and influences. By learning the most common sounds in the form of vowels and consonants you should be able to pronounce properly most words and letters.
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Vowels are part of the speech in the form of sound or a letter. They are pronounced with an open vocal tract. The English vowels are: 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'. The vowel can be pronounced differently in different words, see the table below.
Letter | Vowel sound | Pronunciation examples |
---|---|---|
A | /æ/ | Cat, Black, Hat |
A | /ɑ:/ | Spark, Dark, Arm |
A, E | /ə/ | Sofa, Alive, Kingdom |
A, U, O | /ɔ:/ | Bored, Horse, Law |
E, I, U | /ɜ:/ | Bird, Learn, Casual |
E | /i:/ | Sheep, See, Eat |
I | /i/ | Hit, Sit, Ship |
O | /əʊ/ | Go, Hole, Alone |
O | /ɒ/ | Rob, Hot, Top |
O, U | /u:/ | Blue, Few, Chew, |
U | /ʊ/ | Should, Put, Look |
U | /ʌ/ | One, Cup, Fun |
Consonants are part of the speech in the form of a sound. Upon pronouncing them there is a partial air block and not-pronouncing certain letters. In English, their list is quite extensive.
Letter | Consonant sound | Pronunciation examples |
---|---|---|
B | /b/ | Bed, Banana, Book |
CH | /tʃ/ | Church, Cheese, Watch |
CH | /x/ | Loch |
G | /g/ | August, Give, Grass |
G | /ʒ/ | Garage, Casual, Television |
H | /h/ | Hear, Hand, Hold |
J | /dʒ/ | Juice, January, Juggle |
L | /,l/ | Low, Critical, Little |
M | /m/ | More, Make, Mother |
N | /n/ | Knew, Nest, Turn |
N | /,n/ | Threaten |
N | /ŋ/ | Song, Finger, King |
P | /p/ | Pin, Apple, Pause |
R | /r/ | Responsible, Ring, Rap |
S | /s/ | Snake, Snow, Sick |
S | /ʃ/ | Show, Shirt, Cash |
T | /t/ | Transport, Train, Late |
T | /ð/ | That, Others, There |
T | /θ/ | Think, Bath, The |
V | /v/ | View, Very, Cave |
W | /w/ | Waste, We, Wait |
W | /hw/ | Wheel |
X | /ɡz/ | Examine |
X | /ks/ | Taxi, Max, Tax |
X | /z/ | Xenophobic, X-ray |
Z | /z/ | Result, Maximize |
Diphthongs are vowels that were created by the combination of two vowel sounds with the same syllable. They are very commonly used and vital to learn by heart.
Diphthong | Pronunciation examples |
---|---|
/aɪ/ | Buy, Eye, Pie |
/eɪ/ | Day, Okay, Pay |
/ɔɪ/ | Toy, Boy, Coy |
/ɪə/ | Beer, Ear, Dear |
/eə/ | Air, Fair, Hair |
/aʊ/ | How, Mouth, Cow |
/əʊ/ | Phone, Nose, Dose |
/ʊə/ | Sure, Pure, Endure |
In the English language some consonants are voiced and some are unvoiced. The table below shows the unvoiced consonants with their voiced counterparts.
Unvoiced | Voiced |
---|---|
s | z |
k | g |
f | v |
th | th |
ch | g |
p | b |
sh | j |
t | d |
There are two types of 'th', the unvoiced and voiced pronunciation.
The 'th' sound will be voiceless at the beginning of a content word. A content word is a word that add a meaning to a sentence, for example nouns, verbs or adjectives. The 'th' is unvoiced in the middle of words when it is before a consonant. The 'th' sound is voiceless when it is at the end of words, except for the word 'with'.
Examples of the unvoiced 'th':
The 'th' is voiced when it is at the beginning of the function word. A function word is a word that doesn't mean a specific action. The 'th' is voiced when it is in the middle of words between two vowels. The 'th' at the end of the word 'with' is voiced.
Examples of the voiced 'th':
The examples below show the different pronunciation between the 'sp' and 'st'.
The letters 'v' and 'w' have a different pronunciation, to understand the difference listen to the words below.
The rule to learn for the pronunciation of the letter 'r' is:
Most English vowels have a long vowel sound and short vowel sound depending on the word.
The letter 'a' has a long sound, sounds like 'ei' and a short sound, sounds like 'ah'.
In words that include '-ought', '-aught', '-alk' or '-aw', the 'a' sound is pronounced like 'oh'.
The long sound of the letter 'e' is pronounced as 'ee'. The short sound of the letter 'e' is pronounced as 'eh'.
When the letter 'Y' is at the end of a word that has more than one syllable and when the letters 'ie' are together, they are pronounced as a long 'e'. For example: lady, funny, believe, piece.
The long vowel 'i' sounds like 'aiy'. The short vowel 'i' sounds like 'ih'.
When the letter 'y' is at the end of a word that has one syllable it is pronounced as a long 'i'. For example: my, bye, why.
The long vowel 'o' sounds like 'ooh'. The short vowel 'o' is pronounced as 'oh'.
When the letter 'o' is followed by another vowel it is still pronounced as 'ooh'. For example: boat, toe.
The long sound of the vowel 'u' is the pronounced like 'yu'. The short vowel 'u' sounds like 'uh'.
When the letter 'u' is followed by the vowels 'e' or 'i' it is still pronounced as a long vowel 'u'. For example: fruit, clue.
There are some words in English that have the two 'oo' sound.
When the letters 'oo' follow the letter 'l', it is pronounced as a short 'u' sound. For example: flood, blood.
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Hi everyone!
My name is Abigail Sosa. I'm a Mexican student living in Belgium at the moment. I study Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Ghent and I teach Spanish aside.
I started teaching Spanish almost 5 years ago and as a result of this, I fell completly in love with language education and speech.
I have worked with children, teenagers and adults (also students with ADHD of Autism) in groups of levels or in private classes. My teaching methods always vary depending of the student that I have because not everyone learns at the same manner nor at the same rythm; with some students you need to work slower and with others faster; some students are more visual, others are more auditory or others are more verbal. However, I always teach the four elements that are crucial in order to master a language which are: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.
How do I do this?
With a previously planning of the class. This means choosing the activies, the topics or exercices to work during the class. They could be a video, a text or exercices of gramatica among others. Alongside we use, of course, a book: Aula Internacional. I share all the material via GoogleDrive.
My classes are very relaxed and I am very flexibel. The important thing is to enjoy what we are learning! I hope we see each other very soon, and please, don't hesitate to contact me in case you have more questions.
Greetings and a big hug dear future students,
Abi
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Abigail has 4 years of teaching experience and is a native speaker from Spain. She is very enthusiastic and eager to help you learn Spanish! She teaches to all levels (A1-C2). You'll sure feel comfortable in her presence.
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-About Me
Hi! My name is Daniel. I'm 26 years old and I currently live in Seville, Spain. I have been teaching Spanish for 4 years now because I love to teach my language and culture to others. I'm interested in movies, especially french cinema of Nouvelle Vague, literature and music of all genres.
-Me as a Teacher
I graduated in Hispanic Philology with a master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language at University of Sevilla with more than 3 years of experience teaching Spanish to students from different nationalities, countries, ages and levels (from absolutely begginer to C2).
I have worked with USA and Erasmus university students, refugees with any knowledge of Spanish, British, Chinese or Koreans students, among others. For doing that I have prepared personalized lessons based on the needs and interests of the students.
Also, I’m an official DELE Examiner certified by Instituto Cervantes who has helped a lot of students to get their Spanish level certificated in different levels.
-My Lessons & Teaching Style
-Very communicative lessons adapted to the needs and interests of my students.
-Personalised lessons based on each student and their goals.
-Lessons about conversation, gramar, culture…
-My main goal is to help you to speak Spanish with confidence and fluently.
-Access to all the material used.
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Daniel has over 4 years of teaching experience. He has experience in teaching online, offline and to people from all different cultural backgrounds. He teaches all levels from A1 to C2. Furthermore, he has a broad variety of learning materials available for each level. You will surely learn a lot from him!
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Hi, welcome to my profile!
My name is Alessia and I currently live in Italy. I lived some years in America where I deepened my knowledge of English and American dialects. I am currently specializing in the Spanish and German. In all these years I have given private lessons of Italian, English, Spanish and Japanese, at the moment the most required language. Regarding Japanese, I had the opportunity to experience the teaching of the language in an American College with a native Japanese teacher, implementing the method that they themselves use to learn their language. I will help you in a simple way; conversation is really important to learn a language and even more a good method. No days spent on textbooks are needed, constancy and fun during lessons are the most important part for learning. You will see the results immediately! I am patient, flexible and I will adapt in all ways to your personal needs. I'll wait for you on my profile for the trial lesson and discover an easy and fun method to learn a language as soon as possible.
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The teacher is always on time and uses perfect learning materials to learn the language. Very prepared in what she teaches and in the way she does it; very useful lessons!
Alessia T.Thank you Hilary!
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Hello everyone I am SAKI. I’m from Hyogo prefecture. I have been teaching Japanese in Italy.
Everyone who loves Japan, everyone who loves anime, everyone who loves Japanese TV series and everyone who loves Japanese food, I would like to share your loves!!
Let's speak Japanese together.
I have taught Japanese for 5 years in class and online.
・Conversation
・Chinese characters, Hiragana, Katakana
・grammar and business conversation
・About culture
Feel free to ask me questions!
✳︎favourites✳︎
・watching Miyazaki movies, reading books and manga
・I am a big fan of traveling and eating local foods
・I often go to Corse island for holiday. One of my favorite places! The sun, crystal clear water and delicious food.
・I like sports (especially volley ball and base ball!!)
I am looking forward to having a conversation with you!
Thank you
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Saki san explains very well. I enjoy the lessons very much. Its very good that we always start the lesson with repeating the previous lesson - it makes it easier for me to remember.
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Hi!
I'm Emma, I'm originally from London but have lived in many countries around the world, and currently live in Italy. I have learnt foreign languages myself, so I can empathise with your every concern about learning a new language!
I speak english with a very clear British accent, and I have much experience with all levels of english learners, from beginners to advanced, from young children to retired adults, online and in person.
Just let me know your needs and language goals, and I will help you!
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Emma is a very good teacher, she is helpful and patient. She helped me to prepare for B2 English exam. She improved my pronunciation and my vocabulary and she understood what I needed.
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I am a BA in Education graduate, with vast experience in primary, secondary and higher education levels, as well as in other activities related to education. I believe I have a diverse background which makes me a very adaptable teacher and with a lot to offer.
Most of my experience is in high school ,in adult education and university students. I have been able to develop a good relationship with my students, which has translated to better communication and an altogether more rounded experience for them and myself. My lesson planning has always aimed to reflect my students’ needs and interest applied into useful communicative language structures that they can actually use in their lives.
In my last years as a teacher, I have focused on preparing test-takers for the TOEFL. It has been a completely different experience from what I have had before, but I have helped my students accomplish the desired scores in the proposed time.
I believe in making the learning of a new language something exciting and not frightening at all, but challenging and gratifying instead. My material is dynamic and keeps my students engaged and continuesly developing their communiation skills.
I am flexible with my students' time and shcedule; naturally, it is open for deliberation if needed. I look forward to helping you get to the desired goals you set foryourself!
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Daniel is a wonderful teacher. He can deduce what the needs of each student are and make the class in an entertaining and enriching way. I definitely recommend this teacher!
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Let me help you improve your English for any purpose. I am a native English speaker with a Master's degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree and a CELTA teaching qualification.
I have been teaching for four years. As a copy-editor, I have been helping people improve their written English for over ten years (so yes, I can edit documents for you). Interviews: send me your CV and the job description and I will help you prepare.
Ready for certification? I will help you get ready for English language proficiency exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, OET, C1 (CAE), C2 (CPE).)
We CAN meet free of charge (just book a FREE CHAT for 20 minutes) to discuss your learning needs/my teaching methods and to start talking.
It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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Mary is a very experienced and patient teacher. She prepared well before class and did various exercises in class. After class, she sent me always materials of the lesson. I have noticed my improvement in grammar and pronunciation.
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I am a certified TEFL teacher and have taught ESL for the past three years. I can help you become more confident in speaking the English language which I believe is one of the most important parts of learning a language. If you want to pass exams I can also help you prepare for them and create lessons focused on listening, writing, oral and reading. I love traveling and if you are interested we can talk about the difference in cultures or any known sites in that country. We can speak about any categories you choose from politics to nature, I can build a class on that. I will help you in any way you can from beginners to advance I want to help you learn English!
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I liked the conversion we had - teacher changed topic few time topic in the right direction and it help very much for speaking.
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Hello!
I am Teacher Adan and I want you to speak and write English / Spanish. I have worked as an English teacher for more than 3 years with different groups and ages. I have also taught private classes, prepared students for international certifications and improved speaking in one to one lessons. The vast majority of my students succee when we work together as a team in the journey of learning a foreign language. As a result of my years of preparation and practice, I have got a university degree where I had the chance to teach subjects from my career in my senior year as well. I obtained a couple of certifications of trainings and seminars that I have been invited to and I recently obtained an international teaching certification (TEFL) and the English proficiency certificate in C2 level (advanced).
But let's focus on you and your interest in speaking a new language, I invite you to become part of my multiple students and finally be able to communicate in a different language even if your purpose is either for business, education or just for fun.
In my classes I involve my students with topics they are interested in, so that by the moment of speaking it is easy for them to discuss or give their point of view. I use technology to play games such as Kahoot, Google plataform, Charades, Quizizz and Kami. My students are always active producing and doing something so that the class is engaging and dinamic rather than only listening to the teacher. My methodology of work is based on having a learning environment where everyone can ask and participate in the language my students are learning. My main focus is to make everyone understand what I teach and how they can use in real life situations the content I give.
My learning materials are a book updated with the latest methods while learning a foreign language based on Person's content, the on-line tools I mentioned before so my students can develop interactive worksheets, speaking tasks, writings or vocabulary games and you (my student), who is the key to develop a well structured class with learning purposes.
I would love to receive an email from you in case of doubts or confirmation of the schedule for the class and get ready to become the next English / Spanish speaker.
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Adan is a very profesional teacher. One of the things I like the most is that he is very flexible person and adapts to my ability. Im really pleased with him.
Adan G.Thanks Nuria. You are such a really good student too and dedicated. See you back in class soon.
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A CELTA certified English Language Teacher and a native Greek; dynamic and results-orientated with long tutoring experience, a strong background in sciences and languages. I am currently completing an M.Ed degree in teaching English as a Foreign/International language.
Trustworthy and approachable with strong rapport skills.
Experienced in working with children, young learners, and adults across various educational settings.
A strong talent to develop and implement creative, hands-on learning that reaches every student`s learning style and ability, whilst empowering students to succeed and reach their individual goals. Every lesson is tailored to the needs of the student. The use of specific handbooks is determined by each student`s desires and needs. Any extra material when needed will be provided by the teacher.
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Katerina has lots of teaching experience. She teaches to all age ranges, from children to adults. She teaches to groups but also to individuals. Furthermore, she is very patient and eager to help you learn a new language.
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- Learn with a native English speaker: MA in Special Needs, PGCE, CELTA
- Advance essential skills: speaking, reading, listening comprehension, writing
- Prepare for TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, exam with confidence
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Kiranjit has over 10 years of teaching experience. She has experience in preparing several English exams like the IELTS. She has teaches to all ages and levels (A1-C2). Furthermore, she has lots of useful learning materials.
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Hey everyone!
My name is Ashlyn, and I am a native English speaker from New Zealand :) I love to create lessons for my students to help them make their English language journey as enjoyable as possible! I am an online university student studying history and social anthropology.
I have two years of teaching experience in private English language schools, and I also have a CELTA certificate. Therefore, I know how to teach English effectively and create lessons to practice speaking, reading, writing, and listening skills.
I love to use technology in the classroom, and I always create fun and colourful PowerPoint presentations to guide us through the lesson. I am always open to suggestions from my students. If you want to focus more on certain topics or activities, I am happy to make that possible for you.
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She speaks very clearly and she uses her time very well. She plans the lessons based on your interests and make it very fun. She has very good energy and I recommend her to everyone..
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My name is Alexis Joseph, I am a TESOL/ TEFL Certified teacher with a Bachelor’s degree in Education Major in Modern Languages, a postgraduate degree of Specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language and a Master's degree in Science of Education Major in School Management and I am very interactive and dynamic.
I have seven years of teaching experience in the classroom and online, I have worked with students of all ages from children to adults and for different institutions as an academic coordinator and language area coordinator, in addition I have taught ESL / EFL, English Language Arts, English Conversation, Spanish and Basic French to students of multiple nationalities.
I hope to see you in my class!
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Alexis has over 7 years of teaching experience. He has experience in teaching to people from all around over the world. His classes are very interactive. Furthermore, he teaches English from A1 to B2 and Spanish to all levels. You will surely learn a lot!
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Catherine is very professional, I found the class very helpful and would fully recommend her as a teacher Thanks Catherine !
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