American English Vowel Sounds

FRONT CENTER BACK

HIGH beat / i: / / u: / boot

bit / I / / u / put
MID bait / ei / but / ou / boat
bet / e / /¶ / / o / bought
LOW bat / ¶ e /
/ a / top
The / i: / sound

• Hold the sound for two counts/ beats.

•Your lips are spread as if you are smiling.

The / I / sound

• Lips are relaxed

• Tongue is a little lower than it is for / i: / .
/ i: / vs / I /

sleep – slip least- list

leave – live beat - bit

eat – it seek - sick

heal – hill deep – dip

ease – is peak – pick

feature – package retailer – referral

Practice reading the sentences below:

1. This is a heel.

2. This is a hill.

3. Is he leaving?

4. Is he living?

5. This is a sheep.

6. This is a ship.

7. He’s still sleepy.

8. They serve the meals at the mills.

The / u: / sound

• The mouth should be opened a little

• The tongue is pushed to the high back part
• The lips are slightly rounded.

The / u / sound

• The mouth and lip muscles must be relaxed

• The tongue is in the high center part of the mouth
• Round lips very slightly
/ u: / vs / u /

Luke – look fool - full

wooed – wood cooed - could

stewed – stood pool – pull

due – good too - took

Practice reading the sentences below:

1. Luke could cook.

2. I pulled and pulled.

3. The prince wooed her in the woods .

4. I look like a fool.

5. The pool is full.

6. A fool is full of mischief.

The / ¶e / sound

• Push the front of your tongue forward

• Jaw should be lowered

The / a / sound

• Is pronounced farther back in the mouth

/ ¶ e / vs / a /
fax – fox cash – copy lack -lock

hat – hot aunt – top plan - doctor

cab – cob balance – product

Practice reading the sentences below:

1. We will send it to you through fax.

2. They caught a fox near the pond.

3. My aunt is fond of ants.

4. The program was cancelled.

/ ¶ e / vs / e /

“ Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?”

had – head ran – wren pan – pen

man – men sand – send batter - better

had – head bad – bed back – beck

Practice reading the sentences below:

1. Betty’s batter tastes better.

2. Is the pen black?

3. Where’s the pen?

4. Where’s the pan?

The / ¶ / sound

• Mouth is open about the width of a pencil

• Lips are relaxed
• The middle of the tongue is slightly arched
• Muscles are relaxed
/ ¶ / vs / a /

luck – lock trainer – sock history – not

southern – bond month – pop Visa – dollar

today – college problem – prompt mother – opposite

Practice reading the sentences below:

1. I have peanut butter for lunch.

2. It’s a sub.

3. It’s a sob.

4. He locked the hut.

/ ou / vs / o /

sew – saw boat – bought low- law

go – sports hold – more October – August

note – order local – born foe – off

Practice reading the sentences below:

1. Do you kno w how to bowl?

2. They caught him stealing the manager’s coat.

/ ei /

paper - pepper

1. I’m in pain.

2. Have you ever eaten a snake before?

3. She’s eighteen years old.

 Consonant Sounds

VOICELESS VOICED
P part b boot
t talk d dew
K computer v service
f fix g God
Th thin dh thy
S spare z zoom
Sh shut zh vision
Ch chip j Jew
H hack m machine
n neck
ng bring
l line
r right
y yes
w warning
hw what
The Th Sound
Three blind mice, see how they run!
They all ran after the farmer’s wife;
She cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?

The Voiced Th Sound

Let’s compare:

though –doe those – doze they – day

then – den there – dare this – dish

The Voiceless Th Sound

thin – tin theme – team three – tree

thought – taught thanks – tanks faith – fate

death – debt
The Various T Sounds

· T is aspirated at the beginning of a word or in a stressed

syllable

take technical electronic

tools tone tomorrow

· T is held at the end of the word.

mate note

what put

· T is not aspirated in the consonant combination /st/, /tr/, /lt/,

/ct/, and some /nt/ combinations in unstressed position

customer stop start

district state distant

· T is produced like a soft d or “d”-like between two vowel sounds
in unstressed position.

Saturday category

total tutor

· T is silent after “n” in unstressed position.

twenty international

entertainment Atlanta

· T is held before “n” at the end of a word and in –tain and –ten
endings.

mountain certain

frequent button
/p/ /f/ /b/ /v/
pace face / phase bolts volts

cheap chief berry / bury very

pile file best vest

copy coffee cupboard covered

/ s / or / z /

· /s/ - After the voiceless consonant sounds /t/, /k/, /p/, /f/, and /th/

sports works caps

offs paths

· /z/ - After the voiced consonant and vowel sounds

/d/ pads /l/ stalls

/v/ leaves /m/ homes

/ng/ cravings /b/ subscribes

/g/ tags /r/ dollars

/th/ clothes /n/ reasons

vowels ideas, trees, toes

· /Iz/ - after the consonant sounds /z/, /s/, /zh/, /sh/, /ch/ and /j/

/z/ closes /zh/ Asia

/s/ services /sh/ dishes

/j/ badges /ch/ launches

Tongue Twister Challenge
· A tooter who tooted a flute tried to tutor two tutors to toot. Said the two to their
tutor “is it harder to toot or to tutor two tutors to toot?”

· Mrs. Peck Pigeon

Is picking for bread
Bob-bob-bob
Goes her little round head
Tame as a pussy cat
In the street
Step-step-step
Go her little red feet
And her little round head
Mrs. Peck Pigeon
Goes picking for bread
If one doctor doctors another doctor,
does the doctor who doctors the doctor
doctor the doctor the way
the doctor he is doctoring doctors?
Or does he doctor the doctor the way
the doctor who doctors doctors?

He who knows , and knows he knows,

He is wise --- follow him.
He who knows, and knows not he knows,
He is asleep --- wake him.
He who knows not, and knows he knows not,
He is a child --- teach him.

--- Anonymous
Major Decisions

How do you like your coffee?

Black! Black!
How do you like your tea?
With lemon, please.
How do you like your steak?
Medium rare.
How do you like your eggs?
I don’t care!
Sunny side up?
I don’t care!
Poached on toast?
I don’t care!
Scrambled, with bacon?
I don’t care!
Over easy?
I don’t care!
Come on, tell me!
This isn’t fair.
I told you the truth.
I really don’t care.
Stress Placement
Two-syllable Nouns

‘distance ‘menu
‘damsel ‘digest

z*** Some nouns are stressed on the root

and not on the prefix.
ex’cuse mis’take
de’sign dis’pute
Compound Nouns

‘firetruck

‘software

‘classmate
Reflexive Pronouns

your’self

her’self

them’selves
Two-syllable Verbs and
Adjectives (Stress the root)

Adjectives Verbs

‘useful ‘soften

a’live em’ploy
Two-syllable Adverbs and
Prepositions (Stress the root.)

be’side

a’bove

‘quickly
Two-word Verbs

turn ‘on

put ‘up

shut ‘down
Suffixes
z Stress the syllable before these suffixes:
Suffix Word
z -ity pub’licity
z -ic ener’getic
z -ical eco’logical
z -ify so’lidify
z -ion ex’tinction
z -logy psy’chology
z -cient su’fficient
z -graphy pho’tography
z -ious mys’terious
Stress the suffixes

Suffix Word
z-esce acquiESCE
z-ee referEE
z-eer mountainEER
z-esque ArabESQUE
z-ese ChinESE
z-ette cigarETTE
Stress the second syllable
before the suffixes

Suffix Word
z-ize ‘standardize
z-ate ‘fortunate
z-ary ‘secretary
zStress does not change but remains on the
same syllable
Suffix Word
z-ful ‘bountiful (bounty)
z-al pro’fessional (profession)
z-able be’lievable (believe)
z-ly ‘mentally (mental)
z-ment em’ployment (employ)
z-ness ‘happiness (happy)
***Some exceptions:

Suffix Word
z-ic ‘Arabic
z-ee com‘mittee
z-ion ‘intersection
z-ize ‘personalize
z-tary supple’mentary
Nouns, verbs, and adjectives
ending in -ate

zAdjectives and nouns - /It/

zVerbs – /eIt/

Practice reading the words as verbs then as

nouns/adjectives:
estimate duplicate
separate alternate
Two-syllable Nouns and Verbs

Nouns Verbs
‘permit per’mit
‘progress prog’ress
‘object ob’ject
‘subject sub’ject
‘present pre’sent
*** Some Exceptions:

zStress is on the second syllable for both

forms
report review
zStress is on the first syllable for both
forms
comfort accent
zOne can stress either syllable
detail research
Stress Placement and Spelling
Game
Intonation
duh duh duh mee mee mee

duh duh duh mee mee mee

duh duh duh mee mee mee

duh duh duh mee mee mee

la la la so so so

la la la so so so

la la la so so so

la la la so so so
ho ho ho Dawn likes dogs.

ho ho ho It tastes like rain.

ho ho ho I can’t draw.

ho ho ho Ann took it.

Statement Intonation with
Nouns

z Intonation is used to introduce new

information.

Angela wants a book.

Bryce plays pool.

Pat teaches French.

 Josh sells some boxes.

Ben paints the fence.

The girls like the food.

The kids need some help.

Noun and Pronoun Intonation

Rob likes Anne. He likes her.

Terry eats crackers. She eats them.

The plumber fixed the pipe. He fixed it.

The boys need some money. They need something.

Alice knows Angel and me. She knows us.

The kids have a show. They have one.

Pete sells cars. He sells them.

1. The R ising Intonation – for ques tions ans werable b y YES or NO

1. Are yo u okay?

2. Is Reggie i n his office?

Ask questio ns beginni ng with:

Have… ? W ill… ? Were… ?
Am… ? W as… ? Has… ?

1. used to ask so meone to repeat w hat he /s he said

1. Say tha t again?

2. Exc use me?

q The Falling Intonation – for open-ended questions

1. What is the latest news on outsourcing?

2. What are the advantages of your new product?

Ask questions beginning with:

Whose…? Which…?
Who…? Whom…?

- used when giving choices

1. Do you want an apple or a banana?

R e a s o n s fo r In to n a t io n

1 . C o ntra st

I lik e d o g s, b u t I h a te ca ts .

2 . N e w In fo rm a tio n

It lo o k s like w a te r .

3 . O p inio n

It lo o k s like w a te r , b ut it co u ld b e p o iso n .

4 . C a n’t

c a n’t – stre s se d ca n – w ith a sc hw a

Yo u c a n ’t d o tha t. H e re ’s w ha t w e ca n d o fo r yo u .
Variable Stress

What would you have?

What would you have?

What would you have?

What would you have?

Hello, my name is Angel.
Hello, my name is Angel.
Hello, my name is Angel.
Points to Remember:

v When you’re making a statement for the

first time, you stress the nouns.

v When you replace the nouns with

pronouns, stress the verbs.
v A question rises a little higher than a
statement with the same pattern.

v Heightened emotions are best expressed

with a rising intonation pattern.
Linking
zWhen a word ends in a consonant sound and
the next starts with a vowel sound, the words
are connected.

Can I have your name? Ke nigh havyour name?

Have a nice day! Ha vuhnice day

My name is my naymiz

LA eh lay

American accent america naccent

zWhen a word ending in a vowel sound is
placed before a word that begins with a
vowel sound, they are connected with a Y
or W sound.

vowel + /Y/ + vowel

vowel + /w/ +vowel
He isn’t here. He yisn’t here.

You are kind you ware kind

May I ask how you’re related? May yie ask…

Too often too woften

Exercise:

z Y or W?

1. So honest ____
2. To open ____
3. Do I? ____
4. Who is ____
5. To understand ____
 Y or W?

6. He is ____

7. To access ____

8. He always ____

9. Through any ____

10. Just do it. ____

Linking two consonants

zWhen the sound of D,T, Z, or

S is followed by a word that
begins with a Y, or its sound,
the words are connected.
T + Y = CH

What’s your watcher

Don’t you dontcha

Let you letcha

Can’t you do it cantchew

D+Y=J

Could you couldja

Did you didja

Find your fine jer

Education ejucation
S + Y = SH

Bless you blesshue

Pass your pasher

Guess your guesshur

Yes, you are yeshuwar

Z + Y = ZH

Who’s your whozier

Where’s your wherezhur

How was your howwazhier

He says you’re he sezhur

Common American
Expressions:

Let’s go! Sko.

What are you doing? Whatcha doin?

I have got a caller. I’ve gotta caller.

I’ll let you know. I’ll letcha know.

How is it going? Howzit going?

How did you like it? Howja like it?

What do you think? Whaddyu think?

Tell her that I miss her. TellerImisser.

What are you waiting for? Whaddya waiting for?

I’ll meet you later Meechu later.

Don’t you get it? Doancha geddit?

I don’t know, it’s too hard. I dunno, stoo hard.

Could we go? Kwee gou?

How to Speak Better English

zListen to audio books.

zWatch American TV shows and movies.
zRecord yourself.
zThink, feel, and speak the English
language.