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10 problems Spanish learners have when speaking English

Posted on February 19, 2013

Are there any mistakes you make over and over again?

If your answer is NO, Im not convinced you are being 100% honest.

The truth is that we all make mistakes when using our second language.

Its entirely natural to do so because our use of our second language is always influenced by our
native tongue.

In this blog, Im going to point out 10 reasons why Spanish speakers make certain errors.
Knowing about these problems may help you and your students find ways to resolve them.

1. How many vowel sounds are there in Spanish? How many in English?

Spanish has 5 vowel sounds and English has.12. The other problem is that the length of the
vowel sound is not an important feature which leads to classic misunderstandings such as: In
Spain, there are many hot bitches!

2. Consonants also cause problems for Spanish speakers. Some English phonemes
have equivalents in Spanish but others are distinctive sounds.

/ / / / / / h have no real match in Spanish.

How many consonant clusters can you spot?

How many consonant clusters can you spot?

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3. Consonant Clusters are far more common in English than in Spanish. A simple word
(for native English speakers) like breakfast is tough for Spaniards who will often pronounce it
brefas and omit the f and the final t because they are attached to another consonant. They
also need a run-up to manage names like Stephen and insert a vowel sound before the first
cluster of s / t and will often say Estephen.

4. The relationship in English between pronunciation and orthography (sound and

spelling) is a nightmare for Spanish speakers because these two aspects are joined at the hip in
their language. Words sound as they are spelled and are spelled like they sound. This is clearly
not the case in English.

5. Whereas English is generally categorised as a stress-timed language, Spanish is

usually considered to be a syllable-timed language. In English, we would put the beat on the
content syllables in this sentence:

The Beatles were bigger than Elvis.

A Spanish speaker might pronounce each syllable equally and this might sound robotic to English
speaker ears and we might struggle to identify the key content.

The / Beat / les / were / big / ger / than / El / vis.

6. The Spanish language doesnt really have contracted forms in the same way as English.
This means they cant always hear them (Ill see you tomorrow: Yes, I see you tomorrow) or
they misuse them (Are you Pedro? Yes, Im).

El gato black

7. In English, an adjective comes before a noun (black cat) but the noun generally comes
before the adjective in Spanish (cat black). The other problem is that we talk about black cats
in English but gatos negros in Spanish. In other words, the adjective has a plural form which it
doesnt in English.
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8. Asking questions with auxiliary verbs is a minefield for Spanish speakers. They often
omit them and just use an affirmative form:

You are happy?

Sometimes they remember the auxiliary but put the main verb in the past tense to make sure
they are understood:

Did you went to the party?

Question tags are also problematic due to the fact that there is a one-size fits all tag in
Spanish (You are hungry, no?) unlike English which is far more structurally complex.

9. Subject personal pronouns (I, You, She, He, We, It, They) are often unnecessary in
Spanish as the form of the main verb identifies the subject. This is why youll hear Spanish
speakers say things like:

Is Bob here? Yes, is here.

It is possible to pass the exam? Yes. is possible.

dog and cat

Friends for real?

10. False friends. Your Spanish students may surprise you with the depth and complexity of
their vocabulary. However, these words are often cognates (similar words in two languages such
as intelligent and inteligente) and derive from Latin. This can be beneficial to Spanish students
who can often understand complex authentic texts in English. On the other hand, just as English
speakers often change English suffixes to Spanish ones to form words (apparently to
apparentemente), Spanish speakers often try to use a Spanish word only to find that it has a
very different meaning in English.

This is a topic Ill be returning to in a future post but Ill leave you with one of my favourite
excuses for missing a lesson:

Pedro: Sorry professor, I couldnt assist the class because of my strong constipation.

So, next time, you groan inwardly or outwardly about a repeated error made by your Spanish
students, cut them some slack but explain why they are wrong.

https://tefltrainerspain.com/2013/02/19/10-problems-spanish-learners-have-when-speaking-english/
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10 English Pronunciation Errors by Spanish Speakers

(Important: go to website)

If your mother tongue is Spanish, you may find certain sounds in English more difficult than
others. Here we present to you the most common errors made by Spanish-speaking students at
Pronunciation Studio (audio is firstly in GB English then with a Spanish accent):

1. Vowel Sound Positions

Spanish uses 5 vowel sound positions in pronunciation, GB English uses 12 vowel sound
positions so this is a key area for Spanish speakers to learn. The most important area is
making the right shape with the mouth, rather than focussing on the length of the sound:

hit/heat

Spanish has just one high front vowel [i] and Spanish speakers often use this vowel for both
the // vowel in HIT and the /i/ vowel in HEAT. One i in English is normally the lower // vowel:

hit / heat

Did this thing win?

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
1.mp3

hut/hat/heart

Spanish speakers often make the vowels in HUT /ht/, HAT /ht/ and HEART /ht/ into the
Spanish /a/ they should be made in different positions in English:

hut / hat / heart

I love Matts car.

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
2.mp3
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good/food

Spanish /u/ is made with the tongue at the back of the mouth, English /u/ in FOOD is more
central, and English // in GOOD is more open and central (note also that the spelling < oo >
can produce both sounds in English):

/u/ food, soon, new

// good, cook, put

Ill cook some good food soon.

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
3.mp3

world

The central, neutral vowel // in HURT, EARLY, BIRD, WORSE, PREFER is often mispronounced
by Spanish speakers because there is no similar vowel sound in the Spanish, and the spellings
are confusing:

ir bird, shirt, sir

or worse, worth, world
ur hurt, turn, burn
er/ear prefer, heard, early

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
4.mp3

2. Weak Vowel: schwa //

The most common sound in English is the weak vowel, schwa //. The problem is that this
sound can be spelt with any vowel A, E, I, O, U and it should never be stressed, which is
difficult for Spanish speakers who normally stress every syllable:

about tighten lentil today column

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
5.mp3
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3. /r/, silent < r >

Spanish /r/ involves tapping or trilling the tongue on the gum, English /r/ does not, its a smooth
approximant:

rock red arrow try

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
6.mp3

British English r is silent at the end of a syllable (non-rhotic), Spanish speakers pronounce
these rs because Spanish is rhotic:

work court her pour father

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
7.mp3

4. /v/ vs. /b/

In English /v/ is a voiced fricative using teeth and lip, Spanish speakers tend to replace it with a
plosive /b/ or an approximant sound using both lips:

Next vacation Id love to visit the river.

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
8.mp3

5. // vs /s/

Spanish speakers dont tend to pull the tongue back when making the // sound, so it sounds
more like /s/:

// push sharp fashion

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-9.mp3
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6. /h/ & silent < h >

English /h/ is a glottal fricative its the sound you make when steaming up a mirror. Spanish
speakers may replace this with a velar fricative:

/h/ horse heavy ahead

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
10.mp3

The h in little function words like HAVE, HE, HIS, HER, HIM is often silent in connected speech,
but Spanish speakers may put it in:

I must have forgotten it.

Whats her name?

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
11.mp3

7. Aspiration: /p,t,k/

In English, the plosive sounds /p,t,k/ are normally aspirated (a big explosion of air), but they
never are in Spanish:

Park the car in town.

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
12.mp3

8. Voicing

Spanish speakers often de-voice (/d/=/t/, /b/=/p/, /v/=/f/) at the end of syllables, as the
distinction is not made in Spanish:

bad cod job love

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-13.mp3
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The spelling s is often pronounced as voiced /z/ at the end of syllables in English, Spanish
speakers tend to always pronounce it as voiceless /s/:

cheese was news lose

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
14.mp3

9. Sentence Stress

Spanish is a syllable-timed language so you stress every syllable, whereas English stress-time
involves choosing (normally only one or two) certain syllables to stress, with everything else
becoming weak and/or shorter:

Id like to have a look at the report.

What do you think about the weather?

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
15.mp3

10. Falling Intonation

GB English uses a wide pitch range and high falling tones are very common, whereas Spanish
uses more rising tones:

Its very good.

Do you fancy going for a drink tonight?

Audio Player

https://pronunciationstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/spanish-pronunciation-errors-
16.mp3

SOURCE: https://pronunciationstudio.com/spanish-speakers-english-pronunciation-errors/
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Pronunciation problems and solutions for all speakers of Spanish.

Although a strong Spanish accent is usually easier to understand than a similarly strong French
or Portuguese one, the pronunciation can cause considerable strain for the listener and seem
somewhat harsh and flat. More importantly, Spanish speakers often have listening
comprehension far below their other skills.

School English lessons in most Spanish-speaking countries also tend to focus much more on
reading and grammar than speaking and listening, and so pronunciation work will both help
redress the balance and be considered worthwhile by students.

This article will focus mainly on pronunciation problems that cause miscomprehension, including
some attempt to prioritise the entries in each section. The sections themselves are arranged
more traditionally, starting with individual sounds.

Points That Spanish-Speaking Learners Of English Find Difficult

Vowels

Short and long vowel pairs

Perhaps the single biggest pronunciation problem for Spanish speakers is that their language
does not have a distinction between short and long vowels. They often stretch all vowel sounds
out too much and confuse pairs of short and long English vowel sounds like ship and sheep
both in comprehension and speaking. Relevant pairs include:

bit/beat

not/note and not/nought

batter/barter

pull/pool
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As the pairs above are all pronounced with different mouth positions as well as different lengths,
focusing on that can help students distinguish between the minimal pairs above even if they
dont fully get the hang of vowel length.

Other vowels

In common with most learners, Spanish speakers find the distinction between the very similar
sounds in cat and cut difficult to notice and produce. Perhaps more importantly, they can also
have problems with the two closest sounds to an o sound in not mentioned above, making
boat and bought difficult to distinguish. The unstressed schwa er sound in computer does
not exist in Spanish, and neither do the closest long sounds in fur and her. Spanish speakers
tend to find it much more difficult to recognise not rhotic versions of vowel sounds.

Consonants

Words written with b and v are mostly pronounced identically, making this perhaps the most
common spelling mistake in Spanish. There is also no distinction between the first sounds in
yacht and jot in Spanish and which of those two sounds is perceived by English speakers
tends to depend on the variety of Spanish spoken (this being one of the easiest ways of spotting
an Argentinean accent, for example). There may also be some confusion between the first sound
in jeep and its unvoiced equivalent in cheap (a common sound in Spanish).

The ch in cheese may also be confused with the sh in shes, as the latter sound does not
exist in Spanish. The difference is similar to that between yacht and jot mentioned above,
being between a smooth sound (sh) and a more explosive one (ch), so the distinction can
usefully be taught as a more general point. Alternatively, the sh in sheep may come out
sounding more like s in seep, in which case it is mouth shape that needs to be worked on.

Spanish words never start with an s sound, and words which are similar to English tend to
have an initial es sound instead, as in escuela/school. This is very common in Spanish
speakers pronunciation of English as well, leading to pronunciations like I am from Espain.
Spanish speakers have no problem producing a hissing sound, so the secret is to have them
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make the word directly after that ssss and then practise reducing the length of that down to a
short initial s.

Unlike most languages, the th sounds in thing and bathe do exist in Spanish. The problem
with bathe is that the sound is just a variation on mid or final d for Spanish speakers and so
some work on understanding the distinction between initial d and initial th is usually needed
before it can be understood and produced in an initial position in fact making the amount of
work needed not much less than for speakers of languages entirely without this sound. The
problem with thing and sing is different as it is a distinction that exists in some varieties of
Spanish and not others, meaning that again for some speakers practice will need to start
basically from zero.

Some speakers also pronounce a final d similar to an unvoiced th. d and t can also be a
problem at the end of words, as can thing/think and sometimes thing/thin or even ring
and rim. In general, Spanish consonant sounds vary more by position than English consonants
do.

Although a w sound exists in Spanish, it is spelt gu and can be pronounced gw, sometimes
making it difficult to work out if a g or w is what is meant.

As a z is pronounced as s or th (depending on the speaker, as in the two pronunciations of

Barcelona), a z sound does not exist in Spanish. However, perhaps because not so much air
is produced in a Spanish s I find that this version rarely produces comprehension problems.

Although a Spanish r is different from most English ones, it rarely causes comprehension
problems. However, the English r can seem so soft to Spanish speakers that it is sometimes
perceived as w.

The Spanish j in Jos (similar to the Scottish ch in loch) and the English h in hope
rarely if ever cause communication problems, but is perhaps the main thing to work on if
students are interested in accent reduction. An English h is like breathing air onto your glasses
so you can polish them, and students can actually practise doing that to help.
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Spanish doesnt have the soft, French-sounding sound from the middle of television and
pleasure, but this rarely if ever causes comprehension problems.

Number of syllables

Particularly when it comes to final consonant clusters in English, Spanish-speakers can suffer
both from adding extra syllables (e.g. three syllables for advanced with the final e
pronounced) and swallowing sounds to make it match the desired number of syllables (e.g.
fifths sounding like fiss). With words that are similar in Spanish and English, they can also
often try to make the English word match the Spanish number of syllables.

Word stress

Trying to make Latinate words in English match Spanish pronunciation is also true for word
stress. There is also a more general problem that Spanish, unlike English, has a pretty regular
system of word stress.

Sentence stress

Spanish is sometimes described as a syllable-timed language, basically meaning that each

syllable takes up about the same amount of time. This means that the English idea of unstressed
syllables and weak forms being squashed in between stressed syllables doesnt really exist in
Spanish. This can make it difficult for Spanish speakers to pick out and point out the important
words in a sentence.

Intonation

Spanish speakers, especially males, can sound quite flat in English, and this can cause problems
in formal situations and other times when polite language is needed (especially as Spanish
speakers also have other problems with polite language such as over-use of the verb give).
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Alphabet

The names and pronunciations of the letters of the alphabet in Spanish can cause confusions
between these pairs in both listening and speaking, e.g.

A/E

A/R

E/I

C/K

G/J

www.tefl.net
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1000+ R Words, Phrases, Sentences, and Reading Passages Grouped by Place,

Syllable, & Blend

http://www.home-speech-home.com/r-words.html

Initial R by Syllables

2
Syllable
rabbit

raccoon

rainbow

raincoat

rainy

raisin

Reading

reason

repeat

rescue

respect

review

ripping
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robin

robot

rocket

rotten

rotten

roundup

royal

running

wrestle

wrinkle

wrist watch

writing

3
Syllable
racquet ball

radio

rational

rattlesnake

reaction

realize

really
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rebellious

recognize

recommend

recycle

reelect

regulate

relative

religion

removal

residence

respectful

reunion

Rhode Island

ridicule

right handed

rolling pin

runaway

wresting match

4
Syllable
reality
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reasonable

recipient

recognition

recollection

regulation

relationship

repetition

reputation

residential

resolution

respectable

revolution

ridiculous

riding safety

Rocky Mountains

rutabaga

5
Syllable
rationality

reciprocity

recommendation
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respiratory

roasting marshmallows

Roman Catholic

Roman numeral

6
Syllable
reconciliation

reconsideration

Republican Part

Medial R by Syllables

2
Syllable
around

arrange

arrest

arrive

arrow

berry

borrow

carrot

cherry
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chorus

correct

dairy

earring

erase

errand

flooring

forest

garage

giraffe

hearing

married

orange

parrot

squirrel

stories

3
Syllable
aerobics

battery

blueberry
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camera

canary

caramel

celery

cereal

cherry pie

coloring

correction

diary

direction

embarrass

encourage

Florida

furious

gorilla

incorrect

kangaroo

memorize

parakeet

separate

storybook
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tomorrow

4
Syllable
America

area code

arithmetic

Arizona

authority

category

Colorado

decoration

dictionary

encouragement

everybody

interruption

January

macaroni

maple syrup

memorial

necessary

operation
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orangutan

perimeter

secondary

security

variety

voluntary

waffle iron

5
Syllable
auditorium

cafeteria

elementary

imaginary

irresistible

Memorial Day

necessarily

respiratory

vegetarian

verification

vocabulary

voluntarily
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6
Syllable
Mediterranean

peculiarity

Final R by Syllables

2
Syllable
admire

before

beware

cashier

compare

downpour

drugstore

endure

expire

explore

guitar

ignore

indoor

inspire
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jaguar

mature

memoir

New Year

nightmare

North Star

nowhere

outdoor

seashore

secure

space bar

3
Syllable
amateur

anywhere

Baltimore

candy bar

Delaware

dinosaur

disappear

falling star
 25

handlebar

insecure

insincere

manicure

millionaire

pioneer

questionnaire

salad bar

shooting star

sophomore

souvenir

sycamore

unaware

volunteer

4
Syllable
conquistador

El Salvador

U.S.S.R.

5
Syllable
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Initial R Phrases and Sentences

cute rabbit

raccoon tail

long race

tennis racquet

old radio

dish rag

heavy rain

pretty rainbow

scoop of raisins

rake leaves

big rat

reach up high

read quietly

recycle bin

red crayon

old rhinoceros

red ribbon

bowl of rice

ride safely

diamond ring
 27

rip paper

gray rock

floor rug

run fast

small wrench

sore wrist

write it out

I see a rabbit in the grass.

The raccoon has a striped tail.

They all wanted to race together.

He hit the ball with the racquet.

I am listening to an old radio.

Use the rag to clean the floor.

The rain was pouring down.

I see more than one rainbow.

I want raisins in my cereal.

We rake leaves in the fall.

The rat was looking for some cheese.

She is trying to reach the rings.

It was fun to read about princesses.

She is showing people how to recycle.

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Red is my favorite color.

The rhinoceros has big horns.

She is holding a ribbon.

We want rice for dinner.

He went on a motorcycle ride.

She had a beautiful diamond ring.

Don't rip the paper we need it.

The rock is heavy.

There is a big rug in my house.

He likes to run by himself.

He used the wrench to fix the leaky faucet.

He is holding his wrist.

She writes in her journal every week.

Medial R Phrases and Sentences

suspect arrest

one arrow

charged battery

fresh blueberries

digital camera

fresh carrots

cherry on top
 29

breakfast dairy

beaded earring

erase a mistake

fairy costume

thick forest

big garage

tall giraffe

small hearing aid

super hero

dry macaroni

married couple

peel orange

talking parrot

pirate ship

nice squirrel

fun story

maple syrup

fat walrus

new x-ray

number zero

The police officer made an arrest.

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She is holding an arrow.

He needed a battery for his game.

He ate blueberries for breakfast.

She has a digital camera.

We pick carrots from the garden.

I would like a milkshake with a cherry on top.

Dairy is always good for breakfast.

Her earring was too heavy.

If you make a mistake, erase it.

She dressed up as a fairy.

Many trees are in the forest.

Their house has two garage doors.

The giraffe has a long neck.

He puts the hearing aid in his ear.

He dressed up like a hero.

We want macaroni and cheese for dinner.

They are a married couple.

He is going to eat the orange.

How does a parrot talk?

The pirate is looking for treasure.

The squirrel was looking for nuts.

 31

Mom read a story to her son.

I want syrup on my pancakes.

The walrus has huge tusks.

The doctor showed her the x-ray.

Our address has a zero in it.

Final R Phrases and Sentences

hungry bear

butter popcorn

fast car

wooden chair

loud cheer

family dinner

front door

clothes dryer

roaring fire

wood floor

four cars

long hair

tall ladder

near the hole

white paper
 32

tasty pear

pour water

nice to share

ocean shore

big spider

square block

shiny star

classroom teacher

tear paper

whisper softly

barb wire

new year

The bear was hunting for food.

I put butter on my popcorn.

The car is fast.

Matthew sat down on the chair.

They did a cheer at the pep rally.

They sat down for a family dinner.

We knocked on the door three times.

She put the clothes into the dryer.

The fire kept them warm.

 33

The wood floor made the room look great.

She will be four years old in October.

She has long, pretty hair.

Use the ladder to reach the fruit.

The ball is near the hole.

Please take out a sheet of paper.

Can I have a bite of your pear?

Can I pour you a glass of water?

She is nice to share her ice cream.

Let's go play by the sea shore.

The spider waited for flies in the web.

A square has four sides.

The star was hanging on the tree.

She is our 5th grade teacher.

Don't make me tear these papers.

She whispered into the girl's ear.

The fence had barb wire on it.

It is almost the end of the school year.

R Reading Paragraphs

Garage Scientist
 34

Whenever I have free time, I race to my garage. I have all kinds of

crazy experiments going on in there. I don't mean testing rats or
anything. I mean really cool experiments.

For example, right now I am experimenting to see if carrots can

recharge batteries. I have had other experiments that have gone
longer. My experiment to see if raisins will make the speakers in my
radio louder has been going on for over a year now.

There are so many more ideas that I want to experiment with -

making a fireproof door, testing to see what rainbows are made of,
trying to see if I can teach rats to read.

If my brain was made of trees, it would be a forest of ideas. Science is

radical!

My Hero
My buddy Randy is my hero. He has won many awards, ribbons, and
trophies. But he doesn't care about all of that. He does what he does
to help others. Here are a few things he has done that make him such
a great guy.

First of all, he is married and is an awesome dad. He has been a

teacher for 15 years and has won teacher of the year three times! He
volunteers to read to students at after school programs and pick up
garbage on the side of the road on the weekends.

He recycles paper, plastic, and glass which is good for the

environment. He helps people with hearing aids get them for less
money. He once saved a baby giraffe from drowning at the zoo. He is
writing two books. One about ways to improve classroom education
and another with fun short stories for kids.

There are hundreds of other examples I could share with you. Randy
puts his heart and strength into everything he does. He is a real role
model and I try to follow the example he sets.
 35

Pirate Fanatic
My sister has a friend who thinks he is a pirate. He wears a red
bandana on his head, has a pet parrot that he keeps on his shoulder,
and walks around saying, "Arrr matey."

As if this wasn't strange enough, he also has a really big collection of

earrings. Not normal earrings either, weird ones.

He has earrings that look like rocks, wrenches, raccoons, cameras,

walrus, and even a pair that look like rakes. I understand that some
pirates wear earrings, but I thought they would be scarier like hooks,
or circles, or daggers.

I feel like I should tell my sister's friend to research the type of

earrings that pirate's wear. Without the right gear, a person who is
trying to look like a pirate will just look strange. If he ever met a real
pirate, the pirate would probably make fun of him for how he looked.

Return to Top of R Words Page

Initial BR by Syllables

2
Syllable
bracelet

braces

brainstorm

brand-new
 36

Brazil

breakdown

breakfast

breast stroke

breathing

bridle

briefcase

brighten

brilliant

Britain

Broadway

broken

Brooklyn

broomstick

brother

brownie

3
Syllable
bravery

breathtaking

bricklayer
 37

British Isles

broccoli

broken down

bronchitis

Brooklyn Bridge

brotherhood

brotherly

Brussels sprouts

4
Syllable

5
Syllable

Medial BR by Syllables

2
Syllable
abroad

abrupt

Cambridge

cobra

cornbread

daybreak
 38

drawbridge

eyebrow

fabric

hairbrush

paint brush

sea breeze

sweetbread

toothbrush

white bread

zebra

3
Syllable
Abraham

algebra

Brooklyn Bridge

celebrate

gingerbread

Labrador

library

London Bridge

Nebraska
 39

paint brushes

scatterbrain

umbrella

unbroken

vertebra

vibration

whole wheat bread

4
Syllable
abbreviate

celebrated

celebration

celebrity

Golden Gate Bridge

librarian

5
Syllable

Initial BR Phrases and Sentences

metal bracelet

smart brain

sliced bread
 40

eat breakfast

long bridge

broken plate

push broom

big brother

fresh baked brownie

Her grandmother gave her the bracelet.

Her friends say she is a brain.

The bread was cut in slices.

I love bacon, eggs, and orange juice for breakfast.

The bridge connects the two cities.

The plate was broken.

He swept the area with a broom.

He loves his brother.

She had a fresh baked brownie for her treat.

Medial BR Phrases and Sentences

scary cobra

cornbread muffin

bushy eyebrow

fabric store

wood hairbrush
 41

new paintbrush

orange toothbrush

piece of white bread

wild zebra

The cobra wanted to strike.

She had a cornbread muffin for dinner.

He had a bushy eyebrow.

She got her fabric at the store.

She just bought the hairbrush.

Grab a paintbrush and get started.

The dentist gave her a new toothbrush.

I bought a loaf of white bread.

We saw a zebra in the jungle.

BR Reading Paragraphs

Lucky Bride
My brother is getting married on Friday. He wants the wedding day to
be perfect for his bride. He is planning to visit her house early and
make her breakfast in bed. Two of her favorite things to eat are
brownies and cornbread, so he is actually going to make her brownie
oatmeal and cornbread muffins.

She loves zebras and he bought her a picture of a baby zebra from a
store, just east of the Brooklyn Bridge. He bought her a beautiful
bracelet to wear at the wedding.
 42

He has other gifts that he wants to bring her, but I told him to wait
until after the wedding for some of them. She is really smart so he is
getting her a squishy foam brain that she can put on her desk at work.
He also wants to give her a new set of paintbrushes for her studio.

If he treats her this good all of the time, I'm sure she won't break his
heart.

World Records
The Guinness Book of World Records is full of amazing facts that will
raise your eyebrows. From broken bones to tiny brains, it covers the
world's most interesting, fanatical, and dedicated people.

Some records have never been broken even though many people try.
There are records for people who own entire houses full of brown
fabric, barns full of toothbrushes, and cars full of moldy white bread.
One person holds a record for riding a broom over a thousand miles.

Some records are held by more than one person. Like the four bread
store owners who sold a bridge, or the three brothers who hold a
record for having cobras on their head for the longest amount of
time.

Why would anyone wear a cobra on their head? Some might think
that is brave, but I would think something was wrong with their brain.

If you visit a city with a Guinness Book of World Records museum, I

recommend getting up early, eating a big breakfast and spending all
day in one. You will have fun and wild stories to bring home to your
friends and family.

Return to Top of R Words Page

 43

Initial DR by Syllables

2
Syllable
dragging

dragon

drag race

drainpipe

drama

drastic

drawer

dreaming

dresser

dressing

drilling

drive-in

driven

driver

dropping

drowsy

drugstore

drummer
 44

dry clean

dryer

3
Syllable
Dracula

dragonfly

dramatic

drawing board

dressmaker

dressing room

dressing up

drinkable

driver's seat

driving range

drowsiness

drummer boy

dry cleaner

4
Syllable
dramatically

drastically

drawing table
 45

5
Syllable

Medial DR by Syllables

2
Syllable
address

bedroom

children

cough drop

dandruff

daydream

eardrum

eye drops

fire drill

fruit drink

hundred

laundry

raindrops

snowdrift

soft drink

sundress
 46

sundried

undress

withdraw

wondrous

3
Syllable
cathedral

eye dropper

hair dresser

hair dryer

hydrogen

hydroplane

lemon drink

line drawing

orange drink

overdrive

quadruple

race driver

screwdriver

truck driver

withdrawal
 47

4
Syllable
adrenalin

dehydrated

driving safety

lemon-lime drink

overdrawing

pineapple drink

salad dressing

taxi driver

5
Syllable
ambulance driver

hydrophobia

hypochondriac

quadrilateral

Initial DR Phrases and Sentences

chinese dragon

sink drain

draw a picture

night dream
 48

wood dresser

drink water

water drip

long drive

snare drum

The statue was of a dragon.

The drain was not clogged.

He started to draw a picture.

She had a happy dream.

The dresser is made of wood.

She wanted to drink water.

The faucet started to drip.

They went for a drive on a dusty road.

The snare drum is played in a marching band.

Medial DR Phrases and Sentences

new address

tidy bedroom

playing children

cherry cough drop

one hundred

laundry basket
 49

heavy raindrops

high snowdrift

light sundress

Every home has a unique address.

I always keep my bedroom tidy.

The children are best friends.

The cough drop made him feel better.

He is one hundred years old today.

The laundry basket is full.

Raindrops are falling on her.

The car was covered by a snowdrift.

She wore her sundress to the beach.

DR Reading Paragraphs

Snowdrift Drama
In the winter, wind blows the snow to create snowdrifts. Some storms
are so drastic that snowdrifts bury cars on our street in snow.

Snowdrifts can be anything you can dream up. The neighborhood

children and I always played in snowdrifts around our houses. We
would dig the snow out and pretend to drive the drifts like cars.

I would sit in the driver's seat and my friend Drew would be co-pilot.
One time we shaped the snowdrift into the shape of a dragon.
Another time, we shaped the snow into a bunch of little drums.
 50

We would also make snowmen. We took dirty laundry and clothes we

found in our dresser drawers, and dressed our snowmen head to toe.

Once we accidentally used my sister Drea's dress. Drea got pretty mad
at us and took her dress to the dry cleaners right away. If you ask me
she was a little too dramatic about the whole thing.

I dreaded that she would tell my mom and I would get in a lot of
trouble. I pictured my mom dragging me all over the store to help buy
Drea a new dress. Luckily, Drea and I made a deal. I promised to bring
her favorite drink to her anytime of the day for one month.

Now I'm worried I will drop the drinks I take to her.

Unique Drummers
My cousin Drake is a professional drummer. He's not the typical kind
of drummer though. At his shows, he and the other drummers will
drum on almost anything.

I have seen them drum on people's drink cups, drill bits, drain pipes, a
washer and dryer, and a hundred other things. His drumming group is
very entertaining to watch.

They mostly perform on stage in concert halls. They perform outside

concert halls too though. They have performed at a driving range, in
someone's bedroom, at a drag race, and at a drugstore.

The drummers usually don't ask questions about where they play, as
long as they get paid for their time. They have dreams to play in New
York City some day. The band is saving their money to drive there, but
don't have enough yet.

Next month they are holding a special performance at the drive-in

theater. It is a Halloween based concert so one of the band members
is going to dress up as Dracula and drum on a mummy. The
drummers hope this concert will raise the extra money they need to
drive to New York.
 51

As a band of drummers, they are very driven to meet their goals and
dreams.

That's what it takes to be a performer.

Return to Top of R Words Page

Initial FR by Syllables

2
Syllable
fracture

fragile

fragrance

frantic

freckle

freedom

free lunch

free time

freeway

freezer

French fries

French toast
 52

freshen

Friday

friendly

frighten

front page

frosting

frozen

fruit cup

3
Syllable
frequency

fresh water

fricative

friendliness

frolicking

frontal lobe

front runner

frostbitten

fruitfulness

fruit salad

frustrating
 53

frustration

frying pan

4
Syllable
fragility

fraternity

fraternizing

frighteningly

5
Syllable

Medial FR by Syllables

2
Syllable
afraid

befriend

boyfriend

bullfrog

carefree

cold front

confront

deep-fry
 54

defrost

girl friend

grapefruit

leapfrog

refrain

refresh

scot-free

sea front

3
Syllable
affricate

Africa

antifreeze

defrosted

Good Friday

infraction

infrared

infrequent

infringement

refreshing

refreshments
 55

unafraid

unfriendly

unfrozen

unfruitful

waterfront

4
Syllable
confrontation

infrequently

refreshingly

refrigerate

San Francisco

South Africa

unfrequented

unfriendliness

unfruitfulness

5
Syllable
refractivity

refrigeration

refrigerator
 56

Initial FR Phrases and Sentences

picture frame

freckle face

French fries and Ketchup

delicious french toast

Friday night

best friend

green frog

pink frosting

fruit mix

Her picture was in the frame.

Her freckle face is gorgeous.

Give me a lot of Ketchup for my French fries.

She had French toast for breakfast.

Our date is on Friday night.

He is my best friend.

The frog caught the fly with its tongue.

She wanted pink frosting on her cupcake.

They had their choice of fruit.

Medial FR Phrases and Sentences

 57

Be afraid

kind boyfriend

ugly bullfrog

deep-fry food

cute girlfriend

cut grapefruit

play leapfrog

refresh yourself

beautiful sea front

The thunder scared me and I was afraid.

Her boyfriend is very kind and respectful.

A bullfrog is gross.

Deep-fry foods for a better taste.

I like being with my girlfriend.

I eat grapefruit in the morning.

They are playing leapfrog.

She used the water to refresh herself.

Their house was right on the sea front.

FR Reading Paragraphs

Freaky French Toast

 58

Fran's boyfriend, Fred, enjoyed making her breakfast on Friday.

This Friday he said he would make her French toast with frosting, fruit,
and whip cream. Fred's French toast recipe was amazing. It had been
passed down from his great grandmother who made French toast in
France.

Fred never told anyone the recipe.

All Fran knew was that he deep-fried the bread in a special mixture
that had frozen grape juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in it. The French
toast was so good it was freaky.

Being Fred's girlfriend was great and getting French toast every Friday
was a huge perk. Fran hoped that Fred would tell her the secret
French toast recipe one day.

Until then, she would just enjoy how frequently she could eat them.

Freckle Watcher
In my free time I like to freckle watch. Freckle what? I know, it sounds
like a weird hobby. I tried to refrain from it, but the truth is, I can't. I
think freckles are so cool.

I have seen freckles that look like frogs, French fries, and even Africa. I
get different responses when I ask to see people's freckles.
Unfortunately, people aren't always the most friendly when you ask if
you can look at their freckles.

Sometimes I go days without looking at any. It can be frustrating. Most

people are friendly and unafraid and will show theirs to me. I have
made good friends with complete strangers because I asked to see
their freckles.

I was introduced to my girlfriend, Francesca, by one stranger. He said

Francesca was interested in art and thought freckle shapes would be
a fresh idea for one of her projects.
 59

I wouldn't give up my hobby of freckle watching for anything.

Return to Top of R Words Page

Initial GR by Syllables

2
Syllable
gracious

grade school

grading

grammar

grandma

grandpa

grandson

grandstand

grapefruit

grass snake

grateful

gravy

greasy

greeting
 60

grizzly

grouchy

ground floor

groundhog

growing

grown-up

3
Syllable
graciously

gradual

graduate

grandchildren

granddaughter

grandfather

grandmother

grasshopper

gratify

gratitude

gravity

Great Britain

grizzle bear
 61

groceries

Ground Hog Day

grounds keeper

ground zero

4
Syllable
gradually

graduation

grammatical

grandfather clock

grand piano

gratifying

gratuitous

great-grandparent

group therapy

5
Syllable

Medial GR by Syllables

2
Syllable
agree
 62

agreed

angry

background

begrudge

blue-green

congress

degree

disgrace

engrave

fairground

fragrance

hungry

migrate

outgrow

Pilgrim

program

progress

regress

regret

3
Syllable
 63

agreement

autograph

concord grapes

congregate

diagram

disagree

disgraceful

evergreen

homograph

kilogram

milligram

overgrown

paragraph

photograph

regression

Rio Grande

segregate

study group

underground

ungrateful
 64

4
Syllable
aggravation

agriculture

audiogram

biography

congratulate

congregation

disagreement

geography

ingratitude

ingredient

integrity

photographer

segregated

ungraciously

5
Syllable
agricultural

bibliography

disagreeable

disintegrated
 65

geographical

oceanographer

topographical

undergraduate

ungrammatical

Initial GR Phrases and Sentences

her grandpa

cut grapefruit

red grapes

tall grass

tiny grasshopper

green crayon

hot grill

brown grizzly bear

cute groundhog

She loves her grandpa.

I eat grapefruit in the morning.

Grapes come in many colors.

I need to cut the grass.

The grasshopper has big legs.

I always color the grass green.

 66

It is fun to grill in the summer.

The grizzly bear is hungry for fish.

The groundhog came out of its hole.

Medial GR Phrases and Sentences

Let's agree

angry face

blue-green feathers

one hundred degrees

white egret

hand engrave

flowery fragrance

hungry birds

migrate north

You shake hands when you agree.

You can see when she is angry.

The bird has blue-green feathers.

One hundred and six degrees is hot.

The egret was walking in the water.

He learned how to engrave from his father.

The perfume had a flowery fragrance.

The baby birds are hungry.

 67

Every year they migrate north.

GR Reading Paragraphs

Hungry Grizzly
My grandpa and I ran away from a grizzly bear in the woods. We were
camping near a stream. We had caught some fish and put it on the
grill for dinner. When the grizzly ran toward us, grandpa said he could
tell it wasn't angry. It was just hungry.

We both agree that the fragrance of the fish was strong and was all
the grizzly wanted. We are grateful he wasn't hungry for us and that
the fish and our other groceries were enough to gratify his hunger.
We are also grateful that we parked our truck close to camp so we
could get in it for protection.

It is the best camping story my grandpa and I have together and, even
though it was scary, I don't regret going.

Phil the Groundhog

I grew up in a town that has a large group of people who are
passionate about our town groundhog Phil.

During the year, Phil meets and greets people at our local library. He
lives there in his groundhog habitat. Our town has Groundhog Phil
statues all over it to show our pride for Groundhog Day - a bagpipe
playing groundhog, statue of liberty groundhog, a mayor groundhog,
and a firefighter groundhog to name a few. Phil even has his own
official souvenir shop.

Every year on Groundhog Day, we all meet at Gobbler's Knob to see

Phil predict the weather. The town officials go on the grandstand and
have a ceremony where they talk to Phil and see if we will have a long
or short winter.
 68

We have a great time and look forward to it every year.

Return to Top of R Words Page

Initial CR/KR by Syllables

2
Syllable
cradle

crater

crayon

crazy

cream cheese

create

creature

cricket

crisis

crossing

crosswalk

crowded

crow's nest

cruel
 69

cruise ship

crummy

crunchy

crystal

3
Syllable
chromosome

crackerjack

craftsmanship

cranberry

creation

creative

credible

criminal

criticize

crocodile

crop duster

cross-country

cruelty

crystallize
 70

4
Syllable
chronology

chrysanthemum

cracker barrel

cranberry tree

creativeness

credit rating

credit union

criterion

critical mass

cross-country skis

cross reference

crossword puzzle

5
Syllable

Medial CR/KR by Syllables

2
Syllable
across

aircraft
 71

bankrupt

book rack

cockroach

concrete

decrease

handcraft

increase

king crab

packrat

pie crust

Red Cross

sand crab

scarecrow

secret

spacecraft

stock room

3
Syllable
acrobat

bike crossing

democrat
 72

double-cross

giant crab

handcrafted

hypocrite

increasing

microphone

microscope

nutcracker

sacrifice

sauerkraut

secrecy

sour cream

water craft

4
Syllable
acrobatics

democracy

hypocrisy

increasingly

incredible

microscopic
 73

railroad crossing

recreation

secretary

5
Syllable
aircraft carrier

incriminating

micro detector

Initial CR/KR Phrases and Sentences

hard shell crab

big crack

start to crawl

box of crayons

crazy fun

baby crib

crave chocolate

busy crosswalk

start to cry

I think a crab just pinched me.

The wall had a big crack.

The baby just started to crawl.

 74

He shares his box of crayons.

They were acting crazy in the kitchen.

Our crib was hard to put together.

I crave a big chocolate bar.

Cross the street at the crosswalk.

The baby started to cry.

Medial CR/KR Phrases and Sentences

broke and bankrupt

gross cockroach

wet concrete

cold ice cream

messy packrat

soft pie crust

garden scarecrow

tell the secret

fluffy whip cream

The company went bankrupt last month.

Do you see that cockroach?

Sidewalks are made out of concrete.

Here is your bowl of ice cream.

He is a packrat, he keeps everything.

 75

Wrap the pie crust around the dish.

The scarecrow keeps birds away from the garden.

She is telling her a secret.

May I have some whip cream on my pie?

CR/KR Reading Paragraphs

Ice Cream Cake

The ice cream cake was melted all over the floor. Kristina's party had
gone perfectly until her friend, Crystal, had forgot to put the ice cream
cake in the freezer. Kristina wanted to cry! She had been craving ice
cream cake for days. It was her favorite ice cream cake - mint with
cookie crust, topped with whip cream and cherries.

She wanted to try and save the cake, but a cockroach had crawled into
it and then hid in a crack in the wall. Cockroaches drove her crazy and
it made her feel worse about losing the ice cream cake.

"I'll go buy another one," said Crystal. She ran outside, crossed the
street, and went to the cake shop. She was back in minutes with a
new ice cream cake - mint with cookie crust, topped with whip cream
and cherries. It was exactly like the one that melted.

"How did you get another one so fast?" Kristina asked.

"I have a secret to tell you," Crystal responded, "I had two cakes made
just in case something like this happened. I forget to do stuff like this
all the time. I would probably go bankrupt if I bought ice cream cakes
all the time. Thank goodness I don't!"

Crystal, Kristina, and their friends laughed and all enjoyed a slice of ice
cream cake.
 76

Creative Uncle Creed

People I know say my Uncle Creed is crazy. He lives across from the
beach. Every day he goes to the beach and finds crabs. Then he takes
them home and puts them in a crib.

Not a box, not a cage, a crib.

Then he takes crayons and colors the tops of their shells.

"When the crabs move around they create what I call 'moving art'," he
says. Some call it crazy, I call it creative.

He also collects scarecrows, broken pieces of concrete, crumbs, and

fake crystals. He keeps them all in crates in his front yard, but I don't
know where he gets them all from. People call him a packrat, but they
shouldn't criticize. We all collect "stuff."

He has done some pretty incredible things. He has given a crow a

bath in a creek, fed a cricket cream cheese, and crawled on
cranberries to make his own cranberry sauce.

He is amazing at crossword puzzle. It has never taken him more than

two minutes to finish any crossword.

He is building his own spacecraft too - not to go to space, just to learn

how to build one.

People call me crazy, but I want to be like my Uncle Creed some day.

Return to Top of R Words Page

Initial PR by Syllables
 77

2
Syllable
practice

prairie

predict

preface

prefer

preschool

present

pressure

pretend

princess

printer

problem

process

product

program

progress

project

pronoun

pronounce
 78

protect

3
Syllable
practical

prairie dog

precaution

prediction

preference

premium

prescription

presently

prevention

principal

privacy

probably

profession

professor

prohibit

promising

proposal

protection
 79

provide

provoking

4
Syllable
practical joke

practically

praying mantis

preferable

prehistoric

preparation

preposition

presentable

presentation

presidency

professional

profitable

proposition

proximity

5
Syllable
prehistorical

preparatory
 80

prepositional

probability

productivity

pronunciation

Medial PR by Syllables

2
Syllable
approach

approved

April

apron

blueprint

express

footprint

impress

improve

shipwreck

sound proof

supreme

surprise

surprised
 81

upright

3
Syllable
apricot

April Fool

comprehend

disapprove

expression

fingerprint

impressive

improper

improvement

interpret

low pressure

mispronounce

represent

unprepared

waterproof

4
Syllable
appreciate

appropriate
 82

approximate

April Fools Day

disapproval

life preserver

vice president

word processor

5
Syllable
appreciation

impressionable

inappropriate

interpretation

representative

uncompromising

unprecedented

Initial PR Phrases and Sentences

pray quietly

fierce predator

nice present

salty pretzel

high price
 83

cute princess

desk printer

win the prize

proud boy

She kneeled by her bed to pray.

Predators are animals that hunt for their food.

He has a small present.

We bought a pretzel at the store.

This coat has a high price.

She is wearing a princess crown.

Will you please fix our printer?

He won the prize.

He is proud of his paper.

Medial PR Phrases and Sentences

approved message

ripe apricot

month of April

cook's apron

architect blueprint

ink fingerprint

making a footprint
 84

be surprised

waterproof boots

The business request was approved.

An apricot is delicious.

My birthday is in April.

The cook had an apron on to keep clean.

The architect created the blueprint.

Security clearance requires a fingerprint card.

She left a footprint in the sand.

He was surprised when he opened the gift.

His yellow boots are waterproof.

PR Reading Paragraphs

Pretzel Prank
You have heard the story of the princess who pricked her finger. This
is the story of the prince who ate a pretzel.

Everyone in the kingdom loved the prince. He was proud of his

kingdom. He protected the people and ruled with humility. The people
gave him presents. The people in the kingdom rarely had any
problems with one another.

Once when the prince was in the marketplace, he bought and ate a
pretzel from one of the shops. While eating the pretzel, there was a
puff of smoke, and then the people saw a prune on the ground. The
people gasped and didn't know what to do. They asked the man who
sold the prunes what they could do, but he didn't know.
 85

Finally, someone stepped out of the crowd revealed the prince high
up on the castle wall. "It was just a prank," he said, "The prince is not a
prune. We played a magic trick on you."

The people all breathed a sigh of relief and were happy to have their
prince back.

Predators and Prey

Predators are animals that hunt for their food. Prey are the animals
that predators try to eat.

Typically, predators will prowl around and watch their prey to see
what kind of movements they make. Even though prey are the
animals being hunted, they are not dumb. Many types of prey are
pretty smart.

For example, prairie dogs use a variety of pitched, warning barks to

warn each other of different predators. Some birds will protect their
eggs by pretending to be hurt. This lure predators away from their
eggs.

Both predators and prey have their own problems. Predators don't
always know if they will eat and prey don't always know if they will
live. Personally, I'm glad I can go to the store to get my food.

Return to Top of R Words Page

Initial TR by Syllables

2
Syllable
tracking
 86

tractor

trading

traffic

tragic

trailer

trainer

training

traitor

transcribe

translate

transport

trash can

travel

treasure

tree house

tricky

triple

trouble

trumpet

3
Syllable
 87

trachea

track able

tradition

tragedy

train station

trainable

trampoline

transcribing

transferring

transition

translation

transmission

traveler

treacherous

treasure chest

treasure hunt

tremendous

triangle

tricycle

trustworthy
 88

4
Syllable
traditional

tragically

tranquility

transatlantic

transferable

transitional

transparency

transportation

triangular

tribulation

triennial

5
Syllable
traditionally

transcontinental

triangulation

trigonometry

triviality

Medial TR by Syllables
 89

2
Syllable
actress

attract

central

contract

control

country

Detroit

entrance

extra

field trip

fire truck

mattress

neutral

pantry

pine tree

poultry

race track

subtract

untrue
 90

waitress

3
Syllable
attraction

attractive

Australia

concentrate

contradict

country club

electric

extremely

intricate

introduce

maple tree

nutrition

orchestra

poetry

railroad track

rainbow trout

ski patrol

state trooper
 91

subtraction

untruthful

4
Syllable
catastrophe

concentration

contribution

controversy

electronics

entrepreneur

extravagant

geometry

illustrated

introduction

matrimony

no trespassing

patriotic

petroleum

remote control

St. Patrick's Day

ventriloquist
 92

5
Syllable
electricity

metropolitan

pediatrician

Initial TR Phrases and Sentences

red tractor

horse trailer

old train

old trash

hidden treasure

tall tree

red trike

silver truck

loud trumpet

The tractor helps plant the crops.

They pulled the trailer into the yard.

The train was moving fast.

Take the trash out today.

The pirates found the hidden treasure.

The tree was 50 feet tall.

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He rode his trike in the driveway.

A silver truck drives by.

He practiced the trumpet in the living room.

Medial TR Phrases and Sentences

stage actress

red fire truck

good orchestra

short pinetree

horse race track

down the railroad track

old remote control

subtract numbers

nice waitress

The actress rehearsed for her performance.

The fire truck was standing by in case of a fire.

The orchestra will perform tonight.

The snow had fallen on the tree.

The horses ran fast down the race track.

The railroad track turns at the mountain.

I use the remote control to fly the plane.

You need to subtract for these problems.

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The waitress took her order.

TR Reading Paragraphs

Tracy's Training
Tracy was an actress and she was going to be in a movie about farms.
To play her role, she had to learn to drive a tractor, clean a pig trough,
take out trash, and hike on trails during short camping trips. But that
was just the beginning of the things she needed to learn.

She put a lot of trust in Troy, the farmer who taught her how to do
these things. She grew up in a big city and never had the type of
training that Troy gave her.

In the beginning, Tracy thought living on a farm in the country, driving

a truck, and living in a trailer would be a tough transition. It didn't take
her long to realize how much hard work living on a farm was.

She learned how to trust others, work hard, and even jump on a
trampoline. After she finished filming the movie, she had a lot of great
memories and thought to herself, "I wouldn't have traded anything for
this experience."

Caution! Train Tracks

Tre rode his trike all over the neighborhood. He did just what his mom
asked. "Stay in control, don't do tricks, and never go near the train
tracks," she said.

One day when Tre was out riding, he heard the siren on a fire truck.
Tre rode his trike as fast as he could toward the sound. Just before he
got to the train tracks, he saw the fire truck. Then he saw another
thing that looked like a truck. It was smashed everywhere.

Tre saw someone close by and asked what had happened.

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"The truck got stuck on the train tracks," the man said. "Luckily he got
out before the train hit the car," he continued, "That would have been
tragic."

Tre realized right then why his mom had warned him to stay away
from the train tracks.

He had wanted to try and ride over the tracks just to see if he could,
without getting into trouble. He was glad he had listened and not
tried.

"Train tracks are dangerous," Tre said. From then on Tre watched the
train go by from the tree house in his yard. That was close enough for
him.

This list of functional words was professionally selected to be the

most useful for a child or adult who has difficulty with producing the
"R" sound.

We encourage you to use this list when practicing at home.

Home practice will make progress toward meeting individual language

goals much faster.

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) are only able to see

students/clients 30-60 mins (or less) per week.

This is not enough time for your child to overcome an articulation

disorder with the "R" sound. But with high caseloads...

...it's all SLPs can do.

There's only so much time in the day.

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Every day that your child goes without practice it becomes more and
more difficult to correct an "R" error because he/she continues to
say it incorrectly.