SOUNDS&STRESS

SOUNDS AND STRESS. PREPARED BY NGUYEN HUU QUOC - 1 -
SOME BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH SOUNDS
I.VOWELS :
1.Long vowels : (5)
/ i: / in beat , mean , peace
/ / in bird , fern , purse
/ a: / in card , half , past
/ / in board , torn , horse
/ u: / in food , soon , loose
2.Short vowels : (6+1)
/ / in bit , pin , fish
/ e / in bet , men , yes
/ / in bat , man , gas
/ / in but , come , rush
/ / in pot , gone , cross
/ / in put , pull , push
/ / when a vowel isn’t stressed on : alive , system…
*/ / is usually found in “-y” at the end of words : many, happy
*/ u / in actual ,fluctuate, actuate …
3.Diphthongs :
/ / in here , beard , fierce
/ / in air , cairn , scarce
/ / in moored , tour
/ / in paid , pain , face
/ / in tide , time , by
/ / in avoid , loin , boy
/ / in home , most , post
/ / in loud , growl , house
4.Triphthongs : (diphthong + / / )
/ / in layer , player
/ / in fire , liar

/ / in loyal , royal
/ / in lower , mower
/ / in power , hour

5.Semi-vowels :
/ h / in how , home , habit
/ r / in red , race , radio
/ j / in yes , yard , yellow
/w / in wet , wage , wall…
HOW TO RECOGNIZE SOME COMMON VOWELS AND DITHTHONGS
/ i: / in -ea : tea , mean , meat
In -e : be , me , he , she…
SOUNDS AND STRESS. PREPARED BY NGUYEN HUU QUOC - 2 -
in - ee : see, tree
in - e+cons.+ silent e : Pete , concrete, mete…
in - (c)ei : ceiling , receive , deceive
in -ie : chief , field , niece , piece
/ / in – e at the beginning of a word: ensure, endanger…
in - i+cons (+cons) : bit , risk , milk
In - y+cons : mystery , rhythm
/ / in -e+cons (+cons) : bell , rest , let
In -ea(d) : pleasure , measure ,head , bread , ready , dread
/ / in -a + cons. (+cons.) : hat , act , man
/ / in -ew : few , new , pew ….
in – u+cons.+silent e : cube, cute, music ,university…
/ a: / in –aft : after , craft , draft , aft…
In – alf : haft , staff…
In -ar : car , card , artist…
In -ask : ask , mask , bask , task …
In -ass : pass , brass . grass , glass ….

In -ast : fast , wast , last , past…
In -ath : path , bath , father , rather…
/ / in -o + cons. (+cons.) :cost , cloth , long , off …
/ / in -all : all , fall , wall , tall…
In -alk : walk , talk ,
In –au : auto , pause , august , autumn
In –aw : law , saw , dawn , pawn…
In –or+ cons/+ silent e :horse,port,form,short,bore,more…
In –ought : ought , bought , fought , brought…
In –our+ cons. : mourn , course…
In –war__ : war , warm , warn , ward , warden,water….
/ u:/ in –u after /j,l,r/ : june , blue , rule ….
In –oo +l/m/n : fool , doom , pool , noon …
In –oo+(cons.)at the end of a word : bamboo , too , aternoon …
In –oo + voiced sounds : room , food , tool…( but :good/
Hood/ wood…→ / / .
In –ou+ p. : soup, coupon,
/ / in –u +cons.(+cons.) : full , put , push , bush ….
In –oo +k : look , took , rook , mook….
In –oo +voiceless sounds : foot , cook , hook…(but :hoop /
Hoot / hoof…→ / / .
SOUNDS AND STRESS. PREPARED BY NGUYEN HUU QUOC - 3 -
/ / in –ear +cons. : earth, research, earn, heard, early…
In –er (+cons.): her, stern, fern, term ,nerve…
In -ir (+cons.) : sir, girl, bird, first…
In -or : work, worth, worst, worship…
In –ur (+cons.) : fur, turn, hurt, burn…
/ / in –a/e/i/o when they aren’t stressed on : ability, system, communicative,
compassion, photo…
In –or/ ar / er at the end of a word : regular, farmer, actor…

/ / in o + m/n/th : somme, son, mother,wonderful,money...
In u +cons. : up, cut, study, subject,much …
In –lood ; blood, flood…
/ / in –a+cons.+silent e : face, case, date,make, late, wave…
In –a (usually in stressed syllable): radio, paper, table,…
In –ai : aid, maid, hail, aim, train, waiter, rain…
In –ay : today, play, may, stay, say, Taylor…
In –ei : eight, veil, rein, reign, neighbour…
In –ey : convey, they, grey , obey, …
/ a / in –i+cons.+silent e :five, dive, mine, shine…
In –ie : die, lie, tie, bye…
In –igh : hight, night, slight,might…
In –y (at the end of a word +after a cons).: cry, try, by, shy...
In –uy (at the end of a word): buy, guy…
*height /ha /.
/ / in –oi : voice, noise, boil, choice, coin, toilet, avoid…
In –oy : toy, boy, enjoy, destroy, annoy…
/ / in –ou+cons(+cons.) : out, house, loud, round…
In –ow+cons. : owl, down, brown, town, now,how…
/ / in –ow : know, show, slow, snow…
in –o (at the end of a syllable or a word) : so, no, solo…
in oa+cons. : coat, boat, foal, foam, goal, poach…
In –o+cons.+silent e : phone, bone, hope, note, close…
In –old : old, bold, fold, told …
In –ost (in some words) : post, most, ghost … (but : cost / / , lost / /
/ / in -ear : clear, dear, year, tear, ear …
In –eer : beer, cheer, engineer, steer, …
In –ere : here, mere,atmosphere, …
In –se(ri-) : serious, series, serial, …
/ / in –ear : bear, wear, …

In –air : fair, chair, air, hair…
In –ere /eir : there, their, where, …
SOUNDS AND STRESS. PREPARED BY NGUYEN HUU QUOC - 4 -
In –are : care, hare, dare, fare, rare…
/ / in –oor (some words) : poor,
In –our : tour, tourist, you’re,
In –su(r)/tu : sure, usual, casual, actually…
EXERCISE:
Note down the vowels and diphthongs you read in the following words :
hit / click / interest / eaten / meat / meal / study / far / cousin / father / guitar /
love /men / said / man / sand / send / bad / bed / pan / top / sport / job / four /
boss / talk / doctor / more / wrong / call / box / put / look / food / tooth / full /
June / fruit / foot / school / teacher / bird / together / pagoda / work / church /
about / shirt / early / other / term / play / time / voice / radio / wildlife / toy / paper
/ type /typical / they / height / enjoy / buy / how / bowl / town / know / window /
now / mouth / close / note / couch / here / where / poor / door / idea / square /
ensure / tour / upstairs / dear / chair / casual //.
II.CONSONANTS :
1.Voiceless sounds :
/ f,t,k,p,s, , , , / + / /
2.Voiced sounds :
- vowels + the rest
/b,d,g,dz,v, ,z, ,m,n, ,l / + / r. j , w /
III. KEY TO PRONUNCIATION :
1.Voiceless + Voiceless
2.Voiced + Voiced
→
* “ ED” → /t/ after voiceless sounds /f,k,p,s, , , /
→ /d/ after voiced sounds
→ / id / after /t,d/

Note : Some adjectives that end in –ed :
- crooked / / - naked / / - learned / / - wicked / / -
ragged / / - wretched / /…
* -S/ES → /s / after voiceless sounds
→ /z / after voiced sounds
→ /iz/ after /s,z , , , , , , /
4.EXERCISES :
4.1.Pronounce “ed” correctly :
Loved ,locked, watched, cried, studied, stopped, worked, mended, danced,
wanted, preferred, kissed, washed, translated, changed, liked, hated, rained,
closed, laughed, ploughed…
More exercises : Read any ‘ed’ you find in your book.
4.2.Pronounce “s/es” in a correct way :

Barbers, bridges, books, bays, sunbeams, teaches, classes, beds, clothes, branches,
bookcases, cakes, washes, canals, boxes, cars , brushes, seems, kisses, weekends,
cages, things, cancels, changes, applicants, chooses, ways, matches, forests, raises,
enjoys, finishes, tights, is, lectures…
SOUNDS AND STRESS. PREPARED BY NGUYEN HUU QUOC - 5 -
More exercises : Read any “s” or “es” you come across in your book.
5.Some difficulties we have to pay attention to :

a. th → / / usually with lexical words : thin – thought – thank…
→ / / usually with grammatical words + “th”between two vowels :this,that,
with,though,father ,mother,breathing…

b. ch → / / watch , teacher , chair
→ / k / chemistry, mechanic, psychology
→ / / machine, machete, machination,machinery…

c. s → / s / sit, see, son, so, Paris, tennis
→ / / in su – sure , sugar , ensure …
in ssi ,-nsion : discussion, pension, expansion…
→ / / usually “s” between two vowels : easy, nose, trousers…
Usually at the ends of a word having a voiced sound or a vowel :cars,
boys, potatoes…
→ / / usually “s” in “-sure, -si “ in the middle of a word : measure, pleasure,
vision, television… ( but: pressure…)
d. f(f) → / / off , coffee
→ / v / of
e. g → / g / gap, go , give, gift
→ / / usually “g” after “e,i,y” : general , genuine, giraffe, gymnastics,
gypsy …
f. gh → / f / laugh , cough , enough …
→ / - / thought, bought, ought ,high…
Exercises : Choose the word(s) whose underlined part is pronounced differently
from the others.
1. a.design b.preserve c.basic d.physical
2. a.brother b.breathing c.either d.death
3. a.page b.game c.go d.gift
4. a.organise b.promise c.paradise d.realise
5. a.check b.cheese c.headache d.cherry
6. a.smells b.cuts c.opens d.plays
7. a.desire b.resignation c.compromise d.design
8. a.leisure b.pressure c.treasure d.pleasure
9 a.laugh b.plough c.enough d.cough
10.a.of b.coffee c.knife d.leaf
11.a.cinder b.ceiling c.cello d.celebrate
12.a.choke b.church c.chirp d.choir
13. a.house b.honest c.hundred d.head

14. a.enough b.cough c.though d.rough
15. a.surgeon b.agent c.engine d.regard