The Schwa The schwa the only phoneme with its own name is important for learners to recognise

se and produce as it is the most common vowel sound in English. A schwa sound can be represented by any vowel. In most dialects, for example, the schwa sound is found in the following words: The a is schwa in adept. The e is schwa in synthesis. The i is schwa in decimal. The o is schwa in harmony. The u is schwa in medium. The y is schwa in syringe. Often (but not always) when there is a stressed sound, the other sound/s will be the schwa. Eg. In the word 'man' the letter 'a' has its full sound - represented by the symbol //. In 'postman' the first syllable is stressed post. Therefore, the syllable 'man' is not stressed and the letter 'a' is pronounced as schwa, represented by the symbol . Circle the Schwas: The first time my brother and I were allowed to go shopping alone was a complete disaster. I think I was about ten and he was seven. We usually got on very well together, but he was grumpy that day and I suppose I was a bit nervous about having the responsibility of looking after him in town. Anyway, he disappeared almost as soon as we got off the bus and I spent about three quarters of an hour looking for him. When I eventually found him, I was so relieved that I didn't remember to get angry.

The first time my brother and I were allowed to go shopping alone was a complete disaster. I think I was about ten and he was seven. We usually got on very well together, but he was grumpy that day and I suppose I was a bit nervous about having the responsibility of looking after him in town. Anyway, he disappeared almost as soon as we got off the bus and I spent about three quarters of an hour looking for him. When I eventually found him, I was so relieved that I didn't remember to get angry.

Exercise 2 In this exercise, look at these sentences and decide where the schwa sound occurs. It may occur more than once in each sentence. The minimum number of schwas in a sentence is 1, the maximum 7. 1 . Its for you. 2 . It takes a lot of time. 3 . How about a cup of tea? 4 . What are you doing tonight? 5 . What time will you arrive at the station? 6 . I was going to tell you. 7 . The leisure centre is closed for a private function. 8 . The airport is not far from the capital city. 9 . The book is about pronunciation. 1 0 . We need more financial support. 1 1 . You need to pay attention all the time. 1 2 . It is a very thorough report.