A guide to

English
pronunciation

From the How To Be British collection of postcards. Lee Gone Publications.

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

 FOREWORD

As you may know, English is the world’s largest language by number of speakers. It is the
most widely learned second language and is often used as an official language – in nearly 60
foreign states. Being able to communicate – understanding others and being understood by
others – in a foreign language – especially English – implies speaking distinctly by paying
attention to pronunciation, rhythm and intonation.

Throughout this pronunciation lesson, you will learn (or re-learn) how to speak English, i.e. how
to make your English sound more natural and fluent. Bear in mind that this is not an easy
task, as the pronunciation of English is very different from the French one – as well as other Latin
languages’.

First (1), you will soon realise that “bad” pronouncing is not just a French thing and, most
importantly, that it is not incurable – if you provide hard work and consistency.

Second (2), you will study the “theory” of the spoken English language. You will have to focus
on the phonemic system (we also have one in French; there is actually one for every language).

Then (3), you will have to practice by doing the exercises several times. Regular practicing is
your key to success. I have prepared a step-by-step training for you.

Next (4), you will learn more about the subtleties of English – British English vs American
English, regional accents, etc. – and decide which one you want to speak – British or
American?

Finally (5), you will use all your newly-acquired skills to deliver a speech.

Good luck!

Tip: You can check the pronunciation of any word on Wordreference.com (turn sound on,
select “Accents” and pick the one you want, then click on “Listen”).

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

 1 Speaking English: the D!NT’S

Activity 1

à Watch the video “90’ POLITIQUE – Quand nos politiques français parlent anglais” – it will
hopefully rid you of your complexes.

Warning: Please do not try this [kind of pronunciation] at home… or anywhere else.

Activity 2

A. Watch the video “10 Funny Language Learning Commercials”.

B. In each commercial, try to identify the misunderstanding and its consequence.

In their car, a family is listening and

dancing to a song which has obscene lyrics
#1 #6
they don’t understand.

#2 #7

#3 #8

#4 #9

#5 #10

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

 2 Theory: an introduction to English language

Activity 1 – Where did English come from? Activity 2 – Phonetics

A. Watch this video about the origins of English A. Look at the phonemic chart below and try to pronounce the vowel
language. You may turn subtitles on.
and consonant sounds correctly.
B. Answer the following questions.
1) What is the main difference between Old English and Modern English?
…………………………………………………………………………………...
2) When did Latin words start coming into English language?
…………………………………………………………………………………...
3) Which language family does Old English belong to? Who first brought
it to the British Isles? When?
…………………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………………...
4) Which population added some words from Old Norse to Old English?
When? Give some examples of present-day English words that come
from Old Norse.
…………………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………………...
If you are unsure of the sound of vowels and consonants, scan the QR
5) “Just the various Romance languages descended from Latin, English,
Swedish, German and many other languages descended from their own codes below:
common ancestor known as Proto-Germanic.” vowels consonants
What was the name of the ancestor of Proto-Germanic? When and where
was it spoken?
…………………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………………...

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

B. Look at the –ed pronunciation table below and try to pronounce
the –ed sounds and verbs correctly.

-ed is when the final sound is… as in…

pronounced…
[t] [p] [k] [f] [s] [ʃ] [ʈʃ] [ks] stopped; worked; laughed;
missed; pushed; watched;
fixed
[ɪd] [d] [t] decided; suspected
[d] the remaining others lived; played; called

Activity 3 – Stressing

A. Read the following text about stressing (or accentuation). 2) Write the phonemic transcription of each word and place its stress.

Stressing / accentuation Word Phonemic transcription + stress

All words in English have at least one of their syllables stressed or

accentuated. This is called the tonic accent or primary stress.

When a word contains only one syllable (ex: tea), that is, of course, the
stressed syllable. For other words, you have to guess and learn where
the stress is placed.
In phonemic transcriptions, the tonic accent is symbolized with a ‘
placed before the stressed syllable (ex: American Ò /əˈmerɪkən/).
C. Watch the video “Syllables and Word Stress –
English Pronunciation Lesson” entirely. You may turn
B. 1) Choose four words from the list below. subtitles on.
banana meetings generous blue From 3’16, listen to the words and repeat them by
major incredible appear defend stressing the correct syllable.
decide reference boring casting

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

 3 Practice: don’t twist your tongue!

Activity 1
A. Read the following word series aloud. Try to pronounce each word correctly.

kit key beer r red / raffle / reed / rude / rye

lick leek clear
lit
pit
ɪ leet
Pete
i: dear
deer
ɪə w wed / waffle / weed / wood / why

rid read pier hole / hell / half / who / whole

h
dead day bear
leather later dare B. Same exercise as A.
sweat e sway eɪ mayor eə F pit / put / pet / pat / pot
red raid pear
pet great swear F lock / luck / dock / duck
F fit / feet / sick / seek
ə her / leather / treasure / rumour / Yorkshire F fill / feel / fell / full / fool / fall
ɜ: sir / girl / pearl / surf / word F shoot / shut / shot / shout
ʌ pub / but / love / hull / tough F watch / catch / wash / clash
F fink / sink / think / zinc
cat car kite
chat char like F though / thought / through / tough [f]
fat æ far ɑ: light aɪ
tat tar pie C. Find the odd one out (= intrus) in the
shall Sardinia ride following word series.
F than / thin / then / thus
bottle bald boy
lot law boil F shore / sure / char / share
socks ɒ thought ɔ: soil ɔɪ F age / gesture / major / measure
wok war toy
solve sword [mute w] toilet F some / love / mode / but
F show / snow / low / now
bold how tourist
gold now moor F right / write / white / rite
poll
low
əʊ power
tower
aʊ poor
lure
ʊə F hall / whole / hole / whale

though out juror

ʊ full / look / foot / put / wood
u: fool / loop / through / true / tomb
k choir / character / chiaroscuro / Christmas
ʈʃ chatter / choke / cheat / child / church
ʃ shatter / shock / sheet / shield / sure
D. Read the following verb series aloud and
find the odd one out (= intrus) in each one of
them.
F lived / died / resuscitated
F played / netflixed / chilled
Flaughed / worked / cried
F yelled / shouted / screamed
F killed / murdered / assassinated

dʒ age / ajar / jelly / magic / major

ʒ vision / Asian / measure / treasure / rouge

If you wish to train more, you can play the
pronunciation of –ed game by downloading
θ thanks / thin / three / through / thought the .pdf or .pptx file “pronunciation_of_-ED-

ð than / then / there / those / though game” from Moodle.

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

Activity 2

Here is a selection of English tongue twisters. You must pronounce each word correctly and speak
fast AND distinctively. Good luck!

Level 1 – Easy

F I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop. Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.

F The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.

Level 2 – Medium

F Betty Botter bought some butter but, said she, the butter's bitter.

If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter.

But a bit of better butter will make my bitter batter better.

So she bought some better butter, better than the bitter butter, put it in her bitter batter, made her bitter

batter better.

So 't was better Betty Botter bought some better butter.

F Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,

Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Level 3 – Difficult

F Luke Luck likes lakes.

Luke's duck likes lakes.

Luke Luck licks lakes.

Luck's duck licks lakes.

Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes.

Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.

F Something in a thirty-acre thermal thicket of thorns and thistles thumped and thundered threatening the

three-D thoughts of Matthew the thug - although, theatrically, it was only the thirteen-thousand thistles and

thorns through the underneath of his thigh that the thirty year old thug thought of that morning.

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

 4 British English vs American English: choose your side! "!
Activity 1 – British English vs American English series or film regularly – in the original version, with English subtitles or

Watch the three videos below. They will give you an overview of the major none – will help you improve your accent.

differences between British English and American English – words and

pronunciation. In Australia and New Zealand, people tend to use words and à WATCHING VIDEOS WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE?
pronunciation from both – although they have some words of their own. JUST SCAN THE QR CODES BELOW.
To learn more about pronunciation, watch video 1 and video 2.
Video 1 Video 2 Video 3
To learn more about word use, watch this video.

Activity 1
Activity 2 – One country, one language… but plenty of variations

If you are interested in the regional variations of English language within a

same country, you should watch the following videos.
Video 4 Video 5
à Destination the British Isles here!
"

Activity 2
à Otherwise, your pronunciation road trip across the U.S. starts here.
!
Activity 3 – How to sound like a native English speaker

à First, here are five tips to make you sound more fluent.
Video 6 Video 7 Video 8
à Then, if you have not stayed in an English-speaking country yet, you need
to choose an accent.

"
- If you wish to sound British, here are two lessons that will probably help

Activity 3
you: one about the Queen of England’s accent, another about Emma
Watson’s accent. In addition, here are some British TV shows you can Video 9 Video 10 Video 11

watch – in the original version, with English subtitles or none. You may
also learn British English with TV series and films.
!
- If you wish to sound American, this video will give you some tips to
sound like a native speaker. In addition, watching any American TV

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

 5 Your turn!

Now that you have been through steps 1 to 4, you are ready for the next, final step.

Activity 1

Train yourself to read one of the following speeches aloud, with your most beautiful accent and
pronunciation.

Speech A

The Queen’s coronavirus speech: “We will succeed and better days will come”
(April 5, 2020)

Transcript:

I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of
our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous
changes to the daily lives of us all.
I want to thank everyone on the NHS front line, as well as care workers and those carrying out essential
roles, who selflessly continue their day-to-day duties outside the home in support of us all. I am sure the
nation will join me in assuring you that what you do is appreciated and every hour of your hard work brings
us closer to a return to more normal times.
I also want to thank those of you who are staying at home, thereby helping to protect the vulnerable and
sparing many families the pain already felt by those who have lost loved ones. Together we are tackling
this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.
I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge.
And those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the
attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this
country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future.
The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will
be remembered as an expression of our national spirit; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by
children.
Across the Commonwealth and around the world, we have seen heart-warming stories of people coming
together to help others, be it through delivering food parcels and medicines, checking on neighbours, or
converting businesses to help the relief effort.
And though self-isolating may at times be hard, many people of all faiths, and of none, are discovering that
it presents an opportunity to slow down, pause and reflect, in prayer or meditation. […]
While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the
globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to
heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.
We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with
our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again.
But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all.

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

Speech B

Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau: “The COVID-19 is the challenge of our generation”

(April 12, 2020)

Transcript:

Hello everyone.
This is an important weekend for a lot of Canadians, and though we can’t celebrate in groups with our
extended families, it’s important to stay connected virtually and reach out to our loved ones.
Whether you’re marking Easter, Passover, Tamil New Year, or Vaisakhi – this weekend is a chance to take
a pause, and reflect on what really matters. To think about where we are, and how we got here.
We’re facing really tough times right now, there’s no doubt. […]
In our nurses, doctors, paramedics, and custodial workers. In our truckers, cashiers, and all front line
workers.
They are our heroes now, standing on the shoulders of those who came before.
And today, we are all being called upon to join them, and to serve.
The Greatest Generation showed us how to fight for what we believe in and how to make sacrifices for
what we hold dear. Well, they are precisely the ones most at risk now.
For them, without reservation, without pause, we must fight for every inch of ground against this disease.
This is our duty.
This is what will save lives, and help our country come roaring back.
I know that we will rise to the challenge. Because as Canadians, we always do.
There’s no question that the coming weeks and months will be hard.
This is a fight like most of us have never faced. It will test us all, in our own way.
This disease has already taken too many people from us. If you’ve lost a loved one, know that we’re
mourning with you through this incredibly difficult experience.
This pandemic has taken much from many families, workers, and businesses across our country.
If you’re having trouble making ends meet, know that we’re working every day to help you bridge to better
times.
If you’re feeling isolated or depressed, know that there are supports for you. Know that you’re not alone.
And like so many Canadians before us, we will stand together, shoulder to shoulder, metaphorically, united
and strong.
The most important thing to remember is the fact that how we act today and tomorrow will determine how
quickly we defeat COVID-19.
This is the challenge of our generation. And each and every one of us has a role to play.
If we all take this seriously, stay apart from each other right now, stay home as much as possible, and
listen to our health experts – we’ll get past this sooner, and stronger than ever.
When we come out of this, and we will come out of this, we will all take pride in the sacrifices we’ve made
to protect each other and to protect the country we love.
[…] Together, we will get through this.

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours

Activity 2
The following poem was designed to demonstrate the irregularity of English spelling and pronunciation.
A. Listen to the poem (see QR code on the right).
B. Read the poem while listening to its audio version.
C. Train yourself to read the poem aloud. Good luck!
D. Optional: Record your voice reading the poem (or part of it) and email it to aplasson.english@gmail.com.
“The Chaos”, George Nolst Trenité, 1920.
Dearest creature in creation, 20
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
5 I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy. 25
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
10 Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain. 30
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
15 But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak; 35
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
40 And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
45 Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
50 Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
55 Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours
 Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Feoffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
60 Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
65 We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
70 Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
75 Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
80 Psalm, Maria, but malaria. 100
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
85 Sally with ally, yea, ye, 105
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
90 Crevice and device and aerie. 110
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
95 Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace,
gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or
cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!
A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours
 VIDEOGRAPHY (in order of appearance)

“90’ POLITIQUE – Quand nos politiques français parlent anglais”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42xI1KXBmwY

“10 Funny Language Learning Commercials”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdCYe4FoMRA

“Where did English come from?”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEaSxhcns7Y

“How to Pronounce VOWEL SOUNDS in BRITISH ENGLISH”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jORgKrANiMw

“How to Pronounce CONSONANT SOUNDS in BRITISH ENGLISH”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI9BL4AB5Y0

“Syllables and Word Stress - English Pronunciation Lesson”

àhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu6UVwkUgzc

“British English vs American English Pronunciation”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItysxSfog98

“One language, three accents”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdow47FQRfQ

“The difference between American and British English words”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq1pZErPcaw

“One Woman, 17 British Accents - Anglophenia Ep 5”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyyT2jmVPAk

“50 People Show Us Their States' Accents”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcxByX6rh24

“5 TIPS TO SOUND LIKE A NATIVE SPEAKER”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bc6oClJG-4

“British English Accents | The Queen's English Part 1”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPZkrRpJ4Zc

“Learn Emma Watson's British Accent (HERMIONE) | Received Pronunciation”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrWXsoXuuKs

“Learn English with 5 GREAT BRITISH TV SHOWS”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Wz-I8bQ28

“Learn English with TV and Films” (Playlist)

à https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhEL2dBV3x8WZI1OyOchLhDs-Fpz5r_op

“HOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH LIKE AN AMERICAN”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otUnhd8ozg8

“'We will succeed': Watch the Queen's speech on coronavirus in full”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d1YEkcbFwk

“The COVID-19 pandemic is the challenge of our generation”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ujsyRY1pbQ&feature=emb_logo

“English Pronunciation - "The Chaos" by Dr. Gerard Nolst Trenité”

à https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfRSvTSY0d4

A.P. – Académie Orléans-Tours