INTERNATION PHONETIC ALPHABET

The Sounds of English

Vowel Sounds
DICTIONARY
IPA SYMBOLS EXAMPLES
SYMBOLS
Front
/i/ eat meet ski believe /ē/
/I/ it city different /i/
/e/, /eI/ ate obey rain pay /ā/
/Ԑ/ red ready sweater guest, egg /e/
/ᴂ/ at sad hand salmon /ɑ/
Back
/u/ too sue chew fruit, rude /ü/
/ʊ/ wood would push book /u/
/o/, /oʊ/ go hello stone widow /ō/
/ͻ/ all jaw taught boss, thought /o/
/ɑ/, /a/ arm calm stop clock, father /ä/
Central
/Ʌ/ under cut sun son /’ə/
/ə/ among banana above Russia /ə/

Diphthongs
/ eI/ late raid rain strange /ā/
/aI/ time lie cry , why sigh /ī/
/ͻI/ boy oil noise /oi/
/aʊ/ now house doubt power, out /å/

CONSONANT SOUNDS
DICTIONARY
IPA SYMBOLS EXAMPLES
SYMBOLS
Plosives
/p/ pay cup supper stop /p/
/b/ buy rub rubber robbed /b/
/t/ take hit letter missed /t/
/d/ dime hide ladder wanted /d/
/k/ keep take banker ache /k/
/g/ go egg again /g/
Fricatives
/s/ sit bus past cats /s/
/z/ zero does easy dogs /z/
/ʃ/ she cash issue ocean, motion /sh/
/ʒ/ beige leisure /zh/
/f/ fish rough laughing physics /f/
/v/ very have ever /v/
/θ/ think earth nothing /th/
these breathe brother /th/
/h/ house ahead who /h/

Affricatives
/ʧ/ church each capture cello /ch/
/ʤ/ jump judge danger page, giant /j/
Nasals
/m/ me come summer /m/
/n/ no run money hand, know /n/
/ŋ/ sing singing /ŋ/
Lateral and Glides
/l/ like Pool allow glass /l/
/w/ we award quart /w/
/hw/ when nowhere what /hw/
/r/ rain sorry grow /r/
/j/ you onion music /y/
Producing connected sounds for meaningful speech
Speaking English correctly does not always mean pronouncing each distinctly and separately. In connected speech, words and
syllables are not pronounced as separate units within thought groups. Rather, words flow along as one word seeming to blend or
link to the text. This is called blending. One is perceived to be fluent in English if he/she blends words in speaking.
Examples:
You do not say: You say:
Who / are / you? Who / are you?
in / my / house in my house

Things to remember when blending the words.

1. A personal pronoun is read with the verb that precedes it as though they are one.
Examples: take it call him teach her help me

2. The article the is blended with the noun that follows it if the noun begins with a vowel.
Examples: the apple the eagle the Indian the ostrich

3. Words that make up a prepositional phrase are normally said as one word.
Examples: in an hour beside the chain on the table under the table

4. Words in phrase that denote measurement are also blended together.

Examples: a cup of tea a can of milk a tube of gel a glass of water

5. Words joined by and are blended when read.

Examples: rice and fish bread and butter coffee and cream night and day

6. Words in similes are also blended.

Examples: as sharp as a knife as sweet as candy as blue as sky as black as coal

7. Words joined by or are blended.

Examples: boy or girl tea or coffee ice cream or cake hot or cold

8. Words in idiomatic expressions are blended.

Examples: knock on wood reach for the stars rule of the thumblive by the sword

9. Common familiar expressions are blended.

Examples: by the way in spite of in accordance with some other time

10.Words that make up short sentences are blended.

Examples: See you later. I got it. Help me! She can’t go.

Stress is the force or the intensity we give a syllable within a word or to a word within a phrase or a sentence. Another term for
stress is accent. There are two main of stress: primary stress ( ) , secondary stress ( ).
Examples: bro-ther price-less help-ful stu-dent fif-teen my-self ma-ture
hum-ble ad-mire frag-ment cre-ate ho-nest six-ty pro-per

There are words that spelled the same but bear different meaning through proper stressing.
Examples: con-test (v) con-test (n) pre-sent(v) pres-ent (n) ob-ject (v) ob-ject (n)
In-crease in-crease re-fuse re-fuse con-duct con-duct
re-cord re-cord de-sert des-ert per-mit per-mit

Rhythm in speech can be improved not only by proper phrasing and pausing but also by stressing words for emphasis. Stress is
additional force of tone volume. Certain words in a sentence are emphasized in order to give meaning to what the speaker wishes to
convey. These include key words that the speaker wants the listeners to remember. Phrasing is grouping of words in a long sentence
in order to express a clear thought and to catch one’s breath while speaking. Read it softly to yourself, using the bars as phrase
marks: one bar ( / ) a short pause and two bars ( // ) a longer pause. Then, blend the syllables and words for connected speech.

Example 1: Excerpt from the Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam.

But if / in vain / down / on the stubborn floor
Of Earth // and up to heaven’s unopening Door/
To gaze today / while you / are you - / how then
Tomorrow / when you / should be you / no more? //

Example 2:
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources / has ordered a nationwide inventory of forest occupations / or
upland farmers occupying public forest lands / as input to comprehensive forestation program / it is currently working on. //