Universidad de La Serena

English Section
Listening and Pronunciation in English II – 2021, Test1
Name: Pauly Romero Cortés. Score: ……………..
Date: October 6th, 2021 Mark: ……………..

A. TIMED SECTION (30% of the test) Deadline: 9:45

I Identify all the cases of assimilation in the utterances below. Provide phonetic
transcriptions in each case. (5 marks) 10

1- Didn’t you(ʤ) know she’s shy?

2- When’s you(ʃj)birthday, Sean?

3- Is Sean still working in Boston?

4- Would you(tʃ) mind telling us about those years in prison?

5- This young(3j) boy is Sheila’s brother.

II Identify all the cases of co-articulation and blending in the utterances below by
using phonetic transcriptions. (5 marks) 10

1- Alice says both theories are valid.

2- Can’t Daniel do that some place else?

3- The lady with the clear blue eyes was ten years old.

4- Please take care of the baby.

5- Nick goes to the gym twice a week.

6- I really mean it this time.

III. Highlight the vowel sound you hear in the following minimal pairs. (10 pts)

1. / i: / /I/
………. ……….
2. / e / /æ /
……… ……..

3. / i: / /I/
………. ……….

4. / e / /æ /
…….. ……..

5. / ɒ / / ɔ: /
………. ……….

6. /ʌ/ /æ/
………. ……….

7. / e / /I/
………. ……….

8. /ʌ/ /α:/
………. ……...

9. / æ / / α: /
………. ……….

10. / ʌ / /ә /
………. ………...

IV. How many times can you hear the sound given in the following utterances. (5 pts)

1. / i: / 2

2. / I / 4

3. /ɒ / 2
4. / æ / 3

5. /α:/ 2

V Transcribe phonetically the words you hear. YOUR TEACHER CAN DICTATE
PSEUDO WORDS. (10 marks) Deadline: 15:30

1- …/ʤIff/…..2- ……/meө/………3- ……/diːn/……

4- ……/mɑdʒ/………………..5- …………/ʃʌff/……6- …………/biːs/……

7- ………/lɔːtʃ/………..8- ……/dɔdʒ/……….9- ……/læn/………..

10- ………/rʌf/………………

II.-TAKE-HOME SECTION. (70% of the test)

The take-home section allows you to work in this part of the quiz out from zoom
session.

I Read these utterances aloud paying special attention to the pronunciation of vowels
/ i:, I, e, æ, α:, ʌ , ɒ , ɔ:, ә /, rhythm and features of connected speech . You must
record them and send them to your teacher. RECORDINGS MUST NOT BE
EDITED. (15 marks).

1. This dreadful weather might jeopardize(yepardize) my agenda.

2. I think cousin Justin’s remarks are hard to understand.

3. I’m sure Mark doesn’t like the (hasel) and(basel) of the city.

4. Linda and Bill are two imaginative British artists.

5. Pat’s brother is the manager of a battery factory in Alabama.

6. Jack and Jill practice badminton and handball at the weekend.

7. Uncle Martin says playing cards is fun.

8. John and Ron go jogging and play soccer Saturday mornings.

9. Jonathan stopped smoking when he was forty-four.

10. Gloria has lived abroad since before the war broke out.

11. Lots of immigrants have crossed the northern border of our country.

12. This young lady promised you last year to impress you with her paintings.

13. I can’t drive if you keep talking to me. Please shut up for a while.

14. I really like that shirt. How much is it?

15. Sean changes the tires of his car once a year.

II. Read the following texts aloud paying special attention to the pronunciation of
vowels / i:, I, e, æ, α:, ʌ , ɒ , ɔ:, ә /, rhythm and features of connected speech . You
must record them and send them to your teacher. THE RECORDING MUST NOT
BE EDITED. (30 marks)

“There is nothing -absolutely nothing- half so much worthdoing as simply messing about in
boats,” one animal character famously tells another in the children’s book The Wind in the
Willows. The millions of recreational boaters in the United States would undoubtedly agree.
But boating in America’s waters is not all fun and sport. With thousands of miles of
navigable rivers and ocean coastline, as well as five of the largest freshwater lakes in the
world. The United States is a country built on water transportation -from riverboats that
once plied the mighty Mississipi to the freighters and barges that move millions of tons of
cargo today.

According to the American sportfishing Association, fishing is a hobby pursued by some

forty million Americans, including more than eight million youngsters between the ages of
six and fifteen. More Americans fish than play golf and tennis combined.
Because recreational fishing is an economic boom in various regions of the country,
government plays a major role in regulating it and in managing fishery resources and
perpetuate the sport for future generations.

RUBRIC TO ASSESS READING ALOUD

GRADING: From 1- 7 for each aspect of pronunciation.

A. SEGMENTS (60%) Sounds

1- Accurate articulation of English consonant sounds
2- Accurate articulation of English vowel sounds
3- Accurate pronunciation of post-flexions -ed and -s / -es

B. PROSODIC ASPECTS (40%)

4- Accurate use of the features of connected speech: linking, assimilation, co-
articulation
5- Highlight key words by using stress and intonation properly.
Pauses Intonation pauses and silent pauses