VOWELS AND

CONSONANTS
 What are Vowels?

• Speech sounds are broadly categorized as Vowels &

Consonants.
• Vowels are those sounds during the utterance of which the
air escapes freely, without any obstruction.
• In written English there are 5 vowels i.e., a, e, i, o, u. But,
in spoken English there are 20 distinctive vowel sounds,
made up of 12 pure vowels or monophthongs and 8 vowel
glides or diphthongs
Understanding Terms

• Definition: Vowel sounds are sounds that are produced

by the un-interrupted flow of air.
• Diphthongs: Diphthongs are 'gliding vowels', where one
vowel sound glides into another one, as a result of the lips
or tongue moving. A diphthong is a change in vowel
quality, whose sound changes within the same syllable.
• Monophthongs: A vowel with a single sound quality, such
as the middle sound in "rat" or "bit". These sounds are
made with one tongue position
Monophthongs and Diphthongs
Words with Vowel Sounds
iː seat /siːt/, feel /fiːl/
ɪ sit /sɪt/, in /ɪn/
e set /set/, any /ˈeni/
æ sat /sæt/, match /mætʃ/
ɑː march /mɑːtʃ/, after /ˈɑftə(r)/
ɒ pot /pɒt/, gone /ɡɒn/
ɔː port /pɔːt/, law /lɔː/
ʊ good /gʊd/, could /kʊd/
uː food /fuːd/, group /gruːp/
ʌ much /mʌtʃ/, front /frʌnt/
ɜː turn /tɜːn/, word /wɜːd/
ə away /əˈweɪ/, collect /kəˈlekt/, until /ənˈtɪl/
Words with Diphthongs Sounds
• eɪ take /teɪk/, wait /weɪt/
• aɪ mine /maɪn/, light /laɪt/
• ɔɪ oil /ɔɪl/, boy /bɔɪ/
• əʊ no /nəʊ/, open /ˈəʊpən/
• aʊ house /haʊs/, now /naʊ/
• ɪə hear /hɪə(r)/, deer /dɪə(r)/
• eə air /eə(r)/, where /weə(r)/
• ʊə tour /tʊə(r)/, endure /ɪnˈdjʊə(r)/
What are Consonants?
• Consonant sounds are produced by partial or full
interruption of the breath flow. Consonants give clarity and
sharpness to the words. They do the work of making our
speech crisp and clear, just like the function of treble in a
music system. When you whisper it is consonants that
carry forward the sound and the meaning.
Types of Consonants
• The English Consonant sounds are divided into two broad
buckets, which are
• Voiced Consonants-Plosive
• Unvoiced Consonants- Non-Plosive
Types of Consonants
Unvoiced Voiced

• /p/ path • /b/ bath

• /t/ time • /d/ dime
• /k/ came • /g/game
• /f/ fan • /v/ van
• /th/ think • /th/them z/prize
• /s/ price • /zh/usual
• /sh/shoe • /dj/gin
• /ch/chin
Words with Consonant Sounds
1. p pull /pʊl/, cup /kʌp/
2. b bull /bʊl/, rob /rɒb/
3. f ferry /ˈferi/, life /laɪf/
4. v very /ˈveri/, live /lɪv/
5. θ think /θɪnk/, bath /bɑːθ/
6. ð then /ðen/, with /wɪð/
7. t take /teɪk/, set /set/
8. d day /deɪ/, red /red/
9. s sing /sɪŋ/, rice /raɪs/
10. z zoo /zuː/, days /deɪz/
11. ʃ show /ʃəʊ/, wish /wɪʃ/
12. ʒ pleasure /ˈpleʒə(r)/, occasion /əˈkeɪʒn/
Words with Consonant Sounds
13. tʃ cheap /tʃiːp/, catch /kætʃ/
14. dʒ jail /dʒeɪl/, bridge /brɪdʒ/
15. k case /keɪs/, take /teɪk/
16. ɡ go /ɡəʊ/, rug /rʌɡ/
17. m my /maɪ/, come /kʌm/
18. n no /nəʊ/, on /ɒn/
19. ŋ sing /sɪŋ/, finger /ˈfɪŋɡə(r)/
20. l love /lʌv/, hole /həʊl/
21. r round /raʊnd/, carry /ˈkæri/
22. w well /wel/
23. j young /jʌŋ/
24. h house /haʊs/
Write the Phonetic Transcription of the following -
• Bench
• Girl
• Classroom
• Table
• Stomach
• Paper
• Book
• Computer
• America
• Decision