English Pronunciation

Prepared by

T. Muhammad Oraby
 The Sounds Of English
The Vowel Sounds

T. Muhammad Oraby 2
 The Sounds of English: Short Vowels -1 /ɪ/
 The spelling for this sound can be (i/e/y)
 Here are some words which have this sound:
words transcription
kit /kɪt/
bid /bɪd/
hymn /hɪm/
minute /ˈmɪn.ɪt/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

( kit/ bid/ hymn/minute)
T. Muhammad Oraby 3
 The Sounds of English: Short Vowels -2 /e/
 The spelling for this sound can be (a/e/ea)
 Here are some words which have this sound:
words transcription
dress /dres/
head /hed/
bed /bed/
many /meni/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

(dress/head/bed/many)
T. Muhammad Oraby 4
 Similar Sounds /e/ VS /ɪ/
 /e/ a short vowel sound VS /ɪ/ a short vowel sound
 Now practice with your teacher to hear the difference:

/e/ / ɪ/
bed bid
medal middle
dead did
fell fill
pen pin
T. Muhammad Oraby 5
 The Sounds of English: Short Vowels -3 /ʊ/

The spelling for this sound can be (o/u/oo/ou)
 Here are some words which have this sound:
words transcription
foot /fʊt/
put /pʊt/
good /gʊd/
would /wʊd/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

(foot/put/good/would)
T. Muhammad Oraby 6
 The Sounds of English: Short Vowels - 4 /æ/

The spelling for this sound can be (a)
 Here are some words which have this sound:
words transcription
trap /træp/
Stamp /stæmp/
back /bæk/
lap /læp/
Now listen and repeat after your teacher:
(trap/stamp/back/lap)
T. Muhammad Oraby 7
 The Sounds of English: Short Vowels - 5 /ʌ/

The spelling for this sound can be (o/u/oo)
 Here are some words which have this sound:
words transcription
strut /strʌt/
mud /mʌd/
love /lʌv/
blood /blʌd/
Now listen and repeat after your teacher:
(strut/ mud/ love/ blood)
T. Muhammad Oraby 8
 Similar Sounds /æ/ VS /ʌ/
 /æ/ a short vowel sound VS /ʌ/ a short vowel sound
 Now practice with your teacher to hear the difference:

/ æ/ /ʌ/
ankle uncle
bank bunk
bat but
cap cup
swam swum
T. Muhammad Oraby 9
 The Sounds of English: Short Vowels – 6 /ə/

The spelling for this sound can be (a/o/ar/er)
 Here are some words which have this sound:
words transcription
about /əˈbaʊt/
common /ˈkɒm.ən/
standard /stæn.dəd/
butter /ˈbʌt.ər/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

(about/common/standard/butter)
T. Muhammad Oraby 10
 some extra information on /ə/
The most important sound in English.
 It’s called “schwa”.
 Pretty strange that the word "schwa” doesn’t have the /ə/sound in it. See
/ʃwɑː/ !!!!!
 The most frequent sound in English. It appears in every word that has more than
one syllable.
 It’s usually in an unstressed syllables.
 Look at some more examples:
 ( accuse/əˈkjuːz/,banana/bəˈnɑː.nə/,father/ˈfɑː.ðər/,camera /ˈkæm.rə/)
 It can be the pronunciation for a whole word itself. a cup of tea /əˌkʌpəˈtiː/
T. Muhammad Oraby 11
 The Sounds of English: Short Vowels – 7 /ɒ/


The spelling for this sound can be (o/wa)
 Here are some words which have this sound:
words transcription
lot /lɒt/
hot /hɒt/
odd /ɒd/
wash /wɒʃ/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (lot / hot / odd/ wash) 12
 The Sounds of English: long Vowels – 1 /iː/

The spelling for this sound can be (ea/ee)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
fleece /fliːs/
sea /siː/
machine /məˈʃiːn/
sheep /ʃiːp/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (fleece / sea / machine/ sheep) 13
 Similar Sounds /iː/ VS /ɪ/
 /iː/ a long vowel sound VS /ɪ/ a short vowel sound
 Now practice with your teacher to hear the difference:

/iː/ /ɪ/
liter litter
cheap chip
feet fit
he’s his
peach pitch
14
T. Muhammad Oraby
 The Sounds of English: long Vowels – 2 /uː/

The spelling for this sound can be (oo/ou/ue/wo)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
goose /ɡuːs/
two /tuː/
blue /bluː/
group /gruːp/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (goose / two / blue/ group) 15
 The Sounds of English: long Vowels – 3 /ɑː/

The spelling for this sound can be (a/ar)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
father /ˈfɑː.ðər/
card /cɑːd/
hard /hɑːd/
start /stɑːt/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (father / card / hard / start) 16
 The Sounds of English: long Vowels – 4 /ɔː/

The spelling for this sound can be (ou/aw/ar/or)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
thought /θɔːt/
law /lɔː/
north /nɔːθ/
war /wɔː/
Now listen and repeat after your teacher:
T. Muhammad Oraby (thought / law / north / war) 17
 The Sounds of English: long Vowels – 5 /ɜː/

The spelling for this sound can be (ur/ir/ear/er)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
nurse /nɜːs/
stir /stɜː/
learn /lɜːn/
refer /rɪˈfɜː/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (nurse / stir / learn / refer) 18
 The Sounds of English: Diphthongs – 1 /ɪə/

The spelling for this sound can be (ear)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription Note:
ear /ɪə/ A “diphthong"
near /nɪə/ is a double
vowel sound.
hear /hɪə/
weary /wɪəry/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (ear / near / hear / weary) 19
 The Sounds of English: Diphthongs –2 /ʊə/

The spelling for this sound can be (ear)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
tour /tʊə/
pure /pjʊə/
cure /kjʊə/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (tour / pure / cure) 20
 The Sounds of English: Diphthongs – 3 /aɪ/
 The spelling for this sound can be (eye/igh/ “i+a consonant+e”/y)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
eye /aɪ/
high /haɪ/
price /praɪs/
try /traɪ/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (eye / high / price /try) 21
 The Sounds of English: Diphthongs – 4 /ɔɪ/
 The spelling for this sound can be (oi/oy)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
choice /tʃɔɪs/
noise /nɔɪz/
boy /bɔɪ/
toy /tɔɪ/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (choice / noise / boy /toy) 22
 The Sounds of English: Diphthongs – 5 /əʊ/
 The spelling for this sound can be (o/oa/ow)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
boat /bəʊt/
show /ʃəʊ/
know /nəʊ/
no /nəʊ/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (boat / show / know /no) 23
 Similar Sounds /əʊ/ VS /ɔː/
 /əʊ/ a diphthong VS /ɔː/ a long vowel sound
 Now practice with your teacher to hear the difference:

/əʊ/ /ɔː/
coat caught
dough door
sew saw
flow floor

24
T. Muhammad Oraby
 The Sounds of English: Diphthongs – 6 /eə/
 The spelling for this sound can be (uar/air)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
square /skweər/
fair /feə/
pair /peə/
air /eə/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (square/ fair / pair/air) 25
 Similar Sounds /eə/ VS /æ/
 /eə/ a diphthong VS /æ/ a short vowel sound
 Now practice with your teacher to hear the difference:

/eə/ / æ/
dared dad
glared glad
Mary marry

26
T. Muhammad Oraby
 The Sounds of English: Diphthongs – 7 /aʊ/
 The spelling for this sound can be (ou/ow)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
words transcription
mouth /maʊθ/
now /naʊ/
fowl /faʊl/
towel /taʊəl/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (mouth/ now / fowl/towel) 27
 Similar Sounds /aʊ/ VS / əʊ /
 /aʊ/ a diphthong VS / əʊ / a short vowel sound
 Now practice with your teacher to hear the difference:

/aʊ/ /əʊ/
couch coach
clown clone
loud load
found phoned

28
T. Muhammad Oraby
 The Sounds of English: Diphthongs – 8 /eɪ/
 The spelling for this sound can be (a+ a consonant+e/ea/ay)
 Here are Some words which have this sound :
Think of the
words transcription magic
face /feɪs/ “e”.
day /deɪ/
break /breɪk/
great /ɡreɪt/

Now listen and repeat after your teacher:

T. Muhammad Oraby (face/ day / break/great) 29
 Similar Sounds /eɪ/ VS /iː/
 /eɪ/ a diphthong VS /iː/ a short vowel sound
 Now practice with your teacher to hear the difference:

/eɪ/ /iː/
ate eat
faced feast
great greet
mate meet
30
T. Muhammad Oraby
 “Always remember to take
your pronunciation out of your
head into your body.”
Good Luck
T. Muhammad Oraby 31