1 Appendix H Pronunciation Teaching Materials Designed for Volunteer

Appendix H

Pronunciation Teaching Materials designed for Volunteer ESL Tutors and Their Adult Students by Linda M. Sims

PLAN FOR THE INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP ...... 2

VIDEO SCRIPTS ...... 11

VOWELS ...... 30

CONSONANTS ...... 75

SYLLABLE STRESS ...... 121

SENTENCE STRESS AND RHYTHM ...... 149

FOCUS STRESS ...... 170

INTONATION ...... 199

COMPENSATION STRATEGIES ...... 215

OUTLINE: RECONVENE, REVIEW, SHARE ...... 230

1 Linda M. Sims 2018

Plan for the Introductory Workshop

The purpose of the Introductory Workshop is to familiarize tutors with foundational pronunciation concepts and to explain how the rest of the professional development will unfold.

Estimated Time: About 90 minutes Format: Face-to-Face (could be adapted to video) Materials: Have all printed program materials on hand for tutors to refer to if necessary

Welcome and Overview (5 minutes) Description:

Welcome ESL volunteers/tutors.

Explain that the purpose of the workshop is to familiarize everyone with some basics of pronunciation and pronunciation teaching.

After the workshop, tutors will have access to a series of six 5-minute videos that they can watch at their leisure. Each video explains more about a specific topic, for which there are materials and activities that they can use with their students.

Display list of topics that will be covered in the Introductory Workshop: 1) Why Pronunciation Matters, 2) Feeling Unprepared, 3) The Goal is Intelligibility, 4) Overview of Key Pronunciation Concepts, 5) “High Value” Sounds, 6) Correcting Pronunciation Errors, 7) Compensation Strategies, 8) Communicative Practice, 9) Online Resources, and 10) What Happens Next.

Point out that all discussion about pronunciation assumes that we are talking about North American English (NAE) – the type spoken by “broadcasters” in the U.S. Acknowledge that there are other types of English, but NAE will be the focus.

Why Pronunciation Instruction Matters (8 minutes) Description:

Share the following quotes from student interviews: “I think the most important thing now is pronunciation because most of our level student can understand grammar and we know what people are saying,

2 Linda M. Sims 2018 but sometimes if I speak out, some people - especially native speakers - can't understand me. I think most of the tutors [at ESL] are good at understanding international students, so they can guess what I am saying. They are so patient and nice and they don't correct me, and so I am happy and I think "oh my English is much better now!" But then when I talk outside of ESL class, I realize 'Oh no, I am not good! They do not understand me!' I feel sad about this and am embarrassed to conversate with people.” –Student from South Korea

“Sometimes when I'm talking to someone they "freeze" and I know they don't understand me, and it makes me very nervous and uncomfortable and I feel I am getting smaller and smaller and my voice is going away. And then I very hesitate to speak to native speakers because I don't want to feel shocked like this.” -Student from Japan

Briefly discuss how the student quotes indicate how pronunciation issues truly impact students’ lives.

Share that in interviews with local students, all students reported having difficulties with common everyday activities because of their pronunciation issues. Students expressed that they want to develop more confidence and avoid embarrassment while speaking out in public. These are similar sentiments to those reported in pronunciation research. Students report embarrassment, sadness, and frustration. Pronunciation teaching is important work!

Feeling Unprepared (2-3 minutes) Description:

Share that in interviews with tutors, almost everyone expressed feeling unprepared to help students with pronunciation. Assure tutors that they are not alone in their bewilderment. Research shows that even trained ESL teachers express trepidation when they have to teach pronunciation.

Explain the Pronunciation Teaching Paradox, a phrase coined by a pronunciation researcher, Isabelle Darcy. “Everyone knows it’s important but no one feels confident teaching it.”

This workshop and all the follow-up materials are designed to help everyone feel more confident about teaching pronunciation!

3 Linda M. Sims 2018 The Goal Is Intelligibility (2-3 minutes) Description:

Say: It’s important to emphasize that the goal of this pronunciation teaching curriculum to help students be intelligible. That means that others can understand them when they speak, not that they no longer have an accent, not that they say everything perfectly.

Keep this in mind as you go through the materials and activities with your students. For example, you may think it’s really important that students pronounce the end of cats [catssssss] differently than the end of dogs [dogzzzzz]. But these materials are basically saying, “There are bigger fish to fry. You can use either ssss or zzzz. People will still understand you.” Yes, there is a right way to say it. And yes, you are welcome to help students notice those differences and practice making the right way their habit—but keep in mind that the materials are designed to focus on overall intelligibility, not perfection.

A (Very) Brief Overview of Key Pronunciation Concepts (20-25 minutes) Description:

Explain that this part of the workshop will cover some key vocabulary that everyone needs to be on the same page about so they can make the best use of the materials and the videos. Explain that there are six 5-7-minute videos that tutors will have access to after the workshop. These videos explain some pronunciation concepts in more detail, with specific examples. [Note: This thesis contains complete scripts for each video. The actual videos will be produced at a later date.]

IMPORTANT VOCABULARY: Go over the following terms with brief examples.

Vowels, Consonants – display the alphabet with vowels and consonants visually contrasted.

Long vowels and short vowels: Provide examples (long a in Kate vs short a in cat; long e in meet vs short e in met). Ask tutors to think back to their elementary school days (or their children’). Did they learn about vowels sounds using the terminology long vs short? Explain that we will use the terms long and short in this program, even though those aren’t ideal terms. But more about that in the Vowel Video.

Syllable – Syllables can be thought of as the sound building blocks of words. A word is made up of one or more syllables. A syllable is a segment of speech that includes a vowel sound. Some words have 1 syllable, like [clap the syllable] school, hat, strength. Some have 2 syllables [clap] water, table,

4 Linda M. Sims 2018 teacher. 3 syllables [clap] finishing, apartment, octopus. 4 syllables [clap] machinery, necessary, unimportant.

Display the word unintelligibility. Ask: How many syllables in the word? (8)

Stress – Stress means emphasis. Sometimes words are stressed. For example, if someone says, “You need to come home NOW!”, the word now is stressed. If they say, “You need to come HOME now!”, the word home is stressed. We also stress syllables within a word. In the word, RABbit, the first syllable is stressed. In the word aMAzing, the second syllable is stressed. Some of you may have used the word “accent” instead of “stress” when you were in school. I did. My teacher would say, “Mark the accented syllable.” But we’re using the term stress because in the world of ESL teaching, accent has a totally different meaning.

Intonation – Intonation is the “musical” part of speech. We don’t speak like this: [spoken in a very flat way] Really? Your daughter’s getting married? What great news! No. We say…[repeat with expected intonation]. The pitch of our voice goes up and down. English has a melody. “Are you coming over?” My voice went up at the end. That’s called rising intonation. “Not today.” My voice went down at the end. That’s called falling intonation.

Rhythm – English also has rhythm. Rhythm is the timing of how we say words in sentence. We don’t say, [spoken with all syllables getting even rhythm] Really? Your daughter’s getting married? What great news! No. We say…[repeat with expected rhythm]. English has rhythm – and it’s a different type of rhythm than some other languages have. That makes it tricky for many students. You’ll hear more about rhythm in one of the short videos.

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT INDIVIDUAL SOUNDS Say: I used to think that if someone could say all the sounds of a word correctly, they would be easily understood. But research and personal experience tell us that at least as important as individual sounds—and possibly even more important —are the other things we just talked about: stress, rhythm, and intonation.

Illustrate by: 1) Discuss the difference between sentences like “Mary’s hat is BLUE” and “Mary’s HAT is blue” to bring out how English uses different word stress within a phrase, depending on context and meaning. 2) Say the following sentence but with incorrect intonation, ending the word bananas with rising intonation: “Are you going to the store? Great. Can you please buy milk, eggs, some tomatoes, bananas?” Pause and ask tutors for their reaction. Discuss how important intonation is for how we interpret what someone is saying.

Point out that the pronunciation program includes work with sounds as well as work with stress and intonation. Both are very important. Also point out that beginning students will focus on different things than more advanced students, but

5 Linda M. Sims 2018 even beginning students need to understand the importance of correct syllable stress, and they need to start refining their listening skills to perceive and imitate the melody of English as they progress as speakers.

AWARENESS OF WHY SOME SOUNDS ARE PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT FOR SOME STUDENTS (Cut this part if necessary for time constraints.) Say: If you’ve worked with Asian students, you have probably noticed that they often have trouble with the r and l sounds. And you might wonder, “Why can’t they hear and produce the difference consistently?” It’s because—let’s use Japanese as an example—in Japanese, the r and l sounds are just two slightly different versions of the same sound. In other words, those sounds are never used to distinguish between two different words.

Here’s an example to help you experience something like the r/l confusion, but with a different sound. Listen to this recording of a Hindi speaker. [Play recording of Hindi speaker saying, “dal/dhal. Dal mean to put. Dhal mean shield. dal/dhal”] To English-speaking ears, the word for to put sounds very similar—almost identical— to the word for shield. They both sound like they start with a /d/ sound. That’s because English doesn’t have different versions of /d/. But to a Hindi speaker, those are two very different words with two very different beginning sounds. Hindi speakers have grown up hearing the very fine distinction between the two different versions of /d/ (aspirated vs unaspirated) because, in Hindi, depending on which sound you make, you’re saying a totally different word.

That’s similar to the issue with the Japanese r and l. For English speakers, rice and lice are two different words, so we have grown up hearing the fine distinction between r and l. But for Japanese speakers, the r and l are like that /d/ sound for us. The Japanese are not used to hearing (or producing) the fine distinction between the sounds because the distinction is not critical in their language.

“High Value” Sounds (12-15 minutes) Description:

Say: Suppose you want to sell your house. You want to spruce it up so that it will sell quickly, for top dollar. What would you do? [Allow tutors to respond.] Yes, you’d paint it, maybe have the carpets cleaned. And if you had money to spend on remodeling one room to make it a real showstopper, which room would you remodel? [Kitchen, bathroom…] Would you remodel the under-the-stairway closet? Or put hardwood floors in the basement? No. Most home owners have neither the time nor the money to improve everything; they have to choose the improvement with the highest value. The same is true when choosing which sounds to focus on when teaching pronunciation.

Some sounds have “higher value” than others. What is this value based on? It’s based on how frequently the sound appears in a language and the likelihood that

6 Linda M. Sims 2018 mispronouncing that sound might cause someone to think that you’re saying a completely different word. For example, if you want to say leave, or feet, or peach but you can’t make the long e sound, the listener will think you are saying live, fit, or pitch. For that reason, this program calls the long e and the short i sounds “high value” sounds.

Distribute the charts: Vowel Challenges and Consonant Challenges (see Appendix F). Explain that the languages across the top are some of the common languages found in ESL programs. Explain how to interpret the charts.

Call attention to the th sound. Explain that this sound—more than any other—is listed as a cause of concern by both tutors and students. Say: So most of you probably think that the th sound has a “high value”, right? The answer? In that students are concerned about it, yes. We don’t want students to feel self-conscious about being unable to make that sound. So this program does include materials for working on the th sound. But, in terms of intelligibility, the value of th is more along the lines of putting hardwood floors in your basement. Nice, but not a lot of bang for your buck. Think about it. If a student says, “Fank you.” or “Can you pass me zat pencil, please?” – will you understand what they’re saying? Yes, they are intelligible. So th is not critical for intelligibility – at least not nearly as critical as some of the other sounds and sound contrasts. But yes, you can work on the sound.

Correcting Pronunciation Errors (10 minutes) Description:

Say: When I interviewed tutors, many wondered about how much to correct students. Of course, no one wants to make students feel bad, but many shared that some of their students say that they want to be corrected. What to do?

First of all, know that research shows that students really do want to be corrected, and that corrective feedback is really important to learning a language. So, yes, you should correct students. But how and how much?

Common sense would tell us that we shouldn’t correct everything. And common sense would be right. We pick a few things to focus on. The most important thing is that feedback needs to be explicit. You need to give details. You need to clearly state what students are doing right as well as what they are doing wrong. For example, if you know that you worked on the long e sound earlier in the week, and you hear a student make great long e sound, you can pause and say, “Wow...great long e sound. I can see that you were spreading your lips more and it really helped.” All of this will be much easier to imagine doing once you’ve worked with some of the pronunciation materials in the program. You’ll know what you’re listening for, and you’ll be able to pick out things to compliment.

7 Linda M. Sims 2018 You’ll also be able to pick out more errors – but you’ll also be in a position to offer some suggestions. So you can say, “Chung, when you said right, it sounded like light. You might have let your tongue touch the top of your mouth. Try it again. Don’t let your tongue touch.” Then you could even have the whole class practice it. Develop the vibe of “We’re all in this together! Let’s help each other improve.”

Here’s a tip for dealing with errors in general: I like to keep a notebook near me, and when students make repeated errors, I jot it down. Then, at the end of class, without mentioning specific students, I can say: “Okay, let’s focus on some things I heard today that could use a little practice. Let’s start with this [word/sound/phrase/intonation pattern...whatever...]” Students expect this, no one feels singled-out, and everyone usually learns something.

Compensation Strategies (10 minutes) Description:

Say: As you can probably imagine, most ESL students routinely face the dilemma of not being understood as they live and work in the community. And so, as tutors, it’s our job to teach compensation strategies—ways to make up for, or skillfully navigate the issue of not being undertood (or not understanding).

Distribute the Overview of Compensation Strategies handout from the Compensation Strategies section of Appendix F. Briefly run through the list and explain that the materials in the Compensation Strategies section also include suggestions for ways to practice the strategies. But the key point is that tutors should explicitly teach these as strategies, and call attention to times when you notice students using them. This is not something to teach all at once. Introduce a few at a time, and keep returning to them over and over.

Communicative Practice (5 minutes) Description:

Say: Sometimes, as a teacher/tutor, it’s a lot easier to go through something step-by- step and feel very “in control” about what’s happening in class. And, I promise you that the materials in this program are (hopefully) designed to run smoothly in a classroom of adults. But I want to call your attention to the importance of not skipping over the more interactive parts of an activity. Yes, it will be “messier” and you won’t be able to monitor everyone closely, but that’s okay. Students need to talk. They need to fumble and make mistakes and try things. They need what’s called “opportunities for communicative practice”. Scripted practice is great. Repetition is great. But you have to let them go sometimes and let them talk and make a lot of mistakes.

8 Linda M. Sims 2018

Display a sample activity with a “challenge” or a “try this” section, or a part that’s more free-form than other parts. (For example, refer to the NOW TRY THIS section on the handout “How To Pronounce Words that End in –ed” from the Consonants section.) Use as an example of what not to skip.

Online Resources (5 minutes) Description:

Say: This is going to be the shortest length of time that anyone has ever spoken about online resources. The topic easily warrants a day-long workshop in itself. But I just want to point out that there are many useful online resources out there, and that we should encourage our students to use them. The main one I want to mention that’s related to pronunciation is Rachel’s English https://rachelsenglish.com/. [Display on screen and point out that it covers many topics. It’s an extremely valuable resource.]

Other useful sites to mention: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/, https://youglish.com/, TED talks https://www.ted.com/, and Google translate https://translate.google.com/.

What’s Next? (5 minutes) Description:

Explain how the rest of the program will work.

There is one official “binder” of materials for each proficiency level. Each binder has 7 main topics: Vowels, Consonants, Syllable Stress, Sentence Stress and Rhythm, Focus Stress, Intonation, and Compensation Strategies. Each section begins with a Table of Contents that also serves as a checklist for tutors to check which activities have been used. This will provide a way to manage “who’s done what?” within a setting where different tutors work with the same students on different days.

[Display a sample Table of Contents/Checklist for one of the topics.] Say: You’ll notice that some of the activities are in bold, in a different font. That simply indicates that it’s not a handout, so no copies need to be made for students. The teacher can lead the activity with just the information given; there is nothing to distribute to students. Also, notice that there are 5 columns after each activity. This simply allows space to indicate that an activity has been repeated (always a good idea!)

9 Linda M. Sims 2018 Say: You can access all the materials at any time, but it’s recommended that you watch the 5-minute tutorial before each section. For example, watch the “Focus Stress” video before you start doing focus stress activities with your class. Yes, the instructions on handouts give you some background, but it’ll all make more sense if you get the big picture before diving in. Note that there is a written summary of each video, but it’s better used as a reference/review after you watched the video. The written summary is not as detailed as the video.

If applicable: Add that tutors will get together again at the end of the semester to talk about what they’ve tried, what questions they have, and what they’ve learned and want to share with others.

10 Linda M. Sims 2018 Video Scripts

Script for Vowels Video

Vowels are difficult for almost all English learners. Many of our vowel sound are simply not found in our students’ native languages - or there’s something “close but not quite” - and that can result in difficulties making some sounds.

About the terminology used for the “long” and “short” sounds of vowels In English, each of the letters that represent vowels—A, E, I, O, U—make more than one sound. For example, A can sound like the vowel in “cake”, or it can sound like the vowel in “cat”. Commonly, those differences are referred to as “long” and “short” sounds. The A and cake is “long”, the A in cat is “short”.

The materials in this program use those terms—long and short—because they’re well-known and common, but you should know that that choice of words has the potential to be confusing. Here’s why:

At some point students will focus on syllable stress. For example, they’ll learn that to say the word “basket”, the first syllable receives the stress: BA-sket. And one of the primary things we do to put stress on a syllable is to make the vowel LONGER - meaning that we give it a longer duration. We stretch it out a bit. BAsket. However, in the word basket the “a” vowel is a “short vowel” - like the a in cat. So if we say “Make the vowel longer in a stressed syllable”, we do not mean that students should pronounce it like a long vowel: BAYsket. No.

So, to avoid confusion when discussing word/syllable stress, this program will use the verb “stretch”. Stretch the vowel.

About Long Vowels Long vowels say their names: a as in cake, e as in tea, i as in rice, o as in boat, u as in juice.

In some pronunciation books, you might see the long vowel sounds written like this: Ay, Ey, Iy, Ow, Uw That’s because long vowels really have 2 parts. The “finishing” of those sounds have either a bit of /y/ or a bit of /w/. This requires the tongue to move (or glide) when producing a long vowel sound.

Try this: Say just the sound of the a in cake, Can you hear that small bit of “y “at the end? The “y” is more obvious if you link it to another word that starts with a vowel. Try these phrases: Say it. SAY (y) IT See us. SEE (y) US

11 Linda M. Sims 2018 Tie up. TIE (y) UP

Now say the sound of the o in boat and the sound of the u in juice. Can you hear that there’s a bit of a w sound at the end? Also pay attention to the shape of your lips: they’re rounded, as if you’re about to make the sound of w. The “w” is more obvious if you link it to another word that starts with a vowel. Try these phrases: Go away. GO (w) AWAY He’s a shoe in. SHOE (w) IN

The reason this is important to know because sometimes, when students have trouble making a long vowel sound, it’s because they’re omitted that little y or w at the end.

More information about tips for teaching long vowels is given in the materials for this topic.

About Short Vowels Here are the short vowel sounds: a as in cat, e as in pet, i as in big, o as in hot, u as in cup.

Some key things about producing a short vowel are: • Short vowels require a more relaxed mouth/face compared to the long vowels. • There is no “y” or “w” at the end of the sound. There is very little, if any, tongue movement.

You’ll find that many students find it very difficult to produce the contrast between long and short vowels. That’s often because there’s a similar vowel in their native language, but it’s something in between our long/short versions.

The materials for this topic will give you some tips for helping your students produce short vowels, as well as practice with the contrast between pairs of vowels that are often hard for students to distinguish.

The vowel sounds in law and book The vowel sounds in words like law and book are similar to short vowel sounds in that they are relaxed, simple sounds. They’re made up of only ONE sound, and there’s no gliding or moving to a “y” or “w” ending. o law, jaw, caught, bought o book, look, could, sugar

The vowel sounds in cow and boy These vowel sounds are called diphthongs, which simply means that the sound has two distinct parts. The two vowel sounds that make up the “ow” part of cow are the a sound in father, followed by the u sound in put (or the vowel sound in look, or book) . Say them

12 Linda M. Sims 2018 quickly: “ah-u” “ah-u” “ah-u” You’ll hear the “ow” part of cow. Examples: cow, now, cloud, downtown

The two vowel sounds that make up the “oy” part of boy are the aw sound in law, followed by the short i sound in big. Or, for some people, that first sound is more like the o in boat. Say them quickly: “oh-ih” “oh-ih” “oh-ih”. You’ll hear the “oy” part of boy. Examples: boy, toy, noise, coin.

About schwa Pronounce this word: photograph. The vowel sound in the first syllable is o as in boat. Now pronounce this word: photography. Does the vowel sound in the first syllable still sound like o as in boat? No. In photograph, we stress the first syllable and the vowel sound like o as in boat. But in photography, the stress is no longer on the first syllable, and the vowel sound changes. That vowel sound is called schwa, and it’s the most common vowel sound in the English language. In general, unstressed vowels in English are pronounced as schwa. Some people describe schwa as sounding like a “lazy ‘uh’” sound.

The schwa sound is so common that it’s useful to learn and use the formal notation for schwa with your students: /ə/ So practice drawing some upside-down e’s.

Here are some examples where the vowel in the first syllable is pronounced as schwa: advice, escape, subtract, tonight, divide.

Here are some examples where the vowel in the second syllable is pronounced as schwa: palace, college, cousin, button, minute.

Which vowels As discussed in the Introductory Workshop, it’s important to focus precious teaching time on high value sounds and features of pronunciation. And for vowels, there are some that, if mispronounced, have a greater potential for causing confusion than others. For example, the e sound in feet, and the i sound in fit are examples of vowel sounds that can cause lots of confusion. The a sound in pat and the e sound in pet can also cause confusion.

Materials will provide practice with something called minimal pairs, or pairs of words that help students practice hearing and producing the difference between very similar sounds like the different vowel sounds in feet/fit and pat/pet.

13 Linda M. Sims 2018 Script for BONUS Vowels Video (A Glimpse into all the fuss about mouth and tongue position)

If you read any pronunciation resources or watch any pronunciation videos, you will encounter wording about mouth and tongue positions. Here’s some basic information to help you make sense of some of the key ideas in those resources.

Mouth Shape The shape of the mouth – what you do with your lips – is important in producing sounds. For example, the vowel “o” as in “boat” requires a rounded mouth with the corners tucked in. Try it. Compare that to the vowel “e” in “meet”. Say the letter names: “O - E - O - E. Compared to the “o”, the “e” sound requires a smiling mouth with the corners pulled back.

Now examine the difference in your mouth as you say the long e sound in meet, followed by the short o sound in hot. Ee – Ah – Ee – Ah. You’ll feel your jaw drop on the “ah” sound; your mouth is relaxed and open. With the long e sound, your mouth is only slightly open and your lips are spread (and more tense).

Tongue Position For many native English speakers—and I include myself in this mix—it’s very difficult to describe and notice the tongue position on many sounds. We’re very accustomed to making the sounds of English, and we don’t have to think explicitly about where our tongue is at any given moment. This next exercise is intended for “tongue-unaware” people like me who need a concrete way to “feel” what is meant by terms like “the tongue is high/low, front/back.”

High vs Low Look at List A below and say the VOWEL sound in each word. Don’t say the entire word, just the vowel sound. Start with #1 and say one vowel sound after another, 1–5:

LIST A 1. meat 2. mitt 3. mate 4. net 5. mat

Do that again as you pay attention to the movement of your tongue. Can you feel your tongue lowering as you move from 1–5? Relatively speaking, your tongue was highest when you say meat. It was lowest when you said mat. And it was somewhere in the middle when you said mate.

14 Linda M. Sims 2018 Now try the vowel sounds in LIST B:

LIST B 1. Pool 2. Book 3. Soap 4. Fought 5. Pot

Again, pay attention to the movement of your tongue as you progress through the words. Once again, you should feel your tongue lowering as you move through each vowel sound. Relatively speaking, the tongue was highest when you said pool. It was lowest when you said pot. And it was somewhere in the middle when you said soap.

So...when you hear a video tutorial or read a description about how to make a particular sound and the information describes the tongue as being “high”, “middle”, or “low”, that’s what they’re talking about.

For me, it’s easy to feel the tongue movement when I say the vowel sounds in those lists, but I find it difficult to just create a tongue position out of the blue. For example, if someone said to me, “Put your tongue in a high position”, it would feel very awkward, and I wouldn’t be sure if I was doing it correctly. That’s why it’s helpful to learn sounds in contrast to other sounds. In other words, if I was making a sound and wasn’t doing it correctly, it would be helpful to have someone tell me, “Your tongue needs to be a little lower than it is now.” That’s why so many pronunciation materials (including those in this program) present sounds in contrasting pairs (often called minimal pairs). It’s a good way for students to really feel the difference in tongue and lip positions.

Front vs Back Try the next exercise to get a sense of the tongue in a front vs back position.

Here are the two word lists you just pronounced, side by side, with the “high tongue” vowels at the top of the list, moving to the “low tongue” vowels at the bottom of the list: LIST A LIST B 1. Meat 1. pool 2. Mitt 2. book 3. Mate 3. soap 4. Net 4. fought 5. Mat 5. Pot

Say the vowel sound in Word #1 from List A, followed by the vowel sound in Word #1 from List B. (As before, just say the vowel sound, not the whole word.) ee – oo. Notice the position of your tongue: ee – oo, ee – oo, ee – oo. It will be obvious that

15 Linda M. Sims 2018 your lips are changing shape, but try to focus on the sensation in your tongue. ee – oo, ee – oo, ee – oo.

Now say the vowel sounds from both #2 words (mitt – book)

Continue through the list, noticing your tongue when you say the vowel sound in List A compared to the corresponding word in List B. You should notice that with the vowel sounds in List A, your tongue is more forward (toward your teeth). When you say the corresponding vowel sound in the word from List B, your tongue pulls BACK.

That’s what the forward/back distinction is referring to when describing tongue position.

* * * * * * * Teaching and learning how to pronounce vowel (and consonant) sounds is a complicated undertaking. This program gives a few basics, but there are many great online resources that provide many more details and examples. One excellent site is Rachel’s English: http://rachelsenglish.com/. Encourage your students to check it out!

16 Linda M. Sims 2018 Script for Consonants Video

Let’s start off with some important terminology related to producing consonants sounds.

Voiced and voiceless consonants Consonants are voiced when your vocal cords have to vibrate to make the sound. Consonants are voiceless when your vocal cords do not vibrate when you make the sound.

Consider the f and v sounds in fan and van. Think about what your mouth is doing when you say fan vs van. You lips and tongue are doing the same thing for both the f and the v. The difference is that the f sound is voiceless—there is no vocal cord vibration. But the v sound is voiced—your vocal cords vibrate. Put your hand on your throat as you say f and then v. You can feel the vibrations with the v sound.

You can feel the same distinction when you place your hand on your throat and make these pairs of sounds: s/z, p/b, t/d, k/g. Try it.

Aspirated vs unaspirated When we produce a consonant sound with a puff of air, we say that the consonant is aspirated. You can demonstrate this with a piece of tissue or a feather. Say the word pig. Notice how the tissue /feather moves when you make the initial p sound. Now say the word big. No movement. The p sound was made with a puff of air; the p was aspirated. The b sound did not require a puff of air; the b was unaspirated.

In English, the p, t, and k sounds are very common consonant sounds that are aspirated at the beginning of a word. Say: pig, ten, coat. Contrast this to unaspirated sounds that are made in a similar way: b, d, g. Say: big, den, goat. Try both sets of words when you’re holding a piece of tissue in front of your mouth.

Ending sounds The materials in this program focus a lot on ending consonant sounds because ending sounds are particularly important in English. They affect meaning and grammar. For example:

Consider the ending sounds of t/d s/z, r, and l as found in she vs she’s, he’ll walk vs he walked, one book vs more than one books, common question words like where and what, and contrasting positive and negative meanings, as can vs can’t.

Ending sounds are difficult for many students because many languages end syllables in different consonants, and some languages end all syllables in vowels. So it’s difficult for some students to produce a consonant sound at the end of words.

About endings like -s/’s, and -ed

17 Linda M. Sims 2018 Think about the sounds of the ending -s on the words cats, dogs, and houses. Cats ends with an s sound, dogs ends with a z sound, and houses ends with an “iz” sound. In terms of intelligibility, what matters most is knowing when to pronounce the ending as “iz”. That’s what the materials in this program focus on. Think about it: If someone says dogs with an s sound at the end, or cats with a z sound at the end, the difference is negligible. They’ll still be understood.

Now think about the sound of the -ed ending on these words: smiled, liked, wanted. Smiled ends with a d sound, liked ends with a t sound, and wanted ends with the sound, “id”. Similar to the situation with the -s ending, in terms of intelligibility, what matters most is knowing when to pronounce an ending as “id”. That’s what the materials in this program focus on. Again, think about it: If someone pronounces smiled with a t sound at the end, or liked with a d sound at the end, the difference is negligible. They’ll still be understood.

What vowel stretching has to do with consonants When p, t, and k sounds are at the beginning of a word, the puff of air helps us know that a p is not a b, that a t is not a d, and that a k is not a g.

But when p, t, and k sounds are at the end of a word, they are usually pronounced a little bit differently, without the puff of air. Say, “Pop the balloon.” Pay attention to the sound of the beginning p and the ending p in pop. The beginning p is released with a puff of air. But the ending p has no (or very little) puff of air.

Because of this, the sounds of p, t, and k can be very hard to hear at the end of a word. So how can we hear the difference between words like cap and cab? Between bet and bed? Between pick and pig? Here’s how: Compared to the vowel sound before p, t, or k at the end of a word, the vowel sound before b, d, or g is stretched a bit. Listen to difference between rope/robe, neat/need, back/bag. The vowel sound is stretched a bit in the second word in each pair.

This is where the voiced vs voiceless distinction comes into play again. Note that b, d, and g are voiced, and the words with those ending sounds got the stretched vowel. The simple rule is: Stretch the vowel before a voiced ending consonant.

This also applies to the other voiced and voiceless consonants discussed earlier: safe/save, bus/buzz.

Consonant Clusters A consonant cluster is when 2 or more consonant sounds are next to each other. English has a lot of consonant clusters. Some are at the beginning of a word. For example: blue (bl-), cry (cr-), snow (sn-), strong (str-), splash (spl-), square (skw-). Some are at the end of a word. For example: bend (-nd), felt (-lt), tasks (-sks), blinked (-nkt), twelfths (-lf[th]s), attempts (-mpts).

18 Linda M. Sims 2018 Consonant clusters can be difficult for students because, in many languages, consonants are never grouped in the way they’re grouped English. As a result, students often make mistakes. For example, they may leave out parts of the cluster. (“They sold their house” might sound like “They sewed their house.) And sometimes they may add extra vowels. (The word “next” might sound like “neckəst”. The word “speak” might sound like “əspeak”. )

There are several ways to help students with consonant clusters. A few examples will be demonstrated later in the video. For an explanation, see these handouts in the Consonants section of materials: “Consonant Cluster Pyramids” and “More Tips for Consonant Clusters”

When t sounds like d If you’ve ever been to England or watched Downton Abbey, you may have noticed that it’s common for the British to pronounce pretty with a definite t sound in the middle, whereas, in American English, we say something that sounds more like priddy. Sometimes our t’s sound more like d’s. Pretty, butter, city, settle. The program contains an explanation of this speech phenomenon, and some practice with it.

19 Linda M. Sims 2018 Script for Syllable Stress Video

Why syllable stress matters Let’s start with this sentence: [spoken in the video with the indicated stress] kaTHY APpealed the COMmittee About planTING floWERS.

All of the individual sounds were pronounced correct (or reasonably so…), but the stress was on the wrong syllable in each word. It was very difficult to understand.

Syllable stress is a really important component of intelligibility.

Why an awareness of the number of syllables matters It’s important to make students aware of the number of syllables a word actually has because, depending on someone’s native language, students often add syllables or leave them out.

For example, you may hear “sekulah” for school. Why do students sometimes add syllables? One reason is because English has consonant clusters (putting two or more consonants together without any vowels in between), and many languages don’t have such configurations of consonants. So even though a native English speaker can easily say “sk” for school, students may add a vowel in between - sekeh - to get both those the s and the k out. “Sekulah.”

Sometimes students may leave out syllables. For example, the word “government” can end up sounding like “gahment”. It’s just really hard to get all those syllables in sometimes. So many sounds!

Teaching numbers of syllables It’s important to use the body: tap, clap, move somehow. It helps!

How to notate numbers of syllables: Not recommended: Don’t draw lines in between the syllables like you may have done in elementary school. And don’t try to put spaces in between the syllables like a dictionary does. It can be confusing to know exactly where the dividing line (or space) should be.

Recommended: Use underlines below or dots above. This makes it easy to just approximate the beginning/end of each syllable. Also, it allows you put the focus on the vowel in each syllable.

Noticing and producing syllable stress Noticing syllable stress can be tricky at first. It takes practice, even for native English speakers sometimes.

20 Linda M. Sims 2018 It can be helpful to use hand motions that indicate the lengthening of the vowel to try out different syllables to stress and see which is correct. Say family, and move your hands apart on the fa, as if stretching a rubberband. But for new vocabulary, students often have to be told which syllable is stressed. Then make sure they mark it and practice it.

In English, stress is produced by making increasing volume and increasing pitch, but the key way is to focus stretching the vowel a little bit: family, convenient, open.

How to notate syllable stress: Recommended: If you used lines or dots to show the number of syllables, then it’s very easy to just make the line bigger/bolder under the stressed syllable (or the dot bigger/bolder over the stressed syllable.)

The materials about syllable stress Syllable stress can be tricky because memorization is required with many words. But there are some reliable rules. The program materials cover the following: • Compound nouns are stressed on the first part: TOOTHpaste, AIRplane • 90% of 2-syllable nouns have the stress on the first syllable: WAgon, PENcil • Syllable stress for words ending in -ion, -ian, -ity-, ic, -ical: The syllable just before these endings is stressed: communiCAtion, huMIDity, analytical • Syllable stress for words ending in –ate: The stress falls two syllables before the –ate ending. comMUnicate, generate, acCOmmodate

The materials for this topic also contain several pages of thematic vocabulary (school, sports, body, feelings, housing, etc.) categorized by the number of syllables in each word. These lists can be used in many of the activities to reinforce a particular theme that the students may be studying.

21 Linda M. Sims 2018 Script for Sentence Stress and Rhythm Video

Content words and rhythm When someone is learning a new language, they often speak in a way that sounds like “caveman” (or “caveperson”) talk. For example: “Help… find… restaurant.” What they really mean is “Can you help me find a good restaurant?”

The words they choose to say are the most important words that carry the meaning. And usually, the words are nouns and verbs. We call those content words. They carry the meaning. “Can you help me find a good restaurant?” Help, find, and restaurant are content words.

Content words are of interest to us because English has a rhythm, or a beat. And we tend to put the strongest beats on the content words. The words that carry the meaning usually get the most stress.

Try the sentence with clapping, starting with caveman version:

X X X HELP FIND RESTaurant

Now, notice that when we add the other words in—which makes the sentence LONGER—the sentence doesn’t really take much longer to say:

X X X “Can you help me find a good restaurant?”

That’s because we squeeze all those other words in by saying them faster (and usually a little quieter), and sometimes we even leave out parts of the less important words, or change some of the sounds.

For example, when we say, “Can you…”, we’re probably not fully pronouncing the “a”. We don’t say “cAn”. The sound almost disappears; it sounds more like “Cn”. As you know, that “almost disappearing” vowel sound is very common in English. We call it “schwa”, which is written as “ə”. We even use it in the “you” part of “Can you”: yə. “Can you” sounds more like kənyə.

We do this to words because of the rhythm of English. We need ways to squeeze words in between the stressed content words by making them shorter or saying them more quickly. Notice that we can even add more words to our sentence, and still keep a similar rhythm:

X X X Can you guys help me find a really good restaurant?”

22 Linda M. Sims 2018

NOTE: In the materials, there are some exercises like the one above that involve clapping with your students to get them to see how we can squeeze lots of words in between those focus words. You can use those exercises to explain focus words. That will help with later topics like focus stress and intonation.

As native English speakers, this rhythm business comes naturally. We barely think about it. But it is not easy for English learners. Many other languages have a very different rhythm. English is based on those stressed content words. But many languages are different.

In this topic about Sentence Stress & Rhythm, we’re going to look at ways that we change words to squeeze them in so they fit in the rhythm of English.

Contractions Contract means to make smaller. (Think: contract - expand.) In English, we can choose to contract words like do not to don’t, and she will to she’ll.

Contractions are very common in English. They help maintain good rhythm. Being familiar with contractions makes it easier for students to understand others, even if they don’t yet use contractions themselves.

Some contractions are formal and are used in writing, like don’t, shouldn’t, he’ll, and can’t. But there are many that we use when speaking that we usually don’t write out formally (except in texts and other very informal communication), such as: when’ll, that’ll, how’ve.

Trimming Trimming words (which is referred to as “reducing” words in formal pronunciation circles) is another way we can shorten words when we speak to make them fit into the rhythm of English. For example, instead of saying, “I’m going to go shopping”, I might say, “I’m gonna go shopping.” Going to → gonna.

It’s very common to trim away the “to” when we speak. For example: going to becomes gonna, have to become hafta, want to becomes wanna.

It’s also very common to trim away “have”. For example: must have become musta, could have becomes coulda.

And there are other common examples: kind of → kinda, give me → gimme, what are you doing → whatcha doing.

It’s important to note that the main point of these activities about trimming is to help students understand others when native English speakers use these trimmed

23 Linda M. Sims 2018 words in everyday speech. Don’t worry about whether students can produce them consistently.

Linking When we write in English, we put spaces between the words. But when we speak in English, we connect the ending sound of one word to the beginning sound of the next word.

For example, we don’t say “practice (pause) English”, we say practicengish”. The s sound at the end of practice sounds like it’s connected to the beginning of the word English, as if the word was sEnglish.

For English learners, even if they’re not proficient at linking when they speak, it’s important that they are aware of what linking sounds like in others. It will help them understand others, especially fast-talking native English speakers.

There are exercises for 2 different kinds of linking. Consonant to vowel: Keep on trying! often sounds like Kee pon trying. Time off often sounds like Tie moff. Vowel-to-vowel: Tie it often sounds like Tie yit. I am often sounds like I yam.

24 Linda M. Sims 2018 Script for Focus Stress Video

Before we discuss the concept of focus stress, we need to talk about something called a thought group.

What is a thought group? When we speak English fluently we don’t speak word by word. We don’t say: How. are. you. today? It’s. very. nice. to. see. you. and. your. daughter. again.

We also don’t speak with words all run together: Howareyoutodayitsverynicetoseeyouandyourdaughteragain

Rather, we group words together and use pauses in between ideas. We organize our speech into phrases. These phrases are often called thought groups.

How are you today? It’s very nice to see you and your daughter again!

How are you today / It’s very nice to see you and your daughter again /

The words between the / symbols are sometimes called thought groups. A thought group is a group of words that express an idea, a thought. Sometimes people call these message units, or just “phrases” – but the concept is the same. English speakers chunk speech into logical groups. This makes it easier for a listener to understand.

There isn’t any one right way to divide speech into thought groups. It depends on the speaker and on the meaning. A very fluent native English speaker will probably use fewer thought groups. But a beginning English learner who is still working on fluency might divide the sentences up into more thought groups:

How are you today / It’s very nice to see you / and your daughter / again /

Even though there’s more than one right way to divide a sentence into thought groups, there are also wrong ways. Like this:

How are/ you today its / very nice to/ see you and your / daughter again /

It’s important to pause in logical places! Thought groups are meaningful groups of words.

Pauses (thought groups) affect meaning Think about these two sentences:

This is my ice cream / This / is / my / ice cream /

25 Linda M. Sims 2018 In the above examples, a very different tone/meaning is implied by the use of pauses. In the second sentence, you can imagine an emphatic tone that is conveying a strong message that no one is to mess with that person’s ice cream.

Here’s another example. Same set of words, different pauses: Maria / said Mike / is a great student / Maria said / Mike is a great student / Who is the great student in each sentence? Maria or Mike? In the first sentence, Maria is the great student. In the second sentence, Mike is the great student.

When we write English, we use punctuation to convey the difference between the two sentences about Maria and Mike. But when we speak, we use pauses.

Focus words and focus stress A focus word is the most important word in a thought group. Read this sentence: I made a special cake for my brother.

Here’s the sentence with thought groups marked: I made a special cake / for my brother /

Think: What is the most important word—the focus word—in each thought group? I made a special cake / for my brother /

Cake and brother are the most important words. They have the focus stress. Usually, the focus word is the last content word in a thought group.

Changing Focus Stress Sometimes the focus stress changes to another important word (a word other than the last content word) depending on what’s happening in a conversation. This can happen for a number of reasons.

Sometimes we change focus stress to make corrections or to disagree. Let’s say that someone asked you: “You bought a special cake for your brother?”

You would probably respond with: No, I made a special cake / for my brother /

The focus word changed from cake to made. You didn’t buy a cake, you made a cake. You changed the focus word in order to stress the correct information.

Sometimes we change focus stress to highlight new information. Look at this example: Person A: Did you get an invitation to the wedding? [focus word = wedding]

26 Linda M. Sims 2018 Person B: Whose party? Person A: Amy’s wedding. [focus word = Amy]

The focus stress changed to highlight the NEW information, Amy.

Another example: Person A: Where did you put my scarf? Person B: In the closet. The hall closet.*

*Remember that stretched vowel Remember to emphasize to students that stress is produced in a number of ways (slightly higher pitch, increase in volume), but it always involves a slightly stretched vowel. Look again at Person B’s response: In the closet. The hall closet. Say it aloud and notice the stretched vowel in the first closet (the focus word, stressed one), compared to the not-as-stretched vowel in the second closet. In both instances, the first syllable of closet is a stressed syllable, but the vowel stretch is more pronounced when the word is also the focus word.

Sometimes we change focus stress to contrast information. Look at this example: Person A: Are you taking your pets on vacation with you? Person B: The DOG is going, but the CAT is staying here. It’s important to the meaning of the sentence that both DOG and CAT get the stress. The speaker is contrasting that information.

Another example: Did you buy the red dress or the black one? The word red is contrasted with the word black.

27 Linda M. Sims 2018 Script for Intonation Video

What is Intonation? [Video example: Sentence reread with rising intonation after each item] “I’m going to the grocery store for eggs ì , potatoes ì , and bread ì , and ice cream ì”

If the listener were a native speaker of English, he/she would assume that there were more items on the grocery store list. That’s because the speaker ended with a rising pitch—or rising intonation. Intonation refers to the contour, the musical line of our speech. Intonation conveys meaning in English.

[Video example: Sentence reread with falling intonation after each item] “I’m going to the grocery store for eggs î , potatoes î , and bread î , and ice cream î ”

That time, the sentence was read with a falling pitch—falling intonation—on every item. That was also confusing because, in English, intonation conveys meaning.

Why intonation can be difficult for students Intonation may seem like second nature to native English speakers. You probably can’t imagine reading a grocery list as described in the example above. But it can be very tricky for English learners. That’s because many languages do not use rising and falling pitch for the same purposes. For example, you probably know that Chinese is a tonal language. The rising and falling pitches convey different words, not an overarching melody of a sentence or phrase. As a result, intonation and the meaning it implies is not intuitive for many students.

Commonly used intonation patterns The materials in this topic will focus on explaining and providing practice with some commonly used intonation patterns.

List Intonation The grocery list example was an example of (incorrect) list intonation.When listing things, each item in the list is a focus word. Each item has rising intonation except the last item, which has falling intonation. I’m going to the grocery store for eggs ì , potatoes ì , and bread ì , and ice creamî .

Statements In English, most statements end in falling intonation. The voice goes DOWN. There’s a rabbit in the back yard. î My dad is coming over for dinner.î

Yes/No Questions

28 Linda M. Sims 2018 A yes/no question is a question whose answer could start with the word “yes” or “no”. For example, “Are you going swimming today?” is a yes/no question, whereas “Where do you like to swim?” is not a yes/no question. Yes/No questions have rising intonation. The voice goes UP. Is that a rabbit in the backyard? ì Is your dad coming over for dinner?ì

Questions that “make sure” (confirm) or “show surprise” Rising intonation can turn a statement into a question. There’s a rabbit in the yard?ì Your dad’s coming to dinner? ì The question is a way of making sure (confirming) or showing surprise, as if you’re saying “Really? Did I hear you right?” It’s still a yes/no question because the speaker is at least rhetorically asking for yes/no confirmation about something.

Wh- Questions* Wh- questions are questions that start with where, when, why, who, whose, what, which, and how. Wh- questions usually have falling intonation. Where are you going?î (not Where are you going? ì) What’s in the backyard? î (not What’s in the backyard? ì) Who’s coming for dinner?î (not Who’s coming for dinner?ì )

*NOTE: When we ask wh- questions to make sure (to confirm information) or to show surprise, we use rising intonation. The wh- word is stressed. Examples: Person A: Where do you live? î Person B: I live in Chicago.î Person A: Where do you live?ì Person B: In Chicago. î

Person C: I’ll be back at 5 o’clock. î Person D: When?ì Person C: At 5 o’clock.î

Choice Questions When a question gives choices, each choice is a focus word.Each choice has rising intonation, except the last one. The last choice has falling intonation. (This is like the rule for list intonation.) Would you like milk ì or juice î ? Would you rather watch TV ì , go dancing ì , or go to a movieî ?

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VOWELS

The Vowels Video can be found at: [Link to be added after production of video. See script included in this section.]

Name of Activity / Handout Tutor Initials and Date

Key Ideas from the Vowels Video

CHART: Vowel Challenges

Pronouncing the Letters of the Alphabet

Tips for Practicing Long Vowel Sounds

Tips for Practicing Short Vowel Sounds Long or Short? Two Reasonably Reliable

Vowel Pronunciation Rules Handout: Long or Short? Use the Rules, Pronounce the

Word The Vowel Sounds in Law and Book

The Vowel Sounds in Cow and Boy

The Schwa Sound

Handout: Practice with Schwa

GAME: Bingo–Listening for Vowel Sounds

The Vowel Sounds in Beat vs Bit

Tips, Say It, Hear It

Which Sentence Do You Hear?

Listen and Respond

Listening without Seeing

Unscramble and Complete the Story

30 Linda M. Sims 2018 The Vowel Sounds in Pen vs Pan

Tips, Say It, Hear It

Which Sentence Do You Hear?

Listen and Respond

Listening without Seeing

Unscramble and Complete the Story

The Vowel Sounds in Mate vs Met

Tips, Say It, Hear It

Which Sentence Do You Hear?

Listen and Respond

Listening without Seeing

Unscramble and Complete the Story

The Vowel Sounds in Nut vs Not

Tips, Say It, Hear It

Which Sentence Do You Hear?

Listen and Respond

Listening without Seeing

Unscramble and Complete the Story

The Vowel Sounds in Cap vs Cup

Tips, Say It, Hear It

Which Sentence Do You Hear?

Listen and Respond

31 Linda M. Sims 2018 Listening without Seeing

Unscramble and Complete the Story

32 Linda M. Sims 2018

Key Ideas from the Vowels Video

So, to avoid confusion when discussing word/syllable stress, this program will use the verb “stretch”. Stretch the vowel.

About Long Vowels Long vowels say their names: a as in cake, e as in tea, i as in rice, o as in boat, u as in juice.

33 Linda M. Sims 2018 Now say the sound of the o in boat and the sound of the u in juice. Can you hear that there’s a bit of a w sound at the end? Also pay attention to the shape of your lips: they’re rounded, as if you’re about to make the sound of w. The “w” is more obvious if you link it to another word that starts with a vowel. Try these phrases: Go away. GO (w) AWAY He’s a shoe in. SHOE (w) IN

The reason this is important to know because sometimes, when students have trouble making a long vowel sound, it’s because they’re omitted that little y or w at the end.

More information about tips for teaching long vowels is given in the materials for this topic.

About Short Vowels Here are the short vowel sounds: a as in cat, e as in pen, i as in big, o as in hot, u as in cup.

Some key things about producing a short vowel are: • Short vowels require a more relaxed mouth/face compared to the long vowels. • There is no “y” or “w” at the end of the sound. The tongue stays in one place.

The vowel sounds in cow and boy These vowel sounds are called diphthongs, which simply means that the sound has two distinct parts. The two vowel sounds that make up the “ow” part of cow are the a sound in father, followed by the short u sound in cup. Say them quickly: “ah-uh” “ah-uh” “ah-uh” You’ll hear the “ow” part of cow. Examples: cow, now, cloud, downtown

34 Linda M. Sims 2018 The two vowel sounds that make up the “oy” part of boy are the aw sound in law, followed by the short i sound in big. Or, for some people, that first sound is more like the o in boat. Say them quickly: “oh-ih” “oh-ih” “oh-ih”. You’ll hear the “oy” part of boy. Examples: boy, toy, noise, coin.

The schwa sound is so common that it’s useful to learn and use the formal notation for schwa with your students: /ə/ So practice drawing some upside-down e’s.

Here are some examples where the vowel in the first syllable is pronounced as schwa: advice, escape, subtract, tonight, divide.

Here are some examples where the vowel in the second syllable is pronounced as schwa: palace, college, cousin, button, minute.

35 Linda M. Sims 2018

VOWELS CHART: Vowel Challenges

VOWEL An X indicates that a vowel contrast may be challenging for the language group. An X* indicates CHALLENGES that the challenge may be particularly difficult.

The vowel sounds and vowel contrasts listed

below are important for students to perceive and produce because they occur in many

English words. Arabic Chinese Farsi/Persian French Japanese Korean Portuguese Spanish Russian Turkish In general, the distinction between X X X X X X X X X X long and short vowel sounds Vowel difference in beat/bit X X* X* X* X X* X* X* X* X*

Vowel difference in pen/pan X X* X* X X X* X X* X*

Vowel difference in mate/net X*

Vowel difference in nut/not X X X X X X X*

Vowel difference in cap/cup X X* X X X

Vowel difference in pool/pull X* X* X* X* X*

The “er” sound, as in “her” or “word” X*

The information on this chart is a summary of generalized findings from a variety of sources (Avery & Ehrlich, 1992; Brown, 1991; Catford, 1987; Celce-Murcia, Brinton, Goodwin, & Griner, 2010; Kang & Moran, 2014; Swan & Smith, 2001), and is not an exhaustive list of challenges.

Note that vowels, in general, are difficult for English learners!

36 Linda M. Sims 2018

VOWELS PRONOUNCING LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET

Pronouncing the Letters of the Alphabet (This information is repeated in the Consonant section.)

Don’t assume that beginning students will become experts at pronouncing the names of the alphabet letters in one quick lesson. Keep practicing them! Out in the real world, spelling out loud is a useful way to correct a communication breakdown (especially when trying to convey one’s name or address), so spending time on this is well worth it.

NOTE: The letters I vs E, and G vs J are often particularly confusing because, in many languages, the letters names are the reverse of how they’re pronounced in English. For example, the letter “J” is pronounced “jay” in English, but “zhee” in French; whereas, the letter “G” is pronounced “jee” in English, but “zhay” in French. Easy to mix up!

Here are some ways to practice:

v As students learn new vocabulary that’s presented in a book or handout, ask students to spell some of the words out loud as you write them on the board.

v During a “get to know you” time, ask students to spell the name of their home country and city as you record the information on the board. Of course, this can get tricky if the name requires letters or symbols that aren’t part of the English alphabet. However, you can have students look up the information on a map with English spellings, then report the spelling they find.

v Using vocabulary presented in a classroom text or dictionary that all students have access to, design some questions that students can ask each other and that the respondent can answer by spelling the word. Here’s a sample exchange if you’re studying the names of fruit: Student A: What’s your favorite fruit? Student B: My favorite fruit is w-a-t-e-r-m-e-l-o-n. [Each student practices writing the letters as they are dictated.] Student A: Oh, you like watermelon. So do I (or, I don’t like it.)

37 Linda M. Sims 2018

VOWELS TIPS FOR PRACTICING LONG VOWEL SOUNDS

Tips for Practicing Long Vowel Sounds Long vowels “say their names”, such as: a as in cake, e as in tea, i as in rice, o as in boat, u as in juice.

Recall from the Vowel Video that the ending sound of a long vowel includes a bit of a “y” or a “w” sound. (See Vowel Basics video for more on this.) For example, say the word see. At the end of the vowel sound, there is a slight “y”. You can hear it better if you say the word right before another word that starts with a vowel, like the phrase, “see it”. “See (y) it.” The long a, e, and i all finish with a slight “y” sound. “Say (y) it.” “See (y) it.” “Tie (y) it.” The long o and u all finish with a slight “w” sound. “Go (w) over.” “Blue (w) eyes.”

Tips for teaching: v Exaggerate your pronunciation as you model the sounds. Begin with simple one-syllable examples, such as: me, may, my, mow, moo. o Spread your lips as you say me, may, my. (As students repeat, tell them to “smile” as they make those vowel sounds.) o Round your lips and push them forward as you say mow, moo. (As students repeat, tell them to “pucker” as they make those vowel sounds.)

v Stretch a rubberband as you say the sounds to show that they are long and extended.

v Contrast the lip shape of the different long vowels by having students alternate between sounds: o eeeeeeeee – ooooooooo – eeeeeeeee – ooooooooo o aaaaaaaaa – uuuuuuuuu – aaaaaaaaa – uuuuuuuuu

v Practice each vowel individually with a variety of words. Have students practice each vowel in a very exaggerated way to get the feeling of length. For example: (me) meeeeeeeeeeeeee, (be)beeeeeeeeeee, (meat) meeeeeeeeeat, (please) pleeeeeeeeeease, (green) greeeeeeeeeeeeen.

v A special note about the long i sound (as in rice) If students have difficulty with the long i sound, here’s a useful bit of information that may help them: The long i sound is technically called a diphthong, meaning that it is made up of two vowel sounds. In the case of the long i, the sounds are “the a in father” followed by the “i in big”. Think: “ah-ih”. Say it quickly and you’ll get the long i sound. If you’re a native English speaker, you may not have ever realized that you’re making two distinct sounds. But you are!

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(Tips for Practicing Long Vowel Sounds – continued)

v Practice with short phrases that provide opportunities to hear the “y” or “w” sound at the end of the long vowels. For example: o The long e sound: I want to see it. see (y) it o The long a sound: May I go too? may (y) I o The long i sound: Tie up the horses. tie (y) up o The long o sound: Go up. go (w) up o The long u sound: They blew it. blew (w) it

v If you choose words with more than one syllable to practice long vowel sounds with Beginners, choose words where the long vowel sound is in the stressed syllable. This will allow for more stretching of the vowel in the stressed syllable, which will help students produce the sound. For example, if you’re practicing the long a sound, it’s better to use a word like baby (BAAAY- by) or making (mAAAAY-king) rather than birthday or Monday.

Here are some words with long vowels: Read aloud. Emphasize that students should stretch the vowel sound as they practice.

today stage make may stay a afraid snake face name behave cake potato rain explain baking bee wheel seat cream cheap e teacher street believe female sleep meet peanut cheek eat delete life why pile July bike i fire tried ice fine bride tide fried my right price bone smoke nose soap goal o joke frozen open own note road blow know toe loaf music uniform clue school unique u student flew blew chew food blue news room June cube

v Play “I’m thinking of” with the words above. Describe one of the words and have students guess. Students can also play the role of the clue-giver. For example: o I’m thinking of something in the middle of your face. (nose) o I’m thinking of food you have on your birthday (cake)

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VOWELS TIPS FOR PRACTICING SHORT VOWEL SOUNDS

Tips for Practicing Short Vowel Sounds Here are the short vowel sounds: a as in cat, e as in pen, i as in big, o as in hot, u as in cup.

Short vowels do not end with that little “y” or “w” sound that comes at the end of long vowels. The tongue does not move. Because of this, short vowels sound quick and short.

PRACTICE: Follow the suggestions below to help pronounce the short vowels. Remember: The tongue and mouth are relaxed when making short vowel sounds.

v Short a as in cat NOTE: The short a sound is difficult for many students because the sound is not commonly found in other languages. o Lower the jaw o Mouth wide open. o Tongue low/flat. Tip of tongue against bottom teeth. o RELAX your tongue and mouth. Practice: man, plan, van, stand, hand, dad, sad, map, lamp The fat cat on Asher Avenue sat on the black mat.

v Short e as in pet o Jaw in neutral position. o Mouth barely open. o Tongue pushed slightly forward. o RELAX your tongue and mouth. Practice: men, egg, guess, red, best, friend, bed, wet, test, bell Ben sent ten eggs to his best friend Betty.

v Short i as in big NOTE: When students have trouble with the short i sound, the problem is often that it ends up sounding more like the long e sound in tea. If that happens, have the student lower the front part of the tongue (compared to where it was for the long e.) Also, the lips are less spread (less smiley) with short i compared to long e. o Jaw is slightly dropped. o Mouth barely open. o Tongue is forward, lightly touching back of bottom front teeth. Top front part of tongue arches up towards roof of mouth. o RELAX your tongue and mouth. Practice: big, sit, window, pin, ship, building, busy, him His sister is in India with Cindy.

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(Tips for Practicing Short Vowel Sounds – continued)

v Short o as in hot o Lower the jaw. o Mouth wide open o Lower the back of the tongue (lower than for any other sound) o Say “ah!” like a doctor is looking in your throat. o RELAX your tongue and mouth. Practice: pot, college, father, rock, bond, pocket, stop John does not want to stop locking the shop.

v Short u as in cup. o Jaw in neutral position. o Mouth barely open o Tongue completely relaxed. o Say “ah!” like a doctor is looking in your throat. o RELAX your tongue and mouth. Practice: duck, come, lunch, mother, month, lucky, punch Funny ducks munch on buttery crumbs.

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VOWELS LONG OR SHORT? TWO REASONABLY RELIABLE PRONUNCIATION RULES

Long or Short? Two Reasonably Reliable Pronunciation Rules

Vowels are difficult for students, and it doesn’t help that the same letter can make several different vowel sounds. But there are a few reasonably reliable rules* that can be helpful to beginning students:

The Two-Vowel Rule:

v When there are 2 vowels in a one-syllable word, or in the stressed syllable of a multi-syllable word: o the first vowel is usually pronounced with its long vowel sound, and o the second vowel is silent.

Examples: rain, make, arrange, tea, tree, agree, ice, shine, retire, soap, nose, alone, juice, blue, reduce

The One-Vowel Rule: v When there is only 1 vowel in a one-syllable word, or in the stressed syllable of a multi-syllable word: o the vowel is usually pronounced with its short vowel sound.

Examples: bad, land, sandy, pen, send, attention, big, mint, impact, got, block, possible, tub, mug, buttery

*Adapted from: Gilbert, J. B. (2012). Clear speech: Pronunciation and listening comprehension in North American English (4th Edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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VOWELS LONG OR SHORT? USE THE RULES, PRONOUNCE THE WORD

Long or Short? Use the Rules, Pronounce the Word

Review the rules:

The Two-Vowel Rule: v When there are 2 vowels in a one-syllable word, or in the stressed syllable of a multi-syllable word: o the first vowel is usually pronounced with its long vowel sound, and o the second vowel is silent.

The One-Vowel Rule: v When there is only 1 vowel in a one-syllable word, or in the stressed syllable of a multi-syllable word: o the first vowel is usually pronounced with its short vowel sound.

Now use the rules to decide how these words are pronounced. Practice saying each word to a partner. Do you both agree on the pronunciation?

List 1 List 2 List 3 List 4 List 5 desk sun knife beans back grades rain lamp cake bone map sleet pan duck brain math wind plate fish cheek pen hail soap grapes chest tape hot shelf milk hand

EXTRA: Think about the words in each list. What do they have in common? Complete this sentence: “All the words in List 1 are ______.” Then do the same thing for each of the other lists.

------ANSWER KEY: List 1: All are words about school. List 2: All are weather words. List 3: All are things in a house. List 4: All are food items. List 5: All are body parts.

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VOWELS THE VOWEL SOUNDS IN LAW AND BOOK

The Vowel Sounds in law and book

The vowel sounds in words like law and book are similar to short vowel sounds in that they are relaxed, simple sounds. (They’re made up of only ONE sound, and there’s no gliding or moving to a “y” or “w” ending.)

v The vowel sound in law. This sound is very close to the sound of a in father. In fact, in some parts of the U.S., people use the “a in father” sound to pronounce law. But in many areas of the country, it’s a separate sound.

o Drop your jaw. o Pull tongue back. The tip of the tongue does not touch anything. o The lips flare out a bit. (They are slightly rounded.) o Try this: Say “ah!” like a doctor is looking in your throat, then think of your cheeks pulling in just a bit, and your lips flaring a little. You should hear the shift from “aaaahhh” to “aaaawww”

Practice: law, jaw, caught, bought, boss, toss The boss was caught for breaking the law.

v The vowel sound in book.

o Jaw is neutral. o Tongue is pulled back. o Lips are slightly rounded.

Practice: book, look, could, sugar, childhood, woman, should The woman should look at this book.

NOTE: If this sound is difficult for you to pronounce, you will be happy be learn that this sound is the least common vowel sound in English!

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VOWELS THE VOWEL SOUNDS IN COW AND BOY

The Vowels Sounds in cow and boy

The vowel sound in cow is made up of two vowel sounds. The vowel sound in boy is also made up of two vowel sounds.

A sound that is made up of two sounds is called a diphthong. The long i sound – which is discussed in the section on long vowels – is also a diphthong. Say “the a in father” followed by the “i in big” very quickly. “ah-ih”. You’ll get the long i sound.

v The Vowel Sound in cow The two vowel sounds that make up the “ow” part of cow are the a sound in father, followed by the short u sound in put, (or the vowel sound in look or book.) Say them quickly: “ah-u” “ah-u” “ah-u” You’ll hear the “ow” part of cow. Practice: cow, now, cloud, house, south, brown, downtown The clown lives in the brown house now.

v The Vowel Sound in boy The two vowel sounds that make up the “oy” part of boy are the aw sound in law, followed by the short i sound in big. Say them quickly: “aw-ih” “aw-ih” “aw-ih” You’ll hear the “oy” part of boy.

Some students may find it easier to think about the first sound as o as in boat. “oh-ih” “oh-ih”. This isn’t technically accurate, but the resulting sound is likely very close to the “oy” part of boy. Encourage your students to do whatever works for them!

Practice: boy, toy, noise, coin, oink, annoy, join The boy annoyed us with the noisy toy.

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VOWELS THE SCHWA SOUND

The Schwa Sound

What is schwa? Say the words below. Pay attention to the second syllable, the syllable that is not stressed.

urban college promise common lettuce

The vowel sound that you used in those unstressed syllables is called schwa. Schwa is the most common vowel sound in the English language.

Students often have to be taught explicitly that the vowel in unstressed syllables should be pronounced as a schwa sound. This is because many languages do not change the vowels in unstressed syllables – at least not as much as in the English language.

The symbol for schwa is an upside down “e”. It looks like this: ə Because schwa is so common in English, it’s helpful to teach this symbol to students so you can use it to show the pronunciation of unstressed syllables. For example,

v Teaching the schwa sound In terms of the way it feels in the mouth, the schwa sound is similar to the short u in cup. But schwa is always unstressed. o Drop the jaw in a completely relaxed way o Relax your lips. o Relax your neck. o Try this: Pretend you are feeling lazy and disinterested. (Imagine a bored teenager!) Open your mouth slightly and say the short u sound in the laziest way you can.

v PRACTICE Use the exercise on the next page to practice the schwa sound. IMPORTANT NOTE: When words are said in isolation, teachers often have a tendency to model the pronunciation with the full vowel, rather than with the usual schwa sound that’s part of normal, everyday speech. Remember to say words as they’re typically pronounced within sentences.

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VOWELS PRACTICE WITH SCHWA

Practice with Schwa Underline the stressed syllable in each word. Then circle any vowels that sound like schwa. (You could also write the ə symbol above the vowel.) Remember that the schwa sound is only in unstressed syllables.

Pronounce each word and read the sentence that follows.

Word Sentence 1. music I love country music!

2. pencil Can I please borrow a pencil?

3. students How many students are in this class?

4. principal She is the principal of the school.

5. college Where do you go to college?

6. today I wish I didn’t have to go to work today.

7. tomorrow He’s having dinner with his sister tomorrow.

8. nervous I always get nervous when I have to speak in class.

9. afraid My mom is afraid of spiders.

10. kitchen The kitchen in my apartment is very small.

11. pasta What kind of sauce do you want on your pasta?

12. jacket It’s cold outside. Wear a jacket!

Answers: (Remove before photocopying!) Here are the words written the stressed syllable CAPITALIZED and the ə symbol replacing vowels that are changed to schwa.

MUSəc NERvəs PENcəl aFRAID STUdənts KITCHən PRINcəpəl PAstə COLLəge JACKət təDAY təMORRow

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VOWELS Game: BINGO–LISTENING FOR VOWEL SOUNDS

BINGO: Listening for Vowel Sounds

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER: (Use this game after covering all the vowel sounds.) v Students will need something to use as “bingo markers” to mark their cards. Small pieces of cut-up paper will suffice. v Cut apart the words on the next page and place them in a bag or other container. (Choose the set of words that’s appropriate for your students.) v Have each student make his/her own Bingo card by filling in each square on the 4x4 game card with one of the words from GAME CARD WORDS (see VOWEL BINGO GAME CARD page). Make sure that students understand that they should randomly write the words in the squares so that their game card is unique. Point out that there are 16 squares and only 15 words. They will have one blank space. They should draw a STAR in that space. That is their “free space”. v After each student has prepared a game card, explain the rules. Here’s an example script that explains the game: o Each space on your game card stands for a different vowel sound. For example, the square where you wrote big is for the short i sound. [Say the short i sound.] The square where you wrote cat is for the short a sound. [Say the short a sound.] o I’m going to pull a word out of this bag. Listen for the vowel sound in the word, and if the word has more than one syllable, listen for the vowel sound in the first syllable. o So, for example, let’s say I reach in the bag and pull out the word, “play”. I’ll say play, and then use it in a sentence: Would you like to play Bingo? Which vowel sound do you hear in the word “play”? It’s the long a sound. Which word on your game card also has a long a sound? That’s right, cake. So you would put a marker on the word cake. o After you’ve marked your card, I’m going to write the word I just said on the board. I want you see the spelling because it’s important to notice the many ways that vowel sounds can be spelled. For example, in the word we just practiced with, play, the long a sound is spelled with the letters ay. But in the word cake, the spelling follows the two vowel rule. o To win the game, you have to cover 4 squares in a row, either diagonally (corner to corner), vertically (up and down), or horizontally (across). o To begin, you can cover the space where you drew a STAR. Everyone gets one “free space” before we start!

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Bingo: Listening for Vowel Sounds (continued) VARIATION: Have students take turns drawing the word cards from the bag and reading them aloud.

Choose ONE set of words below to use with your students. Cut apart the words and place them in a container.

NOTE: Remind students to listen for the FIRST syllable in multi-syllable words.

SET 1: EASIER WORDS

fly week stay noise do

toe south him leg man

bus stop would boss about

SET 2: MORE DIFFICULT WORDS

sight freedom patient noisy through

snowman cloudy rivers lesson practical

money octopus shouldn’t pause about

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Bingo: Listening for Vowel Sounds (continued)

VOWEL BINGO GAME CARD

Using each word from the Game Card Word Box one time, write one word in each square of the Game Card.

You will have one empty square. Draw a star in that space.

GAME CARD WORD BOX rice tea cake boy juice boat cow big pen cat cup hot book law schwa (ə)

GAME CARD

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VOWELS THE VOWEL SOUNDS IN beat vs bit

The Vowel Sounds of beat/bit: TIPS, SAY IT, HEAR IT

Tips for pronouncing the vowels in beat/bit.

long e in beat short i in bit Lips and tongue are tense (not relaxed) Lips and tongue are relaxed Lips are spread (think about smiling) Lips are not spread as much as the long e

SAY IT: Practice saying the pairs of words below. Pay attention to how your jaw, lips, and tongue change from one word to another.

1. eat it

2. feet fit

3. steal still

4. leave live

5. leap lip

6. heat hit

7. feel fill

8. sheep ship

9. sleep slip

10. beat bit

11. reach rich

12. peel pill

HEAR IT: Your teacher will read one of the words in each pair. Circle the word you hear.

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The Vowel Sounds of beat/bit: WHICH SENTENCE DO YOU HEAR?

DIRECTIONS: 1. Your teacher will read one sentence from each pair of sentences. Put an X by the sentence you hear. 2. Next, work with a partner. Take turns reading either Sentence A or Sentence B from each pair of sentences. Tell your partner which one you heard. If you’re incorrect, practice the sounds together and try again.

1. A Can you feel it? B Can you fill it?

2. A I’m living with my sister. B I’m leaving with my sister.

3. A We have a new heater. B We have a new hitter.

4. A She owns a big ship. B She owns a big sheep.

5. A Don’t slip on the floor! B Don’t sleep on the floor!

6. A What does reach mean? B What does rich mean?

7. A The peach was perfect. B The pitch was perfect.

8. A What should I do with the peels? B What should I do with the pills?

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The Vowel Sounds of beat/bit: LISTEN AND RESPOND

DIRECTIONS: Work with a partner. Partner 1 chooses ONE sentence to read from each pair of sentences. Partner 2 listens carefully, and then responds with the answer that makes sense.

Example: Partner 1: Can you fill it? Partner 2: Yes…with water or juice?

Partner 2: Listen and respond to the Partner 1: Say ONE sentence sentence with the answer that makes from each pair. sense. 1. A Can you feel it? Yes. It’s really cold! Yes, I can. Would you like water or B Can you fill it? juice?

2. A I’m living with my sister. Oh, I thought you had your own house. B I’m leaving with my sister. Okay, I’ll see you later then.

3. A We have a new heater. Does it keep the house warm enough? B We have a new hitter. I hope he helps you win the game!

4. A She owns a big ship. She must love the water. B She owns a big sheep. What does it eat?

5. A Don’t slip on the floor! I won’t. I’m walking very carefully. B Don’t sleep on the floor! Don’t worry. I’m going to use the couch.

6. A What does reach mean? It means to be able to touch something. B What does rich mean? It means to have a lot of money.

7. A The peach was perfect. Was it sweet and juicy? B The pitch was perfect. It was a great game!

Put them in the trash with the other 8. A What should I do with the peels? food scraps. B What should I do with the pills? Take one to cure your headache.

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The Vowel Sounds of beat/bit: LISTENING WITHOUT SEEING

INSTRUCTIONS: Your teacher will use words and sentences from the previous activities. He/She will hide his/her mouth behind a book or piece of paper and will read two words, or two sentences. Listen carefully. Are the words/sentences the same or different? Circle Same or Different.

(You can’t see your teacher’s mouth in this exercise. This is good practice for phone conversations when you can’t see the other person’s mouth.)

1. Same Different

2. Same Different

3. Same Different

4. Same Different

5. Same Different

6. Same Different

7. Same Different

8. Same Different

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The Vowel Sounds of beat/bit: UNSCRAMBLE AND COMPLETE THE STORY

INSTRUCTIONS: § Work with a partner. § Cut apart the strips of paper below. § Put the sentences in order to make a (silly) story. § Notice that the story does not have an ending! That’s your job. Make up an ending to the story. § Practice reading the story (with your ending) out loud with your partner. Pay attention to the vowels you’ve been practicing. § Now read the whole story out loud to your classmates. Make sure you share your original ending!

He bought a huge steel ship and filled it with sheep.

Steve screamed, “Oh no! My ship is going to sink!”

Last week, it was very windy and the ship hit a rock and started to leak.

Steve was very rich.

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VOWELS THE VOWEL SOUNDS IN pen vs pan

The Vowel Sounds of pen/pan: TIPS, SAY IT, HEAR IT

Tips for pronouncing the vowels in pen/pan: For the short a in pan, drop your jaw and spread your lips (smile!) more than you do for the short e in pen.

Some say that the short a in pan is a very “ugly” sound. Don’t be afraid to exaggerate it, to really stretch it out as you practice. Make the ugliest sound you can!

SAY IT: Practice saying the pairs of words below. Pay attention to how your jaw, lips, and tongue change from one word to another.

1. men man

2. left laughed

3. bread Brad

4. guess gas

5. pest past

6. dead dad

7. met mat

8. bend band

9. end and

10. said sad

11. bed bad

12. celery salary

HEAR IT: Your teacher will read one of the words in each pair. Circle the word you hear.

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The Vowel Sounds of pen/pan: WHICH SENTENCE DO YOU HEAR?

1. A He just left. B He just laughed.

2. A I saw the man you work with. B I saw the men you work with.

3. A She’s waiting for bread. B She’s waiting for Brad.

4. A Don’t worry about the past. B Don’t worry about the pest.

5. A I used a new pen. B I used a new pan.

6. A Did you see any? B Did you see Annie?

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The Vowel Sounds of pen/pan: LISTEN AND RESPOND

DIRECTIONS: Work with a partner. Partner 1 chooses ONE sentence to read from each pair of sentences. Partner 2 listens carefully, and then responds with the answer that makes sense.

Example: Partner 1: Can you fill it? Partner 2: Yes…with water or juice?

Partner 2: Listen and respond to Partner 1: Say ONE sentence the sentence with the answer that from each pair. makes sense. 1. A He just left. Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t get to see him. B He just laughed. I’m glad he thought it was funny.

2. A I saw the man you work with. Was he wearing his uniform? B I saw the men you work with. Were they wearing their uniforms?

3. A She’s waiting for bread. White or whole wheat? B She’s waiting for Brad. I hope he arrives soon.

4. A Don’t worry about the past. I try to live in the present. But I hate when there’s a mouse in the B Don’t worry about the pest. house!

5. A I used a new pen. What color was the ink? B I used a new pan. What did you cook in it?

6. A Did you see any? No, not a single butterfly! B Did you see Annie? No, she didn’t come to the party.

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The Vowel Sounds of pen/pan: LISTENING WITHOUT SEEING

(You can’t see your teacher’s mouth in this exercise. This is good practice for phone conversations when you can’t see the other person’s mouth.)

1. Same Different

2. Same Different

3. Same Different

4. Same Different

5. Same Different

6. Same Different

7. Same Different

8. Same Different

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The Vowel Sounds of pen/pan: UNSCRAMBLE AND COMPLETE THE STORY

He had a bad headache and his pet cat had eaten all the bread.

Sam said, “What can I do?” And then he laughed…he had a plan!

Sam was sad when he got out of bed on Wednesday.

All he had was some celery and a lemon.

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VOWELS THE VOWEL SOUNDS IN mate vs met

The Vowel Sounds of mate/met: TIPS, SAY IT, HEAR IT

Tips for pronouncing the vowels in mate/met. § For the short e in met, hold your tongue in the same position as for the long a in mate, but a little lower in your mouth.

§ For the short e in met, open your lips a little more than you do for the long a in mate.

§ The tongue and jaw are tense (not relaxed) for the long a, but they are relaxed for the short e.

SAY IT: Practice saying the pairs of words below. Pay attention to how your jaw, lips, and tongue change from one word to another.

1. sail sell

2. taste test

3. raced rest

4. pain pen

5. gate get

6. wait wet

7. later letter

8. waste west

9. chase chess

10. fail fell

11. main men

12. late let

HEAR IT: Your teacher will read one of the words in each pair. Circle the word you hear.

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The Vowel Sounds of mate/met: WHICH SENTENCE DO YOU HEAR?

1. A He has a big pen in his hand. B He has a big pain in his hand.

2. A I didn’t like the test. B I didn’t like the taste.

3. A My cousin sails boats. B My cousin sells boats.

4. A Please pass the pepper. B Please pass the paper.

5. A That’s a good edge. B That’s a good age.

6. A Do you have a big debt? B Do you have a big date?

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The Vowel Sounds of mate/met: LISTEN AND RESPOND

DIRECTIONS: Work with a partner. Partner 1 chooses ONE sentence to read from each pair of sentences. Partner 2 listens carefully, and then responds with the answer that makes sense.

Example: Partner 1: Can you fill it? Partner 2: Yes…with water or juice?

Partner 2: Listen and respond to the Partner 1: Say ONE sentence sentence with the answer that from each pair. makes sense. 1. A He has a big pen in his hand. What color is the ink? B He has a big pain in his hand. Oh no. How did he hurt it?

2. A I didn’t like the test. Was it too difficult? B I didn’t like the taste. Was it too salty?

3. A My cousin sails boats. Has he ever gone out on the ocean? B My cousin sells boats. How much do they cost?

4. A Please pass the pepper. Sure. Would you like the salt too? B Please pass the paper. Sure. Do you need a pen too?

5. A That’s a good edge. Yes, it’s nice and sharp. B That’s a good age. Yes, 8-year-olds are fun!

6. A Do you have a big debt? No, I paid it off. B Do you have a big date? No, I’m staying home tonight.

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The Vowel Sounds of mate/met: LISTENING WITHOUT SEEING

(You can’t see your teacher’s mouth in this exercise. This is good practice for phone conversations when you can’t see the other person’s mouth.)

1. Same Different

2. Same Different

3. Same Different

4. Same Different

5. Same Different

6. Same Different

7. Same Different

8. Same Different

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The Vowel Sounds of mate/met: UNSCRAMBLE AND COMPLETE THE STORY

“I have failed!” she said. Then Jane had a great idea.

But later, when she tested her cakes, they tasted plain.

Jane was up late on Wednesday.

She was baking cakes to sell at the West Main Market.

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VOWELS THE VOWEL SOUNDS IN nut vs not

The Vowel Sounds of nut/not: TIPS, SAY IT, HEAR IT

Tips for pronouncing the vowels in nut/not. § For the short u in nut, relax your jaw and tongue, and open your mouth a little. § For the short o in not, your jaw and tongue are also relaxed, but your mouth is more open than for the short u. § Also, for the short o, your tongue is pulled further back and down compared to its position in the short u.

SAY IT: Practice saying the pairs of words below. Pay attention to how your jaw, lips, and tongue change from one word to another.

1. shut shot

2. nut knot

3. wonder wander

4. luck lock

5. pup pop

6. duck dock

7. color collar

8. hut hot

HEAR IT: Your teacher will read one of the words in each pair. Circle the word you hear.

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The Vowel Sounds of nut/not: WHICH SENTENCE DO YOU HEAR?

1. A Do you like this collar? B Do you like this color?

2. A I was wondering about the huge room. B I was wandering about the huge room.

3. A She was surprised by the large pop. B She was surprised by the large pup.

4. A There’s a duck on the other side of the lake. B There’s a dock on the other side of the lake.

5. A Do you know anything about nuts? B Do you know anything about knots?

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The Vowel Sounds of nut/not: LISTEN AND RESPOND

DIRECTIONS: Work with a partner. Partner 1 chooses ONE sentence to read from each pair of sentences. Partner 2 listens carefully, and then responds with the answer that makes sense.

Example: Partner 1: Can you fill it? Partner 2: Yes…with water or juice?

Partner 2: Listen and respond to the sentence Partner 1: Say ONE sentence from each with the answer that pair. makes sense. Yes, but it looks like it might 1. A Do you like this collar? be tight around your neck. B Do you like this color? Yes, you look great in blue!

Are you worried it will be too 2. A I was wondering about the huge room. big for the party? Were you looking for B I was wandering about the huge room. something?

3. A She was surprised by the large pop. What made the sound? Was she expecting it to be B She was surprised by the large pup. smaller?

A There’s a duck on the other side of the 4. Yes, I can hear it quacking. lake. B There’s a dock on the other side of the Let’s put our boat there. lake.

Not much. But I know that I 5. A Do you know anything about nuts? like almonds. I wish I did. I can only tie a B Do you know anything about knots? simple one.

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The Vowel Sounds of nut/not: LISTENING WITHOUT SEEING

(You can’t see your teacher’s mouth in this exercise. This is good practice for phone conversations when you can’t see the other person’s mouth.)

1. Same Different

2. Same Different

3. Same Different

4. Same Different

5. Same Different

6. Same Different

7. Same Different

8. Same Different

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The Vowel Sounds of nut/not: UNSCRAMBLE AND COMPLETE THE STORY

It was Don’s uncle, Ron. Ron said, “It’s your lucky day! Look what I have for you!”

His pup, Spot, walked with him.

Suddenly, someone tugged at Spot’s collar.

Don wandered in the hot sun, holding an umbrella to block the sun.

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VOWELS THE VOWEL SOUNDS IN cap vs cup

The Vowel Sounds of cap/cup: TIPS, SAY IT, HEAR IT

Tips for pronouncing the vowels in cap/cup.

short a in cap short u in cup Mouth open. Mouth barely open. Jaw lowered. Jaw neutral. Lips slightly smiling. Lips completely relaxed.

SAY IT: Practice saying the pairs of words below. Pay attention to how your jaw, lips, and tongue change from one word to another.

1. cap cup

2. cat cut

3. ran run

4. match much

5. lack luck

6. bag bug

7. mad mud

8. stack stuck

9. Sam some

10. tracks trucks

HEAR IT: Your teacher will read one of the words in each pair. Circle the word you hear.

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The Vowel Sounds of cap/cup: WHICH SENTENCE DO YOU HEAR?

1. A The cut on the sofa is bigger than I thought. B The cat on the sofa is bigger than I thought.

2. A I ran for 20 minutes. B I run for 20 minutes.

3. A He put the money in his cap. B He put the money in his cup.

4. A She really didn’t enjoy that match. B She really didn’t enjoy that much.

5. A Did you see that bag? B Did you see that bug?

6. A The tracks are over there. B The trucks are over there.

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The Vowel Sounds of cap/cup: LISTEN AND RESPOND

DIRECTIONS: Work with a partner. Partner 1 chooses ONE sentence to read from each pair of sentences. Partner 2 listens carefully, and then responds with the answer that makes sense.

Example: Partner 1: Can you fill it? Partner 2: Yes…with water or juice?

Partner 2: Listen and respond to Partner 1: Say ONE sentence from the sentence with the answer each pair. that makes sense. A The cut on the sofa is bigger than I What caused it? 1. thought. B The cat on the sofa is bigger than I She must eat a lot!

thought.

2. A I ran for 20 minutes. Wow, you must be tired! B I run for 20 minutes. Everyday?

3. A He put the money in his cap. I hope he doesn’t wear it! B He put the money in his cup. I hope there wasn’t coffee in it!

4. A She really didn’t enjoy that match. Did her team win or lose? B She really didn’t enjoy that much. Oh no. I tried to make food she

likes.

5. A Did you see that bag? Yes, it was full of gifts! B Did you see that bug? Yes, it was the biggest beetle I’ve

ever seen!

6. A The tracks are over there. Is there a train coming? B The trucks are over there. I think they’re all getting new tires.

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The Vowel Sounds of cap/cup: LISTENING WITHOUT SEEING

(You can’t see your teacher’s mouth in this exercise. This is good practice for phone conversations when you can’t see the other person’s mouth.)

1. Same Different

2. Same Different

3. Same Different

4. Same Different

5. Same Different

6. Same Different

7. Same Different

8. Same Different

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The Vowel Sounds of cap/cup: UNSCRAMBLE AND COMPLETE THE STORY

Sally asked Doug if he had any honey.

“Why do you need so much?” asked Doug. Sally answered…

“Yes,” answered Sally. “I need a half cup to make pancakes for lunch.”

“Yup!” said Doug. “Do you want some?”

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CONSONANTS

The Consonants Video can be found at: [Link to be added after production of video. See script included in this section.]

Name of Activity / Handout Tutor Initials and Date

Key Ideas from Consonants Video

CHART: Consonant Challenges

Pronouncing the Letters of the Alphabet

Handout: Beginning Consonants: p/b Handout: Words Beginning with p, t, k and b, d, g: To

Puff or Not to Puff GAME: p, t, k, b, d, g BINGO!

Handout: How to Pronounce Words that End in –ed

Handout: Listening for –ed Endings

Handout: Listening for –ed Endings: Now or In the Past?

GAME: Practice the –ed Ending -Two Truths and One Lie

Handout: How to Pronounce Words that End in –s / –’s

Handout: Listening for –s Endings

Handout: Listen and Respond: –s Endings Handout: How Vowels Help Us Hear the Right

Consonant Handout: More About Vowel Stretching

Handout: Practice with Vowel Stretching

Handout: Listening for Vowel Stretching

Handout: Pronouncing r and l

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Handout: Making the l Sound at the End of (Some)

Words Handout: Listening for r and l Sounds

Handout: Dialogues for r and l

Handout: When t Sounds Like d

Handout: Practice – Making t Sound Like d

About Consonant Clusters

Handout: Exploring Consonant Clusters

Consonant Clusters Pyramids

More Tips for Consonant Clusters

Handout: How to Make “th” Sound

Listening for the TH Sound

Handout: More Practice with “th” Sound

Handout: Practicing “th” in Conversations about Family

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Key Ideas from the Consonants Video

Voiced and voiceless consonants Consonants are voiced when your vocal cords have to vibrate to make the sound. Consonants are voiceless when your vocal cords do not vibrate when you make the sound.

You can feel the same distinction when you place your hand on your throat and make these pairs of sounds: s/z, p/b, t/d, k/g. Try it.

Ending sounds The materials in this program focus a lot on ending consonant sounds because ending sounds are particularly important in English. They affect meaning and grammar. For example:

About endings like -s/’s, and -ed Think about the sounds of the ending -s on the words cats, dogs, and houses. Cats ends with an s sound, dogs ends with a z sound, and houses ends with an “iz” sound. In terms of intelligibility, what matters most is knowing when to pronounce the ending as “iz”. That’s what the materials in this program focus on. Think about it: If

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someone says dogs with an s sound at the end, or cats with a z sound at the end, the difference is negligible. They’ll still be understood.

This is where the voiced vs voiceless distinction comes into play again. Note that b, d, and g are voiceless, and the words with those ending sounds got the stretched vowel. The simple rule is: Stretch the vowel before a voiced ending consonant.

This also applies to the other voiced and voiceless consonants discussed earlier: safe/save, bus/buzz.

Consonant clusters can be difficult for students because, in many languages, consonants are never grouped in the way they’re grouped English. As a result, students often make mistakes. For example, they may leave out parts of the cluster.

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(“They sold their house” might sound like “They sewed their house.) And sometimes they may add extra vowels. (The word “next” might sound like “neckəst”. The word “speak” might sound like “əspeak”. )

There are several ways to help students with consonant clusters. The video demonstrates a few examples. For an explanation, see these handouts in the Consonants section of materials: “Consonant Cluster Pyramids” and “More Tips for Consonant Clusters”

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CONSONANTS CHART: Consonant Challenges

CONSONANT An X indicates that a consonant sound or contrast may be especially challenging for that particular CHALLENGES language group.

The consonant sounds and consonant

contrasts listed below are important for students to perceive and produce because they occur in many English words. Arabic Chinese Farsi/Persian French Japanese Korean Portuguese Spanish Russian Turkish p vs b as in pat/bat X X X X X r vs l as in right/light, firing/filing X X X distinguishing between words that end in p, t, k vs words that end in b, d, g X X X X X X (bop/bob, hat/had, back/bag) “l” at the end of words: pill, able X X Aspirating (adding a puff of air) to p, t, k at the beginning of words: pot, tin, X X X key. Consonant “clusters” (2 or more consonants together), as in spring, X X X X X X X X twelfths “ch” sound in church vs X X X X “sh” sounds in ship “j” sound in judge X X X X X

“th” sound in thanks and this X X X X X X X X X X v vs f as vine/fine X X X v vs w as in vest/west X X X “y” at the beginning of words: year vs X X ear “ng” sound in sing X X X the sound made by the underlined X X X letters (g, s) in beige, pleasure, vision

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v vs b as in very/berry X X X s before long e or short i (“s” often X X becomes “sh”: sip à ship) t before long e or short i (“t” often X becomes “ch”: tip à chip) m, n, ng at the end of words: sum, sun, X X sung p vs f as in pan/fan X

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CONSONANTS PRONOUNCING THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET

Pronouncing the Letters of the Alphabet (This information is repeated in the Vowel section.)

Don’t assume that beginning students will become experts at pronouncing the names of the alphabet letters in one quick lesson. Keep practicing those letters! In the real world, spelling out loud can be a useful way to correct a communication breakdown (especially when trying to convey one’s name or address), so spending time on this is well worth it.

Here are some ways to practice:

v As students learn new vocabulary that’s presented in a book or handout, ask students to spell some of the words out loud as you write them on the board.

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CONSONANTS BEGINNING CONSONANTS: p/b

BEGINNING CONSONANTS: p/b

p b § Press your lips together to stop the § The b sound is also made with your flow of air. lips pressed together. § Then open your lips to make a sound § But when you open your lips to make with a strong pull of air. the sound, there is no puff of air (or o Hold a piece of paper in front almost no puff of air.) of your mouth. It should move o If you hold a piece of paper in when you make the sound. front of your mouth, or make o Put a feather on a table and the sound near a feather, they make the sound near the should not move. feather. It should move! § Your vocal cords may vibrate very § Your vocal cords do not vibrate. Put slightly. Put your hand on your your hand on your throat. You should throat. You may feel some vibration. not feel any vibration.

PRACTICE: Say these words to practice the p and b sounds. Exaggerate as you practice: Try to make a really big puff of air when you make the p. Practice with a piece of paper or a feather to check that you’re puffing air.

pie pill buy bill pack party back baby pig paper big basket pet people bet beautiful

MORE PRACTICE: Take turns reading either Sentence A or Sentence B to a partner. Can your partner tell which sentence you read? 1. A Give him a bat. B Give him a pat. 2. A This is a great pie! B This is a great buy! 3. A Do you like the beach? B Do you like the peach? 4. A He’s the best. B He’s the pest. 5. A The pill fell on the floor. B The bill fell on the floor.

AND EVEN MORE PRACTICE: Your teacher will read either Sentence A or Sentence B. Circle the one you hear.

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CONSONANTS WORDS BEGINNING WITH p, t, k and b, d, g: To Puff or Not to Puff

Words beginning with p, t, k and b, d, g: To Puff or Not to Puff

To make the consonants p, t, k and b, d, g at the beginning of a word, stop the air with your lips, and then release it.

AND… for p, t, and k à Make a PUFF OF AIR. (Making a puff of air is called aspiration.) for b, d, and g à Do not make a puff of air.

THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE… If you don’t use a puff of air, p will sound like b, t will sound like d, and k will sound like g.

I need the pill will sound like I need the bill Can you tie this? will sound like Can you dye this? I have a new coat will sound like I have a new goat

* * * * * * * * * * *

PRACTICE: Hold a piece of paper, a tissue, or a feather in front of your mouth. Practice saying these pairs of words. Remember that the words that start with p, t, and k should make the paper, tissue, or feather move. Words that begin with b, d, and g should not make the paper move. (NOTE: the p sound will make the paper move the most. It has the biggest puff of the three aspirated consonants.) pie – buy ten – den cave – gave pat – bat tear – dear curl – girl pay – bay tie – die cold – gold pea – bee town – down could – good pole – bowl tore – door came – game

MORE PRACTICE: Try saying these sentences with big puffs of air:

Peter Parker paid ten terrible kings for two cartons of toothpaste. The cold, cruel prince came to town to purchase ten poison peppers.

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CONSONANTS GAME: p, t, k, b, d, g BINGO!

p, t, k, b, d, g BINGO!

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER: v Students will need something to use as “bingo markers” to mark their cards. Small pieces of cut-up paper work well. v Cut apart the words below and place them in a bag or other container. v Have each student make his/her own Bingo card by filling in each square on the 5x5 game card with one of the words from GAME CARD WORDS box. Make sure that students understand that they should randomly write the words in the squares so that their game card is unique. They will have one blank space. They should draw a STAR in that space. That is their “free space”. v To play the game, the teacher (or a student) draws a word from the bag and reads it aloud, taking care to pronounce the p, t, and k with a puff of air. Students find the word on their card and cover it with a marker. The first one to get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins.

pie pat tore bowl

buy gave cave door

down tear bat came

dear pay girl die

bay gold tie pole

curl town cold game

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p, t, k, b, d, g BINGO! GAME CARD

Using each word from the Game Card Word Box one time, write one word in each square of the Game Card. You will have one empty square. Draw a star in that space.

GAME CARD WORDS pie pat tore bowl buy gave cave door down tear bat came dear pay girl die bay gold tie pole curl town cold game

GAME CARD

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CONSONANTS HOW TO PRONOUNCE WORDS THAT END IN –ed

How To Pronounce Words that End in –ed

You have two choices: 1) Add an extra syllable that sounds like /əd/ or “id” –or– 2) Say the /t/ or /d/ sound. (Don’t worry about which one. People will understand you either way!)

Here’s how to know which choice to make:

★ If the -ed comes after the letter “t” or “d”, pronounce an extra syllable that sounds like /əd/

-ed follows the Examples: wanted, melted, rented, invited, chatted, painted, letter “t” completed, elected, expected, heated, lasted, rested, started

-ed follows the Examples: handed, landed, ended, divided, decided, included, letter “d” added, exploded, needed, reminded, sounded

★ If the -ed does NOT come after the letters “t” or “d”, just say /t/ or /d/

Examples: looked, walked, tapped, stopped, missed, cleaned, borrowed, danced, kicked, stayed, smiled, reached, liked, pushed, handled, improved, joined, wished, worked, pushed

Sorry! English is tricky, so there are a few exceptions. All VERBS follow the rule above, but some NOUNS and ADJECTIVES are exceptions. These words are pronounced with the extra syllable, /əd/, even though they don’t end with the letter “t” or “d”.

Practice saying these words with the extra /əd/ syllable:

crooked hatred wicked naked ragged rugged jagged

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How to pronounce words that end in –ed (continued)

PRACTICE: Read these sentences out loud. Pay attention to how you pronounce the words that end in –ed.

1. We rented a very nice apartment.

2. Mark needed a new winter coat.

3. We looked for the lost cat for many hours.

4. Maria wished she could stay a little longer.

5. I reminded her to do her homework.

6. We walked for 2 hours, then we rested.

7. When he heated the soup, the cheese melted.

8. She sounded very tired when I talked to her.

NOW TRY THIS: Practice the pronunciation of words ending in –ed as you talk with a partner. Ask each other questions about something that happened in the past. The will require lots of past tense verbs which often end in –ed.

Here are some questions you can ask each other:

§ What did you do last weekend? § How did you celebrate your last birthday? § Tell me about a trip you took. What do you do?

* Adapted from: Dickerson, W. B. (1990). Morphology via orthography: A visual approach to oral decisions. Applied Linguistics 11(3), 238-252.

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CONSONANTS LISTENING: –ed ENDINGS

LISTENING FOR –ed ENDINGS DIRECTIONS: 1. Read the first pair of sentences. Notice how they are different. Then look away from your paper as you listen to your teacher. (Don’t read along.) 2. Your teacher will read one sentence from the pair. Put an X by the sentence you hear. 3. Continue with the remaining pairs of sentences. 4. Next, work with a partner. Take turns reading either Sentence A or Sentence B from each pair of sentences. Tell your partner which one you heard. If you’re incorrect, practice the sounds together and try again.

1. A We live in a small apartment. B We lived in a small apartment.

2. A They love their dog. B They loved their dog.

3. A I want a burger without any onions. B I wanted a burger without any onions.

4. A I never dance at parties. B I never danced at parties.

5. A We always walk up the stairs. B We always walked up the stairs.

6. A I believe everything he said. B I believed everything he said.

7. A They brush their teeth with baking soda. B They brushed their teeth with baking soda.

8. A I need a new car. B I needed a new car.

9. A They need help. B They needed help.

10. A I waste a lot of time. B I wasted a lot of time.

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CONSONANTS LISTENING FOR –ed ENDINGS: Now or In the Past?

LISTENING FOR –ed ENDINGS: Now or In the Past? DIRECTIONS: Listen to your teacher read each sentence. Pay attention to the verb tense. Did the action happening NOW or did it happen IN THE PAST? Circle your answer.

1. NOW IN THE PAST 7. NOW IN THE PAST

2. NOW IN THE PAST 8. NOW IN THE PAST

3. NOW IN THE PAST 9. NOW IN THE PAST

4. NOW IN THE PAST 10. NOW IN THE PAST

5. NOW IN THE PAST 11. NOW IN THE PAST

6. NOW IN THE PAST 12. NOW IN THE PAST

------

FOR THE TEACHER: Choose one sentence from each pair to read aloud. Speak naturally. Don’t overexaggerate the verb ending.

1. I really like this book. I really liked this book. 2. I studied every weekend. I study every weekend. 3. He sounded angry. He sounds angry. 4. We walk fast. I walked fast. 5. We played football We play football. 6. I try to talk to him. I tried to talk to him. 7. He asks good questions. He asked good questions. 8. She works as a bus driver. She worked as a bus driver. 9. I cook with a very old oven. I cooked with the very old oven. 10. I hate the soup. I hated the soup. 11. They march in the band. They marched in the band.

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CONSONANTS PRACTICE THE –ed ENDING: TWO TRUTHS AND ONE LIE

Using the –ed Ending: Two Truths and One Lie*

Choose from the verbs in the box or use –ed past tense verbs of your own. Write 3 statements about yourself. Two of the statements should be TRUE. One should be FALSE.

walked studied danced wanted watched listened played helped dated learned donated worked volunteered attended rented planted visited moved cried finished planned stayed climbed laughed tried

Write your statements here:

When everyone in the class has written three statements, take turns reading the statements out loud. Each classmate should guess which statement they think is false. When everyone has guessed, share the correct answer.

* Adapted from: Grant, L. (2010). Well said: Pronunciation for clear communication (3rd Edition). Boston: Sherrise Roehr

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CONSONANTS HOW TO PRONOUNCE WORDS THAT END IN –s AND –’s

How To Pronounce Words that End in –s and –’s

You have two choices: 1) Add an extra syllable that sounds like /əz/ or “iz” –or– 2) Say the /s/ or /z/ sound. (Don’t worry too much about which one. People will understand you either way!)

Here’s how to know which choice to make: Look at the letters that come before the –s or –’s.

★ If any of the letters in the chart below come before the -s or –’s, pronounce the word with an extra syllable that sounds like /əz/ or “iz” ce Examples: faces, places, laces, practices, princes, prince’s, Grace’s, pieces, colleges ge Examples: George’s, pages, stages, oranges

s or se Examples: uses, horses, houses, rises, closes

sh or she Examples: wishes, dishes, bushes, flashes, Trish’s

ch or che Examples: churches, crutches, ditches, stretches, coach’s, riches

x or xe Examples: boxes, foxes, fox’s, fixes

z or ze Examples: buzzes, Liz’s

★ If the letters before the -s or -’s are NOT in the chart above, just say /s/ or /z/.

Examples: dogs, trees, chairs, cubes, slides, names

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How to pronounce words that end in –s and –’s (continued)

PRACTICE: Practice with a partner. Read these sentences out loud. Pay attention to how you pronounce the words that end in –s and –’s.

1. I am going to buy oranges and bananas.

2. Make sure he washes and dries the dishes.

3. The door opens and closes easily.

4. He gave me bags of apples and boxes of noodles.

5. How many pages are in these books?

6. I see many friendly faces in my ESL classes.

7. There are two churches on this street.

8. Can I have some ice cubes in my drink?

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CONSONANTS LISTENING: –s ENDINGS

LISTENING FOR –s ENDINGS INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Read the first pair of sentences. Notice how they are different. Then look away from your paper as you listen to your teacher. (Don’t read along.) 2. Your teacher will read one sentence from the pair. Put an X by the sentence you hear. 3. Continue with the remaining pairs of sentences. 4. Next, work with a partner. Take turns reading either Sentence A or Sentence B from each pair of sentences. Tell your partner which one you heard. If you’re incorrect, practice the sounds together and try again.

1. A Did you put the orange in the refrigerator? B Did you put the oranges in the refrigerator?

2. A I hope his wish will come true. B I hope his wishes will come true.

3. A Her sister works at the grocery store. B Her sisters work at the grocery store.

4. A They’re using the boxes to pack. B They’re using the box to pack.

5. A Let’s visit the place along the river. B Let’s visit the places along the river.

6. A Put the chair in the closet. B Put the chairs in the closet.

7. A I’ll carry the suitcase for him. B I’ll carry the suitcases for him.

8. A Don’t forget to write the names. B Don’t forget to write the name.

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CONSONANTS LISTEN AND RESPOND: –s ENDINGS

LISTEN AND RESPOND: –S ENDINGS DIRECTIONS: Work with a partner. Partner 1 chooses ONE sentence to read from each pair of sentences. Partner 2 listens carefully, and then responds with the answer that makes sense. Example: Partner 1: Did you put the oranges in the refrigerator? Partner 2: Yes, they’re on the bottom shelf.

Partner 2: Listen and respond to the Partner 1: Say ONE sentence from each sentence with the answer that makes pair. sense. 1. A Did you put the orange in the refrigerator? Yes, it’s on the bottom shelf. B Did you put the oranges in the refrigerator? Yes, they’re on the bottom shelf.

2. A I hope his wish will come true. Me too! He really wants that toy. B I hope his wishes will come true. I do too, but he has so many!

3. A Her sister works at the grocery store. How long has she worked there? B Her sisters work at the grocery store. How long have they worked there?

Yes, and they’re all stacked up in the 4. A They’re using the boxes to pack. basement. B They’re using the box to pack. Okay, I won’t throw it away then.

5. A Let’s visit the place along the river. Sounds great. I heard it’s very nice. B Let’s visit the places along the river. Great! I’m excited to see them all.

6. A Put the chair in the closet. I’ll try, but it might be too big to fit. B Put the chairs in the closet. I’ll try, but they might be too big to fit.

7. A I’ll carry the suitcase for him. I hope it’s not too heavy. B I’ll carry the suitcases for him. I hope they’re not too heavy.

I won’t. That’s the only way I’ll 8. A Don’t forget to write down the names. remember them. I won’t. That’s the only way I’ll B Don’t forget to write down the name. remember it.

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CONSONANTS HOW VOWELS HELP US HEAR THE RIGHT CONSONANT

How Vowels Help Us Hear the Right Consonants

When p, t, and k sounds are at the beginning of a word, the puff of air helps us know that a p is not a b, a t is not a d, and a k is not a g.

But when p, t, and k sounds are at the end of a word, they are usually pronounced a little bit differently, without the puff of air. Say, “Pop the balloon.” (Listen to your teacher say it too.) Pay attention to the sound of the beginning p and the ending p in pop. “Pop the balloon. Pop the balloon.” The beginning p is released with a puff of air. But the ending p has no (or very little) puff of air.

Vowel sounds to the rescue!

Compared to the vowel sound before p, t, or k at the end of a word, the vowel sound before b, d, or g is stretched a bit.

Say these pairs of words. Be sure to stretch the vowel (just a little bit!) in the words ending in a b, d, or g sound. ending p ending b ending t ending d ending k ending g cap cab (cab) bet bed (bed) pick pig (pig) rope robe neat need back bag mop mob white wide buck bug rip rib hat had rack rag

More explanation: Put your hand on your throat as you make these consonant sounds: p, p, p b, b, b t, t, t d, d, d k, k, k g, g, g

When you make the sounds of p, t, and k, your vocal cords do not vibrate. You don’t feel any vibration in your throat. The p, t, and k sounds are voiceless.

But when you make the sound b, d, and g, you do feel some vibration in your throat. The b, d, and g sounds are voiced.

The simple rule is: Stretch the vowel before a voiced ending consonant.

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CONSONANTS MORE ABOUT VOWEL STRETCHING

More about Vowel Stretching For use after “How Vowels Help Us Hear the Right Consonant”

Remember that we stretch the vowel before a voiced ending consonant, like b, d, and g. Say the pairs of words below. ending p ending b ending t ending d ending k ending g (voiceless) (voiced) (voiceless) (voiced) (voiceless) (voiced) cap cab (cab) bet bed (bed) pick pig (pig) rope robe neat need back bag

Now…put your hand on your throat as you make these consonant sounds. What do you notice? f, f, f v, v, v s, s, s z, z, z

The f sound is voiceless (no vibration). The v sound is voiced (vibration). The s sound is voiceless (no vibration). The z sound is voiced (vibration).

That means that if a word ends in v or z sound, the vowel is stretched. (Remember that the important thing is the sound, not the letter of the alphabet. For example, the spelling of a word might end in –s, like eyes, but it has a final z sound.)

Say these pairs of words. Be sure to stretch the vowel (just a little bit!) in the words ending in a v or z sound. ending f ending v ending s ending z (voiceless) (voiced) (voiceless) (voiced) safe save (save) bus buzz (buzz) leaf leave ice eyes half have race rays proof prove price prize peace peas

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CONSONANTS PRACTICE WITH VOWEL STRETCHING

Practice with Vowel Stretching For use after “How Vowels Help Us Hear the Right Consonant” and “More about Vowel Stretching”

INSTRUCTIONS: Work with a partner. Partner 1 chooses ONE sentence to read from each pair of sentences. Partner 2 listens carefully, and then circles the word he/she hears.

Remember to pay attention to whether or not a vowel sound is stretched.

Partner 1: Say ONE sentence from Partner 2: Listen carefully. each pair. Circle the word you hear. 1. A He has a new coat. coat code B He has a new code.

2. A Please put the papers in the back. back bag B Please put the papers in the bag.

3. A What a great price! price prize B What a great prize!

4. A The room is white. white wide B The room is wide.

5. A Is that a new cap? cap cab B Is that a new cab?

6. A She has a long rope. rope robe B She has a long robe.

7. A It was a good save. save safe B It was a good safe.

8. A His sight is excellent. sight side B His side is excellent.

9. A Is that your pick? pick pig B Is that your pig?

10. A There’s a bug in my ice! ice eyes B There’s a bug in my eyes!

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CONSONANTS LISTENING FOR VOWEL STRETCHING

Listening for Vowel Stretching

INSTRUCTIONS: Your teacher will read a short sentence. Circle the word you hear.

1. cap cab 6. mop mob

2. place plays 7. bus buzz

3. price prize 8. bet bed

4. peace peas 9. back bag

5. coat code 10. race raise

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FOR THE TEACHER: Choose one sentence from each pair to read aloud. Notice that all the sentences in the second column have a word that ends in a voiced consonant, so if you choose that sentence to read, be sure to slightly stretch the vowel. Be aware of your pronunciation, but remember to speak naturally. (If you are a native English speaker, you will likely stretch the vowel without thinking about it!)

1. He has a blue cap. He has a blue cab. 2. I saw the place. I saw the plays. 3. Did you get the price you wanted? Did you get the prize you wanted? 4. I hope we have peace someday. I hope we have peas someday. 5. Is this your coat? Is this your code? 6. That’s a big mop. That’s a big mob. 7. The bus is really loud. The buzz is really loud. 8. Make your bet. Make your bed. 9. Put it in the back. Put it in the bag. 10. Your race will start tomorrow. Your raise will start tomorrow.

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CONSONANTS PRONOUNCING r and l

Pronouncing r and l

the r sound the l sound* Turn the tip of the tongue up, but do not Lightly touch the tip of your tongue to top touch the top of the mouth of your mouth, right behind your upper teeth. The sides of your tongue touch the lower back teeth. Round your lips a little bit. Relax your lips. (Do not round them.) Open your mouth slightly. TRY THIS: Take a breath to relax your TRY THIS: Place the tip of your tongue at mouth and jaw. Then say “uh” to make the ridge just behind your upper front sure your mouth stays relaxed. As you teeth. Now move your tongue off the ridge say “uh”, roll your tongue up and back and lower your jaw a little as you say “led”. (but don’t touch the top of your mouth!) (Adapted from Celce-Murcia et al., 2010) As you unroll it, say “red”. (Adapted from Celce-Murcia et al., 2010) *An l sound at the end of a word sounds a little different, and the tongue movement is slightly different. See “Making the l Sound at the End of a Word” for more information.

Practice with these pairs of words. Begin by speaking slowly and thinking about the placement of your tongue. Then repeat with a little more speed.

r l r l Both r and l rate late pirate pilot really row low correct collect problem wrong long arrive alive religion rock lock firing filing relatives right light fright flight library red led road load

Some hints: v If you feel the tip of your tongue touching something, you are probably saying the l sound not the r sound.

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Pronouncing r and l (continued)

v Sometimes people find it easier to make the r sound in one word than in another. Try saying the r sound in several different words. Ask your teacher to listen and tell you which word has the best r sound. Then repeat that word and pay close attention to where your tongue is. Now try to use a similar tongue position when you say other words.

v Say grrrrrrr, like a lion. Notice how your tongue is tightly rolled. Notice that it is not touching the top of your mouth. Now release your tightly rolled tongue as you say “grrrrrrrrow. row. row.” Try it with other words:

grrrrrrrrrround, round, round grrrrrrrreat, rate, rate grrrrrrrrrite, right, right grrrrrroad, road, road

v Sometimes movements and gestures can help when practicing pronunciation. Try this when practicing the r sound at the beginning of a word: Make a fist (to represent your rolled tongue). Begin the word with a tight fist, and then, as you move to the vowel sound, quickly open your fist to show the palm of your hand. For example:

r ed tight fist à open hand

v Go to Rachel’s English at http://rachelsenglish.com/ for many helpful videos about how to make the tricky r and l sounds.

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CONSONANTS MAKING THE L SOUND AT THE END OF (SOME) WORDS

Making the l Sound at the End of (Some) Words: A few tips for words like fall, little, meal

The l sound can be tricky! Here are a few tips for when the l sound is at the end of a word, as in fall, little, meal.

v First, recall how you made the l sound at the beginning of a word:

the l sound* Lightly touch the tip of your touch to top of your mouth, right behind your upper teeth. Relax your lips. (Do not round them.) Open your mouth slightly. TRY THIS: Place the tip of your tongue at the ridge just behind your upper front teeth. Now move your tongue off the ridge and lower your jaw a little as you say “led”. (Adapted from Celce-Murcia et al., 2010)

Now…for the l sound at the end of many words, the front part of the tongue still touches the top of the mouth–but then it stays there.

Try these words. Think about ending the word with your tongue still touching the top of your mouth. fall ball bottle mail metal hospital little doll sandal meal mile candle

v Here’s a tip for words where the l sound comes right after a long vowel (long a, long e, long i, long o, long u) or a diphthong (the ow sound in now, the oy sound in boy), words like this: tail, meal, tile, bowl, tool, boil, howl. o Add a quick schwa /ə / sound before the l sound. For example:

tail à tai yəl tool à too wəl meal à mee yəl howl à how wəl (Think: rhymes with towel) tile à tie yəl boil à boy yəl (Think: rhymes with royal) bowl à boe wəl

o Remember that the added schwa sound should be quick. Don’t emphasize that you’re adding another syllable to the word.

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CONSONANTS LISTENING FOR r vs l SOUNDS

Listening for r vs l sounds

INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Your teacher will read one sentence from each pair. Put an X by the sentence you hear. 2. Continue with the remaining pairs of sentences. 3. Next, work with a partner. Take turns reading either Sentence A or Sentence B from each pair of sentences. Tell your partner which one you heard. If you’re incorrect, practice the sounds together and try again.

Partner 1: Say ONE sentence from Partner 2: Listen carefully. each pair. Circle the word you hear. 1. A She found an old rock. rock lock B She found an old lock.

2. A Don’t turn on the wrong road. wrong long B Don’t turn on the long road.

3. A How long will it take to correct them? correct collect B How long will it take to collect them?

4. A Please use a red pencil. red lead B Please use a lead pencil.

5. A My dad is a pirate. pirate pilot B My dad is a pilot.

6. A I’m glad we got to see the crown. crown clown B I’m glad we got to see the clown.

7. A How do you spell light? light right B How do you spell right?

8. A Take this road back to the house. road load B Take this load back to the house.

9. A Don’t step on the grass! grass glass B Don’t step on the glass!

10. A I’ve never seen such a big crowd. crowd cloud B I’ve never seen such a big cloud.

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CONSONANTS DIALOGUES WITH r and l

Dialogues with r and l INSTRUCTIONS: § Practice the r and l sounds using these dialogues. § First, look for all the words with r and l and practice saying them a few times. § Then perform the dialogues with a partner.

DIALOGUE 1 Setting: Two people are having a friendly conversation while at a parade.

Person A Hi, Robert [or Rachel]. It’s great to see you again!

Person B Hi, Linda [or Larry]! Great to see you too! I heard you just returned from a trip. Where did you go? Person A I went to Little Rock. Have you ever been there?

Person B I have, but not recently. Maybe four or five years ago.

Person A So…are you enjoying the parade?

Person B Yes, but the fire trucks are a little loud!

Person A Yes, they are! But at least it’s not raining like last year!

Person B True!

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Dialogues with r and l (continued) DIALOGUE 2 Setting: One person is asking another for directions to a library.

Person A Excuse me. Can you help me? I’m looking for the library.

Person B We have two libraries in town. Are you looking for the Lightman Library or the Richards Library?

Person A I’m looking for the one with the big red rock by the entry.

Person B Ah! That’s the Richards Library. Go straight on this road, and then turn left at the grocery store.

Person A Oh! I remember now. Then I turn left again when I get to Lucy’s Restaurant, right? Person B That’s right. The library will be on your left.

Person A Thanks so much!

Person B No problem!

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CONSONANTS WHEN t SOUNDS LIKE d

When t Sounds Like d

Not all t’s sound the same. Sometimes, when Americans* pronounce a “t”, it sounds more like a d.**

Listen to your teacher read this sentence: Peter lives in a pretty city. Can you hear that the “t” sounds more like a d? The sentence sounds like: Peeder lives in a priddy ciddy.

When does a “t” sound more like a d? Here are some common examples: v Before –ing o Practice: waiting, sitting, getting, writing v Between 2 vowel sounds when the first vowel is stressed o Practice: pretty, city, Peter, photograph, butter, metal, little*** v Before unstressed –er and –or o Practice: writer, babysitter, motor, later, voter, heater v In –er and –est adjectives ending in “t” o Practice: greater, lighter, smarter, lightest, shortest v In phrasal verbs ending in “t” o Practice: get up, shut up, get in, get over, cut it out, beat it

PRACTICE: Work with a partner. Take turns reading these sentences.

1. The babysitter is taking the kids skating. 2. I’m excited that we’re getting a new heater. 3. She’s sitting in the little room, writing a letter. 4. Otto is the shortest waiter. 5. Where’s the water? Betty put it on the table.

* British pronunciation is different. The British pronounce words like butter, water, and city with an unaspirated t (a t sound with no puff of air).

**Note that this is not a critical lesson for intelligibility. Students are welcome to pronounce words with a British accent. But many students have trouble understanding American speakers of English when Americans adjust the t to sound like d. These exercises will help students with their listening comprehension of many common words.

***In words that end in –tle, like little, battle, and kettle, the final sound is pronounced as “əl” (schwa-l), and schwa counts as a vowel sound next to the “t”.

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CONSONANTS PRACTICE MAKING t SOUND LIKE d

Practice Making t Sound Like d

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: v Have students work with a partner. v Cut apart the information tables below, and give a different table to each partner. v Explain that the goal is for each partner to fill in the missing sections of their table by asking questions of their partner about what different characters are doing right now. For example: o Partner A might ask: Who is knitting a scarf? Partner B would respond: Lettie is knitting a scarf. o Partner B might ask: What is Rita doing? Partner A would respond: Rita is writing a letter. v Remind students to pay attention to making the appropriate t’s sound like d’s.

Information Table for Partner A

Mattie is batting a ball in ______is Otto is eating Betty is Rita is writing a a baseball knitting a scarf. pizza. ______. letter. game.

Anita is beating Hattie is ______is Dotty is putting Lottie is cream to make waiting for the ice skating. on makeup. ______. butter. bus.

Information Table for Partner B

Mattie is Lettie is Otto is Betty is getting Rita is ______. knitting a scarf. ______. a haircut. ______.

______is ______is Katie is ice Lottie is sitting Anita is putting on waiting for the skating. outside. ______. makeup. bus.

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CONSONANTS ABOUT CONSONANT CLUSTERS

About Consonant Clusters

What is a consonant cluster? A consonant cluster is when 2 or more consonant sounds are next to each other. (Cluster means group. So a consonant cluster is a group of consonant sounds.)

English has a lot of consonant clusters. For example:

v At the beginning of words, consonant clusters can have: o 2 consonants: blue (bl-), cry (cr-), snow (sn-), play (pl-), skate (sk-), swell (sw-), present (pr-), quick (kw) o 3 consonants: strong (str-), splash (spl-), square (skw-)

v At the end of words, consonant clusters can have: o 2 consonants: bend (-nd), felt (-lt), bark (-rk) o 3 consonants: tasks (-sks), blinked (-nkt), lends (-ndz) o 4 consonants: worlds (-rlds), twelfths (-lf[th]s), attempts (-mpts), texts (-ksts),

Problems with consonants clusters Consonant clusters can be difficult for students because, in many languages, consonants are never grouped in the way they’re grouped English. As a result, students often make mistakes like this:

v They leave out parts of the cluster. For example: o “They sold their house” might sound like “They sewed their house.” o The word “problem” might sound like “pob-em”

v They add extra vowels, usually something close to a schwa (ə) sound. For example: o The word “next” might sound like “neckəst” o The word “sport” might sound like “support” o The word “speak” might sound like “əspeak” o The word “months” might sound like “monthiz”

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CONSONANTS EXPLORING CONSONANT CLUSTERS

Exploring Consonant Clusters*

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER: In this activity, students explore what they already know about consonant clusters. Which consonant combinations are possible in English? Which are impossible? How do consonant clusters in English compare to how (or if) consonants are grouped in their native languages?

v Have students work in partners or small groups to complete the handout on the next page. This is a challenging activity. Encourage students use dictionaries to help them.

v Discuss answers.

v Ask students to share how consonant are (or aren’t) grouped in their native languages.

v Ask students to share which consonant clusters are most difficult for them to pronounce.

* Adapted from: Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. (1992). Teaching American English Pronunciation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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EXPLORING CONSONANT CLUSTERS:

DIRECTIONS: v Look at the groups of consonants below. Do you know any English words that begin or end with these consonant clusters? If so, write an example. v If you think that a particular group of consonants is never used in the English language, write “not possible”.

Are these consonants clusters Are these consonants clusters possible

possible at the beginning of a word? at the end of a word? 1. pl - 1. -ft 2. sl- 2. -sf 3. thr- 3. -ld 4. thl 4. -lt 5. sw- 5. -spl 6. mr 6. -ls 7. spl- 7. -sn 8. vr 8. -mp 9. sn- 9. -nd 10. gw 10. -scr 11. scr- 11. -nt 12. pw 12. -br 13. br- 13. -st 14. gl- 14. -spr 15. gr- 15. -sp 16. nl- 16. -sk 17. sm- 17. -shr 18. bw- 18. -nch 19. spl- 19. -tr 20. spw- 20. -xths 21. shr- 21. -gw 22. spr- 22. -lfths 23. fr 23. -mpt 24. tr- 24. -vr

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EXPLORING CONSONANT CLUSTERS (ANSWER KEY with some examples)

Are these consonants clusters Are these consonants clusters possible

possible at the beginning of a word? at the end of a word? 1. pl - play 1. -ft raft 2. sl- sled 2. -sf NOT POSSIBLE 3. thr- three 3. -ld held 4. thl- NOT POSSIBLE 4. -lt belt 5. sw- swing 5. -spl NOT POSSIBLE 6. mr NOT POSSIBLE 6. -ls bells 7. spl- splash 7. -sn NOT POSSIBLE 8. vr NOT POSSIBLE 8. -mp stamp 9. sn- snow 9. -nd bend 10. gw Gwen (only possible in proper names) 10. -scr NOT POSSIBLE 11. scr- scream 11. -nt went 12. pw- NOT POSSIBLE 12. -br NOT POSSIBLE 13. br- brush 13. -st last 14. gl- glass 14. -spr NOT POSSIBLE 15. gr- grass 15. -sp crisp 16. nl- NOT POSSIBLE 16. -sk task 17. sm- smoke 17. -shr NOT POSSIBLE 18. bw- NOT POSSIBLE 18. -nch bench 19. spl- splash 19. -tr NOT POSSIBLE 20. spw- NOT POSSIBLE 20. -xths sixths 21. shr- shrug 21. -gw NOT POSSIBLE 22. spr- spring 22. -lfths twelfths 23. fr- free 23. -mpt attempt 24. tr- tree 24. -vr NOT POSSIBLE

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CONSONANTS CONSONANT CLUSTER PYRAMIDS

Consonant Clusters Pyramids*

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER: One way to help students with consonant clusters is to take a word apart and practice it sound-by-sound, adding one letter at a time. As you practice, the word “grows” on the board, forming a pyramid shape.

Here’s an example using the word street:

Begin with the e stressed vowel Say “ee” Write: sound:

e Add another eet Say “eet” Write: sound:

e Add another eet Say “reet” Write: sound: reet

e Add another eet Say “treet” Write: sound: reet treet e Add another eet Say “street” Write: sound: reet street

* Adapted from: Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. (1992). Teaching American English Pronunciation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Here’s an example using the word shelves:

Begin with the e Say “eh” (short stressed vowel Write: e) sound: e Add another sound: Say “el” Write: el e Add another sound: Say “elv” Write: el elv e el Add another sound: Say “elvz” Write: elv elves e el Add another sound: Say “shelvz” Write: elv elves shelves

Here’s an example using the word branch:

Begin with the a Say the short a stressed vowel Write: sound sound: a Add another sound: Say “an” Write: an a Add another sound: Say “anch” Write: an anch a an Add another sound: Say “ranch” Write: anch ranch a an Add another sound: Say “branch” Write: anch ranch branch

Some words to practice using Consonant Cluster Pyramids: straight throw flop quilt striped splash brunch branch spring snack blunt trust

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CONSONANTS MORE TIPS FOR CONSONANT CLUSTERS

More Tips for Consonant Clusters

Here are a few tips to help students with consonant clusters.

v Suggest that students add an extra vowel when they’re first learning. Even though “adding an extra vowel” to a consonant cluster is generally considered a mistake that students should correct, sometimes adding a vowel can be a helpful first step toward pronouncing difficult clusters.

For example, if a student has trouble saying the spr- cluster in the word spring, suggest adding a quick schwa sound (ə) or a very quick “uh” sound in between two of the consonants: spəring. Have the student say it slowly at first, then eventually speed up until the added vowel disappears.

More examples: Practice brush as bərush, flower as fəlower, ground as gəround

v Add a word before an s- cluster word. Some Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking students have particular difficulty with beginning consonant clusters that start with s. You may notice that they add a vowel before the s. For example, you might hear: I espeak eSpanish. I estudy English. (This is because, in Spanish and Portuguese, words don’t begin with an s-consonant cluster.)

Here are suggestions that may help: o Practice by adding the word “this” before the difficult word – even if the phrase doesn’t make sense. For example, say, “this spring” or “this snow” or “this speak”. Here’s the progression using the example word, snow: § this snow § thisssssssnow § thi– snow § snow o Spanish and Portuguese do have words that start with just “s”. For example, “sin” means without in Spanish; “sim” means yes in Portuguese. Use these words to help. § Say “ssssssssssin, ssssssnow, snow” § Say “ssssssssssim, ssssssssnow, snow”

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More Tips on Consonant Clusters (continued)

v Explain that sometimes it’s okay to leave out sounds. Even native English speakers do it in everyday speech. Some examples: o handshake à leave out the d à sounds like hanshake o facts à leave out the t à sounds like facks o correctly à leave out the t à sounds like correckly o exactly à leave out the t à sounds like exackly o friendly à leave out the d à sounds like frenly o hands à leave out the d à sounds like hans o grandmother à leave out the d à sounds like grammother

Point out that the most common letters to leave out are t and d.

Say the following sentences (leave out sounds as in the examples above) and have your students repeat: 1. My grandmother has a strong handshake. 2. I hope I remember all the facts correctly. 3. Please hold your hands exactly like this. 4. He’s very friendly.

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CONSONANTS HOW TO MAKE THE th SOUND

The th Sound

v The letters th make 2 different sounds: o the th sound in think and thanks o the th sound in that and them

v Both th sounds have the same mouth position. The difference in sound is because: o the th sound in think is voiceless (vocal cords do not vibrate) o the th sound in that is voiced (vocal cord vibrate)

How to make the th sound Relax. Open your mouth slightly, with your teeth parted. Lightly place the tip of your tongue between your teeth – but not between your lips. Stay relaxed. Don’t press your tongue or bite down. Make the th sound by blowing air gently through the opening between your tongue and teeth. Try whispering the “thanks” to make the voiceless sound. To check that air is coming through, hold a piece of paper in front of your mouth. Make the paper move with your moving air. Try whispering the word “thanks” to make the voiceless sound. TRY THIS if you’re having trouble making the voiced sound: Begin my making a relaxed vowel sound, like “uh”. Keep saying “uhhhhhhhhh” as you move your mouth into position for the th sound. Say, “them”.

PRACTICE: Say these pairs of words to practice the voiceless th sound. thank sank mouth mouse thick sick path pass think sink thing sing

Say these words to practice the voiced th sound. they the this that father mother

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CONSONANTS LISTENING FOR THE th SOUND

Listening for the th Sound

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER:

v Have students number a piece of paper from 1–12. v Read the following sets of words aloud. v For each set, have students write the number 1, 2, or 3, depending on how many times they hear a word with the th sound. v Stop after each set and make sure students have the correct answer. Discuss any confusion.

1. think think sink Answer: 2 2. tree tree three Answer: 2 3. tenth tent tenth Answer: 2 4. bath bath bath Answer: 3 5. mat mat math Answer: 1 6. fourth fourth force Answer: 2 7. true true true Answer: 0 8. through true through Answer: 2 9. mouth mouse mouse Answer: 1 10. boat boat both Answer: 1 11. theme seem theme Answer: 2 12. death death deaf Answer: 2

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CONSONANTS MORE PRACTICE WITH THE th SOUND

More Practice with the th Sound

Practice with a partner. Remember to relax your lips and tongue when you make the th sound.

v Say a word from either column A or column B. Ask your partner which word he/she heard.

A B 1. theme seem 2. sank thank 3. tense tenth 4. face faith 5. think sink 6. bath bat 7. thanks tanks 8. sought taught 9. thin tin 10. free three

v Say these words. Then read the sentences aloud. Ask your partner to pay attention to how you say th.

thanks think something both thing nothing anything this thought everything month that . 1. Thanks for everything! 2. He thought that both bills were due this month. 3. You should take something for that headache. 4. My father always told me, “Nothing lasts forever.” 5. Both girls should get something special for their hard work. 6. I think his birthday is this month.

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CONSONANTS PRACTICING th IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FAMILY

Practicing th in Conversations about Family

Work with a partner.

v First, practice these words:

father mother brother grandfather grandmother this think thing

v Next, draw your family tree on a piece of paper, beginning with your grandparents. Tell your partner about your family.

v Ask each other questions, such as: o What’s the most surprising or interesting thing about your [family member]? o Do you think your grandparents [or parents] would like living in this country? o Do any of your family members have a birthday in the same month as you?

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SYLLABLE STRESS

The Syllable Stress Video can be found at: [Link to be added after production of video. See script included in this section.]

Name of Activity / Handout Tutor Initials and Date

Key Ideas from Syllable Stress Video

Quick Practice

Listening: How Many Syllables?

Listening: Odd Word Out

Handout: 1, 2, 3, or 4 Syllables?

2-Syllable Noun Exploration

Compound Noun Exploration

Game: Compound Noun Shout-Out Game: 2-Syllable and Compound Noun

Memory Chain Handout: Syllable Stress for Words Ending in -ion, -ian,

-ity-, ic, -ical A Stress Rule for Words Ending in –ate Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress

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Key Ideas from Syllable Stress Video

Why syllable stress matters Let’s start with this sentence: [spoken in the video with the indicated stress] kaTHY APpealed the COMmittee About planTING floWERS.

All of the individual sounds were pronounced correct (or reasonably so…), but the stress was on the wrong syllable in each word. It was very difficult to understand.

Syllable stress is a really important component of intelligibility.

Teaching numbers of syllables It’s important to use the body: tap, clap, move somehow. It helps!

Recommended: Use underlines or dots. This makes it easy to just approximate the beginning/end of each syllable. Also, it allows you put the focus on the vowel in each syllable.

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Noticing and producing syllable stress Noticing syllable stress can be tricky at first. It takes practice, even for native English speakers sometimes.

It can be helpful to use hand motions that indicate the lengthening of the vowel to try out different syllables to stress and see which is correct. Say family, and move your hands apart on the fa, as if stretching a rubberband. But for new vocabulary, students often have to be told which syllable is stressed. Then make sure they mark it and practice it.

In English, stress is produced by making increasing volume and increasing pitch, but the key way is to focus stretching the vowel a little bit: family, convenient, open.

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SYLLABLE STRESS QUICK PRACTICE

Quick Practice

v Refer to Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice for words to use, or make up your own list of words to focus on. Unfortunately, English is complicated and there aren’t many clear-cut rules for determining which syllable receives the stress in a word. (A few of those rules and patterns are covered in later activities.) As a result, practice and repetition are important. Don’t neglect syllable stress. It’s very important for intelligibility!

v Take a few minutes to practice listening for the number of syllables and/or the stressed syllable when you introduce or review vocabulary.

v Remember to use movements and/or gestures: For example: o To count syllables § Have students CLAP each syllable as they say the word aloud § Have students TAP each syllable (by tapping on a table, or by tapping one finger in the palm of the other hand). o To show stress § Rubberband Method: Loop a rubberband over each thumb. Say the word aloud and pull hands apart to stretch the rubber band at the stressed syllable. **The lengthening of the rubber band should correspond to the slight lengthening of the vowel sound in the stressed syllable. § Invisible Rubberband Method: Just pantomime the rubberband method without a rubber band. § Open/Closed Fist Method: Hold fist in the air. Open fingers wide on the stressed syllable, close to a fist on the unstressed syllable(s).

v Emphasize the importance of vowel length (vowel sound duration) for producing a stressed syllable. While it’s true that a stressed syllable is often louder and higher pitched, those features are difficult to perceive and produce. Keep pointing out that slightly stretched vowel sound in the stressed syllables. (Note that it’s probably good to avoid saying that the vowel is longer. This could be confused with the idea of a long vs short vowel. Instead, use words like stretched, lengthened, elongated.)

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v Suggestion: There are many ways to notate the number of syllables or syllable stress. Students will see many examples in reference books, such as:

umBRELLa umbrella um brell a um brellʹ a

However, for classroom use, using simple underlines (with the boldest line representing the stressed syllable) is an effective and flexible method.

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SYLLABLE STRESS LISTENING: HOW MANY SYLLABLES?

Listening: How Many Syllables?

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: 1. Use 10–20 words of your choice, or choose words from Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice. 2. Have students number a sheet of paper from 1–10 (or more). 3. Say a word (using your normal rate of speech) and have student write the word and number of syllables they hear. Depending on students’ proficiency levels, you may wish to have them write only the number of syllables. Remind students to use movement or gesture (clapping, tapping, etc.) to determine the number of syllables. 4. After each word, write it on the board and discuss the number of syllables.

ADAPTATIONS: § Use pairs of similar-sounding words, and choose ONE of the words to read aloud. Have students indicate how many syllables they hear. (Later in the exercise, use the other word in the pair.) o run, runny o door, adore o prayed, parade o flow, fellow o magic, magical o mix, mixer o blow, below o rent, rented o eat, eaten o tire, attire o sneeze, sneezes o sport, support o claps, collapse

§ For a challenge: Read an entire sentence aloud. Have students write the sentence (or just listen…), then count the number of syllables in the entire sentence.

Examples: o How are you? (3) o I love learning English. (6) o The weather is very nice today. (9) o Would you like any milk or sugar for your coffee? (13) o My brother likes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. (14) o Maria was extremely delighted to meet my wonderful friend, Rodrigo. (20)

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SYLLABLE STRESS LISTENING: ODD WORD OUT

Listening: Odd Word Out

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: 1. Use words of your choice, or choose words from Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice. 2. Tell students that you’re going to read 3 words: Word A, Word B, and Word C. Two of them have the same number of syllables, but one has a different number of syllables. Their task to determine which word has the different number of syllables.

Examples: A B C 1 bagel mushroom celery (different) 2 auditorium (different) gymnasium refrigerator 3 egg cheese apple (different) 4 Friday Saturday (different) Sunday 5 disgusted embarrassed uncomfortable (different) 6 cabinet (different) kitchen counter 7 shampoo conditioner (different) hair spray

To make a silly game out of this activity:

Have each student draw the following on a sheet of paper:

A B C

Before the teacher says the each set of 3 words, each student places a marker (like a coin or Bingo marker) on either A, B, or C. Then the teacher reads the set of 3 words and students decide which word is unlike the others. If, for example, the different word is “Word A”, then any student who put their marker on “A” gets a point. If the different word is “Word B”, then any student who put their marker on “B” gets a point, etc. Students keep track of points. The winner is the student with the most points at the end of the exercise/game.

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SYLLABLE STRESS 1, 2, 3, or 4 SYLLABLES?

1, 2, 3, or 4 Syllables?

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: § Decide if you want students to use words from a list or book you supply, words from Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice, or words that they generate themselves. (One way to have students generate words is to take a walk around the school and name the things they see.)

§ Supply a category at the top of the handout (shown on the next page). Some examples: Food Words, Body Words, Things in the Classroom, Cities and/or Countries, etc.

§ Consider having students work with partners or in groups.

§ Extend by having students also determine which syllable is stressed in each word.

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1, 2, 3, or 4 Syllables?

INSTRUCTIONS: How many syllables do you hear? Write each word in the correct column.

Category:

1 Syllable 2 Syllables 3 Syllables 4 Syllables * * * * * * * * * *

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SYLLABLE STRESS 2-SYLLABLE NOUN EXPLORATION

2-Syllable Noun Exploration

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: 1. Display 2-syllable nouns of your choice, or display examples from the Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice.

2. Tell students that they are going to do an exercise that will help them discover a useful pattern about 2-syllable word stress. Explain that the class will examine each word and you will record either a 1 (to indicate “stress the first syllable”) or a 2 (to indicate “stress the second syllable”) next to each word.

3. Work as a whole class (or have students work with a partner first) and examine each 2-syllable noun. Use the “invisible rubber band method” (see Quick Practice) to help determine whether the first or second part is stressed. Note that students will probably have a sense about the correct stress on some of the words, but don’t expect them to intuit all of the examples. In some cases, you’ll have to just tell them the answer.

4. When you’re finished marking the list, ask student what they notice. The students should notice that a very high percentage of the 2-syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable. (In fact, about 90% of 2-syllable nouns have first-syllable stress.) Point out that this is a useful pattern. When in doubt about how to pronounce a 2-syllable noun, try the first syllable. There’s a good chance you’ll be correct!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Unfortunately, the same high-percentage pattern does not hold true for 2-syllable verbs. While many 2-syllable verbs are stressed on the SECOND syllable (for example, enJOY, beLIEVE, reLAX, comPLAIN, beHAVE, inSIST), the percentage is only about 60%.

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SYLLABLE STRESS COMPOUND NOUN EXPLORATION

Compound Noun Exploration

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: 1. Display a list of compound nouns of your choice, or display examples from the Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice.

2. Explain the term compound noun: A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words. In English, most compound nouns are made up of two nouns or an adjective and a noun. For example, the words basket and ball can both stand alone as words. Combined, they form a new word, basketball.

Compound nouns are very common in the English language. Some compound nouns are spelled with no space between the two words (basketball, toothpaste, bedroom), some are spelled with a space (living room, bus stop, smoke detector), and a few are hyphenated (merry-go-round, dry-cleaning).

3. Tell students that they are going to do an exercise that will help them discover a useful rule about how to know which part of the compound noun should get the stress. Explain that the class will examine each compound noun and you will record either a 1 (to indicate “stress the first part”) or a 2 (to indicate “stress the second part”) next to each word.

4. Work as a whole class (or have students work with a partner first) and examine each compound noun. Use the “invisible rubber band method” (see Quick Practice) to help determine whether the first or second part is stressed. Note that students will probably have a sense about the correct stress on some of the words, but don’t expect them to intuit all of the examples. In some cases, you’ll have to just tell them the answer.

5. When you’re finished with the list, the students will notice that ALL the compound nouns are stressed on the first part. Point out that this is a useful (and unusually consistent!) rule to know: Compound nouns are pronounced as a single word, with the stress on the first part.

FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION: Examine these sets of sentences: I live in a white HOUSE. She lives in a green HOUSE. The President lives in the WHITEhouse. Put the plants in the GREENhouse.

In the first sentence of each pair, the color word simply describes the house. There is no compound noun. But the second sentence of each pair contains a compound noun that names a very specific house. The stress changes accordingly.

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SYLLABLE STRESS GAME: COMPOUND NOUN SHOUT-OUT

Game: Compound Noun Shout-Out

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: 1. Create a list of 20 (or more) compound nouns of your choice, or use examples from the Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice. Also make individual cards or slips of paper with one of the compound nouns written on each card. Put all the cards in a bag or box.

2. Display or distribute the list to students and make sure everyone knows the meaning of each compound noun. Practice pronouncing each compound noun with the correct stress.

3. Then have students put the lists away and/or erase the words from the board.

4. Divide the class into two teams and have the teams sit near each other in a circle.

5. Decide which team goes first. Players on that team take turns drawing a card and giving clues without using any part of the compound noun in the clue. All the teammates try to guess which compound noun is being described. For example, if a player draws the compound noun hair dryer, he/she might say, You point this at the stuff that grows on your head to make it not wet. (You can also allow the player to pantomime the word, if you wish.) When a teammate guesses the word, confirm that it is correct and ask the whole team to shout out the compound noun – with the correct stress, of course! (Note: If the team is unable to guess the word, allow the player to PASS or to choose another card from the bag.)

6. Repeat with the other team.

7. You can set a time limit – say, 3 minutes – for each team and keep track of how many correct answers each team gets in the allotted time.

VARIATION: Play noncompetitively as a whole group.

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SYLLABLE STRESS GAME: 2-SYLLABLE & COMPOUND NOUN MEMORY CHAIN

Game: 2-Syllable & Compound Noun Memory Chain

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: 1. Display a thematic list of 2-syllable nouns and compound nouns of your choice, or use one of the lists below. Practice the pronunciation of each word, reminding students about the stress rule for compound nouns (first syllable is always stressed) and that most 2-syllable nouns are stressed on the first syllable.

NEW HOUSE LIST DOCTOR LIST SHOPPING LIST lampshades eyebrow pasta nightstand eyelid lemons alarm clock eyelashes mushrooms shower curtain ankle bagels tablecloth elbow biscuits mattress forehead cookies teapot rib cage onions tea cups knee cap raisins blender shoulder blade salad coffee mugs toenail salmon toilet paper liver sugar placemats kidney yogurt trashcan stomach oranges bath towels muscle apples coffeemaker forearm ice cream coffee table blueberries table watermelon hamper sweet potatoes dresser oatmeal

2. Have students sit in a circle with you. (The example corresponds to the New House List.) 3. Begin by saying, “I just moved into a new house and I unpacked the [choice something from the list…such as alarm clock.]” 4. The next student in the circle says, “I just moved into a new house and I unpacked the [item of choice…such as blender] and the alarm clock. 5. The next person in the circle continues: “I just moved into a new house and I unpacked the [item of choice…such as bath towels] the blender and the alarm clock. 6. This continues around the circle with each student adding a new item to the unpacked list while saying all the previous items. 7. When the turn comes back to the first person (in this example, the teacher), that person must say the entire list.

For the DOCTOR LIST, use the sentence: I’m going to the doctor because I have a pain in my ______. . . .

For the SHOPPING LIST, use the sentence: I’m going to the store to buy some ______. . . .

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SYLLABLE STRESS SYLLABLE STRESS FOR WORDS ENDING IN -ion, -ian, -ity-, ic, -ical

Syllable Stress for Words Ending in -ion, -ian, -ity-, ic, -ical

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER: This activity is designed to help students discover a stress rule for words that end in -ion, -ian, -ity, -ic, -ical.

1. Explain that a suffix is a letter or letters added to the end of a word to form a new (but related) word. For example, when the suffix –ness is added to happy, the word happiness is formed. When the suffix –ly is added to happy, the word happily is formed. And when the suffix –est is added to happy, the word happiest is formed.

2. Say the words HAPpy, HAPpiness, HAPpily, and HAPpiest. Have students repeat along with you. Ask: Does the stress change when the suffixes were added? No. In many cases, suffixes do not change the stress.

3. But some suffixes do change the stress. In this exercise, students will pay close attention to the suffixes -ion, -ian, -ity, -ic, -ical.

4. Distribute the handout on the next page. (Answer key on the following page.)

5. Have students examine the examples in the first few rows. Then have them (with assistance) fill out the last column for the remaining words.

6. Guide the discussion to point out that with the suffixes -ion, -ian, -ity, -ic, -ical, the stress is always on the syllable JUST BEFORE the suffix, even if the stress must shift to do so.

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Syllable Stress for Words Ending in -ion, -ian, -ity-, ic, -ical

Make a new word ending in –ion, - Word ian, -ity, -ic, –ical. Mark the stress. 1 appreciate appreciAtion

2 electric elecTRIcity

3 graduate

4 celebrate

5 allergy

6 economy

7 personal

8 possible

9 hero

10 perfect

11 music

12 athlete

13 secure

14 educate

15 history

What do you notice about the stress when a word ends in –ion, -ian, -ity, -ic, -ical ?

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Syllable Stress for Words Ending in -ion, -ian, -ity-, ic, -ical ANSWER KEY

Make a new word ending in –ion, - Word ian, -ity, -ic, –ical. Mark the stress. 1 appreciate appreciAtion

2 electric elecTRIcity

3 graduate graduAtion

4 celebrate celebrAtion

5 allergy alLERgic

6 economy ecoNOMics, ecoNOMical

7 personal persoNALity

8 possible possiBILity

9 hero heROic

10 perfect perFECtion

11 music muSIcian

12 athlete athLEtic

13 secure seCURity

14 educate eduCAtion hisSTORian, hisSTORic, 15 history hisSTORical

What do you notice about the stress when a word ends in –ion, -ian, -ity, -ic, -ical ? When a word ends in -ion, -ian, -ity, -ic, -ical, the stress is always on the syllable JUST BEFORE the suffix.

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SYLLABLE STRESS A STRESS RULE FOR WORDS ENDING IN –ate

A Stress Rule for Words Ending in –ate

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER:

Write the following words on the board: demonstrate educate communicate participate

Ask students what the words have in common. (They all end in –ate.)

Using lines or dots or other clear markings, work together to mark each syllable and to indicate the syllable with the main stress in each word: demonstrate educate communicate participate = - - = - - - = - - - = - -

Ask students if they notice any pattern. Guide the discussion to point out that the stress falls two syllables before the –ate ending.

Display the following words (without the stress marking shown) and have students work with a partner to practice pronouncing them with correct syllable stress. Then review as a whole group. hibernate concentrate generate intoxicate investigate evaporate hesitate indicate accelerate contaminate negotiate duplicate incorporate estimate concentrate

CHALLENGE: (To use if students have already had the syllable stress lesson about the suffix –ion)

Now add the suffix –ion to each of the words above. How does the stress change? Example: concentrate à concentration

137 Linda M. Sims 2018 Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice

Thematic Vocabulary for Syllable Stress Practice*

SCHOOL

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables Compound art college eraser Nouns bookcase chair degree history bulletin board coach language library chalkboard desk locker principal chalkboard grades marker 4 syllables classroom gym music dictionary community college map pencil gymnasium desk chair math preschool mathematics desktop pen ruler elementary school tape science 5 syllables

grad school scissors auditorium graduate school stapler cafeteria hallway student university

headphones teacher

high school keyboard laptop middle school

notebook notebook paper paper clip pencil sharpener physical education restroom textbook whiteboard workbook

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WEATHER

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables Compound clear blizzard Celsius Nouns dust storm cold breezy Fahrenheit hailstorm cool cloudy 4 syllables heat wave hail degrees temperature snowstorm hot foggy thermometer thunderstorm rain freezing sleet humid snow icy sun lightning warm raining wind smoggy

snowy sunny thunder windy

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CALENDAR/TIME

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables Compound date April December Nouns afternoon day August evening sunrise fall autumn November sunset June early October weekdays late Friday Saturday weekend March July September May midnight tomorrow month Monday yesterday night morning 4 syllables noon summer February spring Sunday January week Thursday year today

Tuesday Wednesday winter

FAMILY

1 syllable 2 syllables Compound aunt brother husband Nouns grandfather dad cousin married grandmother mom daughter mother stepbrother niece divorced nephew stepfather son father single stepmother wife grandma sister

stepsister grandpa uncle

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FEELINGS

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables Compound bored afraid disgusted Nouns homesick calm angry embarrassed cold confused excited full happy frustrated hot hungry

hurt lonely 5 syllables proud nervous uncomfortable

sad relieved scared sleepy sick surprised

tired thirsty well upset

worried

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HOME

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables Compound chair attic apartment Nouns (cont’d) emergency exit couch basement balcony fireplace crib blanket cabinet garbage can dish blender microwave hand towel door broiler patio lampshade floor carpet landlord fork closet 4 syllables laundry room gate counter elevator light switch grill curtains television living room hose drawer mailbox house dresser 5 syllables mixing bowl key dryer refrigerator nightstand knife faucet Compound pillowcase lamp freezer Nouns placemat lease garage security camera pan garden alarm clock shower curtain plate hamper bath towel smoke detector pot kitchen bathroom soap dish rent mattress bathtub stairway roof mirror bedroom tablecloth rug napkin bedroom tea cup sheet oven bunk beds teakettle shelf pillow coffee mug teapot sink shower coffee table toilet paper soap sofa coffeemaker toothbrush spoon sprinkler cutting board toothpaste stairs table dining room towel rack stove toaster dishwasher washcloth wall toilet doorbell

doorknob washer window driveway

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FOOD

1 syllable oil garlic pineapple beans peach kiwi potato beef pear lemon raspberry beet peas lettuce spaghetti bread pie mango strawberry bread plum melon tomato cake pork mushroom vegetables cheese prune onion zucchini chicken rice orange corn shrimp pasta 4 syllables cream snack pepper asparagus date soup radish cauliflower duck squash raisins eggs steak salad fig Compound tea salmon Nouns fish sandwich blackberry flour 2 syllables sausage blueberry fruit apple spinach eggplant grapes bacon sugar grapefruit ham bagel tuna grocery bag juice biscuits turkey ice cream lime breakfast waffles oatmeal lunch butter yogurt pancakes meat cabbage shopping list milk carrot 3 syllables sweet potato cherries apricot watermelon chicken banana coffee broccoli cookie celery dessert coconut dinner cucumber

papaya

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BODY

1 syllable 2 syllables Compound arm knee ankle Nouns eyebrow back leg elbow eyelashes bone lip forehead eyelid brain lungs muscle fingernail cheek ribs shoulder rib cage chest shin stomach

chin skin foot spine

gum teeth hand thigh heart throat heel tongue

jaw wrist

HYGIENE

1 syllable 2 syllables 4 syllables Compound brush lotion conditioner Nouns curling iron comb razor deodorant dental floss soap shampoo moisturizer

hair dryer hair spray mouthwash nail clipper nail polish razorblade shaving cream sunscreen toothbrush toothpaste

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TRANSPORTATION

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables Compound bike baggage arrival Nouns air bag brakes engine bicycle airplane bridge luggage departure airport car pilot passenger boarding pass flight taxi 4 syllables bus stop gate tunnel

helicopter flight attendant hood transportation gas tank horn headlights road highway street license plate tire motorcycle train passport truck seat belt trunk

steering wheel subway

windshield

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CLOTHING

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables Compound belt earmuffs pajamas Nouns bathing suit blouse jacket umbrella handbag boots leggings nightgown cap mittens raincoat coat parka sweatpants dress sandals swimsuit gloves sweater underwear hat t-shirt

jeans pants purse robe scarf shirt shoes shorts skirt socks tie trunks vest

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WORK

1 syllable 3 syllables 4 syllables Compound chef accountant application Nouns babysitter clerk architect receptionist construction worker cook carpenter supervisor dishwasher job employee 5 syllables factory worker nurse employment veterinarian firefighter engineer hair stylist 2 syllables gardener homemaker baker interview police officer career mechanic postal worker musician

cashier security guard doctor social worker farmer truck driver lawyer

paycheck server soldier teacher

writer

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SPORTS

1 syllable 2 syllables 3 syllables Compound ball biking archery Nouns baseball bat bowling badminton basketball catch boxing gymnastics football coach fencing official horseracing goal racket referee ice skating golf soccer uniform martial arts hit swimming raquetball jump tennis scoreboard kick umpire skateboarding lift wrestling

softball net table tennis ride volleyball score weightlifting swim team throw

* Word lists adapted from: Adelson-Goldstein, J. & Shapiro, N. (2015). Oxford Picture Dictionary: Monolingual. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Sentence Stress & Rhythm

The Sentence Stress & Rhythm Video can be found at: [Link to be added after production of video. See script included in this section.]

Name of Activity / Handout Tutor Initials and Date Key Ideas from

Sentence Stress & Rhythm Video Handout: Content Words and Rhythm

Handout: Contractions of “to be”

Handout: Contractions Ending in ’s

Handout: Contractions Ending in ’ll

Handout: Contractions Ending in n’t

Handout: Can and Can’t

Handout: Contractions Ending in ’d

Handout: Contractions Ending in ’ve

Handout: Contractions Ending in ’re Listening for Contractions

Handout: Trimming “Have”

Handout: Trimming “To”

Handout: More Trimming Listening for Trimming

Handout: Linking Consonant to Vowel

Handout: Linking Vowel to Vowel Look & Listen for Linking

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Key Ideas from Sentence Stress & Rhythm Video

Content words are of interest to us because English has a rhythm, or a beat. And we tend to but the strongest beats on the content words. The words that carry the meaning usually get the most stress.

Try the sentence with clapping, starting with caveman version:

X X X HELP FIND RESTaurant

Now, notice that when we add the other words in—which makes the sentence LONGER—the sentence doesn’t really take much longer to say:

X X X “Can you help me find a good restaurant?”

X X X Can you guys help me find a really good restaurant?”

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So in this topic of Sentence Stress & Rhythm, we’re going to look at ways that we change words to squeeze them in so they fit in the rhythm of English.

Contractions Contract means to make smaller. (Think: contract - expand.) In English, we can choose to contract words like do not to don’t, and she will to she’ll.

Contractions are very common in English. They help maintain good rhythm. Being familiar with contractions makes easier for students to understand others, even if they don’t yet use contractions themselves.

It’s very common to trim away the “to” when we speak. For example: going to becomes gonna, have to become hafta, want to becomes wanna.

It’s also very common to trim away “have”. For example: must have become musta, could have becomes coulda.

And there are other common examples: kind of → kinda, give me → gimme, what are you doing → whatcha doing.

It’s important to note that the main point of these activities about trimming is to help students understand others when native English speakers use these trimmed

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words in everyday speech. Don’t worry about whether students can produce them consistently.

Linking When we write in English, we put spaces between the words. But when we speak in English, we connect the ending sound of one word to the beginning sound of the next word.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CONTENT WORDS AND RHYTHM

Content Words and Rhythm

Clap the rhythm as you say the sentences below. EXAMPLE 1 X X X Students learn English. The students are learning some English. All the students have been learning lots of English.

EXAMPLE 2 X X X Dogs chase cats. The dogs chase the cats. The big dogs have been chasing yellow cats.

EXAMPLE 3 X X X Children play tag. The children are playing some tag. The tired children had been playing a game of tag.

EXAMPLE 4 X X X Children look happy. The children are looking so happy. The noisy children are looking really happy.

EXAMPLE 5 X X X Men sing songs. The men are singing the songs. The handsome men have been singing beautiful songs.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CONTRACTIONS of “TO BE”

Listen and repeat these contractions of the verb “to be”

I am à I’m I’m having dinner with my mom. you are à you’re You’re very good at speaking English! he is à he’s Do you think he’s home? she is à she's She’s playing soccer. we are à we're Do you know where we’re going? you are à you’re You’re both excellent cooks! they are à they’re I think they’re very friendly.

Ask each other the following questions. Use a contraction when you answer. (It’s okay to make up an answer that’s not true!)

Example: Person 1: What are you and your family going to eat for dinner tonight? Person 2: We’re going to have chicken.

1. What are you doing after class today? 2. Do you think I’m a friendly person? 3. Where are you and your friends going? 4. How would you describe your best friend? 5. What are the teachers like at your school? 6. Are you a student? 7. Are your friends proud of you for learning English?

LISTEN CAREFULLY: Listen to your teacher read the following sentences. What sound do you hear at the end of the words she’s and he’s? Do you hear the “s” sound or the “z” sound? Practice saying she’s and he’s with the correct ending sound.

§ I think she’s happy about moving into a new apartment. § He’s always hungry when he gets home from work.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CONTRACTIONS ENDING IN ’S Contractions Ending in ’s There are many ’s contractions made by combining words with is, has, and us. Say these contractions: he has becomes he’s He has never missed a day of school. He’s never missed a day of school.

how is becomes how’s How is your mother doing? How’s your mother doing?

let us becomes let’s Let us go shopping tomorrow. Let’s go shopping tomorrow.

when is becomes when’s When is the next bus arriving? When’s the next bus arriving?

there is becomes there’s Eek! There is a mouse in my kitchen! Eek! There’s a mouse in my kitchen!

Look at the examples above. Discuss with your teacher: Which contractions are used mainly in spoken (not formal written) communication?

PRACTICE: Find places where you could make contractions if you were speaking the sentences below. Read each sentence out loud.

1. Here is the hamburger that you ordered. 2. That is a very pretty dress! 3. Sarah told me she has never been to Chicago. 4. He is such a happy little boy! 5. Do you know if there is a train that can take me there? 6. When is your birthday? 7. How is the weather today?

YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING: Should the ending sound be an “s” sound or a “z” sound? The rules are complicated, but the good news is that you will be understood no matter which ending sound you use. So don’t worry about it!

DISCUSS WITH YOUR TEACHER: Sometimes ’s is used for contractions, but sometimes ’s is used for possessives (to show ownership). Talk about the difference between: Mary’s going shopping. Mary’s hat is red.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CONTRACTIONS ENDING IN ’LL

Contractions Ending in ’ll There are many ’ll contractions made by combining words with will. Say these contractions: I will becomes I’ll I will go with you. I’ll go with you.

it will becomes it’ll It will be fun to have a new puppy. It’ll be fun to have a new puppy.

she will becomes she’ll What do you think she will do? What do you think she’ll do?

you will becomes you’ll I hope you will visit again soon! I hope you’ll visit again soon!

they will becomes they’ll They will be here in 5 minutes. They’ll be here in 5 minutes.

that will becomes that’ll That will never happen! That’ll never happen!

Look at the examples above. Discuss with your teacher: Which contractions are used mainly in spoken (not formal written) communication?

PRACTICE: Find places where you could make contractions if you were speaking the sentences below. Read each sentence out loud.

1. I think he will really like this restaurant. 2. You will enjoy the movie more if you read the book first. 3. This computer is very old. I don’t think it will ever work again. 4. I will see you tomorrow. 5. I think that will make her happy. 6. Ben told me we will be staying at his house. 7. They will be here soon.

FOR MORE HELP: It’s difficult for many English learners to pronounce the “l” sound at the end of a word. For helpful advice, google “Rachel’s English, dark L sound”, or go here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP0jHNoFqWo and begin listening at 2:38.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CONTRACTIONS ENDING IN N’T

Contractions Ending in n’t There are many ’nt contractions made by combining words with not. Say these contractions:

did not becomes didn’t David did not like the movie. David didn’t like the movie.

do not becomes don’t I do not understand. I don’t understand.

cannot becomes can’t She can not play the piano. She can’t play the piano.

have not becomes haven’t You have not finished your work yet? You haven’t finished your work yet?

will not becomes won’t He will not eat broccoli. He won’t eat broccoli.

should not becomes shouldn’t Children should not play with fire. Children shouldn’t play with fire.

PRACTICE: Find places where you could make contractions if you were speaking the sentences below. Read each sentence out loud.

1. I would not try that if I were you! 2. He has not seen his family in over a year. 3. This box is heavy! I cannot move it. 4. She did not remember to take out the trash. 5. I do not like onions. 6. He could not come to the party because he was sick. 7. Rachel does not know how to swim. 8. He will not let me borrow his car. 9. They are not staying for dinner.

DISCUSS: Is there a difference in meaning between these two sentences? § I don’t want to go. § I do NOT want to go!

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CAN and CAN’T

Can and Can’t

Some English learners have difficulty hearing the difference between CAN and CAN’T. That’s because it’s hard to hear the “t” at the end of CAN’T. So let’s listen for something in addition to the “t”.

§ CAN is often reduced (trimmed) so that the “a” sound almost disappears. For example, when English speakers say “I can do it”, it sounds like “I kn do it.” If you hear “kn”, the word is always CAN. When we say CAN’T, the “a” sound always makes the sound of “a” as in “bat”. It is never reduced (trimmed).

PRACTICE: Work with a partner. Partner 1 chooses to say either Sentence A or Sentence B. Partner 2 says the matching answer, depending on whether she heard “can” or “can’t”.

Examples: Partner 1: He can’t go. (The “a” should be fully pronounced.) Partner 2: That’s too bad!

Partner 1: She can help you. (Say: “She kn help you.” or “Shekin help you.”) Partner 2: Oh good! I really need some help!

1. A. He can go. I’m so glad! B. He can’t go. That’s too bad.

2. A. We can eat now. Oh good, I’m starving! B. We can’t eat now. Why not?

3. A. Why can you buy that? Because I have enough money. B. Why can’t you buy that? Because I don’t have any money.

4. A. They can wait ten more minutes. I’m glad they have time. B. They can’t wait ten more minutes. Okay. They can come back later.

5. A. She can help you. Oh good! I really need some help! B. She can’t help you. Oh, that’s too bad.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CONTRACTIONS ENDING IN ’D

Contractions Ending in ’d There are many ’d contractions made by combining words with had, would, and did. Say these contractions: I would becomes I’d I would love to learn how to dance. I’d love to learn how to dance.

we had becomes we’d We had never seen that before. We’d never seen that before.

you would becomes you’d I think you would be very proud. I think you’d be very proud.

that would becomes that’d That would be great! That’d be great!

how did becomes how’d How did it taste? How’d it taste?

where did becomes where’d Where did you put my keys? Where’d you put my keys?

Look at the examples above. Discuss with your teacher: Which contractions are used mainly in spoken (not formal written) communication?

PRACTICE: Find places where you could make contractions if you were speaking the sentences below. Read each sentence out loud.

1. How did Maria do on the test? 2. They had never been to New York City. 3. Do you think you would like to learn to swim? 4. It would be a big surprise if he won the race. 5. I would like another piece of chocolate, please. Make that two, please. 6. Where did she buy that beautiful scarf? 7. We would be very grateful if you helped us move. 8. You had better study if you want to pass the test.

TRY THIS: Make up a sentence of your own with a ’d contraction. Say the sentence to a partner.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CONTRACTIONS ENDING IN ’VE

Contractions Ending in ’ve There are many ’ve contractions made by combining words with have. Say these contractions: I have becomes I’ve I have never tried fried bananas. I’ve never tried fried bananas.

we have becomes we’ve We have been friends for a long time. We’ve been friends for a long time.

should have becomes should’ve I’m sorry. I should have asked first. I’m sorry. I should’ve asked first.

they have becomes they’ve They have been waiting for an hour. They’ve been waiting for an hour.

how have becomes how’ve How have you been feeling? How’ve you been feeling?

where have becomes where’ve Where have you been? Where’ve you been?

Look at the examples above. Discuss with your teacher: Which contractions are used mainly in spoken (not formal written) communication?

PRACTICE: Find places where you could make contractions if you were speaking the sentences below. Read each sentence out loud.

1. What have you been doing with all your free time? 2. They have always been very nice to me. 3. I have traveled all across the United States. 4. She could have passed the test very easily. 5. Where have you been all my life? 6. Lisa should have gone to the hospital after she fell off the roof. 7. I know you have been very busy. 8. How have your parents been?

TRY THIS: Make up a sentence of your own with a ’ve contraction. Say the sentence to a partner.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM CONTRACTIONS ENDING IN ’RE

Contractions Ending in ’re There are many ’re contractions made by combining words with are. Say these contractions:

you are becomes you’re I think you are a great friend. I think you’re a great friend.

they are becomes they’re They are late…again! They’re late…again!

we are becomes we’re We are eating first, then shopping. We’re eating first, then shopping.

what are becomes what’re What are you doing this weekend? What’re you doing this weekend?

Look at the examples above. Discuss with your teacher: Which contractions are used mainly in spoken (not formal written) communication?

PRACTICE: Find places where you could make contractions if you were speaking the sentences below. Read each sentence out loud.

1. We are going to Paris! 2. You are kidding me! 3. What are you doing here? I thought you didn’t like loud concerts. 4. They are going to take care of my dog while I’m on vacation.

MORE TO THINK ABOUT: The contraction they’re sounds the same as there, and their. The contraction you’re sounds the same as your. Use these sentences to discuss the differences:

§ They’re going shopping § I live in that house over there. § Jim and Pam just arrived. Oh! I like their new car!

§ Your pants are too short because you’re so tall!

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM LISTENING FOR CONTRACTIONS

Listening for Contractions** **For use AFTER completing all the CONTRACTION handouts. INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: This is a listening exercise. Begin by reading each sentence at your normal rate of speech, as if you’re talking to a native English speaker. Then repeat more slowly if students struggle to understand. Have students listen for examples of contractions. Discuss as you go. For example, “You heard should’ve. Great. What is should’ve a contraction of?....That’s right, should have.”

(If there’s more than one teacher in the classroom, take turns reading the sentences so students have opportunities to hear different voices. It’s good practice!)

1. He’s really happy that they’re coming to visit. (He is…..they are…)

2. You’re kidding me! I can’t believe she didn’t like the food. (You are….cannot….did not…)

3. It’ll be really great to see him again. I wonder he’s still working. (It will….he is…)

4. How’d did she finish the race so fast? I think she’ll definitely win a medal this year. (How did….She will…)

5. We shouldn’t be here. Let’s go home. (should not…let us…)

BONUS: I wouldn’t’ve passed the test without your help. (would not have)

IF YOU HAVE TIME: Ask students to share if they have contractions in their native languages.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM TRIMMING “HAVE”

Trimming “have”

must have sounds like musta I must have fallen asleep. I musta fallen asleep.

could have sounds like coulda You could have been a famous singer! You coulda been a famous singer!

should have sounds like shoulda I should have practiced more. I shoulda practiced more.

would have sounds like woulda I would have given you a ride home. I would have given you a ride home.

Practice: Trim the “have” in each sentence as you read it aloud.

1. He should have asked me before he borrowed my car. 2. She’s usually not late. She must have gotten lost. 3. I would have baked you a cake if I had known it was your birthday. 4. I’m really tired today. I should have gone to bed earlier yesterday.

TRY THIS: Work with a partner. Complete the sentences below using should have, must have, could have, or would have in your answer. Then trim the “have” as you say the sentences out loud.

1. I can’t believe I lost my keys again! I ______.

2. It’s very unusual for Tony to be late. He ______.

3. If we had known you were sick, we ______.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM TRIMMING “TO”

Trimming “To”

want to sounds like wanna Do you want to go to the store with me? Do you wanna go to the store with me?

has to sounds like hasta He has to make dinner. He hasta make dinner.

have to sounds like hafta I have to call my brother. I hafta call my brother.

going to sounds like gonna I’m going to buy some new shoes. I’m gonna buy some new shoes.

got to sounds like gotta She’s got to finish her homework. She’s gotta finish her homework.

ought to sounds like oughtta He ought to buy his girlfriend a gift. He oughtta buy his girlfriend a gift.

Practice: Trim the “to” in each sentence as you read it aloud.

1. I want to learn English. 2. I have to bake a cake for the party. 3. Mary ought to stay out of the sun if she sunburns easily. 4. It’s getting late. I’ve got to go home. 5. Mary has to take her dog to the vet. 6. He drank a lot of coffee. He’s not going to be able to sleep tonight!

TRY THIS: Talk to a partner about what you plan to do after class. Try to use want to, has to, have to, going to, got to, and/or ought to in your conversation. Practice trimming the “to” as you speak.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM MORE TRIMMING

More Trimming

what do you sounds like whaddaya What do you want for dinner? Whaddaya want for dinner?

what are you sounds like whatcha What are you doing after class? Whatcha doing after class?

did you sounds like didja or didju Did you remember to turn off the oven? Didja remember to turn off the oven?

don’t you sounds like doncha or donchu Don’t you want to try it? It’s delicious! Doncha wanna try it? It’s delicious!

get you sounds like getcha I’ll get you a glass of water. I’ll getcha a glass of water.

give me sounds like gimme Please give me the keys. Please gimme the keys.

let me sounds like lemme Let me see if I can open it. Lemme see if I can open it.

kind of sounds like kinda I think it’s kind of hot outside. I think it’s kinda hot outside.

lot of sounds like lotta She has a lot of money! She has a lotta money!

Practice: Can you read the following sentences using trimming as you speak?

1. If you let me drive your car, I’ll get you a nice birthday present! 2. What do you think about this restaurant? I think it’s kind of noisy. Let me see if I can find a different place to eat. 3. What are you making for dinner? Did you ask your guests what they like?

DISCUSS: Ask students if they’ve heard other examples of trimmed speech. Make a list and discuss. (Or, ask students to discuss which examples of trimming they have/haven't heard before. Which examples surprised them the most?)

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM LISTENING FOR TRIMMING

Listening for Trimming** **For use AFTER Trimming “Have”, Trimming “To”, and More Trimming INSTRUCTIONS: Remind students that the previous trimming exercises were designed to help them understand others when they speak. They should not worry about imitating trimmed speech when they talk.

This is a listening exercise. Begin by reading each sentence at your normal rate of speech, as if you’re talking to a native English speaker. Then repeat more slowly if students struggle to understand. Have students listen for examples of trimming. Discuss as you go. Consider writing each sentence on the board with correct spelling.

(If there’s more than one teacher in the classroom, take turns reading the sentences so students have opportunities to hear different voices. It’s good practice for them!)

1. Your car has a lotta problems. Lemme see if I can getcha a new battery. (Your car has a lot of problems. Let me see if I can get you a new battery.)

2. Doncha wanna try a piece of this pie? (Don’t you want to try a piece of this pie?)

3. I hafta go to the store. Whaddaya want me to buy for the party? (I have to go to the store. What do you want me to buy for the party?)

4. I shoulda gotten up earlier! Gimme 5 more minutes to get ready. (I should have gotten up earlier! Give me 5 more minutes to get ready.)

5. Didju believe her when she said she was gonna sing at the wedding? I was kinda surprised! I thought she woulda been too scared. (Did you believe her when she said she was going to sing at the wedding? I was kind of surprised! I thought she would have been too scared.)

IF YOU HAVE TIME: Ask students to share if they have something similar to “trimming” in their native language.

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM LINKING CONSONANT TO VOWEL

Linking Consonant to Vowel

Sometimes a word that ends with a consonant sound is followed by a word that begins with a vowel sound. When that happens, the consonant is usually connected to the vowel, as if it’s part of the second word. This makes speech sound smoother and helps with rhythm—and sometimes causes confusion!

For example, the sentence: I like Anna might sound like: I lie Kanna.

The sentence: What did you find out? might sound like: What did you fine doubt?

The sentence: He likes them all might sound like: He likes the mall.

PRACTICE: Find places in the following sentences where you could use consonant- to-vowel linking. (Sometimes there is more than one linking possibility in a sentence.) Read the sentences out loud with a partner.

1. Keep up the good work! 2. Be careful not to drop it. 3. Please come in. 4. Is it possible to send it to me? 5. I can give you one example. 6. I’m going to the library to check out a book. 7. Mike is going over to his daughter’s house in the morning. 8. I really need some time off from work! 9. Never give up! 10. Please stop it! 11. I have an apple. 12. There’s a deer in the road! Step on the brakes! 13. He had an idea. 14. I’m hungry. Let’s eat!

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM LINKING VOWEL TO VOWEL

Linking Vowel to Vowel Vowel-to-vowel linking happens when: the first word ends with the sound of a long vowel (“a” as in make, “e” as in tree, “i” as in tie, “o” as in go) or “ow” (as in cow), “oo” (as in through), “oy” (as in boy) AND the second word begins with any vowel sound.

When that happens, the vowel sounds are usually connected by a gentle “y” or “w” sound.’’

It’s not as confusing as it looks! Look at these examples:

Tie it up à “y” sound between “tie” and “it” à tie (y) it We ask à “y” sound between “we” and “ask” à we (y) ask Stay over à “y” sound between “stay” and “over”? à stay (y) over Through it à “w” sound between “through” and “it” à through (w) it Go out à “w” sound between “go” and “out”? à go (w) out

PRACTICE: Look at the underlined words in the sentences below. What sound should connect the vowels, “y” or “w”? Circle your answer. Then read each sentence out loud with good linking.

1. I want to be a scientist someday. (y) or (w) ?

2. There’s no ice cream in the freezer. (y) or (w) ?

3. How is Megan feeling? (y) or (w) ?

4. This is so interesting! (y) or (w) ?

5. We ate at the new restaurant. (y) or (w) ?

6. Did you see Aman? (y) or (w) ?

7. Please give this to Isabel. (y) or (w) ?

8. Would you like to try another piece? (y) or (w) ?

9. My office is very sunny. (y) or (w) ?

10. I’ll be first, then you go after me. (y) or (w) ?

11. I am so tired! (y) or (w) ?

12. He isn’t here today. (y) or (w) ?

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SENTENCE STRESS & RHYTHM LOOK & LISTEN FOR LINKING

Look and Listen for Linking **For use AFTER Linking Consonant to Vowel and Linking Vowel to Vowel

First… Remind students that the previous linking exercises were designed to help them understand others when they speak. They should not worry too much about imitating linking in their own speech. The first step is noticing and understanding linking in others.

INSTRUCTIONS: Ask your students one of the following questions. Have them briefly discuss their answer with a partner.

§ If you won $1,000 and had to spend it today, what would you buy? § What was your favorite subject in school and why did you like it?

Depending on your students’ abilities, have each go to the board and write their answer in one or two complete sentences – OR – Ask them to share their answer out loud as you write what they say on the board.

Then, as a class, examine each answer and mark places to link consonants with vowels, or vowels with vowels. Have students practice reading the sentences aloud with good linking.

TO EXTEND: Depending on what other lessons you’ve covered with your students, you can also use these sentences to look for “focus words”, and to talk about how some of the words are trimmed or contracted so they can be squeezed in between the focus words.

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FOCUS STRESS

The Focus Stress Video can be found at: [Link to be added after production of video. See script included in this section.]

Name of Activity / Handout Tutor Initials and Date

Key Ideas from Focus Stress Video

Introducing Thought Groups

Handout: Listening for Thought Groups

Handout: Listening for Thought Groups in a TED Talk

Handout: Listening for Pauses–Who Ate All the Pizza?

Handout: Introducing Focus Stress

Handout: Changing Focus Stress – Rule #1 Mary’s Hat is Blue: Which Word Gets the

Focus Stress? Handout: So Many Mistakes! Using Focus Stress for

Corrections Handout: Changing Focus Stress – Rule #2

Handout: Changing Focus Stress with New Information

Handout: Changing Focus Stress – Rule #3 Handout: Using Focus Stress – Famous Quotes and

Sayings

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Key Ideas from Focus Stress Video

What is a thought group? When we speak English fluently we don’t speak word by word. We don’t say: How. are. you. today? It’s. very. nice. to. see. you. and. your. daughter. again.

We also don’t speak with words all run together: Howareyoutodayitsverynicetoseeyouandyourdaughteragain

Rather, we group words together and use pauses in between ideas. We organize our speech into phrases or thought groups.

How are you today? It’s very nice to see you and your daughter again!

How are you today / It’s very nice to see you and your daughter again /

How are you today / It’s very nice to see you / and your daughter / again /

Even though there’s more than one right way to divide a sentence into thought groups, there are also wrong ways. Like this:

How are/ you today its / very nice to/ see you and your / daughter again /

It’s important to pause in logical places! Thought groups are meaningful groups of words.

Pauses (thought groups) affect meaning Think about these two sentences:

This is my ice cream / This / is / my / ice cream /

In the above examples, a very different tone/meaning is implied by the use of pauses.

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When we write English, we would use punctuation to convey the difference between the two sentences about Maria and Mike. But when we speak, we use pauses.

Focus words and focus stress A focus word is the most important word in a thought group. Read this sentence: I made a special cake for my brother.

Here’s the sentence with thought groups marked: I made a special cake / for my brother /

Think: What is the most important word—the focus word—in each thought group? I made a special cake / for my brother /

Cake and brother are the most important words. They have the focus stress. Usually, the focus word is the last content word in a thought group.

Sometimes we change focus stress to make corrections or to disagree. Let’s say that someone asked you: “You bought a special cake for your brother?”

You would probably respond with: No, I made a special cake / for my brother /

The focus word changed from cake to made. You didn’t buy a cake, you made a cake. You changed the focus word in order to stress the correct information.

Sometimes we change focus stress to highlight new information. Look at this example: Person A: Did you get an invitation to the wedding? [focus word = wedding] Person B: Whose party? Person A: Amy’s wedding. [focus word = Amy]

The focus stress changed to highlight the NEW information, Amy.

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Another example: Person A: Where did you put my scarf? Person B: In the closet. The hall closet.*

Another example: Did you buy the red dress or the black one? The word red is contrasted with the word black.

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FOCUS STRESS INTRODUCING THOUGHT GROUPS

Introducing Thought Groups

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER The following information provides information and examples about thought groups. Read it carefully and then present the information to your students.

******** What is a thought group? When we speak English fluently we don’t speak word by word. We don’t say: How. are. you. today? It’s. very. nice. to. see. you. and. your. daughter. again.

We also don’t speak with words all run together: Howareyoutodayitsverynicetoseeyouandyourdaughteragain

Rather, we group words together and use pauses in between ideas. We organize our speech into phrases or thought groups.

How are you today? It’s very nice to see you and your daughter again!

To notate thought groups, we can use a / symbol, like this: How are you today / It’s very nice to see you and your daughter again /

How are you today / It’s very nice to see you / and your daughter / again /

But…even though there’s more than one right way to divide a sentence into thought groups, there are also wrong ways. Like this:

How are/ you today its / very nice to/ see you and your / daughter again /

It’s important to pause in logical places! Thought groups are meaningful groups of words.

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Introducing Thought Groups (continued) How pauses (thought groups) can affect meaning

The following sentence is something a parent might say to a young child. Read the two sentences, pausing at the / symbols. What’s the difference in meaning?

Please put that down / Tyler

Please / put / that / down / Tyler

The example above shows that we use pauses to convey meaning. In the second sentence, the parent is likely frustrated with Tyler.

Now read these two sentences, using punctuation to guide your pauses. How does the meaning change? Who is the great student in each sentence? Maria or Mike?

§ “Maria,” said Mike, “is a great student.” Read as: Maria / said Mike / is a great student /

§ Maria said, “Mike is a great student.” Read as: Maria said / Mike is a great student /

In summary:

§ Using thought groups makes speech easier to understand. § Pausing in logical places helps a listener understand your ideas. § Sometimes a thought group is a short sentence. Sometimes it’s a smaller part of a longer sentence.

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FOCUS STRESS LISTENING FOR THOUGHT GROUPS

Listening for Thought Groups

Read Paragraph A with a partner. Mark thought groups by putting a / symbol at good places to pause.

Paragraph A

ESL teachers are the luckiest teachers in the world. They get to meet people and make friends from all over the world. They learn about the languages, food, and customs from countries they may never visit. Being an ESL teacher is like traveling the world without leaving your own city!

Next, your teacher will read Paragraph B. (He/she will read it at least twice.) Listen carefully. Mark where you hear your teacher pause. Use the / symbol.

Paragraph B

------INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHER: Cut off this portion of the paper before photocopying for your students. Read Paragraph B with the following pauses. Note that your pauses will be longer at the end of a sentence than between thought groups within a sentence. But don’t overthink it. You do this naturally when you speak!

ESL teachers / are the luckiest teachers / in the world. / They get to meet people / and make friends / from all over the world. / They learn about the languages, / food, / and customs / from countries they may never visit. / Being an ESL teacher / is like traveling the world / without leaving your hometown!

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FOCUS STRESS LISTENING FOR THOUGHT GROUPS IN A TED TALK

Listening for Thought Groups in a TED Talk

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE TEACHER: v Prepare to play the first 45 seconds of the following TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_lo ngest_study_on_happiness#t-16188

v Before playing the video, make sure students understand the following words and phrases: millennials, recent survey, major life goal

v Play the video clip at least twice.

v As a group, discuss where students heard pauses. Talk about how speakers often use more thought groups and longer pauses when speaking in public. This makes it easier for the listener to understand their ideas.

v Consider challenging the students to watch the rest of the TED talk at home. (Suggest that use the transcript on the website and follow along as they listen.) Then discuss the talk during the next class. What did students find interesting, surprising? How would they answer the question: What Makes a Good Life?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS: v Your teacher will play the first 45 seconds of a TED talk by Robert Waldinger, called What Makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness.

v Follow along on the transcript below. Mark where you hear the speaker pause.

What keeps us healthy and happy as we go through life? If you were gonna invest now in your future best self, where would you put your time and your energy? There was a recent survey of millennials asking them what their most important life goals were, and over 80 percent said that a major life goal for them was to get rich. And another 50 percent of those same young adults said that another major life goal was to become famous.

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Answer Key for pauses in the TED talk by Robert Waldinger. [Note that answers may vary a bit. Note also that the speaker includes a few pauses in unusual places – like between the words “goal” and “were”. (This is different than pausing for emphasis on either side of the word “now”.) But this is a good opportunity to point out that natural speech varies, and even native English speakers aren’t always completely smooth and fluent.]

What keeps us / healthy / and happy as we go through life?/ If you were gonna invest / now / in your future best self, / where would you put your time / and your energy? / There was a recent survey of millennials / asking them / what their most important life goals / were, / and over 80 percent said / that a major life goal for them / was to get rich. / And another 50 percent / of those same young adults / said that another major life goal / was to become famous. /

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FOCUS STRESS LISTENING FOR PAUSES: WHO ATE ALL THE PIZZA?

Listening for Pauses: Who Ate All the Pizza?

INSTRUCTIONS: Your teacher will read one sentence from each pair. Pay attention to the pauses. Circle the sentence you hear.

1. A Sarah said David ate all the pizza. B “Sarah,” said David, “ate all the pizza.”

2. A Marcus said Tania is the best cook in the world. B “Marcus,” said Tania, “is the best cook in the world.”

3. A Ben Martinson is my English teacher. B Ben, Martin’s son, is my English teacher.

4. A I’m not sure if I want to order the soup or sandwich. B I’m not sure if I want to order the Super Sandwich.

5. A My brother is selling thirty 6-inch snakes. B My brother is selling 36-inch snakes.

6. A He went to the store to buy eggs, salad, and juice. B He went to the store to buy egg salad and juice.

7. A They’re using wood and matches to start the fire. B They’re using wooden matches to start the fire.

8. A My brother said my mother bought a new car. B “My brother,” said my mother, “bought a new car.”

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FOCUS STRESS INTRODUCING FOCUS STRESS

Introducing Focus Stress

A focus word is the most important word in a thought group.

Read this sentence: I made a special cake for my brother.

Now mark the thought groups. I made a special cake / for my brother /

Think: What is the most important word—the focus word—in each thought group? I made a special cake / for my brother /

Cake and brother are the most important words. They have the focus stress. Words with focus stress have a slightly stretched vowel compared to the words that don’t have focus stress. (Remember the stretched vowel in the Syllable Stress lessons?) Also, focus words are often said with a slightly higher pitch.

I made a special cake / for my brother /

PRACTICE Mark the thought groups in each sentence. Then underline the focus word in each thought group. Read each sentence aloud with good focus stress.

1. The teacher was late because of the heavy traffic. 2. If you want to pass the test, you need to study. 3. I love to cook, but mostly I love to eat. 4. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. 5. I want to plant a tree to help clean the air.

Look at the location of the focus words you underlined. What do you notice?

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ANSWER KEY for Introducing Focus Stress

PRACTICE Mark the thought groups in each sentence. Then underline the focus word in each thought group.

1. The teacher was late / because of the heavy traffic. 2. If you want to pass the test, / you need to study. 3. I love to cook, / but mostly I love to eat. 4. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain / in the world. 5. I want to plant a tree / to help clean the air.

Look at the location of the focus words you underlined. What do you notice?

The focus word is usually the last content word in a thought group. (Recall from the Sentence Stress/Rhythm video that words that carry the meaning of a sentence are called content words. They are often nouns and verbs.)

Important note to the teacher: Students may point out that there are other options for focus stress that still make sense. For example, in Sentence 4, one could say, “Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.” They’re correct! Which words get the focus stress depends on what the speaker is trying to say.

For example, if you were reading Sentence 4 as a simple factual statement, you would say: “Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.”

But if you were responding to a question like, “Is Mount Kilimanjaro the tallest mountain in the world?”, you would use different focus stress. You would say: “No. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.”

The next set of lessons will address this shift of stress.

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FOCUS STRESS CHANGING FOCUS STRESS: RULE #1

Changing Focus Stress: Rule #1

Review: A focus word is the most important word in a thought group. Usually, the focus word is the last content word (often the last noun or verb) in the thought group.

I made a special c ke / for my br ther /

The focus words are cake and brother. (Remember that the vowel is stretched a little in focus words.)

Changing Focus Stress Sometimes the focus stress changes to another important word depending on what’s happening in a conversation.

For example, suppose someone asked you,

“Did you buy a special cake for your brother?”

Which word would you stress to make sure your answer was clear? You would probably say:

No, I made a special cake / for my brother /

The focus word changed from cake to made. You didn’t buy a cake, you made a cake. You changed the focus word in order to stress the correct information.

Rule #1 for Changing Focus Stress: Change focus stress to make corrections or to disagree.

Example: Person A: The teacher was l te because of the heavy tr ffic. Person B: The student was late? Person A: (correcting the wrong information) No, the t acher was late.

182 Linda M. Sims 2018

Shifting Focus Stress: Rule #1 (continued) PRACTICE: § Practice with a partner. § One partner is Person A and the other partner is Person B. (Switch roles after each pair of sentences.) § The focus words are marked in bold for Person A. But Person B has to figure out which word should get the focus stress. § Person B should pay close attention to what Person A says. Use focus stress to stress the correct information or to disagree.

EXAMPLE: A. I love Kim’s new car! B. That’s not Kim’s car, it’s mine!

1. A. The movie costs 6 dollars. B. No, I think it’s 10 dollars.

2. A. Leo is such a friendly little dog. B. I actually think he’s a mean little dog.

Here’s the chicken soup you 3. A. B. Um. I wanted tomato soup. ordered.

I heard you really like cold 4. A. B. What? No! I hate cold weather. weather.

We need to be there at seven No, I think the invitation said six 5. A. B. o’clock. o’clock.

Debra’s daughters are going to 6. A. B. Actually, her sons are going to help. help us with the cooking.

I heard you lost your glasses 7. A. B. No, I found them! yesterday.

We need onions and celery to I think the recipe says carrots and 8. A. B. make the soup. celery.

183 Linda M. Sims 2018

Shifting Focus Stress: Rule #1 (continued) ANSWER KEY