Lesson 0: English Sounds, Intonation & Stress

PART I: English vowels, diphthongs and consonant sounds

• Let’s start off by reviewing the English Sounds:

• Alternatively, you can download the PDF file here.

• • You can add words you know next to each sound and then make relevant sentences to repeat out loud. Please note it includes a worksheet to practise.
  • Click on the following links to access a handout on English sounds(vowels, diphthongs and consonants), and then complete the English sounds exercise.

• Check what you’ve learned with these online exercises:
  • Vowel Sounds & Food Vocabulary
  • The Alphabet
  • Numbers
  • Days of the Week
  • Months of the Year
  • Countries
  • Nationalities
• You can use a Text-to-speech Reader to hear full sentences; or try an Online Converter to see the transcription of full sentences. There’s this interactive Phonemic Chart for further practice of isolated sounds.
• Remember there are a number of apps to help you improve your pronunciation:
  • The Pronunciation App
  • Apps to help you improve your English
  • English Pronunciation (Android)  or English Pronunciation (iOS)
• You can also check the following exercise on Homophones like AUNT and AREN’T /a:nt/. Here you will find some basic Homophones. For advanced students there is this Comprehensive List of British Homophones.
• Test your Transcription skills and then complete this Phonetics Exercise. There is also a worksheet on Silent Letters. Finally, read the following paragraph out loud and then write it down:

gʊd mɔrnɪŋ ɛvriwən. tədei wi wɪl lərn əbaʊt ɪŋglɪʃ ɪntəneʃən. ɪt ɪz vɛri ɪmpɔrtənt ðæt ju lərn fənɛtɪks ænd ɪntəneʃən ɪf ju wɑnt tu spik wɛl ænd lərn nju w3ːrdz. ju kæn ɒlso præktɪs ɒnlɑjn juzɪŋ ə dɪkʃənɛri.

KEY

PART II: English Intonation & Stress

• We shall look at and discuss the following presentation on English Intonation and Stress in class: 
  Alternatively, you can download the PDF file here.

• Once you have read it, look at the following speech and listen to the clip below:

EXERCISE:

1. Underline all the content words. 
   • How many did you underline?
2. Mark all the pauses with a forward slash, as in the example.
   • How many pauses are there in all?
3. Click on KEY to view the answers.

PART III: Chunking, chanting and rapping

You can improve your pronunciation by miming native speakers’ intonation. The chunking and chanting techniques can be used with Lyrics, so you can have fun along the way.