INTRODUCTION
T
he present book is made up of graded pronunciation and transcription exercises and activities which aim at improving students’ pronunciation and transcription skills. We believe that phonemic transcription can be of great help to the language learner, because
by transcribing words and utterances the learner has to focus exclusively on pronunciation. Moreover, as there is no direct correspondence between spelling and pronunciation in English, knowing how
to interpret transcription, which is found in most dictionaries, will be
of great use to English language learners.
In this book we have used phonemic or broad transcription. We
feel that allophonic transcription is not appropriate for most students of English due to its complexity. We have followed the conventions found in most good dictionaries of British English. To make
things as simple as possible for learners, our transcription of lady /
le di/, for example, follows the syllabification principles of the Cambridge Pronouncing Dictionary (CPD) but without the syllable division marker included in that dictionary: / le d.i/. ur rationale is
that learners of English need to know how a word is pronounced and
where the main stress falls. The fact that the word diploma, for example, is divided: /d . pl .m / and not /d . pl m. / does not help
students much. However, it will help them to know that the main
stress is on the syllable / pl /.
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Following recent trends, as seen in the CPD and the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, we use weak i and u in our transcriptions. So, for
example, in the case of weak function words such as me and to we have
/mi/ - /tu/. Also, in positions of neutralization in lexical words such as
pretty and inϔluence / pr ti/ - / n lu ns/, we use i and u.
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LETTERS REPRESENTING
VOWEL AND CONSONANT
SOUNDS AND THEIR SYMBOLS
S
pelling of vowel sound letters representing vowels found in
strong syllables. Below is a list of common spellings of vowel sounds
found in strong syllables:
all, call, tall fall
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
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Vowel spellings in prefixes and suffixes
Below is a list of common spellings of pre ixes and suf ixes. otice they
all contain a weak vowels / / and /i/, or the short vowel / /.
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
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Weak vowels and syllabic consonants
In English weak vowels are not only found in pre ixes and suf ixes. Here
are some examples of weak vowels together with examples of syllabic
consonants. otice that they are only found in unstressed positions:
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
Spelling of consonant sounds
Below is a list of common spellings of consonant sounds:
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
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Silent consonant letters
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VOWELS, DIPHTHONGS
AND CONSONANTS (EXERCISES)
S
ee the Appendix at the end of the book for a review of vowel and
consonant sounds.
2.1. Exercises: Vowels and diphthongs
1. How many distinct sounds are there in each of the following words?
Circle the correct number.
(a) cough: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(b) chemist: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(c) bottle: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(d) ish: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(e) churches: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(f) straw: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(g) hit: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(h) far: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(i) these: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(j) there: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(k) rock: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(l) axe: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2. Listen to the following sounds, give a complete description of the
sound represented by the symbols and then write down a word
containing each sound.
(a)
/æ/
(d)
/a /
(b)
//
(e)
/e /
(c)
/ /
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3. Find words with /i:/ and / / and put them in the columns below:
Find a seat and sit down or lie down, relax and look up at the ceiling.
Don’t get excited. Have a cup of tea and eat a piece of cake. I feel pretty
bad about the situation and I know you are sick of sitting here but I hope
you will kill the time with me. Just feel the rhythm of the waves. We all
want to leave but it’s not easy. The sinking feeling in your stomach will
not go away but we each have to stick to our posts. The ship is leaking
but it won’t sink although we might be knee-deep in seawater soon as the
water has risen a little. The reason we are still here is that the rescue ship
can’t meet us till they are given the signal.
/i:/
//
4. Write the symbol for the short vowel sound in each of the following words:
(a) health
(e) once
(i) bank
(m) milk
(b) man
(f) left
(j) thing
(n) dog
(c) book
(g) cot
(k) said
(o) cook
(d) bit
(h) put
(l) debt
(p) lat
5. Write the symbols for the long vowels in the following words:
(a) car
(d) hall
(g) birds
(j) task
(b) roof
(e) sir
(h) saw
(k) meal
(c) three
(f) glass
(i) need
(l) more
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
6. Find words with / / and / / and put them in the columns below:
Looking back at my good luck could put me in just the right mood to pull
myself together but would I also come to the conclusion that there isn’t
much to be happy about? I haven’t had enough tough times to worry too
much. I have had a full life, I have made money, written books, been loved
by a good woman, had picnics on sunny days. Sometimes I wonder if the
road I took was the right one. I could have taken many others. I try to
push these things to the back of my mind above all because once you set
foot on the road, there is no turning back.
/ /
/ /
7. Find words with /æ/ and / / and put them in the columns below:
I am a big fan of the Marx brothers. They are so funny, totally mad. That
dumb one is such a nut case! He has ragged clothes and an overcoat that
is like a bag full of surprises. When he meets pretty girls, he hugs them
and doesn’t let them go. But, the one I like best is Groucho. What a man! I
love his puns, his gags, and his witty remarks! Always running away from
angry husbands! The Italian one with his silly hat and funny accent is also
comical. They are always strapped for cash but somehow manage to win
out in the end. We are so lucky we can still watch their antics on ilm.
/æ/
/ /
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8. Write the symbols for the diphthongs in the following words:
(a) town
(d) joy
(g) peer
(b) may
(e) here
(h) poor
(c) air
(f) home
(i) though
9.
Write the transcription under each picture
/b l/
/’tæp stri/
/d g/
/ka /
10. Listen to the recording. Which word do you hear?
1. (a) work
(b) woke
(c) walk
(d) weak
2. (a) worked
(b) word
(c) wart
(d) walked
3. (a) take
(b) talk
(c) Turk
(d) teak
4. (a) caught
(b) cut
(c) curt
(d) coat
5. (a) lair
(b) law
(c) leer
(d) loo
11. Find words with / / and /e/ and put them in the columns below:
Have you heard about the conditions of the men held in what is said to
be the worst prison in the country? They live in little cells where they
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
can hardly turn around so trouble was bound to occur. First they refused
to go to work as they earn very little. Second, they tore off their prison
clothes because they were dirty. Third, they wouldn’t eat the slop they
were fed. Then the worst thing was the riot. They burnt their sheets and
hurled their beds out of the window. The man that led them was shot and
bled profusely from a head wound. Another was shot in the leg. Luckily
there were no deaths. The men inally set a date and met of icials to end
the riots. So, if you ever have the urge to do something illegal, you had
better mend your ways!
/ /
/e/
12. Write the correct transcription under each image. There are two you
don’t need to use:
a. /kæp/
b. /kæt/
c. /ki /
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d. /kær/
e. /k p/
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13. Find 9 words in the puzzle; then, classify them in the correct column:
/ i:/
/ş /
Answers: arm, calm, ask, farm, read, see, seem, task, tea
14. Listen to the following words.
(a)
How do you transcribe the word “debt”?
(b)
How do you transcribe the word “doubt”?
(c)
How do you transcribe the word “psalm”?
(d)
How do you transcribe the word “lamb”?
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
15. Find words with / / and / / and put them in the columns below:
I am touched by the sound of the whirring of birds and the smell of the
budding multi-coloured lowers in the light of the sun. The murmur of the
water in the stream stirs my heart. I love to feel the earth under my feet
as I turn towards the town. The smell of warm bread and butter coming
from a kitchen suddenly make me yearn for home. I have done little to
earn what I have. My journey here has often been troubled but I feel the
urge to hurry on. I prefer the country to the city but I have to work to earn
my subsistence and so I learn to smother my feelings and go on. Does this
make sense?
‫ݞ‬
‫ޝܮ‬
16. Listen to the recording. Which word do you hear?
1) (a) desert
2) (a) uncle
(b) dessert
3) (a) raise
(b) ankle
4) (a) close (adj)
(b) rise
5) (a) choose
(b) close (v)
6) (a) export (n)
(b) chose
(b) export (v)
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17. Write the symbols for the vowels/diphthongs in the following words:
(a) cough
(f) beat
(k) peer
(p) fruit
(b) tough
(g) bit
(l) pier
(q) blood
(c) dough
(h) friend
(m) lie
(r) peace
(d) load
(i) tour
(n) curl
(s) die
(e) loud
(j) tow
(o) err
(t) plaid
18. Transcribe the full vowel in column A and the reduced vowel in
column B:
Column A
Column B
(a) economy
economic
(b) atom
atomic
(c) describe
description
(d) explain
explanation
19. Find 9 words in the puzzle; then, classify them in the correct column:
ͬࡣͬ
/æ/
Answers: enough, lood, fun, lamb, pan,
pat, suck, sun, tap
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
20. Find words with / / and / / and put them in the columns below:
Sport today is not what it used to be. ow football is almost like a war
between corporations, not between clubs. f course, many not all of the
bosses of English clubs are rich foreigners. Clubs are bought and sold every
day. The crowds roar for their local “franchise”. There is something wrong.
Gone are the days of innocence. Football means a lot to many people but now
you have to pay to watch ordinary games on TV. It is awful to see how money
has torn the game apart. Players are bought and sold like merchandise. It is
all money. The top clubs pay more and more for what is, after all, just men
running around in shorts kicking balls but the players want more.
/ /
/ /
21. Listen to the following words and repeat them. Then, complete the table:
Column A
Column B
/ /
/a /
shot
found
pout
lot
pound
spot
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22. Find words with /æ/, / / and / / and put them in the columns below:
I sat staring at the mass of paperwork that had become an obstacle when
coming into the of ice. The clock was ticking. What could I do to be ready
in time for the conference? I began to wallow in self-pity. I had racked
my brain for ideas and still my report made no sense. Maybe I had been
wrong, maybe this wasn’t the career for me. All my boss did was rant on
at me and I constantly squabbled with my colleagues. I was promised
a job on the street catching the bad lads, however I spent most of my
time looking at my watch, iling police reports I felt I had been conned I
wanted out. ot thinking straight, I grabbed my bag, got my hat, and shot
out of the* of ice. utside the sun shone and I got into a taxi on the long
road to nowhere. As I drove off to catch a one-way light away from that
place, I sang a song under my breath.
*weak i before vowel
/æ/
/ /
/ /
23. Find the odd one out:
(a) helped
(b) strapped
(c) checked
(d) waited
(a) sad
(b) paddle
(c) map
(d) now
(a) short
(b) sort
(c) shoes
(d) sugar
(a) break
(b) great
(c) heat
(d) weight
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
24. Write the correct transcription under each word:
/ sa z z/
/ f z/
/r
s z/
/ d z/
/t
t z/
roses
ishes
dishes
churches
sizes
doses
25. Find words with /
below:
/d
z z/
/, / / and / / and put them in the columns
o way! What is going on? All my friends have gone! This hot weather drove
them away to the beach or the country. o-one is left in the city. I want to go
too but there is no more money left. I am in the wrong spot here. Even with
the windows and doors open it is so hot. I often watch the crowds leaving.
From my window I watch in awe as more and more people squeeze through
the train doors. They must be so squashed together on those trains. I wish I
had more money to blow. Maybe tomorrow will bring a spot of luck, maybe
I’ll win a lucky draw on the lottery. What am I doing here? I stare at the loor.
With nowhere to go my sorrow grows. I am a site for sore eyes.
/
/
/ /
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/ /
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26. Find words with / /, /e /, /e/ and put them in the columns below:
Being the heir, the irst in line to the throne, isn’t the best thing in the
world it is the worst thing on earth! It must be hell people staring at you
endlessly. I would prefer to work doing anything else, earn a living, try to
blend in with the crowd, have normal parents who care for you. You have
wealth but it’s not worth it. It occurs to me that in the end what counts
is being content. I heard that princes always have to be alert, which is
disturbing. To be fair, princes bear a lot of responsibility. Don’t take my
word for it, I have read it in Hello magazine. They rarely wed their true
love or get any rest from state affairs.
/ /
/e /
/e/
27. Find words with /æ/, / /, / / and put them in the columns below:
My heart understands that we can’t bring back the past no matter how
happy it might have been. othing lasts forever not even love. I’ve had
enough of love too much in fact. The farther I go back in time, the less
I remember the romance and the more I recall the past with a touch
of sadness. I had happiness in the palm of my hand, but she suddenly
dumped me to run off with another to France and didn’t come back.
Everyone said we were a perfect match. After the storm comes the calm
they say but it wasn’t fast enough for me. The bad times seemed to last
forever. I can laugh now but I went through dark days.
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
/æ/
/ /
/ /
28. Find words with the diphthongs /e /, /a /, /a /, / /, /
/ / and put them in the columns below:
/, /e /, / /,
Days go so slowly here on the wild moors. I don’t know why though.
Maybe the joy of life has waned. Later on, out in the night air, I’ll try
to roam a while where no-one can spy on me. In the woods where the
moonlight plays on the dark shades of the pine trees standing grey
in the fading light I might spot a bird, see a bear on the horizon, hear
the howl of the wolf or the weird cry of the owl and maybe smell wild
lowers. I toy with the idea of going out and not returning but the pure
joy of the land makes me stay.
/e /
/a /
/a /
/ /
/
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/
/e /
/ /
/
/
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29. Transcribe the triphthongs in the following words:
tower
player
sower
higher
slower
grayer
lower
royal
employer
2.2. Exercises: Consonants
1. Listen to the following sounds, give a complete description of the
sound represented by the symbols and then write down a word
containing each sound.
(a) /t / Description:
Example
(b) /d /Description:
Example
(c) / / Description:
Example
(d) / / Description:
Example
(e) /z/ Description:
Example
(f) /v/ Description:
Example
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
2.
dd one out consonants. In each group there are three words that
have the same consonant sound and one that does not. Can you ind
the odd one out?
(a)
time, theme, tone, text
(b)
leisure, pleasure, treasure, passion
(c)
she, sugar, short, see
(d)
human, hence, horse, heir
(e)
thought, these, through, both
(f)
rough, cough, laugh, dough
(g)
exam, excuse, extreme, excite
3. Find the transcriptions in Box B for the words in Box A.
BOX A
mat
tune
lane
stripped
licked
past
land
/p s/
/’ ka v/
spit
dime
/l kt/
/mæt/
/me t/
pass
lore
/p st/
locked /’tju:n/
cast
late
/le t/
/le n/
shine
striped
/str pt/
archive
mate
latter
BOX B
/stra pt/
/lænd/
/l /
/k st/
/’læt /
– 33 –
/l kt/
/sp t/
/ a n/
/da m/
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4. Write one letter that corresponds to the following symbols:
a) /d /
e) /z/
i) / /
m) / /
b) /t /
f) /s/
j) / /
n) /k/
c) /v/
g) / /
k) / /
o) /r/
d) /æ/
h) /j/
l) / /
p) / /
5. Write one phoneme that corresponds to the following letters:
a) p
e) or
i) h
m) ai
b) d
f) ph
j) j
n) ore
c) th
g) k
k) y
o) ar
d) sh
h) oo
l) ur
p) qu
6. Listen and complete the tables with the word needed so as to complete
the minimal pairs below:
a)
/b/
/v/
boat
very
bet
van
bowl
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ENGLISH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION EXERCISES
b)
/t‫ށ‬/
cherry
/‫ށ‬/
shop
chin
shoes
cheese
c)
/v/
vest
/w/
while
vine
went
veal
d)
Final Ø
tar
Final /t/
caught
car
fort
e)
Final Ø
Final /d/
bead
he
row
card
fee
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