English pronunciation and phonetics
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The English language has an extensive amount of phonetic sounds and different types of pronunciation acquired through its long history and influences. By learning the most common sounds in the form of vowels and consonants you should be able to pronounce properly most words and letters.
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Vowels are part of the speech in the form of sound or a letter. They are pronounced with an open vocal tract. The English vowels are: 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'. The vowel can be pronounced differently in different words, see the table below.
Letter | Vowel sound | Pronunciation examples |
---|---|---|
A | /æ/ | Cat, Black, Hat |
A | /ɑ:/ | Spark, Dark, Arm |
A, E | /ə/ | Sofa, Alive, Kingdom |
A, U, O | /ɔ:/ | Bored, Horse, Law |
E, I, U | /ɜ:/ | Bird, Learn, Casual |
E | /i:/ | Sheep, See, Eat |
I | /i/ | Hit, Sit, Ship |
O | /əʊ/ | Go, Hole, Alone |
O | /ɒ/ | Rob, Hot, Top |
O, U | /u:/ | Blue, Few, Chew, |
U | /ʊ/ | Should, Put, Look |
U | /ʌ/ | One, Cup, Fun |
Consonants are part of the speech in the form of a sound. Upon pronouncing them there is a partial air block and not-pronouncing certain letters. In English, their list is quite extensive.
Letter | Consonant sound | Pronunciation examples |
---|---|---|
B | /b/ | Bed, Banana, Book |
CH | /tʃ/ | Church, Cheese, Watch |
CH | /x/ | Loch |
G | /g/ | August, Give, Grass |
G | /ʒ/ | Garage, Casual, Television |
H | /h/ | Hear, Hand, Hold |
J | /dʒ/ | Juice, January, Juggle |
L | /,l/ | Low, Critical, Little |
M | /m/ | More, Make, Mother |
N | /n/ | Knew, Nest, Turn |
N | /,n/ | Threaten |
N | /ŋ/ | Song, Finger, King |
P | /p/ | Pin, Apple, Pause |
R | /r/ | Responsible, Ring, Rap |
S | /s/ | Snake, Snow, Sick |
S | /ʃ/ | Show, Shirt, Cash |
T | /t/ | Transport, Train, Late |
T | /ð/ | That, Others, There |
T | /θ/ | Think, Bath, The |
V | /v/ | View, Very, Cave |
W | /w/ | Waste, We, Wait |
W | /hw/ | Wheel |
X | /ɡz/ | Examine |
X | /ks/ | Taxi, Max, Tax |
X | /z/ | Xenophobic, X-ray |
Z | /z/ | Result, Maximize |
Diphthongs are vowels that were created by the combination of two vowel sounds with the same syllable. They are very commonly used and vital to learn by heart.
Diphthong | Pronunciation examples |
---|---|
/aɪ/ | Buy, Eye, Pie |
/eɪ/ | Day, Okay, Pay |
/ɔɪ/ | Toy, Boy, Coy |
/ɪə/ | Beer, Ear, Dear |
/eə/ | Air, Fair, Hair |
/aʊ/ | How, Mouth, Cow |
/əʊ/ | Phone, Nose, Dose |
/ʊə/ | Sure, Pure, Endure |
In the English language some consonants are voiced and some are unvoiced. The table below shows the unvoiced consonants with their voiced counterparts.
Unvoiced | Voiced |
---|---|
s | z |
k | g |
f | v |
th | th |
ch | g |
p | b |
sh | j |
t | d |
There are two types of 'th', the unvoiced and voiced pronunciation.
The 'th' sound will be voiceless at the beginning of a content word. A content word is a word that add a meaning to a sentence, for example nouns, verbs or adjectives. The 'th' is unvoiced in the middle of words when it is before a consonant. The 'th' sound is voiceless when it is at the end of words, except for the word 'with'.
Examples of the unvoiced 'th':
The 'th' is voiced when it is at the beginning of the function word. A function word is a word that doesn't mean a specific action. The 'th' is voiced when it is in the middle of words between two vowels. The 'th' at the end of the word 'with' is voiced.
Examples of the voiced 'th':
The examples below show the different pronunciation between the 'sp' and 'st'.
The letters 'v' and 'w' have a different pronunciation, to understand the difference listen to the words below.
The rule to learn for the pronunciation of the letter 'r' is:
Most English vowels have a long vowel sound and short vowel sound depending on the word.
The letter 'a' has a long sound, sounds like 'ei' and a short sound, sounds like 'ah'.
In words that include '-ought', '-aught', '-alk' or '-aw', the 'a' sound is pronounced like 'oh'.
The long sound of the letter 'e' is pronounced as 'ee'. The short sound of the letter 'e' is pronounced as 'eh'.
When the letter 'Y' is at the end of a word that has more than one syllable and when the letters 'ie' are together, they are pronounced as a long 'e'. For example: lady, funny, believe, piece.
The long vowel 'i' sounds like 'aiy'. The short vowel 'i' sounds like 'ih'.
When the letter 'y' is at the end of a word that has one syllable it is pronounced as a long 'i'. For example: my, bye, why.
The long vowel 'o' sounds like 'ooh'. The short vowel 'o' is pronounced as 'oh'.
When the letter 'o' is followed by another vowel it is still pronounced as 'ooh'. For example: boat, toe.
The long sound of the vowel 'u' is the pronounced like 'yu'. The short vowel 'u' sounds like 'uh'.
When the letter 'u' is followed by the vowels 'e' or 'i' it is still pronounced as a long vowel 'u'. For example: fruit, clue.
There are some words in English that have the two 'oo' sound.
When the letters 'oo' follow the letter 'l', it is pronounced as a short 'u' sound. For example: flood, blood.
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MERHABA :)
Hello! I am Omer, a teacher of both English and Turkish living and working in Lithuania.
My hometown is Antalya and I am a native speaker of Turkish. I speak proper and clear Istanbul Turkish (this is the most common dialect of Turkish) If you're looking for a teacher who's devoted, attentive, and fun, you've come to the right place. I never come to a class empty-handed and always make sure my students are engaged, entertained, and learning. Whatever your level in Turkish (or English), I can provide you with a casual, open environment where you feel comfortable experimenting with the language you're learning. Hoping to see you soon! :-)
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Ömer is an experienced teacher who speaks multiple languages. He teaches to people of all ages and levels (A1 to C2.) He is very organized and has lots of learning materials.
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Hey everyone!
My name is Ashlyn, and I am a native English speaker from New Zealand :) I love to create lessons for my students to help them make their English language journey as enjoyable as possible! I am an online university student studying history and social anthropology.
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I love to use technology in the classroom, and I always create fun and colourful PowerPoint presentations to guide us through the lesson. I am always open to suggestions from my students. If you want to focus more on certain topics or activities, I am happy to make that possible for you.
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Great teacher, lovely person, smart and open minded. I also like the fact that he is aware of cultural differences and his methodology of teaching is actually so effective. I was very happy to have selected him, he did an amazing job! If you are looking for a teacher who knows exactly what you should know before the exam, I strongly recommended contacting Tapas. He will show you the ingredients needed to write a good essay, report and proposal and pay attention to the rules of constructing statements in specific parts required during the exam. I Highly recommend him if you are looking for....
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Hi, welcome to my profile!
My name is Alessia and I currently live in Italy. I spent a few years in the United States where I deepened my knowledge of English and American dialects. I am currently specializing in Spanish and German. Over the years, I have given private lessons in Italian, English, Spanish, and Japanese, with Japanese being the most requested at the moment. Regarding Japanese, I had the opportunity to teach the language at an American college with a native Japanese teacher, applying the method that they use to learn their own language. I will help you in a simple way; conversation is really important for learning a language, and a good method is even more fundamental. No days spent on textbooks are needed; consistency and fun during lessons are the most important parts of learning. You will see results right away! I am patient, flexible, and will adapt in every way to your personal needs. I look forward to seeing you on my profile for a trial lesson and discovering an easy and fun method to learn a language as soon as possible.
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We only did two lessons but it seems to me that Alessia has understood what I need! She is very good and knows all the terms and idioms of everyday life, just what I need! :)
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I usually test the level at the beginning and then plan with the students the goals they want to achieve. After that with every lesson I check progress and points to review with the help of a log to have a clear plan in every lesson. I believe it is VERY important for the teacher and student to share a positive connection and for both parties to feel comfortable. Drop me an email to make the booking!
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Samantha is a fantastic teacher, she clearly has lots of experience and I felt an instant connection with her. I have been looking for the right person to help me with my spoken English and I believe we will be a good fit when I am ready to book more lessons. Thanks Samantha I cant wait to start learning with you,
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**** Please contact me before booking a lesson, thanks! :-)*** Hello everyone, I'm Federica and I'm an italian and english teacher. Before being a teacher I've been a student infact I graduated in languages so I know very well how hard can be learning a new language. I'm interested in music, cinema, literature and I enjoy talking about several topics. I've been teaching since 2009 and in 2012 I've qualified as italian language teacher. I've experience with children and adults, with in company courses, with total beginners as well as with advanced. Also I've succesfully prepared a number of students for the most important english and italian certification (CELI, CILS, FIRST, PET, KET). Over the last years I've became specialized in one-to-one or small groups lessons because in this way I can create a tailored programme for each student. I follow a communicative approach and in my classes there's lot of room for speaking but I don't neglect grammar, listening and writing. I provide you with material, sometimes selfmade, other times taken from books, videos, or songs, but always useful to help you to immerse in the target language! At the end of every lesson I always assign homework in order to revise the things learnt. I define myself as a happy, positive and very patient person and I do my best to make the class a funny and relaxed moment. I look forward to meet you online!
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After a year of classes with Federica, I can only say that she is an excellent teacher, I am very satisfied with my progress
Federica C.
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Thanks a lot! It's amazing how much progress you've made with English in one year! Keep going like this!
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I’m Mediha, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina but have been living in Croatia for many years. I love making learning fun and have successfully helped my students improve their English in a pleasant atmosphere. I have experience helping my learners prepare for exams, job interviews, presentations etc. Whether business English, general conversational English or to help you prepare for a particular situation, feel free to book a trial lesson and we can discuss your needs and how I can help you! I graduated on University of Philosophy, and became (MA) master of English. I have many years of experience. I’m looking forward to meeting you!
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Mediha is great teacher. She understands personality of the student and she helped me to find correct goals, methodology and guides me great. I recommend here and I will use here services for sure in the future
Mediha D.
Thank You very much, Mirsad! I appreciate Your postive feedback and I hope we continue to work together on Your progress. I can see a bright future for You in this field as a confident public speaker
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I am Teacher Adan and I want you to speak and write English / Spanish. I have worked as an English teacher for more than 3 years with different groups and ages. I have also taught private classes, prepared students for international certifications and improved speaking in one to one lessons. The vast majority of my students succee when we work together as a team in the journey of learning a foreign language. As a result of my years of preparation and practice, I have got a university degree where I had the chance to teach subjects from my career in my senior year as well. I obtained a couple of certifications of trainings and seminars that I have been invited to and I recently obtained an international teaching certification (TEFL) and the English proficiency certificate in C2 level (advanced).
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I would love to receive an email from you in case of doubts or confirmation of the schedule for the class and get ready to become the next English / Spanish speaker.
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Adan is a very profesional teacher. One of the things I like the most is that he is very flexible person and adapts to my ability. Im really pleased with him.
Adan G.
Thanks Nuria. You are such a really good student too and dedicated. See you back in class soon.
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My education is :
Master in Art & Businees George Washington University
Tesol certifiction from Wordl Academic London UK 2.020
Br degree in Accountant Catholic University America .
Working for more than 8 years teaching ESL as second Language in : USA , UK , Latin America , Spain .
My teaching methods are : Using American Learning Program explain :
Subject + verb + Complement
and learning : nouns , verb , adjetive , adverb , modals , in general preparation TOEFL test .
Addicional I am preparing Power Point material to help you .
Having : Seft Study Book ( Digital ) to talk together and fill out sentences .
Reader American Family Book ( Level begginer and advanced )
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Mirna has a lot of teaching experience. She is patient and teaches Spanish grammar among other things. She can also help you with your business language.
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Hello! I am a CELTA-qualified native English teacher offering lessons carefully tailored to your needs. Learn by dynamic conversation exchange, written pieces, songs lyrics, podcasts, and fun and challenging exercises.
I have a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and have been rock climbing for about 25 years. As an Italian language learner myself, I believe that talking about your passions is one of the most effective ways of mastering a new language. I look forward to hearing about your interests!
I offer a free 15-minute meeting to discuss your personal goals for learning. Let’s work together to bring you closer to those English language goals!
-Parlo italiano-
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Melissa is a teacher with great empathy. She clearly enjoys teaching English and does this in a very professional manner.
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-About Me
Hi! My name is Daniel. I'm 26 years old and I currently live in Seville, Spain. I have been teaching Spanish for 4 years now because I love to teach my language and culture to others. I'm interested in movies, especially french cinema of Nouvelle Vague, literature and music of all genres.
-Me as a Teacher
I graduated in Hispanic Philology with a master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Second Language at University of Sevilla with more than 3 years of experience teaching Spanish to students from different nationalities, countries, ages and levels (from absolutely begginer to C2).
I have worked with USA and Erasmus university students, refugees with any knowledge of Spanish, British, Chinese or Koreans students, among others. For doing that I have prepared personalized lessons based on the needs and interests of the students.
Also, I’m an official DELE Examiner certified by Instituto Cervantes who has helped a lot of students to get their Spanish level certificated in different levels.
-My Lessons & Teaching Style
-Very communicative lessons adapted to the needs and interests of my students.
-Personalised lessons based on each student and their goals.
-Lessons about conversation, gramar, culture…
-My main goal is to help you to speak Spanish with confidence and fluently.
-Access to all the material used.
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Daniel has over 4 years of teaching experience. He has experience in teaching online, offline and to people from all different cultural backgrounds. He teaches all levels from A1 to C2. Furthermore, he has a broad variety of learning materials available for each level. You will surely learn a lot from him!
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Hi everyone!
My name is Abigail Sosa. I'm a Mexican student living in Belgium at the moment. I study Speech-Language Pathology at the University of Ghent and I teach Spanish aside.
I started teaching Spanish almost 5 years ago and as a result of this, I fell completly in love with language education and speech.
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How do I do this?
With a previously planning of the class. This means choosing the activies, the topics or exercices to work during the class. They could be a video, a text or exercices of gramatica among others. Alongside we use, of course, a book: Aula Internacional. I share all the material via GoogleDrive.
My classes are very relaxed and I am very flexibel. The important thing is to enjoy what we are learning! I hope we see each other very soon, and please, don't hesitate to contact me in case you have more questions.
Greetings and a big hug dear future students,
Abi
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Abigail has 4 years of teaching experience and is a native speaker from Spain. She is very enthusiastic and eager to help you learn Spanish! She teaches to all levels (A1-C2). You'll sure feel comfortable in her presence.
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Do you want to learn a new language?
Do you want to be able to communicate in Greek or in English in real-life settings or to conduct business?
Do you need help preparing for school?
Do you need help with homework or revision for upcoming exams?
Do you need help preparing for a language exam?
If the answer is `YES` to any of the above questions then contact me for a friendly chat.
Greek as a Foreign Language (Beginner to Advanced)
Children, Young and Adult Learners
Preparation for the GCSE Greek and CEFR exams
Conversational Greek
Business Greek
Professional Greek
English as a Foreign Language (Elementary to Advanced)
All age groups
Conversational English
Exam Preparation including IELTS, FCE, and CAE
ESOL English
Science English
Business English
A CELTA certified English Language Teacher and a native Greek; dynamic and results-orientated with long tutoring experience, a strong background in sciences and languages. I am currently completing an M.Ed degree in teaching English as a Foreign/International language.
Trustworthy and approachable with strong rapport skills.
Experienced in working with children, young learners, and adults across various educational settings.
A strong talent to develop and implement creative, hands-on learning that reaches every student`s learning style and ability, whilst empowering students to succeed and reach their individual goals. Every lesson is tailored to the needs of the student. The use of specific handbooks is determined by each student`s desires and needs. Any extra material when needed will be provided by the teacher.
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Katerina has lots of teaching experience. She teaches to all age ranges, from children to adults. She teaches to groups but also to individuals. Furthermore, she is very patient and eager to help you learn a new language.
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Recently, the health situation has prompted me to leave my home country and start a professional retraining. Passionate about English since childhood, I chose to do the TEFL Course to be able to teach the language. Having just graduated with distinction, I would now like to move on to the next step of my apprenticeship : Teaching.
My first lessons will be based on the PPP method or Presentation-Practice-Production. This method consists, first of all, in presenting or having people guess the target language before giving learners the opportunity to practice it through controlled activities. During the last step of the lesson, students have the opportunity to produce the language in freer activities.
I will try, as much as possible, to give my students a way to discover the target language for themselves, based on their existing knowledge. Also, since the practice of a foreign language requires oral comprehension, my lessons will be entirely given in English.
My classes are open to everyone!
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Clément is a new teacher and is eager to help you learn English. He specializes in teaching the levels A1 until B2. He is patient and structures his class according to the PPP (Presentation, Practice, Production) Method. You are guaranteed to learn a lot from him!
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Vanessa has over 10 years of teaching experience. She teaches the levels from A1 until C1. She cannot only teach you the language but also educate you on the relevant cultural topics related to the Spanish language. Furthermore, she will also be able to help you with industry specific vocabulary if necessary. Her lessons are completely adjusted to you and your needs.
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