Unit 1 Sound revision. Vowels in contrast

 

Ex. 1 [ і: ]- [e] – [u:] – [ ʊ ] contrasted:

a) Practice the following sets of words observing the vowel length contrasts:

bean – Ben – baboon – book;

breathe – breath – broom – bull;

she – shed – shoo – shook;

wee – wet – woo – would;

heel – heather – hood – hook;

lean – leather – lose – loose;

knee – neck – noon – nook;

pea – pen – poodle – put; 

key – kettle – cool – cooker; 

 

b) Read the phrases paying attention to vowel length:

1 Looks a good book, Peter! It’s full of puzzles and riddles. 2 This is the season for weeds. But weeding isn’t for me. 3 Ruth is a nice person, never moody or rude. 4 There’s a mosquito on your arm, Celia. 5The ceilings of the cathedral were extremely high. 6 After mending the leak he felt dead with fatigue. 7 They are as different as chalk and cheese. 8 The proof of the pudding is in the eating. 9 Fortune favours fools. 10 An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

 

Ex. 2 [æ - ∧ ] contrasted:

back – buck;

pan - pun;

map - mug; 

sample - summer;

practice - puddle;

patter - pumpkin;

rabbit - rubber;

racket – rubbish;

paddle – puddle;

battle – buckle;

sparrow – sputter;

narrow – nutty;

brandy – butter;

shadow – shuttle;

channel – chunky.  

 

Ex. 3 [ ɑ: - ∧ ] contrasted:

a)

barter – butter;

bargain – butter; 

cardinal – customer;

class – cluster; 

dark – dull;

larder – lucky;

marble – muddy;

staff – stuff;

rather – ruddy;

argument – ultimate;

chance – chuck;

charm – chump.

b)

1 He was banging and slamming on the piano for two hours. 2 My grandmother does not understand jazz. 3 During that awful autumn storm our apartment was flooded. 4 The water seemed to be coming from the front. 5 If I’d been a duck, I could’ve swum. 6 Martha was an awful bore, but Cathy was marvellous. 7 Duncan couldn’t help laughing. 8 Lucky in cards, unlucky in love. 9 What’s done cannot be undone. 10 May as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.

 

Ex. 4 [ ɑ: - ɒ - ɔ: - ǝʊ ] contrasted:

a)

part – pot – paw – pole;

spark – spot – sport – spoke;

tart – stock – torn –tone;

lark – lock – lawn – loan;

barn – Bonnie – born – bone;

shark – shock – shore – show;

yard – yacht – yearn – joke;

jar – jolly – jaw – joke;

heart – hot – haunt – home. 

b)

1 The wasp that’s trapped in the jar of blackcurrant jam is buzzing angrily. 2 Thank you very much for coming to pay back that money you borrowed on Monday, Danny. 3 While cutting up lamb the drunken butcher hacked off his thumb with a hatchet. 4 My husband had a double brandy, my mother wanted apple juice, but I drank champagne. 5 The stars are sparkling. My heart is enchanted. 6 Charlie’s making a pass at Martha. He can’t start making a pass until after the dance. 7 Bart is nothing but a money-grubber. 8 Joanna’s strawberry jam is fabulous. 9 George Bernard Shaw famously saidthat the British and the Americans were "two nations separated by a common language". 10 The tongue is not steel, yet it cuts.

Ex. 5 [ ɜ:] – [ ɔ:]- [ ǝʊ ] contrasted:

a)

Work – walk – woke;

burn – born – bone; 

ugh – awe – oh;

curb – core – code;

learn – lawn – alone;

thirsty – thorn – those;

firm – form – foam;   

blur – lore – blow;

churn – chore – chose;

shirt – short – show;

turn – tore – toe;

worm – warm – vogue.

b)

1 It was Bertha’s turn to rehearse. 2 Josie was getting worse those days. 3 George was allergic to bees and worms. 4 Maud had never heard of such scandalous things before. 5 Rosie thought she caught a turtle. 6 You can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. 7 It’s the early bird that catches the worm. 8 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 9 If wishes were horses, Beggars would ride; If turnips were watches, I would wear one by my side. 10 Mr. Lynn is very thin; Mr. Pratt is very fat; Mr. Cort is very short; Mr. Hall is very tall; Mr. Dent is very bent; Mr. Wait is very straight; Mr. Might is very bright; Mr. Tate is always late!

 

Ex. 6 Read the text. Work out the pronunciation for each word or phrase.

1 Let's face it - English is a crazy language.

2 There is no egg in an eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

3 Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

4 You park in the driveway but you drive on the parkway.

5 When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

6 Trees are cut down, and then they are cut up.

7 When you want to shut down your computer you have to hit “START!!”

8 How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?