ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION
The text follows the contents of G. Ludbrook: English Pronunciation. CD (Edizioni Erickson).
I - PHONETIC SYMBOLS AND SOUNDS
Exercise 1: Match the phonetic transcriptions with the words.
1. /∫Λt/ a. later
2. /ha:t/ b. joke
3. /θInk/ c. heart
4. /w3:k/ d. there
5. /leIt∂/ e. doubt
6. /b⊃:t/ f. work
7. /pu:l/ g. shut
8. /daut/ h. think
9. /d3∂uk/ i. pool
10. /ðe∂/ j. Bought
Exercise 2: Listen to the following words and circle the sound that you hear.
1. /æ/ /Λ/
2. /æ/ /e/
3. /u/ /a/
4. /I:/ /I/
5. /3:/ /⊃:/
6. /eI/ /aI/
7. /u/ /u:/
8. /I∂/ /e∂/
9. /θ/ /ð/
10. /∫/ /3/
Exercise 3: Complete the transcriptions with one of the following dipthongs:
/eI/ /aI/ /⊃I/ /∂u/ /au/ /I∂/ /e∂/ /u∂/
1. make /m _ _ k/
2. sure / ∫ _ _/
3. bear /b _ _/
4. island /- - l∂nd/
5. employ /Impl _ _/
6. hear /h _ _/
7. town /t _ _ n/
8. home /h _ _ m/
9. sight /s _ _ t/
10. know /n _ _ /
Exercise 4: Write out the correct spelling of these place names.
1. /kænt∂brI/
2. /grenIt∫/
3. /lest∂/
4. /edInbr∂/
5. /warIk/
Exercise 5: Listen to the teacher and underline the /∂/ sound in the following sentences.
1. We went to the theatre yesterday.
2. He can speak Russian and German.
3. Susan is famous for her Christmas cake.
4. The pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary are difficult.
5. We could ask them if they have reached a decision.
6. A man and a woman were waiting at the station.
7. They're going to the mountains on Saturday.
8. The private sector is all economic activity other than government.
9. Where are the spoons and forks?
10. There were seven or eight hundred people present at the conference.
Exercise 6: Tick the words that contain the /3I/ sound.
1. Thursday 5. Tuesday 9. birthday 13. ball
2. does 6. work 10. turn 14. hurt
3. skirt 7. ear 11. bun 15. early
4. short 8. nurse 12. Weren't 16. Ward
Exercise 7: The teacher will read out the following sentences. Underline the alternative that you hear.
1. Which county/country did you say he lived in?
2. She rubbed/robbed the silver to make it shinier.
3. There are a lot of colourful rags/rugs on the floor.
4. Can I borrow your cup/cap?
5. We were wondering/wandering where she was.
6. She has a heart/hut of gold.
7. Put the batter/butter in the fridge.
8. Did you say he run/ran away?
9. There was a big cart/cut in the wood.
10. He tripped over the stump/stamp on the ground.
Exercise 8: Say whether the pairs of words you hear are the same (S) or different (D).
Exercise 9: Write the following words under the correct phonetic sound.
there three breathe thin moth whether although nothing throw either
Exercise 10: The teacher will read out the following sentences. Underline the alternative that you hear.
1. There was only a little vine / wine left.
2. Where is the vest / west?
3. I saw a long whale / veil in the distance.
4. What was under the wheel / veal?
5. Her poetry has become worse / verse.
Exercise 11: Tick the words that contain the /d3/ sound.
1. gin 5. yam 9. jet 13. damage
2. large 6. soldier 10. gear 14. mayor
3. goat 7. guilty 11. just 15. collage
4. injury 8. gum 12. get 16. college
Exercise 12: The teacher will read out sentences. Tick the word that you hear.
1. ill hill
2. eye high
3. art heart
4. air hair
5. ear hear
6. old hold
7. heir hair
8. all hall
9. eight hate
10. edge hedge
Exercise 13: Tick the words that contain the /s/ sound.
1. song 5. face 9. issue 13. disciple
2. Islam 6. city 10. months 14. sugar
3. vision 7. message 11. castle 15. mix
4. science 8. houses 12. fascism 16. Psychology
Exercise 14: Underline the word that the transcription represents.
1. b⊃:n burn born
2. θIn thing thin
3. fI:lInz fillings feelings
4. vaIn vine wine
5. meId3∂ major mayor
6. ræm rum ram
7. w3:d word worried
8. f∂get forget forged
9. aIs eyes ice
10. hu:z whose house
II - ENGLISH SPELLING AND SOUNDS
Exercise 15: Circle the word that is pronounced differently from the other three words.
1. accident access accommodate accept
2. sheep beer field people
3. angry jungle English spring
4. shout now round mould
5. cheese chip machine attach
6. signature foreign Gnostic tongue
7. suit fruit cruise biscuit
8. though rough enough tough
9. floor poor flood door
10. author caught laughter daughter
Exercise 16: Write the sound /s/, /z/ or /Iz/ next to the following words.
1. judges _____
2. lives _____
3. plates _____
4. classes _____
5. breathes _____
6. watches _____
7. attends _____
8. tapes _____
9. books _____
10. wives _____
Exercise 17: Pronounce the past form of these regular verbs paying attention to the -ed suffix.
1. study _____
2. judge _____
3. listen _____
4. miss _____
5. work _____
6. answer _____
7. test _____
8. invent _____
9. research _____
10. enjoy _____
Exercise 18: Listen to the teacher and circle the word you hear.
1. Breath/Breathe in deeply and then out again.
2. Suits were usually made of wool cloth/clothe.
3. I really loath/loathe the fashion of the 1980s.
4. The medicine soothes/sooths the pain of the inflammation.
5. The baby's teeth/teethe are coming through.
Exercise 19: Listen to the sentences and circle the transcription that you hear.
1. /hauz/ /haus/
2. /te∂/ /tI∂/
3. /kl∂uz/ /kl∂us/
4. /wInd/ /waInd/
5. /'kantrækt/ /k∂n 'trækt/
Exercise 20: Listen to the teacher and circle the word that you hear in its context.
1. whose / who's
2. there / their
3. sale / sail
4. rode / road
5. steel / steal
6. right / write
7. hear / here
8. rain / reign
9. bare / bear
10. by / buy
Exercise 21: Mark the silent letters in the following words.
1. answer 6. castle 11. subtle 16. island
2. Greenwich 7. design 12. vegetable 17. Mustn't
3. interest 8. know 13. generous 18. Wednesday
4. restaurant 9. comfortable 14. psychosis 19. bomb
5. written 10. honest 15. cupboard 20. Hoped
III - STRESS PATTERNS IN WORDS
Exercise 22: Divide the following words into syllables.
1. mirror
2. sunshine
3. poem
4. wonderful
5. calendar
6. global
7. fitness
8. December
9. computer
10. lovely
11. fine
12. tongue
13. oversleep
14. dinner
15. antidote
Exercise 23: Mark the primary stress in the following words.
1. village 6. passion
2. society 7. anxiety
3. talkative 8. universal
4. suffragette 9. career
5. classify 10. Economics
Exercise 24: Mark the shift in stress in the following pairs of words.
1. economy economics
2. experiment experimental
3. history historian
4. nation nationality
5. philosophy philosophical
6. psychiatry psychiatric
7. science scientific
8. examine examination
9. idiot idiotic
10. demonstrate demonstration
Exercise 25: Mark the primary stress in the following pairs of nouns and verbs.
1. to conduct conduct
2. to desert desert
3. to present present
4. to subject subject
5. to conflict conflict
6. to decrease decrease
7. to object object
8. to produce produce
9. to suspect suspect
10. to rebel rebel
Exercise 26: Find the word in each group that the primary stress located on the different syllable from the other three.
1. a) con-fi-dent b) del-i-cate c) po-et-ic d) sen-si-tive
2. a) ad-mi-ra-ble b) app-ro-priate c) com-pli-cated d)nec-es-sar-y
3. a) or-i-gin b) oc-cur c) lim-it d) of-fer
4. a) in-stru-ment b) cal-en-dar c) at-mos-phere d) ad-vise
5. a) ca-nal b) de-moc-ra-cy c) char-ac-ter d) suc-cess
6. a) mu-si-cian b) ne-ces-si-ty c) au-thor-i-ty d) pho-to-graph
7. a) man-age b) con-nect c) o-blige d) re-veal
8. a) a-tom-ic b) dif-fer-ent c) se-ri-ous d) vi-ol-ent
9. a) ac-ci-dent b) ma-chin-e-ry c) res-tau-rant d) tel-e-phone
10. a) mar-riage b) mys-ter-y c) ben-e-fit d) ex-ist-ence
Exercise 27: Mark the stress on the following words.
1. blackboard 6. train-spotting
2. mobile phone 7. football
3. well-dressed 8. bus stop
4. highlight 9. out-dated
5. swimming pool 10. over-ripe
Exercise 28: Rewrite the sentences forming compound adjectives and mark the primary stress.
1. The letter was written by hand The letter was ................................
2. We grew the vegetables at home. The vegetables are .......................
3. We went on holiday at the last minute. It was a .............................holiday.
4. Jane works very hard. Jane is .........................................
5. Tom looks really good. Tom is ........................................
IV - STRESS PATTERNS IN PHRASES
Exercise 29: Underline the weak function words in the following sentences.
1. I'd love a cup of tea.
2. When are you going to Spain?
3. He goes to the cinema three or four times a month.
4. I'll have some bread and butter, please.
5. We'd rather stay at home than go to the restaurant.
6. You'll have to study harder if you want to pass the exam.
7. They drove at 50 kilometres per hour.
8. Did you give him the books?
9. He said that he'd go home as soon as possible.
10. I told them they were going to fall.
Exercise 30: Write a or an in the following sentences.
1. It took me _____ hour to write the letter.
2. Would you like _____ orange?
3. She is _____ Anglo-Italian.
4. It is _____ European law.
5. Jane is _____ university student.
6. I hope to study for _____ M.A. degree next year.
7. It was _____ one-hour lesson.
8. The concert was _____ extraordinary event.
9. You'll have to have _____ X-ray for that leg.
10. It was _____ enjoyable evening.
Exercise 31: Say whether the following pronunciation of the definite article is /ð∂/ or /ðI:/.
1. _____ heir.
2. _____ universe.
3. _____ apple.
4. _____ ugly house.
5. _____ U.S.A.
6. _____ hotel.
7. _____ historian.
8. _____ jewels.
9. _____ hour-glass
10. _____ one-man band.
Exercise 32: Underline the weak function words in the following sentences.
1. He could have told you if you had asked.
2. Don't you want to know?
3. I should have known he was joking.
4. She can apply for the job, can't she?
5. Who does she think she is?
6. He was at school when the fire broke out.
7. Where does he say he was going?
8. That is the place he has renovated.
9. I certainly won't do that job again.
10. You don't have to stay if you don't want to.
Exercise 33: Mark the stressed syllables in the following passages. Practise reading them with attention to the weak forms (auxiliaries, articles, pronouns, prepositions etc).
TEXT 1
Of all the changes that swept over Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the most widely influential was an epistemological transformation that we call the "scientific revolution". In the popular mind, this revolution is associated with natural science and technological change, but the scientific revolution was, in reality, a series of changes in the structure of European thought itself: systematic doubt, empirical and sensory verification, the abstraction of human knowledge into separate sciences, and the view that the world functions like a machine. These changes greatly altered the human experience of every other aspect of life. This modification in world view can also be charted in painting, sculpture and architecture, where it can be seen that people are looking at the world very differently.
TEXT 2
Today English is a world-wide language. About 300 million people speak it as their mother-tongue, and there are as many - if not more - for whom it is an additional language. The unparalleled status of English as an international language reflects the economic and technological power of the English-speaking countries, predominantly the United States. A radical shift in power would undoubtedly result in the eventual displacement of English as the paramount international language. Even so, it will remain the national language of many countries where the majority of the population now speak it as their first or second language.
V - ENGLISH WORDS USED IN ITALIAN
Exercise 34: The following words are commonly used in Italian. Make sure you know their correct pronunciation.
1. management 11. report
2. performance 12. hamburger
3. audience 13. privacy
4. replay 14. suspense
5. know-how 15. Japan
6. check-in 16. mountain bike
7. server 17. wafer
8. partner 18. flashback
9. desktop 19. club
10. cover 20. bunker
Exercise 35: Write the original English terms of these translations in Italian.
1. cartone animato
2. diversamente abile
3. informatica
4. parola-chiave
5. parola d'ordine
Exercise 36: Match the false anglicism on the left with its correct term on the right.
1. autogrill a. funfair
2. camping b. juvenile murderer
3. luna park c. toilet
4. stage d. motorway snack bar
5. golf e. pinball machine
6. baby killer f. channel surfing
7. water g. adhesive tape
8. scotch h. hitch-hiking
9. lifting i. internship
10. flipper j. jumper
11. zapping k. campsite
12. autostop l. facelif
Attachment:- Assignment File.rar