Phonics

1. Phonics and Pronunciation
By Geethalatha
For Blooming Buds

2. •Phonetics/ Neutral Accent/ Pronunciation
•Speech Mechanism/ Mouth and Face
Relaxation Exercises
•Vowel Sounds/Consonants Sounds
Objectives

3. Some startling facts:
 There are 26 letters in the English
Alphabets
 However there are 44 sounds
24 Consonant Sounds
20 Vowel Sounds
(12 vowels & 8 Diphthongs)
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

4. Factors that affect Pronunciation and
intonation are:
Regional Influence/Mother Tongue
Influence
Speech Pattern
Personality
Family & Friends factor
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

5. Regional Influence/Mother Tongue Influence:
 Very/wary/vary
 There/dare
 HR (Yech ) HR
 Matter/Mutter
 Friend: Far end
 want/won’t
 The snacks are in the hall
 The snakes are in the hole
 Thirty: Thirsty
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

6. Pronunciation
What is good English pronunciation?
There are three levels of English pronunciation:
Level 1: People often don't understand what
you want to say. You use the wrong sounds in
English words.
Level 2: People understand what you want to
say, but it is unpleasant to listen to you.
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

7. Pronunciation
Level 3: People understand you, and your English is
pleasant to listen to.
Level 3 will be called good pronunciation.
Notice that good pronunciation is not "perfect
American or British accent". You don't have to sound
like the Queen of England or the President of the
United States of America.
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

8. Pronunciation
But our accent must be close to the standards (British
English). What does it mean? Turn on your TV and watch
channels like BBC. You will hear many different people
(news anchors, reporters, etc.)
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

9. Pronunciation Tips
These English pronunciation tips will help you :
Tip 1
Do not confuse pronunciation of words with their spelling!
For example, "threw" and "through", although spelled
differently, are pronounced the same. Also, identical letters
or letter clusters in words do not always produce the same
sound. For example, the "ough" in "though" and "through"
represents a different sound in each word. Learn to practice
what you hear, not what you see.
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

10. Pronunciation Tips
Tip 2
Imagine a sound in your mind before you say it. Try to
visualize the positioning of your mouth and face. Think
about how you are going to make the sound.
Tip 3
The English language has many different dialects, and
words can be pronounced differently. It is important,
however, that you pronounce words clearly to ensure
effective communication.
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

11. Pronunciation
The mechanism of speech involves production and
articulation of the sounds produced.
Consonant and vowel sounds are an integral part of
English speech
Consonant sounds are produced by a blockage or
obstruction to the exhaled air.
Vowel sounds are produced without any obstruction to
the exhaled air.
Introduction to Consonant and Vowel Sounds

12. Cecily Berry Exercise
OOT OHT AWT AHT AYT EET EHT
OOD OHD AWD AHD AYD EED EHD
OON OHN AWN AHN AYN EEN EHN
OOB OHB AWB AHB AYB EEB EHB
OOP OHP AWP AHP AYP EEP EHP
OOM OHM AWM AHM AYM EEM EHM
OOG OHG AWG AHG AYG EEG EHG
Vowel Sounds

13. Cecily Berry Exercise (continued)
OOF OHF AWF AHF AYF EEF EHF
OOV OHV AWV AHV AYV EEV EHV
OOS OHS AWS AHS AYS EES EHS
OOZ OHZ AWZ AHZ AYZ EEZ EHZ
OOTH OHTH AWTH AHTH AYTH EETH
Vowel Sounds

14. Vowels are sound carriers.
A diphthong is a combination of
two vowel sounds
Vowel Sounds

15. English Vowel Sounds
a e i o u
20
Pure Vowels Diphthongs
12 8
Vowel Sounds

16. Vowel Sounds
Vowel sounds can be broadly
categorized into:
Long Vowels
Short Vowels
Diphthongs
Vowel Sounds

17. Diphthongs:
[aʊ] as in house
[aɪ] as in kite
[eɪ] as in same
[juː] as in few
[ɔɪ] as in join
[ɪə] as in fear
[ɛə] as in hair
[ʊə] as in poor
Vowel Sounds

18. Introduction to Consonants
The Voiced Consonants
The Unvoiced Consonants

19. Places of Articulation

20. Consonant Sounds
Created by blocking the outgoing breath.
Grouped in families classified according to the
obstruction.
Clarity in speech depends on the way consonants are
pronounced.
To pronounce consonants clearly, you need to identify
the obstruction.
Consonant sounds in different languages differ in
quality.
Introduction to Consonant

21. Consonant sounds are divided into Voiced and
Unvoiced sounds.
Voiced sounds create a resonant sound in the
throat.
Unvoiced sounds are aspirated sounds.
Introduction to Consonant

22. Consonant sounds
B, d, f g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, y, z,,Dj,
Th, Zh, Sh, Ch, ng
Introduction to Consonant

23. Unvoiced Voiced
CH J (Dj)
S Z
SH ZH
K G
T D
Introduction to Consonant

24. Unvoiced Voiced
TH (Thanks) TH (That)
F V
P B
W
M
N
L
R
H
NG
Y
Introduction to Consonant

25. Unvoiced Sounds Voiced Sounds
/p/ path /b/ bath
/t/ time /d/ dime
/k/ came /g/game
/f/ fan /v/ van
/th/ think /th/them
/s/ price z/prize
/sh/shoe /zh/usual
/ch/chin /dj/gin
Introduction to Consonant

26. The ‘P’ sound
This is an unvoiced aspirated sound. It is
pronounced like ‘ph’ with distinct breath
coming out.
Example:
Problem - Phraablem
Past - Phaest
Promise- Phraamis
Introduction to Consonant

27. The ‘P’ sound
(Practice Exercise)
Peter had a problem with his project
Pickles are more expensive than peas.
My parents made the payment for Patricia’s
picnic.
Politicians are publicizing the polished
policemen’s work.
The patient ran in panic for no particular reason
Introduction to Consonant

28. The ‘K’ sound
This is an aspirated sound. It has to be
pronounced like ‘kh’ with a puff of air thrown
out:
Examples:
Color - Khalar
Contribute - Khantribute
Customer - Khustomer
Introduction to Consonant

29. Practice Exercise (emphasize on ‘k’ sound’)
I was coming back home after my coaching classes. On my
way I saw a cute girl clinging and cringing on the branch
of a tree. She was crying at the top of her voice. I called
out for her and asked her to calm down. She requested me
to help her come down the tree. I feared that my clothes
will get soiled. But I somehow gathered the courage to
climb the tree. Just when I was a little short of clutching
her arm, my leg slipped and I came crashing down the
road. The cream color of my collar became black and I got
a cut on my right knee. I quickly contained my anxiety and
made quick steps towards the cocoon of my home.
Introduction to Consonant

30. Voiced ‘TH’ Sound
This sound is created by placing the tongue behind your teeth
touching the upper palate of your mouth.
The voiced ‘th’ usually occurs in function words or pronouns
and words that end with ‘the’.
Examples:
This That These The They
Breathe Teethe Bathe Sheathe
Father Brother Mother
Introduction to Consonant

31. Unvoiced ‘TH’ Sound
The unvoiced ‘TH’ sound is created by placing
your tongue between your lips and releasing the air
through the slit.
The unvoiced ‘TH’ sound usually occurs in content
words
Examples:
Thud Something With Thousand
Both South North Thank
Introduction to Consonant

32. Exercise:
Practice these words:
Third Without Theatre
Fourth Author Thought
Fifth Nothing Thursday
Eighth Thirsty Three
Eleventh Theme Thelma
Twelfth Month Dorothy
Thirteenth Birthday Elizabeth
Twentieth Through Samantha
Introduction to Consonant

33. The ’V’ Sound
This is a voiced sound. To produce the ‘v’
sound allow your upper teeth to rest on your
lower lip and push the sound through the slit.
Bite the lower lip and feel the vibration.
Examples:
Verify, Discover, Voice
Introduction to Consonant

34. Practice Exercise
Read these words with the correct ‘v’ sound.
Valid Divide Above Invest
Victim Heavy Love Velocity
Video Save Leave Vegetables
Vote Valentine Festival Vanessa
Vinegar Vast Virtue Vice
Evoke Arrive Victor Visit
Introduction to Consonant

35. The ‘W’ sound
This is a voiced sound. To produce the ‘w’
sound, make your lips rounded and the tongue
drawn back as in the position of ‘u’. Your lips
should form a soft circle.
Examples:
Work
Wedding
Wednesday
Introduction to Consonant

36. Practice Exercise
Read out these words with the correct ‘w sound.
Twenty Wish Sandwich Sweet
One Winter Weather Wait
Water Wave Wallet Watch
Walnut Wine Weed Weigh
Weave Wander Wonder Walk
Wash Wane Weep Win
Weight Wise Railway Swim
Introduction to Consonant

37. How will you pronounce these words?
Very Wary
Verse Worse
Wheel Veal
West Vest
Vie Whale
While Vile
Introduction to Consonant

38. The Ch sound
This is an unvoiced aspirated sound:
Church
Cherish
Chant
Chamber
Introduction to Consonant

39. The Ch sound
Practice Exercise
Charlie chose the chilly chicken
Chitra chanced to sit on the Chiming chair.
Cherry cheered the charming champion.
Check the cheese before you eat.
Channel of the chimney was charred.
Introduction to Consonant

40. The dj Sound
This is a voiced sound
Gin
 Ginger
Practice Exercise:
Gin and tonic water is the gist for success for
gigantic parties.
Gillette is the brand of a shaving gadget
Gauge the height of the hill gingerly.
Fit the gauge gently.
Introduction to Consonant

41. The sh sound
This is a voiced sound. Produce the
‘sh’ sound by pursing your lips in an
oval shape resting your upper teeth
straight on your lower teeth and
blowing the air through the slit
between the teeth.
Introduction to Consonant

42. The sh sound
 Shell
 She
 Shoot
 English
Introduction to Consonant

43. The sh sound
Practice Exercise:
Chef, Champagne
Musician ,Ancient
Tension, Pension
Russia, Expression
Sanction, Section
Introduction to Consonant

44. The S Sound
The S sound is a voiced sound produced by
placing the tongue towards the upper ridge
of your teeth and passing the air through
the slit
 Swim
 State
 Start
Introduction to Consonant

45. The S Sound
Practice Exercise
Sally Silly Smoke Sam
Sells Straws Subway Street
Station Sandy Study Strong
Straight Stammer String Storm
Introduction to Consonant

46. The Zh sound
This sound is produced in the same ways as sh.
The only difference is that of a strong vibration
in the throat:
Pleasure Measure Treasure
Seizure Leisure Azure
Introduction to Consonant

47. The Z sound
Practice Exercise:
Zulu Amaze Graze Crazy
Blaze Cozy Doze Accuse
Maze Glaze Praise Daze
Ease Faze Freeze Buzz
Lizard Jazzy Lazy Busy
Zoology Prize Booze Maize
Introduction to Consonant

48. Managing Clusters
/sp/ Splash
/st/ Style
/str/ Straight
/sts/ Lasts
/ss/ Students strike
/tr/ Train
/dr/ Drive
/kr/ Cross
Introduction to Consonant

49. The Z sound
This is a voiced sound. It is produced by
placing your tongue between the upper ridge
of your teeth and gives a buzzing effect:
Zebra, Zeal, Zoo, Zip, Zest
Introduction to Consonant

50. The Z sound
Practice Exercise:
Zulu Amaze Graze Crazy
Blaze Cozy Doze Accuse
Maze Glaze Praise Daze
Ease Faze Freeze Buzz
Lizard Jazzy Lazy Busy
Zoology Prize Booze Maize
Introduction to Consonant

51. Managing Clusters
/sp/ Splash
/st/ Style
/str/ Straight
/sts/ Lasts
/ss/ Students strike
/tr/ Train
/dr/ Drive
/kr/ Cross
Introduction to Consonant

52. WORD STRESS

53.  Stress is one of the vocal features.
 Major characteristics of the English language -
the use of strong and weak stress.
There are NO consistent rules in English.
The main reason for the complexity of stress in
English the language is a mixture of
Germanic and Roman languages..
stress

54. Improperly placed stress causes misunderstanding:
invalid –invalid
Stress placement may also have a grammatical function –
changing the stress to another syllable can change the part
of speech. Noun Verb
present and present
project and project
record and record
desert and dessert
convert –and convert

55. RULES of WORD STRESS
Stress on TWO - SYLLABLE words
If the word does not have
a suffix, and in the
majority of two-syllable
words stress usually goes
on the first syllable.

56. No suffix two-syllables Nouns in general
cherry window jacket
devil Tuesday table
father breakfast paper
vanish cupcake money
morning

57. Compound words Numbers ( of ten )
flashcard twenty thirty forty
bookstore fifty sixty seventy
stoplight eighty ninety

58. Combinations of words which are treated as single units
from the point of view that their meanings are called
compound
Example: crossword , baseball, strawberry, airport,
photocopy
In most compound
words, the stress is on
the first part, as in the
example: bus stop
In longer compounds, the first element
has the main stress, and the other part
has weaker stress.

59. TWO-SYLLABLES word stress
Example: report, prepare,outrun, invite
believe, support, complete
Most two-syllable verbs
have stress on the second
syllable, even if they do not
come from an original one-
syllable word.

60. There are some exceptions regarding the change
of the part of speech as in examples below.
(there is not a change of stress)
VERB NOUN
picture picture
promise promise
reply reply
travel travel
visit visit

61. Ex: re-do, re-name, re-tell, re-make, re-dress
Ex: remark, remind, reward, require, refuse
When the prefix re- means again, it
receives the strong stress:
When the prefix re- begins a word,
and it does not mean again, it is
UNSTRESSED

62. Remember
NOUNS VERBS
conflict ( controversy) conflict ( to clash )
content ( subject matter ) content ( to satisfy)
desert ( barren region ) desert ( to abandon )
contest ( competition) contest ( to dispute)
increase ( enlargement) increase (to make larger)
Nouns – stress on
the first syllable
Verbs – stress on
the second syllable
Stress in NOUN / VERB
Homographs

63. Example:
un-der- line (original word is line)
re-co-llect (original word is collect)
We can build longer word by
adding parts to the
beginning or end of shorter
word. Stress usually stays
on the same syllable as in
the original word.

64. Ex: real - real +ly – real +ize
separate – separate+ly
In English, the suffixes – ic, - ical ,
as in words basic, medical
ARE ALLWAYS
UNSTRESSED
When suffixes are
added to English
words, the stress
remains on the
same syllable

65. BUT !
when the suffixes - tion / -ity
are added to English words, the
stress goes automatically to the
syllables immediately preceding
the suffix:
Ex: real – realization - reality
nation- nationalization - nationality

66. RULES TO REMEMBER
Examples:
myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves.
Examples:
outrun, overlook, overfeed,
undergo
Reflexive pronouns
are usually stressed
on the SECOND
syllable
Compound verbs are
usually stressed on the
SECOND or LAST
syllable.

67. Teaching ideas and techniques
Listen and pronounce the stress pattern differences
--Please record the record.
- Please don’t desert me in a desert.
- We project that our project will be successful
- She will present you with a present.
Work with a dictionary to find examples with
noun/ verb Homographs

68. Teaching ideas and techniques
Remember to stess re- only when it means “ again”.
re-mark ( to mark smth again) re-mark ( to comment)
re-lay (to lay smth down again) re-lay ( to pass on a message)
Re-do this model, but re-duce the size.
Re-mind me to re-sort the index cards.
Will he re-fuse to re-print this book?
They will re-quire you to re-write the letter.

69. What is intonation
“Rise and fall in pitch is intonation”
It can also be defined as “Speech Music”
Intonation

70. Intonation is the rise and fall in pitch . It conveys personal
intentions and emotions such as surprise, anxiety,
excitement.
Pitch is the number of vibrations per second.
Changes in pitch determine the TONE of speech.
Intonation

71. What happens when we lack
intonation while conversing?
Negates the essence of information
Makes us sound mechanical
causes miscommunication
Intonation

72. Stress words are considered
CONTENT WORDS
Nouns e.g. kitchen, Peter
(most) principle verbs e.g.
visit, construct
Adjectives e.g. beautiful,
interesting
Adverbs e.g. often, carefully

73. Non-stressed words are considered
FUNCTION WORDS
 Determiners e.g. the, a, some, a
few
 Auxiliary verbs e.g. don't, am,
can, were
 Prepositions e.g. before, next to,
opposite
 Conjunctions e.g. but, while, as
 Pronouns e.g. they, she, us

74. HELLO
 To me
 To a friend
 To an infant
 To a person who is commiting a
mistake
 To a boring person

75. GOOD BYE
 To A member of A family at the airport
 To some one annyoing you
 To A child strating first day at school
 To A boy /girl friend/husband /wife
 To A college friend
 To A colleague after A long tiring day

76. HOW ARE YOU?
 To someone you haven’t seen for 20
years
 To someone who has lost animportant
member of the family
 To some one at hospital
 To a colleague in the morning on
monday
 To the head of the institution

77. Let us look at examples:
1. I didn’t say he stole the money
2. I didn’t say he stole the money
3. I didn’t say he stole the money
4. I didn’t say he stole the money
5. I didn’t say he stole the money
6. I didn’t say he stole the money
7. I didn’t say he stole the money
Intonation

78. Let us look at the sentences again:
1. I didn’t say he stole the money - someone else did
2. I didn’t say he stole the money- that’s not true at all
3. I didn’t say he stole the money- I only suggested it
4. I didn’t say he stole the money- someone else took it
5. I didn’t say he stole the money- he may have
borrowed
6. I didn’t say he stole the money- but rather some other
money
7. I didn’t say he stole the money- He may have taken
jewellery
Intonation

79. Rules of Intonation
1. Contrasting perceptions
She learned cooking but never used that skill.
She studied French but did not enjoy it.
Mary speaks Spanish but she teaches Portuguese.
Contrasts are intoned because they denote two
opposite meanings, and therefore require
emphasis.
Intonation

80. Rules of Intonation
2. Opinions
 I believe he is intelligent but you may differ from
me
 It looks like a gun but it is a dummy.
 I feel they are extremely happy about the
incident.
Intonation

81. Rules of Intonation
2.Opinions
Opinions are stressed since they denote strong perceptions.
However, if there are nouns in the sentence, the nouns get
more emphasis than the verbs.
Example:
Harry believes he is intelligent but you may differ from
him.
Intonation

82. Rules of Intonation
3.Negations and contractions:
I can’t do anything about it
I won’t do it for a million bucks
She shouldn’t be going out alone
All contractions are not stressed.
Only the ones which carry the essence of
negation.
Intonation

83. Rules of Intonation
4. Adjective Phrases:
The stress falls on the second word
A beautiful girl
A lovely rose
A delicious meal
A refreshing drink
An amazing journey
The lonely man
Intonation

84. Rules of Intonation
5. Noun Phrases
The stress falls on the first word
Example:
A hotdog
A businessman
A matchstick
Intonation

85. Rules of Intonation
6.When there are no adverbs or nouns intone
on the verbs
They drank it fast.
He came back for me.
Intonation

86. Rules of Intonation
7. Longer phrases or sentences can contain more
than one pitch jump. However, do not use exactly
the same level of intonation twice in a row:
Example:
I tried to cook a delicious meal for her
Our meeting schedule is flexible this afternoon
Intonation

87. Rules of Intonation
With close ended questions (When answer is a Yes or No)
intonation rises at the end of the Question
Are you married?
With open ended questions (That cannot be answered in a
yes or no) the intonation drops at the end of the statement
How Long have your worked?
Three Years
Intonation

88. Rules of Intonation
With Numbers:
Intonation rises at the last but one set of numbers
indicating that you are approaching the end of the
number and then drops on the last number as it
does in statements.
My phone Number is 92 42 4983 50
Intonation

89. Rules of Intonation
Intonation when giving choices:
Intonation will rise on the first choice or all the
choices before the last one and down for the final
option to indicate end of the choices
Do you want red, black or yellow?
Intonation

90. Other rules of intonation:
When new information is conveyed, nouns which are
the carriers of new information are stressed
People enjoy parties
Cats drink milk
Men drive cars

91. Practice the sentences with intonation
Mark the stressed words in the following
sentences
 John is coming over tonight. We are going to
work on our homework together.
 Ecstasy is an extremely dangerous drug.
 Jack bought a new car last Friday.
 They are looking forward to your visiting them
next January.
 Exciting discoveries lie in Tom's future.
 Would you like to come over and play a game of
chess?
 Shakespeare wrote passionate, moving poetry.
 As you might have expected, he has just
thought of a new approach to the problem

92. Answers
 John is coming over tonight. We are going to work on
our homework together.
 Ecstasy is an extremely dangerous drug.
 Jack bought a new car last Friday.
 They are looking forward to your visiting them next
January.
 Exciting discoveries lie in Tom's future.
 Would you like to come over and play a game of
chess?
 Shakespeare wrote passionate, moving poetry.
 As you might have expected, he has just thought of a
new approach to the problem .