Written Exercises

Unit 3

Vowels and Vowel Glides

Unit 3 – Exercise 1

Clipping. Explain the process of clipping using the following minimal pair: /meɪk/ versus /meɪd/. What about /meɪ/?

Please refer to Unit 2 in English pronunciation for speakers of Spanish. From theory to practice.

Unit 3 – Exercise 2

Lengthening. Explain the process of lengthening using the following minimal pair: /pleiːː/ versus /pleɪd/.

Please refer to Unit 2 in English pronunciation for speakers of Spanish. From theory to practice.

Unit 3 – Exercise 3

the following list of words, select those in which the vowel sound is pronounced as follows: extra long, clipped, lengthened and with normal length:

bore	birth	through	juice	country	shoe	port	fear
talk	bank	love	wood	remark	what	pair	look
cost	group	foot	bush	wolf	day	fruit	word
aunt	alter	choose	home	girl	urge	food	pull

Extra Long	Clipped	Lengthened	Normal length
bore	birth	country	what
through	juice	bank	look
shoe	port	love	cost
shoe	port	love	cost
fear	talk	wood	foot
pair	remark	wolf	bush
day	group	pull	word
	fruit		aunt
			alter
			choose
			home
			girl
			urge
			food

Unit 3 – Exercise 4

Explain the articulatory process involved in the production of the diphthong /əʊ/.

Please refer to Unit 2 in English pronunciation for speakers of Spanish. From theory to practice. For further information, see also Unit 3.

Unit 3 – Exercise 5

Mixed vowel sounds. In the following series of words, find which one is the odd one out -i.e. circle the word that contains a vowel sound which is different from the others in the series. Transcribe both sounds: give the one which is common to three words first, and then the odd one out.

1.	eight	weight	wait	leisure
2.	goes	known	brown	note
3.	wart	fall	wall	watch
4.	cot	sought	court	caught
5.	here	hare	hair	there
6.	read	breathe	breed	bread
7.	pearl	pea	purl	girl
8.	believe	people	thief	mischief
9.	glass	pass	gas	aghast
10.	sorry	worry	other	London

1.	/eɪ/ – /e/	leisure
2.	/әʊ/ – /aʊ/	brown
3.	/ɔː/ – /ɒ/	watch
4.	/ɔː/ – /ɒ/	cot
5.	/eә/ – /ɪә/	here
6.	/iː/ – /e/	bread
7.	/ɜː/ – /iː/	pea
8.	/iː/ – /ɪ/	mischief
9.	/aː/ – /ӕ/	gas
10.	/ʌ/ – /ɒ/	sorry

Unit 3 – Exercise 6

Mixed vowel sounds. Supply the missing symbols in the following words.

1. wall /w l/	21. busy /ˈb z /	41. stood /st d/
2. farm /f m/	22. English /ˈ ŋgl ʃ/	42. taught /t t/
3. war /w /	23. believe /b ˈl v/	43. lord /l d/
4. course /k s/	24. finish /ˈf n ʃ/	44. push /p ʃ/
5. keys /k z/	25. aren’t / nt/	45. blood /bl d/
6. scene /s n/	26. meal /m l/	46. fruit /fr t/
7. field /f ld/	27. police /p ˈl s/	47. cause /k z/
8. butter /ˈb t /	28. bury /ˈb r /	48. flush /fl ʃ/
9. father /ˈf ð /	29. discreet /d sˈkr t/	49. Andrew /ˈ ndr /
10. money /ˈm n /	30. month /m nɵ/	50. butcher /ˈb ʧ /
11. these /ð z/	31. thief /ɵ f/	51. wool /w l/
12. meaning /ˈm n ŋ/	32. bird /b d/	52. orange /ˈ r nʤ/
13. people /ˈp pl/	33. again / ˈgn/	53. sausage /ˈs s ʤ/
14. ate / t/	34. friend /fr nd/	54. sock /s k/
15. weather /ˈw ð /	35. word /w d/	55. woman /w mn/
16. sweet /sw t/	36. story /ˈst r /	56. cushion /ˈk ʃn/
17. please /pl z/	37. wallet /ˈw l t/	57. young /j ŋ/
18. leopard /ˈl p d/	38. soup /s p/	58. water /ˈw t /
19. do /d /	39. what /w t/	59. women /ˈw m n/
20. parents /ˈp r nts/	40. would /w d/	60. quality /ˈkw l t /

1. wall /wɔːl/	21. busy /ˈbɪzi/	41. stood /stʊd/
2. farm /faːm/	22. English /ˈɪŋglɪʃ/	42. taught /tɔːt/
3. war /wɔː/	23. believe /bɪˈliːv/	43. lord /lɔːd/
4. course /kɔːs/	24. finish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/	44. push /pʊʃ/
5. keys /kiːz/	25. aren’t /aːnt/	45. blood /blʌd/
6. scene /siːn/	26. meal /miːl/	46. fruit /fruːt/
7. field /fiːld/	27. police /pәˈliːs/	47. cause /kɔːz/
8. butter /ˈbʌtә/	28. bury /ˈberi/	48. flush /flʌʃ/
9. father /ˈfaːðә /	29. discreet /dɪsˈkriːt/	49. Andrew /ˈӕndruː/
10. money /ˈmʌni /	30. month /mʌnɵ/	50. butcher /ˈbʊʧә/
11. these /ðiːz/	31. thief /ɵiːf/	51. wool /wʊl/
12. meaning /ˈmiːnɪŋ	32. bird /bɜːd/	52. orange /ˈɒrɪnʤ/
13. people /ˈpiːpl/	33. again /әˈgn/	53. sausage /ˈsɒsɪʤ/
14. ate /et/	34. friend /frend/	54. sock /sɒk/
15. weather /ˈweðә /	35. word /wɜːd/	55. woman /wʊmn/
16. sweet /swiːt/	36. story /ˈstɔːri/	56. cushion /ˈkʊʃn/
17. please /pliːz/	37. wallet /ˈwɒlɪt/	57. young /jʌŋ/
18. leopard /ˈlepәd/	38. soup /suːp/	58. water /ˈwɔːtә/
19. do /duː /	39. what /wɒt/	59. women /ˈwɪmɪn/
20. parents /ˈpeәrәnts/	40. would /wʊd/	60. quality /ˈkwɒlɪti /

Unit 3 – Exercise 7

Transcribe all the vowel sounds in the following sentences:

Your daughter always wants more hot water in her coffee.
Although he has gone home in the autumn he hasn’t talked a word.
Push that wool cushion over! It should look good in my room.
I give you my word: finish your work and we'll go for a walk on the moors.
She had learnt by heart all her words in the story very early.
I caught the rope but not the boat.

Your daughter always wants more hot water in her coffee.
/ ɔː ɔː ә ɔː eɪ ɒ ɔː ɒ ɔː ә ɪ ɜː ɒ i /
Although he has gone home in the autumn he hasn’t talked a word.
/ ɔː әʊ ɪː ә ɒ әʊ ɪ iː ɔː iː ӕ ɔː ә ɜː /
Push that wool cushion over! It should look good in my room.
/ ʊ ӕ uː ʊ әʊ ә ɪ ʊ ʊ ʊ ɪ aɪ uː /
I give you my word: finish your work and we'll go for a walk on the moors.
/aɪ ɪ uː aɪ ɜː ɪ ɪ ɔː ɜː ә iː әʊ ә ә ɔː ɒ ә ɔː /
She had learnt by heart all her words in the story very early.
/ iː ә ɜː aɪ aː ɔː ɜː ɜː ɪ ә ɔː i e i ɜː i /
I caught the rope but not the boat.
/aɪ ɔː ә әʊ ә ɒ ә әʊ /

Unit 3 – Exercise 8

Homophones. Identify pairs of homophones -i.e. words that are pronounced in the same way but spelt differently- in the list provided below. There are some words which do not represent a pair of homophones. Give all the possible spellings. For example: /siːn/ scene, seen

1. /drʌŋk/	11. /wɜːk/	21. /bɔɪ/	31. /nʌn/	41. /ʃʊə/	51. /ˈɔːltə/
2. /ˈbɜːd /	12. /pɜːl/	22. /weɪt/	32. /ӕnt/	42. /fraɪt/	52. /bɔː/
3. /ˈflәʊ/	13. /ɜːʤ/	23. /daɪ/	33. /lɑːf/	43. /pʊl/	53. /ruːd/
4. /pɔː/	14. /ˈweðə/	24. /deɪ/	34. /wʌn/	44. /bʊk/	54. /beə/
5. /ˈberɪ/	15. /kɔːs/	25. /ɔː/	35. /pɔːt/	45. /hɪə/	55. /feə/
6. /gɜːl/	16. /sɔː/	26. /ɜːn/	36. /wɔːd/	46. /heə/	56. /bɪəd/
7. /ɜːɵ/	17. /tɔːk/	27. /hɜːd/	37. /sʌn/	47. /fluː/	57. /drӕŋk/
8. /red/>	18. /kɔːt/	28. /weə/	38. /kruːz/	48. /pɔː/	58. /ruːt/
9. /bɜːɵ/	19. /reɪn/	29. /lʌv/	39. /fraɪə/	49. /wɔːn/	59. /rɔː/
10. /dɪə/	20. /taɪm/	30. /ˈɑːnt/	40. /peə/	50. /ɵruː/	60. /wʊd/

1. /drʌŋk/	11. /wɜːk/	21. /bɔɪ/ boy, buoy	31. /nʌn/ none, nun	41. /ʃʊə/	51. /ˈɔːltə/ alter, altar
2. /ˈbɜːd /	12. /pɜːl/ pearl, purl	22. /weɪt/ wait, weight	32. /ӕnt/	42. /fraɪt/ fright, freight	52. /bɔː/ bore, boar
3. /ˈflәʊ/	13. /ɜːʤ/	23. /daɪ/ die, dye	33. /lɑːf/	43. /pʊl/	53. /ruːd/ rude, rood
4. /pɔː/	14. /ˈweðə/ weather, wether	24. /deɪ/	34. /wʌn/ one, won	44. /bʊk/	54. /beə/ bear, bare
5. /ˈberɪ/ bury, berry	15. /kɔːs/ course, coarse	25. /ɔː/ oar, awe, ore, or	35. /pɔːt/	45. /hɪə/ here, hear	55. /feə/ fair, fare
6. /gɜːl/	16. /sɔː/ sore, saw	26. /ɜːn/ earn, urn	36. /wɔːd/	46. /heə/ hair, hare	56. /bɪəd/
7. /ɜːɵ/	17. /tɔːk/	27. /hɜːd/ beard, berd	37. /sʌn/ sun, son	47. /fluː/ flew, flue	57. /drӕŋk/
8. /red/> red, read	18. /kɔːt/ court, caught	28. /weə/ where, wear	38. /kruːz/ cruise, crewa	48. /pɔː/ poor, paw, pore	58. /ruːt/ root, route
9. /bɜːɵ/ birth, berth	19. /reɪn/ rain, reign, rein	29. /lʌv/	39. /fraɪə/ friar, fryer	49. /wɔːn/ warn, worn	59. /rɔː/ raw, roar
10. /dɪə/ dear, deer	20. /taɪm/ time, thyme	30. /ˈɑːnt/ aren't, aunt	40. /peə/ pair, pear	50. /ɵruː/ threw, through	60. /wʊd/ would, wood