English pronunciation can be very tricky, especially when words are spelt in a similar way but said completely differently! Here’s an exercise to help you practise. Of the words in red, which have the same pronunciation? For example:
Pronunciation is very important when we are trying to communicate with other people.
Incorrect pronunciation can make a simple word difficult to understand!
There are many silent letters in English words. For example when we say walk we don't pronounce the "L".
Can you find the silent letters in the words below?
When I lived in South Africa, I was fascinated to discover that when they hurt themselves they don’t say 'ouch', they say 'eina'! It got me thinking about other 'sounds' we make in English and their meanings. So here's a quick fun lesson on some English sounds. Can you decide what the literal meaning of each sound is? I hope you enjoy it!
Lesson by Caroline
Link: What's happening?
A Intermediate level lesson for you today.
Spending a lot of time on English language sites is a great way to practice your English. Leaving comments (as you can on this site) is an even better way to practise.
When writing English you should be careful of tricky homonyms. A homonym is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different spelling and different meaning.
For example: flower and flour.
Can you write a homonym for each each word below?
In English there are a number of words that share a pronunciation but have a different meaning. For example:
"I can see the sea."
In the above sentence see and sea have different spellings and meanings, but have the same pronunciation. They are examples of homophones.
Take a look at these ten sentences. Decide which is the correct word to complete the sentence. Each of the words have the same pronunciation.
The following words are all very common, yet they often present pronunciation difficulties. Hopefully, these tips will make it a little easier to say each word more clearly.
1. Clothes – the “th” sound followed by an “s” is very difficult even for native speakers. Pronounce this word just like the word “close” as in: “Please close the door.”
Say: I wear clothes (close) when I close the door.
Even native English speakers can find them difficult. However, they are a fun way to practise your pronunciation. Practise saying tongue-twisters out loud. Instead of concentrating on the speed, try saying them slowly and correctly.
Here are some other great tongue-twisters…
