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practice your pronunciation from the British Council
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Study guide
Track list
1. Introduction 17. Sounds - Clusters
2. The alphabet and spelling 18. Clusters story
3. The phonemic symbols 19. Weak sounds - the Schwa /ə/
4. Intonation - Asking questions 20. Long and short vowels
5. Yes/ no questions 21. Dialogue in a cafe
6. First question - in the cafe 22. Word endings
7. Sounding polite and friendly 23. Story with past tense
8. Sounding polite and friendly -
Practice
24. Story with 's' endings
9. Sounds - /v/ and /b/ 25. Syllables and word
stress
10. /v/ and /b/ - Dialogue
practice
26. Stress in nouns and
verbs
11. Sounds - /l/ and /r/ 27. Stress in word 'families'
12. Making an announcement 28. Sentence stress
13. Sounds - /t/ // and /ð/ 29. Linking
14. /t/ // and / ð / - Dialogue 30. Making links
15. sounds - /m/ and /n/ 31. Dialogue practice with
linking
16. Phone conversation - The
wrong number
32. The gorilla joke
1
Practice Your Pron - Study Guide
Track 1
Introduction
Welcome to Practice Your Pron the British Council's self-study
pronunciation programme. Follow the self-study guide and
listen to, and copy the voices on the recording. After each
sound, word, word or sentence, there will be time on the
recording for you to repeat what you hear. For the dialogues
and longer texts you will need to stop the recording to
practice. By following the programme you can improve your
pronunciation and communicate with more confidence.
We wish you all the best as you work through the programme.
Track 2
The alphabet
Let's start by practicing the pronunciation of the letters of the
alphabet. Listen and repeat.
1. A a /ei/ 10. J j /dʒei/
19. S s /es/
2. B b /bi:/ 11. K k /kei/ 20. T t
/ti:/
3. C c /si:/ 12. L l /el/ 21. U u
/ju:/
4. D d /di:/ 13. M m /em/ 22. V v
/vi:/
5. E e /i:/ 14. N n /en/ 23. W w
/dbəlju:/
6. F f /ef/ 15. O o /əʊ/ 24. X x /eks/
2
7. G g /dʒi:/ 16. P p /pi:/ 25. Y y
/wai/
8. H h /eit/ 17. Q q /kju:/ 26. Z z
/zed/
9. I i /ai/ 18. R r /a:/
Spelling
Practice the alphabet by spelling these country names.
Listen, and repeat the spelling.
1. How do you spell China? 8. How do you spell
Cambodia?
2. How do you spell
Singapore?
9. How do you spell
Myanmar?
3. How do you spell
Vietnam?
10. How do you spell Japan?
4. How do you spell
Thailand?
11. How do you spell France?
5. How do you spell Korea? 12. How do you spell Wales?
6. How do you spell
Indonesia?
13. How do you spell Iraq?
7. How do you spell Britain? 14. How do you spell
Zimbabwe?
3
Track 3
The phonemic symbols - Practicing the sounds of English
Look at the chart of phonemic symbols in your study guide.
Number 1 to 12 on the chart are vowel sounds. A vowel is a
sound in which the air coming out of the mouth is not
restricted in any way. Vowels can be short or long. The
symbol for a long vowel sound has two dots after it, like this:
, .
Listen to the vowel sounds and the example words and repeat
them. The underlined part of the example word is the sound
we are practicing.
1 4 7 10 eat boot earth cut
cheese move journal some
team kangaroo heard blood
2 5 8 11
it edge ball art
system said floor heart
begin friend caught march
4
3 6 9 12
put asleep at pot
could colour bad watch
good the glad clock
Numbers 13 to 20 on the chart are diphthongs. A diphthong is
a vowel sound that starts as one vowel but changes into
another one.
Practice the diphthongs.
13 14 15 16
here make pure boy
ear tail tour oil
beer aim cure lawyer
17 18 19 20 note there sky cow
soap air bite owl
open care pie mouse
Number 21 to 44 on the chart are consonants. A consonant is
a sound we make when we restrict the air in some way before
it leaves the mouth. Consonants can be voiced or unvoiced.
If a consonant is voiced, the cords in your voice box vibrate
when you make the sound. You can check you are making the
sound correctly by placing your fingers on your throat, just in
front of the voice box. You should be able to feel the vibration
when you make the sound. With unvoiced consonants there
will be no vibration.
Practice the consonants
5
21 /p/ (unvoiced) 24 /d/ (voiced) 27 /k/ (unvoiced)
put day key
happy ladder cool
passport called cheque
22 /b/ (voiced) 25 /t/ (unvoiced) 28 /g/ (voiced)
back church ghost
rubber march bigger
bright nature bag
23 /t/ (unvoiced) 26 /dʒ/ (voiced) 29 /f/ (unvoiced)
tea judge fat
butter edge coffee
walked age physics
30 /v/ (voiced) 35 // (unvoiced) 40 /h/ (unvoiced)
view sure hot
leave motion whole
of fish high
31 // (unvoiced) 36 /ʒ/ (voiced) 42 /l/ (voiced)
thing pleasure led
maths Aisa balloon
heath leisure candle
32 /ð/ (voiced) 37 /m/ (voiced) 42 /r/ (voiced)
then mad red
father hammer marry
either some wrong
33 /s/ (unvoiced) 38 /n/ (voiced) 43 /w/ (voiced)
6
city know wet
history funny no one
loss sun queen
34 /z/ (voiced) 39 (voiced) 44 /j/ (voiced)
zero sung yet
easy finger Europe
please sink excuse
7
Track 4
Intonation - Asking questions
Now we are going to practice some questions about your first
course at the British Council. it is important to use the correct
intonation when asking questions. Intonation means the way
the pitch of your voice goes up or down when you speak.
When we ask an open (or "wh") question, we generally start
with a high pitch and go down at the end.
Example: What's your name?
Listen and practice
1. Excuse me. Where can I register for the Intermediate
course?
2. How much are the course fees?
3. How long does the course last?
4. What time does the class usually start?
5. Which floor is my classroom on?
6. Where can I by my course books?
7. Where can I by coffee?
8. Who will my teacher be?
9. When can I go to the next level?
10. How do I join the library?
8
Track 5
Yes/ No questions
Now listen to these questions. Does the voice go up or
down at the end?
1. Can I by you a drink?
2. Are you married?
3. Are you a student?
4. Do you like your teacher?
5. Do you like the weather here?
6. Do you like spicy food?
7. Have you got any brothers or sisters?
8. Did you come here by bus?
9. Would you like a cigarette?
10. Is there a phone near here?
When we ask a closed or yes/ no question, we often make our
voice go up at the end. Listen again and practice the yes/ no
questions
9
Track 6
First questions - In the cafe
Here is our first dialogue. We are in the case at the
British Council.
Listen to the whole dialogue. Then practice it yourself or
with partner.
A: Hi! I'm Hong Lei. What's your name?
B: Hello, Hong Lei. My name's Ricky.
A: Hi Ricky. Are you a new student here?
B: Yes, I had my first lesson this morning.
Are you a new student too?
A: No, I've been here for six months.
B: Six months. That’s a long time!
A: It's not so long really. What class are you in?
Intermediate or...?
B: Intermediate Three. And what about you?
A: I'm in Advance One. Who's your teacher?
B: I can't remember her name, but she's got curly, red
hair.
B: Ah! Does she wear glasses?
B: Yes, I think so.
A: That's probably Anne Wallis.
B: Yes that's right. Do you know her? Is she your teacher
too?
A: No. But she taught me last term.
How long have you been here?
B: Only a week.
A: Wow, not long. Where do you live? With a family?
10
B: Well, I'm staying at the YMCA at the moment. I'm
looking for somewhere more permanent. Do you know of any
good places?
A: Yes, Actually, my friend has a spare room in her
apartment and she's looking for a flatmate. Would you like
her phone number?
B: That would be great! Thank for your help. Can I by
you a coffee?
11
Track 7
Sounding polite and friendly
Here's some more practice of intonation.
We can use intonation to show our feelings and attitudes. If
your intonation is too flat, you will sound bored or impolite.
You can sound friendlier by using a wide range in your
intonation.
Listen to this conversation between a husband and wife.
Notice how the husband's intonation is flat, making him sound
bored and slightly rude.
Wife: Hello darling! Did you have a good day?
Husb: It was okay.
Wife: Would you like a drink?
Husb: No, thanks, I'm not thirsty.
Wife: Dinner will be ready at six. Are you hungry?
Husb: Not really.
Wife: Oh. Did you pick up the suits from the cleaners?
Husb: Yes, I did.
Wife: Good. Are you going to the pub tonight?
Husb: Yes, I'll be back at the same time as usual
12
Track 8
Sounding polite and friendly - practice
Now listen to a conversation between a hostess and her
dinner guest. Notice how the guest's replies sound polite and
friendly because of the varied intonation.
Hostess: Come and sit down. Would you like a drink?
Guest: Oh, yes please! I'd love a gin and tonic.
Hostess: Do you like olives? Or would you prefer crisps?
Guest: Oh, just olives please. What music is this?
Hostess: Do you like it? It's Irish music.
Guest: It's great! Where did you get the CD?
Hostess: Erm - I think it was in the CD shop in the Mall.
Have you been there?
Guest: Yes, I buy a lot of stuff from there. It's a good
shop, isn't it?
Hostess: Yes, Hey, I've got some photos of our holiday in
Ireland. Would you like to see them?
Guest: Why not? I'd love to!
Listen to the second dialogue again. Practice it by
yourself or with a partner. Try to use polite intonation.
13
Track 9
Sound - /v/ and /b/
To make the /b/ sound close your lips together tightly. Push
the air forward in your month. Then open your lips quickly.
Make sure you use your voice.
Try these words:
baby bubble
butter birthday
Bobby ribbon
Barbara bottle
hairbrush club
Now try reading these sentences.
1. Barbara, where's your hairbrush?
2. It's Bobby birthday in September
3. Look, the baby's blowing bubbles.
To make the /v/ sound touch your bottom lip with your
top teeth. Now, blow the air out between your lips and your
teeth. Use your voice.
Try these words.
village November
Victor love
arrive valley
view vowel
vinegar vase
Now try reading these sentences
1. Victor lives in a village in Vietnam
2. The plane leaves at 5 p.m.
3. I love this view of the valley.
14
Track 10
/v/ and /b/ - Dialogue practice
Barry: I'm going to the shops in a minute. What do we need?
Valerie: We're okay for vegetables but we should stock up on
meat. Can you go to the butcher's and get some veal
and some beef?
Barry: No problem. We also need bread, so I'll go to baker's.
I'll get some vol au vents * for Victor's birthday bash *
on Friday. We'll need balloons for that too.
Valerie: Better visit the supermarket then. We'll need some
other things for the party. Get some vanilla ice cream,
some butter and some vinegar, and twelve bottles of
beer.
Barry: Okay. The library's beside the baker's. I'd better take
back the videos we borrowed last week. They're
overdue.
Valerie: I'll see you later then.
Barry: Bye! I'll be back before seven.
vol au vent = a small, savoury pastry often
served as finger food at parties.
bash = party.
Just for fun! - Try these tongue twisters!
Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.
Betty and Bob brought black blue balloons from the big
bazaar.
15
Track 11
Sounds - /l/ and /r/
People often have problems pronouncing these sounds
correctly and distinguishing between them.
To make the /l/ your should be slightly parted; your tongue
should touch the roof of your mouth behind your teeth and
you should force the air over the sides of your tongue and out
of the mouth. Use your voice.
Try these words.
land table
lily help
long milk
lable usually
lesson final
To make the /r/ sound, keep your lips lightly parted. Turn
up the tip of your tongue. Your tongue should not touch the
roof your mouth, but the sides of the tongue should touch the
back teeth.
Try these words.
right horror
read really
orange wrong
mirror problem
16
Track 12
Making an announcement
Your hear this on the PA system of a large department store.
Listen and then read.
"A small girl of about three years old has lost parents.
She was found crying near the leather goods section on the
fourth floor. She is wearing a red dress and her hair is tied up
with two red ribbons. She looks Chinese, but she doesn't
answer to questions in English, Mandarin or any other Chinese
dialect. Will the parents of this child please come to the
Customer Service Department on the first level?".
Just for fun! - Try this tongue twister.
Lesley loves Roger, but Roger doesn't love Lesley. roger
rather likes Lucy.
17
Track 13
Sounds - /t/ // and /ð/
To pronounce the /t/ sound make sure your lips are slightly
parted. Put the tip of your tongue behind your front teeth.
Push the air in your mouth forward and pull your tongue back.
This is an unvoiced sound.
Try these words
top potato
ten later
table fatter
teacher hat
tunnel built
tomato
To pronounce the // sound stick your tongue out
between your teeth. Blow the air out between your tongue
and your front teeth, this is an unvoiced sound.
Try these words.
thin thing
think healthy
teeth breath
both
The /ð/ sound is exactly the same, but you must your
voice.
Try these words.
then that
those with
mother weather
together breathe
18
Track 14
/t/ // and /ð/ - Dialogue
Keith and Cathy are trying to arrange a business
meeting. Listen and then practice the dialogue by yourself or
with a partner.
Keith: Are you free on the thirteenth in the afternoon?
Cathy: No, I'm afraid not. I'm meeting Ruth then. How about
the fourteenth in the morning?
Keith: I'm sorry. I'm attending a meeting at the Hilton then.
Cathy: What about the next day?
Keith: No, I'm buy then too. I'm meeting Dorothy Heath at
North Bridge Road. Are your free on Thursday
afternoon?
Cathy: Yes, I think I am. Let's meet for lunch at Mouth
restaurant.
Keith: Good idea! Is two o'clock okay?
Cathy: That's fine. See you there!
Just for fun! Try this tongue twister.
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
19
Track 15
Sounds - /m/ and /n/
To make the /m/ sound press your lips together, use your
voice and try to make the sound come through your nose.
Practice these words.
man Mum
May bomb
from home - made
some marmalade
small summer
To make the /n/ sound your touch the roof of your mouth
with your tongue, just behind your front teeth. Your tongue
should your side teeth too. Use your voice. Try to make the
sound come through your nose.
Try these words.
know November
number foreign
nine plan
funny hand
name even
20
Track 16
Phone conversation - The wrong number
Listen and then practice the conversation by yourself or
with a partner.
Melvin: Hello, Manchester 6739792
Nancy: Hello. Is that Nicholas?
Melvin: Nicholas? Nicholas Nickleby? No. He doesn't live here
any more. He's moved to Morecombe.
Nancy: Never! Do you know his new number?
Melvin: Yes. I've got it somewhere. Let me see. Where did I
put it? Ah - I remember, it's on the memo. Here it is. Do
you have a pen to write it down?
Nancy: Yes, I do. Go on.
Melvin: His number's 4945939
Nancy: 4945939. Marvellous! Thank for your help.
Just for fun! Try this tongue twister.
Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone.
21
Track 17
Sounds - Clusters
A cluster is combination of two or more consonant sounds in a
word.
These combinations can be difficult to pronounce.
Practice these words. The consonant clusters are underlined
in your study guide.
against lumps
asked months
carrots prompt
clothes receptionist
crisps sixth
facts sports
faults switched
holds socks
22
Track 18
Clusters story
Judith thought she was unfit. She wanted to do more
exercise so she decided to join a gym. She asked the
receptionist about membership and joined up for six months.
There was an extra charge for a locker and she also took out
a subscription for the monthly fitness magazine. She spent
lots of money on sports clothes too. She needed special socks
and trainers and they were expensive. She changed her diet
as well. She switched from crisps to carrots at snack times.
Just for fun! Try this tongue twister.
Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks.
23
Track 19
Weak sounds - the Schwa /ə/
Because we usually only stress one syllable in each word, the
other syllables are "unstressed" or "weak". This means that
we don't pronounce the vowel sound strongly in these weak
syllables. Instead we use the schwa sound, /ə/. This is the
symbol for the schwa sound: /ə/.
Practice the following words. Take care not to stress the
schwa.
America photographer
about amateur
forgotten abacus
astronomer conclusion
familiar upon
In question that begin with Can the letter a in can is
also pronounced as a schwa. Practice reading these
questions. Make sure you pronounce the word can with a
schwa sound.
1. Can you call me later?
2. Can you drive?
3. Can I help you?
4. Can I sit here?
5. Can you remember when John's birthday is?
6. Can you tell me where the supermarket is?
The word to is usually pronounced with a schwa sound.
Practice reading these sentences. Make sure you pronounce
the letter o in the word to as a schwa sound.
1. I'm going to work.
24
2. She'd like to meet you on Thursday.
3. I don't want to be late.
4. What would you like to drink?
5. I'm going to the beach on Sunday.
6. Take it t the garage to get it serviced.
Now try some more sentences. Stress the underlined
syllables. Try to make the others weak.
1. Sir Edward Anderson is a government official.
2. A professional burglar has entered the apartment.
3. An observant amateur photographer took her picture.
25
Track 20
Long and short vowels
Learners of English often make short vowels too long, and
long vowels too short so that they all sound about the same
length.
Practice saying these groups of works.
1. bean bin 3. dark duck
2. sheep ship 4. march much
4. caught cot 7. Luke look
5. sport spot 8. fool full
Track 21
Dialogue in cafe
Listen to the dialogue. Practice saying the /i:/ and /I/ sounds
correctly.
In a cafe.
Jean: Where shall we sit? Look! There are some free seats in
the corner.
Jill: The seats by the window are better. It'll be cooler there.
Jean: Okay. What would you like to eat?
Jill: I'm really hungry. I think I'll have chicken and chips with
baked beans. Why don't you have the chicken too?
Jean: I don't eat meat. It makes me ill. I'll have a cheese
sandwich instead.
Jill: And what about drinks? I think I'll have a chesses
sandwich instead.
Jill: And what about drinks? I think I'll have some mint tea.
26
Jean: No that's really expensive! It’s three dollars sixty cents!
I'll have a coffee; it's much cheaper.
Waiter: Good evening.
Jill: Good evening. We'll have one chicken and chips with
baked beans and one cheese sandwich please.
Waiter: No problem! What would you like to drink?
Jean: A mint tea and a coffee please. Oh - and please bring
me some cream for the coffee.
Waiter: Okay. Let me repeat your order. One chicken and
chips with beans, one cheese sandwich, a mint tea and
a coffee with cream.
Just for fun! Try this tongue twister.
I ship cheap ice chips in cheap ice chip ships.
27
Track 22
Word endings
The ends of words are very important in spoken English. They
often give grammatical meaning such as singular/ plural,
subject - verb agreement and tense choices.
The letter s at the and of words can be pronounced in
three different ways. Sometimes the final s is pronounced /s/,
sometimes /z/ and sometimes /Iz/.
Repeat the following pairs of words. Pay attention to the
sounds at the ends of the words.
Singular/ Plural
1. cake cakes 3. boy boys
2. group groups 4. bean beans
5. road roads 7. orange oranges
6. house houses 8. watch watches
Subject - verb - agreement
1. beat beats 4. save saves
2. rest rests 5. break breaks
3. shut shuts 6. feel feels
Regular Past Tense
Some past tense endings are pronounced /t/, some are
pronounced /d/ and some are pronounced /Id/.
Repeat the following pairs of words. Try to pronounce
the past tense endings correctly.
1. live lived 6. aim
aimed
2. touch touched 7. move moved
3. start started 8. wait waited
28
4. wash washed 9. expect expected
5. lease leased 10. depend
depended
Track 23
Story with past tense
Listen to the story and practice the past tenses
The meeting was interesting. Mr. Wong invited me to
The Italian Kitchen at The Quay. We ordered a drink and
talked for a while before he wanted to start taking business.
However, soon after we asked for the menu, he said he
wished to get straight to the point and asked me what I
thought about the new factory project. I hinted that I thought
it was located in the wrong place and asked him if he had
considered moving it to Shanghai. He agreed that that would
be a better idea.
29
Track 24
Story with 's' endings
Listen to the story and practice the s at the ends of the words.
She gets up at about seven o'clock and then drink a cup
of coffee. When shi feels a bit more alert she showers and
changes. She buys breakfast at the cafe below her block and
takes it to work to eat. She likes something sweet in the
morning so she gets croissants and Danish pastries.
She travels to work on the underground and arrives at
about 8.45. She chats to her colleagues for a while and starts
work at 9 o'clock. She checks her email and then spends the
rest of the morning on the telephone to customers. She
leaves the office for lunch at 12 o'clock.
She goes home after work or sometimes eats out or
meets her friends for a drink.
She goes to bed at midnight most weekdays and saves
her energy for the weekends.
30
Track 25
Syllables and word stress
Every word is made up of syllables. Some words have only
syllable. For example,
book house fast well
Most words however, have more than one syllable. For
example.
ta-ble has two syllables.
a-gen-da has three syllables.
in-tro-duc-tion has four syllables.
con-grat-u-la-tions has five syllables
in-ter-con-tin-en-tal has six syllables.
In every English word of more than one syllable, one of
the syllables is stressed. This means we say it louder and
stronger than the other syllables. Putting the stress on the
wrong syllable can make it difficult for your listener to
understand you.
Listen to the following words. Repeat each word, and
decide which syllable has the main stress. Underline the
stressed syllable.
For example, purchase
calendar passenger
lavender pronunciation
vegetable maintenance
souvenir basically
secretary chocolate
comfortable ancestor
thermometer career
31
certificate
Now check the key to see if you have underlined the
correct syllable.
32
Track 26
Stress in nouns and verbs
Many English words can be both nouns and verbs.
Could you record that film on Channel 5 tonight?
In this sentence record is a verb and the stress is on the
second syllable.
We have no record of your application
In this sentence record is a verb and the stress is on the
first syllable.
Listen to the following sentences. Underline the syllable
in the words in the words in italics which you think is stressed.
Then check the answer key.
1. He was convicted of murder.
2. Please record that in the minutes Mrs Lim.
3. The object of the game is t win as many cards as you
can.
4. Imports of oil have risen dramatically in recent years.
5. The teachers object to students using their mobile
phones in class.
6. He has broken the world record for the 100- metre
dash.
7. Any convict had the right to appeal to the Prison
Governor.
8. The headmaster will present the certificates.
9. It's Jenny's twenty - birthday next week. We'll have to
by her a present.
10. Singapore imports a lot of dairy products from
Australia.
33
Track 27
Stress in word 'families'
Underline the stressed syllable in these words before you
listen to the recording.
Then listen and check. Repeat the words using the correct
stress. You can also check the stress in the answer key.
1. manager managerial
2. famous infamous
3. reputed reputation
reputable
4. sympathy sympathetic
5. personal personality
6. execute executive execution
7. communicate communication
8. photograph photographer photographic
9. contribute contribution
contributor
34
Track 28
Sentences stress
Not all words in a sentence are stressed. It is important to
know which ones to stress. When the wrong words are
stressed, speech can be difficult to understand. Look at this
example.
Where do you prefer to go on holiday?
To read this sentence naturally, you should not give
equal stress to each word. We generally stress the more
important words in the sentence. These are the words which
carry most of the meaning, the contents words. For this
sentence, the content words are.
Where prefer go holiday
Listen and repeat
Where do you prefer to go on holiday?
Look at these sentences. Mark the words you think are
stressed. Then listen and check. You can also check the
sentence stress in the answer key.
1. I'll type the letters and send them to him.
2. Jane will call you later.
3. If I'd known she was a vegetarian, I'd have cooked
something special for her.
4. The parcel should arrive by Friday.
5. I enjoyed the meal but it was a bit expensive.
6. You'd better take an umbrella. It looks like it's going to
rain.
35
Track 29
Linking
When speech is linked, it flows and sounds softer and less
disjointed. There are different types of linking, but they all
involve the final sound of one word connecting to the first
sound of the next word.
Linking a consonant to a vowel
When a word ending in a consonant comes before a
word beginning with a vowel, English speakers usually 'link
up' the two words. When this happens, the final consonant
slides into the following vowel.
For example, we write
get up
But we say
ge-tup
Try these phases, linking the final consonant of the first
word to the vowel at the beginning of the second word.
get away in Australia
look over green apple
live in set up
Linking a vowel sound to a vowel sound
Sometimes, a word which ends in a vowel sound is
followed by another word that begins with a vowel sound. In
this case, an extra sound is inserted between the words to
make the link easier to pronounce. This can be /w/, /j/, or /r/.
Practice these links:
/w/
Do I? go out no ink
36
/j/
weigh up be aware I am
/r/
where is it? there isn't mother and
father
37
Track 30
Making links
Look at the following sentences. Where will the link be? mark
them in. Then listen and check and repeat.
1. It's almost eight o'clock.
2. Could I have a cup of coffee, please?
3. I'm in a awful hurry, I'm afraid.
4. Switch on the light, love, I think I heard a noise.
5. There isn't anything else I can say.
6. Anne and a friend are in Orchard Road.
7. Stop and ask around.
8. Get on a boat to Africa.
9. I'm going to be away for a few days.
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Track 31
Dialogue practice with linking
Mark the links in these dialogues. Then listen and repeat.
Dialogue 1
Assistant: Can I help you?
Customer: Yes, I'm in a bit of a rush. Could I just have a
piece of apple pie please?
Assistant: Certainly. Would you like it with ice - cream?
Customer: No, thanks.
Dialogue 2
Sharon: How are you?
Steve: I'm fine, thanks. How about you?
Sharon: I'm OK. What are you doing these days?
Steve: Not a lot, actually. Busy at work, of course - we've
got a big project coming up in Malaysia. I may have to go KL
in a few weeks.
Sharon: That's great. When are you starting?
Steve: Probably in a week or two. I'll let you know.
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Track 32
Just for fun - The gorilla joke
Listen to the following joke and mark where the links
are. Then practice reading the text yourself.
A gorilla in to a bar and ordered a whisky. The barman
thought that it was unusual to see a gorilla in a bar drinking
whisky and, thinking that gorillas must be stupid, he thought
he would try to take advantage of the situation and
overcharge him. He served the gorilla his whisky and said.
'That'll be fifty dollars please'. The gorilla immediately took
out his wallet and paid the barman, who was very happy. The
gorilla drank his whisky quietly and then ordered another. The
barman served him and charged him another fifty dollars. As
the gorilla was drinking his whisky, the barman got curious
and decided to find out why the gorilla was in the bar. So, to
strike up a conversation, he said, 'It's funny, we don't get
many gorillas in here'.
I'm not surprised with the price of your whisky, the
gorilla replied.
Conclusion
That's the end of our pronunciation CD. We hope you've
enjoyed it and feel more confident about your pronunciation.
But don't stop now; keep practicing. Goodbye and good luck.
40
Answer key
Syllables and word stress - Track 25, Page 30
calendar passenger
lavender pronunciation
vegetable maintenance
souvenir basically
secretary chocolate
comfortable ancestor
thermometer career
certificate
Stress in nouns and verbs - Track 26, Page 31
1. He was convicted of murder.
2. Please record that in the minutes.
3. The object of the game is to win as many cards as you
can.
4. Imports of oil have risen dramatically in recent years.
5. The teachers object to students using their mobile
pones in class.
6. He has broken the world record for the 100 - metre
dash.
7. Any convict had the right to appeal to the Prison
governor.
8. The Headmaster will present the certificates.
9. It's Jenny's twenty - first birthday next week. We'll
have to by her a present.
10. Singapore imports a lot of dairy products from
Australia.
Stress in word 'families' - Track 27, Page 32
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1. manager managerial
2. famous infamous
3. reputed reputation reputable
4. sympathy sympathetic
5. personal personality
6. execute executive execution
7. communicate communication
8. photograph photographer photographic
9. contribute contribution contributor
Sentence stress - Track 28, Page 33
1. I'll type the letters and send them to him.
2. Jane will call you later.
3. If I'd known she was a vegetarian, I'd have cooked
something special for her.
4. The parcel should arrive by Friday.
5. You'd better take an umbrella. It looks like it's going to
rain.
Making links - Track 30, Page 35
1. It's almost eight o'clock.
2. Could I have a cup of coffee, please?
3. I'm in an awful hurry, I'm afraid.
4. Switch on the light, love. I think I heard a noise.
5. There isn't anything else I can say.
6. Anne and a friend are in Orchard Road.
7. Stop and ask around.
8. Get on a boat to Africa.
9. I'm going to be away for a few days.
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