For instance, explain that a vowel in a 1-syllable word that ends in a consonant is usually short, as in “bad,” “bed,” “sit,” “log,” and “but. ” Note exceptions, such as “told,” “scold,” or “child. ” When 2 vowels are next to each other, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent, as in “bead” or “tried. ” Note exceptions to the rule, such as “chief” or the past tense usage of “read. ”
For example, “th” occurs rarely in other languages and can be difficult for most ESL learners to master. Vietnamese native speakers typically have trouble with the consonant clusters “sts,” “ts,” and “str. ” Mandarin and Korean native speakers often have trouble with combinations that include “r” or “l. ”
Show students how you curl your tongue and touch it to the roof of your mouth to make the “l” in “lid. ” Explain how you press your lips together to make a “b,” then quickly use your tongue to make the “l” in “blur. ” Exaggerate how your tongue grazes and peeks past your upper front teeth to say the “th” in “that. ”
The sound “th” is especially difficult, and students often substitute it with “t,” “f,” or “s. ” Depending on a student’s native language, other tough sounds could include “l,” “r,” and soft “g” or “j. ” Differentiating between “b” and “v” or “b” and “p” can also give students trouble. Remind students that using familiar sounds in place of more difficult ones can create important differences in meaning. Let them know that they could unintentionally say something inappropriate or be misunderstood if they use 1 sound in place of another.
Examples include words with “ough,” such as “though,” “thought, “tough,” and “bough. ” Other oddballs include “laugh,” “caught,” “friend,” “build,” “ocean,” and “know. ”
For example, keep the rubber band short for “rice,” then extend it for “rise. ” Both words end with an “s” sound, but the “s” is unvoiced in “rice” and voiced in “rise. ” Note how the voiced “s” takes slightly longer to say and sounds more like a “z. ” It’s relatively easy to hear the difference between the short “a” in “bat” and the long “a” in “base. ” However, distinguishing voiced and unvoiced consonants can be trickier. Practicing syllable length with rubber bands is a good way to transition from teaching basic sounds to incorporating rhythm and stress.
For example, in Romance languages, such as French, Spanish, and Italian, speech is rapid and words blend into each other with little or no stress. In Mandarin, tones and pitch can change an individual word’s meaning, but stress and rhythm don’t impact a statement’s message or the emotions it conveys.
For instance, a toddler might use the content words “Mama, juice!” A complete, grammatically correct phrase would be, “Mama, I want some juice. ” The focus word, or the most stressed word, is often the last content word of a sentence, as “juice” is in this example.
For example, hum the rhythm for “I’m having a wonderful day” and “I’m having a horrible day. ” The kazoo will also come in handy when you teach students about rising and falling intonations in declarative sentences and questions.
For example, “Did you go to the store?” might imply, “I asked you to go to the store and want to know if you completed this task. ” “Did you go to the store?” can mean, “Did you go to the store or to some other location?” ”Did you go to the store?” implies “Was it you or someone else who went to the store?”
A declarative sentence claims or asserts something. An imperative sentence gives a command, and intonation usually falls at the ends of these sentences, too. The other types of sentences are interrogative, which ask a question, and exclamatory, which declare something with excitement or emotion. Intonation usually rises at the ends of these sentences.
For example, recite, “He bought apples, oranges, and bananas. ” Exaggerate how you inflect “apples” and “oranges” to anticipate the next word in the list, but lower your pitch on “bananas” to indicate you’ve completed your thought. A more complex example would be, “When you go to the store, which is on your way home from work, please buy apples, oranges, and bananas. ” Intonation subtly waves at “store” and “work” to anticipate the sentence’s next clauses, and rises and falls when the fruits are listed.
For example, “I should go to the store” looks like a declarative sentence. However, a speaker might raise their pitch at “store,” as if to say, “Do you want me to go to the store?” Additionally, rising intonation can indicate shock, surprise, or confusion. Exclamations such as “I am so proud of you!” or “Get out of the way!” typically begin at a higher pitch than a speaker’s normal speech. Intonation often rises suddenly at the end of the exclamation.
An example could be, “Why did you do that,” as if to say, “I’m frustrated that you did that. ” For ”What did they do now,” intonation might be lower and syllable length longer for “now,” which implies exasperation.
Suppose the first question is, “Are you going to the game?” Explain how saying “I am” with a rising intonation expresses excitement, while replying with a falling intonation can indicate disappointment or disinterest. Use your facial expressions and body language to clarify how different pitches communicate emotions.
Examples of schwa include the second “o” in “doctor,” the “a” in “wizard,” and the “e” in “summer. ”[13] X Research source Schwa is frequently used to reduce words and syllables. Note examples such as “wanna” instead of “want to,” “gonna” for “going to,” and “gotta” for “have a” or “have got to. ”
For example, when the same consonant ends 1 word and begins another, it’s usually only pronounced once: “Sam made that,” or “Sammade that. ” A consonant at the end of a word usually blends with the vowel that begins the next word: “Sam made that at school,” or “Sammade thatat school. ”[14] X Research source
Students might easily recognize “what’ll” or “they’re” in writing. However, it’s more difficult to understand contractions during an actual conversation.
Pronunciation is usually taught with clear examples and written texts. However, students must learn how to recognize the spontaneous speech habits of native English speakers in order to master conversational skills. Some early lessons you should teach ESL students are pronouns and basic vocabulary. For example, family members, animals, numbers, and basic actions. They should learn to build a basic sentence. And also know about the present simple, past simple, and future simple tense.
