PRONUNCIATION TIPS
KNOW YOUR MOUTH:
Knowing the parts of the mouth can help us to understand how we articulate sounds.
Speak the R:
To speak the English R sound, make sure the tip of your tongue does not touch the roof of your
mouth. Your tongue should be tense and your throat should be a little tight.
In British English and some southern US dialects, the R sound is dropped when it is in the middle or
at the end of a word. In standard American English, no R sounds are dropped. Pronounce all R
sounds, whether the R is the first letter, a letter in the middle or the last letter.
Practice the following words:
- Rain
- River
- Rock
- Write
- Rule
- Country
- Cream
- Correct
- Circle
- During
- Fire
- Tire
- Car
- Every
- Before
Speak the L:
Pronounce an English L sound by putting your tongue in the "T" position, on the ridge behind the
upper teeth. Lightly press the front part of your tongue against ridge and the area behind it, the
roof of your mouth.
There are two types of L
Clear L
- Lamp
- Lost
- Language
- Learn
- Last
- Live
Dark L (rounded sound, similar to an “u”)
- Able
- Animal
- Hospital
- Normal
- Feel
- Little
- Possible
Pronunciation of –ED words
The pronunciation of -ed at the end of verbs depends on the last sound in the verb before -ed is
added. There are three possible pronunciations of -ed, and they are /ɪd/, /d/, and /t/.
- For verbs that end in a /t/ or /d/ sound, the -ed ending is pronounced /ɪd/. The verbs bat, knit,
flood, and guide all end in either /t/ or /d/, so when -ed is added it is pronounced /ɪd/:
bat /bæt/ → batted /bætɪd/
knit /nɪt/ → knitted /nɪtɪd/
flood /flʌd/ → flooded / flʌdɪd/
guide /gaɪd/ → guided /gaɪdɪd/
- The other two pronunciations of -ed are based on the voicing of the last sound of the verb. A
voiced sound is one that causes your vocal cords to vibrate when you speak. A voiceless sound
is one that does not cause your vocal cords to vibrate when you speak. You can tell the
difference by putting your hand on your throat when you speak. For example, when you say /m/
and /f/ the sound /m/ is voiced and /f/ is voiceless.
- When the last sound of a verb is voiced and is not /d/ the -ed is pronounced /d/. The following
verbs all end in a voiced sound, so the -ed is pronounced /d/:
clean /kliːn/ → cleaned / kliːnd/
flow /floʊ/ → flowed / floʊd/
hog /hɑːg/ → hogged / hɑːgd/
amuse /əˈmjuːz/ → amused / əˈmjuːzd/
call /kɑːl/ → called / kɑːld/
- When the last sound of a verb is voiceless and is not /t/ then the -ed is pronounced /t/. The
following verbs all end in a voiceless sound, so the -ed is pronounced /t/.
stop /stɑːp/ → stopped /stɑːpt/
access /ækˌsɛs/ → accessed /ækˌsɛst/
huff /hʌf/ → huffed /hʌft/
wash /wɑːʃ/ → washed /wɑːʃt/
kiss /kɪs/ → kissed /kɪst/
wink /wɪŋk/ → winked /wɪŋkt/
Intonation
Intonation is the rhythm of speech. Rhythm is based on stress. Because American English
pronunciation was standardized in order to to be useful in mass media and global business, we
stress words that represent important information. Important information often goes in this order:
1. Nouns
2. Verbs (especially near pronouns, which means the nouns are understood)
3. Adjectives/Adverbs
Of course, there can be many exceptions in different situations. For instance, maybe time is most
important to you--you may stress the adverb instead of the noun. Read the following examples:
1. I took the bus on Tuesday.
2. I’ll build a fire in the fireplace.
3. Josh is reading a newspaper article.
4. I’m going to a birthday party.
5. Would you like coffee or tea?
1. The weather’s been so lovely lately!
2. If I finish all my work, I think I can go to the movies tonight.
3. I’m going to the store to buy eggs, milk, bananas and bread.
4. My English class is really fun. Do you go to English class, too?
5. I wanted to go out of town for the weekend, but the traffic on the highway was insane
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- Feel the English rhythm: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/english-rhythm/
- Pronunciation of –ED verbs: https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/Pronunciation-of-
ed-Endings-on-Verbs#:~:text=There%20are%20three%20possible%20pronunciations,last
%20letter%20of%20the%20verb.&text=The%20other%20two%20pronunciations%20of,last
%20sound%20of%20the%20verb.
- Learn by Language: English Pronunciation:
https://www.speakmethod.com/LearnbyLanguageChinese.html
