Pronunciation

Stress in English

In English, one syllable in every word is pronounced louder than the others. This is called stress (accent tonique). Generally speaking, the stress is on the first syllable of the word. However, there are many exceptions to this rule so you must memorize the stress for each new word that you learn.

Examples:

ä        ä           ä         ä

ar ti cle                   pho to graph                   pho to gra phy          ad ver tise ment

Mark the stress on these vocabulary words relating to the environment, gun control, immigration, health, and the organization of your speech.

environment          endangered                   atmosphere                   energy

pollution                   poisonous                   natural                   greenhouse

self-defense                   controversy                   violence                   criminal

weapons                   retaliate                   massacre                   control

immigration          discrimination          undocumented          refugee

persecution                   citizenship                   sweatshop                   poverty

obesity                  diabetes                   inactive                   dietary

epidemic                   fattening                   unhealthy                   processed

illustrate                   conclusion                   opinion                   analyze

example                   finally                   summarize                   present

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Letter Combinations & Pronunciations                                                Exceptions                                    

EA eat, sea, read, meat, beat, bead, dear, fear, read [i]                                    break, great, wear, bear, pear [e]

            threat, sweat, read [ɛ]

EW new, knew, screw, jewel, few [u]                                                   sew [o]

OU mouse, house, cloud, found, pound, loud, shout [aw]                        tough [ʌ]

cough [ɔ]

dough, though, your [o]

through, you [u]

would, could, should [ʊ]

OO moon, zoo, baboon, goose, choose, food [u]                                    door, poor [o]

                                                                                                            good [ʊ]

OE goes, potatoes, tomatoes, heroes [o]                                                does [ʌ]

OW cow, town, clown, wow, how [aw]                                                  own, bow, tow, show, know [o]

OR fork, fort, stork, horse, cork, sword [o]                                                work, word [ʌ]

AR car, card, farm, warm, barn [a]                                                            war, ward [o]

AI rain, train, snail, pain, chain [e]                                                            again [ɛ]

AY day, play, hay, say, may, stay [e]                                                           says [ɛ]

AT bat, cat, hat, that, fat, mat, rat [æ]                                                      what [ʌ]

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Vowels in English: Spelling vs. Pronunciation

There are 11 vowels & 3 diphthongs in English; 8 of these vowels also exist in French.

IPA Symbol                   English Examples                            French Examples                 

[ i ]                            seat, feet, be, field, funny                vie, midi, lit, riz

[ ɪ ]                            sit, did, with, this                           - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ e ]                            cake, hate, rain, play                   blé, nez, cahier, pied

[ ɛ ]                            get, help, red, head                      lait, aile, balai, reine

[ æ ]                            cat, hat, that, after                     - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ a ]                            not, stop, fond, want, father         chat, ami, papa, salade

[ ə ]                            sun, but, today, sofa                     fenêtre, genou, cheval, cerise

[ u ]                            spoon, new, glue, fruit                   loup, cou, caillou, outil

[ ʊ ]                            put, would, good, look                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ o ]                            those, bone, goes, coat                   eau, dos, escargot, hôtel

[ ɔ ]                            dog, talk, caught, saw                   sol, pomme, cloche, horloge

[aw]                            cow, town, house, found                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[aj]                            I, buy, why, high, night                   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[ɔj]                            toy, boy, oil, soil                            - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

→  Words that end in a silent -e are usually pronounced with a "long" vowel or diphthong. Notice that the pronunciation of the vowel is the same as the name of the letter when reciting the alphabet.

• cake [e]          • these [i]          • bike [aj]          • home [o]          • tube [u]

→  Words that do not end in a silent -e, but rather with a consonant, are usually pronounced with a "short" vowel:

• cat [æ]          • yes [ɛ]          • sit [ɪ]          • log [ɔ] / not [a]          • run [ə] / put [ʊ]

Some Exceptions to the Rules

1. Rule: EA pronounced as [i]: speak, eat, sea, teach, leave, dear, fear, read (present)

Exceptions:

EA can also be pronounced as [ɛ]: head, sweat, threat, read (past)

EA can also be pronounced as [e]: break, great, bear, pear

2. Rule: OW and OU pronounced as [aw]: now, town, clown, house, mouse, found

Exceptions:

OW/OU can also be pronounced as [o]: know, snow, show, own, flown, dough, though
OU can also be pronounced as [ɔ]: cough, fought, bought, brought, thought
OU can also be pronounced as [ə]: rough, tough, enough
OU can also be pronounced as [u]: through, you

3. Rule: OO pronounced as [u]: spoon, moon, food, choose, loose, goose, boot, zoo

Exceptions:

OO can also be pronounced as [ʊ]: look, cook, book, hook, good, wood, foot
OO can also be pronounced as [o]: door, floor, poor

The most common words in English do not follow the rules!

-have is pronounced [æ], as in hat

-says / said are pronounced [ɛ], as in red

-give & live are pronounced [ɪ], as in did

-gone is pronounced [ɔ], as dog

what / was / come / some / done / does are pronounced [ə], as in run

lose is pronounced [u], as in new

would / could / should / put is pronounced [ʊ], as in good

find is pronounced [aj], as in buy

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Practice saying these sentences:

1. What have you gone and done now?

2. I live in a white house that my father owns.

3. You always read so much that your head hurts.

4. I know now what he said and did.

5. We're going to lose if you choose to wait.

6. Tim and Dan said there was no time to waste.

7. This suit looks good on you.

8. These and those should go well together.

9. Could you talk to my sister for me?

10. They bought some dough to make cookies, but it wasn't enough.

11.  Please close the door. The heat will make us sweat.

12. The man said the train was late because of the snow.

13. I thought you said that rugby was too rough to play.

14. Jane went to the store because she wanted to buy some peaches.

15. This cat hates to eat meat but he loves other good food.

16. Don't yell at me because I won't help you cook.

17. An apple fell on the ground, and another fell in the pond.

18. The plural of mouse is mice, but the plural of goose is geese.

19. Why didn't you read this book last night? You had enough time.

20. I have a big fear of bears and snakes, but not spiders or wolves.

21. What is this blue and green fruit? Is it ripe enough to eat?

22. The queen sat on her throne and ate grapes from a plate.

23. The cat and dog fought all day until I brought one inside the house.

24. First I made the bed and then I had some tea and bread with jam.

25. I didn't hear what you said, my dear. Is it over here or over there?

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Pronunciation Poem

I take it you already know of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Some may stumble, but not you, on hiccough, thorough, slough, and through?
So now you are ready, perhaps, to learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard, a dreadful word, that looks like beard, but sounds like bird.
And dead, it's said like bed, not bead; for goodness' sake, don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat. (They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.)
A moth is not a moth in mother, nor both in bother, broth in brother.
And here is not a match for there, nor dear and fear, for bear and pear.
And then there's dose and rose and lose - just look them up - and goose and choose
And cork and work and card and ward and font and front and word and sword
And do and go, then thwart and cart, come, come! I've hardly made a start.
A dreadful language? Why man alive! I've learned to talk it when I was five.
And yet to write it, the more I tried, I hadn't learned it at fifty-five.