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This week's English language lesson is
WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SOUND IN ENGLISH?
and we also answer the question
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO 'GOOD' ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION?
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The schwa is the name for the #1 sound in English.
It is a weak, unstressed sound and it occurs in many words. It is usually the sound in grammar words like articles (the, a and an) and prepositions (of, for, to, etc.)
Pronouncing the schwa sound correctly is a good way to make your pronunciation more accurate and natural.
The phonemic symbol for this sound is /ə/ .
Now watch the video and listen to the examples:
ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION: #1 SOUND IN ENGLISH (ZakWashington Video tutorial - Part 1)
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Unstressed syllables
Any vowel letter (A E I O U) can be pronounced as the schwa. It just depends if it is the UNIMPORTANT or UNSTRESSED part.
In the word 'man' the letter 'a' has its full sound - represented by the symbol /æ/.
In 'postman' the syllable 'man' is not stressed and the letter 'a' is pronounced as schwa, represented by the symbol .
Over to you!
Exercise
Now do the exercise, look at the sentences and decide where the schwa sound is.
It can be found in more than once in each sentence.
1 . It’s for you
2 . It takes a lot of time
3 . How about a cup of tea?
4 . What are you doing tonight?
5 . What time will you arrive at Victoria?
6 . I was going to tell you
7 . The leisure centre is closed for a private function
8 . The airport is not far from the capital city
9 . The book is about pronunciation
10. We need more financial support
11. You need to pay attention all the time
12. It is a very thorough report
Answers at the bottom of the page.
Now watch the video to understand how to use it.
ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION: VIDEO TUTORIAL (Part 2)
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Exercise
Now practice saying these words out loud:
DOCTOR BANANA TOMORROW DIFFICULT SUMMER LEVEL PROTECT SURVIVE PUPIL THEATRE MEASURE WIZARD
ANSWERS
1 . It’s for you
2 . It takes a lot of time
3 . How about a cup of tea?
4 . What are you doing tonight?
5 . What time will you arrive at Victoria?
6 . I was going to tell you
7 . The leisure centre is closed for a private function
8 . The airport is not far from the capital city
9 . The book is about pronunciation
10. We need more financial support
11. You need to pay attention all the time
12. It is a very thorough report
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