ENGLISH SOUNDS
There are only 26 letters in the
English alphabet, but the spoken language uses 44 distinct sounds. Twenty of
these are vowel sounds.
You must spend some time working on these sounds to:
- improve your IELTS Listening Test score; and
- improve your IELTS Speaking Test score; and
- improve your employment prospects.
ENGLISH ENGLISH AND
AMERICAN ENGLISH
IELTS examiners will not mind whether you speak English
English [EE] or American English [AE] but, whichever version of English you
speak, you should be consistent with:
- your spelling; and
- your pronunciation.
Examples:
- mobile phone [EE] = cell [AE];
- colour [EE] = color [AE]; and
- can't is pronounced differently depending on whether you are speaking EE or AE.
Understanding what
others say in English
How well can you hear the difference between these two
words?
pan
pain
In a listening exam you cannot afford to waste time relying
on the context to understand what you are hearing.
Formal and Informal English
Different people have different accents, whether English is
their first language or not.
While people tend to use formal English when they write something, few people use formal [or "proper"] English when they speak in informal situations.
The more you know about how English words should be pronounced, the better your chances of understanding people who speak English informally.
While people tend to use formal English when they write something, few people use formal [or "proper"] English when they speak in informal situations.
The more you know about how English words should be pronounced, the better your chances of understanding people who speak English informally.
I speak English English with an Australian Accent:
- When I am careful to speak English formally [EE], I will pronounce words carefully; but
- When I am speaking informally with other Australians my pronunciation is not so careful, and I tend to use a lot of idiomatic expressions.
Make sure you are
understood when you speak English to others
Practise making each of the 44 English sounds as clearly as
possible. The tiniest difference in a vowel sound can completely change the
meaning of a word.
How clearly can you say the following?
She asked her friend.
If you find it hard to make the consonant sound D on the end of a word like "asked", this will affect your score in
an IELTS speaking exam.
IELTS examiners need evidence that you understand English
Grammar. If you know that "asked" is grammatically correct but
it sounds like you are using the
grammatically incorrect word "ask" this will count against
you.
Pronunciation
Most languages have "tongue twisters" - expressions which are difficult to articulate clearly but can be fun to try and say quickly. This is especially true if they can sound rude when mispronounced. For example, when I was a young child and children were forbidden to swear, two popular tongue twisters were:
The faster we said them, the more we managed to say "shit" and "bugger".
A more adult version is this one:
I'm not the pheasant plucker
I'm the pheasant plucker's son;
I'm just plucking pheasants
'Til the pheasant plucker comes
My point is that everyone struggles with some sounds in any language. NEVER be afraid to pronounce words formally, no matter how strange they sound to you or how much effort it takes to say them properly.
- Polish it in the corner; and
- I chased a bug around the room.
The faster we said them, the more we managed to say "shit" and "bugger".
A more adult version is this one:
I'm not the pheasant plucker
I'm the pheasant plucker's son;
I'm just plucking pheasants
'Til the pheasant plucker comes
My point is that everyone struggles with some sounds in any language. NEVER be afraid to pronounce words formally, no matter how strange they sound to you or how much effort it takes to say them properly.
For example, one practice IELTS test uses the word
"rainforests".
The sound STS at
the end of the word might sound strange to you, and might be difficult to say
clearly.
It is more important for you to take the time to say the
word correctly than to say it quickly.
There is a lot to learn about which part of a word or
sentence you should stress in order to make your meaning clear, but making sure
you are understood by others begins with the 44 English sounds.
Assessing Yourself
and Studying English Sounds
The best place to start working on
English sounds – especially vowel sounds – is the British
Broadcasting Commission's [BBC's] EnglishLearning website.
Whether you speak EE or AE, this British
site will be helpful. You must be able to hear the different sounds clearly if
you are to understand what others say in English, and if you are to make sure
you are understood by others when you speak English.
*Native = born. Native English Speakers are people who have been listening to or using English as a first language since they were born.
*Native = born. Native English Speakers are people who have been listening to or using English as a first language since they were born.
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I can help you
improve your English to IELTS 7 standard
·
Follow
this blog for useful links and advice
·
Watch improveyourenglishwithjane YouTube
lessons
·
Use my
free sound files to help you study by listening
EMAIL ME
When you email me,
feel free to let me know what your first language is, how you have scored in
any IELTS tests you've already taken, or what aspects of English cause you the
most difficulty.
Thanks for
dropping in!
Jane
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