Smooth Talkers
In the words “pool” and “pull”, what is the difference in vowel sound? Which one is longer?
“Pool” has /uː/, which is long; “pull” has /ʊ/, which is short.
Question tags like ‘isn’t he?’ and ‘aren’t we?’ normally have falling intonation when the speaker is in little doubt of what the answer will be.
Yes
1. The number after 7.
2. A past tense verb (related to food).
8 - ate
What sound might disappear in “next week” when spoken quickly?
/t/
In yes/no questions like “Are you ready?”, what is the typical intonation pattern? Rising or falling?
Rising
1. A small, beautiful plant (you might give to someone). 2. Something white that you bake with.
flower - flour
In the phrase 'Law and order is important’, there is an /r/ sound added between 'law' and 'and'. This /r/ is not written but helps with fluency.”
'Hello' is said with rising intonation when answering the phone and a falling intonation when greeting someone. True or false?
True
1. A fruit that is sometimes green and sometimes yellow. 2. A noun that means 'two of something.'
Pear / Pair
In the sentence “Peter could have told you," can you identify the weak forms?
“could have” → /kəd əv/ or /kədəv/, “you” → /jə/.
What intonation is typically used for lists like: “We need milk, bread, cheese and eggs”?
Rising, rising, rising, falling.
1. Another word for a mobile phone. 2. A verb meaning 'to exchange something for money.'
Cell / Sell
Are the /l/ sounds in the words "lemon" and "pull" pronounced the same? Explain why or why not.
No, the /l/ in 'pull' is a dark L. The /l/ in 'lemon' is a light L.
How would you say “Oh, really?” to express sarcasm? Describe the intonation (rising, falling, flat)
3 Homophones...
1. A noun meaning 'a smell'.
2. A noun that is a unit of money.
3. A past tense verb.
Scent / Cent / Sent