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TELLING NUMBER (termasuk bahan mid semester, lho!!)

Kuasai 100 kata ini... pasti bahasa Inggris jadi lebih mudah...

TONGUE TWISTER GAME

All levels and ages enjoy tongue twisters. They work well as a warm up to get students speaking, and they help students to practise pronouncing difficult sounds in English.

Procedure
Write some English tongue twisters on the board or on pieces of paper to distribute to students. Ask them to read the tongue twisters aloud. Then faster. Then three times in a row. Here are some examples:

She sells sea shells on the sea shore
A proper copper coffee pot
Around the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran
Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry
A big black bug bit a big black bear
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

• Ask the students if they have any tongue twisters in their L1. Have a go at saying them yourself. This usually causes a good laugh, and makes the activity more two-way and interactive.
• Now ask the students to have a go at creating their own tongue twisters. This activity is a variation of the famous 'Consequences' game. Write the following questions on the board:
• Write your first name
• What did she/he do?
• Where?
• When?
• Why? Because…
• Now give students the following instructions:
• Get into teams of about 5 people.
• On a piece of blank paper write your answer to question 1.
• Pass the paper to the person on your right. Write an answer to question 2 on the paper you have just received. Your answer must begin with the first sound in the person's name (e.g. Bob - bought a bike).
• Pass the paper on again and write an answer to question 3, again using the sound at the beginning of the name.
• Continue until all the questions have been answered.
• Pass the paper back to the person who started with it. Read all of the tongue twisters aloud.
• It might help if you give the students some examples before they begin the exercise:
• Bob bought a bike in Bali on his birthday because he was bored
• Susan sang a song at the seaside on the 6th of September because she saw some sunshine
• Laura laughed in the laundrette at lunchtime because she lost her laundry

Written by Kate Joyce, British Council.
Find more articles like this on our Teaching English sit

New Tips for Memorizing Foreign Language Vocabulary

Learning a foreign language -- particularly as an adult -- can be frustrating. Learning the vocabulary is half the battle, which means improving your memory. There are plenty of memory tricks you can use, but repetition is hands-down the most popular method. If you can consistently see,
hear and write a word, it will eventually become ingrained in your memory. Following are some unique tips for memorizing foreign language vocabulary.

Use Post-It Notes
One of the best ways to memorize foreign language vocabulary is to start with the objects you see and use every day. Grab your vocabulary textbook and a packet of Post-It notes and start sticking them on various objects in your home. The desk, a mirror, your refrigerator, a potted plant, the bed and everything else can serve as your study buddies. Just write the word in the foreign language on your Post-It and you'll see it each time you use or see that object. It won't feel like studying, but it will be far more effective.

Read Children's Books
Another great way to memorize foreign language vocabulary is by reading children's books. You can find them online or even in your local library written in multiple languages, and they use sufficiently simple vocabulary that you won't have trouble reading most of the words. When you run across a word you don't know or can't remember, have a foreign language dictionary handy to look it up.

Watch Foreign Films
Often, hearing words spoken in a foreign language will help you memorize vocabulary. Most film stores and rental shops have a foreign film section from which you can choose multiple titles. Take them home and watch them over and over again, looking for context clues to help you figure out what's being said. If you're trying to learn Spanish, you can also watch the Spanish channel on television. I've found that talk shows in Spanish are often more entertaining and it is usually easy to figure out the gist of what people are saying.

10 TIPS TO IMPROVE ENGLISH SPEAKING

Many deserving candidates lose out on job opportunities because of their vernacular accent.

Can it be fixed?

Surely, yes. All you need to do is train yourself to speak English as comfortably and perfectly as you speak your mother tongue.

How do you train yourself? By inculcating certain practices in your daily lifestyle. These will get you closer to sounding like a native English speaker and equip you with a global accent -- and you will speak not American or British English, but correct English.

This is the first step to learn any other accent, be it American or British or Australian.

Lisa Mojsin, head trainer, director and founder of the Accurate English Training Company in Los Angeles, offers these tips to help 'neutralise' your accent or rather do away with the local twang, as you speak.

i. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them.

When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.

ii. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.

If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you.

Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that everything you say be understood.

iii. Listen to the 'music' of English.

Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way of 'singing'.

iv. Use the dictionary.

Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.

v. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.

Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.

vi. Buy books on tape.

Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape.

vii. Pronounce the ending of each word.

Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.

viii. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.

Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.

ix. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.

Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.

x. Be patient.

You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.

Quick tips

Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the clarity of your speech.

~ Focus on removing the mother tongue influence and the 'Indianisms' that creep into your English conversations.

~ Watch the English news on television channels like Star World, CNN, BBC and English movies on Star Movies and HBO.

~ Listen to and sing English songs. We'd recommend Westlife, Robbie Williams [Images], Abba, Skeeter Davis and Connie Francis among others.

Books to help you improve your English

* Essential English Grammar by Murphy (Cambridge)
* Spoken English by R K Bansal and J B Harrison
* Pronounce It Perfectly In English (book and three audio cassettes) by Jean Yates, Barrons Educational Series
* English Pronunciation For International Students by Paulette Wainless Dale, Lillian Poms

FIVE CREATIVE METHODS OF ENGLISH TEACHING

As English teachers, we’re almost always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to stimulate our language learners. It was ELT author and researcher Stephen D. Krashen who gave us his Affective Filter hypothesis of Second or Foreign language acquisition. (Krashen – Terrell, 1983) His hypothesis states, that conditions which promote low anxiety levels in class allow improved learning on the part of students. When learners enjoy class activities their Affective Filter is low and they learn more. New and different activities “out of the norm” also lower learner affective filters.

Here are some not-so-commonly-used techniques for adding that “new twist” to your English or foreign language classes. Giving learners something new does wonders in relieving boredom, spiking interest and lowering the Affective Filter of learners on whom you may have “tried everything”.

1. Using an iPod

Do you learners carry iPods or cellular phones? Don’t curse and swear at them for using technology in their lives. Turn it to your advantage! A number of good websites now exist that can get you and your learners up and running using this latest new technology for language learning and practice. Here are useful website for more podcasting information:

• Podcasting: Audio on the Internet comes of age
http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej36/int.html

• Morning Stories
http://www.wgbh.org/schedules/program-info?program_id=143912

• Podcast Pickle http://www.podcastpickle.com

• Internet TESL Journal http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/Podcasts/

2. Let Mr. Bean Help You

You all know him and love his humorous twists on daily living. So don’t just sit there nodding, grab a CD or VHS full of episodes and try a few out on your learners. Let them do the talking. They can offer suggestions, write to Mr. Bean and his other characters, express opinions and do comparisons of his world vs. their own. By the way, is he REALLY an alien? Follow his antics, get video clips, program guides and more at:

• http://www.rowanatkinson.org/mr_bean.htm

• http://www.dsv.su.se/~mats-bjo/bean/bean.html

3. Ask Walt Disney for Advice

Although I’m old enough to remember his presence and passing, Walt Disney can still make us laugh, smile, cry and cheer with the antics of scores of his characters and their families. Take some short “clips” from his animated stories. Change the situation. Alter the characters. Modify an ending or a beginning to cause a whole different outlook on age-old themes. Are your stories and characters better? As long as they’re different, stimulating and generate interest or discussion, that’s all that matters. Everyone, even you, will have a great time coming up with new twists on these classic themes. Try it!
Visit Disney online here:

• http://disney.go.com/home/today/index.html

• http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/

4. Letting Learners Create Lesson Materials

Turnabout is fair play, or so they say. Take a day to switch roles. Have you ever let your learners write an exam? How about planning a fun class? Having a “hot” conversation on a topic that THEY want to talk about – music, movies, cute guys / gals, techno-babble? Nothing is taboo – well almost nothing, anyway! What do you think they’ll talk about? You’d be surprised!

5. Join the Club

Let’s all go to the Conversation Club. What you don’t have one? Okay then, start one – every Thursday from 2:00 pm to 2:30 pm or whatever time, day and duration may suit you and your learners. The key is to give THEM the majority of control, or at least as much as possible. Use props, use realia, use pictures, music or whatever you and your learners may have on hand to start, stop and sustain the activities. Other “clubs” you could join include:

• Pronunciation clubs

• Reading clubs

• Movie clubs

• Acting Clubs

Use your and your learners’ imaginations. The sky’s the limit – or maybe the Administration’s sky is the limit. But no matter, just try something new for starters.

Try out some of these not-so-commonly-used techniques for adding that “new twist” to your English or foreign language classes. Give your learners something new to relieve any boredom and spike their interest. Can’t you just hear those Affective Filters falling now?

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid while travelling for free.

For more information on entering or advancing in the fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for his no-cost PDF Ebook, "If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know", immediate delivery details and no-obligation information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/

Need professional, original content or articles for your blog, newsletter or website? Have a question, request, or want to receive more information or to be added to his articles and teaching materials mailing list? Then contact the author at this website for a prompt response.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_M._Lynch

TONGUE TWISTERS

code to simple scrolling text >To practice speaking English fluently, It is important to use some tongue twisters. A tongue-twister is a phrase that is designed to be difficult to articulate properly. Tongue-twisters may rely on similar but distinct phonemes (e.g., s [s] and sh [ʃ]), unfamiliar constructs in loanwords, or other features of a language.

The hardest tongue-twister in the English language according to Guinness World Records is supposedly The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick.

The following are the samples of tongue twisters from A - N. Have a nice practise!

A

• "What ails Alex?" asks Alice.
• A big black bear sat on a big black bug.
• A big black bug bit a big black bear and made the big black bear bleed blood.
• A big black bug bit a big black bear and the big black bear bled blood
• A big black bug bit a big black bear, made the big black bear bleed blood.
• A black bloke's back brake-block broke.
• A bloke's back bike brake block broke.
• A bloke's bike back brake block broke.
• A box of biscuits, a batch of mixed biscuits
• A lump of red leather, a red leather lump
• A lusty lady loved a lawyer and longed to lure him from his laboratory.
• A noise annoys an oyster, but a noisy noise annoys an oyster more!
• A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
• A nurse anesthetist unearthed a nest.
• A pessimistic pest exists amidst us.
• A pleasant place to place a plaice is a place where a plaice is pleased to be placed.
• A proper cup of coffee from a proper copper coffee pot.
• A real rare whale.
• A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
• A slimey snake slithered down the sandy sahara.
• A turbot's not a burbot, for a turbot's a butt, but a burbot's not.
• Ah shucks, six stick shifts stuck shut!
• Alice asks for axes.
• An elephant was asphyxiated in the asphalt.
• Ann and Andy's anniversary is in April.
• Are our oars oak?
• Argyle Gargoyle
• As one black bug, bled blue, black blood. The other black bug bled blue.
• As the sunshine shone on the side of the shot-silk sash shop.
• If I assist a sister-assistant, will the sister's sister-assistant assist me?

B

• A big bug bit a bold bald bear and the bold bald bear bled blood badly.
• Bad black bran bread.
• Bake big batches of bitter brown bread.
• Bake big batches of brown blueberry bread.
• Betty better butter Brad's bread.
• Big Ben blew big blue bubbles.
• Big black bugs bleed blue black blood but baby black bugs bleed blue blood.
• Black background, brown background.
• Black Bugs Bleed Black Blood
• Black bug's blood
• Blake's black bike's back brake bracket block broke.
• Blue bugs blood.
• Brad's big black bath brush broke.
• Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright blades, blunderbusses, and bludgeons -- Balancing them badly.
• Buckets of bug blood, buckets of bug blood, buckets of bug blood
• Busy buzzing bumble bees.
• The fuzzy bee buzzed the buzzy busy beehive.

C

• A cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.
• A cupcake cook in a cupcake cook's cap cooks cupcakes.
• Ape Cakes, Grape Cakes.
• Catch a can canner canning a can as he does the cancan, amd you've caught a can-canning can-canning can canner!
• Cheap sheep soup.
• Chocolate chip cookies in a copper coffee cup.
• Cinnamon aluminum linoleum.
• Clean clams crammed in clean cans.
• Crisp crust crackles.
• Cuthbert's cufflinks.
• How much can can a cannibal nibble, if a cannibal can nibble can?
• If you must cross a course cross cow across a crowded cow crossing, cross the cross coarse cow across the crowded cow crossing carefully.
• Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks.

D

• A dozen dim ding-dongs.
• Did Dick Pickens prick his pinkie pickling cheap cling peaches in an inch of Pinch or framing his famed French finch photos?
• Does this shop sport short socks with spots?
• Don't pamper damp scamp tramps that camp under ramp lamps.
• Don't spring on the inner-spring this spring or there will be an offspring next spring.
• Double bubble gum, bubbles double.
• Dr. Johnson and Mr. Johnson, after great consideration, came to the conclusion that the Indian nation beyond the Indian Ocean is back in education because the chief occupation is cultivation.
• Dust is a disk's worst enemy.
• How much dew would a dew drop drop, if a dew drop did drop dew?

E

• Each Easter Eddie eats eighty Easter eggs.
• Ed had edited it.
• Eddie edited it.
• Eleven benevolent elephants
• Elizabeth has eleven elves in her elm tree.
• Elizabeth's birthday is on the third Thursday of this month.
• Ere her ear hears her err, here ears err here.
• Excited executioner exercising his excising powers excessively.

F

• Fat frogs flying past fast.
• Five fat friars frying flat fish.
• Five frantic frogs fled from fifty fierce fishes.
• Five fuzzy French frogs Frolicked through the fields in France.
• Flee from fog to fight flu fast!
• Flies fly but a fly flies.
• Four furious friends fought for the phone.
• Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
• Fresh French fried fly fritters
• Freshly fried fresh flesh.
• Freshly-fried flying fish.
• Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.
• Frogfeet, flippers, swimfins.
• A fat-free fruit float.
• False Frank fled Flo Friday.
• Few free fruit flies fly from flames.
• Four free-flow pipes flow freely.
• Fran feeds fish fresh fish food.
• Freckle-faced Freddie fidgets.
• I'm not a fig plucker nor a fig plucker's son, but I'll pluck your fig's 'til the fig plucker comes.
• The fickle finger of fate flips fat frogs flat.
• Try fat flat flounders.

G

• Cows graze in droves on grass that grows on grooves in groves.
• Gale's great glass globe glows green.
• Gertie's great-grandma grew aghast at Gertie's grammar.
• Girl gargoyle, guy gargoyle.
• Give Mr. Snipa's wife's knife a swipe.
• Give papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee cup.
• Gobbling gorgoyles gobbled gobbling goblins.
• Good blood, bad blood.
• Great gray goats
• Greek grapes.
• Green glass globes glow greenly.
• Gus goes by Blue Goose bus.

H

• Hassock hassock, black spotted hassock. Black spot on a black back of a black spotted hassock.
• He threw three balls.
• He threw three free throws.
• Hiccup teacup!
• Higgledy-Piggedly!
• Hi-Tech Traveling Tractor Trailor Truck Tracker
• How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?
• How many berries could a bare berry carry,
• How many cans can a canner can if a canner can can cans? A canner can can as many cans as a canner can if a canner can can cans.
• How many moose might a mini-mouse move if a mini-mouse might move moose?
• How many sheets could a sheet slitter slit if a sheet slitter could slit sheets?
• How many yaks could a yak pack pack if a yak pack could pack yaks?
• How much caramel can a canny canonball cram in a camel if a canny canonball can cram caramel in a camel?
• How much ground could a grounghog grind if a groundhog could grind ground?
• How much oil boil can a gum boil boil if a gum boil can boil oil?
• How much pot, could a pot roast roast, if a pot roast could roast pot.
• The hare's ear heard ere the hare heeded.

I

• Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager
• I correctly recollect Rebecca MacGregor's reckoning.
• I eat eel while you peel eel
• I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
• I see Isis's icy eyes.
• I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit, and on that slitted sheet I sit.
• I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit, upon a slitted sheet I sit.
• I slit the sheet and the sheet slit me the slit in the sheet was slit by me
• I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
• I stood sadly on the silver steps of Burgess's fish sauce shop, mimicking him hiccuping, and wildly welcoming him within.
• I thought, I thought of thinking of thanking you.
• I was born on a pirate ship - Hold your tounge while saying it.
• I wish I were what I was when I wished I were what I am.
• I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.
• I wish to wish the wish you wish to wish, but if you wish the wish the witch wishes, I won't wish the wish you wish to wish.
• I wish to wish, I dream to dream, I try to try, and I live to live, and I'd die to die, and I cry to cry but I dont know why.
• I wish you were a fish in my dish
• I would if I could! But I can't, so I won't!
• If a bare berry could carry berries?
• If a Hottentot taught a Hottentot tot to talk ere the tot could totter, ought the Hottentot tot be taught to say ought or naught or what ought to be taught 'er?
• If colored caterpillars could change their colors constantly could they keep their colored coat colored properly?
• If Kantie can tie a tie and untie a tie,
• If Stu chews shoes, should Stu choose the shoes he chews?
• If two witches would watch two watches, which witch would watch which watch?
• Ike ships ice chips in ice chips ships.
• I'll chew and chew until my jaws drop.
• Inchworms itching.
• Irish wristwatch
• Is this your sister's sixth zither, sir?
• managing an imaginary menagerie?

J

• Jack the jailbird jacked a jeep.
• Judicial system.
• June sheep sleep soundly.

K

• A knapsack strap.
• Keenly cleaning copper kettles.
• Kinky kite kits.
• Kiss her quick, kiss her quicker, kiss her quickest!
• Come kick six sticks quick.
• Kanta is a masai girl, she can tie a tie and untie a tie, if kanta can tie a tie and untie a tie, why can't I tie a tie and untie a tie?
• Ken Dodd's dad's dog 's dead.
• Knapsack strap.
• Knife and a fork bottle and a cork
• Kris Kringle carefully crunched on candy canes.

L

• Larry Hurley, a burly squirrel hurler, hurled a furry squirrel through a curly grill.
• Larry sent the latter a letter later.
• Lesser leather never weathered lesser wetter weather.
• Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
• Lily ladles little Letty's lentil soup.
• Lisa laughed listlessly.
• Listen to the local yokel yodel.
• Literally literary.
• Little Mike left his bike like Tike at Spike's.
• Lonely lowland llamas are ladylike.
• Lovely lemon liniment.
• Love's a feeling you feel when you feel you're going to feel the feeling you've never felt before.
• Red leather! Yellow leather!
• Yellow lorry, blue lorry.

M

• A missing mixture measure.
• Mallory's hourly salary.
• Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone.
• Miss Smith lisps as she talks and lists as she walks.
• Miss Smith's fish-sauce shop seldom sells shellfish.
• Mix, Miss Mix!
• Mommy made me eat my M&Ms.
• Moose noshing much mush.
• Mr. Tongue Twister tried to train his tongue to twist and turn, and twit an twat, to learn the letter ""T"".
• Mrs Hunt had a country cut front in the front of her country cut pettycoat.
• Mrs. Smith's Fish Sauce Shop.
• Much mashed mushrooms.
• Mummies make money.
• Why may we melee, when we may waylay?

N

• Nick knits Nixon's knickers.
• Nine nice night nymphs.
• Nine nimble noblemen nibbled nuts
• Norse myths.
• A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
• Nat the bat swat at Matt the gnat.
• National Sheepshire Sheep Association
• Near an ear, a nearer ear, a nearly eerie ear.
• Never trouble about trouble until trouble troubles you!
• Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.
• No need to light a night light on a light night like tonight.
• Nothing is worth thousands of deaths


The next practice are:

I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,

Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,

Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

TIPS TO SPEAK ENGLISH FLUENTLY AND ACCURATELY

Speaking is the most prominent skill that need to be mastered by any English interlocutors. This is caused by speaking is the most frequently used method to share human's idea in communication. Here are some tips to speak fluently and accurately. It is mostly taken from www.musicalenglish.org/

HOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH MORE FLUENTLY

In order to imprint words on your memory and also to feel comfortable about pronouncing them at a moment's notice, it is necessary to practice vocabulary a number of times.

1. Decide which constructions and vocabulary are ideal for you to learn. (Be discerning, because you cannot learn everything.) Choose about ten new words per day to practice.

2. Practice them until you are word-perfect. Then use them in real situations by incorporating them into conversations with as many people as possible (at least six times each word or construction, but more if possible). The more you manage to use them in conversation, the more readily you will be able to say them fluently in the future.

REMEMBER: Fluency in English is accuracy with good pronunciation - not speed.

HOW TO SPEAK ENGLISH MORE ACCURATELY

From a learner's point of view, the problem with English is that it is too rich in constructions and vocabulary, i.e.: There are numerous words and constructions, which have similar meanings. Mistakes occur when students remember half of one construction and half of another; they end up with a hotchpotch which is at best "incorrect but understandable" and at worst "nonsense".

1.Choosing English for Use or Recognition Purposes only

English people do not use every phrase and word in the English language. They have favorite phrases, which they use time and time again. I recommend that when you are taught more than one way of saying the same thing; choose only one version to learn accurately for future use. Then store the other one(s) vaguely in your mind for future recognition purposes only.

2. Pitfalls to Avoid

Native English speakers modify their language according to their situation, just as you would do in your own language. Unless you have constant exposure to English over many years, you cannot expect to do this. The trick therefore is to choose the best English for universal speaking purposes and to recognize other versions of English, so you are not at a disadvantage. By doing so, you will avoid misunderstandings and you will be able to judge the quality of another person's English.

Although a knowledge of the following is essential for understanding English (and possibly for some exams), I recommend you avoid them as much as possible when speaking in normal situations:-

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs, Slang (which can sound insolent when used at the wrong time)

3.Avoiding grammatical errors when speaking

Many students experience difficulties with the use of the present perfect, because the use of it does not correspond with a similar-looking tense in their own language. If it helps you, it is possible to avoid the present perfect altogether by using:-

SIMPLE PAST + SPECIFIC TIME

eg: I have been to Tunisia. (Time unknown)

I went to Tunisia some time ago. (Exact time unknown)

I have just finished my homework. (Recent, but time unknown)

I finished my homework a short while ago (Recent, but exact time unknown)

English is such a rich and versatile language, it is possible to say what you want to say in more than one way.

IMPORTANT REGIONAL DIFFERENCES

In spoken American English, the use of the Simple Past and Present Perfect are often used contrary to the rules of grammar, particularly where the words 'yet' and 'yesterday' are concerned.

In South West England, the following regional errors can be heard: I be, he be, we be, they be, etc.

In Yorkshire, the definite article is often omitted in speech.

PRONUNCIATION

GENERAL

Non-native speakers of English experience different pronunciation problems according to their native language. This is due to:

1. Different pronunciation of some letters

2. No equivalent sound in their own language

If students cannot hear whether they are pronouncing a sound correctly, then the only alternative is to "feel" and "see" whether they are pronouncing it properly.

English is a language that depends upon: -

AIRFLOW, LIP SHAPE, TONGUE POSITION, TEETH POSITION, JAW MOVEMENT

COMMON DIFFICULT SOUNDS

TH: (long, soft, as in TEETH) Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth and blow gently. It is a long sound and should last about 5 seconds.

To test whether you are making this sound properly, place your hand approximately 12 cm from your mouth. If you can feel a good flow of cool air halfway down your arm and your teeth and lips are in the right position, your pronunciation of this sound will be OK. Do not forget to check the length of time you are allowing for the sound. You must produce this amount of air whenever you say a word with a soft TH in it.

TH: (short, hard, as in THE) Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth and make a voice sound from your throat. It is a short sound with a sudden burst of air.

To test whether you are making this sound properly, place your hand approximately 6 cm from your mouth. If you can feel a sudden burst of air on your hand, you are making the sound from your throat and your teeth and lips are in the right position, your pronunciation of this sound will be OK. You must produce this sound whenever you say a word with a hard TH in it.

V: Put your top front teeth onto your bottom lip and make a voice sound in your throat. Your lips should be more or less closed.

If you are making this sound correctly, you will feel an uncomfortable vibration. You must feel this vibration every time you say a word with V in it, otherwise you are not pronouncing it properly. The listener must hear the vibration to be sure of what you are saying.

ST: Make a long, soft 'S' sound like a snake, then suddenly add an abrupt 'T+schwa' sound by pushing your tongue against the back of your top front teeth, then suddenly taking it away. (Practice the 's' sound first, then the 'schwa' sound alone before adding the abrupt 'T' sound.)

PH: Pronounce PH as F (not P)

F: Put your top front teeth onto your bottom lip and blow gently. Your lips should be more or less closed.

To test whether you are making this sound properly, place your hand approximately 12 cm from your mouth. If you can feel a good flow of cool air onto your hand and your teeth and lips are in the right position, your pronunciation of this sound will be OK. You must produce this amount of air whenever you say a word with F in it.

H: To make this sound, you need a lot of air and your mouth should be open. Stand or sit up straight and take a deep breath, open your mouth, then let out the air quickly as if you are disappointed about something. Allow your body to slump at the same time.

To test whether you are making this sound properly, place your hand approximately 12 cm from your mouth. If you can feel a good flow of hot air onto your hand and your mouth and body are in the right positions, your pronunciation of this sound will be OK. You must produce this amount of air whenever you say a word with H in it.

L: When making the L sounds, you tongue must temporarily go up to the roof of your mouth and come down again. It must not touch your teeth unless the next sound is TH.

To check your tongue is in the right position, use a mirror. Practice saying La, La, La, so you can see what your tongue is doing.

R: When making the R sound, your tongue does very little; it just stays at the bottom of your mouth. However, your lower jaw quickly moves forward, down and back as you say the sound.

Use a mirror to check that your tongue is not moving up to the roof of your mouth and that your jaw is moving properly. If you do not have this sound in your language, you will need to practice moving your jaw. At first, it will be painful, because you will be flexing unused muscles just as you would if you attempting a new sport. If you persevere the discomfort will eventually subside.

W: When making the W sound, you must pucker your lips as if you are going to kiss your favorite film star. Use a mirror to achieve the correct lip shape. To make the sound, you must push a sound out through the lip 'funnel' as if you have hurt yourself a little BEFORE saying the word, then at the end of this strained sound you open your lips a little and make a different sound as if you are saying the number ONE (but stop before you stay the N sound). Only after all this can you say the rest of the word.

Therefore, for the word WAR, follow these instructions:-

* Decide which film star or singer you would enjoy kissing.
* Think of this film star or singer and pucker lips into a kissing shape (check in the mirror)
* Make a strained sound through puckered lips for 1-2 seconds
* Open your lips and begin to say the number ONE (without the N)
* Then complete the word by adding an OR sounds. Make it a long sound (3-4 seconds). Better to make the word too long than not long enough.
* by following these instructions, you should have completed the word WAR

Read the above instructions for L and R, then practice saying:- WAR, LAW, RAW

CONSONANTS

In order to speak English well you must make all your consonants (except silent ones) sound loud and clear. Many English parents reprimand their children with "Sound the ends of your words!", because many children swallow the last consonant sound in their words, particularly if the last consonant is a 'T' (as in the word 'BUT'). When English children do this, it is poor quality pronunciation, but when non-native speakers do this, it is often impossible to understand what they are saying.

LONG SOUNDS v SHORT SOUNDS

The long sounds in English are extremely important. Throughout England, Australia, Canada, America, there are fluent native speakers of English. The accents vary enormously, yet we are all capable of understanding each other. This is because the consonant sounds change very little and there is a uniformity of long and short sounds.

When studying English you may feel it is very strange to say long sounds, because they do not exist in your own language; however, unless you do use long sounds, your English will be difficult to understand. In fact, it is better to make your long sound too long, rather than not long enough.

INTONATION
Improve your intonation by listening to and singing along to songs. Most songs in English maintain similar intonation to normal speech. Rap songs are often close to normal intonation .

PLEASE NOTE: The following pop songs do not use the same intonation as normal speech.

BLUE by Eiffel 64

NEVER EVER by All Saints

Most/all songs by Destiny's Chil