Enhancing Pronunciation

Iram Shakoor Khan

Lecture 2
Introduction of consonant sound;
place of articulation and phonetic
symbols
Activity: Consonant Sounds with
actions (Jolly Phonics)
Vocabulary practice: Initial, median
and final and minimal pair

Place of Articulation

How consonants are made?

Consonants are made by blocking or restricting
the airflow from the lungs by using the lips,
teeth, and tongue.
A useful way of describing consonants is by
considering:
where the blocking or restriction occurs in the
mouth (place of articulation)
how the air passes through the mouth (manner
of articulation)
whether or not the vocal chords are vibrating
(voicing).

Consonant
(15) Usual
/p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/
// ////
/m/ /n/ /l/ /r/ f/
/v/ /s/ /z/ /h/ /w/

Unusual (9)
/g/ //
// // // /j/

Consonant Sounds
Usual Consonant Sounds
/p/

pie

/l/

like

/b/

boy

/r/

rice

/t/

tea

/f/

fire

/d/

day

/v/

very

/k/

king

/s/

safe

/m/

milk

/z/

zone

/n/

nose

/h/

house

/w/

winter

Unusual Consonant
Sounds
/g/

gam
e

//

thin

//

chai
n

//

thes
e

//

joke

//

sho
e

//

long

/j/

yes

//

measure

Voicing- vibration of the vocal cords

1. When /p/, /t/, and /k/ occur at the
ends of words they are not always
pronounced with aspiration,
especially in connected speech.
2. The vowel before a voiced
consonant at the end of a word is
longer.
Example:
Cab (longer) cap
Bag (longer) back

Voicing- vibration of the vocal cords

3. If there is voiced + voiceless pairs at the ends of
words.

Example:

At times it might be hard to work out

whether a learner is talking about her niece or
her knees.

Voiced or voiceless
Whether they make the vocal cords
vibrate or not?
voicing

voiced

voiceless

/b/ /d/ /g/ //

//
/m/ /n/ /r/// //
/j//v/ /z/ /w/ /g/

/p/ /t/ /k/////

/ f/// /s//h/

Place and Manner of Articulation

Consonant sound /p/

Keep your mouth relax and closed.
Press your lips together, then let
them part while you make a big puff
of air or while you blow out
pun

people

top

pair

happen

keep

pay

apply

trap

party

depend

flop

pale

paper

sip

Exercise minimal pair /p/

past - fast

simple - symbol

pail - fail

wipe - wife

pool - fool

tap - tab

rapid - rabid

cup - cub

supper - rubber

Consonant sound /b/

Keep you mouth relaxed and closed.
Press your lips together; then let
them apart while you make a slight
puff of air while you blow out.
ball

habit

cab

bend

baby

stab

bat

amble

robe

boat

pebble

grab

buy

ruby

globe

Exercise minimal pair /b/

back -pack

dub - dove

Bent -vent

curb curve

Bath - path

bribe bride

lobes loaves

knob nod

ribbon ridden

Consonant sound /t/

Relax you mouth. Use the tip of your
tongue to tap the tooth ridge just
behind your teeth.
tall

retain

fat

table

pretend

but

teach

total

point

ten

mister

walked

tie

falter

helped

Exercise minimal pair /t/

Tore - door

Sitting - sipping

Tire - hire

Little middle

Teach - beach

Bat bad

Hit - hip

Ate - ache

Beater - beeper

Heat - heal

Consonant sound /d/

Relax your mouth. Use the tip of your
tongue to tap the tooth ridge just
behind your teeth.
dad

window

could

dollar

today

did

debt

meddle

dead

done

dab

played

dawdle

modern

lord

Exercise minimal pair /d/

Doe - go

Ridden - ribbon

Dad - lad

Hid - hit

Dime - time

Bid - big

Seed - seethe

Played - plate

Udder - other

Consonant sound /k/

The back of the tongue is pressed
against the area where the hard
palate ends and the soft palate
begins
buck

lacking

rack

cane

camel

Kite

Kick

cookies

Exercise minimal pair /k/

Cold - gold

Decree- degree

Camp damp

Walk - warm

Coast - ghost

Rack - rag

Kill - gill

Leak - league

Leaking - leading

Duck - dug

Consonant sound /g/

The back of the tongue is pressed
against the area where the hard
palate ends and the soft palate
begins
green

hog

gain

grind

bug

luggage

rag

gate

Exercise minimal pair /g/

call - gall

back - bag

come - gum

bank - bang

cut - gut

think - thing

Consonant sound /t/

Put the front of your tongue in
between the tooth ridge and hard
palate. Then blow the air out. The
tongue slides back, not forward, as
you make this sounds.
cheque

richer

teach

Choose

Actual

Which

Cheese

Puncture

Watch

Charm

Matching

Church

Change

Feature

Approach

Exercise minimal pair /t/

Chore- shore

Leeching- leasing

Cheese- please

Wrenching- renting

Chase- face

Lurch- learn

Choke- joke

Match- map

Catch- cash

Each- eat

Consonant sound /d/

Put the front of your tongue in
between the tooth ridge and hard
palate. Then blow the air out. The
tongue slides back, not forward, as
you make this sound.
jump

gradual

page

Joy

Judge

Fudge

Junction

Budget

Language

Job

Enjoy

Image

Just

Education

Edge

Exercise minimal pair /d/

Joke- yoke

Major- mayor

Juice-use

Storage-stories

Gin-chin

Message- massage

Jeer- year

Badge- beige

Jealous-zealous

Consonant sound /m/

Keep your mouth relaxed and closed.
Press your lips together and make a
humming sound. The air comes
through your nasal passage
man

amble

sum

many

summary

blame

money

coming

come

may

stomach

time

mob

company

him

Exercise minimal pair /m/

Mall - wall

Them - then

Male - nail

Ram - rang

Meal - wheel

Sum - sun

Smoke - spoke

Home- hone

Remind - rewind

Consonant sound /n/

Open your mouth slightly. Use the tip of
your tongue to touch the alveolar ridge
just behind your teeth. Now use your
voice to make a humming sound. The
air will come through your nasal
passage.
never

sound

phone

knock

window

complain

near

morning

drain

noble

benefit

dawn

nil

finish

been

Exercise minimal pair /n/

Not lot

Clean - creak

Nine - line

Gone - gong

Knee - me

Warn - warm

Connection - collection

Thing - thing

Snow - slow

Mean - meal

Consonant sound //
Touch the back of your tongue to
your soft palate. Let the air go out
your nasal passage, not your mouth.
sing

English

singing

bring

hunger

thing

wrong

banger

tongue

young

jungle

gang

long

ringer

wing

Exercise minimal pair //

Sing - sin

Tongue - ton

Thing - thick

Banger - banner

Wing - win

Long - log

Gang - gag

Singer - simmer

Consonant sound /l/

There are two /l/ sounds of English, one is
lighter/l/, which occurs at the beginning of
a word, and the dark/l/, which can be found
in the middle or at the end of the word.
Lighter /l/: place the tip of your tongue just
behind your top teeth or alveolar ridge.
Your breath should pass along both sides of
the tongue and through the open lips.
Darker /l/: is similar, except it has the tip of
your tongue further back.

Exercise
like

only

school

list

careless

oil

listen

clearly

meal

love

really

little

laugh

lately

while

Exercise minimal pair /l/

Lead- lead

loan - known

Light -right

Stole - stove

File - fire

Will - win

Mile - mine

Evil - even

Feel - feed

Consonant sound /r/

Turn the tip of your tongue up
towards tooth ridge. Do not touch the
roof of your mouth with it. The sides
of your tongue should touch the back
teeth.
The sound of /r/ is very close to the
dark /l/, except the tip of your tongue
should not touch the roof of your
mouth.

Exercise
right

carrot

far

real

farm

career

raise

guarantee

father

rent

correct

regular

roam

array

desire

Exercise minimal pair /r/

Grew- glue

Boring- boarding

Rig- wig

Fire - file

rate- late

Fear- feel

Rafter- after

Near- kneel

Correction- collection

Consonant sound /f/

Raise your lower lip to put your upper
front teeth on it. Pull the corners of
your mouth and your upper lip back
a bit and blow the air over your
tongue.
find

offer

golf

few

refuse

stiff

fail

laughed

cough

phone

office

half

foreign

off

Exercise minimal pair /f/

Phone - loan

Effect -erect

Free three

Leaf - leave

Fair - there

Thief - thieve

Deafly- deadly

Proof - prove

Defend - depend

Consonant sound /v/

To make the /v/ sound. Raise your
lower lip to your upper teeth. Pull the
corners of your mouth and your
upper lip back a bit and blow the air
over your tongue.
vote

over

of

View

Avoid

Live

Value

Clever

Twelve

Volume

Prevent

Above

Voice

Several

Receive

Exercise minimal pair /v/

Very- berry

Review- refuse

Vest-best

Live- lithe

Van- fan

Save- safe

Savor- saber

Dove- dub

Consonant sound //
Place the tip of your tongue behind
the upper teeth. Do not put it
between, your lips. Make the sound
by forcing air through your teeth and
tongue
Thin

Bathroom

tenth

Third

wealthy

month

Thing

Everything

math

Thursday

method

South

thanks

faithful

health

Exercise minimal pair //

Think - link

Breath - breathe

Thought - taught

Math - map

Thin - fin

Both - bowl

Forth - fort

Consonant sound //
Place the tip of the tongue behind your
upper teeth. Make the sound by forcing
air through the opening between your
teeth and your tongue. The difference
between // and // is that the first one
is voiced and second, is voiceless
their

other

smooth

this

whether

cloth

those

either

Bath

they

rather

Seethe

then

breath

loathe

Exercise minimal pair //

They- day

Neither - lighter

Though- dough

Lathe - lace

Mother - mutter

Teeth - tease

Weather - wetter

Worthy- wordy

Consonant sound /s/

Using the tip of your tongue, almost
touch the tooth ridge right behind
the teeth. Spread your lips. Then
blow out. The air will make a high,
hissing sound.
see

passed

nice

Sick

Consider

Course

South

Fiscal

Sits

Salt

Yesterday

Class

Sale

Sister

House

Exercise minimal pair /s/

Sore - four

Faceless- faithless

Suit shoot

Basin- nation

Sin thin

Price- prize

Mouse mouth

Peace peas

Descend- defend

Lice- lies

Consonant sound /z/

Put the tip of your tongue very close
to the tooth ridge, but do not touch
it. Spread your lips. Then blow out.
The air will make a high buzzing
sound. Use your voice.
zero

thousand

seems

Zone

Business

Raise

Zebra

Museum

Halves

Zest

Result

Fills

Zipper

Lazy

Gaze

Exercise minimal pair /z/

Zinc- sink

Ways- wage

Zeal- seal

Rise- rice

Rising- riding

Eyes- ice

Teasing- teething

Lose- loose

Sizzle- civil

His-hiss

Consonant sound //
Using the tip of your tongue, almost
touch the tooth ridge right behind
the teeth. Spread your lips. The air
will make a high hissing sound.
she

tuition

wash

Shipment

Admission

Finish

Sugar

Efficient

English

Should

Social

Fresh

Shoe

Machine

Accomplish

Exercise minimal pair //

Shoulder- soldier

Lashed- latched

Sheet-seat

Cashes-catches

Show-sew

Bash-badge

Shellfish- selfish

Ravish-ravage

Swished- switched

Wish-witch

Consonant sound //
Using the middle of your tongue,
almost touch the roof of your mouth
just behind the tooth ridge.
decision

television

beige

Usual

Rouge

Illusion

Occasional

Unusual

Message

Casual

Closure

Camouflage

Vision

Asian

Occlusion

Exercise minimal pair //

Rouge- ruse

Fusion- future

Closure- closer

Beige- bade

Vision- mission

Consonant sound /h/

Relax your jaw, mouth and tongue.
Open your mouth a little. Make a
light, airy sound by blowing the air,
through your mouth. Do not use your
voice.
hot

perhaps

comprehend

How

Behind

behave

Home

Ahead

neighborhood

Hurry

Prohibit

Hungry

Somehow

Exercise minimal pair /h/

Hall- wall

hi- why

Hunch- lunch

Heat- eat

High- lie

Hire- fire

Who- moo

Hair-air

Hen- when

Consonant sound /w/

Round your lips until they are almost
closed. Touch your soft palate with
the back of your tongue.
win

language

quilt

With

Beware

Acquit

Want

Between

Queen

West

Require

Squint

Where

Forward

Twin

Exercise minimal pair /w/

Where- bear

Rowing- roving

Wick-vic

Switch- stitch

Wait- rate

Winch- finch

Width- rift

Squint glint

Worse- verse

Whittle- little

Consonant sound /j/

Start with the middle of your tongue
almost touching just behind the tooth
ridge. Make a sound while you bring
your tongue up and touch the hard
palate. There is no buzzing sound.
Yes

beauty

regular

Your

value

continue

useful

union

view

Europe

young

music

annual

Exercise minimal pair /j/

Yet- jet

Use- choose

Yellow- jello

Yacht-got

You-who

Layer-labor

Your- lore

Thank you