Unit 1 e sounds /e/, /iː/, /ə/ Unlike Italian, in English we can pronounce e in several different ways. These are three of them: 1 /iː/ is in long, stressed syllables 2 /e/ can be in short stressed syllables or sometimes in unstressed syllables 3 /ə/ is always in unstressed syllables, e.g. the suffix -er Unit 2 Intonation in question tags In English we use question tags for two purposes. 1 When we think we know the answer already and are expecting the other person to agree, the intonation goes down on the question tag. 2 When we are not sure and are checking to find out the answer, the intonation goes up on the question tag. 1 T4.1 Listen to the words. Then listen again 1 /e/ yet ever already 2 /iː/ three she meet 3 /ə/ problem happen ever 2 T4.2 Listen and repeat the sounds. Then /e/ /iː/ /ə/ lottery wedding get email answer terrifying unpleasant daughter feelings reason see partner these fallen girlfriend 1 T4.3 Listen to the sentences. Then listen again 1 sure People didn t have mobiles in the 1950s, did they? 2 not sure People didn t wear platform boots in the 1980s, did they? 3 sure Woodstock festival was in the USA, wasn t it? 4 not sure The first moon landing was in 1969, wasn t it? 2 T4.4 Listen to each sentence and write sure or not sure. 1 Marilyn Monroe died in 1962, didn t she? 2 Lots of people didn t have a TV in the 1950s, did they? 3 Tamagotchi were made in Japan, weren t they? 4 George Best used to play for Manchester United, didn t he? 5 Sean Connery was the first James Bond, wasn t he? 6 The first man on the Moon wasn t Russian, was he? English plus Intermediate Pronunciation Units 1 2
Unit 3 Stress in phrasal verbs In English, phrasal verbs have different stress patterns. Usually the main stress is on an adverb or preposition, not the verb. In dictionaries, the main stress is indicated by /ˈ/ before it. When you record new phrasal verbs in your vocabulary book, remember to also mark the stress. 1 T4.5 Listen to the phrasal verbs. Then listen again 1 o O put off sort out 2 o o O carry on get away 3 o O o go out with split up with 4 o o O o get together get along with 2 T4.6 Listen to each sentence and choose the correct stress pattern for the phrasal verb. 1 My mum smokes. I keep telling her she should give up. 2 I must cut down on chocolate I eat far too much! 3 It can be quite stressful if you don t get on well with your parents. 4 Josie s boyfriend works out at the gym every evening. 5 There was no cake left when I got there, so I had to go without. 6 You have to rest to get over the flu. Unit 4 Stress in compound nouns In English, compound nouns have different stress patterns. In dictionaries, the main stress is indicated by /ˈ/ before it. When you record new compound nouns in your vocabulary book, remember to also mark the stress. 1 T4.7 Listen to the compound nouns. Then listen again 1 stress on the : train ticket city break beach holiday 2 stress on the : winter sports digital camera private jet 2 T4.8 Listen to each sentence and choose the correct stress for the compound noun. 1 We re going to stay in an amazing luxury hotel in Marrakesh. 2 Let s go on a day trip to the Pyramids tomorrow! 3 I need to buy some skiing gear because we re going to the Dolomites. 4 I hope I ll have a holiday romance this summer. 5 On the return flight, I realised I d left my phone in the hotel! 6 I won t buy presents from souvenir shops the local market will be cheaper. English plus Intermediate Pronunciation Units 3 4
Unit 5 gh /f/ or silent? In English, gh can be pronounced in two ways. 1 Usually gh is silent, especially when it s followed by t. 2 When a word ends with gh, it s often pronounced /f/. However, there are some exceptions to these rules. 1 T4.9 Listen to the words. Then listen again 1 /f/ enough 2 /f/ tough 3 silent although 4 silent tight 2 T4.10 Listen and repeat the sound. Then /f/ silent Unit 6 s sounds /s/, /z/, /ʒ/ In English we can pronounce s in different ways. These are three of them: 1 Usually when s is at the beginning of the word or is double, it s pronounced /s/. 2 If you find -se at the end of a word, preceded by a vowel, it s usually pronounced /z/. 3 In the middle of a word, when it s preceded and followed by a vowel, it s sometimes pronounced /ʒ/. However, there are many exceptions to these rules. 1 T4.11 Listen to the words. Then listen again 1 /s/ something depressing stereotype 2 /z/ whose recognise clause 3 /ʒ/ television measurement treasure 2 T4.12 Listen and repeat the sounds. Then /s/ /z/ /ʒ/ daughter frighten high weigh through neighbour taught right cough might laughter laugh thought rough bought vision slow pleasure swim music organise confusion express usually smile myself years beads clothes illusion English plus Intermediate Pronunciation Units 5 6
Unit 7 Silent consonants Sometimes English words are written including letters which are silent when the word is spoken. Consonants which are often silent include: r when it s preceded by a vowel w at the end of a word, or at the beginning of a word when it s followed by a consonant k at the beginning of a word when it s followed by a consonant gh when it s followed by t l when it s preceded by a vowel and followed by a consonant There are exceptions to these rules and other letters may also be silent, so you should always make a note of silent letters when you learn new vocabulary. 1 T4.13 Listen to the words. Then listen again 1 silent r : border minister party 2 silent w : law know write 3 silent k : know knee knife 4 silent gh : might right eighteen 5 silent l : could would should 6 other silent letters : listen honest psychology 2 T4.14 Listen to each sentence and choose which of the consonants is silent. 1 I wish I could design posters for the government. d s g n Unit 8 u sounds: /juː/, /uː/, /ʊ/, /ʌ/ Unlike Italian, in English we can pronounce u in several different ways: At the beginning of the word, it is usually pronounced /juː/ or /ʌ/. In the middle of a word, it is often pronounced /uː/ or /ʊ/. Like many of the common sounds of English, there are many irregularities and exceptions. 1 T4.15 Listen to the words. Then listen again 1 /juː/ unit communicate refuse 2 /uː/ rule blue solution 3 /ʊ/ put push full 4 /ʌ/ up study understand 2 T4.16 Listen to each sentence and write the correct sound: /juː/, /uː/, /ʊ/ or /ʌ /. 1 You behaved really rudely! 2 Do you think the economy will get better in the future? 3 Eating lots of sugary food is bad for you. 4 He was more upset than me about our dog running away. 5 I need to pass my exams to be able to go to university. 6 The TV programmes I watch most frequently are documentaries about different cultures. 2 If I participated in a student election, I wouldn t win! r t c p 3 If you want to be an MP, you'll need some knowledge of local problems. k n l g 4 If only politicians talked to the people more! t l k d 5 The government are doubtful about when the economy will recover. b t f l 6 If the minister didn t spend lots of time answering emails, people would complain! n s r w English plus Intermediate Pronunciation Units 7 8
Unit 9 Showing disbelief In English when we don t believe what someone has said, we can show this with the stress and intonation we use when we report it. In normal reported speech, the intonation goes slowly down. If we want to show disbelief, we put extra stress on the reporting verb and our voice also goes up on it, before going down at the end of the sentence. We sometimes also stress the part of the reported speech that we don t believe. 1 T4.17 Listen to the sentences. Then listen again 1 normal reported speech: Laura said that the boy had pushed her. 2 showing disbelief: Laura said that the boy had pushed her. 3 normal reported speech: Callum told us that his grandma was in hospital. 4 showing disbelief: Callum told us that his grandma was in hospital. 2 T4.18 Listen to each sentence and write normal reported speech or showing disbelief. 1 She said that she wouldn t break her promise. 2 He told me that he was Australian. 3 The boys told me that they could speak Spanish. 4 The children said that they hadn t done anything wrong. 5 My sister told my dad that she was ill. 6 The con man said that he would never break the law again. English plus Intermediate Pronunciation Unit 9