ESL/Reading and pronunciation practice: Difference between revisions

=== Letters ===

<br>[[File:alphabet.mp3]]

=== Vowels ===

<br>[[File:Vowels.mp3]]

Children are taught that "Y" can act like a vowel, so when they say the vowels, they said, "and sometimes Y":

<br>[[File:Vowels_sometimes-y.mp3]]

=== Consonants ===

<br>[[File:Consonants.mp3]]

==== Hard consonants ====

require exhaling breathe ("aspiration"<ref>technically, "aspiration" consonants are only K, P & T; others that still require exhaling are called "Voiced Stops"; for our purposes we will separate the "hard" from the "soft" consonant sounds</ref>

<br>[[File:Consonants_exhaled.mp3]]

do not require exhalation (no breathing out)

<br>[[File:Consonants_no-exhalation.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_at.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_be.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_because.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_choice.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_gene.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_ma.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_shrewd.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_the.mp3]]

<br>[[File:Vowel-shifts_unfit.mp3]]

=== S-words ===

<br>[[File:S-words.mp3]]

=== Ending consonant pronunciation ===

'''Bring back the street lamps that we used to use at night.'''

* Spoken slowly:  

[[File:Consonants-pronounce-1_slow.mp3]]

'''It is important for youthful users to get going early in the day.'''

* Spoken fast:  

[[File:Consonants-pronounce-2_slow.mp3]]

* note the different ways to state someone's name

'''<big>My sister is Susan. She lives in California. It is very nice there.</big>'''

** "it" and "there" are pronouns that refer to California

'''<big>My brother's name is Ben. He is a Physics professor. He teaches it to college students.</big>'''

** "physics" is an adjective to tell us what kind of "professor" he is. It can also be expressed as "He is a teacher of physics" using the preposition "of" as in Spanish ("professor de Fiisca")

'''<big>I have three dogs, a girl and two boys. She is very sweet and the boys love to play. They are all so much fun!</big>'''

<br>[[File:Pronouns sentence 03.mp3]]

'''<big>I live near the park. It is fun to go there.</big>'''

** "it is" is an impersonal verb construction, whereas "there" is a pronoun that refers to the park

'''<big>My wife and I go to church. It is very beautiful. She is beautiful, too!</big>'''

** the pronoun "it" refers to the church

Here are some difficult sentences. Let the sounds go from the ear to the mouth. Don't worry about the meaning of the words!

''He aquí algunas frases difíciles. Deja que los sonidos pasen del oído a la boca. ¡No te preocupes por el significado de las palabras!''

'''<big>The brave knight fought fearlessly as shouts echoed across the field.</big>'''

''El valiente caballero luchó sin miedo mientras los gritos resonaban en el campo.''

<br>[[File:sentence sounds_01.mp3]]

'''<big>As the sea unfurled its misty veil, the boat’s sail caught the gale.</big>'''

''A medida que el mar desplegaba su velo brumoso, la vela del barco atrapó el vendaval.''

<br>[[File:sentence sounds_02.mp3]]

<big>'''The bright moonlight shines on the meadow, where the deer graze, casting eerie shadows.'''</big>

''La brillante luz de la luna brilla en la pradera, donde pastan los ciervos, proyectando sombras espeluznantes.''

<br>[[File:sentence sounds_03.mp3]]

----<small>'''Footnotes'''</small>