ESL/Reading and pronunciation practice

Reading and pronunciation practice

Alphabet

Letters

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Vowels

vowel shifts

bet, beat, feet

because, but, bugle

close, closure, closed

me, my, mine

there, they, them

Consonant pronunciation

blink

Pronouns

Goals:

• practice using gender pronouns (he/she) for people but not for things (it)
• practice pronouncing consonants, especially at end of words
• note the different ways to state someone's name

Sentence 1:

My sister is Susan. She lives in California. It is very nice there.

Mi hermana se llama Susan. Vive en California. Es muy bonito allí.

• notes:
  • "My sister is Susan" is the same as "My sister's name is Susan" or "The name of my sister is Susan"
  • "it" and "there" are pronouns that refer to California

Sentence 2:

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

Mi hermano se llama Ben. Es profesor de Física. Lo enseña a los estudiantes universitarios

• notes:
  • "My brother's name is Ben" can also be "My brother is Ben" or "The name of my brother is Ben"
  • "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")

Sentence 3:

I have three dogs, a girl and two boys. The girl is very sweet and boys love to play. They are all so much fun!

Tengo tres perros, una niña y dos niños. La niña es muy dulce y a los niños les encanta jugar. ¡Todos son muy divertidos!

Sentence 4:

I live near the park. It is fun to go there.

Vivo cerca del parque. Es divertido ir allí.

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

Sentence 5:

My wife and I go to church. It is a very beautiful. She is beautiful, too!

Mi esposa y yo vamos a la iglesia. Es un lugar muy bonito. ¡Ella también es hermosa!

• Notes:
  • the pronoun "it" refers to the church