7/27/2019 12 words you might be mispronouncing.pdf

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12 words you might be mispronouncing

You will probably find this post useful if:1. Youre a teacher of English.

2. English is not your native language.

3. You have recently made the transition from advanced student to

teacher.

4. You suspect that you might still make a few pronunciation mistakes,

which never get corrected.Heres a list of some of the most common pronunciation mistakes I have

heard in over fifteen years of lesson observation:

1. OK, guys, lets work on the pronunciation of the TH sound now.

Maybe youre saying /prnnsien/, with the nun sounding like

noun.

You should say /prnnsien/. The nun is pronounced like sun. The

verb is topronounce/prnns/.

2. This course will help you get ready for the most importantCambridge

exam.

Maybe youre saying /kmbrd/ - /k/ as in cat.

You should say/kembrd/ /kem/as in same. The same applies todangerous /dendrs/, for example.

3. You learned this in basic 2, remember?Maybe youre saying /bezk/, with a z sound.

You should say /besk/ with an s sound.

4. This will help you increase your vocabulary!

Same thing: /s/ NOT /z/. When increase is a verb, the stress usuallyfalls on the second syllable. When its a noun, the first syllable is usually

stressed.

5. Can we checkuse of English, exercise 2, now?

When use is a noun, the s is pronounceds: /jus/

6.Now lets try thiscommunicative activity.Maybe youre saying /kmjun.k.tv/, with the stress on the third

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/communicative?q=communicativehttp://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/communicative?q=communicativehttp://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/communicative?q=communicative

7/27/2019 12 words you might be mispronouncing.pdf

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syllable (ni).You should say /kmju.n.k.tv/ in British English OR /kmjunketv/

in American English. In both cases, the stress falls on the second syllable

(mu).

7.Is this a noun or anadjective?

Maybe youre saying adjective, with the stress on jec.You should say/dektv/, with the stress on the first syllable (ad), NOTon the second one. The same applies to adverb.

8. What kind ofpronoun is this?

Maybe youre saying pronoun, with the stress on the second syllable.

You should say/pronan/ or /prnan/, with the stress on the firstsyllable.

9.Now fill in the blanks using the correctpossessive pronouns.Maybe youre saying: /psesv/, with an /s/ sound and the stress on the

first syllable.

You should say/pzesv/, with a /z/ sound and the stress on the second

syllable.

10. Whatcolor is that?

Maybe youre saying: /kl(r)/ or /klr/. If so, what youre saying iscollar.

You should say /kl(r)/. The // is the vowel sound in sun, bus, and

mother.

11. Can I have another volunteer, please?

Same thing: Say /n(r)/ rather than /nr/. Remember: The // is

the vowel sound in color. Practice saying another color fast, withoutchanging the vowel sound.

12. Use the code on the last page to access the website.Maybe youre saying access, with the stress on the second syllable.

You should say /kses/, with the stress on the first syllable, for both theverb and the noun.