All about Vowels

1. VOWELS
Try saying the following:
Aa
Aw
Ou
Oo
We get these distinctions due to
the change in the lip movement.

2. VOWELS contd.
20 Vowel sounds

3. VOWELS contd.
Vowels are classified into “Monophthongs”
and “Diphthongs” i.e. single vowel sounds
or combination of two vowel sounds
together.
The “Monophthongs” are further classified
as “short” sounds and “long” sounds.

4. MONOPHTHONGS

5. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘ih’ = /i/
Placement: Raise the tongue high and to the front of
the relaxed mouth. Open the mouth only slightly.
Make a voiced sound.

6. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
Big Fish
Miss List
Build Finish
Gym English
Symbol Swift
Pretty Busy
Dish Women
Conditioner Technical
Tradition Addition
bit my lip skinny dip
knit mittens hit-skip
pet the kitten flip my lid
Phrases
Words
‘ih’ = /i/

7. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘ih’ = /i/
Jim is in the picture. English is a difficult language
Miss smith is thin. Sift the flour for the cake
Bring chicken for dinner. Finish the fried fish
Listen to this ridiculous list This is a symbol
Is it difficult? She's sitting on the seat
The pretty women are busy in
the gym
Bill lives in the middle of the
city
Phil, sit still and take your pill. The bridge is a pretty sight.
Sentences

8. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘ee’ = /i:/
Placement: The tongue is high leaving only a tiny
space with the mouth almost shut. The teeth are
close together with a tense chin and mouth. The lips
form a smile and the sound is voiced.
This is a long vowel sound.

9. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘ee’ = /i:/
Eel Wheel Spree
Eat Feet Flea
Equal Meal Agree
East Week Me
tea and cookies keep the peace
peach tree please be neat
be a sweetie green beans
agree with me lean on me
Words
Phrases

10. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘ee’ = /i:/
Jeanie do you see the bees? "Bees can be mean,” said Steve.
Please freeze the peas The police is on the scene
Neither he nor she believes me The beans are sweet
We can easily read the agreement Please open the chassis
How deep is the sea? Read the passage slowly
My niece is in the suite The debris is heavy
Jeannie and Mandy teach reading to
people.
Do you want tea with honey or
cream?
Sleet falls every week of January. Sweets are just the thing I need.
Sentences

11. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
/i/-/i:/
CONTRASTING SOUND PRACTISE
Bit/beet beat Ship/sheep
Sit/seat Lick/leak
Rip/reap His/he's
Lip/leap Chip/cheap
Live/leave Rich/reach
Did/deed Dip/deep
Hill/heal heel he'll Fist/feast

12. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
Six sheep were sick on the
ship.
Please peel the beet and
string the beans.
Jim eats cheap chips She’s as thin as he is.
He leaves me this measly
little meal.
She seems to me to be
mean.
/i/-/i:/
CONTRASTING SOUND PRACTISE

13. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘Oo’ = /Ʊ/
Placement: Lips are pushed out and slightly
rounded. The tongue is midway. A short voiced
sound is made.

14. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘Oo’ = /Ʊ/
Book Put Would
Woman Push Superb
Could Look Wolf
Crook Brook Should
push a cart Cookbook
took a look shook up
push and pull took my book
look out catch the crook
good looking wool coat
Words
Phrases

15. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘Oo’ = / Ʊ/
She looks good
Look in the cook book for a good pudding
He would if he could
She shook her right foot.
The woman took a good look at the crook
It should be good will
The woman took a good look at the wolf
She took the book
You should use a cookbook
He had a sad look when he stood by the brook.
Sentences

16. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘oo’ = /u:/
Placement: Lips are rounded with tongue
midway in the mouth. The jaw is fairly high.
Make a long voiced sound.
The lips are formed ready for a kiss.

17. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘oo’ = /u:/
Fool News
Pool Due
Cool Blue
Do Tuesday
Lose Flew
Who Canoe
Two Shoe
Loose Through
Food Juice
Soup Rheumatism
Lieu Flu

18. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘oo’ = /u:/
blue moon Recruit
say the truth cool shoes
true blue boot camp
Sue knew the truth This is fool proof
Choose blue for the new
room
Ruth wanted new blue shoes
for school
It blooms soon in June. My shoe is loose
The news is too gloomy Don't lose the tools
Who made the soup? Luke and Sue had a cool drink.
The bluebird flew due south. Bruce fell into the pool.

19. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
CONTRASTING SOUND PRACTISE
‘oo’ = /u:/
Full/fool Pull/pool
Stood/stewed Nook/nuke
Would, wood/wooed Hood/who'd
Lou couldn't fool Sue
Stu wouldn't move the cooking stool
The good pool room is booked for Tuesday at noon
The cook stood and looked at his new shoes
Pull out of the game of pool
She stewed as she stood in the sun
Who'd think of looking under the hood
He would have wooed her if she allowed

20. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘eh’ = /e/
Placement: The relaxed tongue is in the middle
of the mouth. The jaw and face are also
relaxed. Open the mouth and drop the lower
jaw slightly making a voiced sound (mid
position).

21. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
Egg Again
Energy Says
Step Said
Wednesday Meadow
Many Head
Friend Leopard
Guest Step
Memory Dealt
‘eh’ = /e/

22. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
Send Ben for his friend Ed likes eggs everyday.
Let's rent a tent Esther never gets upset
There are only eggs for the
guest
The leopard entered the
meadow
Fred said it again and again Put your head against the bed
There are many kegs in the
cellar
Emily entered the contest
Wednesday
Is there anything else I can
do for you?
November eleventh is Ellen's
anniversary.
‘eh’ = /e/

23. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘eyh’ = /æ/
Placement: The lower lip is stretched open with a
slight jaw drop. The mouth forms the shape /_ . It
is a sound which is voiced.
This sound is a combination of the /a:/ and /e/
sounds. The jaw drops for /a:/ and opens wide
simultaneously for /e/.

24. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
Apple Canada
Amble Crab
Atlas Smash
Absent Drank
‘eyh’ = /æ/
At the movies
Ample proof
Aesthetically speaking
Amble along
Words
Phrases

25. Sentences
‘eyh’ = /æ/
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Can we cable a message to Canada?
You need to ask the administration
Absent minded professor
MONOPHTHONGS contd.

26. /e/ - /æ/
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
CONTRASTING SOUND PRACTISE
Lend/land Guess/gas
Left/laughed Men/man
Pen/pan Messed/mast
Bed/bad Said/sad
Beg/bag Wreck/rack
Head/had Set/sat
Met/mat Said/sad
Pet/pat Brett/Brad

27. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
/e/ - /æ/
CONTRASTING SOUND PRACTISE
The man laughed and then
left.
Fran passed the pen into the
man's left hand.
I guess Ann and Ed ran out of
gas.
Can Ted send a letter to Stan
and Pam?
The pet cat sat on the bed. Pat had a red rag on her head.
The men said it had a sad
ending.
The next guest patted Fred on
the back.

28. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘a’ - /Ə/
Placement: This is just a tiny movement of the
throat with the mouth opening very slightly
making a voiced sound.
This is the most important sound in the English
language and most commonly mispronounced.

29. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘a’ - /Ə/
Urgent Umbrella
Alas Government
Enter Support
Oppose America
Energy Again

30. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
Come again another day
Russia is a cold country
I love to read about the Amazing facts
Inappropriate behavior is not tolerable
Santa and Banta are friends
November is the eleventh month
‘a’ - /Ə/

31. ‘uh’ - //
Placement: The mouth is opened slightly and
the tongue is relaxed. It is a short closed sound
which is voiced.
This sound is followed by an abrupt closing of
the mouth/jaw.
MONOPHTHONGS contd.

32. ‘uh’ - //
Us Pluck
Bus Cut
Ugly Ton
Other Stuck
MONOPHTHONGS contd.
Words
Phrases
under the sun mud puddle
ugly duckling a month ago
Undone funny bunny
enough is enough cut the cake
some fun honey bun

33. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aa’ - /a:/
Placement: The tongue is relaxed, flat, and low
behind the lower teeth. Imagine a dentist
asking you to open the mouth, and stretch the
sound produced

34. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aa’ - /a:/
Ask Graph
Art Scarf
Answer Heart
After Harm
Blast Craft
Fast Last
Past Grass
Laugh Mast

35. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aa’ - /a:/
Jack you're a master bat lasher
He seemed to dance
The plane was on the tarmac
At last he got a chance to dance with her
I can’t ask her father to start the car down the path!
We have a class now
He laughed out aloud
The car broke down
She lived far
I took part in the art competition
The chancellor demanded the castle.

36. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aw’ - / Ɔ/
Placement: The tongue is relaxed in a wide-open
mouth with the jaw dropped. The tongue is resting on
the bottom of the mouth. The lips are rounded. The
sound is voiced.

37. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aw’ - / Ɔ/
SWOT Frog
Operation Hot
Odd Cop
October What
hop scotch fox trot
hot shot stop and shop
drop the mop hot spot
odd jobs 50 watt bulb
crop-top Mopping is my job

38. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aaw’ - /Ɔ:/
Placement: Start with /aw/ where the tongue
is low and tense, the lips tight, and the jaw
dropped and make a longer sound bringing
the lips to a ‘oh’ formation.

39. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
‘aaw’ - /Ɔ:/
(INITIAL) (MEDIAL) (FINAL)
all awful always boss wrong taught Awe flaw Thaw
off often August fall broad across Raw draw Straw
also ought audience song bought naughty Law claw Jaw
call it off call it quits
call the shots all talk
walk all over It's all wrong.
Is Paul's hair long or short? How much does coffee cost?
What is the reward for the lost dog?
Did you make a long-distance call?

40. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
er/a’=/3://Ə/
Placement: The American /3:/ is pronounced
with a roll of the tongue with a long aaaa sound,
‘aaarrrrr’.
The British sound is similar to a long “schwa”.
Here the ‘r’ that comes after the ‘aaa’ sound is
silent.

41. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
er/a’=/3://Ə/
curd nerd
burnt dearth
first burst

42. MONOPHTHONGS contd.
Eh I Oo Uh Ae Aw
Bet Bit Book But Bat Bought
Check Chick Cook Cut Cat Caught
Desk Did Push Does That Dot
Debt Fit Foot Fun Frank Frock
Fence Grit Good Gut Gallery Got
Get Kill Cook Cud Catch Cot
Ked Lit Look Lump Lamp Lottery
Net Pit Put Putt Pack Popcorn
Pet Pick Pull Puck Patch Proper
Peck Sit Stood Putt Parrot Propagate
Said Sip Shook Shut Shack Shock

43. MONOPHTHONGS contd.Ee Oo Ah aw ER
Beet Boot Bath born burp
Cheek Cooed Cart corn curd
Deal Drool Dart dawn dirt
Feel Fool Far bored burn
Greet Glue Grass glory Girl
Heat Who Heart horse hirsute
Jeans Juice Jar jaunt germ
Key Cool Calm Call curl
Meek Moose Mass morning mirth
Neil Noose Nazi Lawn lurk
Peel Pool Pass pour Pearl

44. Bead Bid I bid for the rare bead
Beat Bit The beat is a bit strong
Cheek Chick The chick’s cheeks are soft
Deed Did Sam did the deed
Eat It Don’t eat it.
Feet Fit The new shoes don’t fit my feet
Green Grin The Martians grin was green
Heat Hit The heat hit hard, last summer
Jeep Jill Jill’s jeep is here
MONOPHTHONGS contd.

45. Jeep Jill Jill’s jeep is here
Keep Kill Why keep killing students with work
Leap Lip He bumped his lip when he leaped
Meat Mill We are hitting meat in the mill today
Neat Knit Nick knitted a neat sweater
Peel Pill Don’t peel that pill
Steal Still He still steals
Thief Thing The thief took my thing
MONOPHTHONGS contd.