This document discusses the schwa sound in English pronunciation. It notes that the schwa is the most common vowel sound in English but can be spelled differently. It provides examples of words containing the schwa sound like "cup" and "hot" and sentences for practice. It also includes sample dialogue prompts using words with schwa sounds and references for further information on teaching the schwa sound.

2. •support
•banana
•button
•excellent
•experiment
• colour/ color
•sister
• picture
• around
•supply

3. Let’s analyze! Let’s analyse!
1. What have you noticed about
some vowel sounds?
2. Do they sound exactly as
you spell them?

4. The ‘Silent’ Vowel

5. • It’s the most common
vowel sound in English.
• It’s been called the murmur vowel,
the indeterminate vowel, the
neutral vowel, the obscure
vowel, and the natural vowel.

7. Here’s how you do it!

8. /∂/ /a/
Cup cop
Duck dock
Cut cot
Hut hot
Nut not
Shut shot

9. LET’S PRACTICE WITH
PHRASES!
1. A cop with a cup
2. The duck at the docks
3. A cut from the cot
4. The hot hut in the woods
5. It’s not a nut.
6. A shot when we shut the doors

10. LET’S PRACTICE WITH SENTENCES!
1. The cup was broken by the cop.
2. I can see a lot of ducks at the dock.
3. Please be careful not to cut yourself in
that cot.

11. 4. It’s very hot to stay in the hut.
5. I heard a shot from outside when I’d shut
the door.
6. It’s not easy to open this nut.

12. 1) How many brothers and sisters have you
got?
2) How often do you play tennis?
3) What kind of music do you like?
4) What time do you usually get up?
5) How much does it cost?

13. 1) How many brothers and sisters have you got?
2) How often do you play tennis?
3) What kind of music do you like?
4) What time do you usually get up?
5) How much does it cost?

14. Create a dialogue using a set of words
with schwa sounds.
• support
• banana
• button
• excellent
• experiment
• colour/ color
• sister
• picture
• around
• supply
• again
• duplicate
• problem
• syringe
• analysis
• circumstance
• family
• brother

15. Prompts will be given in your
Ex:
A: I have to support my sister’s experiment/
B: Yes, you should. As a brother, you should
supply her with excellent advice

16. OUR REFERENCES
“Teaching the Schwa.” TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC,
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/teaching-schwa.
“9 Fun Facts About the Schwa.” Mental Floss, 20 May 2014, mentalfloss.com/article/56821/9-fun-
facts-about-schwa.
Okrent, Arika. “The Schwa Is the Laziest Sound in All of Human Speech.” Slate Magazine, 5 June
2014, www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2014/06/05/schwa_the_word_for_the_most
_common_vowel_sound_in_english_comes_from_hebrew.html.

17. Thank you for listening! 