Pronunciation refers to how words are spoken in a given language. The document provides examples of reading drills for short and long vowel sounds like /a/, /e/, /i/ and consonant sounds like /p/, /f/, /th/ in English. It also defines diphthongs as combinations of vowel sounds and provides reading drills for diphthongs like /ou/ and /oi/.

1. Pronunciation

2. What is pronunciation? Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken. It can also be defined as the accepted standard of sound and rhythm for words in a given language.

3. Vowel Sounds

4. /a/ This is the short ‘a.’ It is also called the “timid smile” sound. Its equivalent symbol in IPA is / æ/ .

5. Reading Drill: /a/ b a ck t a sk c a che sl a sh a nswer l a ptop h a lf ex a mple p a ss a dd st a tus comp a tible tr a ffic sc a n d a mage m a ximize h a ng j a cket n a rrow m a p

6. A fashionably tan man sat casually at the bat stand, lashing a handful of practice bats. The manager, a crabby old bag of bones passed by and laughed, “You're about average, Jack. Can't you lash faster than that?” Jack had had enough, so he clambered to his feet and lashed bats faster than any man had ever lashed bats. As a matter of fact, he lashed bats so fast that he seemed to dance. The manager was aghast. “Jack, you're a master bat lasher!” he gasped. Satisfied at last, Jack sat back and never lashed another bat. The Tan Man

7. /ä/ This is the Italian ‘a.’ To pronounce /ä/, relax your tongue and drop your jaw as far down as it will go. I t's the sound that you make when the doctor wants to see your throat. Its equivalent symbol in IPA is /a/.

8. Reading Drill: /ä/ c a rgo gar a ge p a lm b a rk b a rge p a rk a rmor f a rm al a rm h ea rt j ar gon st a rt m ar ket sp ar k a rch h a rm sm a rt d a rk y a cht l a rge

9. /ā/ This is the long ‘a.’ We can produce this sound by simply saying the letter ‘a.’ Its equivalent symbol in IPA is /e/.

10. Reading Drill: /ā/ v a c a tion s ue de w a fer c a dence hum a ne pat e clich é a lias viv a cious resum é l a te a miable adj a cent verb a tim C a mbridge t a le gr ea t m a le c a ke f a te

11. A day at bay makes Jay feel gay. Arrange the tray; let it stay until the waiter goes away. A great way to break plates is to take plates of great weight in great haste, facing or gazing or gaping one way, while pacing or hastening another way.

12. /e/ This is the short ‘e.’ This sound is similar to the Filipino ‘e.’ Its equivalent symbol in IPA is / ε/.

13. Reading Drill: /e/ k e pt a ny g e nuine disk e tte b u ry mod e m j eo pardize m e nu v e nt wh e n ag ai n e nd wr e n ch e ck J e nny p e n endeavor z e n si e rra L eo nard

14. /ē/ This is the long ‘e.’ We can easily produce this sound by saying the letter ‘e.’ This is also called the “full smile” sound. In IPA, this is called the long 'i' sound. Its equivalent symbol in IPA is /i/.

15. Reading Drill: /ē/ s ea son del e te ach ie ve sh ee t r ea son ea sy thr ee techn i que comp e te imm e diate rec ei pt extr e mist b ea ch p ie ces m e dia interf e rence br ea the e vening ea ch f e male

16. I need not your needles, they're needless to me; For kneading of noodles, 'twere needless, you see; But did my neat knickers need to be knead, I then should have need of your needles indeed.

17. /i/ This is the short ‘i.' This sound is usually confused with the long 'e' sound and the schwa. The short 'i' sound is a lax vowel and sounds similar to the Filipino 'i.' The symbol for the short 'i' sound is IPA is / I /.

18. Reading Drill: /i/ w i ll m i dget g i ve adm i rable scr i pt sl i p p i tch tr i via b ee n s i ster forf ei t s i mulation d i spatch ch i p i tch sh i p f i st l i p p i tch m i tt

19. Fish fins are like pins. I ship ice chips in ice chip ships. I wish this rich fish dish were the richest fish dish for the richest fish dish is the best fish dish.

20. / ī/ This is the long 'i.' You can produce the long 'i' sound by simply saying the letter 'i'. In IPA, this sound is a diphthong. Its symbol in IPA is / a I /.

21. Reading Drill: / ī/ f i ne l i ke d i ne desp i se sp i ce sp i te gr i pe specif y ign i te ind i ct s i gh v i tal sp i ne br i ght h ei ght f i re req ui te gl i de s i re br i ne

22. You've no need to light a night light On a light night like tonight, For a night-light's light's a slight light, And tonight's a night that's light. When a night's light, like tonight's light, It is really not quite right To light night-lights with their slight lights On a light night like tonight.

23. /o/ This is the short ‘o.’ T he mouth should be forming an ‘o’ when producing this sound. In IPA, the symbol for the short 'o' sound is / a /.

24. Reading Drill: /o/ c o llar c o lumn s o lid c o nference sh o pping m o dern st o ck fl o ppy v o lume ic o n t o p pr o cessor c o py m o ck sp o t co o perate l o g rev o lve l o ck techn o logy

25. /ó/ This is the circumflex ‘o.’ The /ó/ sound is slightly similar to the Filipino ‘o.’ The mouth should also be forming an 'o' but smaller than the one formed with the short 'o.' Its symbol in IPA is / /. C

26. Reading Drill: /ó/ fl a w d au ghter c a ll p au se inst a ll withdr a w y a wn br oa dband w a lnut au tumn c au se a wesome s a lt d a wn dr aw l au thentic b o rder g au ze l o st c o rd

27. /ō/ This is the long ‘o.’ We can easily produce the /ō/ sound by saying the letter ‘o.’ The sound that would come out would be like 'ow.' In IPA, the long 'o' sound a diphthong.

28. Reading Drill: /ō/ gr o ss contr o l c o lon m o dem r o ll log o r o bot d o sage q uo ta micr o o kay aud io vid eo b o wl q uo te c o c oa ph o ne s e w c o ld wh o le

29. /ú/ This is the short ‘u.’ In producing the / ú/ sound, the lips are less rounded and protruded. To make the sound, you relax your lips and tongue. In IPA, the symbol for the short 'u' sound is like a horseshoe.

30. Reading Drill: /ú/ c oo k w ou ld b u sh f u ller f u lfill st oo d b u lletin w o man sh oo k s u gar p u sh g oo d sh ou ld l oo k b u llet p u t t ou rist w o lf b u shel r u ral

31. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? He would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

32. /ü/ This is the long ‘u.’ In producing the / ü/ sound, the lips are rounded and protruded, leaving a small circular opening for the air to flow. In IPA, the symbol for the long 'u' sound is /u/.

33. Reading Drill: /ü/ m u seum f oo l impr o ve tr ue gr oo ve t ou ché st e ward m ou sse t wo j ui ce y ou th j u ry fl u ent sh oe bl ew d u ty r u de shr e wd cr ue l fr ui t

34. A tutor who tooted the flute tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor: “Is it harder to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot?”

35. /ə/ This is the schwa. The schwa may be called the lazy man’s vowel because it is the sound that is produced when speech organs are relaxed and in neutral position. It is frequently found in unstressed syllables.

36. Reading Drill: /ə/ a ccount en ou gh f u nd mot o r d o z e n c o mp a ny sof a t o day ment io n m o ther ex e rcise templ a te comput e r a mong Iow a bon u s c u rs o r f u nct io n gl o ve S ou th er n

37. Diphthongs Diphthongs are combinations of vowel sounds put together. Diphthongs are so closely blended that they can be treated as single vowel units for the purposes of word identification.

38. Reading Drill: /aú/ b ou gh n ow l ou d sp ou se ou t cl ou d th ou tr ou t h ou se f ou l d ou se b ow m ou th sn ou t r ow dy p ou t gr ou ch p ou ch sh ou t d ou bt

39. Reading Drill: /ói/ l oi ns t oy v oi d destr oy oy ster h oi st oi ntment p oi se v oi ce l oi ter R eu ters m oi st f oi l c oi n p oi nt b oy oi l t oi l gr oi n j oi n

40. Consonant Sounds

41. /p/ p i p e wi p e hiccou gh p ower p rotect p rovider p eo p le p ride de p osit p ur p ose sim p le p e pp er disa pp ear p ossible swi p e bee p li p s p erfect p arents p o p ular

42. People who pick peaks weekly seem to need to appear deep in order to be distinguished from mere pea pickers. Peter, a champion peak picker, thought he'd be even neater if he were the deepest peak picker in Peoria, Phoenix, and New Zealand. On his peak peak picking week, though, Peter, a peak picker's peak picker, realized that he was not deep. This is not easy for a peak picker to admit and it pitched Peter into a pit of peak picking despair. He was pitiful for six weeks and then lifted himself to hitherto unrevealed personal peaks.

43. /f/ ph iloso ph y wi f e li f t f ancy per f ormance f oot ph otogra ph lau gh Ph ilippines tele ph one f eatures con f irm f eeling al ph abet hy ph en f ront f ollow f ul f illment f ont f lyers

44. A flea and a fly in a flue Were imprisoned, so what could they do? Said the flea "Let us fly!" Said the fly "Let us flee!!" So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

45. /th/ th ank th aw th under th read th ief th eater nor th au th entic ba th grow th oa th dea th four th leng th too th th irty th ought th rough th ree th ousand

46. three thirty-three three hundred thirty-three three thousand three hundred thirty-three thirty-three thousand three hundred thirty-three three hundred thirty-three thousand three hundred thirty-three $ 3, 333, 333.33

47. / th / th an th at th ey wi th th en th ere rhy th m th ose th ough th ese ba the ga th er smoo th brea the toge th er wea th er lea th er fur th er fa th er th e

48. Do thick tinkers think? Theopholus Thistle, the successful thistle sifter, successfully sifted some thistles. Lesser leather never weathered lesser wetter weather.

49. The American /t/ tent water interview mountain watched daughter Internet kitten tomorrow computer advantage mitten hoped later percentage certain picked better international forgotten

50. /sh/ Ch icago atta ch é ch andelier non ch alant pre ss ure sa ch et mousta ch e spe c ie ch arade sh epherd ch auffeur ch ampagne lo t ion ch ic gla c ier spe c ial tou ch é dou ch e frac t ion cau t ion

51. Sheila is selling her shop at the seashore, For shops at the seashore are so sure to lose. Now she's not so sure of what she should be selling! Should Sheila sell seashells or should she sell shoes?

52. /ch/ whi ch pea ch cul t ure ch ili ch armed mu t ual junc t ure mois t ure Saskat ch ewan pic t ure vou ch er spiri t ual mis ch ief spee ch pos t ure Ra ch el adven t ure ch air junc t ure ma t ure

53. /s/ per s on ma ss li s ten ea s ter ala s our s elves in s ist s ign tru s t pa ss vi c e loo s e gra ce ga s jui ce s ue e ss ence s ewage s orry s ervice

54. /z/ ourselve s phra s e Kan s as plea s ant vi s it noi s e re s ort de s ign de s ire plea s e i s wa s bu s iness de s erve likewi s e choo s e sea s on bu s y alway s u se

55. 'Hope you enjoyed it!