Sunday, November 24, 2024

Difficult Pronunciation & How to Remember It – Part 1

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Photo by Mimi Thian, Unsplash

Greetings English Learners! This will be my last Post for this year and I have decided to focus on common English words that many of you find difficult to pronounce. My students can usually pronounce these difficult words if I give them an easy keyword containing the same sound.
For example, how would you pronounce the word ache? (Headache,  earache, toothache) It’s not easy, is it? However, I’m sure you can say make. Take off the m and you have the same sound: ..ake = ache. Easy! 
Check-out the table below. The same sounds are in orange. The Practice sound examples are underlined. Practise saying the words and your speaking and confidence will certainly improve! 

Difficult Words
Key Words
Practice & Pictures

bought, thought,taught, caught
sort
What sort of fish have you caught?             

bus, 
just,must
Oh no! I just missed the bus!

headache,earache,toothache,stomachache
make
Too much music makes my head ache.     

stomach
sick
I feel sick in my stomach.

it’ll
little
Remove the l from little and you will be able to say it’ll. It’ll take just a little practice!

enough, rough,tough 
stuff
Stop! That’s enough rough  stuff!

through
do / food
Do you ever go through all the food in the fridge? 

busy     
business
His business is very busy. 

busy, coffee
bee
I’m as bus y   as a  bee. Too bus y   for coffee.

manage, baggage
fridge
Who managed to put my baggage in the fridge?!

would, should, could
good /wood
It would be good if you could chop some wood.

blood,flood
love
Vampires love blood.

said    
bed
 Doctor Ted said, “Ed, go to bed!” 

says  
fez
Des says the fez is for Les.Les says the fez is for Des.

suite   
sweet
There were sweet treats and Champagne in our Honeymoon suite.

queue
q / cue
To pronounce this strange word, just say the first letter – q.Don’t wait for a cue (a sign); wait in the queue.

since
sin city
How long since you visited Sin City?

sew  
so
So, Jo taught you to sew, did she?

suit
fruit
Why do you have fruit in your suit pocket?

* That’s all for now. Make sure you click ‘Follow’ if you would like to receive Part 2 and more Posts to help you in your English journey.  
See below for a playlist of Christmas songs, with subtitles so you can song along, by Michael Buble.
I wish you all the blessings of Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, & Prosperous New Year!

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