英语语音练习

Unit 1 Basic Concepts: Syllables, Stress & Rhythm Listening Exercise 1

When we learn to speak English, we are learning a new way of listening and speaking. The purpose of this textbook is to try to make your ears sharper for the sounds of English and the way the sounds are organized; to help you get familiar with pitch movements of English utterances and the message it conveys; and to help you improve your English pronunciation and intonation. When you can hear English properly you will be able to improve your spoken English.

Listening Exercise 2

In words with two or more syllables in English, one of the syllables will receive more stress than the others. Look up these words in the dictionary and you will see a mark indicating stress in front of this syllable. People often have difficulty understanding these words if the stress is wrong because a word is considered mispronounced if the wrong syllable stress is used. Correct stress is, therefore, as important as correct sounds.

Listening Exercise 3

Listen to the following words and underline the primary stress of each word.

Example: soft ware Sun day

1.blueprint

2.driveway

3.motorboat

4.textbook

5.beefsteak

6.notebook

7.greenhouse

8.forestfire

9.football

10.paperback

Listening Exercise 4

Listen to the pitch change on the long stressed syllables of the following words. Underline the stressed syllable of each of the words.

Example: air plane ( 2 )

1. receive ( )

2.dictionary ( )

3.understand ( )

4. because ( )

5. considered ( )

6. mispronounced ( )

7. correct ( )

8.important ( )

9.timetable ( )

10.textbook ( )

Listening Exercise 5

Listen to the following sentences. Decide how many syllables are in each sentence.

Example: They worked all night ( 4 )

1.They were in the living room. ( )

2.Did you need a map? ( )

3.The library's open from Monday to Friday. ( )

4.They walked very fast. ( )

5.All the students worked hard. ( )

6.He's going to start a new business. ( )

7.Gorge came out first in the competition. ( )

8.Did you see our watches? ( )

9.Don't tell me that he's asleep. ( )

10.They'd rented it before we got there. ( )

Speaking Exercise 3

Learn to say common English words with diphthongs. You will hear each word twice: slow and then fast. Listen and repeat.

bay /b eɪ/ buy /b aɪ/ boy /bɔɪ/ no /n əʊ/ now /n aʊ/ peer /pɪə / pair /p eə / poor /pʊə/

Speaking Exercise 4

Listen and repeat the following words. Try to speak smoothly from one syllable to the next. Stressed syllables are in capital letters.

Example: CANada

1.HOSpital

2.HANdicap

3.iMAgine

4.CHAllenge

5.exHAUSted

MITment

7.MAnager

8.eMOtional

9.NEWSpaper

panies

Speaking Exercise 5

Listen to the following words and mark out the stressed syllable in each of the words.

Example: tomatoes ●▬▬●arguments ▬▬●●

1potatoes _____________________

2bananas _____________________