rsi 111 \V Spoken English U a focus on everyday language in context W M m rapw M iin in vims IH ■M M ||| m & k wm Kfla Susan Boyer Use with accompanying audio recording rmi m i Published by Boyer Educational Resources for worldwide distribution Phone/fax +61 4739 1538 E-mail: boyer@emunet.com.au Web address: www.boyereducation.com.au Acknowledgments I would like to express my thanks to the following people for their contribution to the final presentation of this book: Firstly, I would like to thank all the teachers who trialed material contained in the original edition of this book and suggested improvements I wish to say thank you to Terry Stroble for his time and constructive comments regarding North American usage of expressions included in this book I would like to thank Matthew Larwood for his creative illustrations I would like to say thank you to Darrell Hilton Productions for the production of the accompanying audio recordings and to Jeanette Christian for proofreading And of course, I am particularly indebted to the many students who have given me the necessary insight into the language needs of English language learners around the world Also, I want to thank my dear husband, Len, for his encouragement and support throughout the project, as well as the many hours spent in the production of this resource Dlustrations on pages (pictures 1,5,7,8,9), 20,30,41,42,54,75,76, 86,96 & 109 are by Matthew J Larwood The images used herein were obtained from IMSI's MasterClips Collection, 1895 Francisco Blvd East, San Rafael, CA 94901-5506, USA (Except the kookaburra clipart which was obtained from Australian Graphics Selection, New Horizons, Armidale Australia.) Boyer, Susan Understanding Spoken English: a focus on everyday language in context ISBN 877074 08 X English language - Spoken English - Textbooks for foreign speakers English language - Spoken English - Problems, exercises, etc I Boyer Educational Resources II Title 428.34 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the publisher © Boyer Educational Resources 2003 Boyer Educational Resources PO Box 255, Glenbrook, 2773 Australia, Phone/Fax +61 4739 1538 Dear English Language Student, W elcome to Understanding Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context This book, along with its accompanying audio recording, has been designed to help you to understand English as it is spoken in 'everyday' situations in English speaking environments around the world As a student o f English as a second or foreign language, you are no doubt aware o f the difference between the formally presented language o f many textbooks and the speech you hear, outside the language classroom, in the English speaking media or in conversations with native English speakers As well as introducing and explaining the meaning o f many w idely used everyday expressions, each unit focuses on other aspects o f English, such as the use of contractions (eg won't rather than will not% ellipsis (incomplete sentences) and intonation (the rise and fall o f the voice pitch) These features are distinctive characteristics o f spoken (rather than written) English You w ill also learn social conventions involved in everyday situations such as making a telephone call, dealing with service people and informal social interactions I sincerely hope you enjoy and benefit from using Understanding Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context Susan Boyer A note on ‘English’ accents used in the audio recording The conversations on the accompanying audio recording present speakers with a variety of different English accents as they are encountered in English speaking environments around the world This is because it is very beneficial for students to become accustomed to the different accents of English speakers that will be encountered in the media, in international business contexts and social situations The intention of presenting different accents, however, is not to provide particular models for imitation but to increase familiarity with a variety of different accents It should be noted that, though the accents of the speakers vary, the vocabulary and grammar points presented in each unit of this book are those used by all varieties of ‘native speaker’ English ABOUT THIS BOOK Understanding Spoken English has been designed so that you can work through it alone, without the help o f a teacher, or in a classroom situation with other students The book contains nine units o f work, each based on a conversation about a particular topic The units are divided into six parts that have been designed to introduce unfamiliar language, step by step, in a gradual and systematic way The layout o f the book is as follows: Part - Focus on listening fo r general understanding Part introduces the topic and invites you to listen to an everyday conversation and answer a few general questions by putting a tick next to the correct answers You will be listening fox general understanding o f the conversation only (You will not need to understand every word.) This is an important step as it will help you to realise that it's not always necessary to hear every word to understand the general meaning o f a conversation In some units, you are asked to check words in a dictionary, so have a dictionary nearby when you are studying Part - Focus on reading & finding the meaning In this section, you will read Conversation as you listen again When you have finished listening, your task is to compare Conversation with Conversation (which will be next to Conversation 1) Conversation contains the everyday expressions and Conversation contains an interpretation o f the expressions in Conversation This section will help you to learn the meaning o f the everyday expressions Part - Focus on listening fo r detail Now you will listen to Conversation again and write in the missing words in the spaces as you hear them Don’t worry about spelling as this exercise focuses on your listening skills - you can check your spelling later Listen to the conversation as many times as you like, then check your answers (and spelling) by comparing w hat you have written with Conversation Part - Focus on listening and writing fo r reinforcement This section reinforces (strengthens) your memory as you listen once more to Conversation and tick the new ly learnt everyday expressions on the list as you hear them Then you are asked to look at the list o f expressions (all taken from Conversation 1) and try to remember their meaning Write in the ones that you can remember, then check your answers by reading Conversation again or checking the reference list at the back o f the book This may seem like hard work but writing the meanings o f the newly learnt expressions is a useful w ay o f reinforcing what you have just heard and read Understanding Spoken English - Book © Boyer Educational Resources Part - Focus on language revision - crosswords N ow it’s time to test yourself and see w hat you have learnt by trying the language revision and crossword activity In this section, you are asked to use the newly learned expressions in a different context In each unit you are asked to complete sentences with the appropriate expression and complete the crossword The answers to the exercises can be found in the answer section o f this book Part - Focus on other aspects o f spoken English In this section, there will be exercises for you to complete and/or cultural advice for you to remember This section focuses on aspects o f spoken English (grammar, pronunciation etc.) that may make it difficult for learners to understand Each unit focuses on conversation strategies or social conventions used by the speakers in Conversation o f that particular unit Language Reviews A fter Unit 3, U nit and U nit you will find a language review that consists o f pictures and sentences containing the ‘everyday’ expressions, which were introduced in the preceding units, for you to m atch together This will help you to see how much you have remembered IMPORTANT NOTE TO STUDENTS Please be aware that the m eaning o f colloquial language is very dependent on the context or situation in which it is used, ‘Understanding Spoken English’ has been designed to introduce and explain the meaning o f colloquial expressions used by English speakers in the everyday situations presented in this book However, because colloquial expressions can have different meanings in different situations, it is not recommended that students o f English immediately begin using the newly introduced expressions indiscriminately It would be much better to spend time becoming familiar with, and understanding the correct m eaning o f expressions in different situations before you use them in your conversations In this regard, the author and publisher o f this book will not be responsible to any person, with regard to the m isuse o f language, caused directly or indirectly by the information presented in this book Understanding Spoken English - Book © Boyer Educational Resources UNDERSTANDING SPOKEN ENGLISH - BOOK ONE CONTENTS PAGES GLOSSARY OF LANGUAGE TERMS -7 UNIT - 18 STARTING SOMETHING NEW Conversation with ‘everyday’ expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Spoken words and syllables B) Contracted words in spoken English C) Developing awareness of the stress patterns of English D) Names and syllables E) Stress in sentences 10 15-18 Reference Page - Understanding the stress patterns of English 19 UNIT 20-29 UNIT TALKING ABOUT THE FAMILY Conversation with ‘everyday’ expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Question tags in conversational speech B) Hearing and pronouncing syllables correctly C) Hearing and using correct stress in words 22 27-29 30-39 32 37-39 TALKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE Conversation with ‘everyday’ expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Using pronouns B) Pronouns - pronunciation and spelling C) Changing the topic during a conversation D) Giving an opinion LANGUAGE REVIEW ONE - Units -3 40-41 UNIT 42 - 52 44 49 - 52 TALKING ABOUT SHOPPING Conversation with ‘everyday’expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Question tags - revision B) Using intonation to communicate meaning C) Developing awareness of ‘weak forms’ in spoken English D) The linking of words in connected speech Reference Page - Connected speech UNIT TALKING ABOUT HEALTH AND SICKNESS Conversation with ‘everyday’ expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Some intonation patterns of English B) Incomplete sentences in spoken English C) Phrasal verbs D) Stages in a medical consultation Understanding Spoken English - Book 53 54 - 63 56 61 - 63 © Boyer Educational Resources UNDERSTANDING SPOKEN ENGLISH - BOOK ONE CONTENTS PAGES UNIT WORRYING ABOUT MONEY Conversation with ‘everyday’ expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Giving feedback B) Giving reasons - Justifying actions and opinions C) Making suggestions D) Agreeing and disagreeing politely 64-73 66 71-73 LANGUAGE REVIEW TWO - Units - 74-75 UNIT TALKING ABOUT PLACES AND PREFERENCES Conversation with ‘everyday’ expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Using intonation to check meaning B) Talking about preferences C) Ellipsis - leaving words out in short replies 76-85 78 83-85 UNIT MAKING AN ARRANGEMENT BY TELEPHONE Conversation with ‘everyday’ expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Stages in a phone request for service B) Checking information given on the telephone C) Using polite language when requesting service D) Pronunciation of words ending with ‘ed’ 86-95 UNIT 88 93-95 AT A SOCIAL GATHERING Conversation with ‘everyday’ expressions Focus on Spoken Language: A) Making small talk - appropriate topics B) Starting a conversation and keeping it going C) Revision - Using 'question tags' to begin a conversation D) Phrasal verbs - a note on correct word order 96 - 106 98 103 -106 LANGUAGE REVIEW THREE - Unit - 108 -109 Answers to exercises and crosswords 110-121 Reference Lists - everyday expressions with definitions 122 - 130 Reference Page - Some pronunciation differences between varieties of English 131 Phonemic Chart of English Sounds 132 Understanding Spoken English - Book © Boyer Educational Resources GLOSSARY OF LANGUAGE TERMS Use this list as a reference while you are using this book adjective: a word which describes things (black car), people {beautiful girl), places {multicultural city) or events {exciting race), etc alphabet: The English alphabet consists of twenty six letters: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, 1, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z These letters are categorised into vowels: a, e, i, o, u and consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, 1, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z (The consonant letter 'y' can be pronounced as a vowel sound; for example: 'gym'.) article: The words 'a', 'an', 'the' are called articles auxiliary verb: a 'helper' verb which is used with another verb to form tense, (eg will come, did come, have come) Modal auxiliary verbs are used with another verb to show mood or manner, (eg should come, might come, must come) discourse marker: Discourse markers show connection between what has already been said and what will come next in a stretch of discourse., (eg.' however, ', 'and I'm sure you'll agree ') A discourse marker is also a word or expression whiph shows the speaker's attitude to what is being said eg ‘Infact, ’, ‘ and o f course ’ ellipsis: the omission of words from a sentence when the meaning is clear without them, due to the context of the conversation, eg Anything else? (meaning 'Is there any thing else? ' imperative: base (simple) form of a verb, used at the beginning of a sentence, to give orders, instructions, directions, (eg Be quiet: Turn left at the next comer) intonation: Intonation refers to the way our voice goes up and down in pitch when speaking noun: a word which names things, (eg car, sky); places (eg New Zealand, ocean) people (eg John, President), as well as abstract things, things we can't see but can experience/talk about, (eg history, pain, ideas, education) phrasal verb: A verb that consists of two parts: a base verb and an adverbial particle, eg 'pick up', 'try on' phonemic symbols: See the explanation below for 'sound symbols’ pronoun: a word which is used in place of a noun eg it, she they (See Unit - Part 6A, 6B) schwa: The symbol '9', and the sound it represents, arc referred to as 'schwa' The symbol '9' (schwa) is used in most dictionaries to represent weak, unstressed syllables in words sound symbols: also called phonemic symbols - these symbols represent the sounds of English English sounds are generally divided into two main categories: vowel sounds, and consonant sounds The vowel sounds can be further divided into simple vowel sounds and diphthong sounds Diphthongs can be defined as 'two vowel sounds linked or glided together within a syllable' For example, the vowel sound in the word 'voice' consists of two linked vowels sounds and is represented by the symbol /Oi/ See the Phonemic Chart of English Sounds on page 132 that shows the sound symbols of English, along with example words to demonstrate each sound © Boyer Educational Resources Understanding Spoken English - Book GLOSSARY OF LANGUAGE TERMS stress: In spoken language, stress refers to the emphasis of a word or syllable within a word word stress: In words with more than one syllable, one sound is usually stronger (spoken more clearly) than the other(s) The term, stressed syllable, refers to the strongest (primary) sound in words of more than one syllable sentence stress: Words which carry the main message of the sentence contain stressed syllables Stressing the important words helps the listener to hear die message of the speaker, eg I want to go home syllable: Spoken words are formed with syllables, meaning units of sound A syllable is a unit of unbroken sound, generally containing a vowel sound verb: a word which shows action or state/experience eg He ran all the way eg She is a student Ifeel cold ‘Base form’ can refer to the simple present form of the verb eg be, go, see verb tenses: Tenses show the time of an action, event or condition Some examples are: past simple tense: indicates finished past action, eg He went to Asia last year. ▼ present perfect tense: a) used for an action/experience which began in the past and has continued to the present, eg I have lived here since 1998 eg 9 |now^- last year [now b) used when a past action/experience (which happened at an unspecified time) has present significance (unspecified time) eg He has been to Asia ^ _ present simple tense: ~^ow| a) indicates a present condition/fact eg I am hungry, eg now now/present time b) indicates a present routine, eg I work four days each week eg present progressive: (also called present continuous) a verb form made with am/are/is + ing a) This tense is used to talk about an action which is happening at the time of speaking, eg We are waiting for him b) The present progressive is also used to refer to a future arrangement, eg He is leaving tomorrow future simple tense: will +verb indicates future time eg I think, it will rain tomorrow |nowl tomorrow vowel sounds: See notes under 'sound symbols' on the previous page NOTE: This list is not intended as a complete guide Refer to a comprehensive grammar book for more details Understanding Spoken English - Book © Boyer Educational Resources UNIT STARTING SOMETHING NEW © Boyer Educational Resources Understanding Spoken English - Book ANSWERS TO UNIT NINE - AT A SOCIAL GATHERING PART - FOCUS ON SPOKEN LANGUAGE A) Making ‘Small Talk’ - appropriate topics Inappropriate questions • How much you earn? • • • • • • Are you married? -1 Some people may think questions about marital/family status are Do you have any children? j personal, so avoid asking if you are unsure Why aren't you married? Why don't you have any children? How much did your house cost? What is your address? Depending on the situation this question may be too direct or personal Some people don’t like to give their address to someone they don’t know well It would be better to ask something less direct such as: ‘Do you live in this area?’ ‘Did you have to travel very far?’ These questions give people the option to give their address if they think it is appropriate B) Starting a conversation and keeping it going Bill: Hello You must be Len I'm Bill, Kate's husband [T~] someone they both know [3 ] work/jobs their hobbies | i~| their names (who they are) [ 4] nearby area/home sport in the news C) Revision - Using question tags to begin a conversation Conversation starter Reply (giving additional information or continuing the conversation) Various answers are possible Some possible replies are: Question tag 1) It’s been quite cold today, hasn’t it? Yes, it certainly has, and I was outside gardening all day 2) John is a great cook, isn’t he? Yes, he is Have you known him for a long time? 3) It’s a great party, isn’t it? Yes, I’m having a great time Do you know many people here? 4) That music was great, wasn’t it? Yes, I love the saxophone Do you play a musical instrument? D) Phrasal verbs Answers 1) We brought up the bovs in Hawaii 2) Have you tried on vour new coat yet? 3) I pick up mv son from school everyday 4) I can’t work out this problem 5) He called off our appointment 6) When did you up the house? We brought them up in Hawaii Have you tried it on yet? I pick him up from school everyday I can’t work it o u t He called it off When did you it up? © Boyer Educational Resources Understanding Spoken English - Book 120 ANSWERS TO LANGUAGE REVIEW THREE 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) A I C B D 6) 7) 8) 9) F G H E Understanding Spoken English - Book © Boyer Educational Resources STARTING SOMETHING NEW - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS give (someone) a buzz call (someone) on the telephone get into the swing o f things become familiar with the usual way to things hassles problems/difficulties be beyond (someone) be too difficult for (someone) not make head or tail of (something) not understand anything about stuck at it kept trying Good for you! Congratulations! What have you been up to? What have you been doing? in a r u t in a boring pattern of doing things don’t know the first thing about (something) don’t know anything about (something) catch on leams/understands Come off it! Oh, I don't agree with you! tons a lot of in the same boat in the same situation Go on! You should it! get the hang of it understand what to talked (me) into i t convinced (me) to something getting alo n g progressing/managing See you Goodbye *Where a word appears between brackets ( nouns may also be used in the expression Understanding Spoken English - Book ) in reference lists, it means that other pronouns or 122 www.boyereducation.com.au TALKING ABOUT THE FAMILY - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS for ages for a long time the image of (someone) the same in appearance take after is similar to (an older family member) these days the present time has followed in (someone's) footsteps has done the same as (someone) start from scratch start from the beginning without help settled in become established runs in (the family) is a common characteristic in (the family) passed away died keep in touch communicate regularly don't get along don’t like (another person) sticky (situation) difficult (situation) You're kidding? Really? That is difficult to believe/understand a tough one a difficult problem brought up (children) trained and educated (in the family) get on w ith be friendly with/ be compatible with rub off on have an influence on Understanding Spoken English - Book 123 www.boyereducation.com.au TALKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS out of sorts unhappy/unwell didn’t sleep a w ink didn’t sleep at all a racket a lot of noise all hours very late at night couldn't care less don’t care fed up very unhappy give (them) a piece of your mind tell (them) you are displeased/upset make waves cause trouble wouldn’t take any notice wouldn’t listen/act on way-out strange/unusual eyesore an ugly thing/place to look at *hit it off like each other terrific excellent standoffish unfriendly give (me) the cold shoulder deliberately ignore (me) stuck up think they are superior nosy inquisitive (describing a person who is always watching what other people are doing) a busybody interfering person who wants to know about others going on happening Note: *‘hit it off, meaning ‘like each other’, can also be expressed in the negative: ‘don’t hit it off, meaning ‘don’t like each other’ Understanding Spoken English - Book 124 www.boyereducation.com.au TALKING ABOUT SHOPPING - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS a bit broke to not have much money shop around visit a few shops to look for the best price cost an arm and a leg cost a lot of money/too muchmoney a rip-off overpriced (to) check out look at/investigate the deli delicatessen pricey expensive pushy very persistent pick up get/collect bits and pieces small items What are you after? What are you looking for? a spending spree an enjoyable time spending money the knack of the ability/skill conned into persuaded/tricked into doing something unwise more often than not often/usually on the spur of the moment on impulse mend (my) ways reform/improve my habits get carried away become too interested/involved *lose track of (time) forget about (time) because of a distraction *Note: The expression 'lose track o f ' can also be used to talk about a person (rather than ‘time’ In this case it means to lose contact/communication with a person, eg ‘I’ve lost track of my school friends I haven’t seen then for six years’ Understanding Spoken English - Book 125 www.boyereducation.com.au TALKING ABOUT HEALTH AND SICKNESS - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS throwing up vomiting picked up improved under the weather unwell/sick a/the b u g virus pop put (something somewhere) a check-up a medical examination tummy stomach keep an eye on keep a careful watch on the mend improving in health take a look at examine coming down with (something) getting a sickness fit as a fiddle very healthy off unwell run-down unwell/tired a splitting headache a very bad headache come on begin/start overdoing i t working too hard pretty uptight quite anxious take it easy relax/rest clear up become better come up with find/discover Understanding Spoken English - Book 126 www.boyereducation.com.au WORRYING ABOUT MONEY - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS gone through the roof reached a very high price to get ahead progress financially figure out understand forking out unwillingly/reluctantly paying work o u t plan the details It's got me beat I don’t understand well o f f wealthy splurged spent a lot of money can't make ends meet are not able to pay living expenses up to (their) ears in (something) deeply involved in (something) for all we know we don’t really know who knows I don’t know the answer to that get by to manage (a difficult situation) without difficulty to put away (money) save (money) (build) a nest egg get/have money saved for the future something to fall back on a reserve for future use flat broke having no money go easy on (something) use less/spend less of (something) chip in contribute chatting talking informally Understanding Spoken English - Book 127 www.boyereducation.com.au TALKING ABOUT PLACES AND PREFERENCES - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS a send-off a farewell party let the cat out of the bag revealed a secret hush hush secret spill the beans revealed a secret off the beaten track away from populated areas the rat race the constantly busy competition of city life on the go busy to rough it live without basic comforts in (my) element be in (my) preferred situation live it up live in luxury be waited on hand and foot have all needs attended to let (my) hair down behave very informally take it easy relax/rest drive (me) up the wall greatly irritate (me) not my cup of tea not something that interests me to each his own everyone has their own preference keep (it) under wraps keep the information a secret Understanding Spoken English - Book 128 www.boyereducation.com.au MAKING AN ARRANGEMENT BY TELEPHONE - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS Hold the line Wait a moment take a look inspect snowed under busy (with work) to make it arrive in a fix in a difficult situation iffy uncertain/doubtful tied up involved with hang on wait get in touch contact/speak to (someone) *see how (he) is fixed for time see how much spare time (he) has available a good run good progress called off cancelled *fit (you) in make time available for (you) a rough idea an approximate idea sort out determines/finds the answer to (something) *fill (you) in supply/give (you) information goes ahead w ith starts catch hear/understand *Where a word appears between brackets ( may also be used in the expression ) in reference lists, it means that other pronouns Understanding Spoken English - Book 129 www.boyereducation.com.au AT A SOCIAL GATHERING - REFERENCE LIST EVERYDAY EXPRESSIONS DEFINITIONS about tim e timely (but it should have happened before now) a get together a social gathering showing (me) the ropes explaining to (me) how to something a top spot a nice place (has) a lot going for it has a lot of advantages beats is better than You can say that again agree with you going on almost/approximately mind you but/however good part o f most of/almost (something) u p repair/improve (something) It's a credit to you It’s something you should be very proud of great very good/excellent have my wits about me be alert/clear in my head now and again sometimes/occasionally I'll take you up on that I’ll accept that offer be up on (something) be knowledgeable about (something) once in a while occasionally be into (something) interested in/invol\cd in (something) Understanding Spoken English - Book 130 www.boyereducation.com.au Reference page Some notable pronunciation differences between varieties of English Words containing the letter ’a’ Many English words, containing the letter 'a', may be pronounced as a short sound /ae/ or a long sound /a:/ depending on which variety of English is being spoken See the table below which shows examples of pronunciation differences across varieties o f English Spelling ask passed last laugh can’t half plant Examples of pronunciation differences for the following words /aesk/ /a:sk/ /paest/ 'j /pa: st/ /laest/ /la: st/ /la:f/ y may be pronounced as the lengthened / laef/ V may be pronounced as the vowel /ka:nt/ vowel sound /a:/ as in large heart /kaent/ sound /ae/ as in black hat /ha:f7 /haef/ /pla:nt/ /plaent/ Words containing the letter 'o' There are differences between North American English and British English in the pronunciation o f some words containing the letter 'o' For example, in British English, the words stop, dot, lock are pronounced with the vowel sound /d/ These words, in North American English, are pronounced with the vowel sound /a/, a slightly longer sound For example, in North American English the words lock and lark are pronounced with the same vowel sound /a/, whereas in British English lock is pronounced /lDk/ and lark is pronounced /la:k/ Words containing the letter 'r' In all varieties of English, the letter V in written words, is pronounced clearly in speech when followed by a vowel sound For example, 'r' is generally pronounced clearly where it is followed by a vowel sound in the same word, eg right, roll, paragraph; or when V is followed by a vowel sound in the following word, eg wear it; door open; for example However, where the letter 'r' is followed by a consonant sound or when it occurs at the end of an utterance, speakers of some varieties of English (Australian/South African/Southern British and other varieties) omit the sound /r/ Speakers of North American English (and other varieties), on the other hand, always pronounce T, regardless of its position in a word or utterance Spelling Examples of pronunciation differences for words containing the letter 'r' car sport sister four /ka:r/ /spo.rt/ /sistar/ / fo:r/ Generally, speakers of North American, Canadian, Scottish, Irish (and others) ^ pronounce the letter 'r' regardless of its position in a word /ka:/ Generally, speakers of Australian, /spo:t/ Southern British, South African, and /sista/ ^ New Zealand English not pronounce /fa:/ 'r' when it is followed by a consonant y Understanding Spoken English - Book 131 sound www.boyereducation.com.au P h o n e m ic C h a r t o i n ,n g n s n s o u n a s Below each sound symbol are examples of words containing the sound Vowel sounds a 36 (short sound) black hat C VIl '■ (long sound) *far star ^3 D (short sound) red head U (not used in USA) other brother dots & sp o ts (short sound) I (short sound) (short sound) pink building fun run good foot V y (unstressed sound) ■ V A (long sound) ‘ purple skirt 1 ■“ r1 ■ (long sound) ■ (long sound) (long sound) *four more blue moon real green As the pronunciation of some English vowel sounds varies across and within countries, the example words are intended as a general guide Diphthong (two vowel) sounds grey day noisy bov 00 (also £9) *fair hair Consonant sounds p fietgig 11 Chinese child f fill four C sad song m milk man little line 00 01 (also OU) yellow gold bright lime 19 clear beer 00 au tour (also/tur/ brown mouse Note: voiceless sounds are shown in a ishaded box b t d big bag tell two d3 p # k ■' just joking keep cool V very vivid ttiink Hiin z J short sheep zig-zag dirty dog g CD ei good girl a other brother measure Asia n n h no never long song hot hill I w m wet winter right rice • J yes you ♦Note: In some varieties o f English, the letter 'r' is clearly pronounced wherever it occurs in words, (eg star, purple, four), however in some varieties o f English, *r’ is only pronounced when it is followe^ by a vowel sound 132 © Boyer Educational Resources 2003 Here is a preview of the some language features and topics in Student’s Book Two of this series: UNPERSTANPINO SPOKEN ENGLISH - BOOK TWO UNIT A TELEPHONE ENQUIRY Telephoning strategies Giving a reason for the call Pronunciation: Unstressed syllables; Word linking UNIT TALKING ABOUT STUDY PROBLEMS Making suggestions; Giving Reasons Pronunciation: the use of intonation to convey attitude UNIT TALKING ABOUT EMPLOYMENT Use of articles (a, an, the) Using the present perfect/ past simple tense Interview strategies: Giving informative answers UNIT TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS Pronunciation: Hearing & pronouncing syllables Adjectives ending in ed and ing Discourse markers ;-f' UNIT A NEW VENTURE - MAKING DECISIONS 'it' & 'one' as noun substitutes Giving advice: 'IfI were you, I'd ; 'a lot o f and 'a bit o f with uncountable nouns UNIT TALKING ABOUT THE PAST Using the expressions ‘used to’ and ‘would’ for past habits Pronunciation: 'ed' endings on words UNIT ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS Giving instructions or directions using imperatives Giving feedback - showing you understand and checking information UNIT FUTURE PLANS AND POSSIBILITIES Using future tenses: will/going to Present continuous for future arrangements UNIT HAVING DINNER WITH FRIENDS Me neither / Me too Ways o f using of the verb 'have' Books and audio resources by the same author: TITLE ISBN Understanding English Pronunciation - an integrated practice course (student book only) Understanding English Pronunciation - audio cassettes (set of 2) • Understanding English Pronunciation - audio CDs (set of 3) Understanding English Pronunciation - an integrated practice course - Teacher’s Book Spelling and Pronunciation for English Language Learners - Practice Book 9585395 X 9585395 8 877074 03 9585395 1877074 04 Understanding Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context - Book One Understanding Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context - Cassette One Understanding Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context - Audio CD One Understanding Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context - Teacher's Book One 877074 m X 877074 09 877074 10 1 877074 11 X Understanding Understanding Understanding Understanding 877074 877074 877074 877074 Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context - Book Two Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context - Cassette Two Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context - Audio CD Two Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context - Teacher's Book Two 12 ' 13 14 15 To order any of these resources, check our web site for the supplier most convenient for you Contact us: www.boyereducation.com.au Phone/fax: + 61 247 391538 boyer@emunet.com.au 'Understanding Spoken English - a focus on everyday language in context' This series has been designed to help students of English understand spoken language as it is encountered in everyday business and social situations in English speaking environments around the world In addition to helping students to discover the meaning of many widely used everyday expressions, this resource provides valuable information about the social and business conventions of spoken English such as, changing the topic of conversation, agreeing and disagreeing politely, checking meaning, giving feedback and making 'small talk' Features of English pronunciation are also examined within the context of complete conversations The accompanying audio recordings present speakers with a variety of English accents from around the world, including North America, Australia, South Africa, as well a variety of British English accents Information about the notable differences in pronunciation between different varieties of spoken English is provided This m aterial is recommended for individual study (as answers to all exercises are included), or as a supplementary class text to provide valuable listening practice and analysis of English as it is spoken around the world Using this resource students will: • Discover the meaning of many everyday expressions that are widely used around the world in business and social situations, as well as the media • Gain valuable information about the conventions of spoken English in business and social situations • Learn strategies for improving listening skills and overcoming pronunciation problems • Feel increasing confidence as communication skills improve B O O K S BY T H E S A M E A U T H O R : TITLE ISBN Understanding Understanding Understanding Understanding Spoken Spoken Spoken Spoken English English English English - a focus oneveryday - a focus oneveryday - a focus oneveryday - a focus oneveryday Understanding Understanding Understanding Understanding Spoken Spoken Spoken Spoken English English English English Understanding Understanding Understanding Understanding English English English English Pronunciation Pronunciation Pronunciation Pronunciation - a focus on - a focus on - a focus on - a focus on - language language language language in context in context in context in context - Book One - Cassette One - Audio CD One - Teacher's Book One everyday languagein context - Book Two everyday languagein context - Cassette Two everyday languagein context - Audio CD Two everyday languagein context - Teacher's Book Two an integrated practice audio cassettes (set of audio CDs (set of 3) an integrated practice course - Student'sBook 2) course - Teacher'sBook Spelling and Pronunciation for English Language Learners - Practice Book Boyer Educational Resources email: bover@ em unet.com au www.boyereducation.com au 877074 08 X 877074 09 877074 10 1 877074 11 X 1877074 1877074 1877074 1877074 12 13 14 15 9585395 X 9585395 8 877074 03 9585395 877074 04 I SBN - 7 - - X ... word order 96 - 10 6 98 10 3 -10 6 LANGUAGE REVIEW THREE - Unit - 10 8 -10 9 Answers to exercises and crosswords 11 0 -12 1 Reference Lists - everyday expressions with definitions 12 2 - 13 0 Reference Page... n d o / I / S h 10 * * 12 * * * * * 11 (Answers: page 11 2) www.boyereducation.com.au Understanding Spoken English - Book 36 Unit - TALKING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE - Part FOCUS ON SPOKEN LANGUAGE A)... page 11 1) www.boyereducation.com.au Understanding Spoken English - Book 26 Unit - TALKING ABOUT THE FAMILY - Part FOCUS ON SPOKEN LANGUAGE A)'Question tags' in conversational speech In spoken English,