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Unit 13. Flies, Fries.

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The Consonant Sounds /l/ and /r/


Unit 13; Part A

Listen to the sound /l/.
Look at the mouth diagram to see how to make this sound.
Notice that you can make it into a long continuous sound, and there is voice from the throat. 

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Listen to the target sound /l/ in the words below and compare it with the words on each side.
 
        target sound
fries         flies      fries
rent         lent       rent
correct   collect    correct
code        cold      code

13.2.jpgListen and repeat these examples of the target sound.
        leave        litre        life
        slow       caller       help
        till       final       whistle
 

Unit 13; Part B

Listen to the sound /r/.
Look at the mouth diagram to see how to make this sound.
Notice that you can make it into a long continuous sound, and there is voice from the throat.
But when you finish the sound, the jaw opens a little and the tongue goes straight again. 

13.3.jpg

Listen to the target sound /r/ in the words below and compare it with the words on each side.

 
        target sound
late        rate       late
play       pray       play
chain     train      chain
jaw        draw      jaw


13.4.jpgListen and repeat these examples of the target sound.

        right        wrote        rhyme
        carrot       sorry       dress
        far away       war and peace


 
idea.jpgImportant for listening! 
In South East English and many other accents, you only pronounce /r/ if there is a vowel sound after it. So for example, in far /fa:/ and car /ca:/, you do not hear it, but in far away /fa:r∂wei/ and car engine /ca:rend3in/, you pronounce it because it is followed by a vowel sound. In other accents, including American, the /r/ is pronounced.
 

note.jpgNote: The sound /r/ affects the vowel sound before it: see Unit 14 and Unit 19

Unit 13; Part C

Spelling

  frequently
sometimes
notes
/l/
L (leg),  LL (call)
 L can be silent (half, calm, talk, could).
 /r/R (run), RR (carrot)
WR (wrong), RH (rhyme
 

 



Exercises

wizard.jpgAdd the sound /l/ or /r/to the beginning of these words and write the new words. Remember;think of sounds, not spelling. For example, if you add /l/ to thebeginning of ache /eik/, you get lake /leik/.The sound is similar but the spelling is completely different. Theremay be more than one possibility. Then say the pairs of words.
Example:
 
ache
1    eight      
2    owes
lake (or rake)      
___________late, rate
___________rose, rows   
3 air
4 earn    
5 end
___________rare, lair 
___________learn
___________lend    
6 eye
7 egg
8 each    
___________lie, rye 
___________leg
___________reach

 

Think of a computer which people speak into and it writes what theysay. Here, the person speaking didn't make the difference clear betweenR and L. The underlined words are wrong. Correct them. Key. I worked late that day and I didn't arrive home until 10 o'clock-I was very wet because of the rain. Then, to my surprise, my key didn't fit in the lock. So I looked closely at my keys and saw that they were the wrong ones. I had left my house keys at work. So I got back on my motorbike and rode back to the office to collect them. I got home really tired, so I went to bed, read for half an hour, switched off the light and went to sleep.
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Follow up:Listen to the correct text. Then read it out yourself, making sure thatyou pronounce the corrected words clearly. Record yourself if you can.


wizard.jpgUnderline the word in which the letters L or R are silent (Imagine theaccent is from South East England. so the R is silent if there is novowel sound after it). Key.1. court   2. folk
3. hair   4. should
5. artist

Example:  
cold  calm  collect   film
1    court    correct    curry    dairy   
2    follow    fold    folk    file   
3    hurry    hairy    hungry    hair
4    shoulder   should    sailor    slow
5    artist    arrow    arrive    around
galka.jpgListen and circle the word you hear. Key.1. supplies   2.correct
3. flight   4.cheese
5. drawer


1    Surprise or supplies?    The surprise / supplies came later.
2    Collect or correct?   I'll correct / collect it tomorrow,
3    Flight or fright?    We had a great flight / fright.
4    Trees or cheese?   I saw something in the trees / cheese!
5    Jaw or drawer?    She broke her lower jaw / drawer.

Followup: Record yourself saying the sentences in 4, choosing one of the twowords. Make a note of which words you say. Then listen to yourrecording in about two weeks. Is it clear which words you said?


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