Unit 18. Sun, Full, June.

The Vowel Sounds /Λ/, /υ/ and /u:/
Unit 18; Part A
When you say the letters of the alphabet, U has the long vowel sound /u:/ (we say it with the consonant /j/ in front of it). You hear the /u:/ sound in the word June. But the letter U is also pronounced as the short vowel sounds /Λ/ or /υ/, as in the words sun and full. Listen to the sound /Λ/. Look at the mouth diagram to see how to make this short vowel sound. | ![]() | |
Listen to the target sound /Λ/ in the words below and compare it with the words on each side.
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Then listen and repeat the examples of the target sound. Examples: come blood cut young does must "My mother's brother's my uncle; my uncle's son's my cousin." ![]() In the North of England, speakers may use /υ/ in place of /Λ/, so luck /lΛk/sounds like look /lυk/. |
Unit 18; Part B
Listen to the sound /υ/. Look at the mouth diagram ro see how to make this short vowel sound. | ![]() | |
Listen to the target sound /υ/ in the words below and compare it with the words on each side.
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Then listen and repeat the examples of the target sound. Examples: full good foot wolf would put "That cook couldn't cook if he didn't look at о cook book." |
Unit 18; Part C
Listen ro the sound /u:/. Look at the mouth diagram to see how ro make this long vowel sound. | ![]() | |
Listen to the target sound /u:/ in the words below and compare it with the words on each side.
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Then listen and repeat the examples of the target sound. Examples: shoe shoes shoot new lose soup "Sue knew too few new tunes on the flute." ![]() Important for listening! Many words which have /j/ before /u:/ in British English don't in American English. Compare: news /nju:z/- news /nu:z/, tune /tju:n/- tune /tu:n/. |
Unit 18; Part D
Notes on spelling:
If there is an R after the letter U (and the R does not have a vowel after it), U has a different pronunciation. (See Unit 19. )
Exercises
![]() | Unit 17 Unit 18 Unit 19 | ![]() |