Unit 36. What do You Think?

Auxiliary Verbs

Unit 36; Part A

OooO is a very common rhythm in questions beginning with Wh- words (when, where, what, etc.) followed by auxiliary verbs.

Wh- word
(stressed)
O

auxiliary
(unstressed)
o

pronoun
(unstressed)
o

main verb
(stressed)
O

Important for listening!
Listen to these examples. You will hear each one twice; first in careful speech and then in fast speech. Notice how, in fast speech, the vowel is very weak in the auxiliary do and does.
OooO
What do you think?
Where do you live?
What does she mean?
Where does he work?
What did he say?
Why did you go?

Unit 36; Part B

Important for listening!
Other auxiliaries are also usually in questions. Listen. Note that the speaker does not pronounce the first letters of the auxiliaries will, have ahd has.
What will he do? Where has she been?
What have I done? What can you see?

Unit 36; Part C

Auxiliaries are stressed in negarive contractions and at the end of sentences. Listen to these examples.

Yes, I do.
I don't know.
Yes, I will.
He won't say.
Yes, I have.
I haven't done it.
Yes, I can.
I can't help.

Note: Auxiliaries can also be stressed for emphasis or contrast For example: I'm not English, but I am British! (See Unit 49.)

Unit 36; Part D

Important for listening!
In very fast speech, some speakers pronounce many of these questions with only three syllables. Listen.

OoO
What do you want?
What does he do?
Where have you been?
Where did he go?

/wadj∂'wont/
/watsi'du:/
/we∂vj∂'bin/
/we∂rdi'g∂u/

(sounds like: What dya want?)
(sounds like: What si do?)
(sounds like: Wherve ya bin?)
(sounds like: Where di go?)

Exercises

1 Listen and complete the questions.

Listen and complete the questions.

Example: What   did he   do?
1   Where __________ live?
2   What __________ say?
3   Where __________ work?
4   What __________ see?
5   Where __________ gone?
6    Who __________ meet?
7    Where __________ sit?
8    When __________ end?
9    Where __________ been?
10 Who __________ asked?

2 Write the questions in the conversation.

Write the questions in this conversation and give the stress patterns. Then listen, check and repeat the questions.

Example:
     A: What do yoou do ? OooO
     B: I'm a doctor.
1. A: ________________? _______
     B: I live in Kingston, Jamaica.
2   A: _______________? ________
     B: I work in the University Hospital.
3   A: _______________? ________
     B: Yes, I'm married. My husband is a teacher.
4   A: _______________? ________
     B: He teaches History and Geography.
5   A: _______________? ________
     B: At the Grove Road Secondary School.
6   A: _______________? ________
     B: I met him when I was on holiday in Florida.
7   A: _______________? ________
     B: We got married in 1999.

3 Correct the writing.

Think of a computer which people speak into and it writes what theysay. This computer wrote the underlined parts of these questionsincorrectly. (You can read what it heard in phonemic letters.) Correctthe writing.

Example: What dya /dj∂/ mean?    What do you mean?
1   Who vya /vj∂/ told? __________________?
2   What di /di/ say? __________________?
3   When dya /dj∂/ start? __________________?
4   Where zi /zi/gone? _________________?
5   How dya /dj∂/do? __________________?

Unit 35 Unit 36 Unit 37