When one of your favorite English language TV shows is on, try to understand the dialogue without watching. Or try this with commercials: See if you can tell what is being advertised without looking. | Possible Pronunciation Problems The vowel a may not exist in your language and may be difficult for you to hear and pronounce. It is easy to become confused by irregular English spelling patterns and to substitute sounds that are more familiar to you. EXAMPLES If you say a instead of a If you say ou instead of a come will sound like comb. If you say o instead of a Remember a is a short quick sound. You shouldn t feel any tension and your lips should barely move during its production. Just relax as you say a and you won t run into trouble color will sound like collar. done will sound like dawn. Practice . . EXERCISE A HE Listen and repeat. a At the Beginning of Words us ugly onion up other under of uncle upper oven a In the Middle of Words hug much rough won must month nut come trouble does The vowel a does not occur at the end of words in English. a Spelled__ u o but love cut done sun some lucky mother funny Monday 1 1 noté Less frequent spelling patterns for a consist of the letters ou oo oe and cousin trouble flood does was what hint a is a vowel that occurs only in stressed syllables of words. It does not occur in unstressed syllables. Therefore the following Words are pronounced with the unstressed vowel o to be discussed in Lesson 13 rather than with a . a upon the soda alone alike suppose campus EXERCISE B ffl Listen and repeat. The boldfaced words in the following phrases and sentences should all be pronounced with the vowel a . 1. Come in. 2. What does it mean 3. bubble gum 4. once a month 5. Once is enough. 6. cover up 7. My uncle is my mother s brother. 8. My cousin is my uncle s son. 9. The gloves are such an ugly color. 10. Come and have some fun in the sun. CHECK YOURSELF 1 Listen. Circle the word that you hear. For answers to Check Yourself 1 -3 see Appendix II pages 276-277. EXAMPLES a luck a lock hut ho 1. cut cot 2. stuck stock 3. come calm 4. wonder wander 5. color collar 6. nut not 7. bum bomb 8. pup POP Lesson 9 45 9. fund fond 10. shut .
