Hey there! This is TOP episode 41: Pronunciation Tip. Lamb, Cabbage, Mafia.
My name’s Ola and I am an English teacher. This podcast is for you if you want to start speaking English fearlessly. I help people fight the fear of speaking, become confident, fluent and independent.
In this episode, you’ll practise speaking and in turn boost your vocabulary, brush up your grammar and improve your pronunciation. Go to my website for full transcripts and worksheets to each episode. Happy learning!
Thank you for tuning in, I’m thrilled to spend the next few minutes with you helping you to improve your pronunciation.
My today’s pick is the sound /æ/. You’ll repeat words, you’ll repeat sentences, proverbs, tongue twisters and funny rhymes. It is a real struggle to pronounce it correctly and at the same time, I think it’s pretty hard not to pronounce it correctly. You know what I mean? If, if you don’t pronounce it correctly how the heck do you pronounce words like a lamb, cabbage, mafia? Is it lamb, cabbage, mafia? Is it a cat? Is it apple, maybe apple or apple? And yes, not knowing how to say things makes us not saying them at all. Recently I’ve heard from one of my students that if she is not sure how to say a given word she is looking for other words and she is avoiding using the word that is a problem for her. It’s logical, I do the same. But then I check the pronunciation, I learn it and I just apply it that’s it. Let’s deal with this sound today. Once and for all.
Let’s jump right into the core of this episode. Pronunciation episodes should be even more practical than other episodes. The bottom line is you speaking correctly. It’s not about your listening skills, is it? It’s time you started speaking fearlessly.
Your lips should be slightly spread /æ/. Prepare your lips and tongue to say the /e/ sound but without changing the position of your lips or tongue try to produce the /ʌ / sound. So, try to focus on this: /æ/, /æ/, /æ/. I know it’s tough. Lips and tongue ready to make the /e/ sound but eventually produce /ʌ / sound. /æ/. When you produce this sound your lips are spread, it’s like a smile and your lips are also tensed. So they’re not relaxed.
Practical part, shall we? Please repeat after me:
First, let’s listen to and repeat words with the /æ/ sound:
ant
bad
cat
sang
lamb
apple
album
access
marry
valley
rally
pasta
cafe
cabbage
palace
animal
natural
national
banal
amateur
lasagna
dad
pan
mad
sad
mafia
sandwich
language
programme
actually
sarcastic
salmon
Japan
Alaska
Nebraska
Amsterdam
Italian
man
Alrighty! I hope your lips are hurting. Now let’s now hear this sound in sentences, tongue twisters and rhymes. Listen and repeat out loud.
temper.
bad temper.
Adam’s in a bad temper.
remarks.
sarcastic remarks.
full of sarcastic remarks.
amateur programme is full of sarcastic remarks.
Anne’s amateur programme is full of sarcastic remarks.
with Anthony?
matter with Anthony?
What’s the matter with Anthony?
a black mat.
cat sat on a black mat.
A black cat sat on a black mat.
fast.
travels fast.
news travels fast.
Bad news travels fast
all that matter.
friends are all that matter.
Love is only chatter, friends are all that matter.
cram into a camel?
can a canny cannibal cram into a camel?
How much caramel can a canny cannibal cram into a camel?
Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean,
And so between the two of them,
they licked the platter clean.
Bravo! I’m sure, from now on, you won’t hesitate how to pronounce the words we’ve practised today.
If you need more practice, feel free to listen to this episode again. Please don’t forget to download the worksheet and try to translate Polish sentences from this episode into English. If you do so, you’ll take your the whole time you spent on this episode to a whole new level. You’ll practice grammar and vocabulary. This free worksheet is available for you at teacherola.com/41.
Now, I have a request. Please spread the word, share this podcast with someone you think might need it.
Go to teacherola.com/41 and let me know if you like pronunciation episodes. Leave a comment on my website.
Tune in next Wednesday, it’s gonna be a vocabulary booster. You’ll learn a bunch of new collocation, phrases, expressions and idioms. Subscribe to this podcast whether you’re on Spotify, Google Podcast or anywhere else.
Have a great week, till next time, happy learning. Bye!