Hey there, this is Teacher ola podcast episode 37: Pronunciation Tip:
Pool vs Pull.
My name’s Ola and I am an English teacher.
This podcast is for you if you want to speak English with more
confidence and get rid of speaking barriers. You’ll boost your vocabulary,
brush up your grammar, improve your pronunciation, see how to have a
tense-free conversation with other English-speaking human beings! Go
to my website for full transcripts andworksheets to each episode. Happy
learning!
Hello TOPeople, I’m really glad you’ve managed to find some time for
your English. I’m also very excited that you chose this podcast for your
today’s practice. It’s March 2020 and now, we all have kinda more time
since we’re being quarantined and it’s very smart of you to pick up
something that will help you grow and distract from reading the news
constantly. Brilliant idea, smart move, good for you. And thank you again
for chosing this podcast.
Today we’re focusing on pronunciation. It is the key to become fluent.
Well, ok, I mean there are a few crucial elements you need to cover in
order to speak fluently. Nevertheless, pronunciation is the king. If you’re
not sure how to say something you might feel intimidated, shy, uncertain
whether to say anything at all. Yes! Lack of knowledge about
pronunciation is one of the major causes of our language barriers. Good
news is that you can learn it. And let me remind you, I’m not talking
about perfect British or American accent. I’m talking about confident
communication. Correct pronunciation guarantees you won’t be
misunderstood.
Ok, back to today’s topic. Long and short vowel sounds. Let’s get
straight to practice, listen and repeat. Repeat each word and sentence
aloud. Trust me. Sole listening won’t help. Say it. If you want to start
speaking you have to practice speaking, ok? Shall we start?
Let’s do it by repeating words and then the same words will make up
sentences with the long /u:/ sound. /u:/ like in blue, true, juice, food,
school, tool, suit, music, review and so forth. Repeat after me
everything. Out loud:
Hugh
moving
new
room
Hugh is moving to a new room.
Sue
menu
Sue wants to know what’s on the menu.
rude
argue
Luke
It would be very rude to argue with Luke.
Rufus
scuba
Rufus is dreaming of scuba diving.
Blue
sue
pharmaceutical
Betty Blue is going to sue a pharmaceutical company.
proves
rule
The exception proves the rule.
excuses
accuses
He who excuses accuses himself.
Well done! Let’s now repeat some more. This time funny rhymes.
If a dog chews shoes,
What shoes should he choose to chew?
If a dog chews shoes,
What shoes should he choose to chew?
There was a Young lady of Bute,
Who played on a silver-gilt flute;
She played several jigs
To her uncle’s white pigs,
That amusing Young Lady of Bute.
There was a Young lady of Bute,
Who played on a silver-gilt flute;
She played several jigs
To her uncle’s white pigs,
That amusing Young Lady of Bute.
Good job!
Ok, and now it’s time to look at the short /ʊ/ sound. /ʊ/ like in: good,
hood, put, full, bullet, could, should, foot and look. Just like before, make
sure you listen carefully, retain that word, that sentence in your brain for
a while and then produce it. Out loud.
pull
push
Pull the handle and push the door.
put
foot
woollen
cushion
Put your foot on the woollen cushion.
cooked
soup
pudding
He cooked some soup and some pudding.
put off
could
Don’t put off till tomorrow what could be done today.
wolf
lose
A wolf might lose his teeth but not his character.
Ok, now, rhymes.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
If a woodchuck could chuck wood?
There was an old man of the North,
Who fell into a basin of broth,
But a laudable cook
Fished him out with a hook,
which saved that Old Man of the North.
There was an old man of the Nort,
Who fell into a basin of broth,
But a laudable cook
Fished him out with a hook,
which saved that old Man of the North.
Great! Awesome work!
Thank you for tuning in, if you think you could share this with your friend
who needs to improve his or her pronunciation, please do.
Now, go to teacherola.com/37 and check out the transcript. See if you
got all the sentences correct. Then download the worksheet, and
practice some translations. It’s all free. When you’re there please leave
me a comment. Let me know if you liked this episode.
Next time we’ll be learning some vocabulary, common collocations and
idioms, phrases to lift you up. Have a good week, happy learning, take
care and #stayathome. Bye bye!