Answer — Exercise 2
2B - On the tip of my tongue·English File Advanced - Student's Book
Question
- With a partner, say each group of words aloud. How are the pink letters pronounced? Circle the different word in each group if there is one.
- Listen and check. What's the pronunciation rule for each group? Can you think of any more exceptions?
- Look at the spelling patterns in a. Now decide how you think the words from the list below are pronounced. Check their pronunciation and meaning with your teacher or with a dictionary.
Answer
a) and b)
1
- dishonest /dɪs'ɒnɪst/
- Rule: the letter h is nearly always pronounced /h/.
- Common exceptions: heir, honest, honour, hour, exhausted.
2
- allow /ə'laʊ/
- Rule: the letters ow are often pronounced /əʊ/, as in blow, window, below, but are also often pronounced /aʊ/, as in frown, towel, now. At the end of a word, the letters are usually pronounced /əʊ/.
- Occasionally, the same letters have different pronunciations according to the meaning, e.g. row /raʊ/ (= argument) but row /rəʊ/ (= a line of seats).
- These are called homographs.
3
- river /'rɪvə/
- Rule: the letter i + consonant + e is usually /aɪ/.
- Common exceptions: river, give, live (the verb), since.
4
- whose /hu:z/
- Rule: the letters wh are nearly always /w/, but occasionally /h/, e.g. whose, who, whole.
5
- All the same pronunciation
- Rule: the letter j is always pronounced /dʒ/.
6
- chorus /'kɔ:rəs/
- Rule: the letters ch are usually pronounced /tʃ/, but occasionally /ʃ/, e.g. machine, chef, cliché, when the words are of French origin, or /k/, e.g. chemist, architect, when the word comes from Greek.
7
- sure /ʃɔ:/
- Rule: the letters at the beginning of a word is nearly always /s/.
- The only two exceptions are sugar and sure, where the s is pronounced /ʃ/.
8
- All the same pronunciation
- Rule: the letters aw are always /ɔ:/ when they come at the end of a word, or when aw is followed by another consonant.
9
- reporter /rɪ'pɔ:tə/
- Rule: the letters or are usually pronounced /ɔ:/, but are usually /3:/ after a w, e.g. work, word, world.
10
- All the same pronunciation
- Rule: the letters ir are always /3:/ when they are followed by a consonant, but are pronounced /aɪə/ when followed by an e, e.g. require.
c)
- chime /tʃaɪm/: verb; (of a bell or clock) to ring
- howl /haʊl/: verb; (of a dog, wolf, etc.) to make a long, loud cry
- jaw /dʒɔ:/: noun; either of the two bones at the bottom of the face that contain the teeth
- whirl /w3:l/: verb; to move around quickly in a circle
- worm /w3:m/: noun; a long, thin creature with no bones or legs, which lives in soil