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Cesar Azpilceuta

Perfect Pronunciation - Consonant Sounds

Perfect Pronunciation - Consonant Sounds

In this week's Premier Skills English Podcast, Jack and Rich focus on pronunciation. They talk about five of the most difficult consonant sounds (sounds that are not vowels) in English. Jack and Rich give you lots of example sentences to practise and advice on how you can get better at making these sounds. Your task is to tell other listeners which consonant sounds are most difficult for speakers of your language to pronounce. At the end of the podcast, we have a new football phrase for you to guess. Enjoy!

Transcript

If you find the podcast difficult to understand, you can read the transcript and listen at the same time.
Read the transcript and listen at the same time.

Perfect Pronunciation - Five Common Pronunciation Problems (consonants)

Jack: It’s good to see Ilkay Gundogan back for Manchester City after his injury.

Rich: Yes, it is and I hope he gets Player of the Week next week so we can hear you pronounce his name again!! 

Jack: Well, some names and sounds are difficult for English speakers. I always have a problem with Henry Mkhitaryan, too! 

Rich: I think it might be Henrikh rather than Henry, Jack!

Jack: Yes, you’re right. I tell you what, I’m happy that Benjani Mwaruwari isn’t playing in the Premier League anymore!

Rich: Yes, I bet you are! Didn’t you know that everybody at Manchester City just called him Benjani!

Jack: I should have known that! Cesar Azpiliceuta - that’s another difficult name! Chelsea fans call him Dave but he’s made a video to help people pronounce his name!

Rich: I wish all players would make a video. It would help us when we’re doing these podcasts!

Welcome - Consonant Sounds

Rich: Hello my name’s Rich

Jack: and I’m Jack

Rich: and welcome to this week’s Premier Skills English podcast

Jack: Where we talk about football and help you with your English.

Jack: What’s happening this week, Rich?

Rich: In this week’s podcast, we are going to look at some common pronunciation problems.

Jack: We’re going to focus on five consonant sounds that learners often find difficult. We’ll speak about each problem, give you some advice and some practice sentences for each sound.

Rich: We will look at vowel sounds in a later podcast.

Jack: Don’t forget, there is more information about the language we use on the page below and activities to help you understand. 

Rich: Make sure you listen to the end of the podcast because we’ve got another football phrase for you as well.

Topic Focus  

Jack: Those player names we said at the beginning of the show were very difficult to pronounce.

Rich: Yes, they were. There are a number of reasons that words can be difficult to pronounce. It might be because the sound doesn’t exist in your own language or it might be the relationship between spelling and pronunciation.

Jack: Many people, including native English speakers, often have problems saying the team name Leicester City.

Rich: Yes, Americans often say lie chester or something similar.

Jack: And I live down the road from a town called Leominster and it took me ages to work out how to say it properly. It’s funny because people are quite precious about their town name and expect you to know how to say it properly.

Rich: We’re going to put together a worksheet with some of the most difficult to pronounce places in England. It’s just for fun really but will give you some practice with the phonetic script.

Jack: And it will give you a chance to practise some tricky consonant sounds.

Rich: That’s what we’re going to do now, isn’t it?

Jack: Yes, we’re going to look at five different consonant sounds that cause problems. 

Rich: What’s the first sound then?

Jack: We’re going to read a sentence and you the listeners have to guess what sound we are looking at.

Rich: I like that. Let’s do it. Remember we’re focusing on a problematic consonant sound. Consonants are sounds like /t/, /p/ and /s/. They are not vowels like /i:/ and /o/.

Jack: Consonant sound number one:

Rich: Manchester United shirts match Manchester United shorts.

Jack: Say the sentence again.

Rich: Manchester United shirts match Manchester United shorts.

Jack: The sound we are looking at in this sentence is /ʧ/.

Rich: Speakers of Portuguese often overuse the /ʃ/ sound rather than using the /ʧ/ sound.

Jack: I’ve heard it can also be a problem for Japanese and Korean speakers.

Rich: It could be a problem for Spanish speakers too but the reverse. There are lots of sounds with /ʧ/ but not many with /ʃ/.

Jack: How can we help with the /ʧ/ sound?

Rich: Ch ch ch ch ch ch ch ch - it‘s like the sound of a train. You push your lips forward and show people your teeth! Air goes through the gap between your teeth.

Jack: Ch … Chair … Cheese … Manchester … ch ch ch ch ch ch.

Rich: OK, shhh! Shut up! Shh! That’s the other sound /ʃ/

Jack: Words like shoe, share, shorts, shirts, shin pads.

Rich: It’s similar to the /ʧ/ sound but /ʃ/ is longer and softer as we push air out of our mouth. Shhhhh!

Jack: Do you want me to be quiet?

Rich: No, carry on. Can you give everybody an example sentence? Actually, give us three sentences and everybody has to count examples of /ʧ/ and examples of /ʃ/.

Jack: OK. Three short sentences. Can I choose some new shoes? … The ship’s chef made a special cherry dish … Share the cheese before you catch the ball.

Rich: Those sentences were a bit strange.

Jack: You didn’t say they needed to make sense! Anyway, how many /ʧ/ sounds and how many /ʃ/ sounds? Listen again if you need to.

Rich: Let’s move on to our second consonant sound.

Jack: Consonant sound number two: Sound

Rich: Remember!  We read a sentence and you have to guess what sound we are going to look at. Jack, are you ready with the sentence?

Jack: I’m ready. The big player up front hit the post with a belter.

Rich: Say the sentence again.

Jack: The big player up front hit the post with a belter.

Rich: Did you get the sound? The problematic sounds here is /p/. Speakers of Arabic often find it difficult when using these sounds.

Jack: This is because it’s very similar to /b/ and in Arabic, there is only one sound. The best way to practise /p/ and check that you are saying /p/ correctly is to put some paper in front of your mouth.

Rich: Put some paper in front of your mouth?

Jack: Yes, get a piece of paper and say some words with /b/ … ball, boy, basketball. The paper doesn’t move. Now do the same with some words with /p/ … player, penalty, Premier League. The paper … paper moves.

Rich: Nice tip!

Jack: Right, here are three example sentences to practise. We want you to count the number of times you hear /b/ and the number of times you hear /p/.

Rich: The boy was happy on his bicycle … I like blackberry pie … The paperboy went past on his brand new pink bicycle.

Jack: Listen again if you need to.

Rich: Let’s move on to our third consonant sound.

Jack: Consonant sound number three:

Rich: Remember!  We read a sentence and you have to guess what sound we are going to look at. Jack, are you ready with the sentence?

Jack: Here it is. The Liverpool player received a red card not a yellow card.

Rich: Say the sentence again.

Jack: The Liverpool player received a red card not a yellow card.

Rich: Oh yes. This is a really difficult sound for Japanese and Chinese speakers. We’re looking at the /r/ sound here.

Jack: It’s really difficult because to some learners, it sounds exactly like /l/. Let’s look at /l/ first.

Rich: /l/ /l/ la la la l l l …. When I make the /l/ sound my mouth is open and my tongue is touching the top of my mouth. /l/ /l/ /l/ Liverpool, later, 

Jack: When I make the /r/ sound my tongue is much further back and doesn’t touch the roof of my mouth /r/ /r/ /r/ red, Rangers, Rich ..

Rich: Yes?

Jack: Just an example … Rich. A good way to practise this sound is with words that sound similar to each other. Listen and repeat.  Alive-arrive, long-wrong, lead-read.

Rich: Right, here are three example sentences. We want you to count the number of times you hear /l/ and the number of times you hear /r/.

Jack: Turn right at the yellow light … He had a full belly after his bowl of cherries … He lead the race until the last lap but had to settle for last place.

Rich: Listen again if you need to. Let’s move on to our fourth consonant sound.

Jack: Consonant sound number four: Sound effect

Rich: Remember!  We read a sentence and you have to guess what sound we are going to look at. 

Jack: Here is the sentence. Woolly vests are best worn on very cold winter days.

Rich: Say the sentence again.

Jack: Woolly vests are best worn on very cold winter days.

Rich: The problematic sound here is /w/. It’s often difficult for some learners for example in lots of European countries to use /w/ they tend to overuse /v/. I wear a vest when it’s cold. I live in the west. I don’t live in my vest.

Jack: No, that would be a bit smelly!

Rich: Let’s look at the /v/ sound first. Put your teeth on your bottom lip and make a buzzy sound. You can do it for a long time, listen … vvvvvvvvv

Jack: We use it for very, vest, vase, arrive and drive.

Rich: We make the /w/ sound by pushing our lips forward. /w/ /w/ water, west, worry, Wednesday.

Jack: Here are some words that sound similar. Repeat after me: vest, west, vine, wine, verse, worse.

Rich: Right, here are three example sentences. We want you to count the number of times you hear /v/ and the number of times you hear /w/.

Jack: I live in a wonderful villa in Wales … I love to welcome visitors to my villa … On Wednesdays, I visit my friend William.

Rich: Listen again if you need to. Let’s move on to our fifth and final consonant sound.

Jack: Consonant sound number five: 

Rich: Remember!  We read a sentence and you have to guess what sound we are going to look at.

Jack: We’re focusing on a problematic consonant sound. This one is probably the most difficult sound in English. Are you ready?

Rich: I think that this is the third time we’ve thought about this.

Jack: Hmmm. Say the sentence again.

Rich: I think that this is the third time we’ve thought about this.

Jack: Did you get it? Which sound causes problems?

Rich: There are two sounds here /θ/ and /ð/ and they cause lots of language learners problems These sounds are written with TH. I don’t think this sound exists in Indonesian, French, and Chinese and probably lots of other languages too!

Jack: These are difficult sounds, but it’s important to remember that sometimes you don’t have to get the sound exactly right. Even if you get these sounds muddled up people should still understand you if you speak clearly.

Rich: That’s right and English is changing all the time and changing in different ways in different parts of the world. In some types of English, it is often acceptable not to use certain sounds. 

Jack: I think we should look at it though because you will never be making a mistake if you do use these sounds! So how do we make these TH sounds?

Rich: To make the /θ/ sound, the very end of your tongue sticks out a little bit between your teeth. Th th th thanks thank you. But keep it soft. 

Jack: Some other examples are Thursday, think, path, faith.

Rich: What about the other T H sound? Like in this and that ...

Jack: The other sound is more buzzy. You make the sound further back in your throat and with your voice, not just your breath. Th th this and that this that. The….

Rich: Some other examples are brother, mother,  weather, then …

Jack: Rich, can you give our listeners three example sentences? We want you to count the examples of /θ/ and the examples of /ð/.

Rich: It was my fortieth birthday this year. That thing is much better than the other thing. There are thousands of fans in the stadium at this moment.

Jack: Listen again if you need to.

Football Phrase

Rich: Have you got a football phrase for us this week? 

Jack: Yes, I have, but first, last week’s football phrase. Last week’s phrase was to break down a defence. This phrase is used to describe what an attacking team need s to do to score against a team that defends a lot. 

Rich: Well done to Liubomyr and Sabanoleg from Ukraine, Lakerwang from China and Ahmed Adam from Sudan. You all got the right answer! What’s this week’s phrase, Jack?

Jack: This week’s football phrase is ******** ****. It’s when one player kicks the ball to a teammate when there is an opposition player nearby. This is a dangerous thing to do because both players will try to get the ball and they might crash into each other. Because a player could get hurt, we use the place sick and injured people go to in this phrase.

Rich: Not sure if it’s the phrase or the explanation that is difficult this week.

Jack: Right, that’s all we have time for this week! Don’t forget to write your answers to our questions and make a guess at our football phrase in the comments below.

Rich: Bye for now and enjoy your football!

Vocabulary

How much did you understand?

In the podcast, Rich and Jack used some words and phrases that might be new for you. Do you know the words in bold?

Some people are quite precious about their town name and expect you to pronounce it properly.

Even if you get these sounds muddled up people should still understand you if you speak clearly.

There were a few more tricky words in the podcast. Do you know what they all mean? Try the activity below, then, listen to the podcast again to hear how we used the words.

Activity 1

Activity 1: In this activity, try to match the words and phrases to their definitions. All of the words were in this week's podcast.
Can you match the words to their definitions?

Henrikh Mkhitaryan plays for Manchester Utd. Can you pronounce his name correctly?

Pronunciation

Consonant Sounds

In this week's podcast, Jack and Rich spoke about five consonant sounds that learners find difficult to say. Consonants are letters that are not vowels (a, e, i, o and u), so consonant sounds are the sounds we use to produce sounds such as /p/, /l/, /f/ or /k/. The problem sounds below are particularly relevant for speakers of specific languages but they might be problematic for speakers of your language too.

/tʃ/

Portuguese Speakers

Speakers of languages such as Portuguese often overuse the /ʃ/ sound that can be found in words such as should and shoe. The /tʃ/ sound can be found in words such as cheese and chair. Try practising these sentences from the podcast:

Manchester Utd shirts match Manchester Utd shorts.

Can I choose some new shoes?

Is this a sound that you find difficult?

/p/

Arabic Speakers

Speakers of Arabic often find it difficult to pronounce the /p/ sound that can be found in paper, player and push. It often sounds like a /b/ sound so it is important to practise saying sentences with both sounds so it becomes easier to distinguish between the two. Try practising these sentences from the podcast:

I like blackberry pie.

The paperboy went past on his brand new pink bicycle.

Is this a sound that you find difficult?

Do you find any of these consonant sounds difficult?

/r/

Japanese Speakers

Speakers of Japanese, Chinese and other languages often find the /r/ sound challenging. The /r/ sound can also be hard to distinguish from the /l/ sound which is made at the front of the mouth with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth. The /r/ sound is made further back in the mouth and the tongue doesn't touch the top of the mouth. It's important to try to practise these two sounds together to hear the difference. Try practising these sentences from the podcast: 

Turn right at the yellow light.

Rich ran a really good race.

Is this a sound that you find difficult?

/w/

Russian Speakers

Speakers of Russian, German, Greek and other languages have problems with the /w/ sound like in words such as water and win. This is often because the sound doesn't exist in these languages. An additional problem (as in German) is when the letter 'W' exists but is pronounced 'V'.  This often causes words that begin with 'w' to be pronounced incorrectly in English. Try practising these sentences from the podcast: 

On Wednesdays I like to visit my friend William.

Woolly vests are best worn on very cold winter days.

Is this a sound that you find difficult?

/θ/ and /ð/

Lots of languages

The sounds that are used to pronounce the TH sound (/θ/ and /ð/) are often the most difficult to produce for speakers of many languages. This is because they don't exist in lots of languages, Bahasa Indonesian, French and Chinese to name a few. The sounds are similar. The /θ/ sound is made by putting the end of your tongue between your teeth like in words such as teeth, Thursday and thanks. The /ð/ sounds more like a buzz and your tongue is further back. It is a voiced consonant. /ð/  is used in words such as this and that. Try practising these sentences from the podcast: 

There are thousands of fans in the stadium at the moment.

It was my fortieth birthday this year.

Is this a sound that you find difficult?

Do these consonant sounds exist in your language?

Task

Which consonants cause you the most problems?

In the podcast, Rich and Jack spoke about five consonant sounds that are difficult to pronounce. Your task is to write a phrase or sentence that includes some of the consonants in English that speakers of your language have problems with. For example, speakers of Spanish often have problems with /i/ and /i:/ or /b/ and /v/ sounds. Arabic speakers often have problems with /p/ and /b/ or /v/ and /f/ sounds.

You need to:

  • decide which sounds are most difficult for speakers of your language (look at the images above to help you)
  • think of one to three sentences that include as many of those example sounds as possible
  • write your sentence (s) in the comments section
  • tell us what your native language is and why these sounds are difficult for you

Write your tongue twister in the comments section below and don't forget to try saying other people's tongue twisters too!

Quiz

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Comment

What do you think?

In this week’s podcast, Jack and Rich spoke about consonants that are often difficult to say.

Do you have any problems with pronunciation? How do you practise your English pronunciation?

Are there any Premier League club names or Premier League players that you find difficult to pronounce?

Look at the task above and write your answers below!

Remember to write your guess at this week's football phrase, too!

If you want us to correct your English, just write 'correct me' at the beginning of your comment.

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Comments

hsn's picture
hsn
27/08/2021
TR
5525
points

Task
• Turkish native learners often problems with /th/ , /gh/ and /wh/sounds. Like in this sentence; Both of us thought that it could be so tough when a whales has cough so much like this. (No sense).
We don’t have these sort of sounds.Two consonant sounds rarely come together at a word in my language.Generally a vowel letter is placed between them.
Comment
1-I’ve problems with pronunciation of some words like “retaliation” I repeat it so many times.
2- Brighton and Hove Albion.
Phrase
• All the figures muddled up and get difficult to confirm.
One of my awful joke -:)
• Reporter is informing TV news desk about earthquake in the city which called "Txsrmvnlzkyp". Announcer at the news desk asks; Is this name after earthquake.
Notes
• Polish words are very hard to pronounce for me.
• I've been learning Arabic language apart from English for a while.There is no "p" sound in Arabic and they pronounce it as "b" sound.


hsn's picture
hsn
27/08/2021 13:25
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

Task
• Turkish native learners often problems with /th/ , /gh/ and /wh/sounds. Like in this sentence; Both of us thought that it could be so tough when a whales has cough so much like this. (No sense).
We don’t have these sort of sounds.Two consonant sounds rarely come together at a word in my language.Generally a vowel letter is placed between them.
Comment
1-I’ve problems with pronunciation of some words like “retaliation” I repeat it so many times.
2- Brighton and Hove Albion.
Phrase
• All the figures muddled up and get difficult to confirm.
One of my awful joke -:)
• Reporter is informing TV news desk about earthquake in the city which called "Txsrmvnlzkyp". Announcer at the news desk asks; Is this name after earthquake.
Notes
• Polish words are very hard to pronounce for me.
• I've been learning Arabic language apart from English for a while.There is no "p" sound in Arabic and they pronounce it as "b" sound.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/05/2020
TR
6510
points

I think this week's football phrase is ( dangerous pass )


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/05/2020 13:05
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

I think this week's football phrase is ( dangerous pass )

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/05/2020
TR
6510
points

Decide which sounds are most difficult for speakers of your language
/θ/ and /ð/ are very difficult in Turkish

Think of one to three sentences that include as many of those examples
THirty THree THieves THought THat THey THrilled us
We will weaTHer the weaTHer whatever THe weaTHer

Tell us what your native language is and why these sounds are difficult for you
These sounds are difficult because they are not existed in the Turkish language


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/05/2020 13:02
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

Decide which sounds are most difficult for speakers of your language
/θ/ and /ð/ are very difficult in Turkish

Think of one to three sentences that include as many of those examples
THirty THree THieves THought THat THey THrilled us
We will weaTHer the weaTHer whatever THe weaTHer

Tell us what your native language is and why these sounds are difficult for you
These sounds are difficult because they are not existed in the Turkish language

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/05/2020
TR
6510
points

I think Middlesbrough was quite difficult and in terms of players I found the new Chelsea goalkeeper Arrizabalaga was a bit tricky
But since practice makes perfect so they are easy at the moment


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/05/2020 12:53
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

I think Middlesbrough was quite difficult and in terms of players I found the new Chelsea goalkeeper Arrizabalaga was a bit tricky
But since practice makes perfect so they are easy at the moment

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/05/2020
TR
6510
points

I had a problem in /p/ sound because my original language was Egyptian but since I moved to Turkey and learned both English and Turkish , it becomes so easy for me :)


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
23/05/2020 12:50
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

I had a problem in /p/ sound because my original language was Egyptian but since I moved to Turkey and learned both English and Turkish , it becomes so easy for me :)

Violinka
04/12/2017
UA
1859
points

Maybe the phrase is "******** ****" ?


Violinka
04/12/2017 14:32
Ukraine
Chelsea
1859

Maybe the phrase is "******** ****" ?

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
04/12/2017
GH
4768
points

I practice English pronunciations by breaking a word into syllabus and for one syllable words I use lessons from phoenix to help me pronounce them.


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
04/12/2017 07:35
Ghana
Manchester United
4768

I practice English pronunciations by breaking a word into syllabus and for one syllable words I use lessons from phoenix to help me pronounce them.

haruyuki's picture
haruyuki
04/12/2017
JP
38
points

Speakers of Japanese often have problems with /r/ and /l/ sounds.
I made some sentences using /r/ and /l/ below. If there are some advices, please teach me.
I tripped on a rock in the grass and fell down.
I locked up my glasses in the safe because they were really expensive.

I found a word that I don’t understand in this podcast.
It is ‘belter’ and it means ‘a loud forceful singer or song’ in Japanese dictionary.
The activity 1 described it means something that us unusually powerful.
I’m confused about this meaning differences.
Is it a word that is used commonly in English conversation?

I guess this week’s football phrase is ******** ****.


haruyuki's picture
haruyuki
04/12/2017 05:55
Japan
Liverpool
38

Speakers of Japanese often have problems with /r/ and /l/ sounds.
I made some sentences using /r/ and /l/ below. If there are some advices, please teach me.
I tripped on a rock in the grass and fell down.
I locked up my glasses in the safe because they were really expensive.

I found a word that I don’t understand in this podcast.
It is ‘belter’ and it means ‘a loud forceful singer or song’ in Japanese dictionary.
The activity 1 described it means something that us unusually powerful.
I’m confused about this meaning differences.
Is it a word that is used commonly in English conversation?

I guess this week’s football phrase is ******** ****.

lakerwang
05/12/2017
CN
337
points

Is a loud forceful song something that is unusually powerful?I think so.When a big player hit the post, he makes a bang that is like a belter.So we can say 'The big player up front hit the post with a belter'
I wonder if my understanding is correct, Jack&Rich


lakerwang
05/12/2017 15:43
China
Chelsea
337

Is a loud forceful song something that is unusually powerful?I think so.When a big player hit the post, he makes a bang that is like a belter.So we can say 'The big player up front hit the post with a belter'
I wonder if my understanding is correct, Jack&Rich

haruyuki's picture
haruyuki
08/12/2017
JP
38
points

Thank you for your comment.
As you have just commented, a loud song and a bang you describe sound similar.
If you know the opposite word of 'belter', please let me know.


haruyuki's picture
haruyuki
08/12/2017 10:06
Japan
Liverpool
38

Thank you for your comment.
As you have just commented, a loud song and a bang you describe sound similar.
If you know the opposite word of 'belter', please let me know.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
03/12/2017
DZ
3988
points

By improving my listening skills I was able to understand pronunciations issues.

Arsenal is difficult to pronunce for Frenchies and Algerians too.

I have difficulties pronuncing Ibrahimovitch so I prefer to name him Ibra.

In Arabic the 'h' is difficult and people usually muddle it with 'ha' and a'. I can really explain these three consonant in writing because I don't know the adequat skills.

Frenchies never make the right pronunciation for the three sounds.

football phrase, ******** ****.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
03/12/2017 17:54
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

By improving my listening skills I was able to understand pronunciations issues.

Arsenal is difficult to pronunce for Frenchies and Algerians too.

I have difficulties pronuncing Ibrahimovitch so I prefer to name him Ibra.

In Arabic the 'h' is difficult and people usually muddle it with 'ha' and a'. I can really explain these three consonant in writing because I don't know the adequat skills.

Frenchies never make the right pronunciation for the three sounds.

football phrase, ******** ****.

lakerwang
02/12/2017
CN
337
points

Actually , the Chinese can distinguish the /r/ sound from the /l/ sound easily. Even though the pronounciation of the letter r in Mandarian is more like /ʒ/, English learners in China can make the /r/ sound precisely. As for /l/, Chinese people have no problems with the light /l/, as in words like love, left and luck .However, I think some of them don't know how to pronouce the dark /l/ like in words such as double, pull and cold. They often pronounce these words like 'doubo, puo and code'.
The biggest problems English learners in China have are the /θ/ and /ð/ sound. For those learners, /θ/ sounds very similar to /s/, and so does /ð/ to /z/.If you have a conversation in English with Chinese people, you will hear them saying 'sank you', 'I don't sink so', 'ze king in ze norse'(You know Game of Srones series is very popular in China) etc. They do know they have to put the tip of their tongues in between the upper and the lower teeth, but they often forget it while speak English.
I know how to pronounce the /θ/ and /ð/ sound,and try to speak properly in spoken English. However, if a couple of /θ/ and /s/(or /ð/ and /z/ ) go together, my tongue will get twisted. Here are some examples:
1.Let's see this through.
2.These are the best clothes in this city.
3.Nothing's been sold for three months.
It's a bit difficult for me to say the sentences above fast and correctly.

OK, this week’s football phrase is ' ******** ****'


lakerwang
02/12/2017 15:24
China
Chelsea
337

Actually , the Chinese can distinguish the /r/ sound from the /l/ sound easily. Even though the pronounciation of the letter r in Mandarian is more like /ʒ/, English learners in China can make the /r/ sound precisely. As for /l/, Chinese people have no problems with the light /l/, as in words like love, left and luck .However, I think some of them don't know how to pronouce the dark /l/ like in words such as double, pull and cold. They often pronounce these words like 'doubo, puo and code'.
The biggest problems English learners in China have are the /θ/ and /ð/ sound. For those learners, /θ/ sounds very similar to /s/, and so does /ð/ to /z/.If you have a conversation in English with Chinese people, you will hear them saying 'sank you', 'I don't sink so', 'ze king in ze norse'(You know Game of Srones series is very popular in China) etc. They do know they have to put the tip of their tongues in between the upper and the lower teeth, but they often forget it while speak English.
I know how to pronounce the /θ/ and /ð/ sound,and try to speak properly in spoken English. However, if a couple of /θ/ and /s/(or /ð/ and /z/ ) go together, my tongue will get twisted. Here are some examples:
1.Let's see this through.
2.These are the best clothes in this city.
3.Nothing's been sold for three months.
It's a bit difficult for me to say the sentences above fast and correctly.

OK, this week’s football phrase is ' ******** ****'

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
02/12/2017
GH
4768
points

This week's phrase is ******** ****.


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
02/12/2017 13:07
Ghana
Manchester United
4768

This week's phrase is ******** ****.

Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
02/12/2017
SD
2903
points

I'm in with a shout!! This week's football phrase is a "******** ****"


Ahmed Adam Mamado's picture
Ahmed Adam Mamado
02/12/2017 06:37
Sudan
Liverpool
2903

I'm in with a shout!! This week's football phrase is a "******** ****"

sabanoleg
01/12/2017
UA
2337
points

I think football phrase is"******** ****"


sabanoleg
01/12/2017 17:42
Ukraine
Arsenal
2337

I think football phrase is"******** ****"

admin's picture
admin
01/12/2017
GB
560
points

You and Liubomyr are amazing. I can't believe you both got that.


admin's picture
admin
01/12/2017 23:04
United Kingdom
Arsenal
560

You and Liubomyr are amazing. I can't believe you both got that.

Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
01/12/2017
UA
4408
points

I think that the phrase is a ‘******** ****’


Liubomyr's picture
Liubomyr
01/12/2017 12:19
Ukraine
Watford
4408

I think that the phrase is a ‘******** ****’

admin's picture
admin
01/12/2017
GB
560
points

Well done!


admin's picture
admin
01/12/2017 23:04
United Kingdom
Arsenal
560

Well done!

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1mobeckham6510
2Alex_from_Ukraine6278
3hsn5525
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4768
6Liubomyr4408
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71478
2Ukraine33300
3Spain28277
4Serbia27289
5Brazil23896
6Albania20578
7Vietnam19939
8Turkey19810
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United141846
2Liverpool110282
3Chelsea88559
4Arsenal85713
5Manchester City56951
6Tottenham Hotspur19169
7Newcastle United10457
8West Ham United7454
9AFC Bournemouth4454
10Crystal Palace4240

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Goals

Skills: Improve your listening

Pronunciation: Learn more about problematic consonant sounds

Task: Tell us about the most difficult sounds in English for speakers of your language