The sounds in "sit" and "zit"

/s/ & /z/

The consonant sounds in "sit" and "zit" are both made by putting your teeth together and putting your tongue in the middle of your mouth, right behind your teeth, but not touching them.

If we make these sounds the same way, then what is the difference between them? The difference is not what we do with our mouths, but what we do with our voice.

When we make a /s/ sound, we do not use our voice; the sound is quiet. Put your hand on your throat and make the sound /s/. You should not feel any movement in your throat.
However, when we make a /z/ sound, we do use our voice. Put your hand on your throat and make the /z/ sound. Can you feel the vibrations?

Now let's listen to some sounds!

"sit" sounds: sit sue see

"zit" sounds: zit zoo z ("zee")

To practice voiced and voiceless sounds at the end of words, click here.

source: soundsofenglish.org

r and l sounds in English

/r/ & /l/

It is easy to confuse /r/ and /l/ in English. However, it is also easy to learn how to make the two different sounds. The big thing to remember is that when you say /r/, YOUR TONGUE SHOULD NOT TOUCH THE TOP OF YOUR MOUTH. It should be bunched up towards the back of your mouth with the tip pointing towards the top of your mouth (BUT NOT TOUCHING!). We do NOT move our tongue while making the American /r/ sound. This makes it different from the /r/ is German, Czech, or even some other English dialects, like Scottish. Your lips should also be round when you say /r/, like you are getting ready to kiss someone.

Here are some videos with /r/ sounds at the beginning of them. (These videos will launch a separate video viewer to play them. Make sure you have a plug-in for video clips.)

• 'read' video clip (200 K MPEG)
• 'road' video clip (300 k MPEG)
  
  

There are actually two different ways to make /l/ sounds in American English. The most common way is to put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth behind your teeth (as it your were going to make a /d/ or /t/ sou nd). As you make the sound, the air comes out from the sides of your tongue. The second way to make /l/ is used after some vowels, like in the words call, full, toll, and walk. This sound is made way in the back of your mouth by putting the back of you r tongue close to the back of your mouth so that there is only a small opening for air.

/r/ sounds after a vowel change the sound of the vowel, too. This is called r colorization.

Now let's listen to some sounds!

r sounds: rake rack rock or fear

l sounds: lake lack lock all feel

r- colored vowels
• bead--beard
• body--bard
• sir were purr

source: soundsofenglish.org

The sounds in "did" and "ted"

/d/ /t/

The consonant sounds in "did" and "ted" are both made by putting our tongue right behind our top teeth and then moving it to release a small puff of air.

If we make these sounds the same way, then what is the difference between them? The difference is not what we do with our mouths, but what we do with our voice. When we make a /t/ sound, we do not use our voice; the sound is quiet. Put your hand on your throat and make the sound /t/. You should not feel any movement in your throat.

However, when we make a /d/ sound, we do use our voice. Put your hand on your throat and make the /d/ sound. Can you feel the vibrations?

Another way to help you learn the difference between these two sounds is that /t/(the voiceless sound) makes a bigger puff of air. Put your hand in front of your mouth and make the /t/ sound. Feel the big puff of air. Now put your hand in front of your mouth again and make the /d/ sound (the voiced sound). Feel only a little puff of air? Good!

Now let's listen to some sounds!

"did" sounds: den dad dip

"Ted" sounds: ten Tad tip

To practice voiced and voiceless sounds at the end of words, click here.

source: soundsofenglish.org

The sounds in English

There are actually two different "th" sounds in English, but they are very similar. Both "th" sounds are made putting your tongue between your teeth so that the tip of your tongue is touching the tips of your top teeth. Now you can make a "th" sound by blowing are through your teeth. You can check to see if you are doing it correctly by using a mirror. You should be able to see your tongue when you say words such as "this", "the", and "that". If cannot see your tongue, yo u may be putting your tongue behind your top teeth instead of touching the tips of your top teeth.

If you put your tongue behind your top teeth, you will make a /d/ or /t/sound instead of a "th" sound. If it sounds like you are making an /s/ or /z/ sound, it is also because your tongue is behind your teeth. Make sure you are touching your teeth with your tongue!

Watch where the tongue is in these video clips. Can you see it between the teeth? (These videos will launch a separate video viewer to play them. Make sure you have a plug-in for video clips.)

• 'think' close up video (400 k MPEG file)
• 'that' close up video (500 k MPEG file)

  There is a difference, however, in the "th" sound in "the" and "breathe" and the sound in "thigh" and "breath". What is the difference?

  In "the" and "breathe", we use our voice when we make the "th" sound. Try to make a "th" sound using your voice. If you put your hand on your throat, you should feel the vibration.

  The sound in "thigh" and "breath" is made without using our voice. If you put your hand on your throat when you are making this sound, you will not feel anything moving.

  Now let's listen to some sounds!

  "thy" sounds: thy this breathe

  "thigh" sounds: thigh thought breath

  ---

  To practice voiced and voiceless sounds at the end of words, click here.
  
  source: soundsofenglish.org
  

• 
  

Nasal sounds

/m/ /n/ and "ng"

The beginning sounds in "mitt" and "knit", as well as the sound at the end of "bring", are called "nasals". That is because when we makes these sounds, the air goes out of our nose instead of our mouths.

The first sound, /m/, is made by closing your mouth. Now use your voice to make a sound. That is the sound /m/. Try holding your nose and making this sound. You can't do it. You need for the air to go out your nose in order to make this sound.

Here is a video clip with the /m/ sound. Compare this clip of someone saying 'mom' to the 'pop' clip on the b/p page. Notice how both sounds are made with the lips. BUT when the speaker says 'mom' she doesn't open her mouth again afterwards, but she does when she says 'pop.' Why? For /m/, you only need to close your mouth. For /p/, you need to close your mouth and then open it again to release that puff of air that makes the /p/. (These videos will launch a separate video viewer to play them. Make sure you have a plug-in for video clips.)

• 'mom' video clip (200 K MPEG file)
  

The second sound, /n/, is made by putting the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, right behind your teeth, like you do when you make /d/ or /t/. Now use your voice to make a sound (don't move your tongue!). Be careful that you do not say /l/ instead of /n/. You can check by holding your nose. If you can make the sound and hold your nose, you are saying /l/, if you can't then you are saying /n/.

The sound at the end of "bring", the "ng" sound is actually one sound even though it is written with two letters. To make this sound, put your tongue up against the roof of the back of your mouth, as if you are going to say /k/ or /g/. Now, make a sound using your voice. This is "ng".
In English, the "ng" sound is only found at the end of syllables. It cannot start a word.

Now let's listen to some sounds!

"mitt" sounds:

• mitt
• meat
• mat
• rum

"knit" sounds:

• knit
• neat
• gnat
• run

"bring" sounds:

• bring
• sang
• gong
• rung

source: soundsofenglish.org

Level B

Kiểm tra kiến thức tiếng Anh trình độ B ( English Test )

Lesson 1 ( Bài 1 )

Lesson 2 ( Bài 2 )

Lesson 3 ( Bài 3 )

Lesson 4 ( Bài 4 )

Lesson 5 ( Bài 5 )

Lesson 6 ( Bài 6 )

Lesson 7 ( Bài 7 )

Lesson 8 ( Bài 8 )

Lesson 9 ( Bài 9 )

Lesson 10 ( Bài 10 )

Lesson 11 ( Bài 11 )

Lesson 12 ( Bài 12 )

Lesson 13 ( Bài 13 )

Lesson 14 ( Bài 14 )

Lesson 15 ( Bài 15 )

Lesson 16 ( Bài 16 )

Lesson 17 ( Bài 17 )

Lesson 18 ( Bài 18 )

Lesson 19 ( Bài 19 )

Lesson 20 ( Bài 20 )

Lesson 21 ( Bài 21 )

Lesson 22 ( Bài 22 )

Lesson 23 ( Bài 23 )

Level A

Kiểm tra kiến thức tiếng Anh trình độ A ( English Test )

Lesson 1 ( Bài 1 )

Lesson 2 ( Bài 2 )

Lesson 3 ( Bài 3 )

Lesson 4 ( Bài 4 )

Lesson 5 ( Bài 5 )

Lesson 6 ( Bài 6 )

Lesson 7 ( Bài 7 )

Lesson 8 ( Bài 8 )

Lesson 9 ( Bài 9 )

Lesson 10 ( Bài 10 )

Lesson 11 ( Bài 11 )

Lesson 12 ( Bài 12 )

Lesson 13 ( Bài 13 )

Lesson 14 ( Bài 14 )

Lesson 15 ( Bài 15 )

Lesson 16 ( Bài 16 )

Lesson 17 ( Bài 17 )

Lesson 18 ( Bài 18 )

Lesson 19 ( Bài 19 )

Lesson 20 ( Bài 20 )

Lesson 21 ( Bài 21 )

Lesson 22 ( Bài 22 )

Lesson 23 ( Bài 23 )

Lesson 24 ( Bài 24 )

Lesson 25 ( Bài 25 )

Lesson 26 ( Bài 26 )

Lesson 27 ( Bài 27 )

Lesson 28 ( Bài 28 )

Lesson 29 ( Bài 29 )

Lesson 30 ( Bài 30 )

Lesson 31 ( Bài 31 )

Lesson 32 ( Bài 32 )

Lesson 33 ( Bài 33 )

Lesson 34 ( Bài 34 )

Lesson 35 ( Bài 35 )

Lesson 36 ( Bài 36 )

Lesson 37 ( Bài 37 )

Lesson 38 ( Bài 38 )

Lesson 39 ( Bài 39 )

Lesson 40 ( Bài 40 )