English Pronounciation

English Pronunciation Pronunciation can be a tricky matter when it comes to the English language. Unlike with languages like Hindi and Tamil, letters in English take on multiple phonetic forms (think of the a in ‘can’ and the a in ‘war’); thus, the concept of pronouncing a word the way it is spelled does not apply. This is partly the result of derivation; English is a derivative language. It means that many of its words and phrases have been borrowed from other languages (cafe, boutique, cocoa). The unpredictability that results from being a derivative language, makes pronunciation in English difficult to master. A written course is possibly the least helpful way to go about it. It is through continued contact with English speakers and practice that one’s pronunciation improves. Watching English-language films, TV shows, and news channels is also very useful. Both methods, however, require conscious effort. One must pay close attention while conversing with someone who is fluent and while watching English-language film or TV productions, and through practice, make correct-sounding speech a matter of habit. There are, however, some guidelines that we can provide on pronunciation that should help in giving you an idea of the contours of spoken English: Regarding Consonants

B
Usually pronounced like the ‘b’ in ‘big’. However, in words ending with ‘-mb’, such as comb, plumb, numb, bomb, etc, the ‘b’ is silent.

C
Usually pronounced like ‘k’, as in ‘cat’. However, ‘c’ takes on the sound of ‘s’ when it precedes ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘y’, as in ceiling, cistern, cynic, etc.

-dge
Usually pronounced like ‘j’, as in ‘bridge’.

G
Usually pronounced as in ‘go’. However, before ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘y’, ‘g’ is often pronounced like ‘j’, as in germ, ginger, gyrate, etc.

-gh
In some words, ‘-gh’ is pronounced like ‘f’, as in laugh. However, in some words it is silent, as in high.

H
For example, ‘head’. However, in a few words, the ‘h’ is silent, as in hour, honour, etc.

K
Generally pronounced like the ‘c’ in ‘cat’. However, when followed by ‘n’, it is usually silent, as in knife, knave, knight, etc.

L
Generally pronounced as in ‘leaf’. However, in a few words, the ‘l’ is silent, especially when followed by ‘k’ and ‘f’, as in talk, walk, half, calf, etc.

S
Generally pronounced as in ‘sun’. However, in some words ‘s’ is pronounced like ‘z’, as in nose, president, etc. In a few words, such as television and azure, ‘s’ takes on a sound generally represented phonetically as ‘zh’.

Th
Generally aspirated, ie, let out with a puff of air, as in think, third, etc. However, in some words, such as this, ‘th’ is not aspirated.

X
Usually pronounced like in box (the sound is –ks). However, when it is the first letter of a word, x is pronounced like ‘z’.

Y
Generally pronounced as in yesterday. In some words, it takes on the sound ‘ee’, as in city. In yet other words, it takes on the sound ‘ai’, as in fly. Regarding Vowels
A
Before two consonants, ‘a’ is pronounced as in sand. This also applies when it appears before a single consonant at the end of a word, as in fan.
Before a single consonant followed by a vowel, ‘a’ is usually pronounced as in ate (the sound is ey).
Before ‘l’ and after ‘q’ and ‘w’, ‘a’ is usually pronounced as in call (the sound is like ‘aw’). Other examples are squash and wall.

E
Before two consonants and before a single consonant at the end of a word, ‘e’ is usually pronounced as in desk or ten. This also applies when ‘e’ appears before a single consonant followed by a vowel (ever), although sometimes ‘e’ is pronounced ‘ee’ in such cases, as in even.
At the end of a word, ‘e’ is usually silent, as in ate, fate, etc; however, at the end of very short words, ‘e’ usually takes on the sound ‘ee’, as in be.

I
Before two consonants and before a single consonant at the end of a word, ‘i’ is usually pronounced as in fit or fill. However, in some cases, before two consonants, ‘i’ takes on the ‘ai’ sound (rhymes with eye). For example, wild.
Before a single consonant followed by a vowel, ‘i’ generally takes on the ‘ai’ sound, as in eye and tire.

O
Before two consonants in some words and before a single consonant at the end of a word, ‘o’ takes on the sound ‘aw’, as in rock and not.
In other words, it is pronounced ‘oh’ when it appears before two consonants, as in bolt.
The same applies when it precedes a single consonant followed by a vowel.

U
Before two consonants and before a consonant at the end of a word, ‘u’ usually takes on either the short ‘oo’ sound, as in pull and put, or the blunt ‘uh’, as in duck and jut.

Before a single consonant followed by a vowel, ‘u’ takes on the long ‘oo’ sound, as in June.
Collocations

A collocation is a combination of words that are commonly used together; the simplest way of describing collocations is to say that they ‘just sound right’ to native English speakers. Other combinations that may mean the same thing would seem ‘unnatural’. Collocations include noun phrases like ‘stiff wind’ and ‘weapons of mass destruction’, phrasal verbs such as ‘to get together’ and other stock phrases such as ‘the rich and famous’
It is important to learn collocations, because they are important for the naturalisation of one’s speech. Besides, they broaden one’s scope for expression.
Here is a list of collocations to help you get started: Collocations starting with the verb ‘do’ Do me a favour
Do the cooking
Do the housework
Do the shopping
Do the washing up
Do your best
Do your hair Collocations with the verb ‘have’ Have a good time
Have a bath
Have a drink
Have a haircut
Have a holiday
Have a problem
Have a relationship
Have lunch
Have sympathy Collocations with the verb ‘break’ Break the law
Break a leg
Break a promise
Break a record
Break someone's heart
Break the ice
Break the news to someone
Break the rules Collocations with the verb ‘take’ Take a break
Take a chance
Take a look
Take a rest
Take a seat
Take a taxi
Take an exam
Take notes
Take someone's place Collocations with the verb ‘make’ Make a difference
Make a mess
Make a mistake
Make a noise
Make an effort
Make money
Make progress
Make room
Make trouble Collocations with the verb ‘catch’ Catch the bus
Catch a ball
Catch a cold
Catch a thief
Catch fire
Catch sight of
Catch someone's attention
Catch someone's eye
Catch the flu Collocations with the verb ‘pay’ Pay respect
Pay a fine
Pay attention
Pay by credit card
Pay cash
Pay interest
Pay someone a visit
Pay the bill
Pay the price Collocations with the verb ‘keep’ Keep the change
Keep a promise
Keep a secret
Keep an appointment
Keep calm
Keep in touch
Keep quiet
Keep someone's place Collocations with the verb ‘save’ Save yourself the trouble
Save electricity
Save energy
Save money
Save someone a seat
Save someone's life
Save something to a disk
Save time Collocations with the verb ‘go’ Go bald
Go abroad
Go astray
Go bad
Go bankrupt
Go blind
Go crazy
Go fishing
Go mad
Go missing
Go online
Go out of business
Go overseas
Go quiet
Go sailing
Go to war Collocations with the verb ‘come’ Come under attack
Come close
Come direct
Come early
Come first
Come into view
Come last
Come late
Come on time
Come prepared
Come right back
Come to a decision
Come to an agreement
Come to an end
Come to a standstill
Come to terms with
Come to a total of Collocations with the verb ‘get’ Get the sack
Get a life
Get a job
Get a shock
Get angry
Get divorced
Get drunk
Get frightened
Get home
Get lost
Get married
Get permission
Get ready
Get started
Get the impression
Get upset
Get wet
Get worried Collocations related to time Bang on time
Dead on time
Free time
From dawn till dusk
Great deal of time
Early/late 15th century
Make time for
Next few days
Past few weeks
Right on time
Run out of time
Time goes by
Time passes
Waste time Collocations related to business English Annual turnover
Keep in mind
Break off negotiations
Close a deal
Close a meeting
Come to the point
Dismiss an offer
Draw a conclusion
Draw your attention to
Launch a new product
Go bankrupt
Go into partnership
Make a profit/loss