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ANGLO-PEDIA
Anglo-File 117: The English Sound System
The following exercises are designed to help you with the recognition and production of English
sounds. As a language that has been derived from many other languages, English has one of the
richest collection of sounds. This means that you are likely to come across several sounds that do
not exist in your mother tongue. Regular practice will help you to become familiar with these sounds,
and will improve both your listening comprehension and your pronunciation.
Work through the recordings in the following way:
1. Listen to each section several times until your ears have become familiar with the sound(s).
2. Repeat each section several times.
3. Do the dictation exercises at the end of selected sections. An answer key at the back of the
booklet will enable you to check your dictation exercises.
CONTENTS:
Section 1: Vowels and diphthongs:
short vowels
long vowels
diphthongs
Section 2: Vowels & diphthongs: Minimal pairs (distinguishing two sounds from each other)
Section 3: Consonants: Minimal pairs (distinguishing two sounds from each other)
Section 4: Consonant clusters: 2 consonants following each other
SP, ST, SK, SM, SN, SL, KS, KT, FT
Regular verbs ending in sound /t/
Regular verbs ending in sound /d/
Plural nouns / third person singular verbs ending in sound /s/
Plural nouns / third person singular verbs ending in sound /z/
Section 5: Special sounds
5a. Contractions
5b. Weak forms
Section 6: Phonetic links
6a. Consonant to vowel
6b. Consonant to consonant
6c. Vowel to vowel

INDEX
SECTION 1: VOWELS & DIPHTHONGS
Tracks 1 - 6: Short vowels: /a/ /e/ /i/ /o/ /u/ //
Tracks 7 - 11: Long vowels: /a:/ /:/ /i:/ /o:/ /u:/
Tracks 1 2 - 18: Diphthongs: /au/ /ai/ /ei/ /oi/ /u/ /e/ /i/
SECTION 2: VOWELS & DIPHTHONGS: MINIMAL PAIRS
Track 19: Sounds /a/ & /a:/
Track 20: Dictation 1
Track 21: Sounds /e/ & /:/
Track 22: Dictation 2
Track 23: Sounds /i/ & /i:/
Track 24: Dictation 3
Track 25: Sounds /o/ & /o:/
Track 26: Dictation 4
Track 27: Sounds /u/ & /u:/
Track 28: Dictation 5
Track 29: Sounds /a/ & //
Track 30: Dictation 6
Track 31: Sounds /a/ & /e/
Track 32: Dictation 7
Track 33: Sounds /a:/ & /:/
Track 34: Dictation 8
Track 35: Sounds /e/ & /ei/
Track 36: Dictation 9
Track 37: Sounds /o:/ & /u/
Track 38: Dictation 10
Track 39: Sounds /u:/ & /u/
Track 40: Dictation 11
SECTION 3: CONSONANTS: MINIMAL PAIRS
Track 41: Sounds /s/ & /sh/
Track 43: Sounds /sh/ & /ch/
Track 45: Sounds /s/ & /th/
Track 47: Sounds /t/ & /th/
Track 49: Sounds /m/ & /n/
Track 51: Sounds /y/ & /j/
Track 53: Sounds /b/ & /v/
Track 55: Sounds /w/ & /v/
Track 57: Sounds /l/ & /r/
Track 59: Sounds /d/ & /th/
Track 61: Sounds /h/ & /vowel/
Track 63: Sounds /s/ & /z/
Track 65: Sounds /p/ & /b/
Track 67: Sounds /t/ & /d/
Track 69: Sounds /k/ & /g/
Track 71: Sounds /f/ & /v/

Track 42: Dictation 1

Track 44: Dictation 2
Track 46: Dictation 3
Track 48: Dictation 4
Track 50: Dictation 5
Track 52: Dictation 6
Track 54: Dictation 7
Track 56: Dictation 8
Track 58: Dictation 9
Track 60: Dictation 10
Track 62: Dictation 11
Track 64: Dictation 12
Track 66: Dictation 13
Track 68: Dictation 14
Track 70: Dictation 15
Track 72: Dictation 16

SECTION 4: CONSONANT CLUSTERS

Track 73: SP, ST, SK, SM, SN, SL, KS, KT, FT
Track 74: Regular verbs ending in sound /t/
Track 75: Regular verbs ending in sound /d/
Track 76: Plural nouns / third person singular verbs ending in sound /s/
Track 77: Plural nouns / third person singular verbs ending in sound /z/
SECTION 5: SPECIAL SOUNDS
Track 78: Contractions
Track 79: Weak forms
SECTION 6: PHONETIC LINKS
Track 80: Consonant to vowel
Track 81: Consonant to consonant
Track 82: Vowel to vowel
Track 83: Dictation 28

Section 1: VOWELS & DIPHTHONGS

Short vowels
Sound 1: /a/
Sound 2: /e/
Sound 3: /i/
Sound 4: /o/
Sound 5: /u/
Sound 6: //

at, as, and, had, bank, sang, drank

ex, egg, end, pen, said, rest, bread, friend
it, ill, his, this, live, built, busy
on, off, opt, hot, want, prompt
put, bush, would, could, should, book
up, us, other, cup, rough, just, blood

Long vowels
Sound 1: /a:/
Sound 2: /:/
Sound 3: /i:/
Sound 4: /o:/
Sound 5: /u:/

art, aunt, car, heart, half, calm, laugh

early, sir, her, firm, heard, word, skirt, turn
ease, see, key, sheep, read, field, please
all, law, war, port, source, hall, fault, bought
zoo, who, suit, moon, cruise

Diphthongs
Sound 1: /au/
Sound 2: /ai/
Sound 3: ei/
Sound 4: /oi/
Sound 5: /u/
Sound 6: /e/
Sound 7: /i/

out, hour, now, how, loud, south, found

ice, high, buy, white, find, flight
aim, ace, pay, main, lane, weight, paint, great
oil, boy, join, point, choice, noise
own, old, low, so, boat, rode, cold, most, close
air, fair, rare, spare, there
ear, beer, fear, here, clear

Section 2: MINIMAL PAIRS

1. /a/
hat
cat
lad
pack
lack
mass
have
cap
shack
hash

&

/a:/
heart
cart
lard
park
lark
mars
half
carp
shark
harsh

Dictation 1: Listen and write down the words you hear.

2. /e/
bed
ten
Len
Head
Wed
Weld
Gem
Ben
Best

&

/:/
bird
turn
learn
heard
word
world
germ
burn
burst

Dictation 2: Listen and write down the words you hear.

3. /i/
grin
fit
dip
ship
sit
bit
fill
live
sin
gin

&

/i:/
green
feet
deep
sheep
seat
beat
feel
leave
seen
Jean

Dictation 3: Listen and write down the words you hear.

4. /o/
pot
cot
fox
cod
wok

&

/o:/
port
court
forks
cord
walk

Dictation 4: Listen and write down the words you hear.

5. /u/
full
pull
foot
soot
goods

&

/u:/
fool
pool
food
suit
goose

Dictation 5: Listen and write down the words you hear.

6. /a/
bag
mad
fan
sang
batter
hat
track
match
cap
ankle

&

//
bug
mud
fun
sung
butter
hut
truck
much
cup
uncle

Dictation 6: Listen and write down the words you hear.

7. /a/
had
bag
land
can
pan
mat
marry

&

/e/
head
beg
lend
Ken
pen
met
merry

pat
than

pet
then

Dictation 7: Listen and write down the words you hear.

8. /a:/
farm
barn
star
hard
dart
heart
bath
pass

&

/:/
firm
burn
stir
heard
dirt
hurt
birth
purse

Dictation 8: Listen and write down the words you hear.

9. /e/
&
pen
tell
men
fell
edge
shed
pepper
let
wet
get
test
debt

/ei/
pain
tail
main
fail
age
shade
paper
late
wait
gate
taste
date

Dictation 9: Listen and write down the words you hear.

10. /o:/
law
jaw
bought
called
ball
tore
torn
snore
hall
saw
shore

&

/u/
low
Joe
boat
cold
bowl
toe
tone
snow
hole
so
show

Dictation 10: Listen and write down the words you hear.
11. /u:/
Boot
cooled
Sue
shoe
room

&

/u/
boat
cold
so
show
Rome

moon
rule
mood
rude
soup

moan
role
mode
rode
soap

Dictation 11: Listen and write down the words you hear.
Section 3: CONSONANTS
1. /s/
see
sell
said
save
sock
saw
so
Sue

&

/sh/
she
shell
shed
shave
shock
shore
show
shoe

Dictation 1: Listen and write down the words you hear.

2. /sh/
ship
sherry
shoes
sheep
share
wash
cash
wish

&

/ch/
chip
cherry
choose
cheap
chair
watch
catch
which

Dictation 2: Listen and write down the words you hear.

3. /s/
&
sick
sink
seem
sing
pass
mouse
worse

/th/
thick
think
theme
thing
path
mouth
worth

Dictation 3: Listen and write down the words you hear.

4. /t/
tin
tank
tick
tree
team
fort
part

&

/th/
thin
thank
thick
three
theme
fourth
path

Dictation 4: Listen and write down the words you hear.

5. /m/
seem
them
rum
team
deem
dim
moon
mail

&

/n/
seen
then
run
teen
dean
din
noon
nail

Dictation 5: Listen and write down the words you hear.

6. /j/
yet
use
yak
yeti
yam
yolk
year
yes

&

/dj/
jet
juice
Jack
Jetty
jam
joke
jeer
Jess

Dictation 6: Listen and write down the words you hear.

7. /b/
best
boat
bat
berry
ban
bet

&

/v/
vest
vote
vat
very
van
vet

Dictation 7: Listen and write down the words you hear.

8. /w/
wet
west
whale
worse
wire
wine
wheel

&

/v/
vet
vest
veil
verse
via
vine
veal

Dictation 8: Listen and write down the words you hear.

9. /l/
low
light
lip
law
lead

&

/r/
row
right
rip
raw
read

list
alive
collect
long
Lice

wrist
arrive
correct
wrong
rice

Dictation 9: Listen and write down the words you hear.

10. /d/ &
dare
den
Dan
Dough
Breed
Wordy

/th/
there
then
than
though
breathe
worthy

Dictation 10: Listen and write down the words you hear.
11. starting with /h/
hand
hall
hear
high
hate
harm
hill
his
hold
hat
hair

&

starting with a vowel sound

and
all
ear
eye
eight
arm
ill
is
old
at
air

Dictation 11: Listen and write down the words you hear.
12. /s/
Sue
said
sip
rice
loose
race
once

&

/z/
zoo
zed
zip
rise
lose
raise
ones

Dictation 12: Listen and write down the words you hear.
13. /p/
pit
pat
port
pull
pride
rope
tap
cup

&

/b/
bit
bat
bought
bull
bride
robe
tab
cub

Dictation 13: Listen and write down the words you hear.

14. /t/
two
ten
town
train
site
heart
plate
bat
set

&

/d/
do
den
down
drain
side
hard
played
bad
said

Dictation 14: Listen and write down the words you hear.
15. /k/
could
cot
coat
cave
leak
pick
lock
ankle

&

/g/
good
got
goat
gave
league
pig
log
angle

Dictation 15: Listen and write down the words you hear.
16. /f/
fan
ferry
fail
feel
fine
leaf
safe
proof

&

/v/
van
very
veil
veal
vine
leave
save
prove

Dictation 16: Listen and write down the words you hear.
Section 4: CONSONANT CLUSTERS
SP:
ST:
SK:
SM:
SN:
SL:
KS:
KT:
FT:

Spain, spend, spoon, star

stay, stand, steal, must, rest
sky, skirt, school, ask, task
smile, smell, smart, smooth
snack, snore, snow
slow, sleep, slim
accept, accident, excuse, export, occident
fact, duct, sect,
soft, gift, theft

Regular verbs ending in sound /t/:

/pt/
stopped, hoped, helped, dropped
/kt/
worked, walked, thanked, asked
/sht/ washed, pushed, finished, rushed
/cht/ watched, matched, switched, coached

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/st/
/ft/

danced, kissed, produced, missed

laughed, bluffed, staffed, coughed

Regular verbs ending in sound /d/:

/bd/
robbed, described, grabbed
/gd/
begged, nagged, mugged, jogged
/djd/ changed, aged, merged, damaged
/zd/
raised, organised, surprised
/vd/
arrived, lived, saved, shaved
/md/ seemed, dreamed, bombed, filmed
/nd/
listened, happened, joined, learned
/ld/
called, installed, spelled, sailed
Plural nouns / third person singular verbs ending in sound /s/:
/ps/
stops, hopes, helps, drops
/ks/
works, walks, thanks, asks
/fs/
laughs, bluffs, coughs, graphs
/ts/
lights, seats, boats, gates
/ths/ months, breaths, baths
Plural nouns / third person singular verbs ending in sound /z/:
/bz/
robs, describes, grabs, labs
/gz/
begs, mugs, jogs, dogs
/vz/
arrives, lives, saves, leaves
/thz/ clothes, breathes, bathes
/dz/
needs, rides, roads, guards
/mz/ seems, dreams, bombs, films
/nz/
listens, happens, joins, spoons
/lz/
calls, installs, spells, hills
Section 5: SPECIAL SOUNDS
5a. Contractions
Verb to be:
Verb to have:
Future will:
Would & had:

Im, youre, hes, shes, its, were, theyre, theres

Ive, youve, hes, shes, its, weve, theyve, thereve
Ill, youll, hell, shell, well, theyll, therell
Id, youd, hed, shed, wed, theyd, thered

Question words plus is:

Whos this?, Whats that?, Wheres she?, Whens dinner?, Whys that?, Hows this?
Negatives:
isnt, arent, wasnt, werent, dont, doesnt, didnt, wont, cant, mustnt, shouldnt
wouldnt, havent, hasnt, hadnt
5b. Weak forms:
When these words are part of a sentence, the vowel sound in them is reduced to the semi-vowel .
Articles: a book, an egg, the door
Connectives: Tom and me, but why?
Prepositions: bag of rice, from five to six, at home
Pronouns: tell him, show her, sell them, with us
Auxiliary and modal verbs: It was raining. He has left. We have finished. They had stopped.
Does he know? He can go. We must leave.
Others: Some tea?
That way. As soon as possible.
More than ten.

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Section 6: PHONETIC LINKS:

6a. Consonant to Vowel:
Words beginning with a vowel are often linked to the final consonant of the word before them:
Examples:
Past eight = pas teight
Put it on = pu ti ton
Read it = rea dit
team eleven = tea meleven
Soon after = Soo nafter
sleep early = slee pearly
Rob Anderson = Ro bAnderson
with Alan = wi thAlan
black out = bla kout
dig in = di gin
large egg = la gegg
much energy = mu chenergy
half asleep = ha fasleep
live alone = li valone
dress up = dre sup
his own = hi sown
fresh apples = fre shapples
catch all = ca tchall
full application = fu lapplication
our idea = ou ridea
6b. Consonant to consonant:
Same consonant sounds link up and make a stronger sound: for example
This soup, black car, and down, light top, seem mad, full length, half five
6c. Vowel to vowel:
If the end of a word and the beginning of the next word are both vowel sounds, then the two sounds
are linked by adding the sound /w/ or the sound /j/ between them.
The /w/ link:
/u:/ Two (w) hours,
Do (w) it.
You (w) ought to.
no (w) entry
/u/ Low (w) impact, go (w) early,
/au/ now (w) and then,
how (w) easy

Who (w) are you?

The /j/ link:

/i:/ we ( j ) all, free ( j ) entry, the ( j ) end
/ai/ my ( j ) arm, I ( j ) am
/ei/ say ( j ) it. They ( j ) ask.

Dictation 28: Listen and write down the sentences you hear. They include contractions, weak forms
and phonetic links.

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ANSWER KEY
Vowels & diphthongs
Dictation 1:
heart, cat, lad, park, lack, mass, half, cap, shark, harsh
Dictation 2:
bird, turn, learn, head, wed, world, gem, burn, best
Dictation 3:
green, feet, dip, sheep, sit, bit, feel, live, seen, Jean
Dictation 4:
pot, court, fox, cod, walk
Dictation 5:
full, pool, foot, suit, goods
Dictation 6:
bug, mud, fan, sang, batter, hut, truck, match, cap, uncle
Dictation 7:
head, bag, land, Ken, pan, mat, merry, pat, then
Dictation 8:
firm, burn, star, hard, dart, hurt, birth, pass
Dictation 9:
pain, tell, men, fail, age, shed, paper, late, wet, gate, taste, debt
Dictation 10: low, jaw, bought, cold, ball, toe, tone, snow, hall, saw, show
Dictation 11: boot, cooled, so, shoe, room, moan, rule, mood, rode, soup
Consonants
Dictation 1:
Dictation 2:
Dictation 3:
Dictation 4:
Dictation 5:
Dictation 6:
Dictation 7:
Dictation 8:
Dictation 9:
Dictation 10:
Dictation 11:
Dictation 12:
Dictation 13:
Dictation 14:
Dictation 25:
Dictation 16:

she, sell, said, shave, shock, saw, show, shoe

chip, cherry, shoes, sheep, chair, wash, cash, which
thick, think, seem, sing, pass, mouth, worse
thin, tank, think, tree, theme, fourth, part
seem, then, ran, team, deem, din, noon, mail
jet, juice, Jack, yeti, yam, joke, year, yes
vest, boat, bat, very, ban, vet
vet, west, whale, worse, via, vine, wheel
low, right, rip, law, read, list, arrive, correct, long, rice
dare, then, than, though, breed, wordy
and, all, here, high, eight, harm, hill, is, old, hat, air
zoo, said, zip, rise, lose, race, once
pit, pat, bought, bull, pride, rope, tap, cup, rib
do, ten, down, train, side, hard, plate, bad, set
good, got, coat, gave, leak, pig, log, ankle
van, very, fail, veal, fine, leaf, save, proof

Dictation 28:
1. You can see all of them.
3. There are some cups over there.
5. We havent had any rest.
7. Shes been to our house twice.
9. It was harder for some of us.
11. These are the very latest.
13. There were only four of them.
15. We didnt see the no-entry sign.
17.Lets go earlier this time.
19.Ill catch up with them.
21. We arent sure if theres a way.
23. Do you always laugh so easily?
25. Itll mean hours of extra work.

2. He wont be able to do it.

4. Theyll get in touch with us.
6. Its hardly a new act.
8. You must accept that its true.
10. There were signs to show the way.
12. We all knew as much as he did.
14. Hes an old friend of ours.
16. My arm is beginning to ache.
18. They went out two hours ago.
20. Does he know how far were from that place?
22. Itll be better to wait a bit.
24. Did you have any trouble finding us?

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