From Lesson 1 you will learn:

• how to pronounce english consonants p, t, k, h;
• how to pronounce english vowel [ɪ];
• how to read spelling ck.

Lesson one from the cycle "Author's English lessons for beginners or how to learn to read English on your own"

Consonants [p], [t], [k], [h], [f], [s], [ʃ], [ʧ], denoted by letters: p, t, k, h, f, s and letter combinations sh, ch,- strong and require special attention during pronunciation. We Russians, as already mentioned, pronounce these sounds completely wrong, and this is one of the main reasons for the Russian accent.

So remember the phrase « about pt[s/i]chkah and f[s/i]stashka h[s/i]tats”. All consonants in these words are STRONG, they must be pronounced, exhaling ENERGLY, and strong enough to force air out of the mouth. This phenomenon is called "aspiration" or "aspiration".

Aspiration is a very important property of some English consonants.

How to pronounce consonants correctly?

- “p”, BUT open your lips vigorously, exhale strongly, the exhalation should be audible.

- “t”, BUT press the tip of the tongue to the tubercles above the upper teeth (alveoli) and, sharply tearing it off, exhale with force.

- “k”, BUT pronouncing this sound, exhale with force, the position of the tongue is the same as when pronouncing the Russian sound “k”.

[h]- this English sound is just an exhalation that is heard.

You can place a piece of paper at some distance from your mouth and, pronouncing words with these sounds, make the sheet tremble.

Listen to how to pronounce sounds correctly —

Remember transcription icons

p - [p], t - [t], k - [k], h - [h] (learn in this lesson)

f - [f], s - [s], sh - [ʃ], ch - [ʧ] (learn more)

Here is a funny video from the movie "My Fair Lady" in which Professor Higgins teaches correct pronunciation: Eliza learns to pronounce [h] correctly))

Since we are just starting to practice sounds, and at the same time learn to read in English, we will start with combinations of these three consonant sounds with the sound [i], you have to take some vowel, and [i] the least difficult.

How to pronounce the English vowel [i]?

Vowel sound [i] pronounced like the Russian "and" in the word "sew". Make a sound [i] briefly, uncomplicated. The tip of the tongue is at the lower teeth, do not raise the back of the tongue to the sky as much as when pronouncing the Russian "and", and do not lower it as low as when pronouncing "y". Feel the difference. English sound [i]- something between the Russian sounds "i" and "y". Listen to his pronunciation —>

Words for practicing the pronunciation of English sounds in combination with [i]:

pin, pill, tin, till, kin, kill, hill, him (inhalation at the beginning of a word)

Vowel i in these words it is in a closed syllable. Vowel [i] in a closed syllable it reads like [i].

Let's figure out how to divide a word into syllables.

Important! Light exhalation that is heard after makes something like a sound [h], that is, the word pin will sound like this:

Important! Do not soften consonants before [i]

What means " do not soften the consonant"? - To understand the meaning of this phrase, say the word: ardor. In this word, the sound "p" is solid. Now say the word "drank". In this word, the sound "p" is soft. In Russian, we automatically soften consonants before vowels i, e, u, i: P and l, p e l, l Yu k, p I th. Now try to pronounce the words "drank", "sang", "hatch", "five" in English. If you do not soften the consonant, then it will turn out approximately: “p s l", "p el", "lat k", "p a t".

Now you can already read the words below. Since they end in a consonant, they have a vowel i read by closed syllable rule - [i]. At the same time, consonant sounds n, m, b, l pronounce as appropriate Russian sounds. At the same time, remember the transcription icons:

• n [n] - "n"
• m [m] - "m"
• b [b] - "b"
• l [l] - "l"
  

Phonetic exercise for practicing the pronunciation of English sounds in combination with [i]:

An exercise 1. Read words with English soundsin conjunction with[i] . Don't forget to breathe.

1.ink, imp, bit, milk, lip, lick (aspiration at the end)

Your browser does not support the audio tag!

2.pit, tit, hit, kit, tip, hip, pip (aspiration at the beginning of a word and at the end)

Your browser does not support the audio tag!

3.pick , kick , picnic [`piknik], kilt (aspiration at the beginning of a word and at the end)

- it only takes 35 seconds. Actress Amy Walker, who imitates a Russian accent in English quite successfully, has something interesting to tell you. In her opinion, a distinctive feature of the Russian pronunciation is that it is cold in Russia - and therefore the sound is “born” somewhere in the back of the throat, so as not to freeze. A very interesting comparison, isn't it? Let's see what other differences can help us speak English more correctly and beautifully.

"If you don't know how to pronounce a word, say it loud!"
— William Strunk, Jr.

Vowels: quantity and quality

There are only 6 vowels in Russian, and as many as 20 in English. Obviously, it is impossible to convey English with the help of Russian sounds, you should not even try: for example, the words "cart" and "cut", "bad" and "bed" in the Russian "voice acting" would be the same. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to such points:

• the meaning of the word depends on the quality of the sound (wide sound [æ] or regular [e]), so all sounds must be pronounced clearly and in accordance with the rules;
• the length of the sound is also a very important characteristic, which, as we know, is absent in the Russian language. Here, too, you need to be careful not to confuse, for example, "ship" and "sheep";
• in English there are diphthongs and triphthongs - combinations of two or three sounds that must be pronounced as one. At the same time, they have the main component (core), which sounds louder and clearer, and the secondary (sliding), which is less pronounced. For example, in the word "my" the first part of the diphthong is pronounced brightly, and the second is very fluent, almost like a short [j], that is, it is not at all equal to [a] + [ɪ].

"English people don"t have very good diction.
In France you have to pronounce very particularly and clearly, and learning French at an early age helped me enormously."
— Vivien Leigh

Consonants: firm and clear

The consonants of the English language also have certain differences. For example:

• almost all consonants are pronounced firmly, no matter what sound follows them. If, say, in the Russian word “pour” the sound [l] becomes soft due to the vowel [i] following it, then nothing of the kind happens in the English word “little”. If you habitually soften consonants, then the meaning of the word will not suffer, it will simply strengthen your foreign accent;
• unlike Russian, consonants at the end of a word are not stunned in English. What sounds do you hear last in the words "oak", "eye" and "year"? That's right, [n], [s] and [t]. In English, everything is pronounced clearly, and failure to follow this rule can easily distort the meaning. For example, the words "bet" and "bed", "leave" and "leaf" differ only in one last sound, but at the same time they do not mean the same thing at all;
• the sounds [p], [t], [k] are pronounced with a breath, that is, with a slight exhalation, as if with a hint of the sound [h]. This aspiration is most clearly heard before vowels, while it is practically absent before consonants;
• sounds such as [t], [d], [n], [l] are formed a little differently. Behind the upper teeth, we have tubercles-alveoli, on which you need to put your tongue when pronouncing these sounds. Compliance with this rule along with others will also help get rid of the Russian accent;
• in English there are sounds that have no analogues in Russian. These are [r], [w], [ŋ] and, of course, everyone's favorite [ð] and [θ]. This is exactly the case when it is better to see and try once than to read a text description for a long time. Fortunately, modern technology allows us to master all sounds to perfection, even if we do not have the opportunity to communicate directly with a native speaker. Watch a tutorial video for sounds [ð] and [θ] , [w] , [r] and [ŋ].

"I will buy any creme, cosmetic, or elixir from a woman with a European accent."
— Erma Bombeck

In addition to these features, there are many more big and small differences between Russian and English sounds. You can, of course, find a textbook on English phonetics, study all the rules thoroughly and practice them with the help of special exercises. But it will be much more effective to use the following tips:

• feel free to imitate native speakers: if you copy their facial expressions, the sounds will turn out better;
• the more English-language speech you hear around you, the more of its features you absorb subconsciously, without any memorization;
• having learned to pronounce individual sounds, pay attention to their combinations: too clear pronunciation of each sound and word also very much betrays a foreigner in you;
• communicate with native speakers, because in a conversation you will involuntarily adapt to their way of speaking and improve your pronunciation. Students of our English school on Skype have this opportunity thanks to discussion clubs with native speakers.

So, sorting out all the nuances and shades of English sounds is somewhat difficult, but quite possible. The main thing is to study with pleasure, try to switch to English mode and not use Russian sounds, and, of course, find good role models. Believe in yourself and practice with pleasure - very soon your pronunciation will noticeably improve.

Big and friendly family EnglishDom

I received your approval, we continue to study the features of the pronunciation of English sounds 🙂 This time we will take paired consonants /d - t/ and /z - s/. Let's see how they differ from their Russian counterparts and learn how to pronounce them. Because a mispronounced consonant can completely change the meaning of the word.

It may seem to us, Russian speakers, that these sounds are absolutely identical to ours /dt/ and /ss/. How wrong we are: WRONG pronunciation of these phonemes creates our typical East Slavic accent.

Causes of errors in pronunciation

1. The sounds themselves are not pronounced like ours(different articulation gives a different sound).
2. These sounds do not soften before front vowels, as in Russian (yes, they do not have a paired soft sound. In general!).
3. At the end of a word these sounds are not deafening(reduction of voiced consonants is one of the most common mistakes).

Today we will work out each item according to a scheme familiar to our readers: first theory, and then practice on special sets of words and tongue twisters.

Sounds of English in comparison with Russian: /d - t/

The /d/ sound is pronounced in words day, did, mad. The essential difference from Russian /d/ is that when pronouncing the Russian sound front of the tongue pressed against inner surface of the upper teeth and gums, and the most the tip of the tongue is slightly drooping(say the word "house" and track the position of your articulatory apparatus - do you feel it?).

When pronouncing English /d/ the blunt tip of the tongue must be pressed against the alveoli(tubercles above the teeth) at a right angle.

Advice: press the tip of the tongue (and not the front of it) to the alveoli (and not to the upper teeth).

English sounds exercises

Task number 1.

doctor /ˈdɒk.tər/

middle / ˈmɪd. əl/

Another important difference from Russian /d/: English consonants do not soften before front vowels(such as Russian and, e, yu, etc.). If in a word "sofa" we say soft /d/, then in a word "did"- the sound / d / will be hard as a rock 🙂

Advice: first pronounce the consonant (according to the rules that we learned above), and then raise the middle back of the tongue to pronounce the next vowel.

Task number 2. Practice saying hard /d/ before front vowels in words:

destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/

dear /dɪər/

ditsy /ˈdɪt.si/

digital /ˈdɪdʒ.ɪ.təl/

Pronunciation of the English consonant /t/

Now let's learn how to pronounce /t/, which will be quite easy since it has the same articulation as /d/ - we bring the blunt end of the tongue to the alveoli at a right angle.

But there is another important detail - it is sound aspiration(or aspiration, as they usually say). More about this English sound in the video:

Task number 3. Practice correct articulation on the following words:

table /ˈteɪ.bəl/

task /tɑːsk/

taste /teɪst/

I also note that the strength of aspiration depends on the position:

1. aspiration will be stronger before a stressed vowel: tea /tiː/
2. weaker before an unstressed vowel: water /ˈwɔː.tər/
3. at the end of words almost without aspiration: cat /kaet/
4. without aspiration after the /s/ sound: best /best/

Sound /t/ too does not soften before front vowels. Yes, in a word "Tina" we say soft Russian / t /, but in the word “team”- solid English / t /.

Task number 4. Practice saying hard /t/ before front vowels:

Paired sounds in English: about the absence of stunning

And now the last difficulty, which is divided into two by these two sounds: no stun at the end of a word. For a Russian person, this is very difficult: “ tod “ and “to t“ we sound the same. In English, the sonority of sound has a meaningful function: deafen the sound - change the meaning of the word. Classic examples: bud - but (plant bud - conjunction “but”), bad –bat (bad - bat), kid –kit (child - set) etc.

Advice: pronounce all consonants clearly in accordance with the rules of reading. For example, listen to how singer Taylor Swift pronounces the words in the song "Bad Blood".

Cause baby now we got bad blood

You know it used to be mad love

(Honey, now we're in a feud. You know, it was crazy love)

From 0:36 to 0:48

Task number 5. Before you is a set of words ending in / d / and / t /. Say them according to the transcription without deafening the sound / d / at the end.

mi d/mɪ d/
mi tt/mɪ t/

ma d/mæ d/
ma t/mæ t/

fee d/fiː d/
fee t/fiː t/

ca d/kæ d/
ca t/kæ t/

co d/kɒ d/
co t/kɒ t/

bo d/bɒ d/
bo t/bɒ t/

bi d/bɪ d/
bi t/bɪ t/

ba d/bæ d/
ba t/bæ t/

be d/be d/
be t/be t/

we d/we d/
we t/we t/

wa d/wɒ d/
wha t/wɒ t/

fa d/fæ d/
fa t/fæ t/

ha d/hae d/
ha t/hae t/

ho d/hɒ d/
ho t/hɒ t/

le d/le d/
le t/le t/

a dd/æ d/
a t /æ t/

Tongue twisters for the sounds of the English language

Finally, work on a few tongue twisters. For convenience, the sound / d / is marked in bold in them:

• D an's D a d is a goo d d river.
• D olly D ale d ances with D avy D ail, D avy D ail d ates to D olly D ale.
• If a d October is d octoring a d octor, d oes the d octor d oing the d octoring have to d octor the d octor the way the d octor being d octored wants to be d or d oes the d octor d october the way he usually d Octobers?

Now to the sound / t /.

• The t rip by t rain t ok t iresome t wen t y t wo hours.
• T ake t en pre tt y t eapo t s and pu t t wen t y t wo pla t es on the t able.
• T im t old T om a t rue's t ory-abou t t wen t y- t wo t all t rees. That T im plan t ed a t a moon t ain t op.

Pronunciation of English consonants /z – s/

The /z/ sound is pronounced in words z one, his , rose . It differs from our / z / in that when pronouncing a Russian sound wide tip of the tongue, and is located at the base of the lower front teeth, a air passes through the gap between the front of the tongue and the teeth(say the word "umbrella" and follow the position of your articulatory apparatus).

For the English sound /z/ the tip of the tongue rises again closer to the alveoli(but does not touch them), and the air passes through the gap formed between the alveoli and the tip of the tongue.

Advice: put the tip of the tongue closer to the alveoli. Note that you should feel the air flow going straight ahead, not in different directions.

Learn the sounds of the English language

Task number 1. Practice correct articulation on the following words:

zany /ˈzeɪ.ni/

bozo /ˈbəʊ.zəʊ/

result /rɪˈzʌlt/

reason /ˈriːzən/

president /ˈprezədənt/

The next important point is similar to the previous group of sounds: /z/ not softened. Word "winter" we will pronounce with a soft / z '/, while in the word "zipper"– / z / solid.

Advice: first complete the articulation of the consonant and only then raise the middle back of the tongue to pronounce the next vowel.

Task number 2. Practice saying hard /z/ before front vowels in words:

zero /ˈzɪə.rəʊ/

zipper /ˈzɪp.ər/

zebra /ˈzeb.rə/

lazy /ˈleɪ.zi/

hazy /ˈheɪ.zi/

Voiceless sound /s/ in English

Articulatory, it is pronounced in the same way as /z/, but without the participation of the voice.. The difference from Russian / s / is the same - the tip of the tongue is raised to the alveoli, and the sound is formed by a stream of air passing through a narrow gap between the tip of the tongue and the alveoli.

Another difference - the sound /s/ is stronger and longer than Russian: pronounced more tensely, energetically and for a long time, especially in the final position: miss.

Advice: put the tip of the tongue closer to the alveoli, and note that English / s / is a longer sound than Russian.

Task number 3. Practice correct articulation on the following words:

salad /ˈsæl.əd/

Again I pay attention that the /s/ sound is not softened. For example, the word "strength" pronounced with soft /s/, and "seen"- with hard.

Task number 4. Practice saying hard /s/ before front vowels:

silly /ˈsɪl.i/

sister /ˈsɪs.tər/

Paired sounds in English: exercises

I will repeat again about a typical mistake for us - to deafen the final sound and thus change the meaning of the word: buzz - bus (buzz - bus), rise -rice (to rise - rice). Listen to how Stephen Curtis Chapman pronounces /z / in the song “His Eyes”.

Hi s eye s are always s upon us; Hi s eye s never clo s e in sleep. And no matter where you go, you will always s be in Hi s eye s, in Hi s eye s.

(His eyes are always looking at us, his eyes never close in sleep. And no matter where you go, you will always be in his eyes)

From 0:47 to 1:11

Task number 5. You know it 🙂 Practice clearly pronouncing the correct sound at the end of the word.

bu zz/bʌ z/
bu s/bʌ s/

ri se/raɪ z/
ri ce/raɪ s/

a s /æ z/
a ss /æ s/

bag s/bæg z/
back s/baek s/

noi se/nɔɪ z/
voi ce/vɔɪ s/

wi se/waɪ z/
ni ce/naɪ s/

no se/nəʊ z/
overdo se/ˈəʊ.və.dəʊ s/

clo se/kləʊ z/
lachrymo se/ˈlæk.rɪ.məʊ s/

tho se /ðəʊ z/
adipo se/ˈæd.ɪ.pəʊ s/

blue se/blaʊ z/
mou se/maʊ s/

advi se/ədˈvaɪ z/
vi ce/vaɪ s/

cau se/kɔː z/
sau ce/sɔː s/

limb s/lɪm z/
bit s/bɪt s/

hi s/hɪ z/
mi ss/mɪ s/

English tongue twisters for practicing sounds

• He rou s e s, open s hi s eye s, ri s e s and go s to Z oe.
• A Z ulu z oologist vi s ited Z urich z oo on Tue s day to e x amine do z en s noi s y z ebra s, do z en s la z y li z ard s and do z en s cra z y chimpan z ee s from a de s ert on Z an z ibar.

• S ue i s s i x teen thi s s ummer and C e c ile was s eventeen la s t S today.
• S wan s wam over the s ea, s wim, S an, s wim. S wan s wam back again. Well s wum, S wan!
• A s angle s inger s ings a s ad s ong about six ty- s i x s i s ters s itting by the s ea at s un s et.

Until we meet again, friends!

Next time we will focus on a new group of sounds. By the way, I would be grateful if you tell me in the comments which sounds to make out. See you on our blog! 🙂

The cycle of lessons continues and today lesson number 10 is waiting for you. In my explanation of how to pronounce the sound correctly, I rely on pronunciation of a similar English sound, not a similar Russian sound. Although quite often in reading aids, English sounds are replaced by Russian sounds. For example, English [s] is replaced by Russian "c". But this is fundamentally the wrong approach.

In Lesson 10 you will learn:

• what is the difference between English [s] and Russian “s”;
• how to read English consonants [s] and [z];
• what letters represent English sounds [s] and [z];
• how plural nouns are formed in English.

How to pronounce the English sound [s] correctly?

• English consonant [s] it's not pronounced right, like Russian "s". To pronounce this sound correctly, you need to raise the tip of the tongue to the BUCKLES behind the upper teeth (they are called alveoli) and exhale air with force into the gap formed.
• Russian “s” is pronounced differently: firstly, the tip of the tongue is lowered and a gap is formed between the front of the tongue and the teeth, and secondly, the Russian sound “s” is not as energetic and less long.
• Another reason for the Russian accent is the tendency to soften the sound [s] before , [i], [e], for example, in the words seat, sit, set.

How to pronounce the English sound [z] correctly?

• The consonant sound [z] is a short weak voiced sound, unlike the Russian sound “z”, the tip of the tongue is raised when pronouncing the English sound.
• Between vowels, the sound [z] sounds sonorous, and at the beginning and at the end of a word it may partially lose its “voicedness”, but it never completely becomes deafened and does not turn into [s].
• Also, the sound [z] does not soften before , [i], [e], for example, in the words zeal, zip, zed.

Remember that in English, consonants are not softened before vowels and are not stunned at the end of words.

Listen to how the sounds [s] and [z] are pronounced -

Let's start training. Site subscribers are waiting for exercises (with audio recording) to practice the consonant sound [s]

Phonetic exercises with audio recording (Closed Content #19)

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Title: Learning to read in English. Subscription code 19

Description: Access to a course of lessons on learning to read in English and pronunciation at the same time. Author T.V. Nabeeva

On a letter the sounds [s] and [z] are denoted by the English letters Ss and Zz. In this case, the letter Ss denotes the sound [z] quite often, namely, when it stands:

1. between vowels, as in a word busy[`bizi] or
2. at the end of a word after a vowel and a voiced consonant, as in words seas , deads

A little grammar
In the plural, English nouns have an ending at the end - S, for example, pig - pig, pigs - pigs. Pay note that after voiced consonants and vowels the ending - S reads like [z], that is, pigs - - pigs, peas - peas, etc.

Here are a few English phrases with sounds [s] and [z]. These sounds are very common in words, and now that you know how to pronounce them correctly, it's worth catching up. Start learning phrases! And to better remember them, come up with a short story on the topic “My visit to the doctor” and send it to the mail [email protected] website. The best stories will be published on the site, and the winner will receive a prize - a free subscription to lessons on "Learning to Read for 3 Months". The competition has ended.

Competition for English learners

1. be sick - get sick
2. sleep badly - sleep badly (do not get enough sleep)
3. sit still - sit still
4. be upset - to be upset
5. insist to see - insist on a meeting [ɪnˈsɪst tuː siː]
6. see a doctor - see a doctor
7. speak softly - speak calmly
8. sick leave - sick leave
9. spend money - spend money
10. cost a lot - is very expensive
11. come back - return
12. send a card - send a postcard

Have you ever had problems pronunciation in English? How do you usually deal with difficult sounds? As a rule, people unconsciously try to cheat and simplify their work - to pronounce a similar Russian sound. However, native speakers may not understand at all what we are trying to tell them, because for them it will be new unfamiliar words. Do you want your English to be understood not only by compatriots? Then study our review of the most common "Russian" mistakes in English pronunciation and use the tips on how to get rid of them.

How to work on mistakes in pronunciation

To begin with, we will give you some tips on how you can prevent the occurrence of errors in pronunciation. This is easier to do than learning to pronounce sounds again.

First of all, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the rules of reading. This is the foundation of the basics with which it is worth starting to learn the language. If for some reason you didn’t learn them or don’t remember well, we strongly advise you to memorize the rules for reading vowels and consonants. This will greatly facilitate your further work on the pronunciation of English sounds.

After that, study the correct position of the lips, tongue, palate, vocal cords when pronouncing each of the sounds of English. The easiest way to do this is in individual lessons with one of ours or using special training videos. For each of the errors described below, we will provide a video that teaches the pronunciation of the “problem sound”.

There are also special textbooks that will help you get rid of problems in pronunciation of English. You can take one of the following benefits:

• “English Pronunciation in Use”
• “Tree or Three? An Elementary Pronunciation Course” by Ann Baker
• “Ship or Sheep? An Intermediate Pronunciation Course” by Ann Baker
• “Elements of Pronunciation”
• “New Headway Pronunciation Course”

In them you will find detailed explanations and practical exercises for getting rid of the Russian accent.

Practice pronunciation with tongue twisters that help you work out sounds that are difficult for you. You will find many wonderful phrases for training in the article "50 most difficult tongue twisters in English". In this article, we will give one tongue twister, voiced by a native speaker, to each of the presented errors in the pronunciation of English.

If you decide to take your pronunciation seriously, we advise you to read our article "". This is a whole guide with many interesting tricks and secrets for those who want to "sound" like a native speaker.

Russian mistakes that we make in English speech most often

1. We muffle voiced consonants at the end of a word

When speaking in Russian, we muffle the voiced consonants at the end of the word, for example: we say “moroz” “moroz”, we say “grip” for mushroom, we say “burden” for a knife, etc. In English, such self-will is not allowed: if you muffle voiced consonant, you can get a completely different word. If the pronunciation is incorrect, it may happen that the adjective "bad" - bad turns into a "bat" - bat.

Solution:

As soon as you start learning English, immediately accustom yourself to pronounce words clearly and distinctly, pronouncing all consonants as required by the rules for reading the language.

Related videos:

Patter:

How many cookies could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as many cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.

2. We pronounce the sounds /w/ and /v/ like Russian /v/

Again, the inconsistency with the Russian language is to blame: we have only one version of the pronunciation of the letter “v”. However, it does not correspond to any of the sounds of the English language. So it turns out that we say vet (veterinarian) instead of wet (wet).

Solution:

Learn the correct position of the organs of articulation. You should develop a conditioned reflex: when pronouncing the sound /w/, you need to stretch your lips with a tube, with the sound /v/, you need to bite your lower lip a little with your teeth.

Related videos:

Patter:

The very wary warrior veered violently where the violets wound very wickedly.

3. We pronounce the sound / r / like Russian / r /

We often forget about the correct position of the organs of speech when pronouncing this sound, so it turns out to be fuzzy and it becomes difficult for a foreigner to understand us. In addition, we often pronounce this sound when it is not necessary to pronounce it at all: at the position of the letter r at the end of a word. And it turns out that we, for example, “croak” when pronouncing the word car (car).

Solution:

Go back to reading rules in English and learn by heart when the letter r is pronounced and when it is not. And also learn how to correctly position the organs of speech during the pronunciation of the letter r: the tip of the tongue is slightly bent back and reaches for the alveoli (the tubercles of y between the front upper teeth and the middle part of the palate), but does not touch them. English /r/, unlike Russian, is pronounced without air vibration. You can find two variants of /r/ pronunciation at the end of a word: it can be pronounced, or it can be omitted, the main thing is that English /r/ is different from Russian.

Related videos:

Patter:

Ray ran across a rough road with his red rocks, wretched ratchet wrench, and rare rubber roller.

4. We pronounce the sounds /θ/ and /ð/ like Russian /f/ and /з/

We think everyone will agree that the words “zeriz” (there is), “zera” (there are), “fries” (three) and “fenkyu-senkyu” (thank you) have already become the talk of the town. It seems to us that we pronounce similar Russian sounds and there is nothing wrong with that. However, native speakers do not understand us, because the words we speak lose their meaning due to the replacement of sound.

Solution:

If you train yourself to hold your tongue in the correct position when making these sounds, it will make your task much easier. When pronouncing the sounds /θ/ and /ð/, the tongue is between the teeth. When pronouncing the sound /θ/, linguists recommend placing the tongue between the teeth and pronouncing the Russian letter “t”, and for the sound /ð/, pronounce the Russian “d”, while you should feel a slight vibration of the air in your throat. Don't worry if it's difficult at first. Speak slowly, but try to pronounce each word clearly.

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Patter:

The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.

5. Pronounce nasal /ŋ/ like Russian /n/

Usually, at the end of words ending in -ing, people either pronounce the ending "ing" or "in", while forgetting that the sound in this case should be nasal - /ŋ/, and the letter g should be omitted.

Solution:

To make it easier to pronounce the sound, train yourself not to raise the tip of the tongue to the upper teeth, but to leave it at the bottom, the back of the tongue should be raised to the sky. Thus, you will get the same nasal /ŋ/.

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Patter:

The King's ring rung wrong.

6. We pronounce the sound / h / like Russian / x /

In Russian, the sound /x/ is clear and well distinguished, English /h/ is rather a light exhalation, it should not actually be heard. We pronounce it in the Russian manner - clearly and distinctly, and this is one of the most common Russian mistakes in the pronunciation of the English language.

Solution:

Remember the correct position of the organs of articulation: the tongue does not rise anywhere, it remains in place, as during silence, the lips are slightly parted. Sound is produced mainly by the vocal cords, but the latter should not vibrate. The sound /h/ in English is a light exhalation, a weak sound.

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Patter:

Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares. Does Harry Hunt hunt heavy hairy hares? If Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares, Where are the heavy hairy hares Harry Hunt hunts?

7. We pronounce the sound /l/ like Russian /l/

It would seem that the sound /l/ in English is not at all different from our /l/. Alas, only Russian speakers think so. The English, on the other hand, hear this Russian mistake in the pronunciation of sounds well.

The fact is that in English there are two types of sound /l/: light - light or soft /l/, and also dark - dark or hard /l/. Everything is aggravated by the fact that in the dictionary there are no designations in which words /l/ must be pronounced firmly, and in which softly.

Solution:

There is a simple rule: we use a soft sound /l/ before vowels. However, there is a snag here: it should be a little harder than the Russian sound /l/ in the words “salt”, “love”. To get this sound, try lifting the middle part of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth.

In all other cases, we need a solid /l/. And again a challenge to our organs of speech: the sound, although hard, should be a little softer than the Russian /l/ in the words “spoon”, “best”. It sounds complicated, but constant practice and listening to native speakers will help you “feel” the difference in the pronunciation of these sounds.

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Patter:

Lovely little Link left limping.

8. We pronounce the sounds /p/, /t/ like Russian /p/, /t/

These are two more "cunning" sounds that seem to us so similar to Russian /p/ and /t/. In fact, they are somewhat different - more noisy, explosive. Mistakes in the pronunciation of these sounds will not cause misunderstanding of the interlocutor, but for those who want to speak like a native speaker, we advise you to work on these sounds, especially since they are pronounced quite simply.

Solution:

The English sounds /p/ and /t/, as we have already said, are aspirated, but at the same time quite energetically. You exhale as if you want to blow out a candle. At the same time, when pronouncing the sound /t/, the tongue should be on the alveoli (tubercles near the front upper teeth).

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Tongue Twisters:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Two tried and true tridents.

9. We pronounce short and long vowels the same way

In Russian there is no such thing as the length of a vowel sound: they are all pronounced the same in any word. Therefore, when we speak English, it is difficult for us to accustom ourselves to pronounce these same sounds in different ways. However, you must pay attention to them, otherwise the sheep (sheep /ʃiːp/) will turn into a ship (ship /ʃɪp/), which will confuse the English-speaking interlocutor.

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*Look out for videos in the playlist that have the words Short vowels and Long vowels in their titles.

Patter:

She sells sea shells on the seashore. The shells she sells are seashells I am sure.

10. We pronounce the sounds /ɔː/ and /ɜː/ the same way

This is one of the most popular Russian mistakes in English pronunciation. There are no analogues of such sounds in our native language, so quite often work (work /wɜː(r)k/) turns into a walk (walk /wɔːk/), which, you see, may not please your English-speaking interlocutor, especially if he is your boss.

Solution:

Repeat the rules of reading English, and always listen to new words in an online dictionary or check transcription in a regular dictionary. While studying the word, repeat it several times, try to feel the difference in difficult sounds.

Patter:

First, nerds burn worst.

11. We pronounce the sound /i/ like Russian /and/

Even upper-intermediate English learners get this seemingly simple sound wrong. They pronounce English /i/ like Russian /i/, making it too soft. Therefore, words such as sick, trick, hit for native speakers sound strange, unnatural. Of course, they will understand your words, but do you want to sound beautiful?

Solution:

English /i/ is a cross between the Russian sounds /i/ and /ы/. To make it easier for you to pronounce it, try stretching your lips slightly in a smile and pronouncing the sound /and/ a little harder than usual.

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Little pills will make Jill ill.

12. We pronounce the sound /ɔ/ as /ʌ/, and /əʊ/ as /ɔ/

The English letter "o" often causes difficulties for us. Firstly, in Russian we are used to pronouncing the unstressed letter “o” as the sound /a/, for example: we pronounce the shoe “batinok”, the king we pronounce “karol”, the crow we pronounce “varona”. In English, such liberties are not allowed. English speakers simply won't understand the words "tea-pot", "photograph", etc.

Secondly, we often forget that the letter "o" in some cases forms a diphthong (a vowel sound consisting of two components) /əʊ/. Therefore, native speakers are surprised at the “new” words from our lips: “open” (open), “hom” (home), “bridge” (most).

Solution:

Train yourself to clearly pronounce the /o/ sound. This can be done only with the help of constant training: read texts aloud, speak English and control your speech.

Repeat the reading rules, they describe in detail in which cases the letter “o” forms certain sounds. In most words, in an open syllable, "o" forms a diphthong /əʊ/, although there are exceptions.

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Hope for soap on a rope.

13. Pronounce unpronounceable letters

We are used to the fact that in Russian all letters are pronounced (except for soft and hard signs and unpronounceable consonants) that are in the letter. In English, this rule does not work: not all letters need to be pronounced. Otherwise, the knight knight (/naɪt/) will turn into the word “knight” or “knight” incomprehensible to the carrier.

Solution:

Be sure to study the rules for reading English in the article “Silent letters. Unpronounceable letters in the English language. After that, make up a short story using words with unpronounceable letters - you can take the words from the above article. Above the text, make notes: which word is read in what way. Gradually, you will memorize the rules for pronunciation of these words and you will speak correctly automatically.

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As you can see, there are enough problems in the pronunciation of the English language, but it is also possible to get rid of them if you constantly practice sounds. Apply the tips suggested in our articles, and everything will work out.

Of course, it is quite difficult to understand how to pronounce certain complex sounds from a video or article. Do you want to get rid of the Russian accent in English with the help of an experienced mentor? We invite you to enroll in our online school at. The teacher (native speaker or Russian speaker) will tell you in detail and show you how to work on certain sounds. Getting rid of English pronunciation problems is easier than it seems.