The Houses of Parliament

The Tower of London

Shaftsbury Avenue

The London Underground

The Bank of England

Exercise 56

Listen to the sentences and complete them, transcribe them and mark all the links. Practise reading them.

a. What a ______________!

b. It was an ____________.

c. The weather was ____________!

d. He got into their ____________.

e. She speaks ____________ and __________.

f. It was an ______________!

g. She lives in a __________.

h. I’ll phone for an _________!

Exercise 57

Listen and practise saying the names quickly in pairs.

Names ending in the sound [ә] are linked with an extra [r] sound. With names which already contain [r] the final [ә] is elided and the [r] and the linking [r] merge when speaking at speed.

e.g. Sarah and Sheila [ sεәrәnd ∫i:lә]

A. Maggie – Susie Cathy - Charlie Bobby - Billy Tommy - Lizzie Johnnie – Andy Linda – Hannah Laura – Sarah Sheila – Patricia Sandra – Amanda Romeo – Juliet Othello – Desdemona Horatio – Hamlet

B. Kennedy - Cleopatra Plato - John Lennon Franco - Charles Victoria - Kruschev Isabella - Mussolini Diana - Albert Mary - Minnie (Mouse) Yoko Ono - Aristotle Antony - Ferdinand Mickey - Joseph

Exercise 58

Put down the sentences you hear on the tape; practise reading them, inserting the extra [j] and [w] sounds to link the words, where possible.

Exercise 59

Complete these pairs of dialogues with ‘very’ or ‘too’. Listen to the tape and compare your answers. Practise reading the dialogues with a partner.

a/ i. Excuse me for asking, but how much did the rain ticket to Newcastle cost?

It was _______ expensive, about ₤60.

ii. Why didn’t you come here on the train?

It was ______ expensive, about ₤60.

b/ i. It seems quite safe in this area at night.

Actually it’s ______ unsafe.

ii. Why didn’t you travel up here i that old car of yours?

Actually, it’s ______ unsafe.

c/ i. How did you feel about things when you woke up this morning?

To be honest, I was still _______ annoyed.

ii. Why didn’t you come out for a drink with the boss last night?

To be honest, I was still ______ annoyed.

d/ i. Why didn’t Mary apply for that job, do you know?

I’m not sure, but I think she was ______ old.

ii. How old was her grandmother when she died?

I’m not sure, but I think she was ______ old.

Exercise 60

Listen to the tongue-twisters, pay attention to all the links. Practise until you can say them smoothly and quickly.

a. My aeroplane arrives in Australia at bout eight o’clock in the evening.

b. Uncle Alfie and auntie Elsie always go away at Easter.

c. Are you asking us to accept an offer of only eighty pounds?

d. Nicky and Laura are off to Italy and Austria again.

e. Bruno and Anna are arriving in an hour or so and they’re often early.

Exercise 61

Listen to the dialogue and mark the linking [r]s. Practise reading the dialogue with a partner.

M: Peter! Are you going anywhere over Easter this year?

P: Well, yes, as a matter of fact we are. We’re off on a tour of Italy for a week or two.

M: Mmm. That sounds really wonderful. Where exactly will you be going?

P: Oh, here and there. Rome’s more or less definite, but apart from that we’re open to suggestion.

M: Are you traveling by coach?

P: No, by car, actually.

M: Dear old Italy! When you’re in Rome you must remember to throw a coin over your shoulder

into the Trevi fountain.

P: Really? What for?

M: Well, if you do that, it means that, sooner or later, you’re sure to return.

Exercise 62.

Listen to the dialogue which is rather informal. Can you catch all the words? Try to put the dialogue down and read it at the same speed as it is on the tape.

ASSIMILATION

Assimilation is a phonetic process as a result of which one of the sounds becomes fully or partly similar to the neighbouring sound.

Assimilation can affect different characteristics of a sound, and its types are numerous. Some of the most frequent types are:

1. Alveolar [t], [d], [n], [l], [s], [z] are replaced by their dental variants when immediately followed by the interdental [θ] or [ð].

e.g. tenth, on the desk

2. The sonorants [m], [n], [l], [w], [r], [j] are partly devoiced when preceded by the voiceless consonants.

e.g. rush – crush, got wet

3. Consonants followed by [w] become slightly rounded.

e.g. twin, swift

4. In a cluster of two plosives, when the positions of the organs of speech are the same for both consonants, the first plosive loses its plosion.

e.g. bookcase, that child

5. When the positions of the organs of speech are different, the first plosive has an incomplete plosion.

e.g. talked, good book

6. When a plosive is followed by the syllabic [n] or [m] the nasal plosion is produced.

e.g. shipmate, escape noisily

7. When a plosive is immediately followed by the sound [l] the lateral plosion is produced.

e.g. black, settle, it lasts

8. In rapid speech ‘do you’ often becomes [d u].

e.g. Do you know his name? [dZu nәu hiz neim]

Exercise 63

Listen to the phrases on the tape, put them down, work out their meanings, explain the difference in the way they sound.

Exercise 64

Listen and cross out the unpronounced plosive sounds in the following sentences, comment on all the other cases of assimilation there are in them.

a. She was wearing a deep purple evening dress.

b. They had dinner at eight o’clock.

c. We’ve got a flat tyre, I’m afraid.

d. She gave him a quick kiss.

e. You’re a big girl now dear.

f. He didn’t do the washing-up.

g. We had a really good time at Antonia’s.

h. What are my job prospects after the course?

i. Mmm! I love ripe bananas!

j. Give that ball a big kick!

k. They’ve got a lovely back garden.

Exercise 65

Listen to the dialogues and write in B’s answers. Pay attention to the pronunciation of the questions ‘Do you …?’

1. A: Do you know the time?

2. A: Do you have a light?

3. A: Do you speak English?

4. A: Do you understand?

5. A: Do you have milk?

6. A: What do you do?

Exercise 66

Listen to the conversation between Bob and Anna. Put it down and practise reading it with a partner. Pay attention to the pronunciation of ‘do you’ and ‘would you’ questions.

Exercise 67.

Listen to the conversation, write it down. Make up similar conversations with a partner.

Revision Exercise

Every other line in this poem is in transcription. Do the same to the first lines in each verse. Be prepared to comment on all the cases of reduction, linking and assimilation. Prepare model reading of the poem.

*Sean is said [∫O:n]

Flatearther

Cried Uncle Sean, ‘The earth is flat!

[ai riqli jxm kwait Suqr qv Dxt]

And just to prove I tell it true

[ail wO:k frqm hiq tq kxtmandH]

Somewhere the earth is bound to stop,

[Den Of Di jeG ail Suqli drOp]

He left at five and got as far

[qz dAblin bei jqn mikiz bR]

‘Twas five to twelve he staggered out,

[rOkiN qn rJliN O:l qbaut]