English alphabet letter names
Letter names make spelling a name or address clearer, especially when similar letters and regional pronunciations cause confusion.
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English: Sounds, stress and spelling
English: Explore sound contrasts, word stress and spelling patterns through written guidance and carefully chosen examples.
Adventure journal
English: Sounds, stress and spelling
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Short i and long ee in English
Ship and sheep differ in their vowel: compare tongue position and duration with written pairs and practical examples.
Read and practiseShort e and short i in English
Pen and pin illustrate a vowel contrast in many accents; compare tongue and jaw positions using written word pairs.
Read and practiseThe initial h sound in English
A gentle breath distinguishes words such as house and help from vowel-initial words; practise with spelling and mouth position.
Read and practiseVoiced and voiceless th at the start
Think and this begin with different th sounds; compare tongue position and vocal vibration in common English words.
Read and practiseShort a and short e in English
Bad and bed show a vowel contrast in many accents; compare jaw and tongue positions with written pairs and examples.
Read and practiseShort u and short a in English
Cup and cap contrast two vowels in many accents; compare tongue position and jaw opening using written pairs.
Read and practiseEnglish b and v sounds
Best and vest begin differently: compare a lip closure with lip-to-teeth friction using written English word pairs.
Read and practiseV and W: making the sounds
A vest and the west begin with different sounds. Explore lip and teeth positions through written pairs and short sentences.
Read and practiseEnglish r and l: a mouth-position guide
The words right and light differ at the beginning; mouth position helps you make the contrast in everyday speech.
Read and practiseEnglish S and SH: hearing the difference
A small change in tongue position separates words like see and she; written pairs and short sentences help you practise the contrast.
Read and practiseFinal consonants in English
A word’s last sound can change its meaning: compare written pairs and practise making clear endings with your lips, tongue and voice.
Read and practisePlural endings: three English sounds
Cats, dogs and buses show how the last sound of a noun determines the pronunciation of its plural ending.
Read and practiseThree sounds of regular past endings
A past ending can sound like a stop consonant or add a syllable; compare its three pronunciations in context.
Read and practiseStress in two-syllable English words
A stronger beat can fall at the start or the end of a two-syllable word; compare common examples in context.
Read and practiseSilent initial letters in English words
A written beginning can hide a sound: explore silent initial letters in common words and compare words that sound alike.
Read and practiseSchwa in unstressed English vowels
A short, relaxed vowel appears in many unstressed syllables, even when their spellings differ; identify it and practise the rhythm.
Read and practiseFull and fool: two English vowels
The words full and fool differ in vowel quality as well as length; written pairs and mouth positions help make the contrast clear.
Read and practiseShort o and aw in English
The vowels in cot and caught differ in some accents and merge in others; compare spelling, mouth position and meaning in context.
Read and practiseCh and sh at the start of English words
A small change at the start of chip and ship changes the word; compare mouth positions and practise with written pairs.
Read and practiseEnglish j and y sounds
Jam and yam differ at the start: compare a brief closure with a smooth glide using written words and mouth position.
Read and practiseVoicing at the end of English words
Bat and bad end with different consonants; compare vocal vibration and the preceding vowel using written word pairs.
Read and practiseEnglish consonant groups at the start
Street and spring begin with groups of consonants; practise moving directly between their sounds without inserting a vowel.
Read and practiseEnglish consonant groups at the end
Helped and asks end in several consonant sounds; practise each mouth movement without adding another syllable.
Read and practiseWeak forms in connected English speech
Small grammar words often lose their full vowel in fluent speech; written examples reveal where stress and a relaxed vowel make a difference.
Read and practiseLinking final consonants to vowels
A final consonant can flow into the next word when that word starts with a vowel sound, making connected speech smoother.
Read and practiseContent words and sentence stress
In a neutral English sentence, important meaning words usually stand out while small grammatical words are less prominent.
Read and practisePitch patterns in English questions
A rising or falling pitch can signal a question type; practise common yes-no and information questions through written examples.
Read and practiseTheir, there and they’re: homophones
Three common spellings share a sound, but context tells you whether the meaning is possession, place or a shortened clause.
Read and practiseContrastive stress in English sentences
A different stressed word can correct a colour, a day or a person while the sentence itself stays the same.
Read and practiseEnglish intonation for uncertainty
A tentative pitch can accompany doubt: explore how context and wording shape uncertain statements in English.
Read and practiseWeak and strong forms of can
A small auxiliary changes its vowel with stress; context and a following verb help distinguish ability from a negative.
Read and practiseHearing consonant changes between English words
In fluent English, a consonant can change before the next word; identify common changes using spelling and mouth position.
Read and practiseElision between English consonants
In quick conversation, a consonant can disappear between its neighbours; written phrases help you notice this optional change.
Read and practiseGlides between English vowels
Adjacent vowel sounds often flow together in fluent speech; notice the small transitions made by the tongue and lips across word boundaries.
Read and practisePitch and length for English emphasis
A change in pitch and a longer stressed vowel can highlight the word that corrects a misunderstanding in a sentence.
Read and practisePitch in lists and choices
A continuing list often rises while its final item falls; explore how pitch can mark alternatives in a choice.
Read and practiseThought groups and pauses in English
Long spoken messages become easier to follow when meaningful phrases have clear boundaries, with pauses and changes in pitch.
Read and practiseSuffixes and shifting word stress
A familiar root can sound different when a suffix changes its stress; compare word families and locate the strongest syllable.
Read and practiseNoun and verb stress shifts
The same spelling can name a thing or an action, with stress moving between syllables; compare common pairs in context.
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