Pronunciation Hints

Preliminary

Let us be clear: pronunciation is one quarter of your score. It is important – and mostly ignored in IELTS preparation material. However, good pronunciation is not just about speaking clearly (although that is, of course, important [= Pronunciation Aspect 2]). There is another aspect to consider. Here is an excerpt from my IELTS Speaking book (Hint 16, p.95).

In the IELTS Speaking test, you are given a score for pronunciation, which involves having a ‘range’ of features. The public version of the descriptors gives:

Pronunciation: 1. Uses a range of pronunciation features
4	6	8
Uses a limited range of pronunciation features	Uses a range of pronunciation features with mixed control	Uses a wide range of pronunciation features

Source: Public Version of the IELTS Band Descriptors

So, there are two aspects of good pronunciation.

1. Speaking clearly

2. Using a range of pronunciation features

So, the wider your range of pronunciation features, the higher your pronunciation mark – but what are features of pronunciation? They involve using…

•  normal sentence stress,

•  stress for emphasis, correction, clarification, and showing mood,

•  tones to show mood, attitude, and additional meaning,

and these will be discussed in these pronunciation Hints.

Note: many of these hints are from my IELTS Speaking book (shown above), and all ‘tip’ and page-number references relate to this book.

 

 

IELTS Pronunciation Hint 1: Speak with a Beat

The following is from Tip 1, pages 2/3. Speaking with a natural ‘beat’ is the most basic and most important feature of good pronunciation. How would an English native speaker say, ‘What are you doing?’ The speaker would not say,

‘What – Are – You – Doing?’

A robot (and your electronic dictionary would say it like this). A human being, speaking naturally, would instead say,

‘Whadayado’n?’

 / wɒdəjəduən /

English is a ‘stress-timed’ language and this means that there is a regular ‘beat’ to the speaking. For example:

‘WHERE did you GO, and WHAT did you DO, and WHO did you MEET?’

Try saying this yourself, putting stress on the key words. What do you notice? You should notice that the parts between the ‘beats’ are not said very strongly. They are called weak forms – where the words are pushed together, often with the weak /ə/ sound. In our very first examples, ‘are you’ became /əjə/.

When listening to English native speaker speech, you will hear these weak forms all the time, and when you speak, you should think about trying to do the same. It is not ‘bad’ pronunciation; it is natural pronunciation, and in the IELTS test, this ‘beat’ of English is rewarded by the band descriptors. Try reading a written text aloud. Put in the ‘beat’, and weak forms, because that is the way native speakers do it too.

/ dəjəundəstænd /?

 

Exercise

Which words do you think are stressed in the following answer to an IELTS Speaking Test Part One question?

‘Actually, I prefer cats. You see, … I have personal experience with them. I grew up with these animals, and I really began to admire their grace, cleanliness, and attitude to life. I remember a bumper sticker I once read, which said, “Dogs have masters; cats have servants.” And guess what? I actually like that attitude in cats. Seeing their complete self-indulgence actually makes me feel relaxed.’

For answers, click here.

 

IELTS Pronunciation Hint 2: Phonemes

This is actually from my IELTS Reading Book (shown).

How do you say the words: ‘receipt’ , ‘women’ , and ‘cough’.

Did you say ‘re-keep-t’, ‘woe-men’ and ‘koe-f’?

A long time ago, the English language was mixed with pieces of other languages, all with different spelling patterns. This means now that English spelling can sometimes seem a little strange. This is why phonemes are good for vocabulary learning. Phonemes are those little symbols used to show sounds. The best advice is to learn phonemes slowly, a few at a time, and write them under those words whose spelling does not give a clear guide to the sound of the word. Remember to show the stress if appropriate.  Thus:

 

 

 

IELTS Pronunciation Hint 3: Use ‘Stress’ for Clarification

Now we go back to my IELTS Speaking Book, Tip 3, Hint 2, page 15. Stress for clarification is a very good feature of pronunciation. Let’s go straight into an exercise.

Exercise One

How does stress on particular words alter meaning in a sentence? Complete the following with a suitable phrase. The first one has been done as an example.

Peter liked the dancer with the green hat, but John did not.

Peter liked the dancer with the green hat, but …………………………………

Peter liked the dancer with the green hat, but …………………………………

Peter liked the dancer with the green hat, but …………………………………

Peter liked the dancer with the green hat, but …………………………………

 

Now practise saying the sentences, putting stress on the bolded words.

Exercise Two

The answer to a certain question is,

‘David gave Jackie a bike.’

But how would you say this answer if the question was:

1. Who gave Jackie a bike?
2. How did Jackie get a bike?
3. Who did David give a bike to?
4. What did David give Jackie

For answers, click here.

IELTS Pronunciation Hint 4: Use ‘Stress’ for Correction

Continuing from my IELTS Speaking Book, Tip 3, Hint 2, page 16, using stress for correction is another good feature of pronunciation. Look at the following four sentences.

1. I want a big red book. [Big red cup].
2. No, I want a big red book. [Big blue book].
3. No, I want a big red Here. [Small red book].
4. No, I want a big red book. We don’t have one.

 

Exercise

Try saying sentences 1 – 4 yourself. Now, decide where the stress goes on the following four sentences (5 – 8), and then try saying them yourself.

5. I want a small white coffee.             [Small black coffee].

6. No, I want a small white coffee.     [Small white tea].

7. No, I want a small white coffee.     [Large white coffee].

8. No, I want a small white coffee. We don’t have one.

For answers, click here.

Can you make up some of these situations yourself? Here are some possibilities.

I want a	It was a
·         cheap healthy salad?	·         dark stormy night?
·         beautiful intelligent girlfriend?	·         long boring lecture?
·         caring efficient nurse?	·         deep meaningful question?
·         light blue T-shirt?	·         small noisy nightclub?

“It was a deep meaningless question?”

“No, it was a deep meaningful question …..”

Go for it!

 

IELTS Pronunciation Hint 5: Use Tones

Using tone or intonation is a very good feature of pronunciation.

Tones At Sentence Level

Look at these two sentences. If I were saying them aloud, I would say the first part with a rising tone, pause, then say the rest of the sentence, finishing with a stress and falling tone on the final word. The use of tone and stress marks the beginning and end of a ‘block’ of message. ‘Grouping’ your thoughts into ‘tonal units’ is all part of good pronunciation.

Exercise 1

Try saying these sentences aloud. Try saying them naturally with the stress and tone as indicated. Practise them again.

Exercise 2

Can you mark the ‘tonal units’ in the answer to the IELTS Speaking Test Part One question that we used in Hint 1?

‘Actually, I prefer cats. You see, … I have personal experience with them. I grew up with these animals, and I really began to admire their grace, cleanliness, and attitude to life. I remember a bumper sticker I once read, which said, “Dogs have masters; cats have servants.” And guess what? I actually like that attitude in cats. Seeing their complete self-indulgence actually makes me feel relaxed.’

For answers, click here.

IELTS Pronunciation Hint 6: Remember Word Stress

Now, we switch once again to my IELTS Reading Book (Tip 1, Strategy 5, page 4). Mark the stressed syllable in the words:

‘photograph’        and        ‘photography’.

Did you say ‘phoTOGraphy’ or ‘photoGRAphy’? The first one is correct, but knowing this is not so easy, is it? Incorrect word stress can really change the sound of words, and confuse people, especially the IELTS examiner. Word stress probably affects understanding more than individual sound pronunciation problems.

Every time you add a new word in your notes, think about if you need to show the stressed syllable, and practise saying the word correctly. You can also use ‘stress bubbles’ ……

 

 

Exercise

Can you mark the word stress in the following words?

economy	economical	economic	to presume
Italy	Italian	adjective	to revise
information	a reject	to reject	to disappear
·         typhoon	·         refugee	·         exquisite	·         oppose
·         industry	·         industrial	·         library	·         librarian
·         diplomat	·         diplomatic	·         diplomacy	·         employee

For answers, click here.