Course Overview

Phonetic Sounds – FULL COURSE DOCUMENT CLICK HERE
Phonetics is the study of the sounds of human speech. In English, understanding phonetic
sounds can significantly improve your pronunciation. The International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA) is a system that represents these sounds with symbols, which can help you learn how to
pronounce words correctly.

Types of Phonetic Sounds
1. Consonant Sounds:
o Voiced Consonants: Vocal cords vibrate (e.g., /b/, /d/, /g/).
o Voiceless Consonants: Vocal cords do not vibrate (e.g., /p/, /t/, /k/).
o Manner of Articulation: How the sound is produced (e.g., plosives like /p/,
fricatives like /f/).
o Place of Articulation: Where the sound is produced (e.g., bilabial like /b/,
dental like /θ/).

2. Vowel Sounds:
o Monophthongs: Single vowel sounds (e.g., /i:/ in “see”).
o Diphthongs: Combination of two vowel sounds in one syllable (e.g., /aɪ/ in
“my”).
o Vowel Length: Some vowels are long (e.g., /i:/) and some are short (e.g., /ɪ/).

LISTEN TO PHONETIC SOUNDS – On our website for practice on the English practice
page HERE 

Breaking Down Word Sounds
Breaking down words into their individual sounds can help you understand and practice
pronunciation more effectively. This process involves segmenting words into phonemes,
which are the smallest units of sound that distinguish one word from another.

Steps to Break Down Word Sounds
1. Identify the Syllables:
o Break the word into its syllables. For example, “basketball” becomes “bas-ketball.”
2. Find the Phonemes:
o Identify the individual phonemes within each syllable. Use the IPA to help
with this. For example, “basketball” can be broken down into /ˈbæskɪtbɔːl/.
3. Practice Each Phoneme

FULL COURSE DOCUMENT CLICK HERE