English pronunciation practice for Croatian speakers

1. /ɪ/ and /iː/

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Fix problem Relax the mouth and keep sound short.

English sound /ɪ/ — "sit"

Common error /iː/ — "seat"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɪ/ or /iː/ practice

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2. /æ/ and /e/

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Fix problem Move tongue to a lower front position.

English sound /æ/ — "man"

Common error /e/ — "men"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /e/ or /æ/ practice

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3. /ʌ/ and /æ/

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Fix problem Tongue more central. Lips relaxed.

English sound /ʌ/ — "cup"

Common error /æ/ — "cap"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /æ/ or /ʌ/ practice

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4. /ʌ/ and /ɑː/

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Fix problem Mouth not so large. Lips relaxed.

English sound /ʌ/ — "cut"

Common error /ɑː/ — "cart"

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5. /ʌ/ and /ɜː/

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Fix problem Tongue low central. Lips relaxed.

English sound /ʌ/ — "bud"

Common error /ɜː/ — "bird"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ʌ/ or /ɜː/ practice

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6. /ʊ/ and /uː/

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Fix problem Back of tongue high. Lips rounded but relaxed. Short.

English sound /ʊ/ — "full"

Common error /uː/ — "fool"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ʊ/ or /uː/ practice

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7. /ɔː/ and /ɒ/

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Fix problem Tongue low & back. Jaws together. Long.

English sound /ɔː/ — "nought"

Common error /ɒ/ — "not"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɒ/ or /ɔː/ practice

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8. /ɔː/ and /uː/

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Fix problem Increase mouth opening. Drop front of tongue.

English sound /ɔː/ — "call"

Common error /uː/ — "cool"

Practice materials:
"Pronunciation Tasks" Unit 5

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9. /ɔː/ and /ɜː/

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Fix problem Move tongue back and make mouth rounder.

English sound /ɔː/ — "saw"

Common error /ɜː/ — "Sir"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɔː/ or /ɜː/ practice

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10. /ɔː/ and /əʊ/

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Fix problem Tongue low, back & fixed. Jaws together.

English sound /ɔː/ — "bought"

Common error /əʊ/ — "boat"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ɔː/ or /əʊ/ practice

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11. /ɪə/ and /iː/

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Fix problem Tongue high and front. Move to centre.

English sound /ɪə/ — "beer"

Common error /iː/ — "be"

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12. /θ/ and /t/

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Fix problem Voiceless. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /θ/ — "thin"

Common error /t/ — "tin"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /θ/ or /t/ practice

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13. /ð/ and /d/

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Fix problem Voiced. Friction. Tongue between teeth.

English sound /ð/ — "they"

Common error /d/ — "day"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ð/ or /d/ practice

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14. /h/ and silent "h"

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Fix problem Quickly push air from throat out of mouth.

English sound /h/ — "hot"

Common error "ch" in "loch"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /h/ or silent "h" practice

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15. /ŋk/ and /ŋ/

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Fix problem Back of tongue to back roof. Nasal.

English sound /ŋk/ — "think"

Common error /ŋ/ — "thing"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /ŋ/ or /ŋk/ practice

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16. British "r"

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Fix problem British "r" is weaker & usually silent unless followed by a vowel.

English sound silent — "survivor"

Common error /r/ — "Sir Ivor"

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17. /w/ and /v/

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Fix problem Start with lips tightly rounded. Unround & glide.

English sound /w/ — "west"

Common error /v/ — "vest"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /w/ or /v/ practice

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Croatian language backgrounds