English pronunciation practice for Persian 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/

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Fix problem Tongue low central. Lips relaxed.

English sound /ʌ/ — "cup"

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

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4. /ɒ/ and related vowel contrasts

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Fix problem Keep mouth round and tongue back.

English sound /ɒ/ — "not"

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

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5. /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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6. The neutral vowel /ə/

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Fix problem Weak endings: e.g. "London" "England"

English sound /ə/ — "the" (schwa)

Practice materials:
Practise the neutral vowel /ə/ using spoken dialogues

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7. /ɑː/ and /ɔː/

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Fix problem Tongue more central & mouth open.

English sound /ɑː/ — "far"

Common error /ɔː/ — "four"

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8. /ɜː/

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Fix problem Fix tongue in central position. Long.

English sound /ɜː/ — "bird"

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

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9. /aɪ/

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Fix problem Start with tongue low front.

English sound /aɪ/ — "buy"

Practice materials:
Minimal Pairs /eɪ/ or /aɪ/ practice

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10. /aɪə/

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Fix problem Tongue low front to high front to centre.

English sound /aɪə/ = /aɪ/ + /ə/ — "fire"

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11. /ɔɪ/

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Fix problem Start with tongue low & back.

English sound /ɔɪ/ — "boy"

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12. /əʊ/ and /ɔː/

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Fix problem Tongue central. Then tightly round lips.

English sound /əʊ/ — "bone"

Common error /ɔː/ — "born"

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13. /aʊ/

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Fix problem From low front vowel to lips tightly rounded.

English sound /aʊ/ — "cow"

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

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14. /aʊə/

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Fix problem Tongue low front. Then round & unround lips.

English sound /aʊə/ = /aʊ/ + /ə/ — "flour"

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15. /ɪə/ and /eə/

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Fix problem Tongue high and front. Move to centre.

English sound /ɪə/ — "beer"

Common error /eə/ — "bear"

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16. /eə/

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Fix problem Tongue from centre front. ```

Persian language backgrounds