Syllabus

We cover the full course books The Sound of English Pronunciation, and The Sound of English Intonation in Levels 1 & 2.

PRONUNCIATION
(Tuesdays)

Vowels

Class 1V:
Introduction
– IPA Chart
– Spelling to Sound
– Articulators

Class 2V:
Schwa
– /ə/
– Function Words
– Weak vs Strong
– ‘er’ Endings

Class 3V:
Short Vowels
– /ɪ,ʊ,ɛ,ʌ,ɒ,a/
– Spelling to Sound
– Unusual Spellings
– Northern /ʌ/

Class 4V:
Long Vowels
– /iː,uː,əː,ɔː,ɛː,ɑː/
– Spelling to Sound
– Reduced Vowels
– TRAP/BATH Split

Class 5V:
Diphthong Vowels
– /ɪə, eɪ, aʊ, əʊ, ʌɪ, ɔɪ/
– Spelling to Sound
– Word Construction
– /ʊə/ (new vs old)

Consonants

Class 1C:
Introduction
– IPA Chart
– Articulators
– Voicing

Class 2C:
Fricatives
– /f,v,θ,ð,s,z,ʃ,ʒ,h/
– /θ/ vs /ð/
– Homophones
– S Endings
– TH Fronting

Class 3C:
Plosives & Affricates
– /p,b,t,d,k,g,tʃ,dʒ/
– /t/ vs [ʔ]- ED Endings
– Silent Letters

Class 4C:
Approximants
– /w,r,j,l/
– Clear vs Dark /l/
– Silent R
– Linking R
Rhoticity

Class 5C:
Nasals & Clusters
– /m,n,ŋ/
– Clusters
– Syllabic Consonants
– G Droppin’

INTONATION
(Tuesdays)

Stress

Class 1S:
Stressing
– What is Stress
– Dictionary Stress
– Words, Syllables, Sentences
– Function & Content

Class 2S:
Sentence Stress
– Tonic Syllable (TS)
– Choosing a TS
– Information
– Function Words

Class 3S:
Tone Units
– Onset
– Head
– Pre-head
– Tail

Class 4S:
Choosing Stress
– What’s Stressed?
– Names
– Negatives
– Compounds

Class 5S:
Shifting Stress
– Abbreviations
– Phrasal Verbs
– -teen Numbers
– Syllable-final Stress

Tone

Class 1T:
Basics
– 4 Patterns
– Pitch Diagrams
– Steps & Bends
– Tone & Meaning

Class 2T:
Tones
– Falling
– Rising
– Fall-rising
– Rise-falling

Class 3T:
Questions
– Wh-
– Yes/No
– Tags I
– Tags II

Class 4T:
Statements
– Definitive Fall
– Implication
– Friendly Rise
– High Fall

Class 5T:
Tone Combinations
– Sequences
– Subordinates
– Adverbials
– Lists

PHONETICS
(Wednesdays)

Level 3 has new class content every week. It is designed to take learners to a high level of phonetic awareness in English, classes cover:

– Vowel Charts
– Consonant Charts
– Vowel Length
– Minimal Pairs
– Diacritics
– (De)Voicing
– Allophones
– Assimilation
– Elision

ACCENTS
(Mondays)

In Level 4 we learn how sounds work in accents, giving learners the opportunity to develop listening skills and increase control over sound production. Classes are different every week, covering:

– Sounds in Accents
– RP vs GB
– London Accents
– Rhoticity
– American vs British
– Northern vs Southern Variations
– Accent Tours
– History of Accents.

Covering the Level 1 & Level 2 courses will give you an overview of English sounds, IPA, stress and intonation. You’ll learn lots of techniques to transfer the skills into daily speech. Levels 3 & 4 take your understanding to a deeper level and provide constant reinforcement.