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LISTEN |
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/ɑ/.../ɑ/.../ɑ/.../ɑ/...
stop...job...far...doctor | ||
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WHAT IS IT? |
Pronunciation:
The sound /ɑ/ is a low, central, tense vowel.
Note: In many American dialects, /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ are treated as the same sound.
Spelling:
The sound /ɑ/ is a low, central, tense vowel.
- Lower your jaw and tongue.
- Your lips should be very open but not wide.
- Your tongue should be tightened, not relaxed
- Breathe out to pronounce the vowel.
Note: In many American dialects, /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ are treated as the same sound.
Spelling:
- “o” – stop, pot
- “a” – father, garage
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Grammar Tip:
The sound /ɑ/ is present in the suffix –ology. This suffix indicates a field of study.
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The sound /ɑ/ is also present in the suffix -ography. This suffix indicates a field of study or something related to writing.
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COMPARE |
Compare /ɑ/ with /ow/:
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/ɑ/…/ow/…/ɑ/…/ow/…/ɑ/…/ow/…
The sound /ɑ/ is a low, central, lax vowel, but /ow/ is a mid, back, tense vowel. When you pronounce /ɑ/, your lips should not be rounded. | ||
Listen to words with /ɑ/ and /ow/, and identify which word you hear. Choose A or B. You will hear the word twice, followed by the answer.
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1. A. sock, B. soak
2. A. knot, B. note 3. A. tossed, B. toast 4. A. rob, B. robe 5. A. honor, B. owner | ||
Now compare /ɑ/ and /æ/:
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/ɑ/…/æ/.../ɑ/…/æ/…/ɑ/…/æ/…
These are both low vowels. However, /æ/ is a front, tense vowel and /ɑ/ is a central, lax vowel. Your lips should be wider for /æ/ than for /a/. | ||
Listen to words with /ɑ/ and /æ/, and identify which word you hear. Choose A or B. You will hear the word twice, followed by the answer.
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1. A. block, B. black
2. A. pod, B. pad 3. A. hot, B. hat 4. A. adopt, B. adapt 5. A. bottle, B. battle | ||
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PRACTICE |
Listen and repeat these words:
| words_with_a.mp3 |
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1. stop
2. got 3. spa 4. job 5. father 6. lock 7. far 8. harm 9. doctor 10. proper |
11. common
12. contact 13. garden 14. article 15. obvious 16. possible 17. college 18. follow 19. opportunity 20. positive |
Now practice /ɑ/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentence.
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1. party - starts - clock
The party starts at eight o'clock. 2. shopping - stop – latte Before we go shopping, let's stop for a latte. 3. large - pots - garden I bought some large pots for my balcony garden. 4. forgot - lock - car I think I forgot to lock my car. 5. common - problem - college Stress is a common problem among college students. 6. not - possible - opportunity It's not possible to say yes to every opportunity. | ||
To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:
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USE IT! |
Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.
Prepare:
“Job satisfaction” is a measurement of how happy workers are in their job. In your opinion, how much job satisfaction do people have in the professions below? Look at the list, and decide who has the most job satisfaction and who has the least job satisfaction.
Prepare:
“Job satisfaction” is a measurement of how happy workers are in their job. In your opinion, how much job satisfaction do people have in the professions below? Look at the list, and decide who has the most job satisfaction and who has the least job satisfaction.
Record:
In your recording, explain which 2 professions have the most job satisfaction and which 2 professions have the least job satisfaction. Give reasons for your choices.
© 2018, Christine Wingate
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
