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LISTEN |
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/ɑʊ/.../ɑʊ/.../ɑʊ/.../ɑʊ/...
cow...loud...found...towel |
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WHAT IS IT? |
Pronunciation:
The sound /ɑʊ/ is a diphthong. This means your mouth should move from one position to another.
The sound /ɑʊ/ is a diphthong. This means your mouth should move from one position to another.
- Lower your jaw and tongue, and make your lips very open and wide (as for /ɑ/). Your tongue should be low, tight, and pulled backwards.
- Breathe out and let your vocal cords vibrate.
- As you do this, quickly raise your tongue and move your lips into a small circle (as for /ʊ/).
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This vowel is usually stressed, as in these words:
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However, /ɑʊ/ can also be unstressed, as in these words:
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Spelling:
- "ow" - cow, brown
- "ou" - about, found
- "ough" (less common) - bough, drought
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COMPARE |
Compare /ɑʊ/ with /ɑ/:
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/ɑʊ/.../ɑ/.../ɑʊ/.../ɑ/.../ɑʊ/.../ɑ/...
The sound /ɑ/ is a low, central vowel. The sound /ɑʊ/ starts as /ɑ/, but it moves quickly into a high, back vowel. |
You can hear the difference between /ɑʊ/ and /ɑ/ in these words.
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1. A. mouse, B. moss
2. A. mouth, B. moth 3. A. tower, B. tar 4. A. bound, B. bond 5. A. pout, B. pot 6. A. our, B. are |
Practice recognizing words with /ɑʊ/ and /ɑ/ by taking the quiz below.
Practice recognizing words with /ɑʊ/ and /ɑ/ by taking the quiz below.
Now compare /ɑʊ/ with /ow/:
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/ɑʊ/.../ow/.../ɑʊ/.../ow/.../ɑʊ/.../ow/...
The sound /ow/ is a mid, back vowel. The sound /ɑʊ/ starts as a low, central vowel but moves into a high, back vowel. |
You can hear the difference between /ɑʊ/ and /ow/ in these words.
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1. A. out, B. oat
2. A. rouse, B. rose 3. A. couch, B. coach 4. A. bowel, B. bowl 5. A. drown, B. drone 6. A. found, B. phoned |
Practice recognizing words with /ɑʊ/ and /ow/ by taking the quiz below.
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PRACTICE |

words_-au-.mp3 | |
File Size: | 2105 kb |
File Type: | mp3 |
Listen and repeat these words:
1. now
2. mouse 3. crowd 4. couch 5. outer 6. allow 7. brown 8. count 9. sound 10. vowel |
11. shower
12. loudly 13. lounge 14. renowned 15. doghouse 16. doubtless 17. pronounce 18. powerful 19. coward 20. roundabout |
Now, practice /ɑʊ/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
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1. how - about - now
How can you think about food right now? 2. encountered - crowd - outside We encountered a large crowd outside. 3. scout - down - mountain The scout led us down the mountain. 4. our - flowers - brown Our flowers are turning brown. 5. allowed - loud - house You're not allowed to play loud music in the house. 6. found - couch - lounge I found him on the couch in the lounge. |
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:
Which of these things do you do when you need to figure out (solve) a problem?
Prepare:
Which of these things do you do when you need to figure out (solve) a problem?
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- Outline what you know and don’t know
- Pout about it
- Sit and think about it for an hour
- Allow other people to help you
- Calm down
- Imagine the worst possible outcome
- Think aloud
- Write about it in a journal
- Leave your house and walk around
- Doubt your ability to solve the problem
Record:
Imagine you're giving advice to a friend about how to solve a problem. In your recording, explain 2 things your friend should do and 1 thing your friend should not do.
©2018-2021, Christine Wingate

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