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LISTEN |
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/ər/.../ər/.../ər/.../ər/...
mother...surprise...prettier...standard |
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WHAT IS IT? |
Pronunciation:
The sound /ər/ is a high, central, lax vowel. It is a reduced vowel, which means it is shorter and quicker than other vowels and only appears in unstressed syllables, or some function words. (See /ə/.)
Spelling:
Grammar Tip:
The sound /ər/ is used in the suffixes "-er", "-ar," and "-or." These suffixes are used in words to mean "a person who does something." Often, the suffix is added to a verb to change it to a noun.
The sound /ər/ is a high, central, lax vowel. It is a reduced vowel, which means it is shorter and quicker than other vowels and only appears in unstressed syllables, or some function words. (See /ə/.)
- Your lips should be relaxed and slightly open, not rounded or spread.
- Raise your tongue so that the sides of your tongue touch your upper teeth. The center of your tongue should be lower than the sides.
- Breathe out, and let your vocal cords vibrate. Pronounce the vowel quickly and softly.
Spelling:
- "er" - mother, perform
- "ar" - grammar, forward
- "ir" - direction, confirmation
- "or" - comfort, forget
- "ur" - surprise, natural
- "ure" - culture, temperature
Grammar Tip:
The sound /ər/ is used in the suffixes "-er", "-ar," and "-or." These suffixes are used in words to mean "a person who does something." Often, the suffix is added to a verb to change it to a noun.
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The suffix "-er" can also be added to adjectives. When "-er' is added to an adjective, it means "more...(than)."
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COMPARE |
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/ər/.../ɜr/.../ər/.../ɜr/.../ər/.../ɜr/...
These are both high, central, lax vowels. However, /ər/ is a reduced vowel and /ɜr/ is a full vowel. This means that /ər/ is shorter and softer than /ɜr/. |
Practice hearing the difference between /ər/ and /ɜr/ by taking this quiz.
Compare Word Forms:
A stressed syllable in a word may become unstressed (or vice versa) when a suffix is added to the word, which changes the word stress. Listen to these examples. Notice how the underlined full vowel becomes the reduced vowel /ər/ when the suffix is added.
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Practice listening to words with /ər/ and with a full vowel by taking the quiz below.
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PRACTICE |
Listen and repeat these words:

words_with_schwa-r.mp3 | |
File Size: | 1023 kb |
File Type: | mp3 |
1. teacher
2. faster 3. surprise 4. forget 5. percent 6. understand 7. wonderful 8. prettier 9. direction 10. interview |
11. survival
12. performance 13. personality 14. conversation 15. natural 16. temperature 17. order 18. furthermore 19. inferior 20. error |
Now, practice /ər/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences. (Remember that in a sentence, some function words will also have /ər/.)
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1. smarter - sister - harder
I'm smarter than my sister, but she works harder. 2. understand - teacher's - directions Did you understand the teacher's directions? 3. interrupt - her - conversation Please don't interrupt her conversation. 4. interview - manager - yesterday I had an interview with the manager yesterday. 5. pursued - order - professor My friend pursued a graduate degree in order to to become a professor. 6. were - surprised - performance My parents were surprised by my performance. |
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:
Look at the list of jobs. In your opinion, which jobs should receive the highest salary?
Prepare:
Look at the list of jobs. In your opinion, which jobs should receive the highest salary?
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- Doctor
- Lawyer
- Garbage collector
- Plumber
- Actor
- Soldier
- Business manager
- Food service worker
- Firefighter
- Elementary school teacher
Record:
In your recording, explain who should receive the highest salaries and who should receive the lowest salaries. Talk about at least 4 professions. Give reasons for your opinion.
©2018-2021, Christine Wingate

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