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LISTEN |
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/w/.../w/.../w/.../w/...
wait...win...twice...away... | ||
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WHAT IS IT? |
Pronunciation:
The sound /w/ is a voiced, bilabial glide.
Note: Some English speakers may pronounce /w/ as a voiceless sound in words with a "wh" spelling, like which, why, and where.
The sound /w/ is in these clusters:
The sound /w/ is a voiced, bilabial glide.
- Make a tight circle with your lips and pull your tongue back. Your tongue should not touch any other part of your mouth.
- Open your lips quickly while moving your tongue forward and pushing air out of your mouth.
- Your vocal cords should vibrate.
Note: Some English speakers may pronounce /w/ as a voiceless sound in words with a "wh" spelling, like which, why, and where.
The sound /w/ is in these clusters:
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/kw/ ("qu") - quick
/sw/ ("sw") - switch /tw/ ("tw") - twice /dw/ ("dw") - dwell /skw/ ("squ") - square | ||
(none)
Spelling:
- "w" - win, switch
- "wh" - white, when
- "u" - quit, persuade
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Grammar Tip:
Most "wh-" question words in English begin with /w/:
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However, a few "wh-" question words begin with /h/:
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COMPARE |
Compare /w/ with /v/:
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/w/.../v/.../w../v/.../w/.../v/...
Both /w/ and /v/ are voiced consonants that involve lip movement. However, /w/ is a bilabial glide, and /v/ is a labiodental consonant. When you pronounce /w/, your lips should form a circle and move to an open position, without touching your teeth. However, when you pronounce /v/, your upper teeth should rub against your lower lip. | ||
You can hear the difference between /w/ and /v/ in these words.
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1. A. wet, B. vet
2. A. went, B. vent 3. A. wine, B. vine 4. A. west, B. vest 5. A. wheel, B. veal 6. A. wary, B. very | ||
Practice recognizing words with /w/ and /v/ by taking the quiz below.
Now, compare /w/ with /b/:
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/w/.../b/.../w/.../b/.../w/.../b/...
These are both voiced bilabial consonants. However, /w/ is a glide and /b/ is a stop. When you pronounce /w/, your lips should not touch each other and the air in your mouth should not stop. | ||
You can hear the difference between /w/ and /b/ in these words.
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1. A. wed, B. bed
2. A. white, B. bite 3. A. what, B. but 4. A. await, B. abate 5. A. rewind, B. rebind 6. A. wobble, B. bauble | ||
Practice recognizing words with /w/ and /b/ by taking the quiz below.
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PRACTICE |
Listen and repeat these words:
| words_with_-w-.mp3 |
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1. what
2. way 3. win 4. word 5. switch 6. twice 7. dwell 8. queen 9. weather 10. whisper |
11. waterfall
12. away 13. unwise 14. rewind 15. between 16. require 17. unswerving 18. underwater 19. aware 20. westward |
Now, practice /w/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
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1. weather - will - wet
The weather will be very wet tomorrow. 2. what - want - watch What do you want to watch this evening? 3. working - whisper - quietly Other people are working, so please whisper quietly. 4. quick - walk - between I often take a quick walk between classes. 5. sweater - will - warm - winter A sweater will keep you warm in winter. 6. were - aware - requirements Were you aware of the requirements? | ||
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:
If you could have 3 wishes given to you, what would you wish for?
Prepare:
If you could have 3 wishes given to you, what would you wish for?
Record:
In your recording, describe your 3 wishes and explain why you wish for these things.
©2018-2021, Christine Wingate
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
