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Elements of Pronunciation -
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Intensive practice for intermediate and more advanced students
Colin Mortimer
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CAMBRIDGE
:::' UNlVERSITY PRESS
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A good practical grasp of the weak forros of English is essential to good pronunciation and listening cornprehension. This section contains dialogues in which some of the more important weak forros are contextualised. The items selected are all weak forms containing the 'neutral' vowel, The first group of dialogues features individual weak forros. The remaining dialogues are devoted to a selection of seq uences of two or three of the items that ha-vefirst been treated individually. The pronunciation of each weak forro is indicated in phonetic transcription, in the heading. Featured items are identified in the text in a lighter type face, There may, however, be words not in light type which need to be pronounced weakly if the dialogue is to be spoken properly. Most of such items are fea tu red specifically elsewhere in the book, and their incidental ocourrence in other dialogues can be treated as useful revision or as a foretaste. But primary attention should be given to the weak forros actually specified in the heading.
1 7
,
An asterisk after a word indicates ihat it should be pronounced its strong form. lt is not possible in such a short book to give
explanations of the circumstances in which weak and strong forros are appropriate: . e.g. {he - /oa/ only before consonant sounds. from - strong in final position. that - all demonstratives strong, Phonetics handbooks will readily provide the relevant basic infonnation, and should be consulted.
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So what went wrong? Well, you said all I needed was a pencil, a ruler, a piece of wood, a saw, a harnrner and a couple ofnails. Isaid you needed a pencil, a ruler, a piece of wood, a sa w, a hamrner, a couple of nails, and a bit of cornrnon sense. t Ah.
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Words in italics should
2
be given extra emphasis.
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I need animmediate answer. You shall have an answer. In an hour or so. .1rnust have an answer now. It's not an easy decision to make. But if you insist on an irnrnediate answer, it rnust be an extremely reluctant 'no'. Oh. Sorry . Well, Isuppose if you do need an extra hour or so ... But 1 don't, now, do I? An extra drink, yesoHave one? Before you go?
5
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M"fh! Delieious, John! Can 1 have so me more? Howd'you make it, by the way? Oh, you need some lean meat, so me vegetables, so me butter, flour, salto Chillies. So me garlie, ir you've got some*. Lots of things. Who gave you the recipe? Oh, some* woman 1 know. Well, it really is some* dish! So is she I Now, you did say you wanted some more, darling? Well .. t if I'ru to have some pudding, perhaps noto
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Now tbe* exercise - ihe drill. LIS T E N: The pear, the peach, the pineapple. The* apple, the* orange, the* apricot, REPEAT. The pear, the peach, the pineapple. The" apple, the* orange, the* apricot. The father, the mother. The* unele, the* aunt. The father, the mother. The* uncle, the* aunt. R E V 1S ION: Apple. Pear, The* apple, The pear, Good. N E W WO RD: End. The* end. Good.
Cood, t Only befa re consonant sounds. 'lndicates
a strong formo
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A whisky and soda. A whisky and water. A brandy and soda. Three gin and tonics with ice and lemon, and two gin and tonies without ice and lemon. And another whisky and soda. And a glass of water for me. A whisky and soda. A whisky and water. A brandy and soda. Three gin and tonics with iee and lemon, and two gin and tonies without ice 'and lemon. And another whisky and soda. And a glass of water for you, sir. Right, sir. No, wait a minute. Let me change that. Let's have ...
7
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but /bat/-
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BUl 1 can't. l'm sorry, bur 1 can't.
B
But you must. I'd like to. BUl 1 can't. BUl I'm depending on you. We're all depending on you. 1'11 do anything but that. Bu l no one else could do it as well as you! Why not ask Dalia? She could do it even better. BUl she's too busy,
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There you are, Betty - a bottle of milk. Three boxes of matches. A can of beans. Two bags of sugar. A packet of biscuits. Ajar of jam. ~ bottle of lemon squash. And two tins of peaches. That's the lot, 1 think. OK? . Thanks, dear. How much was it? Ugh! What's this in the bottom of the bag? Oh, yeso And half a dozen eggs.
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of /av/
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1 had a call from Bill. From BiII? Who's Bill? He's very special. He telephones me from overseas. Every day. Where from*? Oh - from wherever he happens to be: Aftica, America, Asia ... From Australia, this time. He must be special.
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He hates to be away from me. Of course, George sometimes rings me from the factory. The trouble is, he always reverses the charges ! Oh, Bill re verses the charges, of course.
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Where were you at one o'dock? At one o'dock? At my mother's. Al two o'clock? Al my sister's. And at one thirty? A t one thirty, Officer? A t a point approximately between my motber's and my sister's. Al Sam's Bar, in fact? Only for five minutes, at the mosto Why?
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them /oeml
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1 saw them together. Where did you see them? In the town. When did you see them?
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Them*? Both ofthem? Like to join us?
Together?
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However, . , .
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Well?
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Course he can. Let's escape. He'd catch uso Anyway,
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Don't be greedy.
B
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Let's ask him to let us go. He won't let us go. He can't keep us forever.
13
As John couldn't come, he asked me to come as a substitute. 8utyou're not Julie.
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1 like it here. He treats us well. Gives us lovely clothes. Lovely food - everything, He must give us our freedom !
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as /ez/
No. As Julie couldn't come, she sent me - as a substitute. You know, it looks to me as if John and Julie ... It does, doesn't it? 1 disapprove 01' such tricks, as a rule. So do 1. As a rule.
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This morning. Oid you say anything tothem? 1 told them I should tell you. Which you've now done. Thank you, Aren't you going to send for thern? No need.l've already invited them for dinner.
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We all know that we face problems. We know that we face difficulties. We are all aware that the difficuIties that we face are not difficulties that will be overcome irnmediately, or that will be overcome easily. We all recognise that the problems that confront us are not problems that will be solved overnight. But ~ 1sometimes wooder ir we realise ... if we realise sufficiently
A
that ... That that" was the dock striking two, Fraok! Go to sleep! Sorry, dear. Didn't know it was so late. My big day, tomorrow,
B
you knów. Ah, well. Goodoight. It's a lovely speech, Frank.
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You're as cunning as a fox. Cunning? I'rn as innocent as a child! And as slippery as a snake! Anyway, believe me, this necklace is unique ( And old! Old as rhe hills! And gold? As good as. * • Probably str ong in t his tinal posu ron. but m very familiar spcech could be weak.
11
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Carol's more sensible than Jenny, prettier than Jenny, than Jenny, andricher than Jenny. So why do 1 like Jenny more than Carol? And why does Jenny like me more than you? cleverer
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there /oa(r)/
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8 A
8 A B A
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There ought to be someone here. There ought to be. But there isn't, 1don't think. There's a light in that room. Let's take a look. Oh, my God! Mm, It looks as if there's someone here after all, poor chap. There's a phone over there=. Better ring the poi ice.
17
am /em/t
A
Why am 1 leaving? Where arn 1 going? Who am 1 going with?
a
Where am 1staying? When am 1 coming back? Am" 1 coming back? These are questions you'lI probably wish to ask me, Barbara, but ... Now, darling. How am 1 looking?
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These are the best. These are nice, too. Mm. But these are more suitable, don't you think? They're a bit old-fashioned, perhaps. And they're a bit flashy, 1 suppose. They are", yesoAnyway, there are no more ín.ths shop. And we must. give them their present today. So wbat are we going to do? Well, Freddie and Paulette eseboth« bit old-fashioned, you know. Yeso But in a flashy sortofway. t 'You're'. 'we're' etc. - see Dialogues 108 and 109.
12
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has /ez/t
The bus has gone already, Janet. Which has gone? The Sixty? The Sixty Six has gone as well. It must have gone early, unless my watch has stopped. Look Madge has missed it too. And Rose has missed it. No use running, Rose! Gosh - Rose has put on a pound or two since sbe last ran for a bus! Oops! No use running, Ros~! 1t's gone!
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II
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The man was kind. He was generous. He was*. Extrernely generous. He was popular. Oh, he was very ver)' popular. So when we heard he was .. , Yeso 1 was .. , Weallwere .
20
I
t 'I'm' - see Dialogue 104.
are /e(r)jt
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was /wez/
13
'Jack's',
etc, -see Dialogue 105.
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have /av /
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The wheels have dropped off! The wings have broken! It's useless! How many times have you fiown it? Only once! 1 wouldn't have bought it ifl'd known! And 1 suppose if they hadn't known, they wouldn't have reduced it to halfprice. Anyway, we all have* to learn, eh? Oh, by the way, I've bought you this. Got it from Walkers. Like it? Oh, it's marvellous, Dad. Thanks. They had one in Gray's sale, but 1couldn't
afford it. Thanks,
t 'Tve', 'you've', etc. - see Dialogues
Dad. \ 16 and 117.
I
i
He does* sound nice. But 1 hope you won't mind if 1 ask him a few questions, Millicent, such as where does he ...
B
Where does he live? What sort offamily does he come from? Who ... Whom does he know that we know? What does he do for a living? How much money does he rnake? That sort
A B
Ves, dear. And also what does ... What does he see in me?
A
Apart from your money, dear, yes.
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does / daz/
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24
can /kan/
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She can play the fiute. She can paint pictures. She can write poems. She can grow plants. She can do most things.
What can 1 do? 1 can't do any of the things she can You can fight.
:=
A
Yes, but who want a girl who can fight?
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had /ad/
A
AlI our money had gone. My jewels had gone. Our clothes had gone. The passports had gone. The air tickets had gone. Everything had been taken. Everything we had*. It'd all gone. Except the present we'd bought you, They hadn't taken that, fortunately.
B
Hope you like it.
A
B A B A B A B
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t 'We'd', 'you'd', etc. - see Dialogues 122, 123 and \24.
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must /mas(t) /
Tell me what 1 must do. You must go to them. And you must confess. TeIl them it was
you. l suppose 1 must*. You mustJrust them. They'lI be lenlentt , I'rn sure. Ves. Ves. I suppose 1 must tell them everything . Well, perhaps not quite everything.
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t lenient:
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You hate all ofthem.
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óarn/
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She usually goes to the Post Office about five,
go somewhere. a
t brood:
to think about (troubles etc.) for a long time
28
/at-l-a. an, óa. óarn/
A
'Stop screeching'; did you say? Don't you know 1 once sang at a concert? At an international concert? At the biggest theatre in town? You must look at my press cuttings!
s
1 will look at them, darling. But 1 have to be at a meeting at a quarter past seven, And 1 would like a bath. Do hurry up. Please!
•
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/ta
it's hardly a new word
AII those friends of yours overseas - why not write to them? Or Go to the cinema. Or to the beach. Or to the tennis club. You can't sit brooding t about that girl all the time. Ves, 1 think 1 will write to them. Good.
A
! I
Some= of us are, 1 suppose. And anyway, is it?
27
I
I
óa. as, óam/
No. But 1 dislike one of them. Roger, 1 think his name is. Because of the way he dresses, 1 suppose. No. Because of a word he used in front of an old lady. Oh, yes.] heard. But she's so old"¡ashioned'
A
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11
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Oh? No need to rnention me, for instance. not severe, toleran:
Selected combinations 01 two weak forms-
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t Where single weak forms from identified in the texto
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17
t he
selected pairs occur, these are also
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Weak Forms
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Weak Forms
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29 A
B A
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!fa(r) -+a, óa, sam/
-1
How long ha ve 1 come for*? For a month. Why have 1 come? Oh ... for some sunshine. For the sea. For some good food. For the wine. For a bit of exciternent, 1suppose. Why didyou come'? F or the money. 1 work here. Not al! the time, 1 hope.
.
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These are a new type. And those are the type you had before. Oh - here are some more. These are the very latest. And the best. ust arrived.
B
Yes, 1 can see those are an entirely different model. Where are the handles, by the way?
.í
A
Oh, er ... Modern
B A
I
Mm,
Ah! What are the plastic things in the bottom of the box '? Plas ... Oh, yeso Optional extras, you see.
32
!
That was a poor meal. It was an extreme/y poor meal.
B
And that was a bit bigger, actually.
B
33 A
;: B A
B
1 got it from an old friend, who got it from a friend, who got it from some friends, who borrowed it from the Browns. Where
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Iwa(r)
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You were a star. You were the greatest actress of your generation. You were the most beautiful woman of your time. You were an inspiration to us all. And you were an incorrigible liar, Rupert. Beatrice! You still are. thank God.
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18
+ a, an. óa. sam/
A
A
B A
+ a, an, óa. sarn. óam/
Iwaz
The soup was a disgrace. The meat was the toughest ever. AII we got for pudding was so me tinned fruit. Where was the special sauce? Where was the special dessert? Nothing was the same as last year. Except the bill,
B
did you get the idea it was stolen from them? 1 got it from a friendo A mutual friendo
No handles
I
A
A
design, you see. No handles.
needed, you see.
B
/frarn
ós. sarn/
A
A
30
-re, an.
I
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I
la(r}
31
19
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Weak Forms
Weak Forms
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34 A B A B A B
A B
loa(r)
+a(r), wa(r)
There were five, There were four. There were fíve. At least five. There were only four. Well, anyway, one thing's certain. What'? There are only four now. There are only three, in fact.
i
Selected combinations 01 three weak formsi
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35
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A
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B A
B A B A
B A
B
I
A
lan(d),
bet-t ov-t o. an, ós. sarn/
The Company Chairman reminded everybody of the problems we face. And ofthe difficulties before uso And of the hard road that lies ahead. A nd of-an ever increasing need to make sacrifices. And of a need to increase our efforts. He spoke not only of the problems. But of the new opportunities. And of the new challenges. And of some recent plans. And of a bright future. And of a bright, though distant future. t Where pairs from
t he
selected threes occur , these are also identified
in the text.
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/antd).
bat-l-at-j-e.
tr
Da!
B
38
I
George wasn't at the meeting, but at a party. A wild one. Not at the meeting"? And at a wild party? How disgraceful!
Where? A
."'A-""'"
In town. A nd at the house of a friend of yours - Josephíne. You reaIly must speak to George. 1 shall certainly do that. But at the moment, she's the one 1 must speak to! At Josephine's you say? A nd at a wild party 1wasn't invited to?
I
i
I
My parents are at a meeting and my sisters are at the cinema. I'm al! alone. Like to join me?
B
Sorry, but my. parents are at the theatre, and my little sisters are at the moment expecting me to bath thern and put thern to bed.
A
Oh.
B
Like to read thern a stor y?
II
39
I
I
13
B
A
B
~
The year before, it was atan expensive hotel. and the year before that, it was al the factory itself - in the canteen. And that was the best party, 1 thought. Yeso But that was at the time when your wife was in charge of the canteen!
R
And a couple of very nice nurses!
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I
II
1
+ at + a, Da!
How terribie! Just imagine, we were al a concert, enjoying ourselves, while you, poor thing, were at the hospital. with a broken leg!
í
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!war
A
11
1 know why you carne - you carne for a drink, and for so me food, and for a tal k with the boys, and for the television. 1 swear I carne here not for a drink and for (he various other things you mention, but for the chance to see your pretty, smiling face again! Oh, Victor! So b.ring the food and drink. and switch on the television, and tell me where the boys are, my darling - there's a good girl.
Last year it was at a restaurant.
40
I ;ti
A
!waz + at + a, an. Da! <
A
!an(d), bat-l-fatr) +a, Da, sarn/
cal
A
(
37
!ar+at+a,
23
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Weak Forms ~::~::::.----:"--:-", --':-- ....~-:::..::-',~:.'-:-::::~_._----~ '---
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.
41
la+fram+a,oal
Steven and Mark are from the Ministry. Robert and Sam are from the Local Government Offices. And the others are from a variety of interested organisations. We're here to discuss co-ordination. Who are you? Simon and 1 are from the Ministry. The other members of our committee are coming soon. We're here to discuss co-operation. And this is our room.
A
B
Weak Forms
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1
J-,
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43 A
B
A
B A
o
wa(r),
kan,
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-
mast/
Only three of us are on the short-list, and he 's the favourite. Surely none of them can know about his prívate life? Or they wouldn't consider promoting him! One of us must do our duty! If all of us were perfect, Martin, l'd agree with you. But 1must" confess ... Yes, James? Needless to say, you can trust me! Absolutely! l'm glad to hear it. But perhaps more irnportant, in this case: You can trust me - I'rn sorry to say.
44 A
/ov-t os. oam+a(r),
o
/08(r) +8,
W8, W8Z
+8, an. sam/
Anything for me? There were some telephone calls. I said you'd ring back. There are some letters. Oh, yes - and there was un inquiry. Someone asking about something called Weak Forms. Have we got any?
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42 A
B
A
B A
/waz+fram+a,oal
This was from the garden! That was from the garden! And this was from the garden! Our own garden! Aren't they superb? And look at this! The best of ail! This was from ltle garden, too, was it? That was from a shop, No, no, no. 1 meant that. That's the one 1 meant - not that. Good.
:-
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