บทเรียน 6: Towards advanced
Grammar, news, vocabulary and pronunciation
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บทเรียนย่อย 5
Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: Schwa
Tim's looking at an aspect of spoken English called 'schwa'
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Tim's Pronunciation Workshop: Schwa
It's a piece of cake
English pronunciation is easy, right? Well, maybe it isn't always a piece of cake, but Tim's back in the pronunciation workshop and ready to give a helping hand. This time he's looking at an aspect of spoken English called schwa. The symbol for the schwa sound looks like this /ə/.
To do
Take a look at the video, then try the activity to do some practice.
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Tim
Hi, I'm Tim and this is my pronunciation workshop. Here, I'm gonna show you how English is really spoken. It'll help you to become a better listener and a more fluent speaker. You ready? Come on, follow me. Now, there's an idiom in the English language that means that something is really easy. Any idea what it is? Well, here's a clue. Do you know now? Let's ask the people of London:
Voxpops
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
Tim
A piece of cake – an expression that means that something is really easy to do, as well as meaning – a piece of cake. But listen again to the words 'a' and 'of'. They are actually pronounced the same. What is the sound - and are those words stressed?
Voxpops
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
It's a piece of cake
Tim
The words 'a' and 'of' are both pronounced as /ə/ and they're not stressed. This sound /ə/ is the most common sound in the whole English language. It's so common that it even has its own name – schwa. Now, it can be difficult to hear the schwa because it is never stressed. However, it's a vowel sound that's used in many grammar words like articles and prepositions. Here are some more examples.
Examples
I like a cup of tea in the morning.
Could you get a packet of biscuits?
Can you give it to me?
I had an apple for lunch today.
Tim
So, you've heard the examples, and now it's your turn. Are you ready to start? Listen and repeat.
Examples
I like a cup of tea in the morning.
Could you get a packet of biscuits?
Can you give it to me?
I had an apple for lunch today.
Tim
Great work. Now remember, if you want to learn more about pronunciation then please visit our website: bbclearningenglish.com. That's about it from the pronunciation workshop for now. I'll see you soon. Bye bye. Now, I've got a cup of tea and I've got a biscuit, I'm looking forward to a piece of cake. That was a mistake, but a tasty one.
To do
Got that? Now try this activity to get some more practice.
The 'schwa' game
6 Questions
Can you spot the 'schwas' in these sentences?
ช่วยเหลือ
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Can you spot the 'schwas' in these sentences?
คำใบ้
Remember, the 'schwa' sound is always unstressed.Question 1 of 6
ช่วยเหลือ
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Can you spot the 'schwas' in these sentences?
คำใบ้
Remember, the 'schwa' sound is always unstressed.Question 2 of 6
ช่วยเหลือ
แบบฝึกหัด
Can you spot the 'schwas' in these sentences?
คำใบ้
Remember, the 'schwa' sound is always unstressed.Question 3 of 6
ช่วยเหลือ
แบบฝึกหัด
Can you spot the 'schwas' in these sentences?
คำใบ้
Remember, the 'schwa' sound is always unstressed.Question 4 of 6
ช่วยเหลือ
แบบฝึกหัด
Can you spot the 'schwas' in these sentences?
คำใบ้
Remember, the 'schwa' sound is always unstressed.Question 5 of 6
ช่วยเหลือ
แบบฝึกหัด
Can you spot the 'schwas' in these sentences?
คำใบ้
Remember, the 'schwa' sound is always unstressed.Question 6 of 6
Excellent!เยี่ยม!แย่หน่อย!คุณทำคะแนนได้:
End of Unit 6
We hope that was useful. In Unit 7, Dan gives us tips on mixed conditionals and Lizzie tells the story of Pygmalion, which contains 8 uses of the word 'round'. We'll bring you up to date with the latest news in News Review and LingoHack - and Tim will be back with the pronunciation workshop as usual. See you there!
Session Vocabulary
Schwa
This is the most common sound in English. It's never stressed and appears in all kinds of word from articles and prepositions to nouns with more than one syllable:- That was a mistake
- I had an apple for lunch
- I like a cup of tea in the morning
