Unit 1, Syllables
Preparation
What are the following words/phrases in Chinese? Look up these words in your
dictionary then write down their meaning in Chinese.
1. efficient
2. clearly
3. rhythm
4. melody
5. prosody
6. practice
7. syllables
8. basic unit
9. vowel
10. consonant
11. listen
12. tap
13. pound
14. stamp
15. clearly
16. table
17. cell (in a table)
18. column (in a table)
19. row (in a table)
20. letter (part of a sentence)
21. tone
22. monotone
Optional Practice
Write a sentence using each word. This will help you remember the word.
A - Introducing Syllables1
The basic unit of English rhythm is the syllable2. Listen.
☐
1
2
3
4
ease
care
paint
call
☐☐
5
6
7
8
easy
careful
painted
recall
☐☐☐
9
10
11
12
easily
carefully
repainted
recalling
Homework
Make a recording of your own voice using your smart phone or computer. Speak
the words above emphasizing each syllable but try to make the words sound
natural (don’t make them sound unnatural).
Tap out template words ‘ease’ and ‘easy’ to illustrate syllables. Ask student how many ‘syllables’ after
tapping each a second time. Encourage student to do it with you at the same time once or twice (this
choiring can build confidence) then on his or her own.
2 For advanced students: explain the sonority hierarchy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonority_hierarchy
Lowest to highest: [a] > [e o] > [i u] > [r] > [l] > [m n] > [z v ð] > [s f θ] > [b d ɡ] > [p t k] and how the use of
low sonority signals a new syllable to native English speakers. Demonstrate legal patterns of
onset/nucleus/coda - V CV VC CVC and illegal nucleus C.
1
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
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B – Which word is different?
Listen. You will hear three words. Place a tick in the column for the word that is
different. When finished, help your teacher by writing your final answer A, B or C
in the left column.
Example
Person 1: “A. Fish, B. Fish, C. Fishy”
Person 2: [Places a tick in column C]
A
C
B
C
1

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
C – Tapping the syllables ☐☐☐
Listen and repeat the words while tapping your hand or foot for each syllable.
☐
1
2
3
4
5
one
two
three
four
can't
☐☐
6
7
8
9
10
seven
sentence
focus
eighteen
cannot
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
☐☐☐
11
12
13
14
15
eleven
direction
continue
emphasis
syllable
Unit 1, Syllables
☐☐☐☐
16
17
18
19
20
identify
analysis
it’s important
he wants a book.
I have to go.
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D – Which word do you hear?
Listen. Write A or B in the left hand column depending on which word in the
pair you hear.
Example
Person 1: “mess”
Person 2: [Writes ‘A’ in the left hand column’.]
☐A
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
mess
blow
prayed
loud
sport
round
claps
clone
state
squeeze
☐☐ B
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
messy
below
parade
aloud
support
around
collapse
cologne
estate
excuse
E – Pair work: One or two syllables? ☐☐☐
Take turns saying words. Do not always say the first word in each pair.
Example 1
Person 1: [Says one word from each pair of words.]
Person 2: [Holds up one finger if the word has one syllable or two fingers if the
word has two syllables.]
Example 2
Person 1: “Sunny”
Person 2: [Holds up two fingers.]
☐A
☐☐ B
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
sun
red
flow
rose
steam
paint
boss
sport
blow
sunny
ready
fellow
roses
esteem
painted
bosses
support
below
10
sleep
asleep
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
Page 3 of 10
F – Extra syllable in past tense verbs ☐☐☐
Usually, when ‘–ed’ is added to a verb to make it past tense, the number of
syllables in the verb does not change. But with some verbs, adding ‘-ed’ does add
an extra syllable.
1 Listen to how ‘-ed’ changes the following verbs.
Present Tense  Past Tense
1
2
☐A
☐☐ B
rent
plant
rented
planted
2 Listen. Hold up one finger if you hear one syllable and two fingers if you hear
two syllables.
☐ or ☐☐?
1
2
3
4
fainted
laughed
Started
landed
☐ or ☐☐?
5
6
7
8
added
watched
worked
folded
☐ or ☐☐?
9
10
11
12
closed3
caused
treated
asked
☐ or ☐☐?
13
14
15
planned4
counted
cooked
Do you know the rule for when ‘-ed’ is pronounced as an extra syllable? If not,
work out the following puzzle.
3 Puzzle: The verbs in lists A and B below have an extra syllable in the past tense.
How are they different from the verbs in lists C and D?
A
plant
start
treat
wait
heat
attract
B
land
fold
add
raid
load
record
C
work
live
save
laugh
call
arrange
D
wash
walk
cause
plan
close
contain
Clue: Look at how the verbs in list A and list B are spelled. What do all the verbs
in list A have in common? What do all the verbs in list B have in common? Can
you figure out the rule for saying an extra syllable in the past tense? Write down what
you think it is.
Here it can be useful to explain the difference between voiced and unvoiced consonants. Students should
touch their throat and feel the vibration difference between /p/ and /b/, /t/ and /d/ and /k/ and /ɡ/.
4 Here it could be explained that past tense words that do not have extra syllables can be pronounced either
/d̥ / (which is devoiced /d/) or /t/. Of course words that have an extra syllable in past tense are /d/ which
means there is a continua of sonority from /d/ to /d̥ / to /t/.
3
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
Page 4 of 10
G – Counting syllables in past tense verbs ☐☐☐
1 Listen. You will hear the present tense and the past tense of the following
verbs. Write down the past tense of each verb.
Present Tense Syllables
Past Tense
1
2
3
4
5
6
paint
clean
need
decide
dislike
prepare
1
1
1
2
2
2
painted
7
8
represent
entertain
3
3
2 Listen again, write down the words again but also write the number of
syllables in each past tense verb. Note that present tense words7-8 have more
than 2 syllables!
Present Tense Syllables
Past Tense
Syllables
1
2
3
4
5
6
paint
clean
need
decide
dislike
prepare
1
1
1
2
2
2
painted
2
7
8
represent
entertain
3
3
H – Pair work: Past or present?
Take turns saying the sentences. Do not always choose sentence A.
Example 1
Person 1: [Says sentence A or B.]
Person 2: [Says "Past" or "Present".]
Example 2
Student 1: "We wanted to buy a used car."
Student 2: "Past."
Past 1
2
3
4
5
A
B
We want to buy a used car.
We start by looking in the
newspaper.
The doctors treat sick people.
We rent a house every summer.
The teachers want a pay raise.
We wanted to buy a used car.
We started by looking in the
newspaper.
The doctors treated sick people.
We rented a house every summer.
The teachers wanted a pay raise.
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
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6
7
8
9
10
They start at 8 o'clock.
I intend to go shopping.
People crowd into trains.
Children skate on the frozen lake.
They started at 8 o'clock.
I intended to go shopping.
People crowded into trains.
Children skated on the frozen lake.
They never visit the library.
They never visited the library.
I – Silent Letters
Some English words have letters that are silent. Silent letters can affect the
number of syllables in a word. It is important that you pronounce words in
English with the correct number of syllables.
1 Listen. Draw an ‘X’ through the silent letters in these words. Some words will
have 2 or more silent letters.
☐
1
2
3
4
5
6
☐☐
walked
planned
closed
talked
7
8
9
10
11
12
business
several
chocolate
wednesday
every
family
13
14
15
16
17
18
☐☐☐
☐☐☐☐
vegetable
interesting
laboratory
elementary
2 Write two (2) words of your own in the blank cells like those in the columns.
Homework
Fill in the rest of the words in the blank cells like those in the columns.
3 Read the words aloud at least two times. Speak each syllable in the word but
try to make the words sound natural (don’t make them sound unnatural).
J – Dictation: How many syllables?
Listen and write the sentences you hear. Then count the number of syllables in
each sentence. You will hear each sentence two times.
1
2
3
4
5
Sentence
Syllables
He works in an interesting business.
9
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
Page 6 of 10
K – Music of English5
1 Listen to these sentences.
[04.mp3]
How do you spell "ease"?
E- A-S- E6
How do you spell "easy"?
E-A-S-Y
2 Listen again. Say the sentences at least three times, or as many times as you
need to be able to say them easily. Learn them like little songs.
L – Pair work: Asking about spelling
Take turns asking and answering.
Example 1
Person 1: [Asks question A or question B.] Person 2: [Answers the question.]
Person 1: [If the answer is wrong, repeats the question.]
Example 2
Person 1: "How do you spell 'support'?"
Student 2: "S-P-0-R-T."
Student 1: "No. How do you spell 'support'”?
Student 2: "S-U-P-P-0 -R-T."
A
T/S
1
2
3
4
5
6
How do you spell "ease"?
How do you spell "sport"?
How do you spell "traffic"?
How do you spell "squeeze"?
How do you spell "boss"?
How do you spell "close"?
T/S
B
How do you spell "easy"?
How do you spell "support"?
How do you spell "terrific"?
How do you spell "excuse"?
How do you spell "bosses"?
How do you spell "close it"?
Although simple, to Give the example of telephone numbers and how tone drops a little between number
groups and a lot at the end of the utterance. Play ‘Zohan_Telephone_Dictation_Video_Clip.mp4’ clip and ask
student why the character dialing the number is having trouble knowing when to stop pressing buttons.
6 This is just a happy tone rise for the last letter when spelling. In such short utterances using only a tone
drop would sound very serious and likewise simply a tone rise would generate the wrong meaning, namely
a question tone.
5
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
Page 7 of 10
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
Page 8 of 10
M – Music of English
1 Listen to the music of these sentences.
[05.mp3]
What does "easy" mean?
"Easy" means "not hard."
B Listen again. Practice saying the sentences until you can say them easily.
N – Pair work: Asking about meaning
Take turns asking and answering.
Example 1
Person 1: Ask question ‘a’ or question ‘b’.
Person 2: Say the matching answer.
Example 2
Person 1: "What does 'easy' mean?"
Person 2: "'Easy' means 'not hard."'
1 a
b
2 a
b
3 a
b
4 a
b
5 a
b
6 a
b
Person 1/2
Person 1/2
What does "ease" mean?
What does "easy" mean?
What does "need" mean?
What does "needed" mean?
What does "closed" mean?
What does "closet" mean?
Where is the first?
Where is the forest?
What does "traffic" mean?
What does "terrific" mean?
What does "cracked" mean?
What does "correct" mean?
"Ease" means "comfort."
"Easy" means "not hard."
"Need" means "must have."
"Needed" is the past tense of "need.
The opposite of "open."
A place to put things.
At the beginning.
In the mountains.
Lots of cars.
"Great!"
Something like "broken."
"Right."
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
Page 9 of 10
O – Check yourself: Counting syllables ☐☐☐
1 Listen. Write the number of syllables over the underlined words.
This is the first city they visited when they traveled here on business.
They were so pleased that they decided to stay seven extra days.
2 If you have a tape recorder, record yourself saying these sentences. Listen to
hear how well you did.
P - Syllable number game ☐☐☐
Divide into teams. In five minutes, how many foods can you think of that have
one, two, three, or four syllables?
☐
rice
☐☐
ice cream
☐☐☐
banana
☐☐☐☐
asparagus
Another possible category: countries and cities.
☐
France
☐☐
Japan
☐☐☐
Singapore
Pronunciation Course (based on ‘Clear Speech’ by Gilbert)
Unit 1, Syllables
☐☐☐☐
Argentina
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