Unit 1
Basic Concepts: Syllables, Stress & Rhythm
Listening Exercise 1
When we learn to speak English, we are learning a new way of listening and
speaking. The purpose of this textbook is to try to make your ears sharper for the
sounds of English and the way the sounds are organized; to help you get familiar with
pitch movements of English utterances and the message it conveys; and to help you
improve your English pronunciation and intonation. When you can hear English
properly you will be able to improve your spoken English.
Listening Exercise 2
In words with two or more syllables in English, one of the syllables will receive
more stress than the others. Look up these words in the dictionary and you will see a
mark indicating stress in front of this syllable. People often have difficulty
understanding these words if the stress is wrong because a word is considered
mispronounced if the wrong syllable stress is used. Correct stress is, therefore, as
important as correct sounds.
Listening Exercise 3
Listen to the following words and underline the primary stress of each word.
Example:
software
Sunday
1. blueprint
6. notebook
2. driveway
7. greenhouse
3. motorboat
8. forestfire
4. textbook
9. football
5. beefsteak
10. paperback
Listening Exercise 4
Listen to the pitch change on the long stressed syllables of the following words.
Underline the stressed syllable of each of the words.
Example:
airplane
(2)
1. receive
(
)
3.
understand
(
)
2. dictionary
(
)
4.
because
(
)
5. considered
(
)
8.
important
(
)
6. mispronounced (
)
9.
timetable
(
)
7. correct
)
10. textbook
(
)
(
Listening Exercise 5
Listen to the following sentences. Decide how many syllables are in each
sentence.
Example: They worked all night
(4)
1. They were in the living room.
(
)
2. Did you need a map?
(
)
3. The library's open from Monday to Friday.
(
)
4. They walked very fast.
(
)
5. All the students worked hard.
(
)
6. He's going to start a new business.
(
)
7. Gorge came out first in the competition.
(
)
8. Did you see our watches?
(
)
9. Don't tell me that he's asleep.
(
)
10. They'd rented it before we got there.
(
)
Speaking Exercise 3
Learn to say common English words with diphthongs. You will hear each word
twice: slow and then fast. Listen and repeat.
bay
/be/
now
/na/
buy
/ba/
peer
/p/
boy
/b/
pair
/pe/
no
/n/
poor
/p/
Speaking Exercise 4
Listen and repeat the following words. Try to speak smoothly from one syllable to
the next. Stressed syllables are in capital letters.
Example:
CANada
1. HOSpital
4.
CHAllenge
2. HANdicap
5.
exHAUSted
3. iMAgine
6.
comMITment
7. MAnager
9.
NEWSpaper
8. eMOtional
10. COMpanies
Speaking Exercise 5
Listen to the following words and mark out the stressed syllable in each of the
words.
Example:
tomatoes
● ▬▬ ●
arguments
1
potatoes
_____________________
2
bananas
_____________________
3
computer
_____________________
4
oranges
_____________________
5
monitor
_____________________
6
customer
_____________________
7
understand
_____________________
8
remember
_____________________
9
another
_____________________
10 devotion
▬▬ ● ●
_____________________
Listening Exercise 6:
Listen to the following dialogue and answer the questions. Listen again and
imitate the pronunciation and intonation in the sentences.
(D = David
L = Li Ping)
D: Hello.
L: Hello.
D: My name’s David. David White.
L: My name’s Li Ping.
D: Are you a student of this university?
L: No, I’m a teacher.
D: Oh, I see. Shall I call you Miss Ping?
L: Actually, the family name’s Li, not Ping.
D: Oh yes, they told me that. I just forgot. Miss Li then.
Listening Exercise 7:
Listen to the following dialogue and answer the questions. Listen again and
imitate the pronunciation and intonation in the sentences.
(L = Li Ping
G = Gloria)
G: Hi, Li Ping.
L: Hi, Gloria. Welcome back to Guangzhou. How was everything back home?
G: Just fine. My parents are fine and my sister had her wedding last week.
L: Oh, how nice. Are your parents coming to see you again soon?
G: Well, they don’t have any plan yet, but I do hope they’ll be able to come.
L: Good. Well, I’m afraid class will begin soon. I’ll have to go now.
G: Mm, I’m in a hurry too.
L: Good to see you. Bye.
G: Bye. See you later.