Peter Piper

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled

peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled
peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled
peppers,
where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter
Piper picked?
Betty Botter

Betty Botter had some butter,

"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.
If I bake this bitter butter,
it would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter--
that would make my batter better."

So she bought a bit of butter,

better than her bitter butter,
and she baked it in her batter,
and the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter
bought a bit of better butter.

Sea Shells by the Sea Shore

She sells sea shells by the seashore.

The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
A Flea and a Fly

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.

Said the flea, "Let us fly!"
Said the fly, "Let us flee!"
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
Woodchuck

How much wood would a woodchuck

chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he
could,
and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck
would
if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
Six sick slick slim sycamore saplings.
A box of biscuits, a batch of mixed biscuits
A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk,
but the stump thunk the skunk stunk.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
Did Peter Piper pick a peck of pickled peppers?
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper
picked?
Red lorry, yellow lorry, red lorry, yellow lorry.
Unique New York.
Betty Botter had some butter,
"But," she said, "this butter's bitter.
If I bake this bitter butter,
it would make my batter bitter.
But a bit of better butter--
that would make my batter better."

So she bought a bit of butter,

better than her bitter butter,
and she baked it in her batter,
and the batter was not bitter.
So 'twas better Betty Botter
bought a bit of better butter.
Six thick thistle sticks. Six thick thistles stick.
Is this your sister's sixth zither, sir?
A big black bug bit a big black bear,
made the big black bear bleed blood.
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.
Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat.
One smart fellow, he felt smart.
Two smart fellows, they felt smart.
Three smart fellows, they all felt smart.
Pope Sixtus VI's six texts.
I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted
sheet I sit.
She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
Mrs. Smith's Fish Sauce Shop.
"Surely Sylvia swims!" shrieked Sammy, surprised.
"Someone should show Sylvia some strokes so she
shall not sink."
A Tutor who tooted a flute
tried to tutor two tooters to toot.
Said the two to their tutor,
"Is it harder to toot
or to tutor two tooters to toot?"
Shy Shelly says she shall sew sheets.
Three free throws.
I am not the pheasant plucker,
I'm the pheasant plucker's mate.
I am only plucking pheasants
'cause the pheasant plucker's running late.
Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.
A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.
Said the flea, "Let us fly!"
Said the fly, "Let us flee!"
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
Knapsack straps.
Which wristwatches are Swiss wristwatches?
Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather
better.
A bitter biting bittern
Bit a better brother bittern,
And the bitter better bittern
Bit the bitter biter back.
And the bitter bittern, bitten,
By the better bitten bittern,
Said: "I'm a bitter biter bit, alack!"
Inchworms itching.
A noisy noise annoys an oyster.
The myth of Miss Muffet.
Mr. See owned a saw.
And Mr. Soar owned a seesaw.
Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw
Before Soar saw See,
Which made Soar sore.
Had Soar seen See's saw
Before See sawed Soar's seesaw,
See's saw would not have sawed
Soar's seesaw.
So See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw.
But it was sad to see Soar so sore
Just because See's saw sawed
Soar's seesaw!
Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.
Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.
Cheap ship trip.
I cannot bear to see a bear
Bear down upon a hare.
When bare of hair he strips the hare,
Right there I cry, "Forbear!"
Lovely lemon liniment.
Gertie's great-grandma grew aghast at Gertie's
grammar.
Tim, the thin twin tinsmith
Fat frogs flying past fast.
I need not your needles, they're needless to me;
For kneading of noodles, 'twere needless, you see;
But did my neat knickers but need to be kneed,
I then should have need of your needles indeed.
Flee from fog to fight flu fast!
Greek grapes.
The boot black bought the black boot back.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck
if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,
and chuck as much wood as a woodchuck would
if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
We surely shall see the sun shine soon.
Moose noshing much mush.
Ruby Rugby's brother bought and brought her
back some rubber baby-buggy bumpers.
Sly Sam slurps Sally's soup.
My dame hath a lame tame crane,
My dame hath a crane that is lame.
Six short slow shepherds.
A tree toad loved a she-toad
Who lived up in a tree.
He was a two-toed tree toad
But a three-toed toad was she.
The two-toed tree toad tried to win
The three-toed she-toad's heart,
For the two-toed tree toad loved the ground
That the three-toed tree toad trod.
But the two-toed tree toad tried in vain.
He couldn't please her whim.
From her tree toad bower
With her three-toed power
The she-toad vetoed him.
Which witch wished which wicked wish?
Old oily Ollie oils old oily autos.
The two-twenty-two train tore through the tunnel.
Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep.
The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed
shilly-shallied south.
These sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack;
sheep should sleep in a shed.
Twelve twins twirled twelve twigs.
Three gray geese in the green grass grazing.
Gray were the geese and green was the grass.
Many an anemone sees an enemy anemone.
Nine nice night nurses nursing nicely.
Peggy Babcock.
You've no need to light a night-light
On a light night like tonight,
For a night-light's light's a slight light,
And tonight's a night that's light.
When a night's light, like tonight's light,
It is really not quite right
To light night-lights with their slight lights
On a light night like tonight.
Black bug's blood.
Flash message!
Say this sharply, say this sweetly,
Say this shortly, say this softly.
Say this sixteen times in succession.
Six sticky sucker sticks.
If Stu chews shoes, should Stu
choose the shoes he chews?
Crisp crusts crackle crunchily.
Give papa a cup of proper coffee in a copper coffee
cup.
Six sharp smart sharks.
What a shame such a shapely sash
should such shabby stitches show.
Sure the ship's shipshape, sir.
Betty better butter Brad's bread.
Of all the felt I ever felt,
I never felt a piece of felt
which felt as fine as that felt felt,
when first I felt that felt hat's felt.
Sixish.
Don't pamper damp scamp tramps that camp under
ramp lamps.
Swan swam over the sea,
Swim, swan, swim!
Swan swam back again
Well swum, swan!
Six shimmering sharks sharply striking shins.
I thought a thought.
But the thought I thought wasn't the thought
I thought I thought.
Brad's big black bath brush broke.
Thieves seize skis.
Chop shops stock chops.
Sarah saw a shot-silk sash shop full of shot-silk
sashes
as the sunshine shone on the side of the shot-silk
sash shop.
Strict strong stringy Stephen Stretch
slickly snared six sickly silky snakes.
Susan shineth shoes and socks;
socks and shoes shines Susan.
She ceased shining shoes and socks,
for shoes and socks shock Susan.
Truly rural.
The blue bluebird blinks.
Betty and Bob brought back blue balloons from the
big bazaar.
When a twister a-twisting will twist him a twist,
For the twisting of his twist, he three twines doth
intwist;
But if one of the twines of the twist do untwist,
The twine that untwisteth untwisteth the twist.
Untwirling the twine that untwisteth between,
He twirls, with his twister, the two in a twine;
Then twice having twisted the twines of the twine,
He twitcheth the twice he had twined in twain.
The twain that in twining before in the twine,
As twines were intwisted he now doth untwine;
Twist the twain inter-twisting a twine more between,
He, twirling his twister, makes a twist of the twine.
The Leith police dismisseth us.
The seething seas ceaseth
and twiceth the seething seas sufficeth us.
If one doctor doctors another doctor, does the doctor
who doctors the doctor doctor the doctor the way the
doctor he is doctoring doctors? Or does he doctor
the doctor the way the doctor who doctors doctors?
Two Truckee truckers truculently truckling
to have truck to truck two trucks of truck.
Plague-bearing prairie dogs.
Ed had edited it.
She sifted thistles through her thistle-sifter.
Give me the gift of a grip top sock:
a drip-drape, ship-shape, tip-top sock.
While we were walking, we were watching window
washers
wash Washington's windows with warm washing
water.
Freshly fried fresh flesh.
Pacific Lithograph.
Six twin screwed steel steam cruisers.
The crow flew over the river
with a lump of raw liver.
Preshrunk silk shirts
A bloke's back bike brake block broke.
A pleasant place to place a plaice is a place
where a plaice is pleased to be placed.
I correctly recollect Rebecca MacGregor's
reckoning.
Good blood, bad blood.
Quick kiss. Quicker kiss.
I saw Esau kissing Kate. I saw Esau,
he saw me, and she saw I saw Esau.
Cedar shingles should be shaved and saved.
Lily ladles little Letty's lentil soup.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts,
with stoutest wrists and loudest boasts,
he thrusts his fist against the posts
and still insists he sees the ghosts.
Shelter for six sick scenic sightseers.
Listen to the local yokel yodel.
Give Mr. Snipa's wife's knife a swipe.
Whereat with blade,
with bloody, blameful blade,
he bravely broached his boiling bloody breast.
Are our oars oak?
Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager
imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?
A lusty lady loved a lawyer
and longed to lure him from his laboratory.
The epitome of femininity.
She stood on the balcony
inexplicably mimicing him hiccupping,
and amicably welcoming him home.
Kris Kringle carefully crunched on candy canes.
Please pay promptly.
On mules we find two legs behind
and two we find before.
We stand behind before we find
what those behind be for.
What time does the wristwatch strap shop shut?
One-One was a racehorse.
Two-Two was one, too.
When One-One won one race,
Two-Two won one, too.
Girl gargoyle, guy gargoyle.
Pick a partner and practice passing,
for if you pass proficiently,
perhaps you'll play professionally.
Once upon a barren moor
There dwelt a bear, also a boar.
The bear could not bear the boar.
The boar thought the bear a bore.
At last the bear could bear no more
Of that boar that bored him on the moor,
And so one morn he bored the boar--
That boar will bore the bear no more.
If a Hottentot taught a Hottentot tot
To talk ere the tot could totter,
Ought the Hottenton tot
Be taught to say aught, or naught,
Or what ought to be taught her?
If to hoot and to toot a Hottentot tot
Be taught by her Hottentot tutor,
Ought the tutor get hot
If the Hottentot tot
Hoot and toot at her Hottentot tutor?
Will you, William?
Mix, Miss Mix!
Who washed Washington's white woolen underwear
when Washington's washer woman went west?
Two toads, totally tired.
Freshly-fried flying fish.
The sawingest saw I ever saw saw
was the saw I saw saw in Arkansas.
Just think, that sphinx has a sphincter that stinks!
Strange strategic statistics.
Sarah sitting in her Chevrolet,
All she does is sits and shifts,
All she does is sits and shifts.
Hi-Tech Traveling Tractor Trailor Truck Tracker
Ned Nott was shot
 and Sam Shott was not.
So it is better to be Shott
than Nott.
Some say Nott
was not shot.
But Shott says
he shot Nott.
Either the shot Shott shot at Nott
was not shot,
or
Nott was shot.
If the shot Shott shot shot Nott,
Nott was shot.
But if the shot Shott shot shot Shott,
then Shott was shot,
not Nott.
However,
the shot Shott shot shot not Shott --
but Nott.

Six slippery snails, slid slowly seaward.

Three twigs twined tightly.
There was a young fisher named Fischer
Who fished for a fish in a fissure.
The fish with a grin,
Pulled the fisherman in;
Now they're fishing the fissure for Fischer.
Pretty Kitty Creighton had a cotton batten cat.
The cotton batten cat was bitten by a rat.
The kitten that was bitten had a button for an eye,
And biting off the button made the cotton batten fly.
Suddenly swerving, seven small swans
Swam silently southward,
Seeing six swift sailboats
Sailing sedately seaward.
The ochre ogre ogled the poker.
If you stick a stock of liquor in your locker,
It's slick to stick a lock upon your stock,
Or some stickler who is slicker
Will stick you of your liquor
If you fail to lock your liquor
With a lock!
Shredded Swiss chesse.
The soldiers shouldered shooters on their shoulders.
Theophiles Thistle, the successful thistle-sifter,
in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,
thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his
thumb.
Now.....if Theophiles Thistle, the successful thistle-
sifter,
in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted thistles,
thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his
thumb,
see that thou, in sifting a sieve full of un-sifted
thistles,
thrust not three thousand thistles through the thick of
thy thumb.
Success to the successful thistle-sifter!
Thank the other three brothers of their father's
mother's brother's side.
They both, though, have thirty-three thick thimbles
to thaw.
Irish wristwatch.
Fred fed Ted bread, and Ted fed Fred bread.
Cows graze in groves on grass which grows in
grooves in groves.
Brisk brave brigadiers brandished broad bright
blades,
blunderbusses, and bludgeons -- balancing them
badly.
Tragedy strategy.
Selfish shellfish.
They have left the thriftshop, and lost both their theatre tickets and the
volume of valuable licenses and coupons for free theatrical frills and thrills.

These are in Dutch

Ik zag de zon zakken in de Zuiderzee.

Hoor de kleine klompjes klepperen op de klinkers.

To en Tom aten tomaten; To at en Tom vrat.

Soldatententententoonstelling.
These are in French and might show up incorrectly on your browser.

Un chasseur sachant chasser chassait sans son chien de chasse.

Ton thé, t'a-t-il ôté ta toux?

Étant sorti sans parapluie, il m'eût plus plu qu'il plût plus tôt.

These are in Pinoy

Minimekaniko ni Monico ang makina ng Minica ni Monica.

Botica, Bituka, Butiki.

This one is in Hebrew.

Sara shara shir sameyach.

his one is Japanese.

Namamugi, Namagome, Namatamago.

i. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them.

When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are
saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.

ii. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.

If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time
understanding you. 

Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that
everything you say be understood.
 
iii. Listen to the 'music' of English.
 
Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way
of 'singing'. 

iv. Use the dictionary.

Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct
pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.
v. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who
speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.

Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.   

vi. Buy books on tape.

Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the
person reading the book on the tape.

vii. Pronounce the ending of each word.

Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you
use when you speak English.
 
viii. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day. 
 
Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for
speaking a new language.

ix. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.

Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this
is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are
making.

x. Be patient.

You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and
give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.

Quick tips

Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by
improving the clarity of your speech.

~ Focus on removing the mother tongue influence and the 'Indianisms' that creep into your English
conversations.

~ Watch the English news on television channels like Star World, CNN, BBC and English movies on Star
Movies and HBO.

~ Listen to and sing English songs. We'd recommend Westlife, Robbie Williams [Images], Abba, Skeeter
Davis and Connie Francis among others.

Books to help you improve your English

 Essential English Grammar by Murphy (Cambridge)

 Spoken English by R K Bansal and J B Harrison 

 Pronounce It Perfectly In English (book and three audio cassettes) by Jean Yates, Barrons
Educational Series
 English Pronunciation For International Students by Paulette Wainless Dale, Lillian Poms