Easy Pronunciation

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EASY
Pronunciation

Written by
Barbara Raifsnider

Edited by
Christopher A. Warnasch
Copyright © 1999 by Living Language, A Random House Company

Living Language is a member of the Random House Information Group

Living Language and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

All rights reserved under Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this

book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by Living Language, A Random House Company

www.livinglanguage.com

ISBN 1-4000-2089-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request.

This book is available for special discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions
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For more information, write to Special Markets/Premium Sales, 1745 Broadway,
MD 6-2, New York, New York 10019 or e-mail [email protected].

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acknowledgments:

Thanks to the Living Language team: Tom Russell,

Elizabeth Bennett, Christopher Warnasch, Zviezdana
Verzich, Suzanne McQuade, Amelia Muqaddam,
Denise De Gennaro, Linda Schmidt, John Whitman,
Alison Skrabek, Helen Kilcullen, Heather Lanigan,
Fabrizio La Rocca, Guido Caroti, and Sophie Chin.

Recorded at Paul Ruben Productions, Inc., New York,

NY. Special thanks to Paul Ruben, Paula Parker, Jeff
Woodman, and Zed Starkovich.
 CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - VOWELS
Long Vowels 11
Short Vowels 15
Vowels Followed by L or R 21

SECTION 2 - CONSONANTS
Simple Consonants 25
Initial Consonant Clusters 46
Final Consonant Clusters 55

Please note that the following sections appear

on the recordings only:

SECTION 3 - LINKING
SECTION 4 - REDUCED ENGLISH
SECTION 5 - STRESS
SECTION 6 - INTONATION
Easy Pronunciation
 SECTION ONE:VOWELS

To pronounce long vowels:

1. Keep your tongue tight.
2. Hold the sound of the vowel.
3. Make your voice go up and then glide down at the
end.

To pronounce short vowels:

1. Keep your tongue relaxed.
2. Keep the sound short.
3. Do not let your voice glide down at the end.

beat/bet cape/cap hope/hop

LONG VOWELS

LONG EE
Common Spellings: e, ee, ea, e + consonant + e, -y

he three be we she tree

knee gee see Lee Dee fee
key pea tea agree keep heat
seat seek leap meek weak bead
read deep sweep repeat deplete concede
sweet

Here, take this seat. I think we all agree that that tree
needs to be trimmed. When does he go out to sea?
How can you leap to such sweeping conclusions? This
heat is depleting my energy.

11
LONG I
Common Spellings: i, ie, y, igh, i + consonant + e,

hi bye tie die my sigh

try lie eye rye guy why
type write like pipe white wipe
Mike excite ignite light wide survive
knife time wine fine line prescribe
bind nine align I’m mime blind
lime pine dine rhyme

What time do you dine? Try to write like this. I’m fine
right now. Where did you buy that beautiful tie? That
was quite an exciting ride!

LONG A
Common Spellings: a, ay, eigh, ai, a + consonant + e, ea

day hay weigh Ray may kay

gay lay make date hate wait
rate mate Kate gate late dame
haste waste raid made cape game
lane delay repay radio taper escapade
major grenade

This is my roommate, Ray. Jake and Kate brought a great

cake. I hate to wait for the news. Let’s not delay the
game by changing the date. Don’t you just hate to pay
your taxes?

12
OY
Common Spellings: oy, oi, eu

boy coy toy Roy soy joy

koi enjoy employ cloy doily annoy
poi rejoice voice Boyd Lloyd avoid
voyage Freud loiter join joint ointment
coin choice oyster poison cloister void
moist loyal royal flamboyant

Try some ointment on your joints. That boy has too

many toys. I heard Freud’s voice in my dream. We made
our choice by flipping a coin. Please void this check.

LONG OO
Common Spellings: oo, u, ough, ue, ew, u + consonant
+e

blue too through who woo sue

drew zoo glue review you construe
pursue debut Magoo few shoe boo
tube feud exude moon June soon
typhoon balloon resume exhume buffoon cartoon
rude reduce new duke rude conclude
Luke kook excuse amuse tube tune

The following words have a Y sound before OO:

few pew ewe excuse perfume huge

refuge cute beauty

13
Don’t be too rude to Drew. What can you deduce from
the review of your play? A few of us want to walk
through the zoo. June uses too much perfume. How
much fruit does that animal consume?

LONG O
Common Spellings: o, ow, oe, ough, o + consonant + e

hoe row bow low so go

Joe know toe low foe mow
oh Poe stow wo dough slow
Pope rope goad load road wrote
vote note slope don’t elope note
joke soak roam cone phone tone
grown

Edgar Allan Poe wrote many short stories. Do you know

where the note was stowed? Leave a message after
the tone and I’ll phone you back. You aimed your bow a
little too low. What kind of jokes do you know?

OW
Common Spellings: ow, ou

ow how wow sow cow bow

now chow pow row vow loud
route about shout doubt rowdy dowdy
slouch crouch couch powder flowers shower
dour town clown round gown brown
down mound drown found wound noun
pound sound

14
How many pounds of ground round do you want? If you
take this route, you’ll arrive in about an hour. Do you
doubt that I found out about my surprise shower? We
wound round and round until we found the town How
many nouns have you found in this sentence?

SHORT VOWELS

SHORT EH
Common Spellings: e, ea (always followed by conso-
nants)

be be Be bled Deb dead

debt dread den fed fled head
jet led let leapt met men
test red neck rest rev said
Ted invest connect address suspect west
wet when dress stress extend regular
request excellent

Ted cleared his debt with an investment. This address will

give you the connection you need. Just let me rest my
neck on the bed for a minute. When did you request an
extension on your deadline? This red dress is all wet.

SHORT IH
Common Spellings: i, y (always followed by consonants)

is it in wrist kiss fit

sip swim dim gym fix hid
kid pin lip lick slip wish
Dick pick sick tip list Rick
15
history continueMickey resist exit Nicholas
consist exist trick fish switch busy
triple been

Do you wish to exit the theatre? I tried to slip this

bracelet over my wrist, but it doesn’t fit. I wish to be
picked up at six. The list is hidden in a closet. I’ve been
busy.

COMPARISON: SHORT IH / SHORT EH

Pit/pet Sid/said hid/head
Wrist/rest fist/fest did/dead
Miss/mess lid/lead bid/bed
Slipped/slept

SHORT O
Common Spellings o, a (always followed by consonants)

hop stop rob job Tom sob

lock rock cop John Ron palm
shop lingerie father astonish Connie honest
operate not possible stock bottle blond

Rob and Tom were stopped by a cop. Connie sobbed and

locked the door. Is it possible you forgot to lock the
shop when it got robbed? Don got a job in a shop. Stay
calm and stop rocking the boat.

SHORT AH
Common Spellings: a (always followed by a consonant)

16
cat bag sag lap wrap man
last fast gas track pack sandwich
Mac half have has apple magazine
attitude candid tragedy handy cavity habit
trash laboratory procrastinate

Wrap your trash in a bag. I’ll just sit on the grass with
my magazine, my sandwich, and my apple. What kind of
an attitude is that? The black cat is happy in my lap.
Sarah said I had bags sagging under my eyes.

COMPARISON: SHORT AH / SHORT EH / SHORT O

Bad/bed had/head rack/rock
Dad/dead bag/bog fad/fed
Sad/said tan/ten cat/cot
Sand/send land/lend band/bond

AW
Common Spellings: aw, au, ou, o, al + consonant

saw awful coffee draw jaw bought

taught fought Paul paw gaudy raw
off all straw caught ought dog
dawn cough pawn walk talk water
thought lawn daughter

What happened to the dog’s paw? Paul looked awful the

last time I saw him. I ought to get up at dawn. This
cough is from the cold I caught. I thought the coffee was
awful today.

17
COMPARISON: AW / SHORT O
(REGIONAL PRONUNCIATION)

saw/saw awful/awful off/off

caught/caught dog/dog walk/walk
water/water coffee/coffee

SHORT OO
Common Spellings: oo, ou, u (always followed by a conso-
nant)

could should would good foot look

put took soot hood push woman
cook nook book hook shook bush
brook crook cushy

Here’s a book on healthful cooking. Is this a very good

neighborhood? Doctor, could you look at my foot,
please. Would you give me a push? Take a look at the
woman in the red hood!

SHORT UH
Common Spellings: u, o (always followed by a consonant)

hut but bud flood cuddle supper

pun bun ton honey come son
fun run love money funny jump
lump summer lovely sudden dumb wonderful
pump hug bug double

18
You look funny when you jump. We won a ton of money.
Her son will come for supper. This has been a wonder-
ful summer. The sun suddenly came flooding in.

REDUCED OR NEUTRAL VOWEL

Common Spellings: a, e, i, o, u

Note that almost any vowel in an unstressed syllable can

be reduced to sound like the neutral vowel. This vowel
is only found in words with more than one syllable.

about another alone

alive adjust accumulate
possible accomplish animal
beautiful investigate constant
personal residual residence
photograph photographer Los Angeles
Santa Barbara reliance support
homocide

Is it possible to accomplish all that you want? He’s a well

known photographer in Los Angeles. The officers are
investigating a possible homicide. Who do you rely on
for support? I’d like to ask your advice on a matter of
personal concern. How did you accumulate so much
insignificant junk?

19
CONFUSING VOWEL PAIRS
LONG EE / SHORT IH

sheep/ship deep/dip read/rid

heat/hit peat/pit seek/sick

Why do you like to sit in this seat? These shoes fit my

feet. At least make a list. Don’t get rid of all the books
I like to read. We got hit real hard by the heat.

LONG A / SHORT EH

raid/red laid/led wade/wed

bait/bet mate/met trade/tred

They led us to where the eggs had been laid. Jed bought
some beautiful jade. Don’t let me be late. Get the back
gate. Fred said his nerves were frayed.

LONG O / SHORT O

road/rod hope/hop soak/sock

coat/co toad/Todd slope/slop
cloak/clock code/cod

We always rode through town in a hot rod. Tod found a

toad. My socks were soaked after the downpour. Don’t
throw your coat on the cot. What’s the area code for
Cape Cod?

20
LONG OO / SHORT UH

soon/sun tune/ton super/supper

boon/bun Shoot/shut coop/cup
mood/mud boot/but

Soon the sun will set again. There are a lot of roots
in the rut. They played a ton of tunes on the radio
yesterday. But where are your boots? That was a super
supper.

VOWELS FOLLOWED BY L OR R

were hurt bird bur sir fur

dirt shirt learn hurd curd skirt
Bert serve jerk curt word work

gull hull mull sully dull cull

lull null

curl Burl earl girl churl hurl

Merle furl pearl rural world whirl

The little girl whirled around in her long skirt. Merle’s

shirt is dirty. A gull is a common seabird. Where in the
world did you get such curly hair? It can be dull in a rural
area.

art car card cart Bart mart

mar jar tarp sharp start park
dark start tar far

21
Note that these words have the aw vowel in the east
and the ah vowel in the west.

ball call fall shawl stall wall

mall haul tall

Should I go to the mall or the corner mart? Bart has

dark hair, and Art is tall. Betty called me when she got
my card. Can we go to the park and play ball? Be sure
to start out before dark.

order orchestra ford fork Porsche

lord torpedo cork reward sort
gorge dork north sword

What sort of Ford do you own? Order some forks for

the salad. We need to sort through the old boards.
What sort of orchestra plays in your city? What’s the
reward for the stolen Porsche?

full pull wool bull well bell

shell Mel sell fell gel tell

The well is still full. Your hair gel just fell on the floor.
Who pulled the wool over your eyes? Does Mel still sell
those beautiful shells? Are you full yet?

ear near here beer gear spear

tear fear jeer deer leer seer
mere rear steer we’re weird peer
career year

22
peel feel heel keel wheel deal
meal Beale eel meal teal steal
reel kneel veal zeal seal congeal

Do your ears feel better? I don’t think I’d like to eat eel
for any meal. We’re ready for some beer. Do you feel
like peeling apples? Bob’s career is nearly finished

air bear stare care mare hair

dare wear share pare fair lair
rare

ail bail kale sale rail fail

jail whale dale Braille frail tale
shale hail grail veil

Dale can read Braille. That species of whale has become

rare. If you can’t post bail, you’ll go to jail. My sister and
I share everything we wear. We all care about clean air.

coal troll soul hole pole dole

stole role mole foal whole
toll bowl

Moles live in underground holes. Life takes a toll on us

poor souls. He really stole that role in the movie. An
expensive gold bowl was stolen from the museum. They
dug deep holes for the telephone poles.

fire tire hire pyre wire squire

inspire require ire mire liar sire
spire attire desire transpire
23
pile guile rile isle mile tile
Lyle style vial bile wile Nile
while file Kyle Giles

It’s time to fire that liar. Giles’ attire is always in style.

It’s about a mile out to the isle. I’m too tired to file.
What inspired you to visit the Nile?

poor pure tour boor your endure

demure procure moor contour mature

pool fool jewel tool ghoul rule

school stool mule cool drool ridicule

The poor man is such a boor. You sure can endure a lot!
They’re sure to find a cure some day. However did you
procure this jewel? The pool is a little too cool today.

fowl owl cowl howl growl prowl

jowl

Owls only prowl around at night. Do you hear that

howling? The dog with the large jowls is growling. Do
you eat fish or fowl?

our cower hour power sour tower

flower

That is our city’s tower over there. Why cower in the

corner? This drink tastes too sour at this hour.

24
boil oil toil soil broil foil
coil Doyle spoil

Tom Doyle is a little spoiled. Snakes coil up to foil their

enemies. Broil the fish with a little oil. What rich soil
this is! Boil some water for tea, please!

foyer Doyer lawyer Sawyer destroyer

deployer

Mr. Doyer needs a good lawyer. We’ve redecorated our

foyer. Sam Sawyer works on a naval destroyer.

SECTION TWO: CONSONANTS

SIMPLE CONSONANTS

L (Variation 1)

live love Linda lick television

Larry light alive elite telephone
lucid linger elevator eligible elephant

Leave Larry alone! Look at that lovely lighthouse.

Literature lives at the library. The address is Eleven Ten
Laurel Lane. Take the elevator up to the Old Elk Lodge
Turn down the television; I’m on the telephone.

25
L (Variation 2)

Note that this L is usually found at the ends of words.

all cell Ralph will owl Bill

roll milk will hello full tall
pull pill gel

Bill is getting tall. Make the call on your cell phone.

Sorry, but we’re all full. All this milk is fresh. Sailing is a
great way to travel. Ellen called while you were out.

COMPARISON L(1) / L(2)

let/call lie/pull
like/well law/all
left/bell last/will
letter/fill live/Carol

Carol likes to study law. Larry left all the letters here.
Jill lives on Bell Lane. Let me call a cab. Has Carol called
lately? Look, you left your wallet on the table.

river arrow rise right bigger road

radio red raid mirror right reporter
wrong orange rare refrigerator ride
rest restaurant

The arrow raced to its target. Please don’t raid the

refrigerator. The Red Anchor Restaurant is in the
26
Harbor. The radio has the real news. I think I took a
wrong turn. Robert prefers to ride on the right side.
Raymond wrote the red book.

COMPARISON L / R

lane/rain look/rook
limb/rim loom/room
liver/river real/Lill

Oregon is really lovely. Larry rides really slowly. Turn

right at the light, and then turn left. The Red River is now
swollen with rain. Leave the radio on channel four. I’ve
got a little riddle for you.

TH:VOICED/VOICELESS PAIRS

This with
they thought
there through

VOICED TH

this these that those other breathe

there they father weather rather them

Sam can’t breathe well in this kind of weather. My skin

feels smooth after I bathe. Where did this other one
come from? Do you know whether they live there? I’d
rather not wear leather. Either your father or your
mother can sign this. There were a lot of those books
there.
27
VOICELESS TH

breath thing warmth health third authors

think nothing bath therapy faith math
wealthy ether ethics

Math is the one thing I don’t like. He was once wealthy,

but he lost everything. We are nothing without ethics!
Three warm baths a day are good therapy. The path to
the theater is open now. Thanks for the thought!

COMPARISON:VOICED / VOICELESS TH

mouth/mouthe breath/breathe
thought/though cloth/clothe
think/this ether/either
thigh/thy wrath/rather

What are those things over there? They don’t know

whether he’s wealthy or not. The man in the leather jack-
et is very thoughtful. The weather man says it’s thirty-
three degrees. This warmth is rather odd this year.
There are a few things I need to think about.

rice sweet soup Sally cell Rosa

sale Susan solve sit sing soda
submit sedan sold

This soda is too sweet. Would you like soup or salad?

Please submit the forms when you complete the tasks.
28
I bought this dress on sale. Wes likes to solve crimes.
Sue, this rice is super!

Ezra visit zoo as because zero

Tuesday wise files bees his was
rise is Bozo

The temperature feels like it’s below zero. Tuesday is the

best day to visit the zoo. Wednesday was his busiest day.
Is it wise to rise early? There’s a lot of noise because he’s
very busy. It’s easy to be lazy. Where’s the folder that
holds all my files? Why is there so much haze today?
They always catch their planes on time.

COMPARISON: S / Z

hiss/his ice/eyes
bus/buzz piece/peas
hearse/hers loose/lose
excuse/excuse close/close

What excuse do we need to close the door? That buzz

sounds close. These peas are ice cold. Don’t lose that
lease! I saw that bus with my own eyes. Sara and Susan
are close friends. These shoes are too loose. His eyes
are hazel. Excuse me. Is this your soda? How’s your
sandwich?

29
SH

shy should share wash fashion shoulder

usher push shop shout fish show
shoes she

Should I share my favorite chocolates? The usher

showed us to our seats. Wash your hands after you fin-
ish that. Those shoes are all the fashion. Did I mention
the shop on the corner? Sharon is so shy. Shout in that
direction. Wear your special shorts. Some pushy peo-
ple were shopping today Could you show us how to fish?
It sounds like she has whiplash.

ZH

azure beige garage delusion pleasure leisure

Asian vision measure fusion confusion

I need to have my vision measured soon. It’s a pleasure

to meet you. It’s a fusion reactor. There was confusion
in the garage about the owner of the beige sedan. It’s a
simple problem of confusion. The sky is azure blue today.
Is it casual day today?

COMPARISON: ZH / SH

fusion/fuschia
measure/mesher

There’s a lot of confusion over this issue. The show was

a real pleasure. There’s a shower in the garage. You
30
should find some leisure time. The fisherman measured
his fish. Could you casually mention my name? Please
show me some beige shoes. It’s a pleasure to see you
again, Sharon. You should get your vision checked again.
The solution is sure to come.

if forget fish faith father file

coffee field fail fever forth final
awful find reef effort leaf finish

Don’t let your faith fail you now! The reef is full of fish
today. It took effort to finish the job. Father goes back
and forth from home to work. What’s the final score?
The other referee has a fever today. How do you find
your fish? This fence has been effaced again. Your field
is full of jobs. Few people are so forgetful. You need to
fight for your friends. Where did you file the folder?

view very Evelyn valid Victor every

violence even evening variety vegetables

Even the river is rising. Tom is very vivacious today. The

violets look so lovely in the sunlight. There’s such a vari-
ety of violence on TV. Evelyn’s dog is so vicious. Do you
like very many vegetables? Is your license valid in
Vermont? This view is unbelievable. When did you visit
Eve? We vow to live in peace. Have a cup of coffee.

31
COMPARISON F / V

fairy/very final/vinyl
leaf/leave half/have

I have to have that song on vinyl! Leave the final copy to

me. This half is very funny. Veronica found the solution
very fair. The coffee is very strong today. Press seven
for information. It’s foggy this evening. If you can, visit
this evening. Several of these vegetables are different.
Never leave your family at home.

minute matter move man reminder

humble numb rim mind Tom
summer bum

It’s so hot this summer No matter what,Tom is humble.

My foot is so numb, I can’t even move it. What’s on the
rim of this mountain? Mary always needs a reminder.
Don’t give the bum any more money. Don’t mention it.
I saw that man a minute ago. What time is Mr. Wright
coming? It seems warm today. Mrs. Martin called me
this morning.

not number run nuance nut never

no one inner Nile one men nine
inch innocent

32
The men live in number nine. Never say never. No one
can run faster than Dan. We’d never taken a night cruise
on the Nile! How many inches are in nine feet? We
never know when we’ll see you. The car is running fine
now. Do you know my number? How many women
won the game? There’s a ninety percent chance of rain.

NG

wing hang string singer tongue wrong

thing ding pinging Bing song long
tongs ring bring

All these answers are wrong. Let’s sing a song before we

go. The phone is ringing. How long will that pinging
sound go on? What’s wrong with this thing? Bring the
tongs here, please. There are too many dings in this car.
The bell just rang. Did you bang on the door?

NG + G

anger single jungle tangle wrangle ingle

hunger finger longer longest stronger strongest

He’s the strongest man I’ve ever seen. What is the

longest river? It’s a jungle out there. Try to wrangle for
the best bargain. The children sang jingle bells again. Try
not to tangle with the boss too much. I usually take my
coffee a little stronger. We did every single thing we
could Did she break her finger? He’s angry because he’s
hungry. You aren’t getting any younger.

33
N + J (G is pronounced as J)

mange manger strange stranger arrange ginger

range sponge

Would you like some ginger tea? Did you make the
arrangements? What a strange place this is! Your dog
seems to have mange. He’s a perfect stranger to me.
Can you arrange my trip, please? Here’s a sponge to wipe
up the mess.

NK

tank bank rink pink thank sink

wink spunk spank skunk mink dunk
drink think hunk

This ink is pink! Do you think Bob spanks his kids?

Thanks for the cold drink. Mary is full of spunk today.
Go to bed and get a few winks. You can’t drive a tank
everyday If you try dunking me, I might sink./Is this mink
fake? The bank opens at ten.

yes onion yellow you use year

million young youth beyond yeast yesterday
yard yet few

There was a silver fox in the yard yesterday. You’re still

so young. Have you seen the yellow bird yet? Why does
that young puppy yap so much? Use fresh yeast in the
34
bread. What’s beyond that building? Next year, we’ll
make a million. Please don’t use too many onions. Yes,
you can use my car.

wide wit wish west work winter

we would wet wealth way worry
wear want welcome

Why not wear white? I think we want to go west. Why

worry? There’s a whole, wide world to see. I wish I were
as witty as you! We have a long way to go. What? That’s
a weird welcome. What should I wear to work tomor-
row? That was a wild winter we had. How far away is
your work? Would you want to go west?

here high hundred heart happy hold

him hat healthy horse hotel head
hide help hard

The old hotel is high on the hill. Hold your hat in your
hand during the national anthem. How hard do you have
to work? Have a healthy heart! How high can your
horse jump? I’d be happy to help you. How have you
been? Who is the head of the hotel? Hold your head
up high. You can’t hide here. Have you told him, yet?

35
P

Paul opinion pine peach potatoes

prepare power pull pile pizza
put people pay pear operation

Peter has a high opinion of Paula Be prepared to meet

powerful people here. Do you prefer peaches or pears?
Pile the prints over there. Don’t pay full price. You push,
and I’ll pull. Please share your opinion about this opera-
tion. Put the pizza on the plate, please. Don’t pile any
more papers on my desk. Please pick up some potato
salad for the picnic.

PH is pronounced like F: photograph, phone, phony

PS is pronounced like S: psychologist, psychiatrist, psy-
chic.

begin break bring bail Barbara

breathe abrupt bit but bed
about baby boy bat banana

The abrupt noise took my breath away. I was about to

begin my book when Brendan called. Boy, I’m broke!
Bring me a big bucket. Buy the boy a baseball bat.
Barbara bought some bananas. Bill needs to go to bed.
Betty had a baby boy. Take a bit of this bread. Give me
a break.

36
T

traffic terrible hotel task terrific tomorrow

town too time Tuesday tight attack
tire timid towel

The traffic was terrible today. I’m going out of town

tomorrow. Tom attacks his work right away. You may be
too timid. This task takes so much time. Tina will be too
tired tomorrow. They’ll go in to town on Tuesday. Your
tie looks really terrific. What time is the movie tomor-
row night? Use the terry cloth towel tonight.

during address Adella dress adolescent

adorabledebate dance double condition
desk Doug delight idea identity

What an adorable little dog. Please be quiet during the

address. I don’t dare double date. You dance divinely.
He was delighted with my idea. They were in terrible
condition yesterday. Adella dresses so well. Did you
know David had a double identity? The debate was on
during my favorite show. Her condition is delicate. Do
you want to dance?

COMPARISON T/D

tall/doll time/dime tome/dome

ten/den tie/dye tell/dell
tile/dial try/dry tip/dip
37
Do you have the time? Do you have a dime? I’ll take a
tip. I’ll take a dip. It’s done. It’s a ton. Tie the shirt.
Dye the shirt. He is tall. He’s a doll. Don’t touch that
tile. Don’t touch that dial.

kind care kale keep cabinet

account cook carry kid according
come cab could kit cold

Mrs. Cook seems like a kind and caring person. Please

come to hear my account. Can you carry these cookies?
Come in a cab. How long does kale keep? Can you
cook? Call Karen Collins. Could you kindly check my
account. There’s cold medicine in the cabinet. Some
kids are crying. Call me if you’re too cold. The corn is
cooked.

give go game Gail gorgeous

Gary gopher golf ago gas
get gang give guy elegant

Gary got a job as a gopher. Let’s give the gang a call. Go

get me some gum, please. Let’s get a game of golf. That
guy has a gun! Don’t forget the girl in the garden. Guess
again. He was Governor a long time ago. Let’s get some
gas. Gail really looks elegant. What a gorgeous gown.

38
J

George orange June job Genny

age manage large marriagerejuvenate
Jack jet just subject rage

George, can you manage without your jacket? Mr. Jones’s

jet has just arrived. Judy is telling anyone her age. Their
marriage was in June. I just forgot the subject. Jenny’s
doing a good job. A long journey might be rejuvenating.
Orange was all the rage last year. We have a large job to
finish.

CH

church watch ouch lurch change lunch

chicken wrench hunch choice Charles choose
charity child channel

I don’t want chicken for lunch, thank you. Charles chose

his team carefully. Mary left her watch at the church.
This charity is for children. Ouch! I wrenched my ankle!
When can I choose the channel? Let’s change lunch
places. What choice does a child have?

COMPARISON SH / CH

wash/watch share/chair chic/chick

hush/hutch shoes/choose wish/witch
cash/catch sheep/cheap shop/chop
dish/ditch mash/match shin/chin
sheik/cheek marsh/march
39
I don’t like the shoes. I don’t like to choose. My wash
is on. My watch is on. They’re well mashed. They’re
well matched. Put it in the dish. Put it in the ditch. She’s
hit her shin. She’s hit her chin. We went to the marsh.
We went to the march.

STRESSED SYLLABLES BEGINNING WITH P, K, or T

P paper oppose apply important

K capable accord account Caroline
T entire atomic attack telephone

I’ll answer the telephone. It’s a capable car. I want to

read the paper first. What is important? I’ll attack this
project next. Caroline opposes this account. She was
on the telephone the entire time. According to Cathy,
Kelly is very capable. The atomic attack was terrible.
The entire paper is important.

UNSTRESSED SYLLABLES BEGINNING WITH P, K,T

P potato parade apple pacific application

K bacon consent awaken California
communicate
T tobacco Toronto today tomato tomorrow

These apples come from the Pacific Northwest. Today is

better than tomorrow. Buckle your seat belt. They put
on a great parade. They moved to Toronto.
Communication is the key. California’s a big state. The
appliances are broken. This tobacco is old. The bacon is
cooked.
40
MIDDLE T

rated pretty letter matter Patty city

bitter better later witty butter eighty
latter motor writer hitter Sutter batter
litter sitter

She’ll go to a better school later. Patty is very witty.

What cities are rated better? Eighty letters are a lot.
What matters is that you’re not bitter. Let’s attend to the
latter. The baby sitter took care of a litter of kittens.
Ben Sutter’s a good hitter. This is a better motor. The
batter is ready.

MIDDLE D

rudder reader powder adder redder buddy

Maddie Eddie leader tidy ride puddle

Riddles are fun! The rudder needs to be in the middle.

It’s such a tidy little cottage. Eddie’s the rider today.
Maddie’s a good reader. Wait for your leader. An adder
bit her. Eadie added her vote. Hey, buddy. How are you?
This book is redder than that one.

COMPARISON: MIDDLE T / MIDDLE D

latter/ladder rater/raider putting/pudding

wetting/wedding betting/bedding matter/madder
waiter/wader

41
She’s putting the pudding on the table. What does the
rater say about the Raiders? The latter is over there. The
ladder is over there. Tell me if he matters. Tell me if he’s
madder. The betting is heavy. The bedding is heavy. The
waiter is relaxing. The wedding is finished.

T/ D FOLLOWED BY L AT THE END OF WORDS

little battle rattle addle middle riddle

sidle brittle tattle subtle cuddle bundle
candle puddle cattle chattel title noodle
fuddle fiddle saddle

What happened to the little rattle? They’re in the mid-

dle of battle? Saddle up the horses and check on the cat-
tle. We’ve fiddled too long with our title. He’s subtle.
He’s not addled. Did you step in a puddle?

T FOLLOWING N

twenty plenty Toronto painting rented wanted

printer fainting

The winters are cold in Toronto. I wanted twenty rose-

bushes in my yard. He’s done plenty of paintings. We
wanted to buy, but we rented instead.

T FOLLOWED BY -EN, -ON, -IN

kitten mitten button Martin shorten Horton

soften listen often

42
Mrs. Martin bought some mittens. That kitten is as cute
as a button. Don’t shorten the project too much. I want
to listen to the radio. How often have you written? She
made Horton’s heart soften.

T, D, K, G, P, or B AT THE END OF A WORD

hit/hid pick/pig bop/Bob

pat/pad Huck/hug nap/nab
rot/rod back/bag sup/sub

He hit me when I hid. Did Pat pad this chair? Don’t pick
at the pig. Huck doesn’t like to hug. I think I’ll nab a nap.
Did she bring back the bag? Sailors sup on the sub. This
will make the rod rot.

A NOTE ON GRAMMATICAL ENDINGS

-S or -ES is added to nouns to form their plurals:

cake, cakes tax, taxes girl, girls

-S or -ES is added to verbs to form the simple present

tense of the third person singular:
take, takes go, goes rush, rushes

-’S is added to nouns to form the possessive:

Mike, Mike’s Max, Max’s Mary, Mary’s

GRAMMATICAL ENDING S as /S/

Mike’s takes cakes Pat’s hits rats

Hap’s wraps grapes ref’s laughs graphs
43
This is Mike’s car. He takes it everywhere. Their cakes
are delicious. There are rats in the cellar. She wraps her
gifts carefully. That has to be the ref’s call. Would you
like some grapes? Pat’s graphs look great. Hap’s wife’s
having a baby. Kit laughs too loudly.

GRAMMATICAL ENDING S as /IZ/

Wes’s dresses houses James’s rises Mr.Walsh’s

roses washes wishes garages watches witches
hedges edges Max’s fixes taxes

That looks like Mr. Walsh’s dog. John washes the dog
while his mother watches. Did you see the witches of
Endor? No one fixes his taxes. He hedges a little on
that point. The edges of Max’s jacket are frayed. She
rises at dawn and dresses. The houses all have three
garages. James’s wishes were granted.

GRAMMATICAL ENDING S as /Z/

Ron’s sees boys Tom’s runs girls

Mary’s studies towns Gail’s wears bags

She runs faster than he does. Gail’s bags are here. He

wears a clean shirt everyday. Mary’s children are very
smart. She sees his point. The boys went to the movies.
Ron’s car runs well. Tom’s girls are really growing. There
are so many towns on Jim’s route. Judy studies her toys.

44
-ED PRONOUNCED /T/
-ED is pronounced -t after the sounds k, s, sh, f, and p.

walk/walked wrap/wrapped help/helped

wash/washed dress/dressed laugh/aughed
notice/noticed cough/coughed

They got dressed and walked to the store. Larry washed

his car, and then hleped Judy wash hers. We noticed that
you laughed at the reunion. The stranger watched me for
a while, then coughed to get my attention. Linda stopped
for some groceries, then rushed home. The Jones broth-
ers worked their way through school.

-ED PRONOUNCED /ID/

-ED is pronounced -id after D or T

add/added wait/waited load/loaded

rent/rented want/wanted chat/chatted
intend/intended rate/rated wade/waded
wed/wedded

All that was needed was true wedded bliss. We added on

a new room and then rented it. Susie waded knee deep
in the ocean. How is this restaurant rated? We had our
car fitted with ski racks, then loaded them up. But I
expected to pay. The play was well attended. The room
was a little crowded, so we just chatted for a while. The
color has decidedly faded. He said that he’d intended to
call. We waited to be seated.

45
-ED PRONOUNCED /D/
-ED is pronounced -d after any other sound

play/played study/studied grab/grabbed

clean/cleaned live/lived call/called
smile/smiled arrive/arrived move/moved
rob/robbed cry/cried

We grabbed a bite to eat, then studied. The famous

actress smiled at her fans as she arrived at the premier.
Who just called on the phone? Mary cried when she was
robbed. The Smiths moved here last year, but they’ve
never lived far from here. The sculpture grabbed public
attention once it was cleaned. The dog dragged himself
up and begged for more food. It never seemed that you
cared.

INITIAL CONSONANT CLUSTERS

SP

spy spit spoil spare spat spaghetti

spoon sparrow speed spurn spirit sport
spin space spore

He spins a good story. Just spoon in the spaghetti. My

spirit was soaring. The red sports car was speeding. Can
anyone spare some space? Maria spurned Sam at the
party. Try to be a good sport. Did the neighbors have a
little spat last night? ”Spare the rod and spoil the child.”
Those plants just spit out their spores.

46
SPL

split splash splay splinter splendid splint

spleen splice splurge splat splotch

It was a splendid day to splash in the pool. Let’s splurge

on a good movie. My son wore a splint to school.
There’s a splotch of ink on your dress. Splat went the
boy with his feet all splayed out. I’ll split the bill with you.
Let’s splurge on a double ice cream cone. Can you help
me take out this splinter?

SPR

spread spree spring spray sprint sprocket

spruce sprite sprig spry sprain sprinkle

Spring has sprung today. Spread the toast with fresh but-
ter. Don’t sprint across my yard. What a spry old man!
Spray off after your sprint. Spruce up for a night on the
town. How did you sprain your ankle? The bike chain
needs some new sprockets. We’re ready for that shop-
ping spree. Try putting a few sprigs of fern in the bou-
quet.

ST

store stare steep stop stem stick

stir step Steve stew sty steal
stove sting stud

47
Steve stepped up to the plate. The tea is steeping on the
stove. That salve stopped the sting fast. What lovely long
stemmed roses! Try not to overcook the stew again.
Robert has a steel plate in his knee. Stu stole home!
Melanie’s ring is studded with diamonds. It’s not polite to
stare. Please go to the store for a stick of butter.

STR

stride string stress strive strobe strip

strum stream stripe struck strike

How strong is that rope? I like the stripes on the string

bikini. They struck a deal. When did your union go on
strike? I’d like to strum a little tune for you. Someone
steals cars and then strips them. Always strive for
improvement. He has such a proud stride. What hap-
pened to all the strobe lights? No one can take all that
stress.

SL

slid sling slip slum slime slew

sleeve slot slow slick slack sleep
Slade slide slate

How can you sleep in such a sloppy room? Be careful

not to slip and slide. I like the one with the slits in the
sleeves. Slow down for the oil slick. It’s fun to play slip
and slide. Jack slew the giant. Don’t slack off now. Put
the money in the slot. This slum is really slimy. Try for
a clean slate.
48
SK

skinny skid skate skin scarce scan

scalp Scudder scoot school score scale
skip skim scared scat sky

Scoot to school on skates. Scott was scared he would

skin his knees. The skinny kids scattered everywhere.
Mrs. Scudder has smooth skin. Skim milk used to be
scarce. Don’t skip school. What was the score last night?
The scale has tipped in our favor. Watch out for ticket
scalpers.

SQU

squish squash squirt squirm squirrel squander

squalor

How can you live in such squalor? Billy squirted Bob

with a squirt gun. Squirrels never squander acorns. Stop
your squirming! When Sam squashed the bug it squished
beneath his shoe.

SN

snake snide snore snare snitch snap

snit snag snorkle snivel snip snicker
snail snow snob

Mary was in a snit about snagging her stockings. I always

snicker when he snores. Make way for the big snake. It
snowed and snowed all last week. Just snip a little off the
49
edges. Who made such a snide remark? What a snob!
He’s always in a snit! He snared a snake. The little snitch
is always sniveling.

SM

smear smoke smile smooch smack smatter

smell small s’mores smart smooth smitten
Smith Smedley smash

Smith was smitten by the small woman. Don’t smile! I

smell smoke. Who could forget Smee in Peter Pan? This
is the Smedley and Smith corporation. Our s’mores land-
ed smack in the campfire. Here. Smear some smooth
cream on your face. Cindy gave Sam a smattering of
smooches. Smile if you think I’m smart. Sam Smith got
smashed.

BL

bland blare black blue blind bluster

blank Bly bliss blade blister blast
bleed blend blame bludgeon blow

Why do you look so black and blue? I think this razor

blade is to blame! It’s such bliss to live in Beverly Hills.
Nellie Bly struck a few blows for women’s rights.
Blackberries and blueberries make a good blend. Which
is the blade that is to blame for the crime? Try not to
mind Jerry’s blustering and blaring personality. Have you
ever felt such blistering heat?

50
BR

bread brie breast brown brand brackish

braille broke brag break braid bracket
brink bristle breath bring broil bruise

I like the braided brand of bread best. Mary just broke

her brown cup. Bring the oven to broil. Mr. Brown is
just on the brink of being broke. How can you brag
about being so bruised? The brown cat bristled. I like
the braided bracket best.

PL

ply plead plague please plot implore

pliers plug plane plenty plush imply
plow plink plash plum plunk plaster

I’d like plenty of plums for the pie. Please let’s stay in a
plush hotel. We thought the plot was a little plodding.

PR

proud prod prong pretty prank prove

priest prattle praise practice pry pray
prawn preach precious

What a pretty pink dress! The priest likes to pray. Why

not prove he played that prank? Do I have to prod you
to practice? Praise is really precious. Maybe we can pry
it open with the prongs on this fork. Can you prove that
you aren’t the prankster?
51
CL

club clock clean cloak clatter close

closet clasp clear cluster Clyde clap
clip clue clamp

It was a clean crime. There were no clues. The cloak was

closed with a beautiful clasp. Can we clear the table for
Clarence? Why does Clyde clutter so much? The club
horses run at quite a fast clip. There was a whole cluster
of clocks here before. Could you please close the
closet? Clamp down on all that clatter, please.

CR

crow crowd crack cream crisp creed

create cry cram craze credit creature
crank crime crib critic crevice

The morning felt cool and crisp. Please don’t crowd the
crime scene. What little creatures live in crevices?
You’ll have to cram like crazy for this test. How are
creeds created? Crows fly high above the crowd. Put
the cranky baby in the crib. Those crackers are fresh and
crisp.

GL

glory gleam glen glad glue glorify

glare glum glean glass glee glamour
glide glisten gloat glaze gland glance

52
I feel glad when roses glisten with dew. Where did you
put the glazed glasses? Be glad not glum. Why gloat over
a brief glance? Tell us what you’ve gleaned about glam-
our. Gloria has a gleam in her eyes today. How long have
your glands been swollen? Glen glorified his victories.
Don’t glare at me and then glide by.

GR

grist gripe grow grip grass great

grime grind greet grand greed grammar
green gray grade grab gracious gradual

That car is a greenish-gray, not blue! Well, back to the

same old grind on Monday. My son has grown at least
four inches this year. Your grammar is gradually improv-
ing. Get a grip on your grades. She’s a grand and gra-
cious lady. Let’s grab a bite before we greet the guys.

DR

dress drove drink dream drop drum

drag dry drowsy drab drool drift
drive drill drape drivel dredge dribble

Don’t drive the drill too deep. My throat is so dry. How

about a drink? It’s sometimes difficult to drag myself
from my dreams. The contented cat drooled and drib-
bled. This looks more like a drape than a dress. I feel
drowsy and I’m drifting off to sleep.

53
TR

train true trade trust troth trial

try truck trample trowel tram triangle
trick trail tromp trash trip tribe

I’d like to try to catch that train. My truck could never

take this trail. Most kids like to trick or treat. Try not
to tromp and trample on the grass. Follow the trail that
leads to the truth. These trinkets are trash!

THR

thrust thrall three thrill throat throw

threat thrifty thrash through throb thrive
throttle thread thrice

He threw three strikeouts in the game. My heart was

throbbing after that thrilling ride at the fair. This throttle
seems to be stuck. The sword thrust clean through.
What permits bacteria to thrive in the throat? The peo-
ple are enthralled with the throne.

FL

flew fling flog flask floor flat

flag flock fling flack flan flair
flash flinch flub flail

The flag flew proudly on the Fourth. Fling away your

fears and go. Flapping and flailing around won’t get you

54
anywhere. The prisoner didn’t flinch at his flogging. Fred
found a flask on the floor.

FR

fruit fry frump frost fray Fred

from fro fraction froth frozen fragment
frank fraud frazzle

Blend fresh frozen fruit to a tasty froth. Fred likes to

fry fish on Saturdays. This package came from Freda.
Anyone would be frazzled in this fray. May I be frank
about the fraud?

QU

qualms quiet quit quest quilt quiz

quail queen quirk quad quick quantum
quake quality quarrel quarry quart

Alice was Queen for a Day. It’s not quite quiet enough
yet. Don’t quake in your boots! Go in there and quit!
He’s so quirky and quiet. Why quibble if it’s quality? Let’s
have a quick lunch on the quad.

FINAL CONSONANT CLUSTERS

-RCH

birch arch march perch parch church

search lurch

55
The marchers were parched. What kind of bird is
perched on that birch tree. So many churches have beau-
tiful arches.

-RP

harp sharp carp Earp burp AARP

warp

Can you play the harp? Make a sharp left over there.
Please excuse yourself when you burp. How old must
you be to join AARP?

-RT

heart curt Burt cart Bart art

shirt skirt smart part wart sort
port sport start hurt

What sort of sport do you play? Don’t start by being

curt. Where is the other part of your skirt? My head is
starting to hurt.

-RK

hark fork park mark Burke murk

jerk Turk irk lurk Kirk work
Dirk perk dark lark bark O’Rourke

Mrs. Burke gives lots of perks to her workers. Why did

you try to park in the dark? Have a cup of turkish cof-
fee. Don’t jerk or you’ll hit someone with your fork.

56
-RB

barb garb blurb Serb suburb absorb

Garb yourself in beautiful colors. Barb likes living in the

suburbs. How can you absorb so much knowledge? Did
you write this blurb?

-RD

herd word bird bored marred scarred

scared lord guard gored bard

What scared the herd? When Judy’s face was scarred,

she was permanently marred. Why be bored? What
word have you heard from your friends. Our cat gored
the bird with its claws.

-RGE

sarge surge charge merge barge submerge-

large gorge urge diverge converge

Submerge the barge for now. They all live in a large

gorge. The traffic was surging as we merged onto the
freeway. We urge you to take charge.

-RF

turf scarf

57
The turf looks so green from here. What a lovely scarf!

-RVE

carve serve nerve deserve reserve

Carve the turkey, then serve it. What nerve of him to call
at midnight! You deserve rave reviews. Please reserve
us a table.

-RSE or -RCE

worse nurse horse purse hearse remorse

force resource

The nurse thinks he’s worse than before. We all feel such
remorse when we see a hearse. That man forced me
down and then took my purse.

-RSH

marsh harsh

It’s a little harsh to live in the marsh.

-RL

girl curl whirl churl earl pearl

burl hurl merle swirl furl

58
Merle lives in a whirl wind of culture. Tina knows how
to curl girls’ hair better than anyone. See how the flag
furls and swirls.

-RLD

world curled hurled swirled

They hurled stones at the empty cans. The clouds

swirled around the world.

-RST

worst burst

William cursed as his project burst. This is the worst

movie I’ve ever seen.

-MP

mump dump damp camp hump ump

lamp tramp sump

That tramp lives in such a dump! Everything at the camp-

site was damp after the rain. There are too many lumps
in this gravy.

-RM and -RN

arm harm alarm warm gendarme

storm farm worm swarm

59
barn burn earn learn turn
mourn darn warn

We watched the barn burn after the lightning storm.

When the alarm sounds, the gendarme swarm. There’s
no harm if you learn to earn a good living.

-NCH

lunch ranch bunch hunch munch

launch raunchy

Have you had lunch yet? The Parkers bought a ranch.

That film is a bit raunchy. I’ve got a hunch they’ll wait to
launch that product. The kids want to munch on some
snacks.

-NK

Thank think tank dank rink dunk

sink plank

Don’t thank me, thank her. Think of a way to bail or the

boat will sink! The planks all need to be repaired. It’s so
dank in this cellar! Did you fill the tank? They’ve opened
a new skating rink.

-ND and -NT

grind ground round sound sand band

land Rand second

60
went sent hunt bent burnt aren’t
splint flint isn’t weren’t wasn’t

The ground is mostly sand. You’ve sent me bent pictures!

Aren’t they second in line? This land isn’t meant for
hunters. The doctor gave me a splint. The band isn’t
playing tonight. Grind some coffee, would you?

FINAL CLUSTERS WITH L

bulb Kalb bald wild old bold

milk silk bilk

Mr. Kalb is now bald. How bold of you to go so wild. I

think this bulb is old. Don’t bilk me. This isn’t real silk.
Would you like a glass of milk?

FINAL CLUSTERS WITH S

task tusk husk mask mast blast

bust cast last rust

What a task to take down this mast. It’s such a blast to

go to a party in a mask. These are the last of the great
elephant tusks. Doctor, I’m afraid I’ll bust my cast.

-PT

wept swept kept leapt

She wept as the wind swept the house away. He dreamed

as he slept that he leapt from the roof. He kept the card
forever.
61
NTH and LFTH

month ninth tenth

eleventh thirteenth fourteenth
fifteenth sixteenth seventeenth
eighteenth nineteenth twelfth

My daughter’s in the twelfth grade. We live on the four-

teenth floor. This is my ninth cookie. I have lived here
for nine months. The sixteenth birthday is one of the
best. You are the tenth person to call.

62
NOTES

63
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