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 American English Pronunciation:
It's No Good Unless You're Understood
| "I thought I spoke English . . .until no one understood me."Have you ever said that to yourself?
The pronunciation of English varies widely in each English-speaking country. American
English Pronunciation focuses on the correct pronunciation of American
English. There are three easy-to-use books with audio tapes to help you
correct your pronunciation. Students can also learn both formal and informal
American expressions and idioms in this series.
Donna Hope, the author and narrator of American English Pronunciation:
It's No Good Unless You're Understood, graciously sent me a copy of
book one of her series in order to review it.
The program is perfect for students to use alone. The book is very clear,
and easy-to-understand with notes and pronunciation tips. The pronunciation
on the tapes is very clear, and it moves at a good pace - not too slow,
not too fast. As a teacher, I had no difficulties at all using this with
my students in class. We enjoyed the lessons.
The tapes are fantastic for listening to in the car, where the student
can practice listening and repeating aloud with nobody listening to him/her.
(Of course, reading along in the book is not recommended while driving!)
Each chapter has 7 sections:
1)Make the Sound
Read the description of the correct mouth, lip, teeth, and tongue positions.
2) Can You Hear the Difference?
The speaker will say one of the words in each pair of words, and the listener
must decide whether it is the first or second word. (Discreet listening practice.)
3) Now It's Your Turn
Listen and repeat the words.
4) Sentences
Listen and repeat the sentences.
5) Sentences With Explanations
Listen and repeat the sentences, read what the sentences mean.
6) Sentences To Use With Your Friends
Listen and learn sentences to use with your friends.
7) Put It All Together
Found at the end of each chapter with culture notes.
The program is available as a complete program with a large softcover textbook
and 5 audio cassettes, or as a series of 3 books, each with 2 audiocassettes.
All versions come neatly packaged in a convenient storage case (similar
to a videocassette case).
I hope this review encourages you to try out this wonderful program.
Kaye Mastin Mallory,
TESOL English Instructor
Webmaster -The English Zone-
http://english-zone.com |
|
VIEW TABLES OF CONTENTS
(Click on any title to go to Amazon.Com)
 BOOK ONE
American English Pronunciation:
It's No Good Unless You're Understood
| Chapter One |
Through Thick and Thin (Voiceless "TH"-)
Did He Beat "The Street"? (Vowel /i/)
Skip It. (Vowel /I/ )
Now Put It All Together -- "Titles"
|
| Chapter Two |
What’s with Him?
(Voiceless -"TH")
How Come? (-"M")
This or That, These or Those (Voiced "TH"-)
Now Put It All Together -- "Directions"
|
| Chapter Three |
Live and Let Live. ("L"-)
No News is Good News. (Vowel /u/)
He Pulled the Wool Over My Eyes. (Vowel /I/)
Now Put It All Together -- "Greetings"
|
| Chapter Four |
Follow the Golden Rule. (-"L")
Fight Fire with Fire. ("F"-)
Cloth, Clothe, Clothes (Voiced -"TH")
Now Put It All Together -- "How Do I Thank You?"
|
| Chapter Five |
Oh, No! (Vowel /ou/)
Aw, Come On! (Vowel /]/)
Laugh It Off. (-"F")
Now Put It All Together -- "Number, Please."
|
| Chapter Six |
Never Ever ... ("V"-)
Get It? (Vowel /E/)
Pass the Hat. (Vowel /Q/)
Now Put It All Together -- "Practice With Numbers"
|
| Chapter Seven |
Move Over. (-"V")
Brain Drain (-"N")
Beat, Bit Bet (Contrasting vowels /i,I,E/)
Now Put It All Together -- "Pardon My French."
|
| Chapter Eight |
John Tends to Job-Hop. (Vowel /a/)
An Ugly Mug (Vowel /c/)
She Sells Seashells . . . ("S"-)
Voice Mail or Voice Jail? (-"S")
Now Put It All Together -- "Con Games"
|
| Appendix A |
Simple Pronunciation Patterns With Exceptions
|
| Appendix B |
Notes to Everyone
|
| Appendix C |
Tips Arranged by Native Language
|
| Appendix D |
Notes to the Instructor
|
 BOOK TWO
American English Pronunciation:
It's No Good Unless You're Understood
| Chapter One |
Wendy is a Workaholic ("W"-)
Zip, Zero, Zilch ("Z"-)
Bond, Band Bend
(Vowels /a,Q,E/)
Now Put It All Together --
"All Choked Up"
|
| Chapter Two |
Voicing
Business is Business. (-"Z")
Fender Bender (-"N" multi-syllable)
An Apple, A Banana (A, an, the)
Now Put It All Together --
"Show Me the Money."
|
| Chapter Three |
The Runaround ("R"-)
Shell Shock ("SH"-)
Chicago: The Windy City
(Vowel /i/)
Now Put It All Together --
"Guys and Dolls"
|
| Chapter Four |
Surf 'n Turf (Vowel /g/)
Oh, My Gosh! (-"SH")
Cot, Caught, Coat (Vowels /a,],ou/)
Now Put It All Together --
"You Think So?"
|
| Chapter Five |
For Your Information
(Vowel /d/)
Head-On Collision (-"ZH" /Z/)
What Goes Around Comes Around. (Vowel /c/)
Now Put It All Together --
"Are You Assertive, Aggressive, or a Wimp?"
|
| Chapter Six |
Steer Clear of That Auto Dealership. (Vowel /id/)
A Straight Face (Vowel /ei/)
A Silver Spoon
(-"L" multisyllable)
Now Put It All Together -- "Time is Relative."
|
| Chapter Seven |
Clear the Air. (Vowel /ed/)
A Fly By Night Operation (Vowel /ai/)
What's This For? (Transitions)
Now Put It All Together -- "Potpourri"
|
| Chapter Eight |
She's Just Stringing You Along. (-"NG")
Creature Feature ("CH"-)
Will It Play in Peoria?
(Vowel /od/)
Now Put It All Together --
"I Don't Speak the Lingo."
|
| Appendix A |
Simple Pronunciation Patterns With Exceptions
|
| Appendix B |
Notes to Everyone
|
| Appendix C |
Tips Arranged by Native Language
|
| Appendix D |
Notes to the Instructor
|
 BOOK THREE
American English Pronunciation:
It's No Good Unless You're Understood
| Chapter One |
It's Just Sour Grapes.
(Vowel /au/)
Joyce is a Spoilsport.
(Vowel /oi/)
His Bark is Worse Than His Bite. (Vowel /ad/)
Now Put It All Together -- "Liquor or Liqueur?"
|
| Chapter Two |
March Comes in Like a Lion. (-"CH")
Where's the Fire? (Vowel /aid/)
Ixnay ("N"-)
Now Put It All Together -- "/ud/"
|
| Chapter Three |
A Peeping Tom ("P"-)
A Jekyll-Hyde Personality ("J"-)
I Can't Get a Word in Edgewise. (-"J")
Now Put It All Together -- "It's All Happening at the Mall."
|
| Chapter Four |
Year In and Year Out ("Y"-)
Peter is a Cheapskate. (-"P")
It's a Cinch. (-"N" blends)
Now Put It All Together -- "Restrooms"
|
| Chapter Five |
The Boy Went Ballistic. ("B"-)
Rub-a-Dub-Dub (-"B")
Guilt Trip; (-"L" blends)
Now Put It All Together -- "As American as Apple Pie"
|
| Chapter Six |
It's on the Tip of My Tongue. ("T"-)
Hold Your Horses. ("H"-)
No Guts, No Glory. (-"T")
Now Put It All Together -- "The Tylenol Crisis"
|
| Chapter Seven |
Do a Double-Take. ("D"-)
Speed Trap (-"D")
Learned, Lear-ned, or Learnt? (Past tense)
Now Put It All Together -- "Yes, I Can."
|
| Chapter Eight |
They Called It Quits. ("K"-)
Knock-Knock Jokes(-"K")
The Early Bird Gets the Worm. (L,R,N review)
Now Put It All Together -- "FYI"
|
| Chapter Nine |
I'd Like a Doggie Bag. ("G"-)
Can You or Can't You?("Can" and "Can't")
Doug is an Egghead.(-"G")
Now Put It All Together -- "Who Knows?"
|
| Chapter Ten |
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda(Combinations)
Don't Mess with Texas.(U.S. states, cities)
Now Put It All Together -- "The Lone Ranger"
|
| Appendix A |
Simple Pronunciation Patterns With Exceptions
|
| Appendix B |
Notes to Everyone
|
| Appendix C |
Tips Arranged by Native Language
|
| Appendix D |
Notes to the Instructor
|
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