Practice the r colored vowels, ʊr vs ɔr and ɑr
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| This is the ʊr sound. This is the ɔr sound. And this is the ɑr sound. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm Alisha, and this is English Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| First is ʊr. This is the sound in "sure," "tour," "poor," and other words. |
| Next is ɔr. This is the sound in "four," "port," "form," and other words. |
| ɑr is the sound in "far," "part," farm," and other words. |
| All the sounds are R colored vowels, which means a vowel sound that ends with an R sound. |
| To make the ʊr sound: the lips move to a relaxed O position. The teeth are slightly apart, and the tongue moves back in the mouth. The throat is open. The jaw and lower lip move forward slightly and we release the sound, then move the tongue to the top of the mouth and pull the lips back slightly to make the R sound. |
| ʊr |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʊr (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʊr |
| ʊr |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʊr (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ʊr |
| To make the ɔr sound: the lips move to a loose O position. The teeth are slightly apart, and the tongue moves to the back of the mouth. We release the O sound, then move the tongue to the top of the mouth to make the R sound. |
| ɔr |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɔr (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɔr |
| ɔr |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɔr (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɔr |
| To make the ɑr sound: begin with the teeth and lips apart and tall. The tongue flattens, and the throat is open. Release the sound, and at the same time, close the teeth slightly, move the lips to an oval shape, and raise the center of the tongue directly up. |
| ɑr |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɑr (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɑr |
| ɑr |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɑr (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɑr |
| These sounds are quite similar, but the position of the first vowel is different: ʊr has the highest position, and ɑr has the lowest position. |
| Listen to the difference and repeat after me. |
| ʊr, ɔr, ɑr |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ʊr, ɔr, ɑr (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ʊr, ɔr, ɑr |
| ʊr, ɔr, ɑr |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ʊr, ɔr, ɑr (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ʊr, ɔr, ɑr |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| tour/tore |
| (space for repetition) |
| tour/tore |
| port/part |
| (space for repetition) |
| port/part |
| four/far |
| (space for repetition) |
| four/far |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| (Do you remember the sound with the highest position of the first vowel? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ʊr |
| (1) |
| ʊr |
| And the sound with the lowest position of the first vowel? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ɑr |
| (1) |
| ɑr |
| And the sound with the middle position of the first vowel? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ɔr |
| (1) |
| ɔr |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the ʊr sound, and which has the ɔr sound? |
| tour/tore |
| (1) |
| tour/tore |
| (1) |
| "Tour" has the ʊr sound, and "tore" has the ɔr sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the ɑr sound, and which has the ɔr sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| port/part |
| "Port" has the ɔr sound, and "part" has the ɑr sound. |
| Let's try one more. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| four/far |
| "Four" has the ɔr sound, and "far" has the ɑr sound. |
| Now, listen to this sentence. Which words have the ʊr sound, and which words have the ɔr sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| I'm sure we will find shells on the shore. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| I'm sure we will find shells on the shore. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try one more. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| I poured some juice for the poor boy. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| I poured some juice for the poor boy. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try another. Which words have the ɔr sound, and which words have the ɑr sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| He pushed the cart to the court for the game. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| He pushed the cart to the court for the game. |
| Here's a special resource just for you… |
| If you want to master these minimal pairs even faster… |
| Download our English Minimal Pairs Explained Companion eBook for FREE |
| This bonus eBook contains even more examples that are not in this video. |
| Just click the link in the comments section. |
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