Practice the diphthongs, aɪ vs aʊ and ɔɪ
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| This is the aɪ sound. This is the aʊ sound. And this is the ɔɪ 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 aɪ. This is the sound in "eye," "time," "why," and other words. |
| Next is aʊ. This is the sound in "out," "down," "now," and other words. |
| ɔɪ is the sound in "oil," "point," "boy," and other words. |
| All the sounds are diphthongs. Which means vowel sounds that start with one vowel sound and end with another vowel sound. |
| To make the aɪ sound: the teeth and lips open. The tongue moves to the rear of the mouth, then moves forward in the mouth as the teeth close slightly. |
| aɪ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aɪ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aɪ |
| aɪ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aɪ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aɪ |
| To make the aʊ sound: the mouth opens wide, and the teeth separate. The lips pull back. The tongue flattens, moves back, and then rolls forward to complete the sound as the mouth moves into an O shape. |
| aʊ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aʊ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aʊ |
| aʊ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aʊ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| aʊ |
| To make the ɔɪ sound: the teeth separate, and the lips make a tight O shape. The tongue moves back in the mouth. Next, the lips pull back, the teeth come together, and the tongue moves forward. |
| ɔɪ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɔɪ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɔɪ |
| ɔɪ |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɔɪ (enunciated) |
| (3 sec pause) |
| ɔɪ |
| These sounds are quite similar, but aɪ is pronounced with the lips unrounded. When pronouncing aʊ, the lips move from an unrounded to a rounded position. And during the ɔɪ pronunciation, the lips move from a rounded to an unrounded position. |
| Listen to the difference and repeat after me. |
| aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ |
| aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| buy/boy |
| (space for repetition) |
| buy/boy |
| buy/bow |
| (space for repetition) |
| buy/bow |
| tie/toy |
| (space for repetition) |
| tie/toy |
| find/found |
| (space for repetition) |
| find/found |
| tire/tower |
| (space for repetition) |
| tire/tower |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| (Do you remember the sound that's pronounced with the lips unrounded? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| aɪ |
| (1) |
| aɪ |
| And the sound that requires the lips moving from an unrounded to a rounded position? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| aʊ |
| (1) |
| aʊ |
| And the sound that requires the lips moving from a rounded to an unrounded position? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ɔɪ |
| (1) |
| ɔɪ |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the aɪ sound, and which has the ɔɪ sound? |
| buy/boy |
| (1) |
| buy/boy |
| (1) |
| "Buy" has the aɪ sound, and "boy" has the ɔɪ sound. |
| Let's try one more. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| tie/toy |
| "Tie" has the aɪ sound, and "toy" has the ɔɪ sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the aɪ sound, and which has the aʊ sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| buy/bow |
| "Buy" has the aɪ sound, and "bow" has the aʊ sound. |
| Let's try one more. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| find/found |
| "Find" has the aɪ sound, and "found" has the aʊ sound. |
| Let's try another. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| tire/tower |
| "Tire" has the aɪ sound, and "tower" has the aʊ sound. |
| Now listen to this sentence. Which words have the aɪ sound, and which words have the aʊ sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| Hi, how are you? |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| Hi, how are you? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try one more. Which words have the aɪ sound, and which words have the ɔɪ sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| The lawyer is a liar. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| The lawyer is a liar. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try another. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| She went to buy a gift for the boy. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| She went to buy a gift for the boy. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try one more. Which words have the aʊ sound, and which words have the ɔɪ sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| The boy tied a bow around the gift. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| The boy tied a bow around the gift. |
| 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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