Vowels skills

how we sound to others? Unfortunately, not many of us
have given a thought to the vehicle of communication called
speech.

We naturally assume that we speak pretty well and it's the other person who has a hearing problem.

Before we leave home to meet some people don't we make
an effort to groom ourselves in order to make a good
impression? Just as we pay attention to personal grooming,
so also we have to pay attention to 'verbal grooming.' We
have to learn to modulate our tone and pitch so that we
train ourselves to speak in a pleasant tone of voice; we have
to learn to articulate and pronounce words properly so that
we express ourselves with cultured refinement.

When listening to the two CDs, be an active listener.
Use the gaps between words to mimic or imitate the sounds
you hear. If you are able to mimic the sounds exactly as
you hear them - not inside your head, but out loud - you
will progress faster. To test yourself, record your 'mimicry'
and compare it with the CD. Doing the exercises and
applying the principles in the following speech drills
consistently will help you to improve your voice quality, as
well as your diction, pronunciation, enunciation,
intonation, articulation and fluency - making you an
accomplished and polished speaker.

The English Vowels
There are about forty sounds in the English language. All
the consonants get their sounds from the vowels. Hence,
when you're practicing vowel sounds it is important to
remember the basic rules:
1. Open your mouth - a clear vowel sound cannot come
out unless the mouth is properly opened.
2. Use your lips fully. The lips give 'shape' to the

vowels.
3. Prolong (or glide) the long vowels. This implies that
you should be able to distinguish between long and
short vowels. For example: long e as in eagle; and short e
as in egg. Long a as in aim, and short a as in accident.

LESSON 1
Longe: as in we
In making this sound, the tongue is arched in the front with
the tip of the tongue hidden behind the lower- teeth. The
lips are not rounded but rather pulled wide ana flat. The
muscles in the throat and tongue are tense. This sound may
be spelled as e, er, ae, ea, ei, ee.

Drill

heroes	these	European	immediately
Leo	precede	genius	experience
peace	piece	believe	perseverance
siege	achieve	grievous	convenience
yield	niece	receive	evening (eve-ning
seize	species	relieve	appearance
leave	ceiling	receipt	disappear
year	proceed	deceive	increase
reach	preach	magazine	machinery
tea	machine	breathe	disease

For the following drill, with your lips pulled wide and
flat (not rounded), stretch the e sound and say aloud:
Bee, bee, bee. Wee, wee, wee.
Deep, Keep, Leap, Steep.
Our team meets Peter's team this evening.
Please reap the wheat for me.
These three fleas flee freely.