Pronunciation Exercises

a e i

In these pronunciation exercises, I decided to join some of the vowel sounds, as they can often be difficult for foreign learners to differentiate and pronounce. You will be able to find a free downloadable printout of these pronunciation exercises at the bottom of this page.

Remember to demonstrate the proper pronunciation, get the students to repeat after you, and then have some fun at the end by getting the students to make up their own sentences, stories or dialogues with the words.

I have also found the following to be a very useful exercise....get the students to stand at the whiteboard, and slowly read out the words from the list in random order while they write them on the board. You will immediately be able to see if they can hear the vowel sounds correctly. Then swap around so that you are at the whiteboard writing down the words, and the students have to take turns giving you a word. They will soon see if they are getting the pronunciation right.

Words with A [æ]

bat, pat dad, tap, sat, mat, cap, cat, hat, chat, bad, mad, catch, ham, jam, bang, bank
abstract, backpack, handbag, ransack, travel, saddle, cattle

Words with E [e]

bet, pet, debt, set, met, kept, chess, bed, met, kettle, hem, check, best, bend, bent, step, wreck, wrench
emblem, crescent, present, restless, select, velvet, magnet, jacket, banquet, talent, mattress, essence
element, excellent, telegraph

Words with I [ i ]

bit, pit, dipped, sit, mitt, bid, tip, pick, sick, flick, film, chick, gym, slim
insist, intense, intact, insect, invent, invest
pilgrim, edit, fidget, fabric, attic, classic, credit, denim, visit, panic, zigzag, static, rabbit, radish
inhabit, infinite, accident, definite, pessimist, president, medicine, exhibit, sensitive, residence