Practice the high-back vowels, u vs ʊ
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| This is the u sound, and this is the ʊ 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 u. This is the sound in "cool," "shoe," "too," and other words. |
| ʊ is the sound in "look," "cook," "sugar," and other words. |
| U and ʊ are both high-back vowels and so are pronounced in the high-back part of your mouth. |
| To make the u sound: the teeth separate slightly, and the lips make a tight O shape. The tip of the tongue is near the base of the bottom teeth, and the back of the tongue moves up and to the rear of the mouth. |
| u |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u |
| u |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u |
| To make the ʊ 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. |
| ʊ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ʊ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ʊ |
| ʊ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ʊ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ʊ |
| These sounds are quite similar, but the ʊ is shorter than the u. |
| Listen to the difference and repeat after me. |
| u, ʊ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u, ʊ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u, ʊ |
| u, ʊ |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u, ʊ (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| u, ʊ |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| look/Luke |
| (space for repetition) |
| look/Luke |
| full/fool |
| (space for repetition) |
| full/fool |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that's shorter? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ʊ |
| (1) |
| ʊ |
| And the longer sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| u |
| (1) |
| u |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the shorter sound, and which has the longer sound? |
| look/Luke |
| (1) |
| look/Luke |
| (1) |
| "Look" has the shorter sound, and "Luke" has the longer sound. |
| Let's try another. |
| full/fool |
| (1) |
| full/fool |
| (1) |
| "Full" has the shorter sound, and "fool" has the longer sound. |
| Now, listen to this sentence. Which words have the shorter sound and which have the longer sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| The children pull each other into the pool. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| The children pull each other into the pool. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try another. Which words have the shorter sound and which have the longer sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| The teacher took a look at Luke's homework. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| The teacher took a look at Luke's homework. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| Let's try one more. Which words have the shorter sound and which have the longer sound? |
| (1 sec pause) |
| She felt full, but he felt like a fool. |
| Now, try to read the sentence out loud, focusing on the different sounds. |
| She felt full, but he felt like a fool. |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 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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