Unit 22: What terrible weather! /r/

A. How to make the sound /r/

Look at the diagram. Listen and say the sound. The tip of your tongue points backwards towards the roof of the mouth, there is some contact between the tongue and the teth at the sides of the mouth, and there is voicing. Target sound:/rrrrr/

B. Sound and spelling

/r/ is usually spelled ror r, and sometimes wr. Listen and say these words.

• red: /red/
• ready: /ˈred.i/
• really: /ˈrɪə.li/
• right: /raɪt/
• road: /roʊd/
• room: /ruːm/
• ferry: /ˈfer.i/
• sorry: /ˈsɔːr.i/

Listen and say these other words with /w/:

• wrap: /ræp/
• wrist: /rɪst/
• write: /raɪt/
• written: /ˈrɪt.ən/
• wrote: /roʊt/

Listen and say these phrases and sentences:

1. What are you reading? /wɑːt ər ju ˈriː.dɪŋ/
2. I’m really sorry – your room isn’t ready. /aɪm ˈrɪə.li ˈsɔːr.i – jər ruːm ˈɪz.ənt ˈred.i/
3. I don’t know if I’m right or wrong. /aɪ doʊnt noʊ ɪf aɪm raɪt ɔːr rɔːŋ/
4. Too much writing makes my wrist ache. /tuː mʌtʃ ˈraɪ.tɪŋ meɪks maɪ rɪst eɪk/
5. travelling by ferry /ˈtræv.əl.ɪŋ baɪ ˈfer.i/
6. wrapping presents for Christmas /ˈræp.ɪŋ ˈprez.ənts fər ˈkrɪs.məs/