Unit 7: My birthday’s on Thursday /ɜː/
A. How to make the sound /ɜː/
/ɜː/ is a long sound. Look at the diagram. Listen and say
the sound. To make this sound, your mouth and your tongue should be very relaxed. Target sound: /ɜː/
B. Sound and spelling
/ɜː/ is spelled ir, or, ur, our, ear or er. Listen and say these words.
- bird: /bɜːd/
- first: /fɜːst/
- birthday: /ˈbɜːθdeɪ/
- circle: /ˈsɜːkl/
- thirty: /ˈθɜːti/
- word: /wɜːd/
- work: /wɜːk/
- world: /wɜːld/
- worse: /wɜːs/
- worst: /wɜːst/
- turn: /tɜːn/
- Thursday: /ˈθɜːzdeɪ/
- journey: /ˈdʒɜːni/
Listen and say these other words with:
- early: /ˈɜːli/
- earth: /ɜːθ/
- heard: /hɜːd/
- learn: /lɜːn/
- service: /ˈsɜːvɪs/
- Germany: /ˈdʒɜːməni/
- prefer: /prɪˈfɜː/
- dessert: /dɪˈzɜːt/
- weren’t: /wɜːnt/
- verb: /vɜːb/
- university: /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəti/
Listen and say these phrases and sentences:
- My birthday’s on Thursday the thirty-first, and hers is a week later. /maɪ ˈbɜːθdeɪz ɒn ˈθɜːzdeɪ ðə ˈθɜːti fɜːst | ənd hɜːz ɪz ə wiːk ˈleɪtə/
- When would you prefer, Tuesday or Thursday? /wen wəd ju prɪˈfɜː | ˈtjuːzdeɪ ɔː ˈθɜːzdeɪ/
- That was the worst journey in the world! /ðæt wəz ðə wɜːst ˈdʒɜːni ɪn ðə wɜːld/
- Have you ever heard this word? /həv ju ˈevə hɜːd ðɪs wɜːd/
- The cakes weren’t very good. /ðə keɪks wɜːnt ˈveri ɡʊd/
- I thought they were. /aɪ θɔːt ðeɪ wɜː/
- She went to university to learn German. /ʃi went tə ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsəti tə lɜːn ˈdʒɜːmən/
