Unit 23: What’s the news? /w/ and /j/
A. How to make the sound /w/
Look at the diagram. Listen and say the sound. /w/ is like a very short u:/ sound. Target sound: /wə/
B. Sound and spelling
The sound /w/ is usually spelled w, and sometimes wh, and there are some words with other spellings of /w/. Listen and say these
- week: /wiːk/
- wet: /wet/
- way: /weɪ/
- warm: /wɔːrm/
- well: /wel/
- weather: /ˈweð.ər/
- windy: /ˈwɪn.di/
- away: /əˈweɪ/
- always: /ˈɔːl.weɪz/
- twelve: /twelv/
- swim: /swɪm/
- what: /wɑːt/
- white: /waɪt/
- which: /wɪtʃ/
- where: /wer/
- one: /wʌn/
Listen and say these other words with /w/:
- language: /ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪdʒ/
- question: /ˈkwes.tʃən/
- quiet: /ˈkwaɪ.ət/
- Square: /skwer/
- answer: /ˈæn.sər/
- two: /tuː/
- who: /huː/
- whole: /hoʊl/
- write: /raɪt/
- wrong: /rɒŋ/
Listen and say these phrases and sentences:
- swimming in warm water /ˈswɪm.ɪŋ ɪn wɔːrm ˈwɔː.tər/
- twenty-one words /ˌtwen.ti ˈwʌn wɜːrdz/
- What’s the answer? /wɑːts ðə ˈæn.sər/
- quarter to twelve on Wednesday /ˈkwɔːr.tər tə twelv ɑːn ˈwenz.deɪ/
- twenty-two languages /ˌtwen.ti ˈtuː ˈlæŋ.ɡwɪ.dʒɪz/
- the wrong word /ðə rɔːŋ wɜːrd/
- the whole world /ðə hoʊl wɜːrld/
- question and answer /ˈkwes.tʃən ənd ˈæn.sər/
- Where will you be waiting? /wer wɪl ju bi ˈweɪ.tɪŋ/
C. How to make the sound /j/
Look at the diagram. Listen and say the sound. /j/ is like a
very short /i:/ sound. Target sound: /jə/
D. Sound and spelling
The sound /j/ is usually spelled y, but has different spellings
in some words. /ju:/ is often spelled u or ew. Listen and say these words.
- yes: /jes/
- yesterday: /ˈjes.tər.deɪ/
- year: /jɪr/
- young: /jʌŋ/
- usual: /ˈjuː.ʒu.əl/
- student: /ˈstuː.dənt/
- university: /ˌjuː.nəˈvɜːr.sə.ti/
Listen and say these other words with /ʊ/:
- new: /nuː/
- view: /vjuː/
- interview: /ˈɪn.tər.vjuː/
- beautiful: /ˈbjuː.t̬ə.fəl/
- queue: /kjuː/
Listen and say these phrases and sentences:
- a young university student /ə jʌŋ ˌjuː.nəˈvɜːr.sə.ti ˈstuː.dənt/
- a beautiful view /ə ˈbjuː.t̬ə.fəl vjuː/
- waiting in a queue for an interview /ˈweɪ.tɪŋ ɪn ə kjuː fər ə n ˈɪn.tər.vjuː/
- the European Union /ðə ˌjʊr.əˈpiː.ən ˈjuː.ni.ən/
- I usually walk to work but I used the car yesterday. /aɪ ˈjuː.ʒu.ə.li wɔːk tə wɜːrk bʌt aɪ juːzd ðə kɑːr ˈjes.tər.deɪ/
