ok
B. they spoke softly and lovingly
Back vowels & their description
/ :/ /ɒ/ low, back, unrounded vowel low, back rounded vowel
/ ɔ:/
/ʊ/
1. 2. 3. 4. I'm going to __________. A. cook it Well, to tell you the truth, ___________. A. Susan is the only one that I know
B. wash it B. I know nothing about his stuff
mid-low, back, rounded vowel
lower high, back, rounded vowel
/ u:/
/Λ/
high, back, rounded vowel
lower mid, central, unrounded vowel
Well, to tell you the truth, ___________. A. Susan is the only one that I know B. I know nothing about his stuff The speaker was talking about the woman losing her __________. A. hut B. heart Neither have I. ______________ A. Did you make it yourself?B. When did you build it?






11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
heart guard carp lark barn dark march calm cart harm
hot god cop lock bun duck much come cut hum
Listening Exercise –
5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Oh, was it because of __________? A. the colour of its scales
B. the hat he is wearing
The speaker is going to get rid of the ______. A. cot B. cart The speaker is looking for the _____. A. forks B. fox






11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
heart guard carp lark barn dark march calm cart harm
hot god cop lock bun duck much come cut hum
Listening Exercise – Sounds for information
B. cook with a wok
B. they spoke softly and lovingly
Listening Exercise – Sounds for information
1. 2. 3. 4. I'm going to __________. A. cook it
B. wash it
Sound discrimination






1. fool 2. cooed 3. pool 4. Luke 5. wooed 6. kooky 7. caught 8. hawk 9. dawn 10. taught
full could pull look would cookie cot hock don tot
He told the speaker that the man ________. A. was dead B. was not tall The speaker is going to ________. A. have a walk Yes, they told me that __________. A. they were able to
Listening Exercise –
Sound discrimination






1. fool 2. cooed 3. pool 4. Luke 5. wooed 6. kooky 7. caught 8. hawk 9. dawn 10. taught
full could pull look would cookie cot hock don tot
/u:/ and / ʊ /

/u:/ and / ʊ / are both high, back, rounded vowels. The /u:/ marks the highest boundary for the back vowels in English, as /i:/ does for the front vowels. Therefore, the tongue is retracted from its rest position and raised toward the soft palate. This vowel is quite common in the languages of the world and appears without problem in most Chinese learners. Along with /u:/, / ʊ / completes the vowels in the high back space on the vowels chart. Its corresponding front vowel is /ı /. When making the sound, the tongue is retracted as for /u:/ but not elevated to the same extent. In addition, the / ʊ / vowel is not made with as much tension in the root of the tongue as /u:/.
/ α:/ and / Λ /

/ α:/ is made by lowering and flattening the tongue in the oral cavity. It is a low vowel, but not as back as other back vowels in English. / Λ / is quite different from other vowels in this group in that it is more like a central vowel than a back vowel (see the vowel chart). / Λ / is made with the tongue in the approximate middle of the mouth, perhaps shifted back slightly. It is lower than the other central vowels /з:/ and /ə/ . The lip position is neutral.
He told the speaker that the man ________. A. was dead B. was not tall The speaker is going to ________. A. have a walk Yes, they told me that __________. A. they were able to
English Back Vowels
There are six back vowels in English.


The back vowels are produced by shifting the body of the tongue back from its central position. The tip of the tongue remains at the level of the lower teeth. Unlike the front vowels that are made with a fairly neutral lip posture, four of the back vowels are rounded. The back vowels may also be subdivided into those that are high like /u:/ and /ʊ /, those that are mid like / ɔ:/ and / Λ /, and those that are low like /α:/ and / ɒ /.
5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Oh, was it because of __________? A. the colour of its scales
The speaker is going to get rid of the ______. A. cot B. cart The speaker is looking for the _____. A. forks B. fox
The speaker was talking about the woman losing her __________. A. hut B. heart Neither have I. ______________ A. Did you make it yourself? B. When did you build it? B. the hat he is wearing