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Language th. Reading rules in English. Sound meaning of English letter combinations ture, sure

Now, friends, we will learn how to read letter combinations th and pronunciation of perhaps the most difficult English sounds - [ð] And [θ] . As a matter of fact, the letter combination th conveys these two sounds, which in transcription are indicated by the symbols [ð] and [θ].

So, let's start with specific examples. Let's take the English word this (this, this, this). As you can see, this word contains the letter combination th. If you find this word in the dictionary, then opposite it you will see the following transcription [ðɪs]. Thus, in the word this, the letter combination th conveys the sound [ð]. How to pronounce it?

To correctly pronounce the sound [ð], you need to open your mouth slightly and stick out your tongue. Lightly bite your tongue with your teeth. Now pronounce the Russian sound “z”. You will get the same Russian sound “z”, but only with a very, very lisp. This is English [ð]. Check out these examples where th is read as [ð]:

this
that
the
weather
mother
breathe
bathe

Now let's turn to the word three (three), which also contains the combination th. If you check this word in the dictionary, you will find the transcription [θriː], i.e. th in this word conveys the sound [θ]. How should you pronounce this sound? Almost the same as the sound [ð], i.e. open your mouth slightly, stick out your tongue, slightly bite your tongue with your teeth and pronounce the Russian “s”. Please note: when pronouncing the previous sound we said “z”, and now we say “s”. The result is an overly lisping “s” sound. Here are words in which the combination th is read as [θ]:

three
throw
through
lethal
panther
teeth
breath
mouth

You can also watch the following video lesson below, in which a native speaker will teach you how to correctly read the letter combination th and pronounce the sounds [ð] and [θ].

and [z] and [θ] and [ð] is that [θ] and [ð] have an aural character, and [s] and [z] - . Thus, [θ] and [ð] in to some extent correspond to the Russian pronunciation of “s”, for example, in the word “bough” and “z”, for example, in the word “zone”. The digraph th has two sound meanings: voiceless [θ] and voiced [ð]:

in English, voiced [ð] occurs in function words (articles, pronouns, prepositions, etc.) and in the middle of other words as a result of voicing of the voiceless [θ] by the vowels surrounding it.

For example: that [ðæt] - that, then [ðen] - then, the [ðe], there [ðeə]

in other cases th indicates the unvoiced sound [θ].

For example: thing [θıŋ],thrill [θrıl]

Do not replace the sounds [θ] and [ð] with the sounds [s] and [z] - this may change the meaning of the word. For example: instead of thin [θın] - thin it turns out sin - sin.

Example
[θ]	theme, thin, tenth, teeth
[ð]	them, than, that, then

Three sound meanings of the English digraph ch

The digraph ch usually reflects a combination of two sounds [t] and [ʃ], reminiscent of the Russian [ch] in the word man, but with a more distinct first element.

for example: chin, chess, chill, chips, chops, chinch

Several words, relatively recently borrowed from French, retain the French reading of the digraph ch as [ʃ]

for example: machine, chic [ʃık]

In words of Greek origin, ch is pronounced [k]. If the spelling of a word has a digraph ch, which in Russian in a similar word corresponds to the letter x, then this is a word of Greek origin, and in this case ch reflects the sound [k].

for example: architect - architect ["ɑ:kıtekt], archaic ["ɑ:keık], chemist - chemist ["kemıst], scheme-, character - character, chemistry - chemistry

Example
	such, chess, match, chin, China ["tʃaınə]
[k]	chemist ["kemıst] , technical ["teknıkəl] , scheme , school

Sound meaning of the English digraph ck

The digraph сk reflects the sound [k].
For example: sick, thick [θık], check, lock, trick, cock, neck, clock, knock, block.

Sound meaning of the English digraph sh

The digraph sh reflects the sound [ʃ], similar to the Russian [sh], but is pronounced somewhat softer [sh].
For example: shell [ʃel], fish, shelf [ʃelf], shin [ʃın], fresh, shift, shim

Two sound meanings of the wh digraph

when after the letter combination wh there is an o, then only the second letter h is usually pronounced in it,

for example: whose, whole, who, whom

in all other cases wh reflects the sound [w]

for example: when , which , why , while

Sound meaning of the digraph gu

This digraph reflects the sound [g]
For example: guest , plague , guide , guess , guild , guile

Digraph gh

The English letter combination gh is found in words of Germanic origin. It should be remembered that in English the digraph gh in the middle of a word does not sound, and the vowel letter i in front of it is pronounced as a diphthong.

For example: light , might , right , night

in a few words, in final position the digraph gh reflects the sound [f].

For example: laugh , enough [ı"nʌf] , rough

the combination ought is pronounced [ɔ:t].

For example: ought [ɔ:t], bought, fought, brought

at the beginning of a word, gh reflects the sound [g].

For example ghost, ghetto ["getɒʋ], ghastly ["gɑ:stlı].

Digraph ph

The digraph ph occurs in words of Greek origin and is pronounced
like the sound [f]
For example: graph chart, photography photograph, photo ["fɒʋtɒʋ]

Digraphs wr, kn, gn

At the beginning of a word, the sound of these digraphs was simplified to the sounds [r] and [n]. Thus, the English digraph wr is read as [r], English letter combinations kn,gn as [n]
For example: write, knight, gnat, knee, knife

Digraphs ng, nk

The letter combination ng at the end of a word is read as the sound [ŋ], for example: thing [ðıŋ]
The letter combination nk is read as the sound combination [ŋk], for example: ink [ıŋk]

Digraphs mb, mn

At the end of the words in sound combinations, the sounds [b] and [n] have disappeared, only [m] is pronounced.
For example: lamb, bomb, limb, autumn [ɔ:tm], hymn.

Two sound meanings of the English digraph qu

You should know that the letter q is always followed by the letter u, and this English letter combination qu is read as follows:

at the beginning and middle of a word it reflects the combination

For example: , quill , quint , quilt

at the end of a word qu conveys the sound [k]

For example: unique , technique

Sound meaning of English letter combinations ci (si, ti)

The letter combination ci (si, ti) reflects the sound [ʃ], for example: Asia ["eıʃə],
specialist ["speʃəlıst]. This letter combination is often part of the noun suffix -ion, which forms abstract nouns. This suffix corresponds to the Russian suffixes -tsia, -siya, for example: mission ["mıʃn] - mission, nation ["neıʃn] - nation, demonstration - demonstration.

Note. If there is a vowel before -sion, then this combination conveys the sound [ʒən], for example: explosion [ıks"pləʋʒən], erosion [ı"rəʋʒən], conclusion, revision.

Sound meaning of English letter combinations ture, sure

As a result of certain phonetic changes in the English language, the combination ture began to be perceived as a symbol of sound combination.

for example: lecture ["lektʃə], literature ["lıtərıtʃə], mixture ["mıkstʃə]

The letter combination sure has become a graphic symbol of the sound combination [ə].

for example: pressure ["preʃə], tonsure

If the letter combination sure is preceded by a vowel, then it reflects the sound [ʒə]

for example: pleasure ["pleʒə],treasure ["treʒə],measure ["meʒə]

We continue our pronunciation lessons from a native speaker - American Dave Skonda. In this lesson you will learn how to pronounce sounds correctly [Ө, ð] and get rid of common pronunciation errors T.H., characteristic of Russian speakers, the so-called "Russian accent"

My comment:
Pronunciation TH- causes particular difficulties and here's why.
Sounds [Ө, ð] - are absent in Russian. We have similar sounds [s, z]. And therefore, when pronouncing, we replace English sounds with Russian ones and as a result we get « Russian accent". To get rid of it, pay attention to the difference in pronunciation. Here are two main mistakes.

When pronouncing Russian [s, z] We don't blow air out. When pronouncing English [Ө, ð] - air passes freely through the gap between the tongue and the upper teeth. Put your hand to your mouth. Feel the difference.

When pronouncing Russian [s, z] the tongue lies in a heap in the mouth. When pronouncing English [Ө, ð] - the tongue should lie flat, then the air will flow freely and the sound will be correct. To do this, you need to straighten your tongue and stick it out.

TH -sound / Pronunciation of TH (video lesson from native Dave Skonda)

Here is the translation of the lesson into Russian:

Two sounds that are very similar. The TH-sound:voiseless- [Ө] ,voiced- [ð] .

Letter combination TH pronounced differently: deaf (without voice) - [Ө] and sonorous (with voice) - [ð]

OK, the T.H.-sound [ð] or [Ө] . Voiced T.H. — [ð-ð-ð] vibrates [ð-ð-ð]. You can feel the vibration right here [ð-ð-ð]. Don't squeeze too hard))

Let's figure it out. TH ringing sound pronounced with vocal vibration. When pronouncing it, you clearly feel the vibration if you put your hand on your throat. Just don't overdo it.

Voiceless T.H. — [Ө-Ө-Ө] . You touch here - no vibration [Ө-Ө-Ө] .Voiced [ð-ð-ð] , voiceless [Ө-Ө-Ө] . This is fun. You can do this all day.

Pronouncing a dull sound T.H. you will not feel this vibration. Like this. Isn't it funny? You can do this all day long))

Common mistakes with voiceless T.H. depending on your native language and country.

Practice

OK ma th, ma th. Are you studying ma th?
Th ank you. Th ank you. Th ank you very much.
Too th,too th. My too th hurts.
Ba th, ba th. I am going to take a ba th, not bat.
I like your mou th, not I like your mouse.
Move your mou th.
We are th rough. Not we are true. Are we true? Are you true? th rough th rough

The main reason why people pronounce this or that sound incorrectly is that such a sound does not exist in their native language. Try saying the word "ma" th“- mathematics, you have such a subject as mathematics?
And now the word “too” th"tooth, and the expression my too th hurts - “I have a toothache.”
Ba th- bathroom. I am going to take a ba th, not bat. Don't pronounce the word "bathroom" like "bat."
I like your mou th, not I like your mouse. Don't say the word "mouse"
Move your mou th. Articulate.
We are th rough. - We're done. It should not be confused with the word “truth” - true.

First, voiceless T.H., tongue stuck out beyond the teeth. Don’t be afraid, just stick it out.
Push air out between the top teeth and the tongue. Between - [Ө-Ө-Ө].
Practice this position, pushing air out, like you re exercising. Have fun with it. Get comfortable with it.
Tell your brain, your are creating a new habit. Tell your brain this is important.

First, by pronouncing the silent T.H., we stick the tip of our tongue between our teeth. We are not afraid to stick it out!! When pronouncing this sound, air should pass between the upper teeth and the tongue. Practice, good sound takes practice, you have to get used to it. It is very important.

Practice voiceless TH:

at the beginning of the word: th ank you, th ink, th ought
at the middle of the word: some th ing, no th ing, healing th y.
(I say naturally heal th y. And my tongue is very fast.)

at the end of the word: ma th, mou th, bo th.

Now let's practice pronouncing this sound

at the beginning of words: th ank you, th ink, th ought
in the middle of a word: some th ing, no th ing, healing th y.
(Word heal th y I say it quickly.)

And finally, at the end of the word: ma th, mou th, bo th.

Practice more
<….>
The T.H.-sound. Use your tongue, push it out. Don't be shy. Don’t be afraid to push out your tongue, to show your tongue. Be proud of your tongue. It is like a massage for your mou th. May be more massage for your tongue.

We are still training.

I will eat any th ing heal th y with my tee th. (2)
Th ank you for driving back and for th th is mon th. (2)
I th ink Be th is traveling nor th on the pa th. (2)

Pronouncing TH sound Be sure to stick out the tip of your tongue. Don't be shy, stick out your tongue. We need to show it to everyone, we need to be proud of it.

Voiced TH- [ð-ð-ð]. Mistakes some people make.

Practice

Th is, th is. Is th is yours?
Th here th ere. Are you going th here?
Th en, th en. Then will you go with us?
Brea th e, brea th e. You need to brea th e.
Th is is beautiful.
Look over th ere.
Improve your English than celebrate.
Th at's it, very good.
At the beginning of the word: th here th at th e
At the middle of the word: bro th er, ei th er, o th er
At the end of the word: smoo th, brea th e
That mo th er can't breathe th e. (2)
Ira th er like th is wea th er. (2)

Voiced T.H.. Pay attention to common mistakes. Do not hurry! Improve your pronunciation, then you will celebrate! That's it, right?
Now let’s say this sound at the beginning of words: th here th at th e
Now sonorous T.H. in the middle of a word: bro th er, ei th er, o th er
And finally, at the end of the word: smoo th, brea th e.

Remember push the tongue out beyohd the teeth. Push the air out over the tongue.
[ð-ð-ð] Touch your th roat. It vibrates. Now you know you have the correct voiced sound if it’s vibrating here.
It's not [Ө-Ө-Ө] . It's not voiced.
Now let's exercise. [Ө-Ө-Ө] You do this alone. No one's gonna see you. [ð-ð-ð]
Tell your brain to remember this.

Don’t forget that your tongue should be between your teeth and blow out the air.
Touch your throat with your hand, do you feel the vibration? If yes, then you are pronouncing the sound correctly.
See the difference with silent T.H. You won’t feel its vibrations when you pronounce it.
Now let’s start practicing, pronounce it carefully, you are alone, and no one sees you.
You have to get used to this sound.

Pronunciation is rather fun. That's all for now.

Learning pronunciation is a funny thing. Here are some more phrases to practice.
If you try no th er technique, th ink about th e person you talking wi th.
Al th ough you are pretending, this method will make speaking more smoo th.
That's all for today.

You need to stick your tongue out for this sound. Please, don’t be shy or afraid. Be proud of your tongue. The biggest problem that I see the students are afraid to stick there tongue out. It feel uncomfortable for a while.
But you will get used to it. You might even like it.
Remember, in North American English we move our mouth more than many other countries.
Please, understand this and you will improve your pronunciation much faster.
Now remember the technique, exaggerate when you practice in order to make this habit stay with you.
So you don’t forget after time passes. We want your brain to remember these actions and make a new habit. OK?

And I remind you again.
Don't forget that sticking out your tongue is very important. Do not be shy. We should be proud. One of the typical mistakes students make is that they are embarrassed to stick out their tongue. It may be strange at first, but over time you will get used to it. You'll even like it. Interestingly, North America sticks out its tongue more than any other country. Keep this in mind and you will improve your giving.
And don’t forget, in order to remember how to pronounce a sound, you need to exaggerate it while you practice.
You must make this sound familiar to your speech so that after a while you do not forget it.
You must teach your brain a new sound and then you will pronounce it correctly.

Pronunciation TH -sound (exercises for daily practice)

Be sure to repeat these words and phrases three times a day for 5 days.

thank you, think, thought
something, nothing, healthy
math, mouth, both
I will eat anything healthy with my teeth.
Thank you for driving back and forth this month.
I think Beth is traveling north on the path.

there, that, the
brother, either, other
smooth, breathe
That mother can't breathe.
I rather like this weather.

[Ө, ð]

Pronunciation is rather fun.
If you try another technique think about the person you are talking with.
Although you are pretending this method will make your speaking more smooth.
That's all for now.

Have questions about th pronunciation- write in the comments!

Let's look at the key rules of reading and pronunciation with the opportunity to listen to each letter combination in examples. For brevity, the basic rules for reading letter combinations are given in the tables.

Reading letter combinations

Reading vowel combinations

The table below presents the main (frequently occurring) set of vowel combinations (see table No. 1), Russian and English transcriptions with examples of words and notes.

Table No. 1. Reading vowel combinations

Letter combination	Transcription	Examples (listen)	Notes
ee, ea	(AND:)	🔊 see, 🔊 sea
ai, ay	(HEY)	🔊 strai ght, 🔊 May
oo	(U:)	🔊too	before a consonant letter, except k, r; also at the end of a word
oo	[u] (U)	🔊 boo k	before the letter k; exception: 🔊 goo d
oor	[ɔ:] (U:)	🔊 doo r
ow	(AU), [əu] (EU)	🔊 now , 🔊 window [‘windəu]	under stress in monosyllabic words; at the end of two-syllable words in an unstressed position
oi, oy	[ɔi] (OH)	🔊 coi n, 🔊 employ
ou	(AU)	🔊 ou t
oa	[əu] (EU)	🔊coa t

Reading letter combinations with consonants

Below (in table No. 2) are the main letter combinations of consonants.

Table No. 2. Letter combinations in English. Reading consonant combinations

Letter (letter combination)	Transcription	When to use	Examples (listen)
b	[b]	in all cases	🔊 b egin
mb	[m]	b is not readable at the end of a word after the letter m	🔊 climb
c	[s]	before vowels e, i, y	🔊 c ity [‘siti], 🔊 nic e, 🔊 c ycle
c	[k]	in all other cases	🔊 c ap
k	[k]	in all cases	🔊 kite
ck	[k]	in all cases	🔊 black
kn	[n]	at the beginning of a word	🔊 kn ow
g	[ʤ]	before vowels e, i, y	🔊 g entleman [ˈʤentlmən]
g	[g]	in all other cases	🔊 g ate Exceptions: 🔊 g ive , 🔊 g et
j	[ʤ]	in all cases	🔊 jacket [ˈʤækɪt]
z	[z]	in all cases	🔊z oo
h	[h]	in all cases	🔊 h appy [ˈhæpɪ]
sh	[ʃ]	in all cases	🔊 sh e [ʃiː]
tch	[ʧ]	in all cases	🔊 catch [
ch	[ʃ]	in words of French origin	🔊 ch ampagne [ʃæmˈpeɪn]
	[k]		🔊 sch ool, 🔊 ch emistry [ˈkemɪstrɪ]
	[ʧ]	in all other cases	🔊 ch alk [ʧɔːk]
th	[θ]	at the beginning and end of significant words	🔊th ink [θɪŋk]
	[ð]	at the beginning of function words (pronouns, articles)	🔊 th e [ðiː]
	[ð]	in significant words between vowels	🔊 cloth
x		before a consonant and at the end of words	🔊 text
x		before a stressed vowel	🔊 ex am [ɪgˈzæm]
ph	[f]		🔊 ph oto [ˈfəʊtəʊ]
ps	[s]	in words of Greek origin	🔊ps ychology
r	[r]	before any vowel except a silent one	🔊 rose
s	[s]	before consonants, at the beginning of a word, at the end of a word after a voiceless consonant	🔊 bes t , 🔊 s tart , 🔊 cats
s	[z]	at the end of a word after a voiced consonant or vowel, between two vowels	🔊 plays , 🔊 vis it
ss	[s]	Anyway	🔊class
ng		before the sounds [l], [r], [w]	🔊 Eng land [ˈɪŋglənd]
ng	[n]	in all other cases	🔊 lan guage [ˈlæŋgwɪʤ]
nk		in all cases	🔊 bank
w	[w]	at the beginning of a word	🔊 w e
wh	[w]	if these letters are followed by any letter except o	🔊why
wh	[h]	if these letters are followed by o	🔊whoo
wr	[r]	at the beginning of a word before a vowel	🔊 wr ite

Reading letter combinations of vowels and consonants

Finally, let's look at the last type of letter combinations in English (see table No. 3).

Table No. 3. Reading letter combinations of vowels and consonants

Letter combination	Transcription	When to use	Examples (listen)
wa		in all cases	🔊 wa ter [ˈwɔːtə]
war		in all cases	🔊 war
wor		in all cases	🔊 wor k
or, er	[ə]	at the end of words in an unstressed position	🔊 doctor [ˈdɔktə], 🔊 computer
qu		before vowels	🔊qu ite
al	[ɔ:]	in all cases	🔊 al l [ɔ:l], 🔊 tal k
an		before consonants	🔊 plan
af			🔊staff
al		in the letter combination al the letter l is not readable	🔊 hal f
as			🔊 as k
igh		in all cases	🔊nigh t

Knowing letter combinations in English, namely their use and pronunciation, you will learn to read correctly! Good luck to you, dear friend!