English pronunciation test (long)

[marval]

That's quite a list!

I find it sounds lethal when people say "I'll have to aks her..."

Fred's great. Ever hear him play piano? He's really a fine pianist, besides being an amazing dancer. And as heard here, he can sing quite well too.

Woohoo!



Ah; thanks for clearing that up.

Hi Rojo,

I agree with using asks instead of ask(very vexing). Yes it is quite a long list. I never heard Fred play piano, wish I had.

CD, I am sure English is difficult for others, your English is very good. I have seen written Chinese and thought that must be difficult to learn.

Margaret

[Tûrwethiel]

Oh, "aks" is a shocker. I'm also driven made by people using any word they like as a verb. "I'll just finesse that" deserves a smack with a very big dictionary.

Cheers

Vicki

[C5Says]

When I was in high school I read a poem entitled "English Is A Queer Language" and the idea is much like the poem above but much shorter.

I think any language is not easy for anyone who is foreign to it. As for me, it was my mother language. Parents brought us up with it and learned our native language in school. It's not easy remembering the "rules" but I just know when it sounds right or wrong.

As for the word spelt, I've used it often. I think it's old. Like dwelt.

As for those who are supposed to know their language better than others, don't feel bad. Instead, try to get better.

The poem above is not bad at all. As long as you know what the words are, I guess you can pretty much pronounce the pronunciation, assuming you know the pronunciation also in the first place.

[marval]

Here is a poem about the English language.

I Take It You Already Know...

Of tough and bough and cough and dough.
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, laugh and through.
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps.
Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird.
And dead - it's said like bed, not bead.
For goodness sake, don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat.
They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there,
Nor dear and fear for pear and bear.
And then there's dose and rose and loose -
Just look them up - and goose and choose.
And cork and work and card and ward.
And font and front and word and sword.
And do and go, then thwart and cart.
Come, come, I've hardly made a start.
A dreadful language? Man alive.
I'd mastered it when I was five!
-Anonymous