Rules for reading the letter r. Rules for reading the letter r English words ending in r

Several vowels and – sound |r|. It is he who makes the accent so recognizable, and this is even played out in parodies:

In fact, learning to pronounce the sound |r| not so difficult. The main thing is to accustom yourself to correctly articulate sound in fluent speech. There is only one way out - a lot of practice. So our plan of action: first, we’ll figure out step by step how to correctly pronounce the sound |r|, and then we’ll practice using words and tongue twisters.

Step-by-step guide: how to pronounce the English sound |r|

If anyone still has difficulties, then here is a small life hack: first start pronouncing with a long sound |zhzh| or |ZZZ| and then, without interrupting it, move the tip of the tongue back to the posterior slope of the alveoli, making the passage for air wider than for |g|. Don't let your tongue vibrate. Voila!

Training: pronunciation of the English letter r

Now let’s practice and pronounce several dozen words with this sound:

raisin /ˈreɪ.zən/

rabbit /ˈræb.ɪt/

ribbon /ˈrɪb.ən/

radio /ˈreɪ.di.əʊ/

rocket /ˈrɒk.ɪt/

ranch /rɑːntʃ/

recess /rɪˈses/

carrot /ˈkær.ət/

zero /ˈzɪə.rəʊ/

Super! Let's complicate the task with tongue twisters.

Tongue twisters: pronunciation of the sound |r| in English

• Robert Rowley rolled a round roll around, a round roll Robert Rowley rolled around. If Robert Rowley rolled a round roll around, where is the round roll Robert Rowley rolled around?
• Rose Reed replants red roses, And the red roses ramp around a rail. If Rose Reed didn't replant the red roses, Would the red roses ramp around the rail?
• Strawberries, raspberries and red-currents with real cream are really very refreshing.
• A right-handed fellow named Wright in writing “write” always wrote “right” where he meant to write right. If he’d written “write” right, Wright would not have wrought rot writing “rite”.

As per tradition, we will end the article with a musical example. I settled on the song “Run Run Run” by Junge Junge, where the sound we need is repeated throughout the first verse.

Stay with us

Well, we have 12 sounds. Next time we'll focus on sounds | n | and | ŋ | . For now, watch the video from our YouTube channel, from which you will learn a useful exercise for good pronunciation.

Have you ever had problems speaking English? How do you usually deal with difficult sounds? As a rule, people unconsciously try to cheat and simplify their work - to pronounce a similar Russian sound. However, native speakers may not understand at all what we are trying to tell them, because for them these will be new unfamiliar words. Do you want your English to be understood not only by your compatriots? Then study our review of the most common “Russian” errors in English pronunciation and use tips on how to get rid of them.

How to correct pronunciation errors

To begin with, we will give you some tips on how you can prevent errors in pronunciation. This is easier to do than learning to pronounce sounds again.

First of all, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the reading rules. This is the foundation with which you should start learning the language. If for some reason you haven’t learned them or don’t remember them well, we strongly advise you to memorize the rules for reading vowels and consonants. This will greatly facilitate your future work on pronunciation of English sounds.

After this, study the correct position of the lips, tongue, palate, and vocal cords when pronouncing each of the English sounds. The easiest way to do this is in individual lessons with one of ours or using special training videos. For each of the errors described below, we will provide a video teaching how to pronounce the “problem sound.”

There are also special textbooks that will help you get rid of problems in English pronunciation. You can study using one of the following benefits:

• “English Pronunciation in Use”
• “Tree or Three? An Elementary Pronunciation Course” by Ann Baker
• “Ship or Sheep? An Intermediate Pronunciation Course” by Ann Baker
• “Elements of Pronunciation”
• “New Headway Pronunciation Course”

In them you will find detailed explanations and practical exercises for getting rid of the Russian accent.

Practice your pronunciation with tongue twisters that help you practice sounds that are difficult for you. You will find many wonderful phrases for practicing in the article “50 of the most difficult tongue twisters in English”. In this article we will provide one tongue twister, voiced by a native speaker, for each of the presented errors in English pronunciation.

If you decide to take your pronunciation seriously, we recommend that you read our article “”. This is a whole guide with many interesting techniques and secrets for those who want to “sound” like a native speaker.

Russian mistakes that we make most often in English speech

1. We muffle the voiced consonants at the end of the word

When speaking in Russian, we mute the voiced consonants at the end of a word, for example: frost we pronounce “maros”, mushroom we pronounce “grip”, knife we ​​pronounce “nosh”, etc. In English such willfulness is not allowed: if you mute voiced consonant, you can get a completely different word. If pronounced incorrectly, it may happen that the adjective “bad” - bad will turn into “bat” - bat.

Solution:

As soon as you start learning English, immediately train yourself to pronounce words clearly and distinctly, pronouncing all consonants as required by the rules of reading the language.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

How many cookies could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.

2. We pronounce the sounds /w/ and /v/ like Russian /в/

Again, the inconsistency with the Russian language is to blame: we have only one variant of pronunciation of the letter “v”. However, it does not correspond to any of the sounds of the English language. So it turns out that we say vet (veterinarian) instead of wet (wet).

Solution:

Learn the correct position of the organs of articulation. You should develop a conditioned reflex: when pronouncing the sound /w/, you need to stretch out your lips with a tube; when pronouncing the sound /v/, you need to slightly bite your lower lip with your teeth.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

The very wary warrior veered violently where the violets wound very wickedly.

3. Pronounce the sound /r/ like Russian /р/

We often forget about the correct position of the speech organs when pronouncing this sound, so it turns out unclear and it becomes difficult for a foreigner to understand us. In addition, we often pronounce this sound when there is no need to pronounce it at all: when the letter r is positioned at the end of a word. And it turns out that we, for example, “croak” when pronouncing the word car (car).

Solution:

Go back to the rules of reading in English and learn by heart when the letter r is pronounced and when it is not. And also learn to correctly position the organs of speech when pronouncing the letter r: the tip of the tongue is slightly bent back and reaches for the alveoli (the tubercles between the front upper teeth and the middle part of the palate), but does not touch them. English /r/, unlike Russian, is pronounced without air vibration. You can come across two options for pronunciation of /r/ at the end of a word: it can be pronounced, or it can be omitted, the main thing is that English /r/ is different from Russian.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

Ray ran across a rough road with his red rocks, wretched ratchet wrench, and rare rubber roller.

4. We pronounce the sounds /θ/ and /ð/ like Russian /f/ and /z/

We think everyone will agree that the words “zeriz” (there is), “zera” (there are), “free” (three) and “fenkyu-senkyu” (thank you) have already become the talk of the town. It seems to us that we pronounce similar Russian sounds and there is nothing wrong with that. However, native speakers do not understand us, because the words we pronounce lose their meaning due to the replacement of sound.

Solution:

If you train yourself to hold your tongue in the correct position when pronouncing these sounds, it will make your task much easier. When pronouncing the sounds /θ/ and /ð/, the tongue is between the teeth. When pronouncing the sound /θ/, linguists recommend placing your tongue between your teeth and pronouncing the Russian letter “t”, and for the sound /ð/ pronouncing the Russian “d”, while you should feel a slight vibration of the air in your throat. Don't worry if it's difficult at first. Speak slowly, but try to pronounce each word clearly.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.

5. Pronounce nasal /ŋ/ like Russian /n/

Usually, at the end of words ending in -ing, people either pronounce the ending “ing” or “in”, while forgetting that the sound in this case should be nasal - /ŋ/, and the letter g should be omitted.

Solution:

To make it easier to pronounce the sound, train yourself not to raise the tip of your tongue to the upper teeth, but to leave it near the lower teeth; the back of the tongue should be raised towards the palate. This way you will get that same nasal /ŋ/.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

The King's ring rung wrong.

6. We pronounce the sound /h/ like Russian /х/

In Russian, the sound /х/ is clear and well distinguished, in English /h/ it is rather a slight exhalation, it should not actually be heard. We pronounce it in the Russian manner - clearly and distinctly, and this is one of the most common Russian mistakes in pronunciation of the English language.

Solution:

Remember the correct position of the organs of articulation: the tongue does not rise anywhere, remains in place, as during silence, the lips are slightly parted. Sound is produced mainly by the vocal cords, but the latter should not vibrate. The sound /h/ in English is a slight exhalation, a weak sound.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares. Does Harry Hunt hunt heavy hairy hares? If Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares, Where are the heavy hairy hares Harry Hunt hunts?

7. Pronounce the sound /l/ like Russian /l/

It would seem that the sound /l/ in English is not at all different from our /l/. Alas, only Russian speakers think so. The British hear well this Russian mistake in the pronunciation of sounds.

The fact is that in English there are two types of sound /l/: light - light or soft /l/, and dark - dark or hard /l/. Everything is aggravated by the fact that in the dictionary there are no indications in which words /l/ should be pronounced firmly and in which softly.

Solution:

There is a simple rule: before vowels we use a soft sound /l/. However, there is a catch here: it should be a little harder than the Russian sound /l/ in the words “salt”, “love”. To get this sound, try raising the middle part of your tongue towards the roof of your mouth.

In all other cases we need a hard /l/. And again a challenge to our speech organs: the sound, although hard, should be a little softer than the Russian /l/ in the words “spoon”, “best”. It sounds difficult, but constant practice and listening to native speakers will help you “feel” the difference in the pronunciation of these sounds.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

Lovely little Link left limping.

8. Pronounce the sounds /p/, /t/ like Russian /p/, /t/

These are two more “tricky” sounds that seem to us so similar to Russian /p/ and /t/. In reality, they are somewhat different - noisier, more explosive. Errors in the pronunciation of these sounds will not cause misunderstanding of the interlocutor, but for those who want to speak like a native speaker, we advise you to work on these sounds, especially since they are pronounced quite simply.

Solution:

The English sounds /p/ and /t/, as we have already said, are pronounced aspirated, but at the same time quite energetic. You exhale as if you were trying to blow out a candle. In this case, when pronouncing the sound /t/, the tongue should be on the alveoli (tubercles near the front upper teeth).

Video on the topic:

Tongue Twisters:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

Two tried and true tridents.

9. Pronounce short and long vowel sounds the same way

In the Russian language there is no such thing as the length of a vowel sound: they are all pronounced the same in any word. Therefore, when we speak English, it is difficult for us to accustom ourselves to pronounce these same sounds in different ways. However, you must definitely pay attention to them, otherwise the sheep (sheep /ʃiːp/) will turn into a ship (ship /ʃɪp/), which will confuse your English-speaking interlocutor.

Video on the topic:

*Please note that videos from the playlist have the words Short vowels and Long vowels in their titles.

Patter:

She sells sea shells on the seashore. The shells she sells are seashells I am sure.

10. Pronounce the sounds /ɔː/ and /ɜː/ the same way

This is one of the most popular Russian mistakes in English pronunciation. There are no analogues of such sounds in our native language, so quite often work (work /wɜː(r)k/) turns into a walk (walk /wɔːk/), which, you see, may not please your English-speaking interlocutor, especially if he is your boss.

Solution:

Review the rules of reading English, and always listen to new words in an online dictionary or check the transcription in a regular dictionary. While learning a word, repeat it several times, try to feel the difference in sounds that are difficult to understand.

Patter:

First, nerds burn worst.

11. We pronounce the sound /i/ like Russian /и/

Even students with an above-average level of English make mistakes in this seemingly simple sound. They pronounce English /i/ like Russian /и/, making it too soft. Therefore, words such as sick, trick, hit sound strange and unnatural to native speakers. Of course, they will understand your words, but you want to sound beautiful?

Solution:

English /i/ is a cross between the Russian sounds /и/ and /ы/. To make it easier for you to pronounce it, try stretching your lips slightly in a smile and pronouncing the /i/ sound a little harder than usual.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

Little pills will make Jill ill.

12. We pronounce the sound /ɔ/ as /ʌ/, and /əʊ/ as /ɔ/

The English letter "o" often causes us difficulties. Firstly, in Russian we are accustomed to pronouncing the unstressed letter “o” as the sound /a/, for example: we pronounce boot “batinok”, king we pronounce “karol”, crow we pronounce “varona”. In English such liberties are not allowed. English speakers simply won't understand the words "tea-pot", "photograph", etc.

Secondly, we often forget that the letter "o" in some cases forms a diphthong (a vowel sound consisting of two components) /əʊ/. Therefore, native speakers are surprised by the “new” words from our lips: “open”, “home”, “bridge” (most).

Solution:

Train yourself to pronounce the /o/ sound clearly. This can only be done through constant training: read texts out loud, speak English and control your speech.

Repeat the reading rules; they describe in detail in which cases the letter “o” forms certain sounds. In most words, the open syllable "o" forms the diphthong sound /əʊ/, although there are exceptions.

Video on the topic:

Patter:

Hope for soap on a rope.

13. Pronounce unpronounceable letters

We are accustomed to the fact that in the Russian language all letters (except for soft and hard signs and unpronounceable consonants) that are in the letter are pronounced. In English, this rule does not work: not all letters need to be pronounced. Otherwise, knight (/naɪt/) will turn into the word “knight” or “knight”, which is incomprehensible to the speaker.

Solution:

Be sure to study the rules of reading English in the article “Silent letters. Unpronounceable letters in the English language." After that, make up a short story using words with unpronounceable letters - you can take the words from the above article. Make notes above the text: which word is read in what way. Gradually, you will remember the rules of pronunciation of these words and will speak correctly automatically.

Video on the topic:

As you can see, there are a lot of problems in pronunciation of the English language, but it is also possible to get rid of them if you constantly practice sounds. Watch another useful video on the topic and practice pronunciation of words. Apply the tips offered in our articles and everything will work out.

Of course, it is quite difficult to understand from a video or article how to pronounce certain complex sounds. Do you want to get rid of the Russian accent in English with the help of an experienced tutor? We invite you to enroll in our online school at. The teacher (native speaker or Russian speaker) will tell you in detail and show you how to work on certain sounds. Getting rid of English pronunciation problems is easier than it seems.

If the letter R comes after vowels, they will be read differently than in an open or closed syllable. For example, the letter combination AR will be read as a long sound [ɑː]: park - park, car - car, star - star (Fig. 2), party - party, farm - farm, arm [ɑːm] - hand.

Pay attention to the reading of the letter combination AR in these sentences:

We are at a party. - We're at a party.

His garden is dark. - His garden is dark.

The length of a sound is very important in English. If we drag out and pronounce Russian words briefly, only the intonation will change. And in English words, their meaning depends on the brevity and length of the sound.

In the third type of reading, after the vowels there is the letter R, which affects the length of the sound, i.e. all these sounds are read as long.

Compare, paying attention to the short sounds in the left column and the long sounds in the right column:

Reinforce the difference in pronunciation by practicing reading these pairs of words.

All other English vowels in combination with R are read the same: they produce a long sound [əː] (Fig. 4). Rice. 4. Combination of vowels and R

Please note that there is no such sound in Russian. It's a bit like the sound in the word "honey". Practice reading words with this sound:

purple ["pɜːpl] - violet, nurse - nurse, fur - fur, her - her, bird - bird, girl - girl, first - first.

Now pay attention to reading these words in sentences:

The fur is purple. - Fur - purple (Fig. 5).

The girl has got a bird. - The girl has a bird.

Let's look at reading some combinations of vowels before the letter R.

If the letter combination AI is in front of R, then together AIR will be pronounced as: air - air, hair - hair, chair [ʧeə] - chair, fair - light. His hair is fair. - His hair is blond (Fig. 6).

My teddy bear is on the chair. - My teddy bear is on the chair.

Rice. 6. Blonde hair ()

If R is preceded by the letter combination EA, then together EAR will also be pronounced as: bear - bear, pear - pear. However, not all English words read EAR as . In some words it is read as [ɪə]: ear [ɪə] - ear, near - near, hear - to hear, tear - tear. The letter combination EER - [ɪə] will also be read: deer - deer (Fig. 7), engineer [ˌenʤɪ"nɪə] - engineer.

There are words in the English language that are read the same but are spelled differently. Moreover, they have different meanings. Compare:

Pay attention to these words in the sentences:

Meet me, please. - Meet me, please.

Dogs like meat. - Dogs love meat.

The flour is white. - Flour is white.

The flower is white. - The flower is white (Fig. 8).

Their teddy bear is there. - Their teddy bear is there.

When we encounter such words, we need to be especially careful to avoid mistakes.

We already know that the combination of letters OO is read as short [u], as in the word - book, or as long, as in the word spoon - spoon. However, OO before R will be read as a long sound [ɔː]: floor - floor, door - door.

The ball is on the floor. - The ball is on the floor.

You already know that in English there are stressed and unstressed syllables. The vowels are read differently. In the stressed position, all vowels are read clearly, but in the unstressed position they turn into unclear, blurry sounds. The same thing happens when reading combinations of letters in unstressed syllables.

In a stressed syllable, the letter combination OR is read as long [ɔː]: horse - horse, fork - fork, corn - corn. In an unstressed syllable, the letter combination OR will be read as the sound [ə]: doctor ["dɔktə] - doctor (Fig. 9), sailor ["seɪlə] - sailor, actor ["æktə] - actor. Look at these words in the sentences:

Jane is a doctor. - Jane is a doctor.

Mike is a sailor. - Mike is a sailor.

Tom is an actor. - Tom is an actor.

The letter combination ER in an unstressed position will also be read as short [ə]: teacher ["tiːʧə] - teacher, dancer ["dɑːnsə] - dancer, singer ["sɪŋə] - singer.

Look at these words in sentences:

Sue is a teacher. - Sue is a teacher.

Bob is a dancer. - Bob is a dancer.

John is a singer. - John is a singer.

Bibliography

1. Afanasyeva O.V., Mikheeva I.V. English language. 2nd grade - M: Bustard, 2014.
2. Biboletova M.Z., Denisenko O.A., Trubaneva N.N. English language. 2nd grade - Title, 2008.
3. Bykova N.I., Dooley D., Pospelova M.D. and others. English language. 2nd grade - Education, 2013.

Homework

1. Learn to correctly read all the words from the video lesson.
2. For each one learned to read vowels correctly in combination with R, find two English example words.
3. Learn words from the video lesson and new words that you find.

1. Internet portal Freen.ru ().
2. Internet portal English100.ru ().
3. Internet portal Freen.ru ().