English around the Web

Pronunciation Matters

The ways in which we articulate sounds are often affected by historical movements.  This video looks at patterns that will help our learners to recognise and pronounce words confidently.

Missing words - Robwords

European alphabets have varying numbers of letters. Not all have the 26 of our English alphabet. There are even letters we no longer have in English.

Phonology - places for articulation

A great short lesson for teachers on the place of articulation for Nasals. Any idea of the three nasals in English? What does alveolar mean?  Watch and get your answers. There’s a really useful exercise in pinching the nose here.

Questions about the alphabet

The Alphabet Explained -Robwords

The alphabet has a long and interesting history that ranges over many centuries and many countries. It’s important for teachers to know it.

Questions about the alphabet

English: a history - Robwords

Many of our English words and some of our grammar comes from different countries. In fact we are still importing words today. It’s good to know this.

Questions about the history of English

Silent Letters - Robwords

Silent letters are scattered all over the English language. Why do they exist? It will surprise you to know that once upon a time they were pronounced.

Questions about Silent letters
Tim's Pronunciation Workshop

The schwa

The schwa is a really common sound made in English. It is a softened and modified vowel sound. Most people use it without recognising it.

Tim's Pronunciation Workshop

connected speech - assimilation

Whenever we speak in sentences some sounds affect the way we pronounce other sounds. One effect is assimilation.

Tim's Pronunciation Workshop

connected speech - intrusion

If we always pronounced words as individual units we would sound like robots. Intrusion helps us to speak flowingly and to sound natural.

Tim's Pronunciation Workshop

pronunciation - "the"

Do you know the rules for pronouncing the word “the”. It is one of the commonest words in English. Learn how it changes pronunciation.

just for fun

Learning English

Spelling can be really interesting – funny- frustrating in a language that has such various roots. Look at some of these oddities. 

just for fun

Pronunciation

Pronunciation with first language interference really can make a difference. It can be funny or disastrous. Listen to this.

Just for fun

Silent letters

More on the craziness of silent letters and where they appear. Some seem to make no sense on a first hearing. Their usage is buried in history.

just for fun

Accents around the UK & Ireland

Watch out, or listen out for regional accents. Sometimes the differences around the UK are subtle and at other times very hard to understand.

Questions about the Alphabet

  • Which civilisation created the earliest pictograms that influenced our alphabet?

  • What writing system did the Phoenicians develop that became the basis of our alphabet?

  • Which two letters were originally the same character in the Latin alphabet?

  • What was the original meaning of the pictogram that later became the letter A?

  • What tool or writing method influenced the shapes of early letters?

  • What ancient script first reduced pictures into simple consonant symbols?

  • Which empire spread the Latin alphabet across Europe?

  • What material (surface) did early writers often carve letters into?

  • Which modern letter came from a symbol shaped like a hook or weapon?

History of the English Alphabet

  • What alphabet is the modern English alphabet derived from?

  • Which ancient civilisation is mentioned as using pictograms that influenced letter shapes?

  • Which group is credited with creating one of the first true alphabetic scripts?

  • The video says the direction of writing (left-to-right vs right-to-left) influenced letter shapes. True or false?

  • Which empire is mentioned as spreading the Latin alphabet across Europe?

  • In the video, two letters in Latin were originally the same character. Which were they?

  • What material or tool change led to modifications in letter shapes?

  • The video explains that some letters changed because certain sounds were added or removed in languages. What is one reason given for a letter’s sound changing?

  • What is one new fact you recall from the video about how a particular letter got its form?

Silent letters

  • What is a silent letter?

  • Give one example of a word in English that contains a silent letter.

  • In the word “debt,” which letter is silent and why?

  • Why do many silent letters remain in English spelling (one reason given in the video)?

  • In the digraph “gn” at the start of a word like “gnome,” which letter is silent?

  • What historical change in pronunciation is often behind silent letters in English?

  • True or False: Every silent letter has no function at all in the spelling of the word.

  • Name a case where a silent letter helps to show the origin or root of a word.

  • What is one benefit for learners in noticing silent letters when studying English spelling?