Today in the Fun Easy English classroom you are going to
learn to pronounce the sound ow as in
the words mountain,
house,
now,
crown. Remember "practice makes perfect" if
you want to improve your English speaking ability.
Hey
if you cannot understand something on this page,
then use the Fun Easy English
dictionary
(opens in a new window)
Pronounce the sound ow as in
the words mountain,
house,
now,
crown. Watch the following pronunciation
videos and learn to pronounce this sound correctly.
Video:
American English Pronunciation Lesson 13
Spelling
ou
sound,
round, mountain,
house, mouse,
cloud
ow
now,
crowd, brown,
crown, cow,
owl, clown
Note: the red
letters all have the same sound
Sound:
Voiced and Unvoiced
This is a VOICED sound which means Your Vocal Cords DO
vibrate when making this sound.
You CAN
LISTEN to your Vocal Cords vibrating if you cover
your ears with your hands.
Try covering your ears with your hands as Akiko is doing in
the picture.
Now make the sound of this lesson. Can you listen to your vocal cords vibrating?
VERY GOOD
You CAN
FEEL your Vocal Cords vibrating if
you place your hands on your neck.
Try placing your hands on your neck as Akiko is doing in the
picture.
Now make the sound of this lesson. Can you feel your vocal
cords vibrating?
VERY GOOD
The following diagram shows the most important parts of your
head and mouth used for pronouncing the sounds of English.
It also shows the location of your Vocal Cords.
Position: Mouth, lips,
and tongue
The following descriptions explain the proper mouth, lips,
and tongue position when you make this sound.
Mouth
Your
mouth should be slightly tense.
Lips
Your lips should be unrounded.
Tongue
The middle part of your tongue should be in the center part of your
mouth.
Practice video
Listen to the video and practice repeating each word.
Pronunciation practice words
Look at your mouth in a mirror and practice pronouncing
the following words. Make sure your mouth, lips, and
tongue are in their proper positions.
sound
now
round
crowd
mountain
brown
house
crown
mouse
cow
cloud
clown
Note: the red letters all
have the same sound (watch the video above)
Pronunciation word test
Test: Pronunciation word test
Choose the correct letter or
letters to complete each of the following words.
1.
s_ _nd
2.
n_ _
3.
r_ _nd
4.
cr_ _d
5.
m_ _ntain
6.
br_ _n
7.
h_ _se
8.
cr_ _n
9.
c_ _
10.
cl_ _d
Note: the letter
or letters needed to complete each word all have the
same sound.
From
YOUR Teacher:
How Now Brown Cow
The phrase "How Now Brown Cow" has no meaning but it is
a good way to practice the "ow" sound.
Additional Lessons
About These
Lessons
The following classroom lessons are great for students
who want additional conversation, listening, and reading
practice.
Conversation Lesson -
Beginner Level. Dialogs for everyday use.
Short situational dialogs for students of English as
a Foreign (EFL) or Second (ESL) Language with a
written conversation and a conversation notes
section.
Dialogs for everyday use. Short situational dialogs for
students of English as a Foreign (EFL) or Second (ESL)
Language.
Animals
Connie: That’s a beautiful cat. I wonder
who it belongs to.
Gary: It belongs to
the Browns. They live across the street from us. They have
three cats, two dogs,
and a canary.
Connie:They certainly must like pets! But how do all those
animals get along with each other?
Gary: Don’t ask me. Ask the Browns!
Conversation Notes
Who it belongs to
Note the word order of this indirect question. The
preposition naturally falls at the end. (I wonder whom it belongs to and I
wonder to whom it belongs are also “grammatically correct” but sound awkward
and inappropriate in this context.)
three cats, two dogs, and a
canary
Note there is a rising intonation on the first two
elements of the series.
They certainly must like pets
This is the must of supposition or logical inference
(see Lesson 21).
This is a collection of 36 situational conversations
which focus on spoken American English in a relatively
natural way....these
lessons are for intermediate students.
The complete lesson includes an audio program explaining this
topic, the script for the audio program, a words in this story section,
and other important information.
Click for the complete lesson
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this topic.
The complete lesson includes an audio program explaining this
topic, the script for the audio program, a words in this story section,
and other important information.
Click for the complete lesson
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this topic.
The lesson includes an audio program explaining this
topic, the script for the audio program, a words in this story section,
and other important information.
Click for the complete lesson
Audio Program
Listen to the audio program explaining this topic.
Hey Students,
Use this dictionary and reference to look up any words you do not
understand in Fun Easy English.
You CAN
LISTEN to your Vocal Cords vibrating if you cover
your ears with your hands.
You CAN
FEEL your Vocal Cords vibrating if
you place your hands on your neck.
Mouth
Lips
Tongue
