PRONUNCIATION (1) BUILDING SUPPORTING SKILLS CAMBRIDGE PREPARATION FOR THE TOEFL® IBT TEST

 

CAMBRIDGE PREPARATION FOR THE TOEFL® IBT TEST BUILDING SUPPORTING SKILLS PRONUNCIATION (1)

 

Improving your pronunciation skills will help you succeed on the TOEFL test in two ways: You will improve your understanding of spoken English and do better on the tasks that involve listening, and you will improve the clarity and comprehensibility of your own speech and perform better on the Speaking tasks. In order to improve your pronunciation skills, you should focus on three different areas of English pronunciation: individual speech sounds, stress and rhythm, and intonation. Some useful background information about these aspects of English pronunciation is given here. Individual speech sounds Stress and rhythm Intonation Intonation refers to the melody or pitch line of spoken utterance. Speakers of English use intonation to add an extra layer of meaning. Intonation points to the most important word in a sentence, indicates whether a sentence is a question or a statement, and tells the listener when a speaker is finished. It also helps to communicate a speaker’s mood and purpose.   EXERCISE P1 Identifying difficulties Read the following passage aloud and underline the words or phrases that you are uncertain how to pronounce or that you have difficulty pronouncing. A stairway is comprised of various components that fit together to allow access from one floor of a building to another. The horizontal boards, which are the pieces actually stepped on, are called the treads. These should be sufficiently deep to enable users to place their feet down comfortably without slipping. The vertical boards that meet each tread at right angles and that raise the stairway are called the risers. These can vary in height depending on architectural requirements.   EXERCISE P2 Analyzing difficulties Answer the questions about your performance in Exercise P1.   EXERCISE P3 Analyzing speech patterns Read the passage silently as you listen. Then answer the questions below about the speech patterns you hear in the passage. Listen to the passage as many times as necessary to answer the questions. START ►CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AUDIO Since the seventh century, large bells have been used in cathedrals, churches, and monasteries. The largest bell in the world is in Moscow. This famous ‘King of Bells’ weighs about 198 tons. The next two largest bells are also located in Russia. One near St. Petersburg weighs 171 tons, and another in Moscow weighs 110 tons. Great Paul, the bell at St. Paul’s London, is the largest bell in England, but weighs a mere 17 tons. STOP▄

ANSWER KEYS AND EXPLANATION

There is no answer key for exercises P1-P3