Block 1
Stops and Voicing
Focus
/p b t d k g/ - air stops completely, then releases. Teach voiceless and voiced pairs together.
Pronunciation
IPA Sounds
Only after the speech foundation is stable do we map the symbols. This section covers the full sound system in a sequence that keeps IPA practical instead of abstract.
Teaching Tips for IPA
Start with a diagnosis
Use the benchmark reading to find the three sounds or contrasts that most affect clarity before you teach the whole chart.
Teach contrasts, not the alphabet
Students improve faster when they hear /ɪ/ vs /iː/ or /θ/ vs /s/ instead of memorising disconnected symbols.
Make the mouth visible
Use a mirror, fingers on the throat for voicing, and lip or jaw gestures so the sound has a physical cue, not just a symbol.
Scale the practice gradually
Move from sound to word, then sentence, then paragraph, and only after that back into spontaneous speaking.
Keep a personal error bank
Each learner should leave with a short list of recurring target sounds so practice stays focused after class.
Recycle the benchmark article
Pull lines from the same reading again and again so the learner hears progress in familiar language, not only in drills.
Accent note: exact IPA targets shift slightly between British, American, and international models. Keep one consistent target model for a student and prioritise clear contrasts over accent labels.
Mouth Map and Tongue Placement
Bilabial
/p b m w/ - both lips meet or round.
Labiodental
/f v/ - top teeth touch the lower lip.
Dental
/θ ð/ - tongue tip moves to or between the teeth.
Alveolar
/t d s z n l/ - tongue tip touches the ridge behind the teeth.
Postalveolar
/ʃ ʒ tʃ dʒ r/ - tongue moves slightly farther back.
Palatal
/j/ - tongue front rises toward the hard palate.
Velar
/k g ŋ/ - tongue back lifts to the soft palate.
Glottal
/h/ - the airflow comes from the throat with an open mouth shape.
Sound Map
Block 2
Fricatives and Air Flow
Focus
/f v θ ð s z ʃ ʒ h/ - long, controlled airflow with clear lip, tongue, or throat shaping.
Block 3
Affricates, Nasals, Liquids, and Glides
Focus
/tʃ dʒ m n ŋ l r w j/ - combinations of stop + friction, nasal resonance, and smooth linking sounds.
Block 4
Front Vowels
Focus
/iː ɪ e æ/ - lip spread, jaw height, and vowel length drive the contrast.
Block 5
Central and Back Vowels
Focus
/ʌ ɜː ə ɔː ʊ uː ɑː/ - jaw openness, lip rounding, and vowel quality matter more than spelling.
Block 6
Diphthongs
Focus
/eɪ aɪ ɔɪ oʊ aʊ/ - keep the sound moving from the first position to the second instead of freezing the mouth.
Block 7
High-Impact Contrast Drills
Focus
Minimal pairs and confusion sets that most affect intelligibility. Pick the learner's real problem pairs first.
Tip: keep this overview visible, but teach one block at a time. The student should feel the sound in the mouth, hear it in a contrast, and then use it in real speech.
Block 1: Stops and Voicing
These sounds stop the air completely, then release it. Pair the voiceless and voiced versions so students can feel the difference in the throat.
/p/
Bilabial stop
Both lips close, then open with a small burst of air and no voice.
pen
open
cap
/b/
Bilabial stop
Same lip closure as /p/, but the voice is on.
bag
number
job
/t/
Alveolar stop
The tongue tip touches the ridge behind the teeth with no voice.
time
writer
cat
/d/
Alveolar stop
Same tongue placement as /t/, but the voice stays on.
day
ready
load
/k/
Velar stop
The back of the tongue touches the soft palate with no voice.
call
skill
back
/g/
Velar stop
Same back tongue contact as /k/, but voiced.
go
begin
bag
Sentence drills
- Pat put a big paper bag on the desk.
- Tina didn't take the data back to the team.
- Kate gave Greg a good card and a small cake.
Paragraph drill
Paula brought a small box to the desk and asked Greg to get the paper clips. He took the box, checked the label, and put it down carefully before the meeting began.
Block 2: Fricatives and Air Flow
Fricatives need steady air, not a stop. If the sound disappears, slow down and make the airflow visible.
/f/
Labiodental fricative
Top teeth touch the lower lip and let air pass through.
fan
coffee
life
/v/
Labiodental fricative
Same lip-teeth contact as /f/, but voiced.
voice
even
love
/θ/
Dental fricative
The tongue tip moves to the teeth and the air slides forward.
think
author
both
/ð/
Dental fricative
Same tongue position as /θ/, but voiced.
this
mother
breathe
/s/
Alveolar fricative
Teeth close together and a narrow stream of air passes through.
see
pass
bus
/z/
Alveolar fricative
Same shape as /s/, but voiced and slightly softer.
zone
easy
rise
/ʃ/
Postalveolar fricative
The tongue moves farther back and the lips usually round a little.
ship
show
English
/ʒ/
Postalveolar fricative
The voiced partner of /ʃ/, common in longer or borrowed words.
vision
measure
garage
/h/
Glottal fricative
The throat opens and breath flows through the mouth shape of the next vowel.
house
behind
perhaps
Sentence drills
- Fiona found a very thin file in this folder.
- Sam said the zebra looked shy, but the vision was clear.
- Hannah heard the weather forecast before she left the hotel.
Paragraph drill
Sophia thought the new visual theme felt softer and more professional. The designers chose a thin silver line, a fresh shape, and a smoother finish, and Heather said the whole message was easier to follow.
Block 3: Affricates, Nasals, Liquids, and Glides
These sounds often control fluency. If /r/, /l/, /w/, or /j/ are weak, the whole phrase can sound blurred.
/tʃ/
Affricate
Start like /t/, then release into /ʃ/.
chair
watch
teacher
/dʒ/
Affricate
Start like /d/, then release into /ʒ/.
job
change
manager
/m/
Nasal
The lips close and the sound resonates through the nose.
meet
summer
team
/n/
Nasal
The tongue tip touches the ridge behind the teeth while the air goes through the nose.
name
dinner
clean
/ŋ/
Velar nasal
The back of the tongue lifts, but the air stays nasal.
sing
longer
strong
/l/
Liquid
The tongue tip rises forward while the sides stay open.
light
plan
feel
/r/
Liquid
The tongue pulls back slightly without touching the roof.
road
arrive
clear
/w/
Glide
The lips round and the tongue glides into the following vowel.
win
away
flow
/j/
Glide
The tongue front lifts toward the palate and glides into the vowel.
yes
uniform
music
Sentence drills
- James changed the schedule and checked the manager's notes.
- Will and Lena were running a long morning meeting.
- You can use the new music room when the main one is busy.
Paragraph drill
Jenny joined the marketing team in June and quickly became a strong presenter. During lunch, Liam and Rina showed her where the new studio was, and by the evening she was already enjoying the rhythm of the group.
Block 4: Front Vowels
These contrasts are often about length, tongue height, and jaw opening rather than lip movement.
/iː/
Long front vowel
Keep the lips spread slightly and hold the sound longer.
see
key
machine
/ɪ/
Short front vowel
Shorter and more relaxed than /iː/.
sit
win
village
/e/
Mid front vowel
The jaw opens a little more than /ɪ/ and the vowel stays short.
met
head
bread
/æ/
Low front vowel
Drop the jaw more and keep the tongue forward.
cat
black
manager
Sentence drills
- Steve needs to leave this meeting at fifteen past three.
- Tim is sitting with the big printed list.
- Ben read the message and checked the headset.
- Dan has a black bag and a packed calendar.
Paragraph drill
The team finished its pitch in a little meeting room at the back of the building. Ben read each heading, Tina fixed a missing detail, and the manager said the final draft was ready to send.
Block 5: Central and Back Vowels
Do not trust spelling here. Central and back vowels often need a model, a mirror, and lots of listening before the sound becomes stable.
/ʌ/
Central vowel
Short, open, and relaxed.
cup
lunch
come
/ɜː/
Central vowel
Longer and more focused in the middle of the mouth.
work
first
turn
/ə/
Schwa
The neutral unstressed vowel. Many spellings can reduce to schwa.
about
again
around
/ɔː/
Back rounded vowel
Open, rounded, and usually longer.
door
thought
call
/ʊ/
Short back vowel
Keep it short and rounded, without sliding into /uː/.
book
push
good
/uː/
Long back vowel
Round the lips more and hold the sound a little longer.
blue
food
group
/ɑː/
Low back vowel
Open the jaw and pull the tongue back without rounding too much.
start
father
car
Sentence drills
- Justin couldn't come to lunch because of work.
- Paul thought the door was too small for the new suitcase.
- The blue group put the good books in the car.
Paragraph drill
After lunch, the group took a short tour of the new studio. The room looked warm and calm, the blue chairs were comfortable, and the staff worked quietly as the coordinator walked through the final course outline.
Block 6: Diphthongs
A diphthong moves. If the mouth freezes, the sound usually becomes flat or turns into the wrong vowel.
/eɪ/
Closing diphthong
Start mid-front, then glide upward.
day
train
make
/aɪ/
Closing diphthong
Start low and open, then glide toward /ɪ/.
time
price
sky
/ɔɪ/
Closing diphthong
Start rounded and open, then move forward.
choice
voice
enjoy
/oʊ/
Closing diphthong
Start mid-back and glide into a tighter rounded shape.
go
home
know
/aʊ/
Closing diphthong
Start open and move into a rounded ending.
now
house
cloud
Sentence drills
- Mae may wait by the gate until the rain slows down.
- I like the price, but I need more time to decide.
- Jo enjoyed the noisy crowd, though her voice grew low by the end.
Paragraph drill
On Friday night, the whole group stayed late to refine the final slideshow. They chose a brighter title, slowed down the timing, and decided to go with a shorter closing line so the crowd would enjoy the message and remember the main point.
Block 7: High-Impact Contrast Drills
Do not ask a learner to fix every sound at once. Pick the pairs that actually cause confusion in their speech.
Contrast 1
/ɪ/ vs /iː/
Words
ship / sheep · live / leave · sit / seat
Tip
Keep /iː/ longer and slightly tenser. Do not turn /ɪ/ into a weak schwa.
Contrast 2
/e/ vs /æ/
Words
men / man · bed / bad · send / sand
Tip
Drop the jaw farther for /æ/ and keep the tongue forward.
Contrast 3
/f/ vs /p/
Words
fan / pan · fine / pine · fast / past
Tip
/f/ needs teeth on lip. /p/ needs a full lip pop.
Contrast 4
/b/ vs /v/
Words
berry / very · boat / vote · best / vest
Tip
/v/ vibrates on the lip and teeth. /b/ closes both lips completely.
Contrast 5
/s/ vs /ʃ/
Words
sip / ship · see / she · mass / mash
Tip
/ʃ/ usually rounds the lips a little more and places the tongue slightly farther back.
Contrast 6
/θ/ vs /s/
Words
thin / sin · thank / sank · thought / sought
Tip
Let the tongue show for /θ/. If the tongue stays hidden, the sound often becomes /s/.
Contrast 7
/l/ vs /r/
Words
light / right · glass / grass · play / pray
Tip
For /l/, the tongue tip rises forward. For /r/, the tongue pulls back and does not touch.
Contrast 8
/ʊ/ vs /uː/
Words
full / fool · pull / pool · look / Luke
Tip
Make /uː/ longer and tighter. Keep /ʊ/ shorter and more relaxed.
Sentence drills
- The ship is not the sheep.
- The man said the men were ready.
- Is it the light side or the right side?
- Was the box full, or did someone call it fool by mistake?
Paragraph challenge
During rehearsal, the ship manager told the sheep farmer to sit on the right, not the light, side of the room. One man corrected the slide, the other men checked the sound, and everyone repeated the pairs until the difference felt clear.
Use the Benchmark as the Final Test
- Return to the same article: do not swap in a new text for the final recording.
- Listen for specific gains: cleaner vowel choices, stronger consonant endings, smoother links, and better control of pitch.
- Compare like with like: the student should hear improvement in the same sentences that felt difficult at the start.
- Keep the standard realistic: clearer and more natural is the target, not imitation of a perfect native model.