ESOL Speaking and Pronunciation 5

Question 1

Which pair of words is a minimal pair illustrating the difference between the short /ɪ/ and long /iː/ vowel sounds?

Accepted Answer

ship / sheep

Answer

'Ship' /ʃɪp/ uses the short vowel /ɪ/, while 'sheep' /ʃiːp/ uses the long vowel /iː/ — they differ by only that one sound.

Question 2

English has two 'th' sounds — voiced and voiceless. Which word contains the VOICED /ð/ sound?

Accepted Answer

this

Answer

The word 'this' contains the voiced /ð/ sound; 'think,' 'bath,' and 'teeth' all use the voiceless /θ/ sound.

Question 3

Which pair of words forms a minimal pair demonstrating the /p/ vs. /b/ contrast?

Accepted Answer

pat / bat

Answer

'Pat' /pæt/ and 'bat' /bæt/ differ only in the initial consonant: /p/ is voiceless and /b/ is voiced.

Question 4

Which word contains the vowel sound /æ/ as found in the word 'cat'?

Accepted Answer

can

Answer

The word 'can' /kæn/ contains the /æ/ vowel, the same short 'a' sound as in 'cat'; the other words use different vowel sounds.

Question 5

The words 'light' and 'right' form a minimal pair. Which phonetic contrast do they illustrate?

Accepted Answer

/l/ vs. /r/

Answer

'Light' begins with /l/ and 'right' begins with /r/; distinguishing these sounds is a common challenge for ESOL learners.

(ESOL) English to Speakers of Other Languages Practice Test