The /æ/ sound is a short vowel sound in the English language that is pronounced with the tongue positioned low and forward in the mouth. It can be found in many everyday words such as "cat", "bag", "man", and "hand".

 

 

Single syllable words: 

cat, hat, bat, mat, sat, pat, rat, chat, flat, glad, mad, pad, sad, tad, bad, add, dad, had, lad, cad, rag, tag, sag, wag, bag, nag, gap, lap, map, sap, cap, tap, yap, zap, jack, back, pack, rack, tack, yak, black, track, crack, snack, whack, stack, lack, knack, flap, snap, trap, clap, wrap, scrap, brat, chat

 

Two syllable words:

apple, battle, cabin, captain, chapter, damage, fabric, gallon, jacket, ladder, manage, napkin, package, rabbit, saddle, talent, vacuum, wagon, actor, banner, camera, gather, hammer, lantern, mansion, panic, racket, savage, talent, exact, canyon, damage, family, galaxy, handle, jasmine, lantern, magnet, package, scandal, tablet, valley.

 

Sentences:


Black cats have bad habits.

Jack and Max packed a black sack.

The rat sat flat on the mat.

As a passionate amateur naturalist, Jack gladly packed his rucksack with snacks, maps, and cameras before setting out on his backpacking adventure, hoping to spot fascinating plants and animals such as badgers, hares, and black adders, and perhaps capture some stunning landscapes on film, as he hiked through the lush valleys and vast moorlands of the Lake District.

 

 

The /ʌ/ sound is a short vowel sound in the English language that is pronounced by dropping the tongue slightly from the schwa sound. This sound can be heard in many one-syllable words such as gut', 'hut', and 'mud'. 

 

Single syllable words: 

hut, cut, but, nut, rut, up, cup, pup, sup, duck, luck, muck, puck, tuck, yuck, bug, dug, hug, jug, lug, mug, plug, rug, slug, snug, thug, drug, shrug, club, grub, hub, nub, pub, rub, sub, tub, chub, scrub, flood, blood, mud, stud, bud, cud, dud, spud, thud, snug, shrug, scud, slub, smug, snug, thug, blub

 

Two syllable words: 

adjust, disgust, discuss, erupt, corrupt, disrupt.

 

Sentences: 

The sun must come up before the bus runs.

The muddy pup jumped up and ran in the sun.

Just because it's tough doesn't mean you should give up.

The cup was full of runny mud from the rain.

The young buck jumped over the rough brush.

The hush fell over the lush valley at dusk.

The rusted truck bumped up the hill and then stopped.

The drum thumped loudly in the club.

The sudden gust of wind made the umbrella flip up.

The crumbly muffin fell apart in my hands.

 

 

The /ɜː / sound is a long vowel sound. The tongue maintains a neutral position.

 

Single syllable words: 

fur, sir, her, bird, dirt, stir, birth, term, firm, learn, pearl, work, world, worth, burn, turn, hurt, curse, purse, nurse, verge, merge, earth, search, church, first, thirst, burst, worst, curse, burst, heard, word, serve, nerve, curb, spur, blur, slur, purr, skirt, third, squirm, twirl, swirl, whirl, hurl

 

Two syllable words: 

turtle, purple, circle, fertile, verbal, thermal, terminal, servant, earnest, current, certain, version, burden, perfect, mergeable, personal, pervade, verdict, converge, preserve, dessert, determine, rehearsal, convert, forward, reverse, conserve, observe, nervous, purpose, surface, surplus, worship, merchant, flourish, courage, encourage, discourage, nurture, furniture, burglary, courtesy, earnestly, purposely, certainly, verbally, perfectly, nervously

 

 

Sentences: 

The verdict of the jury was that the burglar had a surly disposition and deserved to be sentenced to a term in prison.

Her verbal assertion stirred fervour and earned her the eternal respect of the stern sergeant.

The entrepreneur's shrewd business acumen allowed her to merge with several other firms.

The short vowel sound /ɪ/ is a near-front vowel sound. The tip of the tongue is slightly further forward and slightly higher than the schwa sound.

 

Single syllable words: 

bit, tip, sit, rip, lip, tin, win, pin, fin, din, kin, sin, fit, hit, wit, mix, six, fix, pit, kit, big, dig, fig, jig, pig, rig, wig, lid, kid, bid, did, hid, rid, slid, spit, knit, grit, twit, skit, clip, flip, drip, trip, whip, ship, slip, grip, chip, skip.

 

Two syllable words:

sister, picture, little, middle, listen, hidden, bitten, ticket, chicken, kitchen, ribbon, signal, dizzy, silly, pretty, sticky, simply, flimsy, busy, dizzy, silly, city, limit, finish, minute, visit, digit, river, mirror, winter, lizard, given, limit, finish, minute, visit, livid, dizzy, city, signal, liquid, biscuit, spirit, critic, timid, vivid, infant, instant, listen, biscuit, cricket, image, mimic, victory, filthy, fickle, gimmick, misfit.

 

Sentences:

  • This little piggy lived in a city.
  • My sister is busy fixing dinner.
  • I will listen to the rhythm of the music.
  • The winter wind is chilly and bitter.
  • The kitten bit the string and it snapped.
  • The ship will quickly fill with liquid.
  • The sticky syrup made the biscuit soggy.
  • I'm picking up the litter with a stick.
  • The chicken is finished cooking in the kitchen.
  • The cricket hit the wicket with a flick of its wrist.
  • This minute, I will finish my work.
  • The picture of the little kitten is pretty.
  • It's difficult to mimic the digital sound.
  • I'm sitting in the middle of the room.
  • Did you visit the city in the winter?
  • The critics were quick to criticize the script.
  • The image of the river was vivid and clear.
  • I have to finish my dinner within a minute.
  • The pigeon is sitting on a twig and is singing.

 

 

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