Lesson 2

How to say it - /e/, /ə/, /ɜː/ and /ɔː/ sounds

Introduction

The sounds below are easy to confuse with each other. /e/ is a short sound; eg. in /ten/. /ə/ is a low 'uh' sound and is used in unstressed syllables; eg. in /ðə/. Remember that the 'ː' means that it is a long sound. /ɜː/ looks like a bird /bɜːd/. /ɔː/ looks like a horse shoe /hɔːrs ʃuː/.