International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

 

Phonetic Alphabet – Consonant Sounds

 

Symbol                      Sound                           Phonetic Transcription

--------------                            -----------                                    ----------------------------------------

·      /b/                                  bad                                          /bæd/

·      /d/                                  did                                           /dɪd/

·      /g/                                   get                                          /get/

·      /k/                                   cat                                          /kæt/

·      /p/                                   pen                                         /pen/

·      /tʃ/                                  chain                                      /tʃeɪn/

·      /dʒ/                                 jam                                        /dʒæm/

·      /v/                                   van                                         /væn/

·      /θ/                                   thin                                        /θɪn/

·      /ð/                                   this                                         /ðɪs/

·      /s/                                    see                                          /si:/

·      /z/                                    zoo                                         /zu:/

·      /ʃ/                                     shoe                                       /ʃu:/

·      /ʒ/                                    vision                                     /vɪʒən/

·      /h/                                    hat                                         /hæt/

·      /m/                                   man                                       /mæn/

·      /n/                                    now                                        /naʊ/

·      /ŋ/                                    sing                                        /sɪŋ/

 

   

 

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

Phonetic Alphabet – Vowel Sounds

 

         Symbol                              Sound                     Phonetic Transcription

         ------------                           ----------                 ---------------------------------

·       Monophthongs:

 

1.      /ɪ/                     bit                                                             /bɪt/

2.      /e/                    pen                                                           /pen/

3.      /æ/                   cat                                                            /kæt/

4.      /ɒ/                    dog                                                           /dɒg/

5.      /ʌ/                    cut                                                            /kʌt/

6.      /ʊ/                    put                                                           /pʊt/

7.      /ə/                    about                                                       /əˈbaʊt/

8.      /i/                     happy                                                      /ˈhæpi/

9.      /u/                   actuality                                                  /æktʃuˈæləti/

10.   /u:/                  boot                                                         /bu:t/

11.   /i:/                   sleep                                                        /sli:p/

12.   /a:/                  father                                                      /ˈfa:ðə(r)/

13.   /ɔː/                  four                                                          /fɔː(r)/

14.   /ɜː/                  refer                                                          /rɪˈfɜː(r)/

 

·       Diphthongs:

 

 

1.      /eɪ/                       make                                                    /meɪk/

2.      /aɪ/                       lie                                                          /laɪ/                           

3.      /ɔɪ/                       boy                                                        /bɔɪ/                              

4.      /əʊ/                     go (Br E)                                              /gəʊ/                             

5.      /oʊ/                     go (Am E)                                            /goʊ/                             

6.      /aʊ/                     now                                                      /naʊ/                             

7.      /ɪə/                       real                                                       /rɪəl/

8.      /eə/                      hair                                                       /heə(r)/

9.      /ʊə/                     sure                                                       /ʃʊə(r)/

 

·       Triphthongs:

 

1.  /aʊə/                hour                                               /ˈaʊə(r)/

2. /aɪə/                  fire                                                  /ˈfaɪə(r)/

3. /ɔɪə/                  employer                                       /ɪmˈplɔɪə(r)/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subject and Predicate

 

Subject: The subject of a sentence is the person, place, thing or idea that is performing the action, or about which we say something in the sentence.

Examples:

1. Paris is the capital of France.   (Subject – Paris)

2. The weather is pleasant.           (Subject – Weather)

3. These chairs are expensive.      (Subject – Chairs)

4. The computer is working well. (Subject – Computer)

5. The campaign has ended.          (Subject – Campaign)

 

 

Predicate: The predicate is that part of the sentence in which we say something about the subject. It contains the verb and any object or modifiers that are governed by the verb.

Examples:

Paris is the capital of France. – In this sentence, “Paris” is the subject. In the part “is the capital of France”, we say something about the subject.      Therefore, “is the capital of France” is the predicate in this sentence.

 

      

 

 

 

 

Still and Anymore

 

“Still” and “anymore” are adverbs used to express when something happens and if it continues.

 

“Still” means to continue while “anymore” means to discontinue.

 

Examples:

1. I am still working. (Place “still” before the main verb)

2. I don’t want to work here anymore.

 

“Still” means to continue and is almost always placed with a continuous tense (present or past).

Examples:

1. John is still working.

2. I am still waiting for his call.

 

“Anymore” means to discontinue and must be placed at the end of a sentence.

Examples:

1. I can’t take it anymore.

2. Hardly a day passes without rain anymore.

 

 

 

Few, A Few, The Few

 

“Few”, “a few” and “the few” are used only with uncountable nouns.

 

Few: Not many, hardly any.

Few has a negative meaning.

Examples:

1. Few men are free from faults.

2. Few persons can keep a secret.

3. Few cities in India have the metro train service.

 

A few: Some.

A few has a positive meaning.

Examples:

1. I will be back in a few minutes.

2. There are a few reasons for his failure.

3. We travelled a few miles.

 

The few: Not many, but all there are.

Examples:

1. That music appeals to the few.

2. The few friends he had were all very poor.

 

Little, A Little, The Little

 

“Little”, “a little” and “the little” are used only with uncountable nouns.

 

Little: Not much (hardly any).

Little has a negative meaning.

Examples:

1. He showed little concern for his brother. (He showed no concern…)

2. She has little appreciation of good music. (She has no appreciation…)

3. There is little hope of his recovery. (He is not likely to recover.)

 

A little: Some though not much.

A little has a positive meaning.

Examples:

1. There is a little hope of his recovery. (He may possibly recover.)

2. He gave me a little time.

3. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

 

The little: Not much, but all there is.

The little has a negative meaning. It means the same as not much.

Examples:

1. The little information he had was not quite reliable.

2. The little time we spent on reading the text was not enough to be able to answer the question.

 

Each and Every

 

“Each” and “every” are similar in meaning, but “every” is a stronger word than “each”.

 

“Each” means “each without exception”. It is used in speaking of two or more things.

 

“Every” is used only in speaking of than two.

 

“Each” directs attention to the individuals forming any group, “every” to the total group.

 

“Each” is used only when the number in the group is limited and definite; “every” when the number is indefinite.

 

Examples:

1. Every seat was taken.

2. Three boys were seated on each bench.

3. Each one of those tables is broken.

4. She came to see us every three days.

5. It rained every day during my holidays.

6. I gave each of them a gift.

7. I have my coffee here every day.

 

 

 

Both and Neither

 

“Both” means “the two”, affirmative, while neither means “the two”, negative.

Examples:

1. Both of us like coffee. (Or, the two of us like coffee)

2. Neither of us like coffee. (Or, the two of us don’t like coffee)

 

Structure:

Both: Both + of + object pronoun/noun + verb + other words.

Neither: Neither + of + object pronoun/noun + verb + other words.

 

Examples:

1. Both of them have beautiful eyes.

2. Neither of them have sad eyes.

3. Both of the boys are handsome.

4. Neither of the boys are ugly.

5.  Both of us dislike soap operas.

6. Neither of us like soap operas.

 

 

Note: “Neither”, which means not either of the two things, is considered grammatically singular. However, it is normally followed by plural nouns or pronouns. Thus, the boundary between singular and plural is blurred. It can go either with a singular pr plural verb form.  

 

At, In, On

 

Talking about time:

How to use “at”:

1. With clock times: at one o’clock, at 6.30, at 5.45 etc.

2. With points of time in the day: at midnight, at noon, at dawn, at sunset etc.

3. With holiday periods (meaning the few days around the holiday): at Christmas, at Diwali, at Easter etc.

4. With weekend: (British English) See you at the weekend; at weekend we go out.

 

How to use “in”:

1. With parts of the day: in the morning, in the evening, in the afternoon etc.

2. With months, seasons, years and centuries: in March, in the summer, in 2021, in the 21^st century etc.

 

How to use “on”:

1. With dates and specific days: on 3^rd March, on Friday afternoon, on the last day of the term etc.

2. With weekend: (American English) On weekends.

 

Talking about position and place:

How to use “at”:

1. With particular positions or places: at the end of the corridor, at the back of the room, at the corner of the street etc.

 

2. To mean next or beside: He sat at his desk. She stopped me at the door.

 

With words for buildings: at the airport, at the restaurant, at the theatre etc.

With city or place names, when you are talking about stopping during a journey: Does this train stop at Connaught Place?

 

But otherwise use “in”:

1. With a position or place, when something or someone is inside a larger thing such as a room: in the room, in the bath, in the kitchen, in the garden, in the doorway etc.

2. With cities, countries, states and conditions: He lives in Germany. When will you arrive in London? She is working in New York.

3. With the names of squares, plazas: in Time Square.

 

Use on:

With a position or place, when one thing is attached to or touching another: a spot on the end of her house. He hung his jacket on the back of a chair.

You can use either “in” or “on” with street names in British English; in American English, use “on”: in Oxford street (British English); on the High Street (American English).