English Language: Vowels (II)

 

                                                    

English Language: Vowels- II

    Dear readers, in the previous post we discussed vowels and their phonetic transcription. We learnt that there are 20 vowel sounds with 12 monophthongs and 8 diphthongs. In this post, let us learn about vowel sounds with examples. You can listen to vowel sounds and practise by clicking the link given against the examples. 

Vowels

i. Monophthongs / Pure Vowels

/ɪ/          - Kit       https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/kit?q=Kit

               - Pit        https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/pit?q=Pit

              

/ʊ/        - Book     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/book?q=Book

               - Cook   https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cook

 

/e/         - Pen     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/pen?q=Pen

               - Hen     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hen

              

/æ/        - Can     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/can?q=Can

               - Fan      https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/fan?q=Fan

 

/ə/         - About https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/about?q=About

               - Ago     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/ago?q=Ago

 

/˄/         - Cut      https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cut?q=Cut

               - Nut      https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/nut?q=Nut

 

/ɒ/         - Dog     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dog?q=Dog

               - God     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/god?q=God

 

/uː/       - Food   https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/food?q=Food

               - Mood https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/mood

 

/iː/         - Tea      https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/tea?q=Tea

               - Team  https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/team?q=Team

 

/ɜː/        - Bird     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bird?q=Bird

               - Girl      https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/girl

 

/ɑː/       - Last     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/last?q=Last

               - Past     https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/past

              

/ɔː/        - Call      https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/call?q=Call

               - Caught https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/caught?q=Caught

        Dear readers, in the next post, let us learn about Diphthongs with examples. 

Regards, 

Author:

K. Nandhakumar

Assistant Professor of English

Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science

Coimbatore-641 020

Articles Part - I

 

Articles Part - I

OBJECTIVE

           v   To identify articles and use them correctly in a sentence.

ARTICLES

v Used before Noun and Modifies Noun.

v Functions as Adjectives in Sentences.

v Defines whether a Noun is used in a Specific or General Context.

KINDS OF ARTICLES

       Ø  Definite Article - “THE”

       Ø Indefinite Article - “a & an”

       Ø Zero Article

Definite Article “THE”

v Used to refer to any particular person, place, or thing.

v It shows Definiteness.

Definite Article “THE” - Rules

v Unique Things – The Moon, The Sun, The Stars, The Earth, The Universe

v Particular Person or Things - The Man, The Lady, The Bungalow, The Girl

v Names of Rivers - The Ganga, The Yamuna, The Nile, The Thames

v Holy Books - The Bible, The Vedas

v Epics - The Ramayana, The Iliad

v Seas – The Arabian Sea, The Caspian Sea, The Dead Sea

v Oceans – The Indian Ocean, The Pacific Ocean

v Mountain Ranges – The Himalayas, The Alps, The Andes, The Arvallies (No Articles – Mountain Peaks – Mt. Everest, Mt. Abu)

v Deserts - The Sahara Desert, The Arabian Desert

v Newspaper - The Hindu, The Times of India

v Famous Buildings - The Red Fort, The Eiffel Tower

v Wonders of the World - The Taj Mahal, The Pyramids

v Banks - The Bank of India, The HDFC Bank

v Musical Instruments - The Flute, The Piano, The Drum

v Directions - The North, The West

v Trains, Ships & Aeroplanes - The Titanic, The Indian Airlines

v Famous Historical Events - The Independence Day, The Reformation

v Nationalities, Sects & Communities - The French, The Sikhs, The Hindus

v Before Ordinal Numbers - The First, The Second, The Next, The last

v Force of Superlative Degree – The Sweetest, The Highest, The Best

Author:

Dr. L. Suresh

Assistant Professor of English

Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science (Autonomous)

Coimbatore – 641 020 

English Phrasal Verbs

                                                         English Phrasal Verbs – 6 

Wake up

 Meaning:

-         stop sleeping, or make someone stop sleeping

-         to stop sleeping and open your eyes

-         to be awake from sleep

-         to awake from sleep. It is what we do when we open our eyes in the morning

                                         

 

For Example:

1.   James usually wakes up early.

2.   I wake up at 5 o’clock.

3.   My alarm clock rang and I woke up immediately.

4.   I wake up at 6 and then get up five minutes later.

5.   I wake up at 7:00 every morning, but I don’t get up until 7:15.

 

 

                                                                    Sleep in

 Meaning:

-         let yourself sleep later than usual in the morning

-         sleep longer than wanted

-         sleep longer than usual

-         to continue sleeping after the time that you usually wake up

-         remain asleep

                                                 

 

For Example:

1.   I love to sleep in on Saturdays. 

2.   I think I will sleep in tomorrow, so don’t bother to get up early.

3.   The whole family sleeps in on Sundays.

4.   Sunday mornings are for sleeping in.

5.   I was too tired to get up and go to school, so I just slept in.

6.   Kavin was so tired, he slept in all day.

 

                                                                    Drop off

Meaning:

-         begin or start to sleep

-         fall asleep easily, without intending to

-         to fall into a light sleep

-         a fall in the amount, number, or quality of something

                                    

 

For Example:

1.   He kept dropping off at his desk.

2.   I dropped off and missed the end of the film.

3.   Her popularity has dropped off recently.

4.   We dropped our luggage off at the hotel and went sightseeing.

5.   I must have dropped off to sleep.

6.   I will drop you off on my way home.

7.   Rahul closed his eyes and dropped off to sleep.

 

                                                                    Go off

 Meaning:

-         go to sleep

-         to leave a place

-         the alarm makes a noise to wake you up

-         start to dislike

-         not fresh

-         explode

-         shut off electric power or a machine

                  

For Example:

1.   I had just gone off to sleep when the phone rang. 

2.   My alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. every day.

3.   He has gone off to get everyone’s lunch.

4.   I think the milk has gone off. Can you smell it?

5.   That car alarm has been going off all day.

6.   A bomb went off inside the building.

7.   The power went off.

 

                                                                   Sleep through

 Meaning:

-         sleep continuously for a long time

-         to be in deep sleep without getting disturbed by anything

-         sleep not to wake up

-         to sleep without being awakened while something is happening

                                        

                                                             

 For Example:

1.   I slept right through till lunchtime.

2.   He slept through the entire chaos at the house.

3.   Kaviya was so tired she slept through the alarm.

4.   The storm was noisy, but he slept through it.

5.   Ramesh can sleep through anything, even a loud thunderstorm.

6.   Alex was so tired that he slept through the entire film. 

Personality Adjectives- 5

 

Personality Adjectives-4

 

1. AMIABLE

Meaning:  A person who is friendly and nice. For instance,

1. Ganesan has an amiable personality, always ready with a kind word and a smile.

2. We have a very amiable companionship.

3. The driver was an amiable young man.

2. OBSERVANT

Meaning: Someone who is good at noticing different things around him/her. 

For instance,

1. An observant reader has pointed out an error on page 26.

2. Journalists are trained to be observant.

3. Mangai was intelligent and highly observant.

3. DYNAMIC

Meaning: Someone who has a lot of energy and can think creatively. For instance,

1.  Kumaresan seemed a dynamic and energetic leader.

 2. A dynamic government is necessary to meet the demands of a changing society.

3. Moorthy was a dynamic personality in the business world.

4. EFFICIENT 

Meaning: A person who can organise things quickly and clearly. For instance,

1.  Arun has an efficient business setup.

2. Dolphins are incredibly graceful and efficient swimmers.

3. Srinath was efficient and reliable.

5. PERSISTENT

Meaning: Someone who never gives up. For instance,

1. Raji can be very persistent when she wants something.

2. Be persistent - don't give up.

3. Sathish has been persistent in pursuing the job.

 Part-5 will be posted soon. Thank you for the visit.

Author:
N.Shanmugan
Assistant Professor of English
Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science
Coimbatore - 641 020.