LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Do you pronounce the “TH” differently in these word pairs: thank - this and bath - bathe? You should.

Practice these sounds. Look in the mirror and check your teeth, tongue and lip position.
 

/θ/ sound: (unvoiced) Put your tongue between your top and bottom teeth, blow air out without your voice. (If you have trouble with this sound, stick your tongue outside your mouth to practice.)

/ð/ sound: (voiced) Put your tongue between your top and bottom teeth, blow air out with your voice. This sound will vibrate your tongue. (If you have trouble with this sound, stick your tongue outside your mouth to practice.)

Imagine that you have to make the sound in front of your mouth. If you look in a mirror, you should see your tongue sticking out a little.

PRACTICE

Practice these words five times each. Look in the mirror and check your teeth and lip position.

PRACTICE

Read these sentences three times each. Make sure your tongue is between your teeth when you pronounce the TH sound.

I don’t think that this thesis has been thought through thoroughly.

Thank you for thinking of me on my birthday.

That was very thoughtful of you.

Bathing suits are difficult to buy in cold weather months.

The Olympic athlete was not thrilled to have placed fifth.

It’s important to think about your pronunciation throughout the day.

PRACTICE

Attach practice to a habit! Choose any sound that is difficult for you and practice it every time you do something like wash your hands, check your email, get out of your desk chair, or make a phone call.

Pronunciation Check: Are you remembering to pause between thought groups and stretch your sounds at the end of thought groups? If you forgot to do that, reread the sentences above and add pausing and stretching! While you are practicing your sounds, remember to maintain your rhythm!