Bài tập dạng này mình tạm gọi là “Líu lưỡi“. Với những dạng bài tập kiểu này, thật khó để phát âm đúng vì những từ đứng gần nhau lại có những âm rất giống nhau, khiến bạn rất dễ nhầm lẫn nếu không quen. Nhưng thực sự những kiểu bài tập như thế này lại giúp ích khá nhiều cho phần pronunciation của bạn đấy. Hãy tập nói chậm trước sau đó tăng tốc độ lên dần nhé! Now, let’s begin!
SH – S sound
Flash message!
- This tongue twister is harder than it looks! Be sure not to say message as if it were spelt meshage.
- Khó hơn bạn từng nghĩ phải không? Chú ý message chứ không phải là meShage!
Stupid superstition
- Simple but hard. Try not to say stuper superstition.
Seventy seven benevolent elephants.
- Benevolent means well-meaning and kindly.
Six sleek swans swam swiftly southwards.
- Sleek means smooth and elegant.
- Swam is the past tense of swim.
- Swiftly means quickly.
Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.
- Another word for a hick is a redneck, which is generally lower classed person raised in rural areas in the United States who isn’t very cultured.
- Here, nick means steal.
- Slick means smooth, the opposite of rough.
I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop. Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits.
- Be careful not to say “where she shits she shines and where she shines she shits,” that has a completely different meaning!
As I was in Arkansas I saw a saw that could out saw any saw I ever saw saw. If you happen to be in Arkansas and see a saw that can out saw the saw I saw saw I’d like to see the saw you saw saw.
- Arkansas is pronounced Ar-kin-saw
- Here, saw means two things, the past tense of see and a tool that cuts wood.
- If you can out ____ (verb) someone, it means you can do a better job at it. For example, the saw can out saw any saw, which means it’s the best saw. Another example, I can outrun you means I can beat you in a race.
T – Th sound
Two tried and true tridents.
- Tried and true means that something has performed well and will continue to do so.
- A trident is a type of weapon that looks like a big fork.
The thirty-three thieves thought that they thrilled the throne throughout Thursday.
- Here’s a great tongue twister to help you practice pronouncing the TH sound. Remember, your tongue goes in between your teeth.
Click here for more TH pronunciation tongue twisters
Ck sound
How many cookies could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.
- Be sure to pronounce could and cook correctly.
P sound
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
- Here peck means a large amount of something, but it is not commonly used this way.
Would and Could
How much wood could Chuck Woods’ woodchuck chuck, if Chuck Woods’ woodchuck could and would chuck wood? If Chuck Woods’ woodchuck could and would chuck wood, how much wood could and would Chuck Woods’ woodchuck chuck? Chuck Woods’ woodchuck would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as any woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could and would chuck wood.
- Chuck means to throw away.
- A woodchuck is another word for a groundhog
