The /ı/-gliding diphthongs /eı/, /aı/ and /oı/. The vowel sound /eı/ as in “make”
R
ead
the instruction to learn how to make the long sound /eı/.
The English diphthong / eı / begins as /e/, a short non-labialized front half-open vowel and immediately proceeds in the direction of the English /ı/. The lips are spread for the nucleus and move to a more close position during the glide.
Listen to the target sound and the words and repeat. Look at the mouth diagrams to help you position your lips, tongue and jaw for the target sound. Transcribe the words.
/e e eı/
/e e eı/
/eı eı eı/
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Spelling variations for the /eı/ sound. |
Highlighted bold letters are pronounced as /eı/. |
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a
ai ay eigh, aigh |
take, arrange, late, tape, amaze, change, shape, stimulate, populate aim, rainbow, vain, gain, plain pay, gay, tray, betray weight, eight, straight |
Read these words with the sound /eı/. Transcribe them.
Mate, played, aim, plane, lady, tale, hey, plate, age, make, drain, mail, great, grey, eight, day, may, neighbour, bay, grade, break, tray, they, came, play, grate, steak, tail, wait, pain.
`Listen to the sentences and repeat. Read each sentence aloud slowly at first, then as if you were telling it to someone in a natural way.
The train at eight was very late; we left the station with frustration.
Betrayed and amazed we aimed hastily for the Chain Walk brasserie.
We patiently waited in vain for our favourite table to become vacant.
To name your child with an ancient name some may consider insane!
All the favourite cakes that Jane had made were placed on trays.
You must pay any day if you are going away on the train.
Read the following sentences. Mind the right articulation of the sounds / eı /.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plane.
Stay and play with the baby.
James paid for the apron.
May baked a cake yesterday.
He sailed eighty miles away from the bay.
The rain made me late.
I won’t stay unless we can make him pay.
The favorite went lame before the race.
A grape becomes a raisin in its old age.
A player laid his ace face down on the table.
He gained his greatest fame in Asia.
Listen and copy the intonation and voice modulation on the CD.
Stay, Frederic, stay!
They have no legal claim,
No shadow of a shame
Will fall upon my name.
Practice reading the tongue twister as quickly as you can. Be careful not to mispronounce the target sound / eı/.
On a lazy laser raiser lies a laser ray eraser.
Listen to the tongue twister. Learn it by heart. Practice saying it as quickly as you can. Be careful not to mispronounce the target sound
I have got a date at a quarter to eight; I’ll see you at the gate, so don’t be late.
Listen to the dialogues. Intone them. Learn and reproduce, paying attention to the pronunciation of the sound / eı /, intonation and tempo.
Dialogue 1
- Oh, may I stay, Mummy? Please, say I can stay all day.
- Yes. If they say you may.
- They’ve got lots of places to play and they’ve…
- Wait, Jane.
- I’ll take my painting book, and some of my games…
- Wait – till they say you may!
Dialogue 2
- Wear the pale grey dress, Amy. It’s my favourite.
- But I can’t wear the same dress in the same place day after day, Raymond. And anyway, the waist’s too big.
- Mrs Taylor’s a good dressmaker. She can…
- Yes! She can make me a new dress. But it doesn’t need to be pale grey, does it, Ray?
- Wait a minute, Amy! I didn’t say a new…
- Well, perhaps, the different shade of grey.
Dialogue 3
They say the weather’s better in May.
- Mm. But you’ll pay less in April.
- But in April it rains every day.
- They say the hotels are expensive in May.
- So, the question is – whether to pay for May weather.
- Yes. Or whether to save and get wet.
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Learn the following graphical rules:
Vowel / eı / is represented in spelling by:
The letter “a” in open syllables (take)
The diagraphs “ai”, “ay”, “ea” (main, may, break)
“ei”, “ey” (veil, grey)
“ei”+g(h) (eight)
“a” followed by “ng(e), st(e)” (change, haste)
Irregular Readings: key/ki:/, height /haıt/
Find Ukrainian equivalents to the proverbs and sayings. Learn them:
Make hay, while the sun shines.
Make haste slowly.
Haste makes waste.
No gains without some pains.