The /ı/-gliding diphthongs /eı/, /aı/ and / ɔɪ /. Sound /eı/

I. Listen to the sound / eı / on its own. Look at the mouth diagram to see how to make this vowel sound.

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.

II. Listen and repeat.

Pain, shade, tail, wait, taste, paper.

III. Read these examples of the sound / eı /.

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

IV. Listen to the sounds /e/ and / eı / in contrast and repeat.

Pen – pain, shed – shade, tell – tail, wet – wait, test – taste, pepper – paper.

V. Read the words below and compare the sound/eı/with the words on each side.Transcribe the words.

	/eı/
meat	mate	met
come	came	calm
white	wait	wet
buy	bay	boy

VI. Read the following sentences. Mind the right articulation of the sounds / eı /.

17. The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plane.

18. Stay and play with the baby.

19. James paid for the apron.

20. May baked a cake yesterday.

21. He sailed eighty miles away from the bay.

22. The rain made me late.

23. I won’t stay unless we can make him pay.

24. The favorite went lame before the race.

25. A grape becomes a raisin in its old age.

26. A player laid his ace face down on the table.

27. He gained his greatest fame in Asia.

VII. Listen to the dialogue (Sound Right 8.1). Intone it. Learn and reproduce it, paying attention to the pronunciation of the sound / eı /.

8.1

- 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!

VIII. Learn the following graphical rules:

Vowel / eı / is represented in spelling by:

1. The letter “a” in open syllables (take)

2. The diagraphs “ai”, “ay”, “ea” (main, may, break)

3. “ei”, “ey” (veil, grey)

4. “ei”+g(h) (eight)

5. “a” followed by “ng(e), st(e)” (change, haste)

Irregular Readings: key /ki:/, height /haıt/

IX. Find Ukrainian equivalents to the proverbs and sayings. Learn them:

1. Make hay, while the sun shines.

2. Make haste slowly.

3. Haste makes waste.

4. No gains without some pains.

X. Learn the following tongue twister:

On a lazy laser raiser lies a laser ray eraser.

Sound /aı/.

12. Listen to the sound/ aı / on its own. Look at the mouth diagram to see how to make this vowel sound.

The English diphthong / aı / begins as /a/ , a short lax non-labialized front retracted open /a/ and immediately proceeds in the direction of the English /ı/. The lips are neutral. The distance between the jaws is wider at the beginning of the articulation and rather narrow at the end.

13. Listen and repeat.

Buy, sty, dine, like, kite, height.

14. Read these examples of the sound / aı /.

might	buy	quite	sign	mild	buy
why	fly	wide	wild	mind	delight
type	buys	flies	design	writer	pipe
wife	flight	cycle	sight	child	buyer
bike	fine	light	find	by	analyse

15. Listen to the sounds /α:/ and / aı / in contrast and repeat.

Bar – buy, star – sty, darn – dine, lark – like, cart – kite, heart – height.

16. Read the words below and compare the sound / aı /with the words on each side.Transcribe the words.

	/aı/
mate	might	meet
bay	buy	boy
tip	type	tape
quit	quite	quiet

17. Read the following sentences. Mind the right articulation of the sounds / aı /.

1. Nile crocodiles have the widest smiles.

2. Isn’t it fine to fly a kite?

3. What kind of ice cream shall I buy?

4. Why do you hide?

5. I like my five pet mice.

6. Be kind to the crying child.

7. Irish eyes are smiling.

8. Blind Island is a mile wide.

9. My guide will buy us the right kind of line.

10. He tried to find some high-priced ivory.

11. If I were wise I’d change the tire tonight.

18. Learn the following graphical rules:

Vowel / aı / is represented in spelling by:

1. The letters “i” and “y” in stressed open syllables. (tie, my)

2. The diagraph “igh” + “t” (light), “ign” (sign)

3. “i” + “ld, nd” (kind, child)

4. “uy” (buy)

Rare Spellings: either, neither, height.

Irregular Readings: wind /wınd/, city, pity.

19. Find Ukrainian equivalents to the proverbs and sayings. Learn them:

1. Out of sight out of mind.

2. Neither here, nor there.

3. Great minds think alike.

20. Learn the following tongue twister and read the text as fast as you can:

1. Little Mike left his bike like Tike at Spike's.

2. You've no need to light a night-light

On a light night like tonight,

For a night-light's light's a slight light,

And tonight's a night that's light.

When a night's light, like tonight's light,

It is really not quite right

To light night-lights with their slight lights

On a light night like tonight.