A bearded mountaineer

(Mr ond Mrs Leor ore on holiday in Austria.)

MR LEAR: Let's have a 1 __________ here, dear.

MRS LEAR: What a good idea! They have very good beer here. We came here last 2__________ .

MR LEAR: The atmosphere here is very 3__________ .

MRS LEAR: But it's windier than last year.

MR LEAR: (speaking to the waiter) Two beers, please.

MRS LEAR: Look, dear! Look at that 4__________drinking beer.

MR LEAR: His s is in his beer.

MRS LEAR: His beard has nearly disappeared into his 6__________ !

MR LEAR: Sh! He might 7__________

WATTER: (binging the beer) Here you are, sir. Two beers.

MR LEAR: Thank you. (Drinking his bee) Cheers!

MRS LEAR: 8__________Here's to the bearded mountaineer!

Listen to the dialogue and check your answers. Then practise reading the dialogue aloud.

Sound [eq]

115. Track 37. Tick the words a) or b) that you hear in the sentences.

     1 a) cheers	□	b) chairs	□
     2 a) beer	□	b) bear	□
     3 a) pier	□	b) pear	□
     4 a) here	□	b) hair	□
     5 a) dear	□	b) Dare	□
     6 a) clear	□	b) Claire!	□

116. First practise the target sound [eq] in words from the dialogue. Read the words aloud.

     where there they're pair hair chair Claire square Mary upstairs downstairs everywhere

117. Track 38. Listen to the dialogue, paying particular attention to the target sound.

A pair of hairclips

MARY: I’ve lost two small hairclips, Claire. They're a pair.

CLAIRE: Have you looked carefully everywhere?

MARY: Yes. They're nowhere here. They just aren't anywhere!

CLAIRE: Have you looked upstairs?

MARY: (getting impatient) Upstairs Downstairs Everywhere! They just aren't there!

CLAIRE: Hm! Are they square, Mary?

MARY: Yes. Why ?

CLAIRE: Well, you're wearing one of them in your hair!

MARY: Oh! Then where's the other one?

CLAIRE: It’s over there under that chair.

MARY: Hm!

Practise reading the dialogue aloud.

Sounds in contrast [ɛə] - [iə]

118. Read the following words paying special attention to correct pronunciation.

     l. [ɛə]		2. [iə]		3. [ɛə] - [iə]
     hare	despair	era	appear	hare — here
     dare	compare	zero	adhere	bear — beer
     pair	repair	here	veneer	air — ear
     air	declare	dear	endear	fair — fear
     mare	affair	ear	career	rare — rear
     care	prepare	shear	sincere	pear — pier
     hair	impair	mere	museum	dare — dear
     fair	aware	beer	material	chair — cheer
     				Clare — clear
     				stare — steer
     				spare — spear

119. Read the following sense-groups, mind the rhythm and intonation.

(a) share; fair share; their fair share; it's their fair share.

(b) there; down there; Mary down there; there's Mary down there; I swear there's Mary down there; I dare swear there's Mary down there.

(c) Can you hear? Can you hear clearly? Can you hear clearly from here?

120. Transcribe and intone the following sentences. Practise reading them in pairs.

[iə] (a) 1. Here, here!

2. Here today, gone tomorrow.

3. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

4. There's none so queer as folk.

5. All the world is queer save thee and me and even thee's a little queer.

[ɛə] (b) 1. All's fair in love and war.

2. Fair's fair.

3. Share and share alike.

4. There, there!

5. Hair of the dog that bit you.

6. To bear a grudge.

7. As mad as a March hare.

8. If the cap fits, wear it.

9. Mary, Mary, quite contrary.

[ɛə] — [iə] (c) 1. The steering wheel needs repairing.

2. And the radio aerial doesn't work.

3. The gear box is really bad.

4. And would you repair the spare wheel? The air comes out.

5. The theatre is somewhere near here.

6. I don't care whether I live upstairs or downstairs.

121. Read the tongue-twisters and learn them.

1. Mary is scared of fairies in the dairy.

2. Fair-haired Sarah stares warily at the hairy bear, glaring from his lair.

122. Read the text.

A dreary peer sneers in the grand tier of the theatre. At the rear they hear the peer and jeer. But here, clearly the cheers for the hero are really fierce. The weary hero King Lear is nearly in tears.

123. Read the dialogues, mark the stresses and tunes. Learn them. Act out the dialogues.