Level A2

The English phoneme /w/ presents difficulties for learners from a wide range of language backgrounds, but not always for the same reason. Some pronounce the /w/ like a /v/ so that west becomes vest. Others interpret it as a vowel sound, so that woman becomes ooman.

A phrase usually has one word which is stressed more than the rest. Normally it is the last content word of the phrase. For example, the normal stress on You never help me is on help. It’s not on me because me is not a content word but a function word.

This chant has a waltz rhythm – each stressed syllable is separated by two unstressed syllables. The overall form of the text is a limerick. It has an unusual density of the sound /w/ - a semi-consonant created by movement of the lips.

This chant is made up of five rhyming couplets, and it has an unusual density of TH-sounds (the hard TH in 'earth' and the soft TH in 'brother'. The hard TH is called ‘theta’, and for convenience, I’ll use that name to refer to both sounds.

The image above is the answer key to a surprisingly tricky puzzle which requires learners to keep a clear distinction in mind between the spelling of words and the way they are pronounced.

Project the image and do any or all of these activities:

This is a free sample activity from PronPack.

This is a rhyme designed to work over the melody of the French nursery rhyme Frère Jacques. The melody is represented by the position of the words on the musical stave.