Pronunciation: sounds and spelling in English	

Discuss:

1	How many vowel sounds are there in English?
2	How many consonant sounds are there?
3	How many letters are there in the English alphabet?
4	Why is English spelling so difficult?

Problems with English sounds and the Latin alphabet

1 Same sound, different spelling

Say the words below aloud.
Pay attention to the vowel sounds (underlined). 
How many different vowel sounds are there ?
Put the words into lists with the same vowel sound. 
The first list has been started for you.

through      two      sew      boat      blue      cruise      flu      blow      to    Joe            too       hope      throw   flew       so           boot    true  	

List 1

through
blue

2 Same spelling, different sound?

Look at the pairs of words below. Say them out aloud. 
Are the vowel sounds the same or different?

now		saw		how		near		moon		
grow		law		brow		bear		hook