Basic Pronunciation App Version 2

Fluency Mechanics

The Music of English

Fluency is not just about vocabulary; it is about the "physical beat" of the language.

The Core Difference:

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• Thai (Tonal): Pitch determines the meaning of a word.
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• English (Stress-Based): Loudness and length determine the focus.

Thai Learner Tip: In Thai, every syllable has roughly equal time (like a machine gun). In English, only important words get time. You must learn to speed up the small words!

1. The Physics of Sound

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To master endings, you must understand Vocal Cord Vibration[cite: 17]. Put your hand on your throat.

Voiceless (Air Only)	Voiced (Vibration)
p, t, k, s, sh, ch, f	b, d, g, v, l, m, n, r
Example: "Snake" (s)	Example: "Bee" (b)

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Crucial Rule: All Vowel Sounds (a, e, i, o, u) are Voiced[cite: 18].

Quiz: Place your hand on your throat. Say "ZZZZZ" (as in Zoo). Is it voiced?

Yes (It buzzes/vibrates) No (It is air only)

2. The '-ed' Past Tense Rules

Don't guess! [cite_start]The ending sound is determined strictly by the sound that comes before it[cite: 21].

Rule A: The "Extra Syllable" /id/

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Use this ONLY if the word ends in T or D[cite: 22].

• Want → Wanted
• Need → Needed

Rule B: The Voiceless /t/

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If the word ends in a voiceless sound (p, k, f, s, sh, ch), the ending is a sharp /t/[cite: 27].

• Walk → Walked (Sounds like: Walk-t)
• Wash → Washed (Sounds like: Wash-t)

Rule C: The Voiced /d/

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If the word ends in a voiced sound or vowel, the ending is a soft /d/[cite: 30].

• Play → Played (Sounds like: Play-d)
• Clean → Cleaned (Sounds like: Clean-d)

Quiz: How do you pronounce "Cooked"? (The root 'Cook' ends in 'k')

Cook-id (2 syllables) Cook-t (1 syllable, ending in T) Cook-d (1 syllable, ending in D)

3. The '-s' & Plural Rules

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Just like past tense, the plural '-s' changes based on vibration[cite: 33].

Rule A: The "Hissing" Sound /iz/

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If the word ends in a hissing sound (s, z, sh, ch, ge), add a syllable /iz/[cite: 39].

• Bus → Buses
• Judge → Judges

Rule B: The Voiceless /s/

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After voiceless consonants (p, t, k, f), pronounce as /s/[cite: 37].

• Cup → Cups
• Walk → Walks

Rule C: The Voiced /z/

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After voiced consonants or vowels, pronounce as /z/ (a buzzing sound)[cite: 38].

• Pen → Pens (Sounds like: Penz)
• Go → Goes (Sounds like: Goz)

Quiz: How do you pronounce "Dogs"? (The root 'Dog' ends in 'g', which vibrates)

Dog-s (hissing) Dog-z (buzzing)

4. Word Stress (The Heartbeat)

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The Golden Rule: One word has only ONE primary stress[cite: 49].

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For 2-syllable words, follow this pattern[cite: 55]:

Type	Stress Location	Examples
Nouns & Adjectives	First Syllable	CHI-na, HAP-py, TA-ble
Verbs	Last Syllable	re-CORD, pre-SENT, be-GIN

Thai Learner Tip: Do not use a high tone for the stressed syllable. [cite_start]Instead, make it LOUDER and LONGER[cite: 53].

Quiz: You are using the word "Export" as a VERB (e.g., "We will export rice"). Where is the stress?

ex-PORT (Second syllable) EX-port (First syllable)

5. Suffixes & Weak Stress

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Some endings act as "magnets," pulling the stress to specific syllables[cite: 73].

The "One Before" Rule

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For words ending in -ion, -ic, -ity, -logy, stress the syllable immediately before the suffix[cite: 74].

• Information → in-for-MA-tion
• Graphic → GRAPH-ic
• Biology → bi-OL-o-gy

The "Two Before" Rule

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For words ending in -ize, -ate, stress the third syllable from the end[cite: 77].

• Industrialize → in-DUS-tri-al-ize

Weak Stress (Schwa)

For the stressed syllable to shine, others must be weak. [cite_start]We often reduce vowels to a "uh" sound (Schwa)[cite: 85].

Example: Banana is not "Ba-Na-Na". It is "buh-NA-nuh".

6. Compound Words

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When two words join, the rhythm shifts predictably[cite: 64].

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• Compound Nouns: Stress the FIRST part[cite: 65].
  BED-room, NEWS-pa-per
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• Compound Verbs: Stress the SECOND part[cite: 66].
  over-LOOK, under-STAND

Quiz: Which is correct for "Greenhouse" (a place to grow plants)?

GREEN-house (First part) green-HOUSE (Second part)

7. Intonation & Nuance

Falling Tone (↘)

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Use for certainty: Statements, Commands, and Wh-Questions (Who, What, Where).

• "Stop!" ↘
• "Who is that?" ↘

Rising Tone (↗)

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Use for uncertainty or politeness: Yes/No Questions.

• "Are you hungry?" ↗

Lists and Tags (Advanced)

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Lists: Go UP on items, and DOWN on the last one.
"Lemons ↗, soup ↗, and bread ↘."

Tag Questions:

• Real Question: "You're new here, aren't you?"↗ (I don't know the answer).
• Agreement: "It's hot, isn't it?"↘ (I know it's hot, agree with me).

8. Rhythm: Machine Gun vs. Morse Code

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Thai is Syllable-Timed: Every syllable gets equal time (Machine Gun.

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English is Stress-Timed: Time depends on the number of "Content Words" (Morse Code).

Content Words (Stress these): Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives.
Grammar Words (Rush these): is, a, the, of, to.

WHALES ... are ... BIG
(big dot) ............ (tiny dots) ............ (big dot)

Practice: Don't say "Cats chase mice" and "The cats chase the mice" at different speeds. They should take the same amount of time because they have the same number of stressed words (Cats, Chase, Mice).