Survey: next pronunciation lesson

I recently went through our stats here at the small blog; it tells us which posts are getting the most visitors. It turns out that a pronunciation lesson that I posted in February this year for the vowel sound /æ/ (as in cat) is among the most popular.

So, now I'm contemplating of preparing another lesson with another vowel sound that I could pair with /æ/. I was wondering which vowel sound you would like to practice with /æ/.

/æ/ & /ɑ/ (cat & car)
/æ/ & /ɔ/ (cat & coffee)
/æ/ & /ʌ/ (cat & cut)

Head over to our page on Facebook to vote, and let your voice be heard! While you're there, why not LIKE us if you haven't already?

Are you tolerant or judgmental?

Ad on the New York City subway

Once in a while, I come across clever ads in subway trains that make me CHUCKLE. This one is from Manhattan Mini Storage (No, I don't work for them.) It's STEREOTYPICAL of New Yorkers. Most of us are indeed TOLERANT of other people's ideas and beliefs, and we are proud of this. Those who aren't are at least good at keeping their opinions to themselves and their circle of friends. As for being JUDGMENTAL of people's shoes, I think that only describes a KEENLY fashion-conscious minority. ... unless I'm missing something.

What about you? Are you TOLERANT of other people's beliefs? What are you most JUDGMENTAL of?

vocabulary:
CHUCKLE - laugh softly to yourself (go hehehe)
STEREOTYPICAL - a generalized and often simplified opinion about a particular group
TOLERANT - accepting; able to live with something different or unpleasant
JUDGMENTAL - having negative opinions about someone, often based on moral views
KEENLY - strongly, sharply


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TT4BS /I/ (hit) & /i/ (heat)

Hello, folks! In this TongueTwisting4BetterSpeech, we will practice both the short vowel sound /I/ and the long vowel sound /i/. It's always good to practice the sounds separately especially if it's a bit challenging, so you can go to our April 3, 2012 post to practice /I/ and to our April 10, 2012 post for /i/.


If you're ready, we can begin with the words:
/I/ mit, fit, grit, dip, wit
/i/ meet, feet, greet, deep, wheat


/I/ chip, slick, rim, slip, sin
/i/ cheap, sleak, ream, sleep, scene


Now for the sentences. As always, we'll do it slowly first.
1. He took a chilly dip six feet deep in the sea. He says it keeps him fit.
2. Strict vegans eat beet chips with bean dip, and keep meat and fish dishes out of reach.
3. He thinks he's slick in his sleek wheels meeting and greeting the elite.


Alright, folks. Thanks for practicing with me. I hope you come back regularly to practice and to learn something new. My name is Joe. You can follow me on Twitter @joeyu2nd and be a fan of the small guide site on Facebook for more small & quick lessons there. See you around.