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English Pronunciation in Use | |
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Author: Mark Hancock
Price £ 11.25 book only
£17.95 with 4 CD set.
ISBN 0521 001854 (book) 0521 006570 (book and CDs).
Are you going to Britian or the USA for your holidays? Maybe it's time to refresh your English pronunciation. So this month we are looking at a book of pronunciation exercises. If you are an EFL student or teacher you might know another book by Mark Hancock, the author, which is called Pronunciation Games. You may also know Murphy's English Grammar in Use, and the other books in the series, including Vocabulary in Use and Idioms in Use.
If you have used any of these other books, you will know how this book is constructed. There are sixty sections, with explanations on the left-hand page, and exercises on the right-hand page, starting with the basics of pronunciation, word sounds, stress and intonation. The explanations are clear, and the exercises are useful and fun. For example, in an exercise in using tone to express meaning, you are asked to read this dialogue between two people walking in the woods. "Shh!" "What?" "Bear!" "Bear?" "Bear!" "Where?" "There!" "Far?" "No." "Near?" "Yeah." "Run?" "Run!" Other exercises include Grouping words, Quoting speech, and Emphasis. Do them with a friend!
At the end of the book there is a pronunciation test so you can check your own pronunciation, and a guide for speakers of different languages letting them know what exercises they can leave out. There is also a glossary (giving you the technical words dealing with pronunciation), and an answer key. The four CD set allows you to practise listening to different accents, though it also uses a single 'standard' British accent as your pronunciation guide. There are over four hours of listening on the CDs. CD A. dealing with Letters and sounds. CD B. with Syllables, words, and sentences. CD C. with conversation, and CD D. is a reference CD.
Who is this book for? Any upper-intermediate student or above who wants to improve his English pronunciation. The way that this book is designed works well as both a self-study book and as a classroom text book. You can treat it as a pronunciation course, or just use it for the areas of your pronunciation that need practice. Remember that this book deals with the whole of English phonology (stress, rhythm, timing, etc.) as well as actual pronunciation. If you just want pronunciation, you should also consider the excellent Ship or Sheep? also by Cambridge University Press.
Verdict: Excellent all-round pronunciation guide.
Assessment 9/10