Play the audio and write down what you heard!
Let’s try the /əʊ/ sound first! (bowl, fork, know, load)
Now, let’s try the /ɔː/ sound! (ball, fork, nor, lord)
Try some of these drills:
/əʊ/
- Joe rode the boat.
- The goat wore a coat.
- Moe showed his toe.
- Flo didn’t know where to go.
- The snow fell slow.
- The crow is on the pole.
- The rope is in the road.
- Chloe owns a phone.
- The stone is by the oak.
- Zoe told a joke.
/ɔː/
- The dog saw a ball.
- Paul was in awe.
- Don’t fall off the wall!
- The tall man has a fork.
- The storm was in the north.
- The hawk flew toward the wall.
- The store had more corn.
- He thought he broke his jaw on the chalk.
- Dawn walks along the shore.
- The board is near the fort.
Identify the different sounds and read the poem. Start slow and then get faster. Check the audio after!
In a cozy old home, by a calm shore,
(In a ˈkəʊzi əʊld həʊm, by a calm ʃɔː,)
Lived a bold old man who loved to roam.
(Lived a bəʊld əʊld man who loved tə rəʊm.)
One day, he found a boat on the coast,
(One day, he found a bəʊt on the cəʊst,)
It had a gold oar and a picture of a comb.
(It had a ɡəʊld ɔːr and a picture of a cəʊmb.)
He sailed on the sea and saw the stars,
(He sailed on the sea and sɔː the stɑːrz,)
The night was cold and the moon did glow.
(The night was cəʊld and the moon did ɡləʊ.)
He thought of adventures and places afar,
(He Thɔːght of adventures and places afɑː,)
Where treasures and wonders were waiting to show.
(Where treasures and wonders were waiting to shəʊ.)
With the boat and oar, he traveled with pride,
(With the bəʊt and ɔːr, he traveled with pride,)
To discover new lands both old and new.
(To discover new lands bəʊth əʊld and new.)
In a world full of hope, where dreams take flight,
(In a wɜːld full of həʊpe, where dreams take flight,)
He found his own story and felt truly right.
(He found his əʊn stɔːry and felt truly right.)
In a cozy old home, by a calm shore,
(In a ˈkəʊzi əʊld həʊm, by a calm ʃɔː,)
Lived a bold old man who loved to roam.
(Lived a bəʊld əʊld man who loved tə rəʊm.)
One day, he found a boat on the coast,
(One day, he found a bəʊt on the cəʊst,)
It had a gold oar and a picture of a comb.
(It had a ɡəʊld ɔːr and a picture of a cəʊmb.)
10 Most Common /əʊ/ words:
Read the dialogue to practice these common words!
10 Most Common /ʌ/ words:
Read the dialogue to practice these common words!
Exercise 8: Practice with your teacher!
- Choose a mixture of either the /əʊ/ or the /ɔː/ sound. (Make sure it’s random!)
- Next, sound out the words to your teacher.
- After saying all 4 words, your teacher will reveal what sound they heard/what word they thought you said!
- Count how many your teacher guessed correctly out of 4!
- After that, swap roles, and you write down which words you hear from your teacher!
Minimal Pair List
so – saw
go – gore
no – nor
toe – tore
foe – for
bowl – ball
mow – more
boat – bought
coat – caught
show – shore
load – lord
moan – mourn
stone – store
foal – fall
hole – hall
code – cord
road – roared
pole – Paul
hope – hawk
joe – jaw
sole – saw
goal – gall
nose – nause
oat – ought
low – law
load – lord
host – horse
woke – walk
home – whore
flow – flaw
