English is tough stuff["iNgliS iz t2f st2f]

Dearest creature in creation, di@r@st "kri:tS@ in kri"eiS@nStudy English pronunciation. "st2di "iNgliS pr@n2nsi"eiS@nI will teach you in my verse ai wil ti:tS ju: in mai v@:sSounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse. saunds laik kO:ps kO:s hO:s nd w@:sI will keep you, Suzy, busy, ai wil ki:p ju: sjuzi "biziMake your head with heat grow dizzy. meik jO: hed wiD hi:t gr@u "diziTear in eye, your dress will tear. ti@ in ai jO: dres wil tE@So shall I! Oh hear my prayer. s@u Sel ai @u hi@ mai prE@

Just compare heart, beard, and heard, dZ2st k@m"pE@ ha:t bi@d nd h@:dDies and diet, lord and word, dais nd "dai@t lO:d nd w@:dSword and sward, retain and Britain. sO:d nd swO:d ri"tein nd "britn(Mind the latter, how its written.) (maind D@: "lt@ hau its ritn)Now I surely will not plague you nau ai "Su@li wil nOt pleig ju:With such words as plaque and ague. wiD s2tS w@:ds z pla:k nd "eigju:But be careful how you speak: b2t bi: "kE@ful hau ju: spi:kSay break and steak, but bleak and streak; sei breik nd steik b2t bli:k nd stri:kCloven, oven, how and low, "kl@uvn "2vn hau nd l@uScript, receipt, show, poem, and toe. skript ri"si:t S@u "p@uim nd t@u

Hear me say, devoid of trickery, hi@ mi: sei di"vOid Ov "trik@riDaughter, laughter, and Terpsichore, "dO:t@ "la:ft@ nd t@:p"sik@riTyphoid, measles, topsails, aisles, "taifOid "mi:zlz "tOpsl ailsExiles, similes, and reviles; "eksails "similis nd ri"vailsScholar, vicar, and cigar, "skOl@ "vik@ nd si"ga:Solar, mica, war and far; "s@ul@ "maik@ wO: nd fa:One, anemone, Balmoral, w2n @"nem@ni bl"mOr@lKitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel; "kitSin "laik@n "lO:ndri "lOr(@)lGertrude, German, wind and mind, "g@:tru:d "dZ@:m@n wind nd maindScene, Melpomene, mankind. si:n mel"pOmini(:) mn"kaind

Billet does not rhyme with ballet, "bilit d2z nOt raim wiD "bleiBouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet. bu(:)"kei "wOlit "mlit "SleiBlood and flood are not like food, bl2d nd fl2d a: nOt laik fu:dNor is mould like should and would. nO: iz m@uld laik Sud nd wudViscous, viscount, load and broad, "visk@s "vaikaunt l@ud nd brO:dToward, to forward, to reward. "t@u@d (t@"wO:d) tu: "fO:w@d tu: ri"wO:dAnd your pronunciations OK nd jO: pr@n2nsi"eiS@ns okWhen you correctly say croquet, wen ju: k@"rektli sei "kr@ukeiRounded, wounded, grieve and sieve, raunded wu:nded gri:v nd si:vFriend and fiend, alive and live. frend nd fi:nd @"laiv nd liv

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour "aivi "privi "feim@s "klm@

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And enamour rhyme with hammer. nd i"nm@ raim wiD "hm@River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb, "riv@ "raiv(@)l tu:m bOm k@umDoll and roll and some and home. dOl nd r@ul nd s2m nd h@umStranger does not rhyme with anger, "streindZ@ d2z nOt raim wiD "NgeNeither does devour with clangour. "naiD@ d2z di"vau@ wiD "klNg@Souls but foul, haunt but aunt, s@uls b2t faul hO:nt b2t a:ntFont, front, wont, want, grand, and grant, fOnt fr2nt w@unt wOnt grnd nd gra:ntShoes, goes, does. Now first say finger, Su:z g@uz d2z nau f@:st sei "fiNg@And then singer, ginger, linger, nd Den "siN@ "dZindZ@ "liNg@Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge, ri@l zi:l m@uv gO:z gaudZ nd geidZMarriage, foliage, mirage, and age. "mridZ "f@uliidZ "mira:Z nd eidZ

Query does not rhyme with very, "kwi@ri d2z nOt raim wiD "veriNor does fury sound like bury. nO: d2z "fju@ri saund laik "beriDost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth. d2st lOst p@ust nd d2T klOT l@uTJob, nob, bosom, transom, oath. dZOb nOb "buz@m "tns@m @uTThough the differences seem little, D@u D@ "difr(@)ns@z si:m "litlWe say actual but victual. wi: sei "ktSu@l b2t "vitlRefer does not rhyme with deafer. ri"f@: d2z nOt raim wiD "def@Feoffer does, and zephyr, heifer. fe"f@ d2z nd "zef@ "hef@Mint, pint, senate and sedate; mint paint "senit nd si"deitDull, bull, and George ate late. d2l bul nd dZO:dZ eit leitScenic, Arabic, Pacific, "si:nik "r@bik p@"sifikScience, conscience, scientific. "sai@ns "kOnS(@)ns sai@n"tifik

Liberty, library, heave and heaven, "lib@ti "laibr@ri hi:v nd "hevnRachel, ache, moustache, eleven. r"eitS(@)l eik m@s"ta:S i"levnWe say hallowed, but allowed, wi: sei "hl@ued b2t @"l@udPeople, leopard, towed, but vowed. "pi:pl "lep@d t@ud b2t vaudMark the differences, moreover, ma:k D@ "difr(@)ns@z mO:"r@uv@Between mover, cover, clover; bi"twi:n "mu:v@ "k2v@ "kl@uv@Leeches, breeches, wise, precise, li:tSez "britSiz waiz pri"saizChalice, but police and lice; "tSlis b2t p@"li:s nd laisCamel, constable, unstable, "km(@)l "k2nst@bl "2n"steiblPrinciple, disciple, label. "prins@pl di"saipl "leibl

Petal, panel, and canal, "petl "pnl nd k@"nlWait, surprise, plait, promise, pal. weit s@"praiz plt "prOmis plWorm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair, w@:m nd stO:m tSeiz "keiOs tSE@Senator, spectator, mayor. "sen@t@ spek"teit@ mE@Tour, but our and succour, four. tu@ b2t "au@ nd "s2k@ fO:Gas, alas, and Arkansas. gs @"ls nd "a:k@nsO:Sea, idea, Korea, area, si: ai"di@ k@"ri:@ "E@ri@Psalm, Maria, but malaria. sa:m m@"ri@ b2t m@"lE@ri@Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean. ju:T sauT "s2D@n klenz nd kli:nDoctrine, turpentine, marine. "dOktrin "t@:p(@)ntain m@"ri:n

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Compare alien with Italian, k@m"pE@ "eilj@n wiD i"tlj@nDandelion and battalion. "dndilai@n nd b@"tlj@nSally with ally, yea, ye, "sli wiD @"lai jei ji:Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key. ai ai ai ai wei nd ki:Say aver, but ever, fever, sei @"v@: b2t "ev@ "fi:v@Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver. "naiD@ "leZ@ skein di"si:v@Heron, granary, canary. "her(@)n "grn@ri k@"nE@riCrevice and device and aerie. "krevis nd di"vais nd "E@ri

Face, but preface, not efface. feis b2t "prefis nOt i"feisPhlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass. flem fleg"mtik s gla:s bs (beis)Large, but target, gin, give, verging, la:dZ b2t "ta:git dZin giv vergiNOught, out, joust and scour, scourging. O:t aut dZaust nd "skau@ sk@:dZiNEar, but earn and wear and tear i@ b2t @:n nd wE@ nd tE@Do not rhyme with here but ere. du: nOt raim wiD hi@ b@t E@Seven is right, but so is even, "sevn iz rait b2t s@u iz "i:v(@)nHyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen, "haif(@)n "r2fn "nevju(:) "sti:vnMonkey, donkey, Turk and jerk, "m2Nki "dONki t@:k nd dZ@:kAsk, grasp, wasp, and cork and work. a:sk gra:sp wOsp nd kO:k nd w@:k

Pronunciation think of Psyche! pr@n2nsi"eiS@n -- TiNk Ov "saiki(:)Is a paling stout and spikey? iz @ "peiliN staut nd spaikiWont it make you lose your wits, w@unt it meik ju: lu:s jO: witsWriting groats and saying grits? "raitiN gr@uts nd "seiiN gritsIts a dark abyss or tunnel: its @ da:k @"bis O: "t2nlStrewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale, stru:n wiD st@uns st@ud "sOl@s "g2nlIslington and Isle of Wight, "izliNt@n nd ail Ov waitHousewife, verdict and indict. "hauswaif ("h2zif) "v@:dikt nd in"dait

Finally, which rhymes with enough "fain@li witS raims wiD i"n2f --Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough? D@u Tru: plau O: d@u O: kOfHiccough has the sound of cup. "hik2p h@z D@ saund Ov k2pMy advice is to give up!!! mai @d"vais iz tu: giv 2p

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