George Washington

George was born in Virginia. His family owned a big farm and had slaves. George didn’t have much education. During his life he had three jobs: he was a farmer, a soldier, and a politician. He loved the life of a farmer. He grew tobacco and owned horses. He worked hard but he also liked dancing and going to the theatre. In 1759 he married a widow called Martha Custis. They were happy together, but didn’t have any children.

He was Commander-in-Chief of the army and fought the British in the War of Independence. When the war ended in 1781 he was happy to go back to the farm, but his country wanted him to be President. Finally, in 1789, he became President, and gave his name to the new capital city. He started the building of the White House, but he never lived in it. By 1797 he was tired of politics. He went back to his farm and died there two years later.

Exercise 17. Read the sentences properly and quickly. Underline the words pronounced according to the 3^rd type of reading. Pronounce correctly the sound [ 3: ].

1. Burt is the last person to want to hurt her. 2. Is Earny going to learn thirty-three new words? 3. Which urgent work do you want her to finish first? 4. I’ll return the journals when I arrive on Thursday. 5. The first and the third verses were the most difficult to learn. 6. Certainly, Sir! 7. Percy’ll certainly prefer to start. 8. What a hurly-burly girl she is! 9. My girl has a bird and a dirty furcoat. 10. The girl will be thirteen next birthday. 11. Worms will certainly turn. 12. Repeat the verse – word by word. 13. The work will serve no purpose.

Exercise 18. Practice reading the following tongue-twister quickly and distinctly. Underline the words that are pronounced according to the 3^rd type of reading.

Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, brown bread

Spread it thick

Say it quick.

Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, brown bread

Spread it thicker

Say it quick.

Yellow butter, purple jelly, red jam, brown bread

Now repeat it

While you eat it.

Type 4 – a vowel + r + a vowel (usually e)

According to this type of reading we read the English vowels like this:

a [ eə ] h a re u [ juə ] p u re

e [ Iə ] h e re

o [ ɔ: ] mo re i (y) [ aIə ] f i re, m y re

Note: Letter r is pronounced if it is followed by the vowel i or y, as in purity ['pjuə rə tɪ ].

Exercise 19. Practice reading the words.

a [ eə ] hare, mare, dare, clare, rare, rarely, bare, care, scared;

e [ Iə ] here, mere, sere, pere, sinc e re;

o [ ɔ: ] more, core, bore, bored, fore, store, lore, wore, bef o re, expl o re;

u [ juə ] cure, pure, endure, during, fury;

i (y) [ aIə ] fire, mire, wire, tired, empire, entire, pyre, lyre.

Exercise 20. Read and transcribe the words. Do not forget to put the stress mark if a word has two or more syllables.

Mere, wire, decl a re, bored, pure, scare, here, tire, glare, bure, myre, wore, stare, shire, cared, empire, score, Blare, desire, prep a re, ign o re, zero, severe.

Exercise 21. Read the words and underline those with the indicated sounds.

[ aIə ] hare, green, wire, hope, pure, bare, strawberry, fired, attempt, tired.

[ juə ] during, wife, tyre, race, lust, fair, mire, jog, cure, plugs, purity.

[ eə ] hare, lost, bare, watch, umbrella, rare, here, depend, fox, nightmare.

[ ɔ: ] pure, core, flower, scare, blood, store, heat, more, crop.

[ Iə ] mare, blues, alarm, pere, pure, garbage, merely, fire, best.

NOTE:

In English letter y can be both a vowel and a consonant. If it is the first letter in a syllable or a word, it is a consonant which is pronounced [ j ]. In all other positions it is a vowel.

Exercise 22. Practice reading the words in which y is a consonant.

Yes, you, your, yet, year, yard, yummy, young, yell, yellow, yesterday, yoghurt, yacht.