Let's start with number one: new few grew s-e-w is pronounced What do you think?
The answer is sew. What are you kidding me? Yes it's irregular it's pronounced so like
the word so so and rhymes with go and no to sew that's when you use a needle to connect pieces of
fabric - not very good impression there. In a sentence “my mother was a tailor she sewed my new
blue jeans.” So the past tense is sewed and the past participle is sewed or sewn
and this is a sewing machine not a “suing” machine which is what a personal injury lawyer does.
That's kind of a joke to sue means to ask for financial compensation in the law courts. OK next
one Can you get this? dome alone home sometimes come and some a bit different and what about this
well fun fact it isn't epi-tome but epi-to-me epitome and this means a perfect example of
something for example you are the epitome of a hard-working English student aren't you.
So you've probably gathered by now that English pronunciation is regular and predictable and when
I say regular and predictable I mean irregular and unpredictable OK that's not quite true
let's look at the facts. There are rules believe it or not yes there are rules 70%
of English [pronunciation] follow spelling rules OK that still leaves about 30 that doesn't
which is actually quite a lot and this video is about the words that break the rules
of spelling and pronunciation in cases where there is a rule. So I'm not talking about your normal,
everyday, commonplace irregular pronunciation such as women or leopard or mayor or the ough
words because with the o u g h words, spoiler alert, there is no rule at all you have
rough and cough and dough and hiccough yes that's right hiccough. By the way we do have a video on
pronouncing the o-u-g-h sound check it out. This combination of letters is pronounced
ghoti OK whatever people say it's not pronounced fish you could say, ah but gh is pronounced F
in enouGH and O is pronounced I in womEn and TI is pronounced SH as in naTIon but not a combination
of those words together it's pronounced ghoti words that start with GH are always pronounced G
words ending in TI are always pronounced TI they're our rules so the words in this
list are rulebreakers; the bad boys of the English language that
slap you in the face in the morning after you get up and piss in your spiced, pumpkin latte
in the afternoon. Let's continue with today's lesson and you can yes, you can, try and get
the pronunciation correct and let us know in the comments how you do. Next one to bind, to blind,
to grind, to ….. wind ah who said to wind?
It was a trick question. You see now this one does follow the rule the word that doesn't is wind
the wind that blows and ruffles your hair that's irregular but as a verb to wind is regular pronunciation and what does it mean
it means to turn something round to make the mechanism work like an old clock or watch you wind your watch.
The negative is unwind and you can also use the word unwind to mean to relax especially after you’ve be doing something
stressful because the mechanism slowly relaxes. So for example every day after coming home from work
I unwind in front of the fire in my dressing gown, my slippers where I smoke a pipe
and read the Financial Times. How do you unwind?
sound found round bound and
wound to wound yes that's right a wound is an injury you get in a fight perhaps or when
your skin is cut by something yes there is there is blood. It's different to hurt which is about
pain with wound it's about the cut. It's a verb too so for example I was wounded in a duel that
I fought with a man when I was protecting the lady's honour. Wounded is the past of to wound
but, and here's where it gets tricky, we talked a moment ago of the verb to wind remember
to wind what's the past tense of to wind? well it's irregular it's wound same spelling,
different pronunciation, wound yes that's right w-o-u-n-d has two pronunciations two different
words entirely. I wound up my watch yesterday. I unwound in front of the fire with a dry sherry.
To hear to clear to fear to... What do you think? I think you got it it's to tear as in
I tear up this invitation to Buckingham Palace. Some of you are now screaming at me
now no no no isn't it tear oh well yes tear is a word. There's another word tear when you cry
it's also spelt t-e-a-r but it's pronounced tear for example the tears of a clown when there's no
one around. Let's continue; now how cow row or row row or row what do you think? once again
this is a trick question there are two words row which means an argument and it rhymes with cow
I had a row with a cow that helps you remember it and a noun a row which means a number of things
or people in a straight line. For example, at school I always sat
in the back row. There is also another verb actually to row which is what you do in a
rowing boat. You row. So there are two ways to pronounce the o w words cow brow row now or show
blow know grow and row that's it easy. Not easy? OK please yourself. Next one
certain ceiling
center celery and come on say it you know you want to ….and the answer is Celtic yes that's
right some football fans out there are now getting angry saying no no I'm sure it's Celtic well yes
but only for the football team the football team in Glasgow is called Celtic but in all other
situations it's pronounced Celtic the CE is pronounced Celtic here a Celtic language Welsh
is a Celtic language or a Celtic civilization.
Next we have about out scout mouth and,
I'm sure you've got this, one route that's right it's pronounced root like r-o-o-t root at least in
British English in American English it's regional some places they say root and some places they say
route like out but I remember the song route 66 by Chuck Berry not Route 66. if you're American
you let us know in the comments how you pronounce that word next one
author slaughter daughter and
gauge you might think it's gauge but breaking news it isn't its gauge which has many different
meanings. It can mean to estimate I gave you an English test to gauge your level
or it can be the standard measure of something trains in Spain and France have different
gauges that's the width of the track. Arch, parcel, march and scarce meaning in short supply.
Some of the raw materials used in mobile phones are very scarce. Next one; loop hoop troop swoop
cooperate cooperate I guess I'm cheating a little bit this time in
British English it's still sometimes spelt with a hyphen co-operate which makes it easier to
pronounce but the hyphen is disappearing and it has completely disappeared, as far as I'm aware,
in American English where it's written like that cooperate.
Stole hhole sole
come on how hard can it be well quite hard actually because the answer is hyperbole
hyperbole hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that we use as a figure of speech.
So for example when she said she was leaving me my jaw dropped to the ground. OK it didn't
literally drop to the ground. True story though I remember learning this word from a book when I
was a teenager perhaps about 15 years old and I tried to show off my new word in the class once
and I said hyperbole and my teacher mocked me and to this day I still have traumas about this word
anyway next one totally fatally sally
ally ally an ally is someone on your side Britain and France were at war for many centuries
but now we are allies. So that's what they say.
Nothing rhythm bathing
and knighthood OK knighthood it yes that's right the TH is almost always pronounced TH
or THE but there are a few exceptions usually in compound words a knighthood by the way is an
honour given by the queen that makes you a Sir I'm still waiting for my
knighthood oi queenie! if you're watching if you're watching where's my knighthood? Services to the
English language teaching industry next one's a bit obscure but see if you can get it anyway seed
indeed feed and the answer is pureed also spelt like this with an accent because it comes from
French the word purée is to mash something up into a very small
paste so the verb is to purée and the past tense is puréed after I lost my teeth
I pureed all my food. So how did you do? So you have any rule breakers of your own that you want to
add to the list? If you want more pronunciation videos then let me know in the comments. If you
want more grammar videos then let me know in the comments have a nice day I'm out of here