Shadowing Practice: IPA Phonetic Alphabet & Phonetic Symbols - **EASY GUIDE ✅ - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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This is my easy or beginner's guide to the phonemic chart.
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If you want good pronunciation, you need to understand how to use and learn the sounds in a phonemic chart.
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Let me just repeat that, as it's so important.
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If you want good pronunciation, you need to understand how to use and learn the sounds in a phonemic chart.
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So in this video, I'm going to explain 1.
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How the phonemic chart works.
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2. My method for learning the phonemic sounds 3.
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Give you a quick tour of each sound and at the end of this video give you my top learning tips.
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Did you know that every different language and accent has a different phonemic chart?
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Obvious really, as the phonemic chart is just a collection of different sounds that is used to produce a unique accent.
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I speak with a standard received pronunciation accent which is generally accepted as a standard for British English.
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Received pronunciation is also known as RP.
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To make it easy for you, I have drawn up a phonemic chart that represents my British English RP accent
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and you can download it from the comments below.
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So let's start by looking at the chart.
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There are 44 sounds in standard RP
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and these different sounds are represented by the symbols or phonings you see in this chart.
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It's important to understand that these symbols are not the sounds.
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Each symbol represents a different sound and it's these sounds which are important to master if you want good pronunciation.
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So what is the best way to learn these 44 sounds?
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Well I recommend a three-step process.
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Step one is to learn the sounds on their own.
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Don't worry about forming words just get the sounds right.
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Step two is once and only once you have the sounds mastered
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you then look up groups of words that use each individual phoneme
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step three is once you have mastered the sounds in each
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word you then put these words into sentences to form connected speech sound simple in principle yes
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but It will take time and practice, so why not start today?
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And don't forget, start by getting the sound of each phoneme right first before you start practicing words or sentences.
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Anyway, back to the phonemic chart.
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The 44 sounds are grouped as vowel sounds and consonant sounds.
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Let's look at the vowel sounds first.
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The vowels are shown in the top half of the chart and are split into two sections.
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Monothongs and diphthongs.
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So what are monothongs and diphthongs?
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Put simply, monothongs are single vowel sounds and diphthongs are double vowel sounds.
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The monothongs or single vowel sounds can be either long or short,
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but all are spoken using a single tone and no change to your mouth shape.
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The short sounds shown as this colour are i,
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long sounds shown as this color are also shown with two small triangles similar to a colon
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and are I show you how to pronounce these monothongs in this video here.
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Diphthongs or double vowel sounds are where you glide from one vowel to another in one syllable.
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It's important to understand that each phoneme is made of two vowels but pronounced as one syllable.
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The diphthong sounds are ear,
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a, u, oi, o, air, i, ow.
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For a more in-depth look at diphthongs see my video here.
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Let's now look at the bottom half of the phonemic chart.
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This is where the consonant sounds live.
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There are 24 consonants and I have shown on the chart that some are voiced
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using this colour and the rest are unvoiced using this colour.
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So what do I mean by voiced or unvoiced?
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Well, a sound is voiced when you can feel your vocal chords vibrating like this
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and it is unvoiced when the vocal chords don't let me run through the basic consonant sounds for you.
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First, the voiced.
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B, D, J, G, V.
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The, Z, Z, M, N,
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N, L, R, W, Y. And now the unvoiced.
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P, T, Ch, K, F, F, S, Sh, H.
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Now for my top learning tips.
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Once you know the structure of the RP phonemic chart and what each sound sounds like,
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I want you to practice each one and then write down one or two words that contain each sound.
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On the chart there's an example word for each sound
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but I would encourage you to come up with your own list of words
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as this will help you speed up your learning.
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Use a dictionary.
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You should then have a list of words that represent every sound and a list of words you can use for practice.
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Also, identify which sounds are difficult for you and if after practicing you need help,
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just post the words in the comments below and I'll try to help you.
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Well, I hope this has helped but remember to put in the practice
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and do check out my other videos for more in-depth help on how to pronounce the sounds.
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Oh, and don't forget to like, share and and subscribe.
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Love and Peace.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 72 sentences and 848 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:20. The speaker talks at a steady 116 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- chart /t͡ʃɑɹt/ (noun) — A map illustrating the geography of a specific phenomenon.
- pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken.
- accent /ækˈsɛnt/ (noun) — A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to…
- symbol /ˈsɪmbəl/ (noun) — A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object.
- pronounce /pɹəˈnaʊns/ (verb) — To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously.
- vocal /ˈvoʊ̯.kəl/ (adjective) — Of, pertaining to, or resembling the human voice or speech.
- chord /kɔɹd/ (noun) — A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.
- tone /ˈtəʊn/ (noun) — A specific pitch.
- encourage /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ (verb) — To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
- connect /kəˈnɛkt/ (verb) — To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.
- principle /ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/ (noun) — A fundamental assumption, fundamental law or guiding belief.
- dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/ (noun) — A reference work listing words or names from one or more languages, usually ordered alphabetically, explaining each word's meanings or senses, oftentimes also…
- subscribe /səbˈskɹaɪb/ (verb) — To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
- triangle /ˈtɹaɪˌæŋɡəl/ (noun) — A polygon with three sides and three angles.
- colon /ˈkoʊ.lən/ (noun) — The punctuation mark ⟨:⟩.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- check out (verb) — To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
- come up with (verb) — To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.
- draw up (verb) — To compose (a document), especially following a standard form; prepare a plan.
- look up /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To have better prospects.
- put in (verb) — To place inside.
- run through (verb) — To summarise briefly.
- see in (verb) — To show (someone) in: to introduce (someone) to the inside of a place.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like chart, pronunciation, accent.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is also known · are represented · are grouped |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have drawn · have mastered · have shown |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | accent which is · sounds which are |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will take · will help · I'll try |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.