Test the OW in now, house, town and loud, and check that your vowel glides fully. This version uses B1 sentences: natural, connected speech at intermediate level.
The OW sound in now and house is a diphthong that starts with an open A and glides to a short OO with rounded lips. Learners sometimes make only the first part, so town sounds like tarn, or only the second, so down sounds like doon. It is spelled ow in now and ou in house, although both spellings can also make other sounds.
At B1 you speak in full sentences, and sounds start to change when words join together. These intermediate sentences make you keep the sound clear at a natural speed, which is exactly what people notice in a real conversation.
Stopping before the glide, so town sounds like tarn
Saying only OO, so down sounds like doon
Saying the long O, so now sounds like no
Following the spelling in words like know and show
Each sentence trains one sound. The orange label above the sentence tells you which one.
The only sound was the burner above our heads.
A girl called Emma offered to show me around.
Near the top, thick clouds covered the whole mountain.
I opened a special savings account at my bank.
We came from many different countries around the world.
But city life can be noisy, crowded and expensive.
She smiled when she saw the flowers we had bought.
At weekends, we showed him castles and small seaside towns.
When they walked in, everyone stood up and shouted congratulations.
Last winter there was a power cut in our whole neighbourhood.
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Each sentence above comes from a full ten-sentence pronunciation test. Take the complete test to keep practising.
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Start the testThis test at other levels: A1 · A2 · B2 · C1 · C2
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