Lesson 4 of 6
Short and Long Vowels
Tell ship from sheep, full from fool, and cat from cut.
English has far more vowel sounds than Urdu or Hindi, and small vowel differences change meaning: live and leave, pull and pool, hat and hut. This lesson covers the pairs that cause the most trouble.
LearnThe key ideas
The key pairs
| Short / relaxed | Long / tense | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| ship /ɪ/ | sheep /iː/ | Short I is relaxed and quick. Long E is a smile. |
| full /ʊ/ | fool /uː/ | Short U is relaxed. Long OO has tight, round lips. |
| cut /ʌ/ | cat /æ/ | "Cut" is a neutral "uh". "Cat" opens the mouth wide. |
| bed /ɛ/ | bad /æ/ | "Bad" drops the jaw much lower. |
The American /æ/
The /æ/ sound in cat, bad, man, last and can't is very characteristic of American English. Drop your jaw, spread your lips slightly and say it with a bit of nasal brightness. Americans say "can't" with /æ/, not the British "cahn't".
ListenListen and repeat
- Can I sit here?Short /ɪ/ in "sit".
- Please take a seat.Long /iː/ in "please" and "seat".
- I can't stand that man.American /æ/ in "can't", "stand", "that", "man".
- Look at the full moon.Short /ʊ/ in "look" and "full", long /uː/ in "moon".
AvoidCommon mistakes
SpeakShadowing practice
Press Listen, then repeat straight away, copying the speed, rhythm and tone. Say each sentence three times, then record yourself.
- Please sit in this seat.
- The cat cut the rope.
- I'm full, but that fool keeps feeding me.
CheckQuick quiz
1. Which word has the long /iː/ sound?
2. Americans say "can't" with:
3. For "bad" compared with "bed", your jaw should be:
PracticeToday's speaking task
Record these pairs, then play them back to check that each pair sounds different: ship/sheep, full/fool, cut/cat, bed/bad.