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There are two sounds for the Th. There is either a popped sound or a smooth sound.
Most words that begin with Th are
pronounced with the more
known popped sound. The tongue is between the teeth and the sound pops out as the tongue is
pulled backward.
This is the sound we hear in words like these:
The smooth sound is only used with common words. Begin by using this list:
the
that
this
there
then
those
these
though other
rather mother
father
These words are pronounced with a vibrating or voiced Th. Leave your tongue in the Th position for a moment and let the sound vibrate as air leaves your mouth. There is a small “z” quality. This is a reduced sound and applies to very common words. The words have been smoothed through every day use.
In some languages, there is no Th or the Th is pronounced as a D. It is important for learners from these backgrounds to master the Th sounds. If the Th is popped all the time and never voiced, it may also sound like a D to people who expect a softer sound. Replacing Th with D can entirely change the word, and that creates confusion!
Now practice with a free online test. When you are confident of TH sounds, practice reading the stories below.
Practice
with these stories. Make sure to use the smooth "th" with the words
listed above. There are two stories at a beginning level, two at an
intermediate level and two at an advanced level.
1.
This
woman has a new baby.
2.
Her
name is Ruth.
3.
The
baby’s name is Theo.
4.
Ruth
buys many things for Theo.
5.
When
she is at the drugstore, she buys this and that.
6.
When
she is at the mall, she buys this and that.
7.
Theo’s
date of birth is May 6, 2009.
8.
Ruth
wanted Theo’s birthday to happen in Spring.
9.
Ruth’s
favorite month is May.
10.
Theo
is her first baby.
1.
This
is a downtown office.
2.
It is
Thursday.
3.
There
are many people at the office.
4.
There
is a long line of people.
5.
It is
a doctor’s office.
6.
This
doctor is expensive.
7.
In the
months of January and February, he is cheap.
8.
He
helps poor people in the winter months.
9.
There
is a stethoscope around his neck.
10.
There
is a pen in his shirt pocket.
1.
This woman has very bad teeth. She brushes her teeth a lot,
but she likes chocolate and sugary drinks.
2.
She is always seeing the dentist. This is because the
dentist always
finds cavities during her
checkups.
3.
Over the years, she also had several root canals. She did
not put caps on the teeth because she could not afford them.
4.
The dental insurance plans usually cover $1,500, if that
much. $1,500 is the total needed for both a root canal and a cap for
one tooth.
5.
She even had one tooth removed because it was so rotten.
They gave her a lot of painkillers and yanked the tooth from her mouth.
6.
She does not like all these tooth problems. Anyway, she is
thankful that she lives in an age of painkillers and clean offices!
1. This family takes
the bus every day. They take the bus to their English class.
2.
These are the adults in the family. They are between thirty
and fifty years old.
3.
Every day they take bus number three. They get on the bus
and think.
4.
They look at all the other people. People are wearing
everything from thick jackets to thin hats.
5.
It is autumn and the weather is changing. It is difficult
to choose a jacket that is not too thick and not too thin.
6.
Many people wear several shirts in the morning. Then they
take off one or two shirts when the sun is high in the sky.
1.
Every year, I travel to Northeast India with my husband.
This is where his family lives. The trip requires 24 hours of time in
the
plane. Then there are layovers.
2.
On our first trip, we took a 14 hour flight from Chicago to
Delhi. I like to read and write, so I thought I could bring plenty of
things to
do. I had various books, a journal and music.
3.
I thoroughly planned what I could accomplish, so that I
would not stop working and get bored. My keep-busy theory was thwarted
by one
thing: my husband had bought us seats in the middle of a four-seater
row at the
back of the plane.
4.
My husband planned to sleep for most of the fourteen hours.
He also saw no problem with stepping over people to use the bathroom.
He
thought the noise would help us sleep. I was shocked when I saw where
our seats
were.
5.
After six hours of writhing in that cramped condition, I
told the attendant that I had a knee injury. This was not the truth,
but I was
desperate.
6. I abandoned my husband to his middle-row seat and was escorted to an aisle seat several rows up. I breathed more easily there. Fortunately the stranger who sat next to me had not planned to sleep either.
1.
People have many theories about gardening. For some people,
gardening means getting rid of thorns, thistles and weeds. It means
having a
clean, easy yard.
2.
Other people love the roses with their thorny branches. The
rose bushes have to be cut back every year. Cutting back means getting
to know
the rose thorns.
3.
Some people enjoy a wild garden. They like tall flowers in
many colors and they think tall grass is beautiful. They don’t mind
thistles,
as long as the thistles are not on the garden paths.
4.
There are also different theories about the seasons,
especially summer. Some people like to let the grass turn brown during
summer
months. They think it looks natural and saves water.
5.
Others want green grass all summer, and water the lawn all
the time. This means they have to mow the grass and trim the bushes
throughout
the summer.
6.
Some people garden thoroughly and notice every weed, while
other people garden once or twice a month. All homeowners have to
choose the
gardening theory that works for them.
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