Speech Work: /ᴧ/ Sound – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Second Term)

The /ʌ/ sound is a short vowel sound heard in words such as cup, love and but. It is made with the mouth slightly open and the tongue relaxed in the middle of the mouth. The lips stay relaxed and are not rounded. It is spelt in several ways, mainly u, ou, o and oo.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• pronounce the short vowel /ʌ/ correctly;
• list words with the /ʌ/ sound;
• name the common spellings of /ʌ/ (u, ou, o and oo);
• read a practice sentence containing the /ʌ/ sound aloud.

How is the /ʌ/ sound made?

1. Open your mouth a little.
2. Keep your tongue relaxed and in the middle of your mouth.
3. Keep your lips relaxed and unrounded.
4. Say the sound quickly: /ʌ/. It is a short sound.

Say these words after the teacher: cup, love, but, sun, bus, run.

What are the common spellings of /ʌ/?

Not every u is pronounced /ʌ/. In put and full, the vowel is a different sound.

How is /ʌ/ different from /æ/?

Some students pronounce /ʌ/ like /æ/. Practise these pairs and listen for the difference.

Practice sentence for the /ʌ/ sound

Read the sentence slowly, then faster. The words in bold have the /ʌ/ sound.

Some love onions for breakfast or supper. But when one has stuffed oneself with too much onion, one’s stomach may be upset.

Evaluation

1. Which of these words has the /ʌ/ sound? (a) pot (b) cut (c) put (d) boat
2. Which word has the same vowel sound as the ou in young? (a) cup (b) food (c) boat (d) go
3. Which word rhymes with love? (a) move (b) glove (c) prove (d) stove
4. Which word does not have the /ʌ/ sound? (a) bus (b) sun (c) run (d) put
5. In which word is oo pronounced /ʌ/? (a) food (b) blood (c) book (d) moon

Answer key

1. (b) cut. 2. (a) cup. 3. (b) glove. 4. (d) put. 5. (b) blood.

Assignment

1. Write the six words with the /ʌ/ sound in this sentence: My young cousin loves honey and lunch on Monday.
2. Write the four spellings of /ʌ/ that you learnt in class, and give one example word for each.

Answer key

1. young, cousin, loves, honey, lunch, Monday. 2. u (for example, dust), ou (for example, country), o (for example, come), oo (for example, blood). Accept any correct example from the lesson.