Oral Forms | Jamb Use of English
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**Dear Beloved Student,**The beauty of language lies not only in the written word but in the melody of speech,
where clarity and grace reveal the essence of true communication. As you prepare for your examination on
Oral Forms in English, let your voice be guided by precision, your pronunciation be pure, and your
intonation reflect the harmony of understanding. May wisdom illuminate your path, and may every spoken word
flow with confidence and excellence.
Go forth and shine! ✨🎙️
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📢 Attention JAMB Candidates! 🎤✨ As you prepare for the UTME English Language exam, don’t neglect the
Oral Forms section! 🗣️ This part tests your pronunciation, stress patterns, intonation, vowel and
consonant sounds, rhymes, and phonetic distinctions. To excel, practice listening to correct pronunciations,
identifying stress patterns, and understanding word sounds in different contexts. Speak, listen, and
learn! 🎧 The key to mastering Oral English is consistent practice—so start now and gain the
confidence to ace this section!
Blissful learning.
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Understanding Key Phonetics Concepts
1. Vowels
Vowels are speech sounds produced without significant constriction of airflow through the vocal tract. In
English, vowels can be classified into three main types: monophthongs, diphthongs, and triphthongs.
a. Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)
Monophthongs are vowel sounds that remain constant and do not change in quality during pronunciation. These sounds are categorized based on tongue position (height and backness) and lip rounding.
Examples of Monophthongs in English:
- Front vowels: /i:/ (see), /ɪ/ (bit), /e/ (pen), /æ/ (cat)
- Central vowels: /ə/ (sofa), /ʌ/ (cup), /ɜ:/ (bird)
- Back vowels: /u:/ (blue), /ʊ/ (foot), /ɔ:/ (law), /ɑ:/ (car)
b. Diphthongs (Gliding Vowels)
Diphthongs are vowel sounds that involve a smooth transition from one vowel to another within the same syllable.
Examples of Diphthongs in English:
- Closing diphthongs (ending in /ɪ/ or /ʊ/):
- /eɪ/ (face) → day, rain, pay
- /aɪ/ (price) → time, fly, night
- /ɔɪ/ (choice) → boy, toy, coin
- /əʊ/ (goat) → no, home, boat
- /aʊ/ (mouth) → now, house, cow
- Centering diphthongs (ending in /ə/):
- /ɪə/ (near) → beer, ear, fear
- /eə/ (square) → hair, fair, bear
- /ʊə/ (cure) → tour, sure, pure (less common in modern English)
c. Triphthongs (Three-Part Vowel Glides)
Triphthongs are complex vowel sounds that glide from one vowel to another and then to a third position within the same syllable.
Examples of Triphthongs in English:
- /aɪə/ → fire, liar, buyer
- /aʊə/ → power, tower, hour
- /eɪə/ → player, layer, mayor
- /ɔɪə/ → lawyer, employer
- /əʊə/ → lower, mower
2. Consonants
Consonants are speech sounds produced with partial or complete obstruction of airflow. They are classified
based on their place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing (voiced or voiceless).
a. English Consonant Sounds and Examples
Place of Articulation
| Bilabial (both lips) | examples sounds include /p, b, m, w/ | examples words include pat, bat, man, win |
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| Labiodental (lip + teeth) | examples sounds include /f, v/ | examples words include fan, van |
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| Dental (tongue + teeth) | examples sounds include /θ, ð/ | examples words include think, this |
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| Alveolar (tongue + ridge) | examples sounds include /t, d, s, z, n, l/ | examples words include tip, dip, sip, zip, nap, lip |
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| Post-alveolar | examples sounds include /ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/ | examples words include she, vision, chess, judge |
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| Velar (tongue + soft palate) | examples sounds include /k, g, ŋ/ | examples words include cat, go, sing |
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| Glottal (vocal cords) | examples sounds include /h/ | examples words include hat |b. Consonant Clusters
Consonant clusters occur when two or more consonants appear together without an intervening vowel.
Examples of Consonant Clusters:
- Initial clusters:
- Two-consonant: play, tree, slow, fly, clap
- Three-consonant: street, scream, splash, string
- Final clusters:
- Two-consonant: help, lamp, fast, hand
- Three-consonant: tasks, bursts, prints
3. Rhymes (Including Homophones)
Rhymes occur when two or more words share the same final sound. They are essential in poetry, music, and language play.
a. Types of Rhymes
- Perfect rhyme: Exact same sound (cat – hat, sight – light)
- Slant rhyme: Similar but not identical sounds (love – move, prove – glove)
- Eye rhyme: Words that look similar but sound different (love – move, cough – bough)
b. Homophones (Words with the Same Pronunciation but Different Meanings/Spellings)
- Flour – flower
- Knight – night
- Pair – pear
- Sea – see
- Their – there – they’re
4. Word Stress
Word stress refers to the emphasis placed on a particular syllable within a word.
a. Monosyllabic Words
Most single-syllable words have natural stress, but in connected speech, stress can change for emphasis.
b. Polysyllabic Words
In longer words, stress can fall on different syllables:
- First syllable stress: TAble, DOCtor, PREsent (noun)
- Second syllable stress: beGIN, conTAIN, preSENT (verb)
- Third syllable stress: eduCAtion, examiNAtion, recomMENDation
Stress Shift Example:
- REcord (noun) vs. reCORD (verb)
- CONtract (noun) vs. conTRACT (verb)
5. Emphatic Stress (in Connected Speech)
Emphatic stress is used to highlight specific words in a sentence for contrast, correction, or emphasis.
a. Examples of Emphatic Stress in Sentences
- I didn’t say he stole the money. (Someone else did!)
- I didn’t say HE stole the money. (Maybe someone else did!)
- I didn’t say he STOLE the money. (He borrowed it?)
- I didn’t say he stole the MONEY. (He stole something else?)
b. Use Cases of Emphatic Stress
- Contradictions:
- A: "She failed the test."
- B: "No, she PASSED the test!"
- Clarifications:
- "I said I wanted SOME coffee, not a lot!"
- Surprise or emotion:
- "Wow! That’s AMAZING!"
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- Jamb Use of English past questions and answers on comprehension and summary for UTME candidate
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This is all we can take on "Jamb Use of English - Lesson Notes on Oral Forms for UTME Candidate"
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