See how quickly you can work out the following.

PART I

 

 

 
 


Twenty Six Letters

Twenty – six cards in half a pack;

Twenty – six weeks in half a year;

Twenty – six letters dressed in black

In all the words you ever will hear.

           
   
     
 
 


Think on the beautiful things you see

On mountain, riverside, meadow and tree.

How many their names are, but how small

The twenty – six letters that spell them all.

           
 
   
   
 

 


Listen to this poem ”ABC” by Spike Milligan, read it and decide which letters of the alphabet are not included.

It was midnight in the schoolroom And every desk was shut, When suddenly from the alphabet Was heard a loud ‘tut-tut! Said A to B, ‘I don’t like C, His manners are a lack. For all I ever see I of C Is semi-circular back!’ ‘I disagree’, said D to B, ‘I’ve never found C so. From where I stand, he seems to be An uncompleted O’. C was vexed, ‘I’m much perplexed, You criticize my shape. I’ve made like that, to help spell Cat And Cow and Cool and Cape.’ ‘He is right’, said E, said F, ‘Whoopee!’ Said G, ’Ip, ip ip ooray!’ ‘You are dropping me,’ roared H to G. ‘Don’t do it please I pray!’ ‘Out o f my way,’ LL said to K. ’I’ll make poor I look like ILL’. To stop this stunt, J stood in front, And presto! ILL was JILL. ‘U know said V’, that W Is twice the age of me, For as a Roman V is five I’m half as young as he’. X and Y yawned sleepily, ‘Look at the time!’ they said, ‘Let’s all get off to beddy byes, They did, then, ‘Z-z-x’.

1. Where is the story set? Who speaks?

2. Can you explain, in your own words, the two descriptions of C?

3. Can you tell the story in your own words in just one sentence?

4. What is your favourite letter of English alphabet and why?

5. How do letters help each other build a new word? Find examples in the poem and give your own.

           
   
     
 
 
 


We are very little creatures,

All of different voice and features;

One of us in glass is set,

One of us you find in jet,

T’ other you may see in tin,

And the fourth a box within.

If the fifth you should pursue,

It can never fly from you.

 
 


(Jonathan Swift)

1. Name the words in which the single vowels appear. What do these words have in common?

2. Who is speaking in the poem?

3. What is your favourite vowel? Name five necessary things for you which have this vowel.

 

 

 

See how quickly you can work out the following.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

1. What’s the 14th letter of the alphabet? _____

2. What’s the 7th letter from the end of the alphabet? _____

3. Make three words starting with the 4th letter of the alphabet.

___________ __________ __________

 

4. Make a word from the 12th, 5th, 9th, 13th and 19th letters of the alphabet. _________

5. How many different letters appear in the word embarrassed? _________

6. Make three words that end the 20th letter of the alphabet.

___________ __________ __________

 

7. Which letter occurs twice in realise and once in scream? ______

8. Which letters occur most often in interesting? ______

9. What is the position in the alphabet of the middle letter in the word

advertisement? ______

10. Arrange the following words in alphabetical order:

crab comb carrot cream curious cotton

____________________________________________

11. Which letter in the word hair is closest to N in the alphabet? ______

12. Make three words that includes the 1st and 16th letters of the alphabet.

____________ __________ __________

13. What letter can read? ______

 

14. What letter grows in the garden? ______

 

15. What letter do people drink? ______

 

16. What letter likes honey? ______

 

17. In what words you can find a bus (eg. busker)_____ , a rain _____, a sin ______,

ice ______, ink ______, old _____, ill _____.

 

 

открытый слог [еi] закрытый слог [æ] a + r [α:] ar + гласная [eә]
blame map car stare
fame matter star bare
fate act starve declare
crane active art fare
hate happy tart dare
pale flat part rare
state black arm prepare

 

²Activity 1. Contrasting Sound Practice

A. Listen and repeat the words paying attention to the sounds:

[ ei ] [ æ ]

 

hape – hap skate – cat gape – gap

lady – lad trace – track mate – mat

safe – sad face – fact fate – fat

same – sale fame – fan late – lad

sane – sang save – savvy pane – pan

 

B. Listen and repeat the words paying attention to the sounds:

[æ] [еi] [α:] [eә]

rat – rate – rar – rare lack – lake – lark – lair

mat – mate –mar – mare fat – fate – far – fare

cap – cape – car – care hat – hate – hard – hare

pat – plate – part – pare shack – shake – shark – share

bat – bate – bar – bare stack – stake – star – stare

Activity 2. Read the words and sentences according to the reading rules.

[eә]

fare – fair hare – hair dare – dairy flare – flair
stare – stair pare – pair declare – lair rare – repair

Is it fare to pay high bus-fare? He stared at the hare.

These chairs need to be repaired. Her fair hair is beautiful.

 

 

Activity 3. Distribute the words according to the sounds given in columns.

  [еi] [æ] [α:] [eә]   [еi] [æ] [α:] [eә]
tart     P   pave        
flat   P     bard        
late         share        
car         face        
start         glad        
mate         card        
star         rage        
state         rare        
mare         nanny        
mad         nape        
mar         tag        
bat         carve        
barge         lack        

Activity 4. Read the rhymes and continue them.

Where is…?

Where is the band? It’s on the strand.

Where is the snake? It’s in the lake.

Where is the ball? It’s near the wall.

Where is the lark? It’s in the park.

Where is the star? It’s very far.

Where is …? It’s … .

 
 


[α:]

 

       
 
 
   

 


[כ:]

 

 

 

[כ]

 

 

 


BUT!

 

[æ]

 


 

 
 

 

 


[ ei ]

 

       
   
 
 

 

 


 

BUT!

 

 

[εƏ ]

[Ə ]

 

²Activity 5. Listen to the words and repeat them after the speaker