Minimal Pairs: /f/ & /h/

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Pronunciation Practice

Practice pronunciation with your tutor by reading the following words.

/f/ & /h/

fair

Adjective

fɛr

applying the same rules or treatment to everybody

Everyone has a right to a fair trial.

Everybody got a fair share of the cake.

Fair competition is important for a healthy economy.

It is a good thing to be known as a tough businessperson but also as a fair and generous one.

hair

Noun

hɛr

thin threads that grow out of one's head and other parts of the body

She has curly blond hair.

She is getting her hair cut.

funny

Adjective

ˈfʌni

causing laughter; humorous

My friend likes to tell funny stories.

We watched a funny movie last night.

honey

Noun

ˈhʌni

the sweet and sticky golden liquid that bees produce

She loves eating honey.

I put some honey on my toast.

fear

Noun

fir

a bad feeling caused by the threat of danger or pain

She has a look of fear on her face.

He has a terrible fear of spiders.

hear

Verb

hir

to be aware of sounds through one's ears

I can't hear what you're saying.

Dogs can hear much better than people can.

Can you hear me?

I can't hear you.

fight

Verb

faɪt

to physically attack someone in order to hurt them

He really enjoys fighting.

The sisters are always fighting with each other.

height

Noun

haɪt

the measurement of how tall someone or something is

The height of Mount Everest is around 29,000 feet above sea level.

In basketball, a player's height is very important.

The airplane was flying at a height of 35,000 feet.

Studies have shown that height can play a factor in hiring.

farm

Noun

fɑrm

an area of land used for growing crops or keeping animals

Their family owns a farm.

This farm grows lettuce.

harm

Noun

hɑrm

damage or injury

Her black eye showed she suffered bodily harm in the fight.

Drinking too much can cause harm to your health.

fate

Noun

feɪt

events that one has no control over; events that are meant to be

It is everyone's fate to die eventually.

It was fate that we met.

It is fate that we are together.

hate

Verb

heɪt

to strongly dislike something

I hate getting up in the early morning.

I hate driving in traffic.

Verb

ˈfɑloʊ

to come or go after someone or something

The sheep followed him up the path.

I followed the path up the mountain.

We followed our teacher to the gym.

hollow

Adjective

ˈhɑloʊ

not having anything inside; empty

Straws are hollow objects.

The hollow tree trunk looks like it is about to fall.

I feel like a hollow shell, doing nothing and just sitting here all day.

force

Noun

fɔrs

the strength of something

The force of the storm blew the tree over.

He punched him with great force.

horse

Noun

hɔrs

a large strong animal with hooves that people ride for transportation

A horse's diet consists of grasses and other plants.

Exercise 2

Sentence Practice

Practice pronunciation with your tutor by reading the following sentences.

It's not fair that some people lose their hair and some don't.
It was really funny when he spilled the honey all over himself.
I could hear the fear in his voice.
His height gave him an advantage in the fight.
The storm caused a lot of harm to the animals on the farm.
I really hate the idea of my life being determined by fate.
The plumber followed the hollow pipe to find the source of the leak.
The horse kicked him with a lot of force.

Exercise 3

Find the Sounds

Select the word that contains the sound listed below. There can be more than one correct answer.

Find: /f/

She won the competition and received a trophy.

I went to the doctor because I had a bad cough.

The shoes were too small for her feet.

It is my wife's birthday this weekend.

Find: /h/

Cindy has to see her doctor this afternoon.

Can you please come here so I can talk to you?

She has just bought a drum kit.

You can trust Hannah. She's an honest person.

Exercise 4

Tongue Twister

Practice pronunciation with your tutor by reading the following tongue twister(s). Read each tongue twister slowly at first, then try reading it faster.

A lively young fisher named Fischer

fished for fish from the edge of a fissure.

A fish with a grin Pulled the fisherman in.

Now they're fishing the fissure for Fischer!

Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares.

Does Harry Hunt hunt heavy hairy hares?

If Harry Hunt hunts heavy hairy hares,

where are the heavy hairy hares Harry Hunt hunts?