Minimal Pairs: /h/ & /r/

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Pronunciation Practice

Practice pronunciation with your tutor by reading the following words.

/h/ & /r/

handsome

Adjective

ˈhænsəm

good looking, usually used to refer to a man

I think he's quite handsome.

He's not that handsome, but all the girls seem to love him.

ransom

Noun

ˈrænsəm

an amount of money or a demand made for the release of a hostage

The police told us not to pay the ransom.

habit

Noun

ˈhæbɪt

an activity one does on a regular basis, usually hard to give up

Many children have the habit of sucking their thumb.

Smoking is a bad habit.

I have a habit of sleeping late.

We should be careful with him because he has a habit of sleeping in.

It's always difficult to break old habits.

rabbit

Noun

ˈræbɪt

a small furry animal with long ears

Rabbits breed extremely quickly.

hail

Noun

heɪl

frozen rain

Nina got caught in hail and was shivering when she got home.

rail

Noun

reɪl

refers to railway transportation (informal)

She enjoys traveling by rail.

Tokyo has an excellent rail system.

hair

Noun

hɛr

thin threads that grow on a person's head and other parts of the body

She has curly blond hair.

She is getting her hair cut.

rare

Adjective

rɛr

not happening often; uncommon

It is very rare to see a bald eagle in the wild.

This museum is full of rare and precious treasures.

Diamonds are valuable because they are so rare.

A rare, giant squid has been caught on video.

haven

Noun

ˈheɪvən

a safe place

Europe is a haven for people fleeing areas of conflict.

raven

Noun

ˈreɪvən

a large black bird

A raven flew in the window and perched on top of the bookshelf.

head

Noun

hɛd

part of the body where the brain, eyes, nose, mouth, and ears are found

My head hurts.

He's wearing a crown on his head.

red

Adjective

rɛd

the color of blood

She's wearing a red dress.

I have a red sports car.

heal

Verb

hil

to get well

A neck brace helps to heal an injured neck.

This will probably take a week to completely heal.

This wound will take several days to heal.

My injuries healed quickly without any problems.

real

Adjective

ril

existing or occurring; genuine

Is it real or fake?

My son thinks monsters are real.

height

Noun

haɪt

a 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.

right

Adjective

raɪt

correct

All of my answers were right.

I don't know the right way.

You're right.

Exercise 2

Sentence Practice

Practice pronunciation with your tutor by reading the following sentences.

They kidnapped that handsome actor and they're asking for a huge ransom.
I have a habit of buying my daughter whatever she wants. I just bought her another rabbit.
I really hope the hail doesn't affect the rail system.
It's quite rare to see people with purple hair.
This area is a haven for wild animals like the raven.
The back of your head looks like it got sunburned. It's completely red.
That wound is not going to heal unless you go and see a real doctor.
You're right! That is indeed the height of Mt. Everest.

Exercise 3

Find the Sounds

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

Find: /h/

My friend has the cutest dog I've ever seen.

I saw a huge lion at the zoo last weekend.

Can you please help me hang this picture on the wall?

Where is the nearest hospital?

Find: /r/

I really don't think that's the right solution to this problem.

The officers and the entire army celebrated the victory .

The characters in this book are so believable.

It's important that the guests are all comfortable.

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.

In Huron, a hewer, Hugh Hughes,

hewed yews of unusual hues.

Hugh Hughes used blue yews

to build sheds for new ewes;

so his new ewes blue-hued ewe-sheds use.

If rustlers wrestle wrestlers, while rustlers rustle rustlers,

could rustlers rustle wrestlers, while wrestlers wrestle rustlers?