🎧Auditory Perception: A2 - Minimal Pairs
Learning Objectives: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Understand what minimal pairs are and why they are important.
- Distinguish between common English minimal pairs involving vowel sounds (e.g., /ɪ/ vs /iː/).
- Distinguish between common English minimal pairs involving consonant sounds (e.g., /l/ vs /r/).
- Improve your ability to correctly understand spoken English words that sound very similar.
Key Concept: Hearing the Difference
Some English words sound almost the same, but just one different sound can change the whole meaning. These are called "minimal pairs." Hover over (or tap) the card to learn more.
✍️ Practice Activities
Activity 1: Check the Concept
Answer the question about minimal pairs.
1. The words 'ship' and 'sheep' are different because of a...
Activity 2: Which Word Is It?
Click "Listen" to hear a word. Then, choose the word you heard from the two options.
Note: Browser TTS can be tricky with these small sounds. Listen very carefully! For the best practice, use pre-recorded human audio.
1.
2.
Activity 3: Listen in a Sentence
Now, listen to a full sentence. Which word completes the sentence correctly based on what you heard?
1.
Sentence: "I need a new ___."
2.
Sentence: "Look at the big ___."
- Listen very carefully for that one different sound in a minimal pair.
- Think about how your mouth moves to make different sounds. For example, for "ship", your lips are relaxed; for "sheep", you smile more.
- Context helps! In a sentence, the other words can give you a clue. You cook with a "pan", not a "pen".
- Practice is key! Your ears will get better at hearing these small differences over time.
Summary: In this lesson, you practiced distinguishing minimal pairs—words that differ by only one sound. By learning to hear these small but important differences in vowels and consonants, you can greatly improve your listening comprehension.