Bad ideas at work
Speaking
Listen and repeat
A2 and above
Public, professional
90 minutes
Vowel–vowel, vowel–consonant and consonant–consonant
linking
This lesson focuses on the listen and repeat item found in the EnglishScore Speaking test.
In this item, test-takers listen to a recording of someone saying a short sentence of 5–16
words. Test-takers must record themselves repeating the sentence.
- To raise awareness of the listen and repeat exercise in EnglishScore Speaking - To
develop strategies to complete this task successfully
- To improve vowel–vowel, vowel–consonant and consonant–consonant linking
skills
- Print or download the lesson plan (pages ii–iv) for yourself - Print copies of the lesson
☐
for yourself and your students
☐ - Print copies of the cut-out and cut parts A and B so
you have one for
- Download audio tracks 1, 2 and 3
each student☐ ☐
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Topic Content Timing
(min)
Warmer 1. Group students into pairs or teams and ask them to look at the pictures in Part 3
1, Introduction. Give them 1–2 min to discuss what’s happening in the
pictures and elicit their responses.
Presentati 1. Tell students they will be listening to a short audio clip. They must answer the 67
on and question in a, Part 2, Presentation and Practice. Play audio track 1 and
Practice have them discuss first, then share with the class.
Key: b
(3 minutes)
2. Write ‘an app’ and ‘a nap’ on the board. Elicit why the man was confused in the
audio (the two phrases are pronounced the same). Explain that this is a
feature of connected speech and that words are not pronounced individually
in English but connected to each other. Explain that there are three types of
connections: vowel to vowel, consonant to consonant, and consonant to
vowel.
(3 minutes)
3. In the same pairs/teams, ask students to complete b, Part 2, Presentation
and Practice. Give them 6–7 min for this, then discuss together.
Key
vowel–vowel we are; two hours; go away; far out; Maria is; very airy consonant–
consonant fast food; like climbing; quiet town; hard times; far from; pin badge
vowel–consonant an apple; stop asking; it is; far out; don’t you; west end (10
minutes)
4. Explain to students that when one word ends with a vowel and another starts
with one, they are usually connected with one of three sounds: (y), (w), (r).
Pronounce ‘we are’ and ask them which sound it might be (key: y). What
about ‘go away’? (key: w) Go through the rest of the options in b, Part 2,
Presentation.
Key
(y) we are; very airy (w) two hours; go away (r) far out; Maria is (3 minutes)
5. Ask students to look at the sentences in c, Part 2, Presentation and
Practice and find the vowel–vowel connections. Do the first sentence
together, then ask them to do the other two in pairs/teams. Listen to audio
track 2 and practise saying the sentences.
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Key
1. Rebecca is (r); very interested (y); the only (y)
2. Who opened (w); I am (y)
3. So often (w); family or (y)
(9 minutes)
6. Pronounce ‘fast food’ and ask students what happens (key: the ‘t’ disappears).
What about ‘like climbing’? (key: the ‘k’ sound is pronounced only once)
‘Hard times’? (key: the ‘d’ disappears) ‘Pin badge’? (the ‘n’ sounds like it’s an
‘m’)
(3 minutes)
7. Play audio track 3 and ask students to repeat the sentences. Ask them if
they can spot the consonant–consonant pair in each sentence and what
happens each time.
Key
1. ‘whose shoes’ (the ‘z’ sound in ‘whose’ disappears)
2. ‘roast chicken’ (the ‘t’ sound disappears)
3. ‘old case’ (the ‘d’ sounds like it’s a ‘g’)
4. ‘adopted two’ (the ‘d’ sound disappears); ‘twin cats’ (the ‘n’ sounds like it’s an
‘ng’)
(8 minutes)
8. Explain to students that what they just did, listening to sentences and
repeating them, is the second part of the EnglishScore test. Elicit how this
might be easier or harder than the first part (the second part is harder
because you can’t see the words, so you might miss some of them; the
second part is easier because you can hear how the words are pronounced,
and you can replicate the tone of the speaker). Mention there are some tips
coming up later on, but don’t complete the task just yet.
(3 minutes)
9. Go through the consonant–vowel examples from b, Part 2, Presentation and
Practice and elicit what happens (the consonant is moved to the next syllable,
e.g. ‘an apple’ is pronounced ‘a napple’). In pairs/teams, ask students to
complete d, Part 2, Presentation and Practice. Give them 3–4 min for this,
then discuss together.
Key
1. I packed all my bags and took a train to the local airport.
2. I’m on my way, but if you’re in a rush, I can take a taxi.
3. His older sister is a doctor in a hospital in the city.
(8 minutes)
10. Now look at Part 3, Tips. Ask student to match the sentences in pairs/teams
and add any extra tips they can think of. Give them 4–5 min for this, then
discuss together.
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Key
1. c 2. b 3. d 4. a (7 minutes)
11. Ask students to look at the two pictures in Part 4, Oronyms. What is the
connection? Elicit that ice cream and I scream are pronounced the same and
explain they’re called oronyms. Ask students to match the rest of the oronyms
in the exercise in pairs/teams. Give them 5–6 min for this, then discuss
together.
Key
1. that stuff 4. deep end
2. an aim 5. this guy
3. example 6. two knights sparred
(10 minutes)
Practice Divide students into pairs and give each student one part of the two cut-outs. 15
Ask students to read out a sentence a maximum of two times to their partner.
Their partner must then repeat the sentence, and the student should underline
each word the partner pronounced correctly. If your students respond well to
competition, you can make this into a game where every word pronounced
counts as a point, and the student with the most points wins. If there is a group
with an odd number, give one student the same cut out as another and ask
them to take turns in who goes first in repeating each sentence to minimise
influence.
Wrap-up Correct any mistakes students made during the lesson, discuss any questions 5
they may have about the lesson/item studied and assign homework.
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You are going to listen to an audio based on picture? What could be the topic of the
the two pictures. What is happening in each audio?
a. Listen to the conversation and answer the b. Put the word pairs in the correct category below.
question. we are an apple stop asking like climbing two hours
Why does the man think building an app is a bad fast food
idea? it is go away quiet town hard times far from far out
Maria is very airy pin badge don’t you West End
a. He doesn’t think it will be helpful
b. He misunderstood what the woman said c. He thinks
an app will take too long to launch
verb–verb verb–consonant consonant–consonant
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c. Look at the sentences below. Can you find where there is a vowel–vowel connection in
each sentence?
1. Rebecca is very interested in the new position, and she’s the only one with experience. 2.
Who opened the window? I am freezing!
3. So often, I hear people complain about their family or about their job.
Listen to the audio and practise
repeating the sentences.
d. Look at the sentences below and try
to figure out
what they’re saying by reading them out
loud.
1. I pack tall my bag send too ca train to
the loca lairport:
_______________________
______
_____________________________
2. A mon my way, bu tiff you’re innaruh shy can tay cat axi:
_____________________________
_____________________________
3. He solder sister risa doctor rina hospit lin the city:
_____________________________
_____________________________
Match the two parts of the sentences below.
1. You can only listen to each sentence twice… a. ...and not just how you pronounce individual
2. Practise repeating the sentence without words.
recording... b. ...before listening to it for a second time.
3. Try to copy the way the speaker says the
sentence... c. ...so don’t worry if you don’t catch every word the first
4. Remember that you’re being assessed on the way time.
you link words together... d. ...but don’t worry about imitating their accent.
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Match the oronyms below.
1. that’s tough a. deep end
2. a name b. two knights sparred
3. egg sample c. this guy
4. depend d. that stuff
5. the sky e. an aim
6. tonight's part f. example
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a. I have a sister and two brothers.
b. What are you bringing to the birthday party this weekend?
c. The ice cream shop on the main road shut down last month, which is a
shame as I really liked it.
d. I’m happy to accept the new position as long as I also receive a raise. e. I
really enjoyed her presentation, but I thought it could’ve been a bit shorter.
a. Did you forget your umbrella at home?
b. I heard that they’re planning to build a new bridge to replace the old one. c.
Whoever is the last to leave the office, please remember to take the rubbish with
you.
d. Can you please stop checking your phone every five minutes while we’re
watching a movie?
e. This job isn’t everything I thought it was going to be.
a. I have a sister and two brothers.
b. What are you bringing to the birthday party this weekend?
c. The ice cream shop on the main road shut down last month, which is a
shame as I really liked it.
d. I’m happy to accept the new position as long as I also receive a raise. e. I
really enjoyed her presentation, but I thought it could’ve been a bit shorter.
a. Did you forget your umbrella at home?
b. I heard that they’re planning to build a new bridge to replace the old one. c.
Whoever is the last to leave the office, please remember to take the rubbish with
you.
d. Can you please stop checking your phone every five minutes while we’re
watching a movie?
e. This job isn’t everything I thought it was going to be.
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