How to Teach Diphthongs: Proven Approach

A diphthong has two sounds that have been joined together as one when they are pronounced. It consists of eight (8) sounds. This article examines the best approach to teaching diphthongs.  Read the similar post on this page.

Explain the diphthongs /ai/ and /au/

To pronounce the sound /ai/, start from /a/ and end with /I/. But to pronounce the sound /au/, make the glide start from /a/ and end with /u/.

Drill the sounds.

Practise the words below until you get the pronunciation right.

Identify sounds /ai/ and /au/ by letters.

1. The sound /ai/ can be realised under the following letters:

i. Letters ‘-it’s as sound /ai/ in bite, kite, site, etc.

ii. Letters ‘-ime’ as sound /ai/ in time, lime, dime, etc.

iii. Letters ‘-ight’ as sound /ai/ in light, fight, tight, etc.

iv. Letters ‘-uy’ as sound /ai/ in buy, guy

2. The sound /au/ can be realised under the following letters:

i. Letters ‘-ou’ as sound /au/ in cow, crowd, towel, town, etc.

ii. Letters ‘-ou’ as sound /au/ in plough, sound, house, mouse, etc.

Evaluate.

 Choose the word that has the correct phonetic symbol below.

1. /ai/     (a)  go              (b)  fighting       (c)  now       (d)  gate
2. /au/   (a)  allow           (b)  write           (c)  know     (d)  right
3. /ai/    (a)  beer            (b)  air               (c)  hide       (d)  crowd
4. /au/   (a)  stick            (b)  like              (c)  take        (d)  doubt
5. /ai/    (a)  site              (b)  bow            (c)  moor     (d) boy
6. /au/   (a)  ply              (b)  toy               (c)  sure      (d) out

Explain the diphthongs /ei/ and /ǝu/.

 To pronounce / ei/, let your glide move from /e/ to /I/ and also your tongue move slightly up and back into a position for /I/. It may be spelt as in a + consonant + e, ay, etc.

To pronounce /ǝu/, let the movement start from /ǝ/ and end with /u/ as the tongue moves slightly up and forward.

Drill the sounds.

Practise the words below until you get the pronunciation right.

Identify the sounds /ei/ and /au/ by letters.

1. The vowel /ei/ can be realised under the following letters:

i. Letters ‘–ake’ as sound /ei/ in make, rake, lake, cake, etc.

ii. Letters ‘-ate’ as sound /ei/ in mate, gate, fate, hate, etc.

iii. Letters ‘-ale’ as sound /ei/ in pale, male, tale, bale, etc.

iv. Letters ‘-ai’ as sound in tail, faith, laid, nail, said, pail, bail, paid, etc.

v. Letters ‘-ay’ as sound /ei/ in say, may, day, gay, etc.

vi. Letters ‘-ade’ as sound /ei/ in made, blade, fade, etc.

vii. Letters ‘-rea’ as sound in great, break, etc.

2. The vowel /ǝu/ can be realised under the following letters:

i. Letter ‘o’ as sound/ǝu/ in so, no, gHomeome, roll, broke, etc.

ii. Letters ‘–ow’ as sound /ǝu/ in blow, grow, know, slow, snow, sow, etc.

iii. Letters ‘–oa’ as sound /ǝu/ in roam, roast, road, gloat, coat, float, broach, etc.

Evaluate.

 Choose the word that has the correct phonetic symbol below.

1. /ei/   (a) boy               (b) plough        (c) kite              (d) take
2. /ǝu/  (a) toe               (b) too              (c) tool              (d) buy
3. /ei/   (a) died              (b) pray            (c) busy             (d) bribe
4. /ǝu/  (a) age               (b) date            (c) home            (d) doctor
5. /ei/   (a) bee               (b) see              (c) beat              (d) bail
6. /ǝu/  (a) sow              (b) tool             (c) worn              (d) son

Explain the diphthongs /eə/ and /iə/.

 To pronounce /eə/, let the movement begin from /e/ and end with/a/ but to pronounce /iə/, let the glide start from /I/ and end with /ə/.

Drill the sounds.

Practise the words below until you get the pronunciation right.

Identify the sounds /eə/ and /iə/ by letters.

1. The sound /eə/ can be realised under the following letters:

i. Letters ‘are’ ‘ere’ as sound /eə/ in hare, there, where, etc.

ii. Letters ‘air’, ‘ear’ as sound /eə/ in bear, wear, hair, chair, air, fair, pear, etc.

2. The sound /iə/ can be realised under the following letters:

i. Letters ‘ere’ as sound /iə/ in here

ii. Letters ‘ear’ ‘ea’ as sound /iə/ in ears, dear, idea, theatre, near, rear, fear, etc.

iii. Letters ‘ier’, ‘eer’, iou’ as sound /iə/ in pierce, fierce, beer, bier, career, serious,

etc.

Evaluate.

 Choose the word that has the correct phonetic symbol below.

1. /eə/   A. chair           B. ear                 C. air               D. fear
2. /iə/   A. brain            B. peer              C. care             D. fail
3. /eə/  A. fair               B. fear               C. deer             D. idea
4. /iə/   A. air                B. pear              C. chair             D. career
5. /eə/  A. pierce           B. beer             C. fierce             D. wear
6. /iə/   A. chair             B. bier               C. hare              D. air

Explain the diphthongs /ɔi/ and /uǝ/.

 To pronounce the sound /ɔi/, let the glide start from /ɒ/ and end with /i/. But to pronounce the sound /uǝ/, let the movement begin from /u/ and end with /a/.

Drill the sounds.

Practise the words below until you get the pronunciation right.

Identify the sounds /ɔi/ and /uǝ/ by letters.

1. The sound /ɔi/ can be realised under the following letters:

i.  Letters ‘oi’ as sound /ɔi/ in loitering, point, avoid, soil, spoil, noise, oil, toil, void, etc

ii.  Letters ‘oy’ as sound /ɔi/ in coy, toy, boy, joy, etc.

2.  The sound /uǝ/ can be realised under the following letters:

i.  Letters ‘ure’ as sound /uǝ/ in sure, lure, pure, etc.

ii.  Letters ‘oo’, ‘our’, ‘der’, ‘ewe’ as sound /uǝ/ in poor, moor, doer, tour, fewer, goer, etc.

 Evaluate.

 Choose the word that has the correct phonetic symbol below.

1. /ɔi/     (a) gourd   (b) soil     (c) moor   (d) moon
2. /uǝ/   (a) poor    (b) come   (c) void    (d) book
3. /ɔi/    (a) toil      (b)doer     (c) sound  (d) boy
4. /uǝ/  (a) pen     (b) toil      (c) fewer   (d) go
5. /ɔi/   (a) joy      (b) peace   (c) goer     (d) sure
6. /uǝ/  (a) oil       (b) lure     (c) soil       (d) letter

Author: Deola Adelakun