The English Alphabet

1. Introduction
Learning the English alphabet is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation.
Without it, you will not be able to say words properly. When we talk about saying words or producing words
orally, it’s important to know how to pronounce the alphabet in English. There are 26 letters in the English
alphabet; 21 consonants and 5 vowels (a,e,i,o,u).

2. English Alphabet
2.1 The table of the English alphabet

A H JK
* BC D E G P T V
F LM N S X Z
I Y
Q U W
R
O

2.2 How letters sound in a word.

- [ i:] Seatbelt, Battlefield,sea, see

- [i] sit, did, with, this
- [ei ] *Cake, hate, rain, play
- [ e ] get, help, red, head
- [ æ] cat, hat, that, man
- [ α ] not, stop, fond, want
- [ ə ] sun, but, today, sof
- [ u:] *spoon, new, glue, frui
- [ u ] put, would, good, look
- [ əu ] *those, bone, goes, coat
- [ o ] dog, talk, caught, saw
- [au] cow, town, house, found
- [ ai ] I, buy, why, high, night
- [ oi ] toy, boy, oil, soil

 Words that end in a silent -e are usually pronounced with a diphthong (sometimes called a "long" vowel).
Notice that the pronunciation of the vowel is the same as the name of the letter when reciting the alphabet.
Examples: - Cake [ei] - These [ii] - Bike [ai] - Home [ow] - Tube [uw]
 Words that do not end in a silent -e, but rather with a consonant, are usually pronounced with a "short"
vowel:
Examples: - Cat [æ] - Yes [j] -Sit [i] - Log [o] / Not [a] - Run [Λ] / Put [u]

2.3 Some exceptions to the rules

 a- Rule 1: Ea pronounced as [i:]: speak, eat, sea, teach, leave, dear, fear, read (present)
 Exceptions:
- ‘Ea’ can also be pronounced as [e:]: head, sweat, threat, read (past).
- ‘Ea’ can also be pronounced as [ei]: break, great, bear.

b- Rule 2: Ow and ou pronounced as [aw]:now, town, clown, house, mouse, found.

 Exceptions:
- ‘Ow/Ou’ can also be pronounced as [ow]: know, snow, show, own, flown, dough, though.
- ‘Ou’ can also be pronounced as [ou]: cough, fought, bought, brought, thought.
- ‘Ou’ can also be pronounced as [ə]: rough, tough, enough.
- ‘Ou’ can also be pronounced as [u:]: through, you
c- Rule 3: OO pronounced as [u:]: spoon, moon, food, choose, loose, boot, zoo.
 Exceptions:
- ‘Oo’ can also be pronounced as [o:]: look, cook, book, hook, good, wood, foot.
- ‘Oo’ can also be pronounced as [‫כ‬:]: door, floor, poor.
11- The most common words in English do not follow the rules
- ‘A’ is pronounced [æ], as in have/hat.
- ‘A is pronounced [e], as in says / said/ red.
- ‘I’ is pronounced [i], as in give/ live/ did.
- ‘I’ is pronounced [ai], as in find /buy.
- ‘O’ is pronounced [o], as gone/ dog.
- ‘A’ and ‘O’ are pronounced [ə], as in what / was / come / some / done / does run.
- ‘W’ is pronounced [uw], as in new Lose.
- ‘U’ is pronounced [u], as in would / could / should / put/ good.

2.4 Practice and Exercise

Task 1 : English alphabet transcription

Task 2 : Practice saying these sentences

- Could you hand me your drive license please?
- I study English language at school.
- You always drive too fast that’s why you break the rules.
- Do you know where the police office is?
- We're going to lose if you choose to wait.
- There was no one sleeping here, officer.
- This uniform looks good on you.
- May I go out officer, my father is waiting at the gate.

Task 3 : Write three words starting with each letter of the alphabet
K__________________________________ L__________________________________

M__________________________________ N__________________________________

O__________________________________ P__________________________________

Q__________________________________ R__________________________________
 Days, Months and Seasons

The purpose of this part is to allow students to know how to say days, months and seasons in English

Task 2 :Circle the months and seasons words

 Verb “to be” in the present

1. Use
“To be” is the most used verb in the English language. This verb can be used to describe something or
someone. In English, it can be used to say different things according to the context. The most common use of the
verb to be is to talk about names, age, feelings, nationalities, and professions.

 Name: my name is Ali

 Age: they are 22 years
 Feelings: you are happy
 Nationality: I am Moroccan; he is from Italy.
 Profession: he is a doctor/teacher/student

2. Structure
The verb to be is also among the most irregular verbs that changes almost completely in most of its
forms depending on the tense used.
Task 1: Complete the chart with the appropriate answer.

Affirmative Negative Interrogative

I am a teacher I ……………………………. ………………………………?
You …………………………….. You ……………………… Are you a student?
He ……………………………… He isn’t / is not a pilot. ………………………a pilot?
She’s / is an engineer. She …………………………. ………………………………..?
We’re / are cousins. We............................... cousins. …… we ............................. ?
You ………………………. You’re not/aren’t/are not twins. …………………. you twins?
They at university. They …………................... Are they at university?

Task 2: Match the questions with the answers.

1. Is that your wallet? a. They’re on the table.
2. Are these your glasses? b. No, it’s not.
3. Where are my keys? c. Oh, yes, it is!
4. Is this your pen? d. It’s in my pocket.
5. Where’s your watch? e. No, they’re not.

Task 3: Unscramble the words to write negative statements.

1. in California/ not / New York City/ is
2. London / not / from / We’re
3. not / You and Youness / in my class / are
4. is / my first language/ French / not
5. from / My mother / not / is / Rabat
6. my keys / not / are / They

Task 4: Complete the messages with the correct form of be.

Rachid and Leila ……… brother and sister. They ………. from Azilal. Rachid ………… 9 years old and
Leila ………..12. They ……… elementary students and they go to school by feet. Leila ……….. the best student
in her class, but Rachid ……….. (not). Although the school teachers ……………very friendly,.his
grades……really bad. Their parents………… worried about Rachid’s grades.
Task 5: Add (is) where in necessary.

1. Ellie Turner from Liverpol in the UK. She a teacher at UCL. It a big university in London. She in
New York for a conference.
2. Yong- Joon from Korea. He a taxi driver in Seoul. He in New York on holiday. He happy to be here.
3. Emma a businesswoman from Ottawa in Canada. She in New York on business.
 Greetings
1. Introduction
Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence, to show
attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship or social status between individuals or groups of people coming
in contact with each other. It is something friendly or particular/polite actions that you say or do when you meet
or welcome someone.
2. Formal and Informal greetings
There are many English expressions for greetings, ranging from informal to formal ones. Below are some
common expressions.
 More Formal Greetings
 Good morning. How are you today?
 Good afternoon. How's everything?
 Good evening. How have you been?
 Greeting someone you haven't seen for a while
 I haven't seen you for ages! How have you been?
 How're things going?
 How are you getting along?
 Long time no see! (Informal)
 Greeting Someone You are surprised to see
 Fancy meeting you here!
 Never thought I'd see you here!
 What a surprise to see you here!

3. Responding to Greeting "How Have you Been?"

When we greet someone we know, we usually will ask the question "how are you" or "how have you
been?" Below are some useful responses.
 Expressing you're healthy and fine
 I'm fine.
 Great.
 Couldn't be better.
 (I) can't complain.
 Expressing you're busy
 (I've) been busy.
 I'm snowed under. (Meaning: I'm very busy)
 Very busy. There aren't enough hours in the day.
 Expressing you have been doing (neutral)
 So-so.
 Same as always.
 Same as usual.
 Plugging along. (informal)
 Expressing you have not been doing well
 Not too great.
 Not so good.
 Not too well.
 Could be better.
 Lousy. (Meaning: very bad) (slang)
  Task 1: Practice Dialogues
 Dialogue 1 : Formal greeting
John : Hello, I am Mr John, the new director of the company
Sara : Good morning, Mr John. My name is Sara Dilan. Pleased to meet you.
 Dialogue 2 : Informal greeting
Simo : Hi, Marwa. What’s up ?
Marwa : Great, what about you ?
Simo : I’m alright, thanks.
 Task 2

 Conclusion : The way we greet someone changes depending on the situation and how well we
know them. Formal greetings occur at special events. Informal greetings happen every day.
 Greeting and Introducing People using Personal Information
1. Personal Information
Personal information questions are the basis for any conversation in English and so are important for when
you meet somebody for the first time. They are the building blocks from which the rest of the conversation can
develop.
Some common questions and a correct form for the answer are as follows:
 How to ask about name and how to answer
 What is your name? My name is _______.
 What is your surname / last name? My surname / last name is _______.
 Do you have a nickname? Yes, my nickname is _______ or No, I don't.
 How to ask about work and occupation and how to answer
 What do you do? I am a _______.
 Where do you work? I work at _______.
 Do you like your job? Yes, I do. Or No, I don't.
 Why do you like your job. I like my job because _______.
 How to ask about marital status how to answer
 Are you married / single? Yes, I am. Or No I'm not.
 Do you have a boyfriend / girlfriend? Yes, I do. Or No, I don't.
 What is your partner's name? My partner's name is _______.
 Do you have any children? Yes, I have _______ children. or No, I don't
 What are their names? Their names are _______.
 How many brothers and sisters do you have? I have ___ brothers and ___ sisters.
 How to ask about Age how to answer
 How old are you? I am _______ years old.
 When is your birthday? My birthday is on the _______ of _______.
 Where were you born? I was born in _______.
 Asking about and answering contact information
 Where are you from? I am from _______.
 What is your address? My address is _______.
 What is your phone number? My phone number is _______.
 What is your cell phone number? My cell phone number is _______.
 Do you live with your parents? Yes, I do. Or No, I don't.
 Do you live alone? Yes, I do. Or No, I don't.
 Who do you live with? I live with my _______.
 Do you live in a house or an apartment? I live in a/an _______.
 What is your e-mail address? My e-mail address is _______
 Asking about and answering free time activities
 What do you do in your free time? In my free time I _______.
 What are your hobbies? My hobbies are _______.
 What type of music do you like? I like _______ music.
 Do you have a favourite singer or group? My favourite singer / group is _______.
 What types of movies do you like? I like _______ movies.
 Do you like to read? Yes, I do. Or No, I don't.
 What do you like to read? I like to read _______.
 Asking about and answering habits
 Do you have any bad habits? Yes, one of my bad habits is _______.
 Do you snore? Yes, I do. Or No, I don't.
 Do you smoke? Yes, I do. Or No, I don't.
 How many cigarettes do you smoke a day? I smoke _______ cigarettes a day.
 What to say when you've just been introduced
  Good to meet you/Nice to meet you.
 I'm glad to meet you.
 What a pleasure to meet you. (formal) / A pleasure. (formal)
2. Saying Good-Bye
There are many English expressions for saying good-bye, ranging from informal to formal ones. Below
are some common expressions.
 Simple good-byes
 Bye.
 Good-bye.
 Bye for now.
 See you later.
 Talk to you soon.
 See you around. Take care.
 See you real soon.
 See you tomorrow / next week.
 See ya. (informal)
 See you later, alligator. (slang)
 More formal good-byes
 (It was) nice to see you. Good-bye.
 (It was) good to see you. Good-bye.
 (It was) nice talking to you. Bye.
 Take care. See you again.
 saying goodbye to someone you have just met
 Nice meeting you.
 It was a pleasure meeting you. (formal)
 It's a real pleasure to have met you. (formal)
 It's been a real pleasure. (formal)