It’s our first Takeover Thursday and we’re excited to welcome Nikki from English Exams With Nikki!
Take it away, Nikki!!
Many English speakers have trouble (problems) with the B and the V sound in English. Many languages, like Spanish, the B and the V sound is the same sound. In English, however, it is very different! Are you pronouncing these letters correctly?
The V sound
Show your teeth! This sound is made by placing your upper teeth on top of your bottom lip. When you make the V sound, your lips should vibrate and it may tickle you a little bit!
Try saying the following words in front of a mirror: vest, vote, very.
The B sound
No teeth! This sound is made by pressing your lips together and then letting air out. When you make the B sound, a little bit of air should come out of your mouth after you press your lips together and release them.
Try saying the following words in front of a mirror: best, boat, berry.
After looking in a mirror, you should be able to see that there is a huge difference between the V and B sounds. Now, in order to get your mouth used to these movements, I recommend practicing what we call a minimal pair. A minimal pair is a pair of words that vary by only a single sound. By practicing minimal pairs, you can train your mouth muscles and your brain to more naturally create sounds in English.
Give the following a try!
Best/vest
Boat/vote
Berry/very
If you’re unsure of how to pronounce certain words in English, visit my Instagram channel, where I upload a word every day so you can practice!
https://instagram.com/englishexamswithnikki/
The idea is to say each pair slowly until you start to get the hang of it. Then, once you understand the movements of the lips, you can start practicing more advanced exercises like the following paragraph:
Last summer I went to Vietnam by boat. It was a very bumpy ride because the winds were very strong and the boat would rock back and forth. We arrived in Vietnam and decided to buy blue bottles for the vodka. On the way to by the blue bottles, Vik decided he wanted a very berry smoothie. I, however, wanted a vegan brownie. Luckily, we found both the very berry smoothie and the vegan brownie at the Vanilla Vibes cafe located right by the beach. After eating, we went to buy the blue bottles for the vodka. We found the bottles and then ventured off back to the boat. Now we’re traveling to Venice Beach to bike on the boardwalk!
Now that you understand the difference, it’s time to get grooving! (dancing)
Check out the following songs for V and B practice!
Relaxing, slower music:
Energetic, dancing music:
Mastering these two sounds will help you sound like a native and if you have to take an English exam such as the TOEFL® Test, you will get a higher score. Good luck and remember, the more you practice, the better you become!
