🗣️

In this lesson, we’ll focus on the pronunciation of those four confusing words.

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Theory

BEER🍺, BEARD 🧔, BEAR 🐻, BIRD 🐦

Think about it this way:

The words ‘bear’ and ‘bird’ have similar vowels. → 🐻 Bears and 🐦birds go together.

The words ‘beer’ and ‘beard’ have the same vowels. → 🍺 Beer and 🧔 beards go together.

Imagine a bear sitting in the woods, chilling with its bird friends and a bearded man drinking beer while watching them.

Exercise 1

Read the sentences and watch the clips to check your answers.

🐻 “There are two people in a wood and they run into a bear.” 🐻

🐦 “Sir, we have a bird in motion! Anyone on the deck, we have a rogue .” 🐦

In this clip, was the pronunciation British or American?

Check the answer

British

In this clip, was the pronunciation British or American?

Check the answer

American

💡

a bird – in this clip, this bird is a spaceship not an actual animal in motion – flying anyone on the deck – anyone who is on the spaceship a rogue bird – a spaceship that is flying against orders

🧔 "So, where’d you find that beard? It’s pretty snazzy." 🧔

🍺 “Who exactly is buying the beer?” 🍺

In this clip, was the pronunciation British or American?

Check the answer

American

In this clip, was the pronunciation British or American?

Check the answer

American

💡

snazzy – stylish and modern, e.g. a pair of shoes

Exercise 2

Name the pictures one by one.

Listen to this recording and check your answers: link. (British English pronunciation)

Exercise 3

Read the sentences below.

My dad has a black beard. 🧔 Listen to the recording: link.

He doesn’t drink beer 🍺 very often. Listen to the recording: link.

When he does, his beard 🧔 always gets in his beer. 🍺 Listen to the recording: link.

When I was a child, I had a teddy bear. 🐻 Listen to the recording: link.

The teddy bear 🐻 was so fluffy that I thought it has a beard. 🧔 Listen to the recording: link.

When Ann woke up, she could hear a bird 🐦 singing. Listen to the recording: link.

The bird 🐦 was looking for water. Instead, it found beer. 🍺 Listen to the recording: link.

Exercise 4

Read this tongue twister!

BEER🍺, BEARD 🧔, BEAR 🐻, BIRD 🐦

An eagle bird 🐦 met with its friend bear 🐻.

They watched a football match hoping everyone plays fair.

Because the bear 🐻 had a very majestic beard 🧔

(the biggest in the country – as the bird 🐦 had heard)

the jealous bird 🐦 spilt beer 🍺 on the bear’s 🐻 beard 🧔 as he cheered.

He slipped and hit his head feeling no fear.

That’s how he fell down and drowned in bear’s 🐻 beer 🍺.

Listen to the recording: link.

Exercise 5

Look at the picture, read the story aloud and fill in the gaps with the correct word - beer, beard, bear or bird.

Deep in the forest, a 🐻 _____ named Bruno was looking for food. He came across a table and noticed a bottle of 🍺 _____. Right next to the bottle, a 🐦 _____ named Lila was chirping a cheerful song. Not too far away, Finn, a man with a long 🧔 _____ was sitting on a bench. He realised that he had left a bottle of 🍺 _____ on the table. Holding his binoculars, he smiled, watching the scene and feeling lucky to witness such a special moment.

Listen to the recording: link

Answers

bear, beer, bird, beard, beer