English Pronunciation Practice: CH & SH

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Hello, I'm Gill at engVid, and today we have a lesson on a pronunciation issue

with two sounds which are rather similar but slightly different from each other,

which are "ch" and "sh".

OK, so "ch" spelt "ch" and "sh" spelt "sh".

OK, so we're going to be looking at some

words for you to for me to read aloud and for you to repeat after me.

And then we'll have some sentences containing some of those words.

So, first of all, just to say that

to get these words sounding different is

important sometimes because it avoids confusion.

Sometimes you get two words that are very similar and people can misunderstand.

So we'll see that when we get to the examples.

But just just to give you a little hint

about how how to shape your mouth, when if you see me saying

"ch" "ch" "ch" and "sh" "sh" "sh", it looks very similar from from the outside,

how you see me doing shaping my mouth, "ch" "ch" "ch" "sh" "sh".

It looks exactly the same, actually,

but it's what's happening inside the mouth that that's different.

So if if you imagine this is my mouth and this is my tongue, OK,

and this is the roof of your mouth here and here are your teeth at the front of your

mouth, so with the tongue, when I do "ch" "ch" "ch",

I've got the tip of my tongue touching the roof of my mouth.

And when when I change from "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" to the to the vowel sound that follows

it, it's "ch" "ch".

So I pull my tongue back down away from the roof of my mouth when I do that.

And it's sort of part way back here.

OK, so "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch".

OK, you might like to just give that a try.

"Ch" "ch" "ch".

And if English isn't your native language,

if you have another language as your native language,

if you have the sound "ch" in your own language, then probably it's not a problem.

It's only when you don't have the sound "ch" in your native language,

that's when it's more difficult to learn to make the sound.

But just in case, that's why I'm demonstrating "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch".

And it's quite short as well.

You can't make a prolonged "ch" "ch" "ch".

It's not very easy to make it a long sound.

But the difference is with "sh".

You can make a long "sh" "sh".

You can make it as long as, as your breath will allow it, really.

but that's because when you do the "sh" sound, your tongue doesn't touch the roof

of your mouth, you're allowing a little space between your tongue and the roof

of your mouth, and then the air is coming up from your lungs,

through your throat and into your mouth and out

in a continuous stream.

And that's how it's possible to make a long sound with "sh".

And you just keep your tongue in one position.

It's not like "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" and your tongue's moving away.

It's just in one position with a gap. "sh" "sh" "sh".

So that's the difference sort of physically with the placement of your tongue.

If people want...

If, say, if you're in a library, in the old days in a public library,

there used to be a big sign up that said "silence" and people had to be quiet

because everyone was reading and needed to concentrate.

I think libraries are less like that nowadays.

But anyway, if you're somewhere,

maybe at a concert or something, classical concert,

and everyone's very respectful and they're listening very carefully to the music,

or if people are watching a film in the cinema,

you don't want people chatting all around you.

So some people might say "sh" "sh" "sh".

I'm trying to listen to the film.

So, again, if in your native language people may not do that,

"sh" "sh" "sh", I don't know how many countries

that's the usual thing to tell someone to stop making a noise.

But that's a connection for "sh".

And then with "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" maybe all I can think of is the way

children play at being, play at trains, "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch"

and it's it's the sort of old fashioned kind of trains that we used to have

with steam coming out, "ch" "ch" "ch" "ch" and with the wheels going round like this.

"ch" "ch" "ch" "ch"

So I don't know how familiar that might be to to younger people now,

but maybe children still play at trains and make that sort of sound.

"ch" "ch" "ch" "ch"

So that that's the only connection I can think of, really.

But anyway, let's have a look at some real examples.

OK, so what we have here is

we have the two sounds at the top, "ch" and "sh",

and then we have pairs of words, and each pair are almost exactly the same

apart from the only difference is the "ch" and the "sh".

And sometimes they look very similar because of the spelling,

but other times because English spelling is a bit strange,

it's not phonetic.

So you have something like "chair" and "share",

and you can see that the spelling is different, but the pronunciation is the same.

So don't worry about that.

But it is... I know it's a bit confusing to have different spellings,

but these words are the same, same vowel sound.

The only difference is

that the "ch" and the "sh", you know, are the difference.

So "chair" and "share",

so that's the first one.

So perhaps you'd like to say these words after me.

"Chair", "ch", "ch", "ch", so this is "ch", "ch", "ch", "ch".

"Chair", "chair", "chair".

OK, and then we've got "sh", "sh",

where you don't... you keep your tongue away from the roof of your mouth.

"Sh", "share", "share", "share".

OK, if you want to repeat that after me.

OK, then, so let's just go on to the next pair of words.

So we have "chatter" and "shatter".

So "ch", "ch", "ch", "chatter", "chatter".

And then "sh", "sh", "sh", "shatter", "shatter".

OK, so "chatter", that's a word about, you know, people talking a lot.

"Chatter", "chatter", "chatter".

It sort of imitates the sound of people talking, "chatter", "chatter", "chatter",

like that. And "shatter" also imitates a sound.

If you break a window, something like that, the window was shattered.

It sounds like a window breaking or it sounds like a glass breaking.

So "chatter" and "shatter", if you want to say after me.

"Ch", "ch", "ch", "ch", "chatter", "chatter".

And then "sh", "sh", "sh", "shatter", "shatter".

OK, right, so let's go on.

So "cheap" and "sheep".

"Ch", "ch", "ch", "cheap", "sheep".

And "sh", "sh", "sheep", "sheep".

So say after me, "cheap"

and "sh", "sheep".

Good, and the next one.

"Cheat", "sheet", "ch", "ch", "ch", "cheat", "cheat" and "sh", "sh", "sheet", "sheet".

So after me, "cheat",

and "sh", "sheet",

So "cheer", "shear", "cheer", "cheer", "cheer", "cheer", "cheer".

OK, so "cheer" is when people are at a football match,

something like that, and they're cheering because their team scored the goal.

"Cheer", "yay", that sort of thing, "cheer".

And then "shear" is either when it's sort of an intensifier kind of word,

a sheer stroke of luck or something.

That was sheer luck.

That was absolute luck.

Or "shear" can also be like a sort of transparent piece of material,

OK, that you can see through.

It's sheer or very thin, thin and transparent.

OK, so let's just, if you want to say those words after me,

Good. Just say them after me each time.

So here we've got a completely different spelling.

We've got "chew" and "shoe".

So to "chew" is when you "chew", or if you think of a dog,

I always think of a dog the way dogs like to "chew".

If they get hold of a shoe, they like to "chew" the shoe.

OK, after me, "chew", "shoe".

Right, next one, again, different spelling.

after me, "chief",

"sheaf", "sheaf".

So "chief" meaning a boss, the head of something,

and "sheaf" either, oh, in harvest time,

people cut the crops and then they put them all together in a big bunch,

or you could have a lot of papers in your hand and you can call it a sheaf of papers.

So it's when you've got a lot of things gathered together, a sheaf.

OK, so after me, "chief" and "sheaf".

OK, right, next pair,

So "chilli", if it's a chilly day, it's a bit cold, "chilli".

"Chilli", that's part of a...

part of an expression that when we... We've got some sentences later,

so it will become clearer when we get to the sentences,

rather than me trying to explain it in isolation here.

OK, so we'll come back to that.

Right, so the next pair, "chin", "chin" here, that's the "ch", "chin".

And "shin", that's another part of the body, which is...

It's on your leg, below your knee, your "shin",

the bone at the... below your knee, the "shin".

So that just shows how, you know,

to avoid any confusion,

if you say to the doctor, "I've...

I've hurt my chin" or "I've hurt my shin",

the doctor needs to know which part of the body you're talking about.

So this is where misunderstandings can come up.

example of that, because they're both parts of the body.

So "ch", "chin",

and "sh", "shin".

OK, right, the next pair, "China", "ch", "China",

and "Shina", "Shina".

So "China", it's either, well, the name of the country, if it has a capital "C",

the country, China, but it can also mean the...

If you have a nice cup, cup and saucer, plates made of China,

it's a nice sort of

nice quality material for your... your cup of tea

to put your tea in, to drink from.

well, it's... it's a slightly colloquial word, a slang word.

If someone gets a black eye, if someone's punched them in the eye

and it goes black from... from being bruised,

it's called a "Shina".

So someone might say, "Oh, you've got a bit of a Shina there.

How... How did that happen?" So that's a "Shina".

So... And again, you can see the spelling is slightly different between the two.

Right, next pair.

So we've got "ch", "chip", and "sh", "ship".

OK, after me, "chip",

and "shoes", "shoes".

"chop". So when you're chopping vegetables,

that sort of thing, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, like that, it's almost imitating

the sound, again, isn't it? Chop, chop, chop. And "shop", "shop".

"chopper". So a chopper could be the... The tool that you chop with, a chopper.

It's also a word for a helicopter, you know, the helicopter with the revolving...

Whatever they're called, revolving something that makes it lift off the ground.

That's called a "chopper" as well because of the way it goes round.

So "chopper" is a sort of slang word or colloquial word for a helicopter.

And so we've got "chopper"

Right, next pair,

So a chore is, oh, a job you have to do that you don't really want to do.

Things like housework, doing the dusting,

mopping the floor, all that sort of thing. They're chores,

household chores, very boring.

You have to do them, you know, every week or whatever.

Oh, dear. So boring. Boring chores.

So it's the same vowel sound.

"Chore", "chore",

"shore", "shore".

So that's like at the seaside, the seashore, where the land meets the sea.

So that's the shore.

And then finally, we have "chose",

So that's the past tense of "choose".

"Yesterday I chose" and some new carpet, something like that.

"Chose" and "shows",

So "shows", of course, is present tense of the verb "to show".

So, and third person singular.

So they're both verbs here, but one is in the past tense, one is present tense.

So "chose", "shows".

OK, good, well done.

So let's go on now, then, and let's have a look at some sentences

with these pairs of words in them, just for fun.

so the first sentence, I'll say it first and then I'll leave a space for you to

repeat it after me. OK, so here's the first one.

"Buying a flock of sheep isn't cheap."

Just once more. "Buying a flock of sheep isn't cheap."

Good, so "flock", that's the word,

the collective word for a lot of sheep, a flock of sheep, OK, a crowd of...

a group of sheep, it's a flock. OK, good.

And the next sentence, "The shopper arrived in a chopper."

So someone going shopping in a helicopter, which sounds a bit unusual.

I think they must be very rich to be able to do that.

But anyway, "The shopper arrived in a chopper."

Right, and then here's the next one.

So this is where we've got "shilly", so it's... the full term is "shilly-shally".

It's when people can't decide what to do.

They "shilly-shally", "shally-shally".

You know, "Shall I do this or shall I do that?"

That's where it comes from, actually. "Shall", "shall I?"

"Shilly-shally", "shall I", "shall I?" Or not?

So "shilly-shally" comes from that "shall", "shall I?"

So I'll just read the sentence.

"It's too chilly to shilly-shally."

Just once more.

"It's too chilly to shilly-shally."

OK, good, and the next one, here's the dog with the shoes.

"My dog loves to chew shoes."

"My dog loves to chew shoes."

So somebody has an accident shaving.

OK, with a razor.

"He cut his chin shaving."

"Then a dog bit his shin."

That's on his leg.

OK, so your turn.

I'll just do it once more.

"He cut his chin shaving."

"Then a dog bit his shin."

"They shattered the piece with their chatter."

So although I said earlier "shatter" is to do with breaking glass usually,

but it can be used metaphorically. If you shatter the piece, it means you're...

you're breaking the nice quiet, you're disturbing the quiet with a lot of noise.

So you can use it as a metaphor in this way.

"So they shattered the piece with their chatter."

So just once more.

"They shattered the piece with their chatter."

Good. And then finally,

so there's a cherry in my sherry.

So you've got a glass of sherry, a drink,

and there's a cherry, a little piece of fruit in it.

So there's a cherry in my sherry.

"There's a cherry in my sherry."

Your turn again.

Okay, so what I'm going to do just to end with,

I'm just going to go through the list of words once more,

and I'm not going to emphasise them quite so much this time.

I'm just going to say them in a normal way, in a sort of quick, normal way, as

any speaker would... would say them

in normal... normal circumstances, in a normal situation.

Okay, so just listen out for the difference again from "ch" and "sh" as I go through them.

Okay, here we go.

So "chair", "share", "chatter", "shatter",

"cheap", "sheep", "cheat", "sheet",

"cheer", "shear", "cherry", "sherry",

"chew", "shoe", "chief", "sheaf",

"chilly", "shilly", "chin", "shin",

"china", "shiner", "chip", "ship",

"choose", "shoes", "chop", "shop",

"chopper", "shopper",

"chore", "shore",

"chose", "shows".

Okay, so I hope that's been a useful exercise for you

in case you were having any difficulty making the difference.

And as I say, the main point is when you get words like this that sound very similar,

to be able to make the difference so that people don't misunderstand and so that you

avoid confusion whenever you're telling anybody anything.

Okay, so... So that's the end of the lesson for today.

I hope you found it useful and hope to see you again soon.

All right. Okay, then. Bye for now, then.