CAP
	
	M
	
	
Make the sound
Vowel grid reference: 8
This vowel is short.
(►)    1   Relax your tongue and rest the tip just behind your bottom front teeth.
2 The back of the tongue is low for this sound. The blade lifts forward slightly, but not the tongue tip.
3 The tongue tip stays down low.
DVD
98
Q
99-101
When do I use this sound?
Spelling	Examples
a	mat, angry
Now try it!
Say each of these words and sentences aloud. Then compare your pronunciation with the model on tracks 99-101.
A    cat       hat        match        pattern        standard        matter understand
man     fat        began        panda magic candle mandatory
B    1    I'll take the bags of cash to the bank on Saturday and grab some stamps on the way back.
2 She was so mad, she sat on his hat and then stamped on his valuable clarinet.'Ha!'she thought.
3 He grabbed his coat but forgot his cap as he had to dash to catch the match.
6A       Section B: The sounds of English
Work on your Accent CAP
102
Cats
The cat has become the standard city dwellers'companion. In fact, there are thousands of cats in the UK. Cats are big fans of routine and are happiest following a regular daily pattern including lying on their owner's lap, and lapping up sunshine with a nap in the back garden. They can have some bad habits, such as scratching up furniture to sharpen their retractable claws. They are natural predators and prone to catching any wild animals that happen to wander into their garden, from rabbits to landing birds.
Am I doing something wrong?
X   Making the same vowel sound in the words CAP and CUP. Both of these vowels are open and short so it is common for learners to confuse them.
1/ To say CAP, rather than CUP, the lips are more spread, and the tongue is slightly higher at the front.
Watch the DVD to see and hear the difference between the two sounds.
First check your lip position for both vowels using the Vowel positioning diagram (page 53). The /ae/of CAP is open and wide, but the /a/ of CUP is open and long.
1 Now, using a mirror, alternate between the two sounds: ah-uh-ah-uh-ah-uh-ah-uh aeAaeAaeAaeA
Make sure that you are doing a different lip position for each, and that your tongue moves slightly between the sounds.
2 Now try swapping between some words which have the sounds, like'cap'and'cup'or: bat-but bat-but bat-but
hat-hut hat-hut hat-hut
Don't let the consonant sounds around the vowels change your lip shape too much.
X   Making the same vowel sound in the words'bad'and'bed'. If you are doing this, then you are holding your tongue too high.
Look in a mirror and compare these words.
bet-bat
met-mat
men-man
said-sad
Make sure you see the tongue rise for the words spelt with an e and ai, and drop for the words spelt with an a.
CLAUs k BfJUX lop £K5~
65