Author: British Council | Published on 1 April 2023
Learners need to hear and produce confusing sounds correctly to communicate effectively.
Here is a fun and interactive game you could use at any stage in the lesson.
Listen
Listen to the pronunciation of these minimal pairs:
[play audio]
| Consonant sounds: | Vowel sounds: |
|
free three thought taught chop shop wash was save safe hard heart play pray zoo shoe |
fit feet white wet last lost sand send said sad far fur pot part pair poor |
Introduce
Choose five minimal pairs (ten words). Choose sounds that your learners find confusing.
Read the words aloud. Ask different learners to write them on the board. If they make mistakes, drill the words (say, point, learners repeat) and help them notice the sound and spelling.
Tell learners you will play a game with the ten words on the board. They must write down six of these words in their notebooks.
Game
Say: ‘Let’s play Bingo! When you hear one of your words, put a tick next to it (demonstrate on the board). When you have ticked all six words, shout ‘Bingo!’ Ready?’
Slowly read out the words in random order until a learner shouts ‘Bingo!’ Check if the words are correct. Clap the winner.
Learners play again in pairs or groups with the same words and new bingo cards.