How to tell /əʊ/ and /aʊ/ apart
Practice the difference between the diphthongs /əʊ/ (as in go) and /aʊ/ (as in now).
/əʊ/
Diphthong OH
boat /bəʊt/
A gliding vowel moving from /ə/ to /ʊ/, as in go.
Lỗi thường gặp: Learners may pronounce /əʊ/ as /ɔː/ or /aʊ/.
/aʊ/
Diphthong OW
bout /baʊt/
A gliding vowel moving from an open /a/ to /ʊ/, as in now.
Lỗi thường gặp: Learners may flatten /aʊ/ into a single vowel.
- •/əʊ/ sounds like 'oh': boat, go, phone.
- •/aʊ/ sounds like 'ow': bout, now, house.
- •Start /əʊ/ with a neutral /ə/.
- •Start /aʊ/ with an open /a/.
Cặp âm dễ nhầm
boat/bəʊt/
bout/baʊt/
no/nəʊ/
now/naʊ/
load/ləʊd/
loud/laʊd/