Tear and desert
‘Tear’ and ‘desert’ are words that are pronounced differently to indicate their meaning. The noun tear, which is a drop of fluid from the eye, rhymes with the word dear.
‘She shed a tear when her cat died.’
But when we use ‘tear’ as a verb, meaning to rip, it's pronounced 'tear' and that rhymes with the word 'bear'.
‘Don't tear the book.’
The noun ‘desert’ means a barren dry, sandy and often lifeless place.
‘It rarely rains in the desert.’
But when the word ‘desert’ is used as a verb, meaning to run away, it's pronounced 'desert'.
‘Don't desert me, stay and help please.’
When it's spelt with two Ss ‘desert’ is used to describe the part of a meal that is often eaten after the main course. It usually consists of something sweet.
‘I don’t think I'll have any dessert thanks, I am already full.’
Flickr CC: Elisa Banfi
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Tear and desert
‘Tear’ and ‘desert’ are words that are pronounced differently to indicate their meaning. The noun tear, which is a drop of fluid from the eye, rhymes with the word dear.
‘She shed a tear when her cat died.’
But when we use ‘tear’ as a verb, meaning to rip, it's pronounced 'tear' and that rhymes with the word 'bear'.
‘Don't tear the book.’
The noun ‘desert’ means a barren dry, sandy and often lifeless place.
‘It rarely rains in the desert.’
But when the word ‘desert’ is used as a verb, meaning to run away, it's pronounced 'desert'.
‘Don't desert me, stay and help please.’
When it's spelt with two Ss ‘desert’ is used to describe the part of a meal that is often eaten after the main course. It usually consists of something sweet.
‘I don’t think I'll have any dessert thanks, I am already full.’
Flickr CC: Elisa Banfi
More tongue twisters
Tongue twisters are an excellent way to practise your pronunciation. Listen to the following tongue twisters and follow the script below. Then, practise saying the tongue twister yourself.
Practise a few times slowly so you can pronounce the sounds of each word. You will hear yourself improve each time. You might also like to record your voice then compare your pronunciation to ours.
Tongue twister number 1
A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose.
Listen again.
A big black bug bit a big black dog on his big black nose.
Tongue twister number 2
Santa's short suit shrunk.
Listen again.
Santa's short suit shrunk.
Tongue twister number 3
Whether the weather is warm, whether the weather is hot, we have to put up with the weather, whether we like it or not.
Listen again.
Whether the weather is warm, whether the weather is hot, we have to put up with the weather, whether we like it or not.
Flickr CC: Thorsten Ludewig
Learn English
Tear and desert
‘Tear’ and ‘desert’ are words that are pronounced differently to indicate their meaning. The noun tear, which is a drop of fluid from the eye, rhymes with the word dear.
‘She shed a tear when her cat died.’
But when we use ‘tear’ as a verb, meaning to rip, it's pronounced 'tear' and that rhymes with the word 'bear'.
‘Don't tear the book.’
The noun ‘desert’ means a barren dry, sandy and often lifeless place.
‘It rarely rains in the desert.’
But when the word ‘desert’ is used as a verb, meaning to run away, it's pronounced 'desert'.
‘Don't desert me, stay and help please.’
When it's spelt with two Ss ‘desert’ is used to describe the part of a meal that is often eaten after the main course. It usually consists of something sweet.
‘I don’t think I'll have any dessert thanks, I am already full.’
Flickr CC: Elisa Banfi
