Q1.
Read aloud the following tongue twister.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
a) Now, read aloud the tongue twister by making an ‘O’ shape with your lips while pronouncing the ‘W’ sound. Repeat it 4–5 times.
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
a) Now, read aloud the tongue twister by making an ‘O’ shape with your lips while pronouncing the ‘W’ sound. Repeat it 4–5 times.
Answer
This is a speaking task. You must say it aloud, not read it silently.
How to do it:
- First say the line very slowly, one word at a time.
- Before each ‘W’ word, make your lips into a small round O, as if you were going to blow out a candle.
- Say it again, a little faster. Keep the lips round every time.
- Repeat it four or five times, faster each time, without making a mistake.
The ‘W’ words in the line are: wood, would, woodchuck, woodchuck, wood.
Why the lips must be round: The /w/ sound is made only with the lips. They come together in a small circle and then open. If your lips stay flat, /w/ turns into /v/, and “wood” starts sounding like “vood”.
Tip: Put your hand in front of your mouth. When you say “wood” correctly, you feel a tiny puff of air on your palm.
Did you know? A woodchuck is a small brown animal that digs burrows in the ground. Chuck here means to throw. So the line asks a funny question: if a woodchuck could throw wood, how much would it throw? It is a joke question, and nobody has to answer it — it is only for practising the sound.