The R sound (/r/): red, right, car

Objective & content

This Sound Check video (about 2 minutes 30) fixes one sound: the English r, as in red, right and around. Freya (British) and Cody (American) show how to make it. Pull the tongue back and up, but do not let it touch the top of the mouth. Round the lips a little. The sound stays in the mouth, never in the throat. The hosts also show where they disagree. Cody (American) says the r at the end of a word: car, park. Freya (British) does not. Both are correct: students pick one accent and keep it. Students repeat red, right, around, rabbit and one sentence: A red rabbit ran around.

Pedagogical guide

The mistake is to use the r of the first language. There are three kinds. French, German and Dutch learners make a throat r. Spanish, Italian and Polish learners make a rolled r, with a tap of the tongue. Portuguese learners use either. The fix is the same for all: one smooth movement, no contact, no tap. A hand on the throat must feel no scraping. The British and American difference is only at the end of a word. The game asks students to guess the accent, so it does not test the r itself. Check the speaking yourself.

Suggested procedure

1. Before (2 min). Write red, right and around on the board. Ask a few students to say them. Where do they feel the sound: mouth or throat?
2. Watch (3 min). Play the video once. Students repeat aloud when the hosts say "Try it with us", "Say them with me" and "Now the whole thing, with me".
3. Game (2 min). Play the game again. Pause each time a host says the word, before the other host gives the answer. The class votes: American or British?
4. After (3 min). Say car, park and star. Students say if the r at the end is British or American. Then they pick their accent.

Materials & prerequisites

• The video, a screen and sound for the whole class.
• The example words are at about A1 level. Students do not need phonetic symbols.