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Q: Tongue twisters - what are some good English ones to teach and Chinese ones to learn?
Was thinking about using tongue twisters as a fun activity in my classes. Has anyone tried this before? What are some good ones?
At the same time, I thought it might also be funny to learn some (that aren't completely impossible)
12 years 6 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
Soggy Sandy Sat Somewhere Safe So Sally SOSO should Save Sammie
Big Bold Beautiful Billy Bossed Bender Back But Butchered Bobby
Coco Cream Coconuts Covered Candies Caught Chris Chocolaty
Elephant Ears Easily Eases Edwins Eggs Enough Each Evenings
I focus on only a couple RELEVANT twisters based on studentss usual problems - /th/, /dzh/ and the /f/ and /l/ issue.
Thus:
whether the weather is hot, whether the weather is cold, we'll weather the weather, whatever the weather.
She threw three free throws
Theophilus Thistler, the thistle-sifter, sifted a bag of unsiftted thisltes (they groan when they first see it, but by the end of the time, they're fine with it!)
Red lorry, yellow lorry
Her seizures usually impaired her vision (many get 'seizures' and 'vision' right, but say 'urali'in the middle...you'll need to explain what a seizure is)
He measured his pleasure in treasure.
After that, I give them specific words to practice - this, that, then, there, with, math, bath, etc etc... you need to have BOTH /th/ sounds, AND in ALL positions in the words - beginning, middle, and end... or they end up doing 'thank you' perfectly, but still say 'nossing'.... or 'wiz'.
Chinese - there is one I saw about 44 stone lions dead ..... si shi si xi ... somethings something something....
A big black bug bit a big black bear and made the big black bear bleed blood.
Freshly fried fresh flesh.
She sells sea shells on the seashore. The seashells she sells are seashells she is sure.
Deer's ears hear clear cheers.
Six sick hicks nick six slick bricks with picks and sticks.
If a black bug bleeds black blood, what color blood does a blue bug bleed?
十四是十四，四十是四十，十四不是四十。
水上漂着一只表，表上落着一只鸟。鸟看表，表瞪鸟，鸟不认识表，表也不认识鸟。
1. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? A woodchuck would chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.
2. Sally sells seashells by the seashore. The seashells she sells are hers. Then if she sells seashells by the seashore, the shells she sells by the seashore are seashells I’m sure.
3. I wonder whether the wether will weather the weather or whether the weather will kill the wether.
4. Moses supposes his toes are roses but Moses supposes erroneously.
5. A big black bug bit a big black bear on his big black nose and the big black bear bled black blood.
6. Peter Prangle, the prickly pear picker, picked three perfectly prickly pears.
7. On a lazy laser raiser lies a laser ray eraser.
8. Some shun sunshine. Do you shun sunshine?
9. Three thick thistle sticks.
10. The thirty-three thinkers were thinking how did the three thieves go through on Thursday.
11. Will’s wetsuit is round and wet and rough and wide and ready to go on a watery ride.
12. Xylophones exist or so existentialists insist.
13. Zoologists illogically love to read astrology.
14. She stood on the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping, and amicably welcoming him in.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said, "This butter's bitter! If I put it in my batter it will make my batter bitter, but a bit of better butter will make my batter better." So betty bought a bit of better butter and made her bitter batter better.
Whew!
This next one is not for children:
"I am a pheasant-plucker. I'm a pheasant-plucker's son... and I'll be plucking pheasants 'til the pheasant-plucking's done."
"I'm not the Pheasant-Plucker, I'm the Pheasant-Plucker's mate, and I'm only plucking pheasants 'cause the Pheasant-Plucker's late."
Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks.
A tutor who tooted a flute
Tried to tutor two tooters to toot
Said the two tooters to the their tutor
"Is it easier to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot?"
Moses supposes his toeses are roses
But Moses supposes erroneously
For nobody's toeses are posies of roses
As Moses supposes his toeses to be
Officially the most difficult tongue twister in the English language.
The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick.
Especially good for students from the Cantonese speaking areas:
Red lorry, yellow lorry. (repeat 4 times)
I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
"All loyal warriors will rarely worry why we rule."
Great for "r's," "l's," and "w's," all of which are problems sounds in China.
th challenge:-
The thunder tore through the thicket, where there were three thousand three hundred thick and thin trees!
That thunder thinned out those trees!
Theresa the tree keeper, thinks thoughts about the trees in the thicket as there are now only three hundred trees there!
you may have to explain thicket, tore and how to pronounce Theresa
Many East Asian people have trouble with th sounds!
Depends on the language problems of your students. One that is excellent for the Guangdong / Hong Kong region and the native Cantonese / Guangdonghua speakers is,
Red lorry, yellow lorry. Repeat at least four times quickly.
1.Top chopstick shops stock top chopsticks or If A Dog Chews Shoes, What Shoes Should He Choose To Chew.
2.Shep Schwab shopped at Scott's Schnapps shop;
One shot of Scott's Schnapps stopped Schwab's watch.
Good Luck
