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Unstressed [er]   as in after

 

Sound formation instruction:

 
This ER sound usually occurs at the end of the word. The sound-forming instruction is the same as R, but the difference is that the ER sound is a so-called “vowelized” sound, which means its sound resembles a vowel.

To pronounce the unstressed ER sound, position your tongue in the same way you pronounce the R sound or the stressed ER sound. This sound is different from the stressed ER sound because it has less stress. To make the unstressed sound, make sure that your tongue is less bunched and less tense than the stressed ER sound so less forced air is pushed out. Also, the sound has a shorter duration than the stressed ER sound.





Words:

 


acre   actor
after   afternoon
better   bother
brother   broker
burglar   10  butter
11  butterfly   12  center
13  cleaner   14  concert
15  color   16  deliver
17  dinner   18  doctor
19  dollar   20  drummer
21  employer   22  ever
23  error   24  failure
25  farmer   26  father
27  feature   28  flavor
29  flowerpot   30  forget
31  further   32  gallery
33  grammar   34  hanger
35  here   36  later
37  lower   38  lawyer
39  liberty   40  lizard
41  mirror   42  matter
43  manner   44  mayor
45  measure   46  monitor
47  mother   48  murder
49  nature   50  navigator
51  number   52  painter
53  paper   54  partner
55  pepper   56  perhaps
57  picture   58  player
59  printer   60  razor
61  regular   62  remember
63  sir: unstressed   64  silver
65  sadder   66  sugar
67  Saturday   68  sculpture
69  slower   70  sooner
71  standard   72  surprise
73  trainer   74  teacher
75  thinner   76  under
77  understood   78  vendor
79  weather   80  winter
81  zipper



Sentences:

 


  1. Tanner had a little green lizard he found last winter.
  2. Abby, my sister, is a jumper and a shaker when she dances.
  3. Mother Goose was my favorite nursery rhyme when I was younger.
  4. My teacher took pictures of nature to use for her science class lectures.
  5. Every afternoon in July, butterflies flutter around my Venetian flowerpots.
  6. The smell of pepper makes my nose tickle no matter how many times I smell it.
  7. My sister slept in a camper trailer so that my friend could sleep in her bed.
  8. The printer light will flicker on and off if a sheet of paper becomes jammed.
  9. When I look in the mirror after a long run, my face looks thinner and full of color.
  10. Running daily helped Jessica look healthier, especially after she hired her trainer.
  11. Father Mike, the catholic priest, wore silver jewelry each time he delivered a Mass.
  12. The children understood why it was important to remember how the United States won its liberty.
  13. On TV, Mayor Baker presented an award to the citizen who helped the police catch a burglar.
  14. Aunt Dana, who is a baker, told me to always measure butter and sugar when making cookies.
  15. At the University Center, I met students who aspired to be farmers, sculptors, lawyers, and stockbrokers.
  16. My husband spent one hundred dollars Saturday at the Gem Factory as a surprise for our third wedding anniversary.




Story:

 


The sun is usually warm every summer afternoon in Silver Lake, Michigan. However, this year was different. Our family arrived at the Liberty Camp Ground on Friday morning. I remember how cold the camper became when we sat down for dinner that night. The weather was awful. It rained from Saturday to Thursday. Each time a downpour occurred, we felt sadder. Sunday, my father conjured up a surprise to wash away our rainy day blues.

My dad was an artistic painter and creative thinking was second nature to him. That night he put together a concert for the entire family. He used the clothes hamper for a drum, and a can filled with rocks for a shaker. My dad was the drummer, the shaker and the singer. Seeing my dad sing made us snicker(giggle). He sang The Watermelon Crawl, Sugar Magnolia, and Butterfly Kisses. After he was finished singing, I offered to be the drummer and my brother was the singer. We sang all through the night.

The next day's surprise was even better. We found an old art gallery full of butterfly sculptures. At the art gallery we viewed an old-time picture show that covered how butterflies hatched from a cocoon. We learned that butterflies have many different shapes and sizes. After the show, we gathered in the center of the gallery to try our skills at sculpting a butterfly. Later that day we shared our personal sculptures at the dinner table.

Although our camping trip was a failure because of the rain, we had a blast with our father. I never imagined we would have a better time. Next time it rains on another trip, I know we will have fun no matter what Mother Nature brings our way. Perhaps next time we should camp during the rainiest part of the year.











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