Talk about English

Sponsors

Private English Tutor
Live English Lessons

Remember It

The English Alphabet

A a B b C c D d E e F f G g H h
I i J j K k L l M m N n O o P p
Q q R r S s T t U u V v W w X x
Y y Z z

Learn It

Listen to the Alphabet Song ( British style)

Vowels

A E I O U

Consonants

B C D F G H J K
L M N P Q R S T
V W X Y Z

The Rhyming Alphabet

The following letters rhyme with each other

ä sound ë sound e sound ï sound o sound yü sound r sound z sound
A B F I O Q R Z
H C L Y   U    
J D M     W    
K E N          
  G S          
  P X          
  T            
  V            
               

Handwriting

When you write in English you can print out your letters one at a time, which is easy to read, but can be slow, or you can use "joined up" writing, also called "cursive", which is quicker to write, but can be difficult to read if your handwriting is bad.

Print your letters one at a time.

or

Write using cursive script.

A good sentence to practise your handwriting is:

"The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog."

The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.

The Phonetic Alphabet

ListenWhen spelling (especiallyover the phone) use the phonetic alphabet to avoid confusion.Listen
A Alpha B Bravo
C Charlie D Delta
E Echo F Foxtrot
G Golf H Hotel
I India J Juliet
K Kilo L Lima
M Mike N November
O Oscar P Papa
Q Quebec R Romeo
S Sierra T Tango
U Uniform V Victor
W Whisky X X-Ray
Y Yankee Z Zulu

Names

First Name/Christian Name Middle Name or (Middle Initial) Last Name/Surname
Elizabeth Mary M Windsor
John Wesley W Sinclair

 

Naturally speaking

When two letters appear next to each other we say "double __"

Follow the dialogue.

  • What's your full name please.
  • My first name is Sonja and my last name Pascalli
  • Sorry , what was your last name again?
  • Pascalli.
  • I'm sorry I don't understand. Could you repeat that more slowly please.
  • Pasc-all-i.
  • How do you write that? Could you spell it please?
  • P-a-s-c-a-double l-i
  • And your first name please?
  • Sonja
  • Pardon?
  • Sonja - S-o-n-j-a.
  • And what is your telephone number please?
  • 2-3-8-7-1-8
  • Thank you.
  • You're welcome.

Checking understanding - What to say

Mr Bean "My name is Mr. Bean."
Ear "............................" "?" "My name is ????." "My name is Mr. Bean."
Mouth "I'm sorry I didn't hear that. Could you speak a little louder please?" "I'm sorry, I don't understand." "Could you repeat your name please?" Could you spell that please?
Mr Bean "I said, my name is Mr. Bean!" "My name is Mr. Bean, your name is --------- and mine is Mr. Bean." "My name is Mr. Bean." "B-e-a-n."

 

Capitalisation

When spelling a word for someone it is sometimes necessary to let the person know when letters need to be written in CAPITALS and when they need to be written small.
"How do you spell UNESCO please?" "Capital U-N-E-S-C-O."
"How do you spell T-Online please?" "Capital T dash capital O small n-l-i-n-e."
"How do you spell 1&1 Profi please?" "1 ampersand 1 capital P small r-o-f-i."

Please and thank you


The average English person will say please and thank you at least 200 times a day.

Thanks and ta are very informal.

"You're welcome" is a common response to "Thank you".

!Note - The most frequently used English letter is E. The least frequently used is Z.

Test It

Read and learn the telephone tip and then test your phonetic alphabet - Remember It .

Practise It

On the Forum - What's your full name, do you have any middle names, can you spell your name phonetically?.

Print Version - You can print this lesson out here
Next Lesson - Numbers
Previous Lesson - People, Places, Nationalities
Week 4