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Unit 5: English You Need
Exams, news, pronunciation, teachers' tips, learners' questions

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Session 3

How do you say the words you see and hear in the news? In Pronunciation in the News, we take a word that's dominating the headlines and teach you how to say it like a native speaker.

Sessions in this unit

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    Activity 1
  1. Activity 1

Activity 1

Pronunciation in the News

Pernicious

The World Health Organisation says air pollution is one of the most pernicious threats to public health. How do we pronounce the word pernicious? Watch the video and find out.

Watch the video and complete the activity

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How do you say 'pernicious'?

  • There are three syllables: per-ni-cious
  • The stress is on the second syllable: perNIcious
  • The 'c' is pronounced /ʃ/
  • In phonemic script, the word is written like this: /pə(r)ˈnɪʃəs/

To do

Try our quiz to see how well you've learned today's language.

The 'pernicious' quiz

3 Questions

Check what you know about the pronunciation of 'pernicious'.

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More pronunciation work

If you want to improve your pronunciation even more, try our Pronunciation features area

End of Session 3

Next up is The Teachers' Room, our series with lots of practical tips for teachers to use in class. In this episode, Dan and Sian look at vocabulary boxes. Join us in Session 4.

Session Vocabulary

  • Pronouncing 'pernicious'

    • Three syllables: per-ni-cious
    • Stress is on the second syllable: perNIcious
    • The 'c' is pronounced /ʃ/
    • Phonemic transcription: /pə(r)ˈnɪʃəs/
View full vocabulary reference

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