British English /W/ & /G/ Pronunciation Practice

Exercise:

1. Listen to the recording and repeat each word or sentence in the same way as the speaker.

   (Do your best to imitate them!)

2. Voice-record yourself reading the words out loud

3. Play your voice recording audio and listen to your pronunciation

4. Compare with the original audio and Imitate the speaker

5. Send your voice recording to your language coach.

Goal: Practise the difference between /w/ and /ɡ/ in British English, progressing from individual words to complex sentences.

/w/ — Round your lips and glide smoothly into the vowel.

/ɡ/ — Raise the back of your tongue towards the soft palate, then release the sound with your voice.

Important: Spanish speakers may replace /w/ with a sound that is too consonant-like or add an extra vowel around consonants. Focus on clear sounds and smooth transitions.

Level 1: Individual Words

Focus: Produce each sound clearly.

/w/

1. Water

2. Work

3. Window

4. Welcome

5. Wonder

6. Weather

7. Wonderful

8. Worldwide

/ɡ/

1. Go

2. Game

3. Green

4. Great

5. Garden

6. Government

7. Growing

8. Gradually

Level 2: Contrast Practice

Focus: Switch between /w/ and /ɡ/ without changing the vowel unnecessarily.

1. West – guest

2. Wet – get

3. Wine – guide

4. Wait – gate

5. Work – great

6. Wall – goal

7. We – green

8. Wonder – going

Level 3: Short Sentences

Focus: Pronounce both sounds clearly in natural phrases.

1. We went for a walk.

2. The garden looks great.

3. Will you wait for me?

4. We had a great game.

5. The weather was getting worse.

6. We work well together.

7. Would you like to go?

8. We watched the green waves.

Level 4: Longer Sentences

Focus: Maintain clear pronunciation as the sentences become longer.

1. We walked through the garden while the weather was getting warmer.

2. The guide gave us a great welcome when we arrived.

3. We were going to work together, but the weather changed.

4. We watched the game while our friends walked around the garden.

5. The workers were glad to get the job done before the weekend.

6. I would be grateful if you could give me a good explanation.

7. We went to the village again because the garden was wonderful.

Level 5: Complex Sound Combinations

Focus: Pronounce /w/ and /ɡ/ naturally when they appear close together or within longer phrases.

1. We were gradually getting used to working together in a completely new environment.

2. When we walked through the garden, we realised how quickly the weather was changing.

3. The group was waiting near the gate when we arrived, wondering where everyone had gone.

4. We were given a great opportunity to work with a team that was willing to grow together.

5. We would greatly appreciate the guidance of someone with experience in global business.

Final Challenge: Read Without Stopping

Read the paragraph three times. Focus on clear consonants, smooth transitions and natural rhythm.

We were going to walk through the garden when we realised the weather was getting worse. A group of people was waiting near the gate, so we went over to see what was happening. One of the guides gave us a warm welcome and explained that we would have to wait a little longer. We were glad to have the opportunity to look around, and everyone agreed that it was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Practice Routine

• Round 1: Practise the individual words, first with /w/ and then with /ɡ/.

• Round 2: Repeat the short sentences, exaggerating the lip rounding for /w/.

• Round 3: Read the longer sentences naturally, avoiding unnecessary vowels around either sound.

• Round 4: Record yourself reading the final challenge. Listen back and check we, went, water, green, government, and growing.

Teacher tip: Keep would and good as occasional examples among the other target words. The main objective is to develop accurate /w/ and /ɡ/ pronunciation across a broad range of everyday vocabulary.