Words with a hidden Y sound

1. 1
   university/ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəti/

   noun

   The buildings and grounds where higher learning happens, including classrooms, labs and student housing.
2. 2
   student/ˈstuːdənt/

   noun

   Someone signed up to study at a school or college.
3. 3
   curious/ˈkjʊriəs/

   adjective

   Wanting to find things out and learn more.
4. 4
   opinion/əˈpɪnjən/

   noun

   What you personally think about something, rather than a proven fact.
5. 5
   argue/ˈɑːrɡjuː/

   verb

   To give your reasons for why you think something is true.
6. 6
   confuse/kənˈfjuːz/

   verb

   To make someone unable to think clearly about something.
7. 7
   regular/ˈreɡjələr/iAlso said ˈreɪɡjələr.

   adjective

   Happening at set times, again and again.
8. 8
   usual/ˈjuːʒəwəl/iAlso said ˈjuːʒuːəl.

   adjective

   Happening most of the time, the way things normally go.
9. 9
   huge/hjuːdʒ/iAlso said juːdʒ.

   adjective

   Very big in size or amount.
10. 10
    future/ˈfjuːtʃər/

    noun

    The time that has not happened yet.

The sentences

1. I never went to university when I was younger.

2. It feels strange being a student again at forty.

3. I was just curious about how it all works.

4. In my opinion the evening class suits me better.

5. I want to learn how to argue my point clearly.

6. Does any of this confuse you as well?

7. The class runs at a regular time each week.

8. It's not my usual way to spend an evening.

9. Signing up felt like a huge step for me.

10. I'm doing this for the future, not the money.

Pronunciation

• university/ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəti/

  Starts with the sound of 'you', and the stress lands on the third syllable, -ver-.

• curious/ˈkjʊriəs/

  The c is a k with a y right behind it: KYOOR-ee-us.

• opinion/əˈpɪnjən/

  The first syllable is a light 'uh'; the stress is on PIN.

• regular/ˈreɡjələr/

  The g carries a y sound: REG-yuh-ler, not REG-oo-lar.

• usual/ˈjuːʒəwəl/

  Starts like 'you', and the s sounds like the middle of 'measure'.

• huge/hjuːdʒ/

  The h is spoken, then a y sound: HYOOJ.

• future/ˈfjuːtʃər/

  The t sounds like the ch in 'church'.

Questions

What do you say when someone asks why you signed up?

You could say 'I'm doing this for the future, not the money,' or 'In my opinion the evening class suits me better.'

What does 'curious' mean here?

It means wanting to find things out and learn more, as in 'I was just curious about how it all works.'