The puff of air that keeps P from sounding like B

1. 1
   pen/pen/

   noun

   A tool you write with that puts ink on paper.
2. 2
   peach/piːtʃ/

   noun

   A soft round fruit with fuzzy skin and sweet yellow flesh.
3. 3
   pond/pɑːnd/

   noun

   A small area of still water, smaller than a lake.
4. 4
   push/pʊʃ/

   verb

   To move something away from you by pressing on it.
5. 5
   potato/pəˈteɪˌtoʊ/

   noun

   A round vegetable that grows underground and is cooked as food.
6. 6
   penguin/ˈpeŋɡwən/

   noun

   A black and white seabird that swims instead of flying and lives in very cold places.
7. 7
   purple/ˈpɜːrpəl/

   adjective

   Of the color you get by mixing red and blue.
8. 8
   pure/pjʊr/

   adjective

   Having nothing else mixed in.
9. 9
   promise/ˈprɑːməs/

   verb

   To tell someone you will definitely do something.
10. 10
    publish/ˈpʌblɪʃ/

    verb

    To print words or pictures so other people can read them.

The sentences

1. Could you lend me a pen for a minute?

2. That peach is too soft to eat now.

3. The ducks are asleep beside the little pond.

4. You have to push the door, not pull it.

5. I'd like the fish with a baked potato.

6. We watched a penguin swim past the glass.

7. Her jacket is purple, not blue like mine.

8. This juice is pure orange with nothing added.

9. I promise to call you as soon as I get home.

10. They plan to publish the photos next month.

Pronunciation

• push/pʊʃ/

  The vowel is short, like in book, not long like in boot.

• potato/pəˈteɪˌtoʊ/

  Stress lands on the middle syllable, TAY; the first is just a quick puh.

• penguin/ˈpeŋɡwən/

  The n is the ng of sing, and a w slips in after it: PENG-gwin.

• purple/ˈpɜːrpəl/

  Two p's: the first takes the puff, the second, before the l, is quieter.

• pure/pjʊr/

  A quick y sound sits between the p and the vowel: pyoor.

• promise/ˈprɑːməs/

  The ending is a weak -miss, not -mize or -mice.

• publish/ˈpʌblɪʃ/

  Both sounds are in one word: a puffed p at the front, a soft b in the middle.

Questions

What's a natural way to ask to borrow something to write with?

You can say "Could you lend me a pen for a minute?"

What does 'pure' mean in the sentence about the juice?

It means the juice has nothing else mixed in, as in "This juice is pure orange with nothing added."

How do you pronounce 'potato'?

Stress lands on the middle syllable, TAY; the first is just a quick puh.