The aim of this leaflet

The aim of this leaflet is to introduce to you materials on pronunciation available in the Language Commons and to suggest ways to choose materials.

Materials in the SAC

• Multi-Media Materials
  We have a wide selection of materials on Pronunciation in the SAC including: books, cassettes, videos ,CD-ROMs and DVDs. The attached tables (‘Materials on Pronunciation in the SAC’ and ‘Pronunciation Areas Covered by Materials in the SAC’) can help you find suitable materials to work with. You can also check our SAC website from:  http://lc.ust.hk/~sac/materials/english/matenpron.htm and you can check in VELA http://vela.ust.hk/ for lots of suggestions on materials you could use.  If you’re not sure which materials are the best for you, go and see one of our SAC Advisers. You can check who to see and when from the advising timetable here: http://lc.ust.hk/~sac/adviser/timetable.html


• Music CDs, Poems and Games Activity Sheets
  There is a good collection of music CDs, poems, Jazz Chants and games which you can use to work on a specific area of pronunciation. Try them they really make learning fun. These materials are located SAC Area A. Ask at Reception if you need help finding them


• Other materials
  An important part of pronunciation practice is to listen. There is a wide collection of videos in Area A for you to select. Many of them also have transcripts (found on the Movie Transcripts Shelf) so you can practice more easily. You may also want to expose yourself to different accents. You can find lots of different accents on the internet and in many of the listening materials on the Listening Shelf. Ask an SAC Adviser (http://lc.ust.hk/~sac/adviser/timetable.html) for help in identifying accents and selecting suitable materials.. You can also refer to the advice sheet  L5 Listening to British and American English  http://lc.ust.hk/~sac/sacadsheet.html for more ideas.

Choosing materials

How do I know the best material to choose? Sometimes it’s a question of ‘judging the book by its cover and ‘trial and error’. Interest plays a key role but you also need to know if it will actually be useful for you. If you’re really at a loss, you should go to see an SAC Adviser (http://lc.ust.hk/~sac/adviser/timetable.html). You can also consider answers to the following questions:  

• Does the material contain the area(s) I want to practise?
• Does the material use the type of English I want to practise? (British, American, Australian)
• Is the material interesting to me?
• Do I like the contents and the approach?
• Is the material designed for classroom teaching or self-access (independent) learning or both?
• Do I need to find an answer book if I want to check my answers to exercises?
• Is the material designed for individual or group learning?
• Do I prefer to follow through with one set of materials or pick out units from different materials according to the problems I have identified?
• Must I use the material in the SAC or are there copies in the Library that I could borrow?
• Is the material recommended by an SAC Adviser really interesting and useful to me?
• When can I work with an SAC Adviser to make sure I’m using the materials in the best way or to get help with using the materials (understanding how to use them/checking answers)?

Learning tips

When you are deciding if the material you’ve selected really is suitable for you, browse through the following sections in the material to get a clearer idea of what the material has to offer:

• Table of contents (to check it covers the area/s you want to focus on)
• Introduction (for students and for teachers to find out about the approach used and to get an idea of how the author thinks the material should be used)
• Blurb (description of the material usually found on the back cover of a book or the sleeve of a CD-ROM or a DVD, or found at the start of a webpage)
• Teacher’s book (in case the answers are not included in the student’s book)