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Dearest creature in creation - The Chaos /'keıɒs/
"The Chaos" is a poem which demonstrates the irregularity of English spelling and pronunciation, written by Gerard Nolst Trenité (1870-1946)
http://ncf.idallen.com/english.html
https://www.learnenglish.de/pronunciation/pronunciationpoem.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1V6Nn6aAmw
Click on the players of each stanza to listen to the sentences and don't hesitate to read them out loud !
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| Dearest creature in creation, | ˈdiərist 'kriːʧə ın kriː'eıʃən |
| Study English pronunciation. | ˈstʌdi 'ıŋglıʃ prəʊnʌnsiːˈeıʃən |
| I will teach you in my verse | aı wıl tiːʧ juː ın maı vɜːs |
| Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse. | saʊndz laık kɔːps kɔə hɔːs ənd wɜːs |
| I will keep you, Susy, busy, | aı wıl kiːp juː 'suːzi, 'bızi |
| Make your head with heat grow dizzy | meık jɔː hed wıð hiːt grəʊ 'dızi |
| Tear in eye, your dress you'll tear, | tıərın aı jɔː dres juːl tɛə |
| So shall I ! So hear my prayer. | səʊ ʃæl aı səʊ hıə maı preə |
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| Hear me say, devoid of trickery, | hɪə miː ˈseɪ dɪˈvɔɪd əv ˈtrɪkəri |
| Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore, | dɔːtə ˈlɑːftə ənd tɜːp'sıkəri |
| Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles, | ˈtaɪfɔɪd 'miːzlz ˈtɒpslz ˈaılz |
| Exiles, similes, and reviles; | ˈeksaɪlz ˈsimiliz ənd riˈvailz |
| Scholar, vicar, and cigar, | 'skɒlə 'vıkə ənd sı'gɑː |
| Solar, mica, war and far; | 'səʊlə 'maıkə wɔː ənd fɑː |
| One, anemone, Balmoral, | wʌn ə'nɛməniː bælˈmɒrəl |
| Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel; | 'kıʧın 'laıkn ˈlɔːndri 'lɒrəl |
| Gertrude, German, wind and mind, | 'gɜːtruːd 'ʤɜːmən wınd ənd maind |
| Scene, Melpomene, mankind. | siːn melˈpɒmɪniː mænkˈaınd |
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| Billet does not rhyme with ballet, | 'bılıt dʌz nɒt raım wıð 'bæleı |
| Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet. | buːˈkeı 'wɒlıt 'mælıt 'ʃæleı |
| Blood and flood are not like food, | blʌd ənd flʌd ɑː nɒt laık fuːd |
| Nor is mould like should and would. | nɔː ız məʊld laık ʃʊd ənd wʊd |
| Viscous, viscount, load and broad, | ˈvɪskəs 'vaıkaʊnt ləʊd ənd brɔːd |
| Toward, to forward, to reward. | ˈtɔːd tə 'fɔːwəd tə rı'wɔːd |
| And your pronunciation's OK | ənd jɔː prəʊnʌnsiːˈeıʃənz əʊ'keı |
| When you correctly say croquet, | wen ju kəˈrektli ˈseɪ krəʊ'keı |
| Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve, | 'raʊndıd 'wuːndıd griːv ənd sıv |
| Friend and fiend, alive and live. | frend ənd fiːnd ə'laıv ənd lıv |
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| Ivy, privy, famous; clamour | 'aıvi 'prıvi 'feıməs 'klæmə |
| And enamour rhymes with hammer. | ənd ɪˈnæmə raımz wıð 'hæmə |
| River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb, | ˈrɪvə ˈraɪvəl tuːm bɒm kəʊm |
| Doll and roll and some and home. | dɒl ənd rəʊl ənd səm ənd həʊm |
| Stranger does not rhyme with anger, | 'streınʤə dʌz nɒt raım wıð 'æŋgə |
| Neither does devour with clangour. | ˈnaiðə dʌz dı'vaʊə wıð 'klæŋgə |
| Souls but foul, haunt but aunt, | səʊlz bət faʊl hɔːnt bət ɑːnt |
| Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant, | fɒnt frʌnt wəʊnt wɒnt ɡrænd ənd grɑːnt |
| Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger, | ʃuːz gəʊz dʌz naʊ fɜːst seı 'fıŋgə |
| And then singer, ginger, linger, | ænd ðɛn ˈsiŋə 'ʤınʤə 'lıŋgə |
| Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge, | ˈriːəl ziːl məʊv ɡaʊdʒ ənd ɡeɪdʒ |
| Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age. | ˈmæridʒ 'fəʊliıʤ mı'rɑːʒ ənd eıʤ |
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| Query does not rhyme with very, | ˈkwɪəri dəz nɒt raɪm wɪð ˈveri |
| Nor does fury sound like bury. | nɔː dəz ˈfjʊəri ˈsaʊnd ˈlaɪk ˈberi |
| Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth. | dʌst lɒst pəʊst ənd dʌθ klɒθ ləʊθ |
| Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath. | dʒɒb nɒb ˈbʊzəm ˈtrænsəm əʊθ |
| Though the differences seem little, | ðəʊ ðə ˈdɪfrənsɪz siːm 'lıtl |
| We say actual but victual. | wiː seı 'æktjuːəl bət 'vıtl |
| Refer does not rhyme with deafer. | 'riːfə dʌz nɒt raım wıð ˈdefə |
| Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer. | 'fefə dʌz ənd 'zefə 'hefə |
| Mint, pint, senate and sedate; | mınt paınt 'sɛnıt ənd sı'deıt |
| Dull, bull, and George ate late. | dʌl bʊl ənd ʤɔːʤ et leıt |
| Scenic, Arabic, Pacific, | ˈsiːnɪk 'ærəbık pə'sıfık |
| Science, conscience, scientific. | 'saıəns ˈkɒnʃəns saıəntˈıfık |
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| Liberty, library, heave and heaven, | 'lıbəti 'laıbrəri hiːv ənd 'hevən |
| Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven. | ˈreɪtʃl̩ eɪk mʊˈstɑːʃ ɪˈlevn̩ |
| We say hallowed, but allowed, | wiː seı 'hæləʊd bət ə'laʊd |
| People, leopard, towed, but vowed. | 'piːpl 'lepəd təʊd bət vaʊd |
| Mark the differences, moreover, | mɑːk ðə ˈdɪfrənsɪz mɔəˈrəʊvə |
| Between mover, cover, clover; | bɪˈtwiːn ˈmuːvə ˈkʌvə ˈkləʊvə |
| Leeches, breeches, wise, precise, | ˈliːʧız 'brıʧız waız prı'saıs |
| Chalice, but police and lice; | 'ʧælıs bət pə'liːs ənd laıs |
| Camel, constable, unstable, | 'kæməl ˈkʌnstəbl ʌn'steıbl |
| Principle, disciple, label. | 'prınsıpl dıˈsaıpəl 'leıbl |
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Petal, panel, and canal, | ˈpetl̩ ˈpænl̩ ənd kəˈnæl |
| Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal. | weıt səˈpraɪz plæt 'prɒmıs pæl |
| Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair, | wɜːm ənd stɔːm ʃeız 'keıɒs tʃeə |
| Senator, spectator, mayor. | 'senətə spek'teıtə meə |
| Tour, but our and succour, four. | tʊə bət aʊə dʊə 'sʌkə fɔː |
| Gas, alas, and Arkansas. | gæs ə'lɑːs ənd 'ɑːkənsɔː |
| Sea, idea, Korea, area, | siː aɪˈdɪə kəˈrɪə ˈeəriə |
| Psalm, Maria, but malaria. | sɑːm mə'rıə bət məˈleərɪə |
| Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean. | juːθ saʊθ 'sʌðən klenz ənd kliːn |
| Doctrine, turpentine, marine. | 'dɒktrın 'tɜːpəntaın mə'riːn |
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| Compare alien with Italian, | kəmˈpeə 'eılıən wıð ı'tælıən |
| Dandelion and battalion. | ˈdəndilaiən wıð bə'tæliən |
| Sally with ally, yea, ye, | 'sæli wıð əˈlai jeı jiː |
| Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key. | aı aı eı eı weı ənd kiː |
| Say aver, but ever, fever, | ˈseɪ əˈvɜː bət ˈevəˈfiːvə |
| Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver. | ˈnaiðə ˈleʒə skeın dı'siːvə |
| Heron, granary, canary. | ˈherən ˈɡrænəri kəˈneəri |
| Crevice and device and aerie. | ˈkrevɪs ənd dɪˈvaɪs ənd ˈeəri |
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| Face, but preface, not efface. | feɪs bət ˈprefɪs nɒt ɪˈfeɪs |
| Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass. | flɛm fleg'mætık æs glɑːs beis |
| Large, but target, gin, give, verging, | lɑːʤ bət 'tɑːgıt ʤın gıv ˈvɜːʤıŋ |
| Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging. | ɔːt aʊt ʤaʊst ənd skaʊə bət 'skɜːdʒiŋ |
| Ear, but earn and wear and tear | ɪə bət ɜːn ənd weər ənd teə |
| Do not rhyme with here but ere. | duː nɒt raım wıð hıə bət eə |
| Seven is right, but so is even, | 'sɛvn ız raıt bət səʊ ız 'iːvn |
| Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen, | 'haıfən 'rʌfn ˈnevjuː 'stiːvn |
| Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk, | 'mʌŋki ˈdɒŋki tɜːk ənd ʤɜːk |
| Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work. | ɑːsk ɡrɑːsp wɒsp ənd kɔːk ənd ˈwɜːk |
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Pronunciation -- think of Psyche! | prəʊnʌnsiːˈeıʃən θıŋk əv 'saıki |
| Is a paling stout and spikey? | ız ə 'peılıŋ staʊt ənd 'spaıki |
| Won't it make you lose your wits, | wəʊnt ıt meık juː luːz jɔː wıts |
| Writing groats and saying grits? | 'raıtıŋ grəʊts ənd 'seııŋ grıts |
| It's a dark abyss or tunnel: | ıts ə dɑːk ə'bıs ɔː 'tʌnl |
| Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale, | struːn wɪð stəʊnz stəʊd ˈsɒlɪs ˈɡʌnl̩ |
| Islington and Isle of Wight, | 'ızlıŋtn ənd aıl əv waıt |
| Housewife, verdict and indict. | ˈhʌzif 'vɜːdıkt ənd ın'daıt |
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| Finally, which rhymes with enough? | 'faınəli wıʧ raımz wıð ı'nʌf |
| Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough? | ðəʊ θruː plaʊ ɔː dəʊ ɔː kɒf |
| Hiccough has the sound of cup. | ˈhikʌp hæz ðə saʊnd əv kʌp |
| My advice is to give up! / give it up! | maı əd'vaıs ız tə gıv ʌp / gıv ıt ʌp |
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