(2) [i] sound [i:] , /iy/

Lips: Tense and in a "smile" position
Slightly smiling,tense, not rounded.

Jaw: Almost completely raised.

Tongue: High, near the roof of the mouth.
Tense, high and far forward near the roof of the mouth.

• Open your mouth just a little for sound /iy/.
• Spread your lips into a smile.
• Push your tongue forward in your mouth /iy/ is
  a long sound.
• Move your tongue up a little as you say it.

Possible Pronunciation Problems

EXAMPLES
	Pronunciation problems occur because of confusing English spelling patterns and the similarity of [i] and [ɪ].
	If you say [ɪ] instead of [i]:	sheep will sound like ship.
		eat will sound like it.
	Remember to feel tension in your lips, tongue, and jaw. [i:] is a long sound; be sure to prolong it.
	Smile when you say [i:]; we guarantee it's easy to say [i:]!

[i] as in me, tea, and bee and [ɪ] as in it and pin.

🎧 Listen and repeat

[i] At the Beginning of words
eat	each	eager
eel	even	either
east	equal
easy	eagle

[i] in the Middle of words
mean	seal	please
need	leave	police
keep	reach
deep	scene

[i] At the End of Words
he	fee	she
be	tree	agree
key	knee
tea	free

[i] Spelled
final e	ee	ea	ie or ei	e+ consonant + e	final y	endings with ique
he	see	east	niece	these	city	unique
we	feel	lean	brief	Chinese	duty	boutique
me	deed	team	piece	Peter	coutry	critique
she	heel	cheap	belief	scene
	need	peach	either

Note:

Less frequent spelling patterns for [i] consist of the letter i and eo.
e.g.,police    people

The vowel [i] is prolonged before consonants. (consonants are all the sounds that are not vowels.) The dots are there to remaind you to lengthen.
🎧 Listen and repeat

fee	fee...d
see	see...d
pea	pea...s
bee	bee...s
tea	tea...m

🎧 Listen and repeat

Sentences

1. See you at three
2. see what I mean?
3. see you next week
4. see you this evening
5. pleased to meet you.
6. Steve eats cream cheese.
7. Lee has a reason for leaving
8. She received her teaching degree
9. A friend in need is a friend indeed
10. They reached a peace agreement

🎧 Listen and repeat, Click the right word in each group that does NOT contain the vowel [i:] (For answers, see the list below).

EXAMPLE
	keep	lean	fit	piece
	1.bead	great	leave	tea
	2. eight	piece	believe	niece
	3. scene	women	these	even
	4. need	been	sleep	thirteen
	5. police	thief	machine	vision
	6. pretty	wheat	sweet	cream
	7. people	bread	deal	east
	8. tin	teen	steam	receive
	9. leave	live	leaf	lease
	10. steep	Steve	easy	still

Click here to See the answers

Check Yourself:
1.	great
2.	eight
3.	women
4.	been
5.	vision
6.	pretty
7.	bread
8.	tin
9.	live
10.	still

[i] as in EVEN, BEAT,SEE

How to Pronounce [i]: The lips are spread into a "smile" position. The jaw is completely raised.

Typical Spelling for [i]: me, fee, sea

Less Common Spelling for [i]: piece, receive, key, police.

[i] words

Be sure to keep your lips in a smile position as you say [i].

🎧 Listen and repeat

Beginning	Middle	End
east	feet	me
easy	mean	key
each	niece	see
even	receive	agree

[i] sentences

1. He's teaching me.
2. Steve will leave the Key.
3. We eat meat.

Introducing the sound /iy/

To make this sound, set your lips 3/8 inch (1cm) apart. Widen you lips into a big smile.

Tongue is in mid position

The sound is long. Count to two silently to be sure it is long enough

Listen to the following examples and repeat them after the speaker.

 

e	ee	y	ey	ea	eo	oe	ei	ie	i	Is	ois
be he we	bee see sweet	marry happy	key honey	cheap fear	people	amoeba	either receive	niece	ski police suite	chassis debris	chamois
decent deny evil hero mere recede recent here	beer feeble feel feet freeze gee knee leeway need queen tee wee	bully crazy dizzy gaudy happy gazzy nearly pretty really silly timely ugly very	money		bean cheat crease ease feasible grease hear heat jeans lease meal peach season tease		conceive deceive neither receive weird	fierce lien piece piedmont pierce	chemise

The e in the article the is prounced /iy/ when it is followed by a word beginning with a vowel sound.

 

the apple the elephant the ice

the orange the union

the ocean the empire

The /iy/ sound, spelled y at the end of a word often indicates an adjective

 

tricky edgy

soapy chilly

stiky shaky

heavy easy

Adverbs often end in the syllable ly, pronounced /liy/.

 

nicely plainly

quickly sweetly

slowly clearly

A final iy sound after a name can indicate endearment or informality.

 

sweetie Bobby

Susie mommy

daddy cutie

Examples;

 

Jeannie,do you see the bees? Please freeze the peas Neither he nor she believes me We can easily read the agreement.

Compare the sound /ɪ/ with the sound /iy/.

 

/ɪ/	/iy/	/ɪ/	/iy/
bit sIt rip lip live did hill mill pill lick	beet seat reap leap leave deed heel, heal, he'll meal peel, peal leak, leek	rich pick dim dip sin fist sis his ship chip	reach peak, peek deem deep seen, scene feast cease he's sheep cheap

Examples

 

Six sheep were sick on the ship. Jim eats cheap chips He leaves me this measly little meal. She's as thing as he is. Please peel the beets and string the beans

Listen and click the wright word. (Writing practice)

 

sin	scene
live	leave
his	he's
hill	he'll
sit	seat

Listen and click the wright word. (Dictation practice)

 

deep	dip
meal	mill
reach	rich
seen	sin
his	he's

Click here to See the answers

Recognition Practice:scene. live,his, he'll, seat.

Dictation Practice:dip, meal, reach, sin, he's.

More Tips:

To make the vowel sound /i/ do this:

1. Stretch your lips horizontally.
2. Your tongue should be high in your mouth.
3. The sides of your tongue, near the back, should lightly touch your upper teeth.