🗣️ /ɛ/ sound

 IPA: /ɛ/ Sound -  the "open e" or "short e" sound. 

The IPA symbol /ɛ/ represents a mid-front vowel sound, often called the "open e" or "short e" sound. It is commonly heard in words like "bed," "head," and "red." To produce the /ɛ/ sound, the tongue is positioned halfway between the high front vowel (/i/) and the low front vowel (/æ/), with the tongue in a slightly more open position compared to the /æ/ sound. The lips are unrounded, and the sound is produced with a mid-open mouth position.

How to Know if It's the /ɛ/ Sound:

1. Tongue Position: The tongue is placed in the middle of the mouth—neither too high nor too low—and is forward.

2. Letter Pattern: It usually appears in words with "e" in the middle or at the beginning of syllables, especially when followed by a consonant, as in "bed," "pen," or "red."

3. Pronunciation Characteristics: The /ɛ/ sound is shorter and more open than other "e" sounds like /i/.

Sample Words with the /ɛ/ Sound:

1. Bed

2. Head

3. Red

4. Pen

5. Set

6. Let

7. Send

8. Help

9. Men

10. Check

Simple Sentences with /ɛ/:

1. The bed is comfortable to sleep on.

2. She put the pen on the desk.

3. I like to wear the red dress.

4. The men went to the park to play.

5. He will send the letter tomorrow.

6. Please help me with the homework.

7. The dog sat on the mat and looked up.

8. Don't forget to check the time.

9. We ate some bread with our soup.

10. The set was perfect for the game.

Tongue Twisters with /ɛ/:

1. The red pen was on the bed.

2. The men help the kids set the tent.

3. Check the head and pen for mistakes.

4. The pen fell from the bed to the mat.

5. Send the red letter to the men on the bench.

A Short Story with /ɛ/ Sound:

The Red Pen and the Help Needed

One sunny morning, Sarah woke up and found her red pen on her bed. She had been using it to write her notes the night before, but it had somehow rolled off and was lost under the covers. As she looked for the pen, her younger brother, Ben, came into the room.

"Can I help you, Sarah?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I need to find this pen so I can finish my homework."

Ben looked under the bed and quickly found the pen. "Here it is!" he said.

Sarah smiled and gave Ben a hug. "Thank you for your help! Now I can send my homework to school."

Afterward, they went downstairs to eat breakfast. Ben ate some toast with bread, while Sarah made a note to herself to be more careful with where she left her pen. From that day on, she always kept it in the same place, making sure to check it before starting any work.