The best way to use this poem to practice/test your pronunciation is to:
1. Read the poem out loud [speaking]. Do your best to read with a good rhythm as it will help your pronunciation.
2. Look at the definitions of any of the bolded words below that you don’t know.
3. Listen closely to my recording of the poem while you read along. Do your best to notice any errors you made in pronunciation.
4. Read the poem out loud again. Focusing on speaking with the same rhythm and flow as the native speaker.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you can read the poem flawlessly [without making any mistakes]
6. Study the poem more carefully, examining the strange pronunciation of the words.
Vocabulary
I take it – I assume
Tough – strong, difficult to break
Bough – a main branch of a tree (uncommon)
Cough – to shoot air out from your lungs with a harsh sound, generally when sick.
Dough – the mixture of ingredients used to make bread, before being cooked
Stumble – make mistakes while speaking
Hiccough – an involuntary spasm that makes a funny noise and is almost impossible to stop. (See video)
Thorough – when something is done carefully and completely
Cork – the brown stopper in the top of a wine bottle
Ward – a room for patients in a hospital
Font – a type/style of text. Examples: Times New Roman, Arial, Georgia, etc.
Dreadful – extremely bad
Bead – a small piece of glass, stone, or other material, usually round and used in jewelry or clothing.
For goodness sakes – to be surprised or annoyed by something
Deed – a brave or noble act
Threat – promising to inflict pain, injury, or death to someone
Suite – a fancy room in a hotel
Debt – when you owe money to someone
Moth – a colorless butterfly (see photo)
Bother – to annoy someone
Broth – the liquid part of a soup
Dose – a quantity of medicine or drug
Rose – a beautiful flower (see photo)
Goose – a large white bird, similar to a duck (see photo)
Thwart – to prevent someone from accomplishing something
Cart – a vehicle used for carrying stuff.
Man alive - used to express shock (not very common)