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/ɜː/ in PERSON, BIRD, TURN, WORD, LEARN

Stressed ER + consonant

certain - certainly - certainty - Berlin - berth
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Definition of BERTH

German - Germany - herb - herbal - kerb
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Definition of KERB

merchant - mercury - mercy - merge - nerd - nerve - nervous
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perfect - permanent - person - sermon - serve - service
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Definition of SERMON

term - terminal - verb - verse - version - vertical - were (stressed)
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Listen to WERE said both (1) unstressed /wə/ and (2) stressed /wɜː/...

1. What were you doing?
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2. WERE you?!?!?!?
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Stressed IR + consonant

bird - birth - birthday - circle - circuit - circumstance
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dirt - dirty - fir - firm - first - girl
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Images of FIR TREES

sir - shirt - skirt - stir - third - thirsty
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Stressed UR + consonant

burger - burglar - burn - burst
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curl - curse - cursor - curtain - curve
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fur - refurbish - furniture - further
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hurdle - hurt - murder - murmur - nurse - nurture
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Definition of MURMUR

purchase - purple - purpose - purse - return
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surf - surgeon - surgery - surname
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Thursday - turban - turn - turtle - urban
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Stressed WOR + consonant

word - world - work - worse - worst
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worth - worthy - worm - worship
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Be careful of these two, which look like they belong to the same family... but don't...

wore - worn
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Stressed EAR + consonant (a few)

earn - learn - earth - heard
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earl - pearl - early - search - research
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Sentences

1. His first serve was perfect.
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2. The girl had a purple skirt, a fur purse and pearl earrings.
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3. The merchant sold herbs in Germany.
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4. The purpose of the surgery was to fix her murmur.
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5. They are nervous about the merger at work on Thursday.
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6. The bird perched in the fir tree.
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7. It was the little girl’s first birthday.
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8. We certainly have to refurbish this room and purchase new curtains.
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9. This is the world’s worst burger - it’s really burnt.
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10. That person tripped on the kerb and got his shirt dirty.
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11. Let’s learn about the earth.
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12. I heard that the service isn’t worth it.
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