The letters aw/au/ou -- examples of the awful English spelling system

Wadjasay? American English Pronunciation Practice

The “aw” sound in English is usually written with either “aw” or “au”. Here are two examples:

“August” — his birthday is in August.
“Squawk” — the ducks quacked and the chickens squawked.

Let’s practice.

1. I like to paint. Mary likes to draw.
2. The cat was drinking milk from a saucer.
3. Michael is studying law at the university.
4. When you cut wood with a saw, it makes sawdust.
5. She was very sleepy and kept yawning.
6. The castle was haunted by a scary ghost.
7. I threw the ball. John caught the ball.
8. Mary threw the ball. I caught it. [Note the ’t’ in caught is pronounced /d/ if followed by a vowel!]
9. The audience applauded the singer’s awesome performance at the audition.
10. Their dog was gnawing on a bone and growling.
11. Please fix that faucet. The drip is driving me crazy.
12. The farmer works from dawn till dusk. That’s the same as working from sunrise till sunset.

But why stop there? The 'aw' sound is also found in words like fought and bought. So let’s practice a few more sentences

13. Those boys are always fighting. They fought yesterday. They’ll fight today. And I’d be surprised if they didn’t get in a fight tomorrow, too.
14. I bought a loaf of bread. Mr. Millionaire bought a Mercedes. He has money to burn.
15. We ought to talk less and listen more.

And a quote:

I've always thought a hotel ought to offer optional small animals. I mean a cat to sleep on your bed at night, or a dog of some kind to act pleased when you come in. You ever notice how a hotel room feels so lifeless?

Anne Tyler

Lots more quotes at https://www.brainyquote.com/

Intro & Outro Music: La Pompe Du Trompe by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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