The /ŋ/ Sound: Pronouncing ng

Mastering the American Accent » The /ŋ/ Sound: Pronouncing ng

The /ŋ/ Sound: Pronouncing ng

There's as much risk in doing nothing as in doing something.
Trammell Crow

In American English, the final g in the word ending -ing should not be dropped, but it should not be over pronounced either.

Don’t say: “I’m goin shoppin.” And don’t say “I’m going shopping” by releasing the g too strongly. To create the /ŋ/ sound raise the back of the tongue and let it touch the soft palate, which is the soft area at the rear of your mouth. Don’t release your tongue when you pronounce /g/, or just release it slightly. The mistake of saying “goin’ shoppin’ ” is that the tip of the tongue is touching the area right behind the upper front teeth to create a /n/ sound. And if you say “going shopping,” the mistake is that the /g/ is released too much.

Words for Practice

doing
teaching
coming
listening
being
going

Word Pairs for Practice

doing nothing
something wrong
looking young
wedding ring
bring everything
feeling strong

Practice Sentences

Don’t bring the wrong rings to the wedding.
I love running, skiing, and swimming.
He’s looking young and feeling strong.
They sell anything and everything in that clothing store.

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