Ll

Written By: Greg Whitfield
Copyright © 1996 Greg Whitfield

Little Larry Langly knew the sound of W
And A, E, I, and O and U quite well
And though he'd mastered B and C and D and F and G
He couldn't say the sound of letter L

He could write an L just perfect
He was really good at that
But saying L was what he couldn't do
When he tried to say the letter L
His mouth would make an O
And it came out sounding like a W

Poor old wittle Warry Wangwy
His L's sounded just like W's
Poor old wittle Warry Wangwy
His L's sounded just like W's

Then his teacher finally figured out
What he was doing wrong
He was trying to make the L sound with his lips
So she taught him how to put his tongue
Behind his upper teeth
And flip it down to make it sound like this

/l/ /l/ /l/ /l/ /l/ /l/ Larry Langly
His L's no longer sound like W's
/l/ /l/ /l/ /l/ /l/ /l/ Larry Langly
He knows the sound as well as me and you

Suggested Activities

Little Larry Langly made a common error when trying to say the sound of letter L -- he tried to make the L sound with his lips. If he'd looked into a mirror, he would have noticed this. His teacher did notice, however, and taught him how to put his tongue behind his upper teeth and flip it down.

Try these two methods in front of a mirror and note the difference, it's like night and day (or L and W). Once mastered, try both ways with common "L" words. One way sounds right, the other doesn't. Careful not to make fun of anyone who hasn't yet mastered the sound, it's a common mistake some kids make. Look at Little Larry - he used to say his L's like W's, and now he's a successful lawyer!

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Other Songs and Activities:

A | B | C | D | E | F
G | H | I | J | K | L | M
N | O | P | Q | R | S | T
U | V | W | X | Y | Z