The same fifteen words as the cards above, written out in full — easy to scan, search or print.

a thick accentB1noun

a strong accent that is hard for people from elsewhere to follow

Eliza has a thick accent, and Higgins can place it the moment she speaks.

drop your aitchesC1idiom

to leave the H sound off the front of words when you speak

She drops her aitches, so house becomes ‘ouse.

to place someoneB2verb

to work out where someone is from by the way they speak

I can place a man within six miles, Higgins boasts.

elocution lessonsC1noun

old-fashioned training in pronouncing words clearly and correctly

Eliza asks Higgins for elocution lessons so she can work in a flower shop.

to enunciateC1verb

to pronounce every sound in a word clearly and separately

Higgins makes her enunciate until every sound is separate and clear.

your vowelsB1noun

the a, e, i, o and u sounds, which carry most of an accent

Your vowels carry most of your accent, which is why he drills them.

Received PronunciationC1noun

the clipped accent of the old British upper class, often shortened to RP

Received Pronunciation is learned deliberately, and it is learned expensively.

well-spokenB2adjective

speaking in an educated, carefully pronounced way

At Ascot she is well-spoken now, but the words are not her own.

putting on an accentB1idiom

using a voice that is not naturally yours

She is putting on an accent, and Higgins gave her sound rather than substance.

your accent slipsB2idiom

the voice you are putting on fails for a moment and the old one returns

The horses thunder past, she forgets herself, and her accent slips.

to pick up an accentB1idiom

to acquire an accent from the people around you

By the ball she has picked up an accent that belongs nowhere.

opulentC1adjective

rich, grand and luxurious, with no expense spared

Critics called the production opulent, and it won eight Oscars.

archC1adjective

knowingly clever and teasing, as if sharing a private joke

The screenplay keeps Shaw’s arch dialogue almost intact.

theatricalB2adjective

belonging to the stage, and sometimes too large for the screen

Reviewers found the film ravishing but theatrical.

melodiousC1adjective

pleasant to listen to, and full of tune

The score is genuinely melodious, even when Higgins half-speaks his songs.