In American English, "bird", "word", "heard", "turn" and "first" all share one vowel, a strong "er". In Indian English, many speakers give these words different vowels based on the spelling: an "i" in "bird", an "o" in "word", a "u" in "turn". Endings like "-er", "-or" and "-ar" may also keep their spelled vowels: "DOC-TOR", "SU-GAR", "CA-LEN-DAR". What you will learn: • One "er" or several? • Spelling-based vowels • When the vowel makes a word sound like another • The endings -er, -or, -ar, -ure • "here", "there", "poor" and friends • Two syllables where you expect one • The TH + "er" words: numbers and days • Practice: decode the sentence • Listening strategies • Self-check questions to test your ear Level: B1–B2. Self-study: listen, then take the quizzes. Audio voiced with AI from an original script by Dr. Rashmi R Nair.