Grandfather Passage

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The Grandfather Passage is a public domain text frequently used to gather a speech sample. It contains nearly all of the phonemes of American English including many r-colored vowels. However, the vowel /oo/ is not included.   

You wished to know all about my grandfather. Well, he is nearly ninety-three years old. He dresses himself in an ancient black frock coat, usually minus several buttons; yet he still thinks as swiftly as ever. A long, flowing beard clings to his chin, giving those who observe him a pronounced feeling of the utmost respect. When he speaks his voice is just a bit cracked and quivers a trifle. Twice each day he plays skillfully and with zest upon our small organ. Except in the winter when the ooze or snow or ice prevents, he slowly takes a short walk in the open air each day. We have often urged him to walk more and smoke less, but he always answers, “Banana Oil!” Grandfather likes to be modern in his language.

See Also

Rainbow Passage