English Vowels (2 of 8)

i

To produce: With your lips retracted, raise your tongue high and shift it forwad slightly.
Feel your tongue slides of your mouth as your produce this long vowel sound.

Listen

-                 --             ----

beat          bead         be/bee
feet/fete    feed        fee

Practice the vowel /i/ as you focus on length.  Repeat:

keep   -   keen   -   key
neat    -   need   -   knee
seek   -   seam/seem   -   sea/see
teach   -   team   -    tea/tee
 

The following words contain both the vowel /i/ and the schwa. 
Repeat:

decent             reason              appeal           complete
even                recent               appear          machine
evil                  season               believe          police
 

I

To produce:  With your lips retracted very slightly, raise your tongue mid-high in front so that its sides touch the upper side teech.  Keep the tongue relaxed.
 
To find the right placement for /I/, move your tongue between vowels /i/ and /ə/.

This vowel occurs frequently in English speech.  It is a new sound for many non-native speakers of the language.  Listen

-              --
hit           hid
lit            lid
wit          win
 

Practice /I/ as you focus on its length.  Repeat:

-               --

it              in
hint         him
mitt         mid
sit            sin

Synonyms - Practice the vowel /I/ in synonyms.  After you hear A, and B, repeat B.

A                   B

boundary    limit
danger         risk
large             big
occupied      busy
terminate    finish
intimidate   inhibit

 
This time after you hear A, you say B.  Then listen to the model.

A                  B
 
excavate     dig
strike           hit
smooth        kiss
wealthy        rich

Contrast: /i/  -  /I/

Can you differentiate between these sounds?  Listen to word pairs. 
You will hear one word again.  Which is it?

deed   ----    did   ----            feet   ----    fit   ----    heat   ---   hit   ---

Answers:   deed   fit   hit

Practice words and sentences with both vowels /i/ and /I/.  Repeat, and listen again
to the sentence each time.

bean   -   been     The bean has been planted.
is   ---    ease       It is done with ease.
sit   ---   seat        Let's sit in that seat.
did   ---   deed     Who did that deed?
will   ---   wheel    I will turn the wheel.
fit    ---   feet        Will they fit your feet?
it    ---   eat          It will not eat.

Practice alternating between vowels /I/ and /i/ in sentences.  Feel your tongue relax for /I/ and sense for /i/.  Repeat:

He did eat it.              /i, I, i, I/
He will meet this niece.  /i, I, i, I, i/
Did she give me this?   /I, i, I, i, I/
He will need his jeans.   /i, I, i, I, i/
Steve will leave it clean.  /i, I, i, I, i/
Will he fill these bins?    /I, i, I, i, I/
 
Antonyms - Practice contrasting vowels /I/ and /i/ in antonyms.  After you hear A, select its antonym in B.  You will hear a model after.

A                        B
 
arrive                 live/leave
didn't                 did/deed
poor                  rich/reach
head                 fit/feet
die                    live/leave
unfit                  fit/feet
 
Answers:  arrive - leave   didn't  - did   poor - rich   head - feet die - live   unfit - fit

Contrast:  /I/  - /ʌ/
Can you differentiate between these sounds?   Listen to word pairs.  You will hear one word again.  Which is it?

been ---  bun ---             him ---  hum ---    sin ---   son/sun ----

Answers:   been   him    sin

Repeat these words and sentences.  LIsten again t the sentence each time.

big   -   bug     How big is the bug?
him  -   hum     I heard him sing and hum.
win   -   one     Win that one.
tin     -   ton      The tin weighs a ton.

Practice words with both vowels /I/ and /ə/.  Repeat:

admit                minute
commit             timid
unfit                  women

Source: The American Accent Guide (2nd Edition)
http://www.amazon.com/American-Complete-Comprehensive-Pronunciation-Individuals/dp/0963413902/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304307187&sr=1-1