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LISTEN |
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/s/…/s/…/s/…/s/…
sit…race…still…lesson |
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WHAT IS IT? |
Pronunciation:
The consonant /s/ is a voiceless, alveolar, fricative consonant.
The sound /s/ can be part of these consonant clusters:
The consonant /s/ is a voiceless, alveolar, fricative consonant.
- Touch your alveolar ridge (the hard space behind your upper teeth) with the tip of your tongue.
- Breathe out and let air escape your mouth. This should create a hissing sound.
- Your vocal cords should not vibrate.
The sound /s/ can be part of these consonant clusters:
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Beginning of a Syllable
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End of a Syllable
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/sp/ ("sp")- spin
/sl/ ("sl")- slip /st/ ("st") - stare /sk/ ("sk" / “sc”) - skate, scare /sw/ ("sw") - swim /sm/ ("sm") - smile /sn/ ("sn") - snow /spl/ ("spl") - split /spr/ ("spr") - spring /str/ ("str") - street /skw/ (“squ”) - squid |
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/sp/ ("sp")- wasp
/sps/ ("sps") - lisps /st/ ("st") - lost /sts/ ("sts") - hosts /sk/ ("sk")- task /ks/ ("ks" / "cks" / “x”) - looks, tucks, fax /sks/ ("sks") - masks /ŋks/ ("nks") - thinks /lks/ ("lks") - silks /ts/ ("ts" / "tts") - hits, watts /lts/ ('lts") - melts /nts/ ("nts") - pants /sts/ ("sts") - nests ("mps") - lumps /fs/ ("fs" / "ffs") - proofs, sniffs |
/ps/ ("ps" /"pes" / "pps" / "ppes") - lips, hopes, apps, steppes
/lps/ ("lps") - helps /mps/ /lfs/ ("lfs") - gulfs /θs/ ("ths") - breaths /dθs/ (“dths”) - widths /ndθs/ (“dths”) - thousandths /fθs/ ("fths") - fifths /lfθs/ ("lfths") - twelfths /tθs/ (“ths”) - eighths /ksθ/ ("xth") - sixth /ksθs/ ("xths") - sixths |
Spelling:
- “s” – son, post
- ”se” - house, base
- “ss” – miss, lesson
- “c” (+ i/y/e) – cinnamon, ceremony
- "ce" - once, place
- “sc” (+ i/y/e) – scissors, scene
- "st" (not common) - listen, hasten
Note: The spelling "x" (as in fix, boxes, Mexico) is pronounced /ks/.
Grammar Tip:
The “-s” ending is used to mark plural nouns, possessive nouns, and present tense 3rd person singular verbs. The “-s” ending is pronounced /s/ after most voiceless consonants (/p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/).
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COMPARE |
Compare /s/ with /z/:
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/s/…/z/…/s/…/z/…/s/…/z/…
These sounds are both alveolar, fricative consonants. However, /s/ is a voiceless consonant and /z/ is a voiced consonant. If you are pronouncing /s/, your vocal cords should not vibrate. At the end of a word, the vowel before /s/ will be shorter than the vowel before /z/. |
You can hear the difference between /s/ and /z/ in these words.
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1. A. sip, B. zip
2. A. sue, B. zoo 3. A. bus, B. buzz 4. A. loose, B. lose 5. A. pierce, B. peers 6. A. doses, B. dozes |
Practice recognizing words with /s/ and /z/ by taking this quiz.
Now, compare /s/ and /ʃ/:
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/s/…/ʃ/…/s/…/ʃ/…/s/…/ʃ/…
These are both voiceless, fricative consonants. However, /s/ is an alveolar fricative and /ʃ/ is an alveo-palatal fricative. When you pronounce /s/, your tongue is slightly farther forward than when you pronounce /ʃ/. |
You can hear the difference between /s/ and /ʃ/ in these words.
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2. A. sowed, B. showed
1. A. sip, B. ship 3. A. mass, B. mash 4. A. rust, B. rushed 5. A. leases, B. leashes 6. A. parcel, B. partial |
Practice recognizing words with /s/ and /ʃ/ by taking this quiz.
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PRACTICE |
Listen and repeat these words:

words_with_-s-.mp3 | |
File Size: | 756 kb |
File Type: | mp3 |
1. south
2. scope 3. sleep 4. space 5. street 6. spring 7. smile 8. guess 9. desk 10. last |
11. tops
12. lets 13. message 14. aspect 15. escape 16. interesting 17. especially 18. astronomy 19. mistaken 20. distrust |
Now, practice /s/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.
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1. sent – message – person
I sent the message to the wrong person. 2. cross – street – intersection You should cross the street at the intersection. 3. missed – last – asleep I missed your call last night because I was asleep. 4. astronomers – study – space Astronomers study outer space. 5. looks – outside – snowy The weather outside looks snowy. 6. class – meets - six (x = /ks/) Our class meets at six o'clock. |
To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:
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USE IT! |
Practice the task below. Then, record yourself completing that task. Give your recording to a teacher or an English-speaking friend for feedback.
Prepare:
What can you do to reduce stress? Look at the suggestions below and decide how they might help someone reduce stress.
Prepare:
What can you do to reduce stress? Look at the suggestions below and decide how they might help someone reduce stress.
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- Listen to music
- Get a massage
- Join a religious activity
- Practice yoga
- Go to a spa
- Go to the cinema
- Try a new recipe
- Walk outside
- Start a new project
- Sleep
- Get some exercise
- Go swimming
Record:
Imagine you are giving a presentation to students about how they can reduce stress. In your recording, describe 4 of the suggestions above and explain how each one can help students reduce stress.
©2018-2021, Christine Wingate

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