Oh, no snow!

Consonants at the start o f syllables

Som e one-syllable w o rd s a re just a single vowel sound (V), fo r ex am p le oh and eye. If w e add
one o r m ore c o n so n a n t so u n d s (C) to th e beginnings o f these w o rd s, they a re still only one
syllable. L ook a t these exam ples.

^'Q h , no snow!’^
V CV CCV
oh /oo/ no /n o o / snow /sn o o /
O
oh faol low /b o / slow /si 00/
eye /ill/ lie /la i/ fly /fla i/
air /eo / where /w e a/ swear /sw eo /
or fa '/ law /in:/ floor /Flo:/

W h e n th ere are tw o C s a t th e s ta rt o f a syllable:

• if th e first C is / s/, the second C can he any o f these: /!'/, /k/, /I/, An/, /p /, /!/, Av/, /j/.
• if th e first C is a n y so u n d o th e r th an A/, the second C ca n on ly be one o f these: /I/, AV, /w /, /j/.
W hen there are th ree C s a t the s ta rt o f a syllable:
• the first C is alw ays A/.
You m ay find som e o f these syllables w ith m o re th a n one C a t th e beginning difficult to say.
Listen to these exam ples.
A / + C: spell stairs sleep small sn ack swim
C + /I/, Ivly /w / o r /j/: blue fly dress gro u n d quick sw im view tune
A / + C C : spring strange square scream

W hen th ere a re tw o o r m ore Cs a t the beginning o f a syllable, m any learners a d d a V before the
first C o r betw een the Cs. Be careful!
• If you a d d a V before the first C, you m ay get a d ifferent w o rd . F o r exam ple, if you a d d a
vow el before sleeps it m ay becom e asleep.
• If you a d d a V betw een the Cs, you m ay get a different w o rd . F or exam ple, if you add a vow el
betw een / s/ a n d /p/ in sport, it becom es support.
Listen to the difference.
+ e x tra s y lla b le
sleep asleep
dress address
street a street
sp o rt su p p o rt
T h a t ski. T h a t’s a key.
T h a t sm ile. T h a t’s a mile.
W h a t snake? W h a t’s an ache?

English Pronunciation in Use

English Pronunciation in Use

 S e c tio n B Syllables, words and sentences

Exercises
2 4 .1 Add one C to the sta rt of each word to make a new word in the pictures. Be careful: think of sounds,
not spelling! _ _____________________ __ . .
— s ^ A #

E xample r e d -...................... -(red /red / + b = bread /bred/)

2 l o c k ----------- 6 l a t e -------------- - --- ------

3 r a i n ________________ 7 ro u te ..—--------------------
4 k e y ________________

2 4 .2 Add one of th e sounds from the box after th e consonant at the sta rt of these words to make o th er
words. Think of sounds, not spelling!

Ikl /I/ /r/ Ipl It I

E xample die J m .....

1 back 6 pay
2 fight 7 tw o
3 fat 8 say
4 go 9 sin
5 pain 10 send

2 4 .3 Listen and circle th e word you hear.

B18 5 T h e d irt cam e off in th e steam / stream.
1 T h e glass / gas is green.
2 1 d o n ’t w a n t to play / pay. 6 She d id n ’t w a n t to stay / say.
3 It w as a terrible fight / frightl 7 T h e pain / plane w en t d o w n .
4 T h e to o th / truth is out! 8 I c a n ’t sell / sm ell anything.

2 4 .4 Listen and tick the sentence or phrase you hear, A or B.

fH9
A B Follow up: Record yourself
saying the phrases and
1 th a t slow bus That's a low bus. sentences in 24.4, choosing A
2 an ice-cream a nicer cream or B each tim e. Make a note
3 th a t spot That's a pot. o f which sentence or phrase
4 th a t street That's a tre a t you say. Then listen to your
5 She loves the States. She loves the estates. recording in about tw o weeks.
6 small stream a smaller stream Is it clear which you said?
7 slow speech a slower speech
8 straight street a straighter street

USSEESSSE^

English Pronunciation in Use 57

 Go - goal - gold
25 Consonants at the end o f syllables
Som e one-syllabic w o rd s have n o c o n so n a n t so u n d (C) afte r the vow el so u n d (V), fo r exam ple
go. [f w e add one o r m o re c o n so n a n t so u n d s (C) to th e end o f these w o rd s, they arc still only
one syllable. H ere is an exam ple.

Goal! Gold!
Som etim es, if you d o n o t p ro n o u n ce th e last C o f a w o rd , you in fact say a n o th e r w o rd . For
exam ple, if you d o n o t p ro n o u n ce th e final /k / in think /Oigk/ you get thing /Oiij/. Listen to the
w o rd s below . T h e w o rd s on the left so u n d the sam e as the w o rd s on th e right w ith o u t the final
C, so you can see th a t it is im p o rta n t to p ro n o u n ce the final co n so n an ts.
B20 vcc VC
b e lt /b e ll/ bell /be 1/
change Jlfein d ^/ chain /t J e m /
range /rc in d 3/ rain /re in /
help /h elp / hell /h e I/
film / f i l m / f ill /I II/
te n th /le n t) / te n / t e n /
le a rn t / h i n t / (earn / I 'j in /
w o lf /w o lf/ w o o l /w ol/
hold / lio o k l/ hole / h a u l/

Som e learners o f English find it difficult to p ro n o u n ce tw o C s to g eth e r a t the end of a syllable. If

you have this p roblem , you m ay find it easier if you p u t a w ord beginning w ith a V afte r it an d
im agine th a t the last C o f the first w o rd is in fact th e beginning o f the second w o rd . For
exam ple, if you find it difficult to say the /n t/ at th e end o f w eren't, im agine the /t/ a t the s ta rt of
the n e x t w ord:
T hey w eren't a hie to do it. T h ey w eren ' —►table to do it.

A Note: We often g et the consonant pair /n t/ a t the end of negative contractions, e.g. isn't. (See Unit 35.)

A Note: There are often two or more Cs at the end of verbs in the past tense. For example walked is
pronounced / w o :k t/ so it has the pattern CVCC. Similarly with -es endings, likes is pronounced /lark s/
(CVCC).

Som e learners o f English a d d a vowel after w o rd s en ding in tw o Cs to m ake it easier to say.

But be careful: if you add an e x tra V after the last C , you m ay g et a different w ord.
B2] Listen to these exam ples.
help helper
sent centre
cook c o o k er
m ix m ixer
p ast pasta

58 English Pronunciation in Use

 S e c tio n B Syllables, words and sentences

Exercises
25.1 Remove a consonant sound from the end of each word to make a new word. Be careful: think of
sounds, not spelling! Look at the example. If you remove th e last sound from w ent /w e n t/, you get
when I w en/.
E xample w ent .
1 field 4 build ___________________ 7 g u e s t --------------
2 ch an g e ____ 5 shelf ________________ 8 w ild —.............— .........
3 six __ 6 w e a lth ---- ----------------

2 5 .2 Read the conversation and underline the words which end with tw o consonant sounds.
A: O K , first q u estion. W h a t’s the eighth m o n th in the year?
B: It’s A ugust.
A: C orrect! Second q u estion. W h a t’s the highest m o u n ta in o n E arth?
B: M o u n t Everest.
A: C o rrec t again! M o u n t Everest! N e x t question.
W hich city is fu rth est e a st in E urope: A thens, Brussels o r B udapest?
B: Is it B udapest, o r p erh ap s Brussels?
A: N o , it isn’t. It’s A thens. O K , last q u estion. W hat's th e biggest lan d an im al in the w orld?
B: T he elephant.
A: Very good! T hree o u t o f fo u r co rrect, th a t’s seventy-five percent!

Now read the conversation aloud. Pronounce the underlined words carefully.

2 5 .3 Think of a com puter which people speak into and it writes w hat they say. This com puter wrote these
sentences down wrongly. The m istakes are underlined and one of th e correct words is given a t the
end in (brackets). Write th e correct sentences.
E xample She dozen tu rn m uch, (earn) . § h . £ . . ................... — ... .
.

1 1 th in g cold ca rs arc better, (think) ----- —................

2 T h e bang c a u g h t to be open by now . (ought) ...... -....... ............
3 I th in g call the tim e, (all) ---- — -- ----------
4 T hese big c a rs w hole date people, (hold) .— ............ ............ ....... ..................... - ...................................
5 D id he fill m o th er kinds o f m ovies too? (other) ----- — -- ----------
6 T hree people have sick size, (eyes) ---------------------- -... — ......... ..
7 If you to o k asp irin s, y our head w o o d en ta k e, (ache) ..............-.......... -... —........................... .............

2 5 .4 Listen and circle the word you hear.

B22 1 T hey to o k th eir cook / cooker w ith them 5 Is th a t y o u r guess f g u est ?
2 She w a s a g re a t help / helperl 6 T h e y b u m / burnt th e food.
3 H e d id an / d id n ’t exercise. 7 It’s all in the past / pasta now.
4 T hey learn / learnt quickly. 8 T h a t m ix / m ixer w a sn ’t very good.

English Pronunciation in Use 59

 Paul's calls, Max's faxes
26 Syllables: plural and other -s endings
The n o u n call /kd:I/ is one syllable a n d the plural calls /kr>:l7/ is also only one syllable. Usually
the -5 ending is just a conson ant sound (C), nor an o th er syllable. It is pronounced /s/ or hJ.
W hen w e add -s to m ake th e third person singular present, it is the sam e. For exam ple, the verb
kn o w /n o 0/ is one syllable and the third person form know s /n o o z/ is also only one syllable.
W hen w e add -ys to m ake the possessive it is also the same. For exam ple Paul and Paul s are
both just one syllable.
B23 Listen to the exam ples o f -s endings in these rhymes.
C laire’s chairs.
Bob’s jobs.
D i’s pies.
Rose know s.
Pat’s hats.

Sometimes, plural, third person and possessive endings are an o th er syllable. For exam ple,
fax /fiek s/ is o n e syllable, but faxes /fzek.siz/ is tw o syllables.
B24 The plural and o th e r endings are an o th er syllable w hen the original w o rd ends in o n e o f the
sounds below. Listen to the exam ples and rhymes.
/s/ C hris’s kisses, the nurse’s purses, M a x ’s faxes
/J7 Trish’s wishes
/z / Rose’s roses
/t JY The w itch’s w atches
/d 3/ G eorge’s fridges

A Note: When the -s ending is another syllable, it is pronounced / iz/.

With -s endings, we sometimes get a lot of consonant sounds together at the end of syllables, for
example, facts /fcekts/. Many speakers of English make it simpler and do not pronounce one of the Cs.
For example, they may pronounce facts like fa x /Tasks/. Here are some more examples.
She never sends birthday cards, (sounds like: She never /se n ? / birthday cards)
B25
/lie liffs broken, (sounds like: The /lifs/ broken)
It ta stes fu n n y (sounds like: It /te is / funny)
That's what he expects, (sound like: That’s what he /ik'speks/)

Try to m ake sure you pronounce th e -s ending. It is very im p o rtan t to the m eaning. Listen to the
exam ples and notice h o w the -s ending changes the m eaning.
noun verb
B26 Ja n e ’s nose Jane know s
N ick’s weights Nick w aits
singular plural
M y friend spends a lot. M y friends spend a lot.
O u r guest cam e late. O u r guests cam e late.

60 English Pronunciation in Use

 S e c tio n B Syllables, words and sentences

Exercises
2 6 .1 M atch the beginnings and ends o f these phrases so th a t th ey rhyme. Then listen a n d repeat.
827 1 M s F o x ’s --------------------------------- a fridges
2 M y niece’s " b b o x es
3 T h e w itc h ’s c pieces
4 M r B ridge’s d phones
5 M r Jo n es e kisses
6 C h ris’s f p lan s
7 A n n e ’s g sw itch es

2 6 .2 W rite th e third person form s of th e verbs from th e box in the correct part o f th e table below.
B28 Then listen, check and repeat.

wtKoh sm g go g et dance kiss co m e w ash see close p u sh pull

1 syllable 0 S/VujS

2 syllables Oo datche, s

2 6 .3 These speakers are n o t pronouncing all th e consonants a t the ends of som e words. W hat are they
saying? Write the sentence.

(so u n d s like: M y fa v o u rite /'s A b d 3 e k s /

chem istry)

(so u n d s like: T h e re are m an y different (so u n d s like: T he /w m z / very s tro n g to d ay )

/k a in z / o f w hale)

2 6 .4 Listen and circle th e word you hear.

B29 6 I read th e b o o k / b o o ks very quickly.
1 I s a w th e bird / birds fly aw ay.
2 W h a t rim e did th e guest J guests leave? 7 T h e bag / bags fell o n th e floor.
3 H e b ro k e his arm / arm s in the accident. 8 T h e shop J shops w ill b e closed.
4 She san g th e song / songs h e r fa th e r w ro te. 9 W h e n w ill the class I classes begin?
5 W h e re d o es she p a rk h e r car J cars a t night? 10 T h e b o x / boxes w o n ’t be big e n o u g h .

Follow up: Record yourself saying the sentences in 26.4, choosing

singular or plural. Make a note o f w hich one you said. Then listen to
your recording in about tw o weeks. Is it clear which words you said?

English Pronunciation in Use 61

 Pete played, Rita rested
27 Syllables: adding past tense endings
T h e verb play /p le i/ has one syllable a n d th e p a st tense played /p le id / also has only o n e syllable
Usually the -ed ending is just a c o n so n an t sound (C), n o t a n o th e r syllable; th e letter E is silent.
So, for exam ple, sm iled /sm a ild / rhym es w ith child /t faild /, even th o u g h child does n o t have a
letter E before the D. Listen to th e rhym es. N otice th at -ed rhym es w ith e i t h e r / t / o r Ai/.
H e looked ro u n d first,
A nd then reversed.
T h e c a r th a t passed
W as going fast.
It h it the side.
T h e driver cried.
H e never guessed.
H e 'd pass the test.

If th e infinitive of the verb ends w ith the sounds /t J o r /d/, -ed o r -d is a new syllable; the letter E
is p ro n o u n ced as a vow el sound. For exam ple:
hate /lie d / = one syllable
hated / ’h e ifid / = tw o syllables

Listen a n d co m p are the sentences on the left and rig h t below.

B31 0 0 OoOo (-ed = extra syllable)

Pete played. Rita rested.
Dan danced. Colin counted.
Will watched. Wendy waited.
Liz laughed. Sheila shouted.
Clare cleaned. Myra mended.
Steve stopped. Stacey started.

Past tense endings tell you if th e sentence is present o r past. Listen to the difference.

Present Past
B32 y o u never c o o k a m eal. You never cooked a m eal.
I som etim es w atch a m ovie. I som etim es w atched a movie.
Wc often phone o u r paren ts. We often phoned o u r parents.

A Note: If it is difficult to say the -ed ending in words like cooked, imagine th at the -ed is joined to the
word after. For example say cooked all the food like this: cook tall the food.

Note: If the word after the past tense verb begins with a consonant, you may not hear the -ed,
e.g. cooked dinner, walked through.

62 English Pronunciation in Use

 S e c tio n B Syllables, words and sentences

Exercises
27.1 M atch the beginnings and ends o f these rhymes.
1 T h e p eo p le q u e u e d v a w a s n ev er found.
2 T h e th in g you m is s e d ^ v b a re o n th e b o a rd .
3 T h e m a n co n tro lle d c a n d th e n she sm iled.
4 She saw the child d to build on sand.
5 T h e b o a t th a t crossed n. e w a s o n th e list.
6 T h e m a n w h o d ro w n e d f un til sh e co u g h e d .
7 T h e s n o w w e rolled g th e n a tio n ’s gold.
8 H e r voice w a s sofr h to buy the fo o d .
9 T h e p o in ts w e scored i w a s n e a rly lost.
10 W e never p lan n e d j w a s h a rd a n d cold.

2 7 .2 W rite the p ast tense of th e verbs from th e box in the correct part of th e table.
Then listen, check and repeat,
h a te w a lk need w a sh w a it w a ste h e lp taste phone dance end ask

1 syllable 0 talked
-ed = extra syllable Oo

2 7 .3 C om plete each sentence w ith the past tense o f a verb from th e box. In each sentence, th e first sound
o f th e verb is the sam e as th e first sound in the person's nam e! Then listen, check and repeat.

p lay w atch add phone count m ix cook s ta r t shout point

OOO OoOoOo (-ed = extra syllable)

P a u l................................. games. P e te r ................................. pictures.

Ken ...................... lunch. K a re n .................................. money.
Fred .............. friends. S te lla ................................ - singing.
Marge .................. drinks. A lice ......... -....................... suqar.
W ill_________________ films. S h e ila _____________ __— loudly.

B34 Now listen, check and repeat.

2 7 .4 Listen and circle th e verb form you hear, past or present.

B35 1 I alw a y s w alk / u/alked a w a y fro m fights. 5 I alw ay s hate / h a ted Sundays.
2 I th in k th ey w a n t / w a n ted to talk . 6 Y ou never help / helped Alice.
3 M e a n d m y friends laugh / laughed a lot. 7 T h e y need / needed m o re tim e.
4 O n S a tu rd a y s, w c dance t d a n ced all night. 8 T h e y p a in t 1 p a in ted th e w ails every few years.

Follow up: Record yourself saying the sentences in 27.4, choosing the
present o r past tense. Make a note o f which tense you say. Then listen
to yo u r recording in about tw o weeks. Is it clear w hich tense you said?

English Pronunciation in Use 63