UNIT 1 THE CONSONANTS OF ENGLISH

Structure

1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Distinguishing between Spelling and Sounds in English
1.2.1 The Phonetic Symbols – Why We Need to Have Them
1.3 The Consonants of English
1.3.1 Consonants /p, b, t, d, k, g, tʃ, dʒ/
1.3.2 Consonants /f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/
1.3.3 Consonants /m, n, ŋ, l, r, j, w/
1.4 Let Us Sum Up
1.5 Key Words
1.6 Answers

1.0 OBJECTIVES
In this Unit we shall consider the differences between the written word and the
spoken word in English. We shall establish that these differences necessitate the use
of phonetic symbols to represent each sound, and that we need to learn to associate
each symbol with the sound it represents. We shall present the consonant symbols
with the sounds they represent. Then we shall use the phonetic symbols to transcribe
simple words and pronounce them as they are transcribed. You can consult the
Internet for the pronunciation of words.

At the end of this unit you should be able to

 Differentiate between sound and spelling in English.

 Recognize the symbols for the consonants, that is, the sound each symbol stands
for.
 Recognize and produce each consonant sound as distinct from another.
 Listen to and transcribe the consonants in simple words.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Our study of words and word formation in English was confined to the written word.
In other words we concentrated on the spelling and meaning of words rather than
their pronunciation. In this unit we shall concentrate on how words, which are made
up of a combination of sounds are pronounced. The spoken word is as important as
the written word and its importance cannot be overestimated. This is so because of
the increasing use of oral communication owing to technological developments in
telecommunications in the context of globalization, and the growing importance of
English as a means of international communication. Another reason why we need to
know what the written word sounds like is that the written form of a language may
not always represent its spoken form. So the written word may not indicate how it is
to be pronounced. Let us look at numbers in different languages, for example. In
German, French and English the numbers when written have the same shapes, i.e. 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 etc. but these numbers do not give us any clue as to how they
are to be pronounced in these languages. We, therefore, have to learn how to count
in every language if we wish to speak the language.

Similarly, many languages may use the same letters of the alphabet, that is, the same
script. Yet these letters may not represent the same sounds or combinations of
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Sounds of English sounds in every language, nor do they indicate how many sounds there are in a
language or how these sounds combine to form words and words combine to form
longer utterances. For example, German, French, English, Khasi (Indian tribal
language) use the Roman script but these letters do not always correspond with the
sounds, in these languages.

In English there is no one-to-one correspondence between spelling and sound.

Therefore, in addition to considering how words are formed, how they change and
how new words are created we also need to learn how these new words are
pronounced. Let us take up the plural and past tense morphemes, for example. The
plural morpheme has the spelling s or es. It can be pronounced in three different
ways. In other words, caps, huts, roofs, sticks, berths, the plural morpheme s is
pronounced as in sit. In the words, tubs, beads, logs, caves, wreaths, drums, sons,
songs, bells, boys, bears, days, cows, the plural morpheme is pronounced z as in zoo.
In the words, watches, badges, buses, dishes, bruises, garages, the plural morpheme
is pronounced iz as in his. The past tense morpheme spelt -ed is pronounced t as in
tub in words such as reaped, booked, bluffed, stitched, crossed, rushed, crushed. In
the words rubbed, dragged, massaged, -ed is pronounced d as in day. In the words,
wanted, parted, raided, founded -ed is pronounced id as in lid. It is for this reason
that it is as necessary to learn the consonant and vowel sounds and how they are
pronounced when they combine to form words.

1.2 DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN SPELLING AND

SOUNDS IN ENGLISH

1.2.1 The Phonetic symbols – why we need to have them

As we have already said, English is one of those languages in which there is no
perfect correspondence between the letters of the alphabet and the sounds. This is
owing to the fact that while English has 44 sounds, it has only 26 letters of the
alphabet. So the alphabet is overburdened, and very often one letter or groups of
letters represent different sounds, and different letters stand for the same sound. This
is confusing for us because in a large number of Indian languages there is perfect
correspondence between spelling and sounds, and words are pronounced as they are
written. As a result of the influence of our mother tongue we tend to pronounce
English words also as they are spelt and quite often our pronunciation of those words
turns out to be incorrect. We need, therefore, to be aware of the different facets of
the lack of correspondence between the letters of the alphabet and the sounds of
English.

Activity 1
Let us consider the following.

A(i) Look at the following words and listen to them.

1. bough 3. dough 5. through

2. cough 4. thorough 6. tough
What is common to all the words above? Are all the words pronounced
alike? You must have noticed that though all the words end with the same
letters –ough, these letters are pronounced differently, that is, they represent
a different vowel in each word.

Listen to the words again. Can you pick out the words in which you can hear the
letters g and h being pronounced? They stand for the sound /f/, the first sound in the
6 word fall. These two letters are not pronounced in four of the words.
(ii) Let us look at some more words. Listen to them carefully, paying special The Consonants
attention to the letters underlined. of English

1. character 4. chalk 7. technical 10. cache

2. charm 5. charade 8. macho 11. breach
3. chagrin 6. chaff 9. machine 12. monarch

How many different sounds do the letters ch stand for in these words? Group
them according to the sound they represent. They represent three different
consonant sounds.

(iii) Listen to the different vowel sounds the letter a represents in the following
words.

1. age 6. date 11. say 15. surface

2. ask 7. fast 12. star 16. swan
3. about 8. woman 13. sofa 17. village
4. and 9. cat 14. match 18. watch
5. all 10. water

The letter a represents seven different vowel sounds in these words. Can you
hear them?

We have seen from all the examples above that one of the problems with
spelling in English is that the same letter or groups of letters can stand for
different sounds.

B Let us look at another problem that can cause confusion. Listen to the
following words, paying special attention to the pronunciation of the letters
underlined.

each reach sea piece people suite

eel deep tree believe geyser machine
eke these be receive key

What do you notice about the pronunciation of the vowel letters underlined?
The vowels letters in the words are different, that is, ea, ee, e, ie, ei, eo, ey, i,
ui, but all of them represent only one vowel sound — the vowel sound in the
word see. The letters ui in suite are pronounced like the word we.

Thus one vowel sound is represented by different letters or combinations of

letters.

C. Let us look at another problem arising out of the lack of one-to-one

correspondence between spelling and sound in English.

Listen to the following pairs of words.

A B A B
1. bad bade 6. right write
2. doe dough 7. sew sow (verb)
3. mail male 8. too two
4. know no 9. vain vein
5. pour pore 10. would wood

You must have noticed that the pronunciation of each pair of words is the
same though the spelling is different. 7
Sounds of English D(i) Here is another problem that makes pronunciation differ from the written
word.

Look at the following words and listen to them.

1. quack 4. quench 7. square

2. quarter 5. question 8. squash
3. queen 6. quilt 9. squirrel

Did you notice that the letter q in all these words represents two consonants
sounds, not one — the first sound in the word cold and the first sound in the
word watch.

(ii) There is a similar problem with the letter x

Listen carefully to another set of words.

1. excellent 6. exhibition
2. exclusive 7. exact
3. excursion 8. examine
4. excuse 9. example
5. exercise 10. exertion

Notice that the letter x represents two sounds. In words 1-6 x represents the
first sound in call and the first sound in sun. In words 7-10 the letter x
represents two sounds as well, but these are different from the words 1-6.
The first sound in words 7-10 is like the first sound in girl and the second
sound is like the first sound in zoo.

Thus we have seen that the spelling of a word in English does not always
give us an indication of how it is to be pronounced. Let us go over the
problems that arise out of a lack of perfect correspondence between spelling
and sound.
a. Words with the same spelling may represent different sounds.
b. One sound may be represented by different letters of the alphabet.
c. Words with different spelling may be pronounced alike.
d. One letter of the alphabet may represent two sounds. For example, q and x.

From this it is clear that we cannot depend on the spelling of words for their
pronunciation.

Check Your Progress 1

1. Listen to the following sets of words and answer the question for each set.
Here is an example of how you are to answer these questions.

i. How many different consonant sounds does the letter c have in the following
words?

cord, pencil, concentrate, certain, fleece, dice, medical, bicycle, hectic

The letter c has two sounds:

a. cord, concentrate, medical, bicycle, hectic, pronounced like ‘the first’

sound in the word kite.
b. pencil, concentrate, certain, fleece, dice, bicycle pronounced like the first
8 sound in sit.
 ii. How many different consonant sounds does the letter i have in the following The Consonants
words? of English

rice, pity, light, terrible, mike, insight, sickle, final, triumph, police, ski
………………………………………………………………………….….
....…………………………………………………………………………..
..…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...
iii. How many different consonants sounds does the letter s have in the
following words?

days, months, plains, course, sugar, mansion, treasure, desert, reason

………………………………………………………………………….…
………………………………………………………………………….…
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...
iv. How many different consonant sounds does the letter e have in the following
words?

wicked, theme, send, temple, be, event, fete, severe, develop

………………………………………………………………………….…
………………………………………………………………………….…
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...
v. How many different vowel sounds does the letter g have in the following
words?
ginger, govern, gauge, engine, mirage, gallant
………………………………………………………………………….…
………………………………………………………………………….…
………………………………………………………………………….…
…………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………...……
…………………………………………………………………………...

2. Write down at least three words with different spelling to represent each of the
following consonant sounds. For this, follow the example given below:

a) p as the first sound in the word pot

b) j as the first sound in the word joy.
c) f as the first sound in the word fees.
d) s as the first sound in the word sit.
e) z as the first sound in the word zoo. 9
 Example: p as in pot
i) poster
ii) appoint
iii) shepherd

……………………………………………………………………………….…
…...….……………………………………………………………………….…
...……….……………………………………………………………………….
….……….…………………………………………………………………...…
……..…….……………………………………………………………………..

3. Write down at least three words with different spelling to represent each of the
following vowel sounds.

a. ee as the second sound in the word peep

b. e as the first sound in the word end
c. o as the first sound in the word off
d. u as the second sound in the word fun
e. a as the first sound in the word ask

Example: ee as in peep

i. bead
ii. piece
iii. key
……………………………………………………………………………….…
…...….……………………………………………………………………….…
...……….……………………………………………………………………….
….……….…………………………………………………………………...…

How can a foreign language learner overcome the problems of pronunciation (as
shown above) arising out of the mismatch between spelling and sound in English?
How can we learn to pronounce words correctly? We can do so by consulting the
dictionary. But the dictionary cannot tell us how words are to be pronounced unless
it makes use of a device other than the spelling. Therefore, dictionaries generally
use phonetic symbols to represent the consonant and vowel sounds of English.
These symbols have been developed by the INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC
ASSOCIATION to help linguists recognize and describe the sounds of the
languages of the world. They are based on the principle ONE SYMBOL FOR ONE
SOUND. Thus each of the symbols for consonant and vowel sounds stands for one
sound only.

We shall now take up the symbols for the consonants of English as given in the
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (8th edition).

1.3 THE CONSONANTS OF ENGLISH

English has 24 consonant sounds in all. The dictionary has 24 phonetic symbols to
represent these sounds.

First, listen carefully to each of the following consonant sounds and look carefully
at the symbol that represents it. Then listen to each sound again and repeat it and
10
also the key words in which it occurs. Notice that different spelling stand for the The Consonants
same sound. of English

1.3.1 Consonants p, b, t, d, k, g, tʃ, dʒ

Symbol Keywords
1. /p/ as in pen, open, cap
2. /b/ as in bead, rubber, knob
3. /t/ as in tea, butter, receipt
4. /d/ as in duck, ladder, called
5. /k/ as in keys, pocket, stomach
6. /g/ as in goal, beggar, ghost
7. /tʃ/ as in chin, question, catch
8. /dʒ/ as in joy, budget, courage

Let us now learn to associate the symbol with the sound it stands for. Notice that
the symbols p, b, t, d, k, g are the same as the letters of the alphabet and will not be
difficult to remember. We need to learn the symbols /tʃ/ and /dʒ/ which are not
familiar.

Check Your Progress 2

1. Listen to each consonant produced. Each consonant sound will be

followed by a vowel sound – the vowel in the word last for which we use
the symbol ɑ:, for example, pɑ:, dɑ:. Ignore the vowel sound. Write down
the symbol only for the consonant you hear.

1. __ ɑ: 2. __ ɑ: 3. __ ɑ: 4. __ ɑ: 5. __ ɑ:
6. __ ɑ: 7. __ ɑ: 8. __ ɑ: 9. __ ɑ: 10. __ɑ:

2 Listen to the words in the audio and fill in the blanks with the symbol for
the consonant you hear at the beginning and end of each word. The symbols
for the vowels have been provided. Follow the example given:
Example: take, __eɪ__ Answer: teɪk

1. ___i: ___ 2. ___əʊ___ 3. ___aɪ___ 4. ___æ___ 5. ___aʊ___

6. ___ eɪ___ 7. ___æ___ 8. ___ɑ: ___ 9. ___ɪ___ 10. ___ɒ___

3 The following words have been written in ordinary spelling. Refer to the
consonant symbols given and use the symbols to indicate the consonant
sounds and the letters which the spelling represent. For the vowel sound/s in
each word write the letter V. Place each transcribed word between slanting
lines to distinguish it from the word in ordinary spelling. For example: tape
is transcribed as /tVp/ and dog as /dVg/

1. big ……… 5. tape ……… 9. tight ………

2. peach ……… 6. pocket ……… 10.digit………
3. guide ……… 7. check ……… 11.jade………
4. cage……… 8. doubt ……… 12. gate………
11
Sounds of English 4 Listen to the following words. Listen carefully to the consonant sounds
used in each word and write down the symbol for each. Write V for every
vowel sound used. Remember to place each word you transcribe between
slanting lines as you did before.

1. page …………. 6. chide ……………. 11. bucket ………….

2. boat …………. 7. package ……….. 12. gadget ………….
3. cheap………… 8. jacket …………… 13. cottage ………….
4. tied …………… 9. diet …….……….. 14. topic………………
5. catch…………. 10. poach………….. 15. chalk………………

1.3.2 Consonants: / f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/
Symbol Keywords
9. /f/ fall, surface, staff
10. /v / voice, civil, dive
11. /θ/ think, author, fifth
12. /ð/ the, gather, breathe
13. /s/ sea, assign, brass
14. /z/ zoo, ozone, noise
15. /ʃ/ she, assure, wash
16. /ʒ/ vision, leisure, garage
17. / h/ hat, perhaps, whole

1.3.2.1 Consonants /f/ and /v/

(a) Listen to the following words with /f/ on the audio and repeat each word.

/f/
1. phone 6. surface 11. refine
2. fact 7. rough 12. calf
3. coffee 8. behalf 13. proof
4. refuse (vb) 9. trophy 14. efficient
5. suffer 10. graph 15. favour

(b) Write down at least three words with the sound /f/ that have the spelling ph,
ff and gh

..………………….…………………………..………………………………
………………….…………………………..………………………………
…..……………….…………………………..………………………………
(c) Listen to the following words with /v/ on the audio and repeat them.

/v/
1. vague 6. govern 11. violent
2. vane 7. love 12. visa
3. voice 8. of 13. volunteer
4. arrival 9. curve 14. vowel
5. civil 10. dive 15. severe

To produce /f/ and /v/ correctly we must take care to place our upper teeth
lightly on the back of the lower lip and let the air pass out with friction
through the narrow passage between the upper teeth and the lower lip. For
12
 /f/ there is no vibration in the throat, while for /v/ there is vibration which The Consonants
you will feel if you place the palm of your hand on your throat while of English
articulating it.

(d) Listen to the difference between /f/ and /v/ in the following pairs of words
and repeat each pair.

/f/ /v/ /f/ /v/

fail veil surf serve
fine vine calf carve
file vile leaf leave
foil voile proof prove
off of belief believe

1.3.2.2 Consonants /θ/ and /ð/

Listen to the following words with the sounds /θ/ and /ð/ and repeat each word.

/θ/
1. thick 6. author
2. thatch 7. bath
3. thought 8. teeth
4. theft 9. faith
5. theatre 10.sixth

/ð/
1. that 6. other
2. though 7. father
3. they 8. bathe
4. their 9. soothe
5. gather 10.breathe

In India these sounds are generally pronounced like the first consonant sound in the
Hindi words थाली and ददद respectively. This pronunciation is acceptable.

1.3.2.3 Consonants /s/ and /z/

Listen to the following words with the sounds /s/ and /z/ and repeat each word
/s/
1. seat 6. ask 11. case
2. sage 7. ascend 12. fox
3. soak 8. muscle 13. cross
4. scent 9. massive 14. rice
5. cement 10.paste 15.niece
/z/
1. zoo 6. exist 11. noise
2. zest 7. puzzle 12. breeze
3. zigzag 8. lazy 13. buzz
4. zodiac 9. result 14. deeds
5. xerox 10. possess 15. knees

If you find it difficult to produce either /s/ or/and /z/, follow the procedure below.

Move the tip and blade of your tongue towards the teeth ridge (the hard portion
behind the upper teeth) so that there is a very narrow passage between them for the
air from the lungs to escape. When you allow the air to escape, it passes out with
friction making a ‘hissing’ noise for /s/ and a ‘buzzing’ noise for /z/. This 13
Sounds of English difference is owing to the fact that while for /s/ there is no vibration in the throat,
for /z/ there is. You will notice this if you try producing /s/ and /z/ alternately,
placing the palm of your hand on your throat.

Activity 2

Let’s listen to the difference between the two sounds in the following pairs of
words and repeat each pair.

/s/ /z/ /s/ /z/

(a) (b) (a) (b)

1. sip zip 6. cease seize

2. sink zinc 7. bus buzz
3. sue zoo 8. peace peas
4. dose doze 9. race rays
5. loose lose 10.source sores

If you wish to practice the consonants /s/ and /z/ further, read the following
sentences aloud.

1. The mechanic says the car’s due for servicing.

2. We’ve had seven long days of strikes and agitations!
3. I missed the seven o’clock news this morning.
4. Rows of new houses have come up along this street.
5. The number of zebras in this zoo have increased to seven.
6. Several of them expressed their views on the subject.
7. Some drivers persist in blowing their horns in the silent zone.

Remember /z/ as in zoo must be distinguished from /dʒ/ as in joy.

Listen to the difference between /z/ and /dʒ/ in the following pairs of words and
repeat each pair.

/z/ /dʒ/ /z/ /dʒ/

(a) (b) (a) (b)

1. zoo jew 5. buzz budge

2. czar jar 6. raise rage
3. zealour jealous 7. seize siege
4. zest jest 8. ways wage

Activity 3

Here are some sentences and a passage to help you practice the difference between
/z/ and / dʒ/.

1. The players from Zimbabwe wore black badges.

2. The students staged two plays on college day.
3. The jury reserved their verdict in the case.
4. She enjoys bungee jumping.
5. The project proposal was challenging.
6. Jaya finds geography lessons enjoyable.
7. The executive engineers constructed two bridges in record time.
8. The majority of people praised the actors for their performance.
14
The passage The Consonants
The girls and boys in the village went to the annual fair and enjoyed themselves. of English
What the majority of them loved was a joy ride on the camel and the giant wheel.
They all took turns to go to the magic show as well.

As we said earlier the plural morpheme and inflectional suffix that nouns take in the
formation of plurals is pronounced differently depending on the sound that precedes
them.

I Let us first look at the following nouns in their plural forms and listen
to them.
1. carts 7. tables 13. drums 19. mirages
2. shapes 8. knives 14. scythes 20. cows
3. cakes 9. bulbs 15. buses 21. fleas
4. cliffs 10. bags 16. brushes 22. rays
5. months 11. lemons 17. watches 23. flowers
6. birds 12. rings 18. judges 24. news
25. bruises

Try saying each word aloud. Can you group the words according to the
pronunciation of the plural suffix? There are three different pronunciations.
Let’s listen to each of these words and make three different groups
according to their pronunciation. Now look at the words in each group and
make a note of the last consonant sound (before the suffix) in each word.

You will notice that the plural suffix is pronounced /s/ as in see after nouns
ending in the consonants /p, t, k, f and θ/.

It is pronounced /z/ as in zoo after nouns ending in vowels and the

consonants /b, d, g, m, n, ŋ (as in thing), v, ð, l/

It is pronounced /ɪz/ as in is after nouns ending in /z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/

II Now let’s look at the 3rd person possessive forms of nouns and listen to
pronunciation of the inflectional suffix to which the same rule applies.

the cat’s fur

the dog’s ears
the judge’s verdict
the day’s work

III Similarly, let’s look at the inflectional suffix of the 3rd person singular
forms of verbs and listen to the pronunciation of each word.
1. jumps 5. comes 9. washes 13. carries
2. writes 6. runs 10. pleases 14. plays
3. risks 7. sings 11. crouches 15. tries
4. bluffs 8. saves 12. dodges 16. bows

1.3.2.4 Consonants /ʃ/ and /ʒ/

Let us take up the consonants /ʃ/ as in sheep and /ʒ/ as in pleasure. Notice that the
symbols for these consonants are not familiar and have to be learnt.

Listen to each of the following words with the consonant sound /ʃ/ on the audio and
repeat it.

1. sheet 6. ocean
2. shock 7. pressure
15
Sounds of English 3. sugar 8. crash
4. conscious 9. moustache
5. luxury 10. rubbish

Listen to each of the following words with the consonant sound /ʒ/ and repeat each
word.

1. decision 5. garage 9. casual

2. explosion 6. mirage 10. sabotage
3. pleasure 7. usual
4. occasion 8. prestige

Notice that the consonant /ʒ/ does not occur at the beginning of English words, and
it occurs in the final position only in a few words.

Activity 4

If you find it difficult to keep /s/ and /ʃ/ distinct from each other, practice saying the
following sentences.

1. She just went on shouting at the top of her voice.

2. Sirish likes crushed ice in his fruit juice.
3. This is the store that sells precious stones.
4. Polish your brassware with ash.
5. He didn’t succeed in catching a single fish.
6. Surely she’s not serious about signing the deal.
7. Your machine must be serviced regularly.
8. They shiver and shake at the sight of snakes.
9. Has Sheila shown you the silver salver she bought?

You could read the following aloud if you need further practice in the difference
between /s/ and /ʃ/.

It’s been such a long session that she’s no longer able to pay attention to the
discussion. So much so, that she almost fell asleep, when a sudden outburst from
some delegates shook her up.

1.3.2.5 Consonant /h/

Listen to some words with the consonant sound /h/ and repeat each word.

/h/
1. half 6. who
2. hall 7. whole
3. head 8. behind
4. heal 9. perhaps
5. history 10.behold

Notice that /h/ does not occur in the final position in words.

Note that the letter h is silent in the words honourable, honorarium, honorary,
honorific, honour, hour, honest. It is also silent in the spelling sequence gh e.g.
ghost, aghast, ghastly, ghetto.

Check Your Progress 3

Underline the letter(s) in the following words which represent(s) the consonant
shown between slanting lines. Mark a cross (x) on the top of words in which this
consonant does not occur.
16
 (x) The Consonants
Example: /p/ - supple, photograph, shepherd, tape, of English

1. /k/ calculate, choir, choice, ache, accent, century, occur, character, success
2. /g/ gauge, ghost, suggest, beggar, exact, ginger, guard, gypsy, gynaecology
3. /tʃ/ choir, feature, teach, chasm, brochure, chord, batch, posture, chronic
4. /dʒ/ gesture, guest, dagger, suggest, adjective, soldier, vogue, engine, gasket,
genius
5. /f/ cough, bough, daughter, laughter, physics, shepherd, graph, trophy, through
6. /s/ busy, assume, geese, desert, clothes, listen, bruise, decrease, exercise,
design
7. /z/ houses, assess, observe, dessert, cruise, listen, bristles, geese
8. /ʃ/ confusion, procession, charade, pressure, decision, precious, exposure,
chiffon, potassium

Check Your Progress 4

1. Look at the following sets of words. You will hear only one word of each set of
three on the audio. Tick the word you hear.

a.1 . fail bail veil

2. foil boil voile
3. ferry berry very
4. fan ban van
5. feign bane vain/vein

b. 1. pace page pays

2. race rage rays
3. gorse gorge gauze
4. cease siege seize
5. bus budge buzz

c.1 . sip ship chip

2. sue shoe chew
3. seat sheet cheat
4. sin shin chin
5. sore shore chore

1.3.3 Consonants /m, n, ŋ, l, r, j, w/

Look at the symbols for these consonant sounds and the key words in which they
occur.
Symbol Keywords

18. /m/ mass, commerce, steam

19. /n/ nest, finance, scene
20. /ŋ/ angle, drink, wrong
21. /l/ lamp, collar, roll
22. /r/ wrong, current, hurry
23. /j/ yes, reduce, view
24. /w/ west, whip, question
17
Sounds of English The symbol for the consonant sound in song, that is, /ŋ/ is not familiar, so we have
to learn it. The symbol /j/ does not stand for the letter j as in jam but for the first
sound in the words yard, young.

Look at the following words with the consonant sound /m/. Listen to each word

/m/
1. mail 6. emphasis
2. metre 7. plumber
3. mood 8. comb
4. hammer 9. solemn
5. emblem 10.stream

Here are some words with the consonant sound /n/. Listen to each word.

/n/
1. nine 6. pneumonia
2. knock 7. tone
3. fanatic 8. brown
4. manner 9. son
5. sunny 10. win

The following words have the consonant sound /ŋ/. Listen to each word carefully.

/ŋ/
1. bangle 4. uncle 7. ring
2. shrink 5. king 8. strong
3. tank 6. song 9. wing

This consonant does not occur at the beginning of words.

Listen to the following words carefully. Both the words have the sound /ŋ/ and the
spelling ng.

angle
singer

Did you perceive any difference in the pronunciation of the letter ng in these
words? In the word angle the letters ng stand for two sounds —/ŋ/ and /g/. In the
word singer the two letters stand for only one sound /ŋ/.

Listen to the two sets of words below. Both have the letters ng in the medial
position.
(a) (b)
1. finger 4. bringer
2. longer 5. hanger
3. stronger 6. ringer
7. singer
In set (b) all the words are derived from verbs ending in the consonant sound /ŋ/.
For example, bringer is the form bring /brVŋ/ and the letters ng in these words are
pronounced /ŋ/.

The letters ng in set (a) are pronounced /ŋ+g/.

Listen to both the sets of words again for the difference in the pronunciation of the
letters ng.
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Then transcribe all the words in sets (a) and (b). Write V for the vowels in each The Consonants
word. of English

Listen to the following words with consonant sound /l/.

/l/
1. lead 6. pillar
2. lane 7. feeble
3. lamb 8. sample
4. collar 9. doll
5. early 10.roll

Here are some words with the consonant sound /r/. Listen to them.
/r/
1. rind 5. current
2. riot 6. irritate
3. wrong 7. peril
4. wrap 8. sorry

In Standard British English the sound /r/ generally does not occur in the final
position in isolated words. The letter r in the final position in words such as actor,
father, butter is pronounced /r/ only when they are followed by vowel sounds in
connected speech. For example, in the following phrases r is pronounced /r/ and is
not silent.

the actor+in the play

higher+and higher

butter+and cheese

Listen to these. Compare the pronunciation of these words when said in

isolation and in connected speech when followed by a vowel sound.

Indian speakers generally pronounce the r in the spelling in all positions in words.
This is perfectly acceptable. Other varieties of native English also pronounce the r
in all positions in words.

Listen to the following words with the sound /j/.

/j/
1. yacht 6. beauty
2. yes 7. news
3. yellow 8. reduce
4. uniform 9. tune
5. unity 10.view

/j/ does not occur in the final position in words.

Listen to the following words with the sound /w/.

/w/
1. one 5. toward
2. walk 6. quiet
3. whether 7. dwindle
4. whip 8. question

The sound /w/ does not occur in the final position in words. 19
Sounds of English We should distinguish /w/ as in wet from /v/ as in voice. Listen to the difference
between /w/ and /v/ in each of the following pairs of words.

/w/ /v/ /w/ /v/

1. wail veil 5. wheel veal

2. wane vein 6. wine vine
3. wary vary 7. wiper viper
4. west vest 8. worse verse

Check Your Progress 5

Listen to the following words on the audio and transcribe each word using the
symbols for the consonant sounds in each of them. Write V for the vowel sound(s)
in each word. Each word will be said twice.

Example: crease - /krVs/

1. below 11. blue

2. behave 12. utensils
3. reign 13. thumb
4. ridges 14. design
5. pleasure 15. pressure
6. wives 16. yolk
7. watches 17. rushed
8. cycle 18. beauty
9. squash 19. songs
10. beige 20. useful

1.4 LET US SUM UP

In this unit we have learnt:

 that in English the spoken word does not always correspond with the written
word
 that it is therefore necessary to distinguish between spelling and sound
 that in order to pronounce English words correctly it is essential to have
phonetic symbols based on the principle – one symbol for one sound.
 to associate the consonant symbols in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
with the sounds they represent.
 to distinguish between one consonant sound and another.
 to transcribe English consonants in words as we listen to them.

1.5 KEY WORDS

Phonetic symbols: a writing system for representing speech sounds.

Consonant: a speech sound produced with constriction in the vocal tract

Vowel: a speech sound in the production of which the mouth is open and the tongue
does not come into contact with any part of the mouth, e.g. the teeth, the hard
palate, the soft palate

Transcription: any system of writing used by linguists that represents the speech
sounds of a language in a systematic way
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 The Consonants
1.6 ANSWERS of English

Activity 1

A(i) the letters gh are pronounced f, the first sound in the word fall in the words
cough and tough.

(ii) The letters ch represent the sound k as in kite in the words character,
technical, monarch. They represent the sound ch as in match in the words
charm, chalk, chaff, macho, breach.

They represent the sound sh as in shout in the words chagrin, charade,

machine, cache.

(iii) The letter ɑ represents the vowel sound ɑɑ in the word father in the words:
(a) ɑsk, fɑst, stɑr

the letter ɑ represents the vowel sound in bɑt in the words:

(b) ɑnd, cɑt, mɑtch

the letter ɑ represents the vowel sound as the last vowel sound in wɑter in
the words:
(c) ɑbout, womɑn

the letter ɑ represents the vowel sound in the word dɑy in the words:
(d) ɑge, dɑte, sɑy

the letter ɑ represents the vowel in cɑught in the words:

(e) ɑll, wɑter

The letter ɑ represents the vowel in hot in the words:

(f) swɑn, wɑtch

The letter ɑ represents the vowel as sit in the words:

(g) surfɑce, villɑge

Check Your Progress 1

i. The letter c has two different sounds in these words

a. c represents the first sound in the word sit in the words:
pencil, concentrate, certain, fleece, dice, bicycle
b. cord, concentrate, medical, bicycle, hectic are pronounced like the first
sound in the word kite.

ii. The letter i has four vowel sounds:

a. pity, insight, sickle pronounced like the vowel sound in bit.

b. rice, light, mike, insight, final, triumph pronounced like the vowel in my.
c. police, ski pronounced like the vowel sound in seat.
d. terrible pronounced like the first vowel in about

iii. The letter s has four consonant sounds:

a. days, plains, desert, reason pronounced like the first sound in zone.
b. months, course pronounced like the first sound in sit.
c. sugar, mansion pronounced like the first sound in she.
d. treasure pronounced like the s in the word pleasure. 21
Sounds of English iv. The letter e has five vowel sounds:

a. wicked, event, develop, severe pronounced like the vowel sound in bit.
b. event, develop, send, temple pronounced like the vowel sound in wet.
c. theme, be pronounced like the vowel sound in heat.
d. fete pronounced like the vowel sound in late.
e. severe pronounced like the vowel sound in fear.

v. The letter g has three consonant sounds:

a. ginger, gauge, engine pronounced like the first consonant sound in jug.
b. gauge, govern, gallant pronounced like the first sound in go.
c. mirage pronounced like the third consonant sound in pleasure.
3 b. e as in end
i any
ii head
iii said

c. o as in off
i want
ii cough
iii knowledge

d. u as in fun
i come
ii blood
iii does

e. a as in ask
i hard
ii laugh
iii clerk

Check Your Progress 2

1 1. dʒ 2. p 3. k 4. tʃ 5. t 6. g 7. dʒ 8. d 9. tʃ 10. b

2 Audio text:
1. bid, 2. coach 3. tide 4. badge 5. doubt
6. gauge 7. patch 8. cart 9. chip 10. dock
1. bi:d 2. kəʊtʃ 3. taɪd 4. bædʒ 5. daʊt
6. geɪdʒ 7. pætʃ 8. kɑ:t 9. tʃɪÞ 10. dɒk

3. 1. /bVg/ 2. /pVtʃ 3. /gVd/ 4. /kVdʒ/ 5. /tVp/

6. /pVkVt/ 7. /tʃVk/ 8. /dVt 9. /tVt/ 10./dVdʒVt/
11. /dʒVd/ 12. /gVt/

4. 1. /pVdʒ/ 2. /bVt/ 3. /tʃVp/ 4. /tVd/ 5. /kVtʃ/

6. /tʃVd/ 7. /pVkVdʒ/ 8. /dʒVkVt/ 9. dVVt 10. /pVtʃ/
11. /bVkVt/ 12. /gVdʒVt/ 13. /kVtVdʒ/ 14. /tVpVk/ 15. /tʃVk/

Check Your Progress 3

x x
1. /k/ - calculate, choir, choice, ache, accent, century, occur, character, success

22
 x x x
2. /g/ - gauge, ghost, suggest, beggar, exact, ginger, guard, gypsy, gynaecology The Consonants
of English
x x x x
3. /tʃ/- choir, feature, teach, chasm, brochure, chord, batch, posture,
x
chronic
x x x x
4. /dʒ/ - gesture, guest, dagger, suggest, adjective, soldier, vogue, engine, gasket,
genius
x x x
5. /f/ - cough, bough, daughter, laughter, physics, shepherd, graph, trophy,
x
through
x x x x
6. /s/ - busy, assume, geese, desert, clothes, listen, bruise, decrease, exercise,
x
design
x x x x
7. /z/ - houses, assess, observe, dessert, cruise, listen, bristles, geese
x x x
8. /ʃ/ - confusion, procession, charade, pressure, decision, precious, exposure,
x
chiffon, potassium

Check Your Progress 4

a. 1. veil 2. foil 3. very 4. ban 5. feign

b. 1. pays 2. rage 3. gauze 4. cease 5. buzz
c. 1. sip 2. chew 3. sheet 4. chin 5. chore

Check Your Progress 5

1. /bVlV/ 2. /bVhVv/ 3. /rVn/ 4. /rVdʒVz/ 5. /plVʒV/

6. /wVvz/ 7. /wVtʃVz/ 8. /sVkVl/ 9. /skwVʃ/ 10./bVʒ/
11. /blV/ 12. /jVtVnsVlz/ 13. /θVm/ 14. /dVzVn/ 15. /prVʃV/
16. /jVk/ 17. /rVʃt/ 18. /bjVtV/ 19. /sVŋz/ 20. /jVsfVl/

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