PRONUNCIATION

How many
consonants
are there in
English?
1 How to pronounce sounds

2 Common spelling patterns

3 Practice

4 Exercises
 How to pronounce consonannts

Place of tongue

The air

Vibration
 /s/ /z/
Place of
Touch lightly on the upper jaw
tongue
Air Go out through the mouth

Vibration  unvoiced   voiced

same
different
 Example

sleep zoo
/sli:p/ /zu:/
 Sun zebra
/sʌn/ 'zi:brə /
 sound
Common spelling patterns of /s/ pencil
s
yesterday, sound, bus,
… bus
/s/ c
city, pencil, December,
… dress
ss grass, dress, miss, …
muscle
sc science, muscle, …
 closet
Common spelling patterns of /z/ crazy
s
close, Tuesday, closet
…
frozen
/z/ z zone, crazy, frozen, … possess
ss possess
zz puzzle, jazz puzzle
 Let’s practise
/s/ and /z/ in sentences

Sirius is the brightest star in the sky.

/s/ /s/ /s/ /s/ /s/

My cousin loves roses.

/z/ /z/ /z/ /z/
EXERCISE
Exercise 1: Listen and Tick true (f) or false (f)

words Listen Sound T or F

sit /s/
office /z/
lazy /s/
noise /z/
music /z/
 Exercise 2: Put these words in
correct columns
sit August /s/ /z/
zone amazing sit zone
story prize story rose
rose say
August zero
zero space
say amazing

space prize
 Exercise 3: Choose different sounds

a. sit b. stay c. sick d. rose

a. zero b. crazy c. circle d. zoo
a. exam b. race c. desk d. display

a. lazy b. bus c. noise d. easy

 Exercise 4: Listen and Define sounds /s/ and /z/

This smart boy is my cousin.

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

How many planets in the solar system?

/s/ /s/ /s/ /s/

There are eight planets.

/s/
Thank you and Goodbye