[s] as in sit, basket, and kiss and [Z] as in zoo, busy, and buzz ‘Tongue tip: Near but not touc! teeth Airstream: Continuous without interruption Vocal cords: Not vibrating . Possible Pronunciation Problems .. oe ‘The sound [s] is a common sound. Some speakers may incorrectly say [e] before | {s] in English, Others may say [J] instead of [s] before {iJ and [1] | EXAMPLES If you produce [e] before [s]: state will sound like estate. | If you say [JJinstead of [s__sfp will sound like ship. ~ As you say [s], keep the airstream steady, like the hissing sound of a snake (sssssssss)! So study and practice; you'll soon have success with [s]! Listen and repeat. Is] At the Beginning of Words Isl In the Middle of Words Is] At the End of Words sky skip snake lesson custom castle bus face course sad spell skate racing basket _ history yes makes class spin study schoo listen answer fast box house plus slow pencil miss [s] Spelled 5 é Uk) ss sey well sin hiss ski fice fix less smoke lace fox dresser steal cent «tax message desk center oxen 118Less frequent spelling patterns for (s] consist of the letters z and sc. waltz pretzel scent scene The letter c followed by e, i, or y is usually pronounced [s]. cent. place society fancy ‘The letter sin plural nouns is pronounced [s] when it follows most voiceless consonants. books coate—cuffe. maps EXERCISE B Listen and repeat. Pay attention to the consonant [s] in the boldfaced words. stop sign small mistake start and stop Nice to see you. Stand straight. Sit still! . Speak for yourself. ‘The swimmer was slow and steady. The grocery store started selling seafood. 10. Stan stopped smoking cigars. 11, We had steak and spinach for supper. 12, Students study in school. 13, Trest on Saturday and Sunday. 14, The sportsman likes to ski and skate. 15, Stacy speaks Spanish. CHI AHawNe CHECK YOURSELF Listen and circle the letter s in each word that is pronounced [s]. (Only ONE sin each word is actually pronounced [s}.) (For answers, see Appendix l, page 287.) EXAMPLE @urprise 1. suppose 6salesman 2. Susan 7.season 3. disaster B resist 4.easiest 9. presents 5. posters 10. business Check your answers. Then practice pronouncing the words. | Lesson 24 119Deas is EXERCISE TD read aloud the ‘essay about Thomas Edison. Pay attention to the boldfaced words containing the [s] sound. Silence Is Literally Goldent | ‘Thomas Edison was a great American inventor. This is a true story about how silence really paid off for him. He invented a new ticker; the Western Union Company wanted to purchase it. Edison didn't know how much to ask, He requested several days to think about the selling price. ‘Thomas and Mrs. Faison discussed Western Union's offer. Mrs. Edison suggested that he ask twenty thousand dollars ($20,000). He was stunned by this staggering price but accepted his wife's advice When the Western Union officer asked Mr. Edison, “What price have you decided to ask?” Mr. Edison started to state $20,000, but the amount got stuck on his tongue. He stood there speechless. The Western Union negotiator became impatient with Mr. Edison's silence and asked, “Will you accept one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000)2” So, as you can see, silence can be golden! PRONOUNCING [z] ‘Tongue tip: In the same position as for [5] Airstream: Continuous without interruption Vocal cords: Vibrating Possible Pronunciation Problems — fe The sound [z] is not a common sound. Many students pronounce the letter z in | English as an [s] or [4]. Also, irregular English spelling patterns contribute to i | | | { i problems with this consonant. EXAMPLES If you say [s] instead of [z; 200 will sound like Sue. eyes will sound like ice If you say [45] instead of [2]: zest will sound like jest. Remember, 2] is a voiced sound; your vocal cords MUST vibrate or you will say [s] by mistake, Think of the buzzing sound of a bee (bzzzzzzzzz2) and you'll say your 7s with ease! 120 Part 3: Consonants— EXERCISE @ Listen and repeat. Put your hand on your throat so that you can feel your vocal cords vibrate as you pronounce the consonant [2]. [2] At the Beginning of Words [z] In the Middle of Words [2] At the End of Words zoo zinc —_zebra lazy crazy dizzy as was raise zeal zero zipper busy razor cousin is buzz amaze zest 70ne easy dozen _ puzzle his daze —_ breeze [z] Spelled zip size seize lizard sneeze has eyes rose these bruise FE reteter is less common spelling pattern for (zl. xylophone Xerox HET ricer usually pronounced [] when between vowels and in astressed syllable. deserve because resign. a The letter s in plural nouns is pronounced [2] when it follows a vowel or consonants. shoes legs leaves. «beds cats ist voiced ‘The vowel AEEORE (7] at the end of a Word is always prolonged more than before [sl. (Vowels are also prolonged before [b, [dl [V}, and {g] at the end of a word, Prolonging the ‘vowel before 7] helps to distinguish it from [s}. eyes breeze tise | buzz Lesson 24 121EXERCISE B Listen and repeat. Remember to add voicing when pronouncing the consonant [7] in the boldfaced words. L 10. iL 12. 13. 14, 15. CHECK YOURSELF Easy does it. zero degrees cool breeze . a dozen eggs busy as a bee Close your eyes. . The puzzle is easy. . Does Zachary raise flowers? ). There are zebras and lions at the zoo. His cousin comes from New Zealand. ‘The museum is closed on Tuesday. ‘My husband gave me a dozen roses. Tm crazy about raisins and apples. Zelda took a cruise to Brazil. ‘The jazz music is pleasant. Listen and circle the word in each group that is NOT pronounced with [z]. (For answers, see Appendix Il, pages 287-288.) EXAMPLE 1. 2. 10. 122. Part 3: Consonants is was his Gis) eyes nose wrist ears walls waltz wells ways carrots apples peas raisins pleasing pleasant pleasure please deserve daisy serve design cease seize size sings Tuesday ‘Thursday = Wednesday —Saturday east ease easy tease rose rice raise rise fox xylophone clothes zeroBRERCISE [21 zetda and Zachary need help completing their crossword puzzle. Read the dialogue with a partner, filling in the missing words containing [2]. Also pay attention to your pronunciation of the boldfaced words containing [2]. Zelda: Zachary, this crossword puzzle is driving me erazy. What's a seven- letter word that means “surprising or unbelievabl Zachary: Zelda, Tl give you a hint. It rhymes with hazing. Zelda: Oh, “a ____2 _____." Thanks, How about a fourletter word representing a form of American Music? Never mind, I've got ____ 2.z.” That was easy. Zachary: These are flowers, but they're not zinnias or daisies. Zelda: “_____s ¢ 8.” Let's try another one, What is a trip on a boat called? [ It rhymes with lose. Oh, wait; I know. It’s “_____ I got this one, The name of a mineral that begins with z: i ‘This quiz is getting easier. An animal with stripes that is seen at the zoo. Zachary: “Z.__ begins with x. Please help me. _—..” Here is the last one. A musical instrument that Zelda: I always want to please my husband. So here's the word: EXERCISEA Listen and repeat each pair of words or sentences. Remember, [71 is a voiced sound; your vocal cords should vibrate. And be sure to prolong any vowel BEFORE the sound [2]. 3) f] Sue 700 . face phase race raise bus buzz ice eyes. . We saw the place. We saw the plays. They made peace. ‘They made peas. 10. ee ee The price was $100, Did you see the racer? He lost the race. ‘The prize was $100. Did you see the razor? He lost the raise. Lesson 24 123Listen and repeat. {3 @ 1, Sue went to the zoo. fa ts 2. Put ice on your eyes io ta 3, My niece hurt her knees. [2 (s} 4, The president set a precedent. a s . The baby will lose his loose tooth, [s] vs. [2] in Noun/Verb Homographs Several nouns and verbs are the same in the written form. However, we can distinguish between these word pairs in their spoken form, The letter s in the noun form is usually pronounced {s]; in the verb form, it is usually pronounced [7] EXERCISE C Liston and ropaat. Re stra to add “unica ta the lottar ¢ whan saying the varbs. Nouns s=[s] excuse (a reason) excuse (to forgive) house (residence) house (to shelter) use (purpose) use (utilize) abuse (mistreatment) abuse (injure) EXERCISE D- Listen and repeat. Pay attention to the boldfaced words. Be sure to distinguish between the voiceless [s] in the nouns and the voiced {2] in the verbs. tl 1. Please excuse me. ey i 2. He has a good excuse. td 3. May Tuse your car? aw ts 4. The object has no use. a ta 5, The museum will house the painting, 1 6. We bought a new house. (1 7. Child abuse is a terrible thing. ta wa 8. Please don't abuse me. 124 Part 3: ConsonantsF uns HECKYOURSELE 1 Listen. Two of the words in each group will be the same; one will be different. Circle the number of the word that is different. (For answers to Check Yourself 1-4, see Appendix Il, pages 288-289.) EXAMPLE Youhear prize —price-—price i Youcircle @© 2 3 1 1 Beers Heunen 1 Gaeck YOURSELF? [1] pead the sentences aloud. In the brackets above each boldfaced word, write [s] or[z]. tt EXAMPLE — Silence is golden. i 0] 1 a f 1, It’s raining cats and dogs. CVC C70) 2, Come as soon as possible. a 01 3. Strike while the iron is hot. 1 a 4, Kill two birds with one stone. 1 1 5, Misery loves company. Lesson 24 125 |CHECK YOURSELE 3 [@@) Listen and circle the word used to complete each sentence. EXAMPLE 9, 10, (1 ‘The sweater was (fussy Is} fal . We finally won the (race/raise). I) td I know that (face/phase). ft . He gave me a good (price/prize) sos aclu (rileh lene Wersonacomn de eine) the shay have (lemee/ieke: Did you hear the (bus/buza)? ] ol His dog has a large (muscle/ muzzle). (1 fa How much is the (sink/zinc)? tf Ican identify the (spice/spies).. CHECKYOURSELE 4 (@) [11 Listen. circle the words Pronounced with [s] and underline the words pronounced with [7]. Then practice reading the limericks aloud. 126 Part3: Consonants A Man Named Gtu) Aman from@exad named Stu Was crazy about Silly Sue. He proposed twenty times, Using song, dance, and rhymes Until Sue said to Stu, "I do!” A acm Named Maxine There was a slim girl called Maxine Who loved cooking Spanish cuisine. She spent days eating rice, Lots of chicken and spice. Now Maxine is no longer lean!FF i elenekecais EXERCISE, (read the paragraph about Jullus Caesar aloud. Be sure to pronounce all the boldfaced {s] and (z] words correctly. [ Julius Caesar \ Gl @ ts) fs] @) G) | Julius Caesar is one of the most famous leaders in history. He | Gl (2) (eMs) fel (alls | became master of Italy al of his skills as soldier and : (s}_ {s] [elle] f2] t) statesman. His zeal and wisdom brought positive changes. @ etal He reorganized the government and raised the status of the poor But falls ile ol he was stabbed to death by ni enemies Brutus and Cassius. ts} ts} @ {ss} (2) Gs] Shakespeare said in his = about Julius Caesar, “Men at some time (s} (2 (s} [2] {s} 2) are masters of their fates: The fault, dear Brutus, is‘aot in our stats, oe 2, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.” Lesson 24 127