How to pronounce words ending in S - Pronunciation of final S in English
Summary
TLDRIn this video by WouldWould English, Rob teaches the three pronunciations of the letter 'S' at the end of English words: /Ιͺz/ as in 'buses', /s/ as in 'books', and /z/ as in 'words'. The pronunciation depends on whether the final sound of the word is sibilant, voiceless, or voiced. The video explains voiced and voiceless sounds, using examples to illustrate the rules. Viewers learn to identify and pronounce the final 'S' correctly in various contexts. The lesson includes practice examples and tips for mastering these pronunciations.
Takeaways
- π English has various pronunciations for the 's' at the end of words, depending on the context: plural nouns, third-person singular verbs, and possessive nouns.
- π΅ The final 's' can be pronounced in three different ways: as 'iz', 's', or 'z', reflecting different phonetic rules.
- π Voiced sounds are produced with vocal cord vibration, such as in the letter 'L', whereas voiceless sounds come from the mouth area without vibration, like 'P'.
- π Sibilant sounds are produced by forcing air through the teeth, characterized by a hissing or buzzing sound, like 'shh'.
- π If a word ends in a sibilant sound, the final 's' is pronounced as an extra syllable, making it sound like 'iz'.
- π« When the last consonant of a word is voiceless, the final 's' is pronounced as a 's' sound, as in 'sleeps' or 'books'.
- π For words ending in a voiced sound, the final 's' is pronounced as a 'z' sound, reflecting the use of vocal cords, like in 'crabs' or 'plays'.
- π Words ending in a vowel also use the voiced 'z' pronunciation for the final 's', such as 'play' becoming 'plays'.
- π The pronunciation of the final 's' in English is contingent on the final consonant sound of the word.
- π Listening to example sentences can help in understanding the correct pronunciation of words ending in 's'.
- π The video encourages viewers to like, subscribe, and enable notifications for new content to improve English pronunciation.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video script?
-The main topic of the video script is the pronunciation of the letter 's' at the end of words in English.
What are the three different pronunciations of the final 's' in English words mentioned in the script?
-The three different pronunciations of the final 's' are: as a 'z' sound, as an 's' sound, and as a voiced 's' sound similar to 'iz'.
What is the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds?
-Voiced sounds use the vocal cords and produce a humming or vibration in the throat, while voiceless sounds come from the mouth area and do not involve the vocal cords.
How can you tell if a sound is voiced by feeling your throat?
-You can tell if a sound is voiced by placing your fingers on your throat and pronouncing the sound; if you feel a vibration, it is a voiced sound.
What is a sibilant sound and how is it produced?
-A sibilant sound is produced by forcing air out through your teeth and is characterized by a hissing or buzzing sound, like the 'shh' sound made to indicate quietness.
How does the pronunciation of the final 's' change if the word ends with a sibilant sound?
-If a word ends with a sibilant sound, the final 's' is pronounced as an additional syllable with an 'iz' sound, making the word plural have two syllables instead of one.
Give an example of a word that ends with a voiceless sound and how its plural form is pronounced.
-The word 'sleep' ends with a voiceless sound and its plural form 'sleeps' is pronounced with an additional 's' sound, making it rhyme with 'leaps'.
What is the pronunciation of the final 's' in words that end with a voiced sound?
-In words that end with a voiced sound, the final 's' is pronounced as a voiced 'z' sound.
How do you pronounce the final 's' in words ending with a vowel sound?
-In words ending with a vowel sound, the final 's' is pronounced with a voiced 'z' sound, as in 'play' becoming 'plays'.
What is the purpose of the exercises provided at the end of the script?
-The purpose of the exercises is to allow viewers to practice and test their understanding of the different pronunciations of the final 's' in various English words.
What action does the script encourage viewers to take after watching the video?
-The script encourages viewers to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and hit the notification bell to stay updated with new videos that can help improve their English.
Outlines
π English Pronunciation of Final 'S'
This paragraph introduces the topic of the pronunciation of the letter 's' at the end of English words. It explains that 's' can be pronounced in three different ways depending on the context: as a 'z' sound in plural nouns like 'buses', as an 's' sound in third-person singular verbs like 'sleeps', and as a 'z' sound in possessive nouns like 'Alice's'. The paragraph also discusses the distinction between voiced and voiceless sounds, using the vocal chords for voiced sounds and the mouth for voiceless sounds, and introduces the concept of sibilant sounds, which are produced by forcing air through the teeth, creating a hissing or buzzing sound.
π£οΈ Pronunciation Rules for Final 'S'
This paragraph delves deeper into the pronunciation rules for the final 's' in English words. It categorizes words into three groups based on the final sound: words ending in a sibilant sound where 's' is added as an extra syllable (e.g., 'race' to 'races'), words ending in a voiceless sound where 's' is pronounced as a separate 's' sound (e.g., 'sleep' to 'sleeps'), and words ending in a voiced sound or a vowel where 's' is pronounced as a 'z' sound (e.g., 'crab' to 'crabs'). The paragraph provides examples for each category and emphasizes the importance of the final consonant sound in determining the pronunciation of the final 's'.
π Practice and Summary of 'S' Pronunciation
The final paragraph of the script offers a practical exercise for viewers to practice the pronunciation of the final 's' in various words, with a brief pause for viewers to consider the correct pronunciation. It then summarizes the key points of the video, reminding viewers that the pronunciation of the final 's' depends on the nature of the final consonant sound in the word. The paragraph concludes with a call to action, encouraging viewers to like, subscribe, and enable notifications for more English learning content.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Sibilant sounds
π‘Voiced sounds
π‘Voiceless sounds
π‘Plural nouns
π‘Third-person singular verbs
π‘Possessive nouns
π‘Final 's' pronunciation
π‘Voiced vs. voiceless sounds
π‘Examples of final 's' pronunciation
π‘Vowel sounds and final 's'
Highlights
Learning about the pronunciation of 's' at the end of words in English.
Different pronunciations of 's' in plural nouns, third-person singular verbs, and possessive nouns.
Final 's' pronounced as 'iz' in words like 'buses', 'watches', and 'Alice's'.
Final 's' pronounced as 's' in words like 'books', 'sleeps', and 'mics'.
Final 's' pronounced as 'z' in words like 'words', 'plays', and 'Mary's'.
Understanding the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds.
Voiced sounds produce a vibration in the throat, like the 'L' sound.
Voiceless sounds come from the mouth area, like the 'P' sound.
Sibilant sounds are produced by forcing air out through the teeth, creating a hissing or buzzing sound.
Final 's' pronounced as 'iz' after sibilant sounds, making an extra syllable.
Examples of words ending in sibilant sounds and their plural forms.
Final 's' pronounced as 's' after voiceless consonants, like in 'sleeps' and 'books'.
Examples of words ending in voiceless sounds and their pronunciation.
Final 's' pronounced as 'z' after voiced sounds, like in 'crabs' and 'bags'.
Words ending in a vowel also use the voiced 'z' pronunciation for the final 's'.
Summary of the three pronunciations of the final 's' in English words.
Example sentences to practice the pronunciation of words ending in 's'.
Interactive exercise to test the understanding of final 's' pronunciation.
Encouragement to subscribe and enable notifications for new English learning videos.
Transcripts
hi it's rob here from wouldwould English
today we're going to learn about the
pronunciation of s at the end of words
in English
[Music]
in English there are many words that end
in s there are regular plural nouns such
as buses books and words
there are third-person singular verbs in
the simple present tense watches sleeps
plays
there are also possessive nouns which
end in an apostrophe s Alice's Mike's
Mary's
now did you notice how the final s was
pronounced in three different ways
how was the final is pronounced in the
first column buses watches Alice's
the S sounds like is
slashes on either side of is refer to
the broad transcription or way of
writing the pronunciation of a word
versus watch is Alice's
how is the final is pronounced in the
second column books sleeps mics
these sounds like an S orange sound
books sleeps mics how is the final is
pronounced in the third column words
plays marries this sounds like a Z or Z
which is a buzzing sound words plays
Mary's
why do we pronounce the S at the end of
words in three different ways
well first we need to learn the
difference between voiced sounds and
voiceless sounds also known as unvoiced
sounds a voiced sound means it uses the
vocal chords and produces a humming
sound or a vibration here in the throat
when you say them put your fingers on
your throat and pronounce the letter L
you notice this you can feel a slight
vibration here hmm that is because it is
a voiced sound a voiceless sound
sometimes called an unvoiced sound is
when there is no vibration in the throat
is because it becomes from the mouth
area for example if we pronounce the
letter P pair it comes from the mouth
area P it doesn't come from here like
pet it doesn't come from here it comes
from the mouth pit so that P is an
unvoiced sound
try this with the other letters and then
you will feel a difference between
voiced and unvoiced sounds for example
the F sound where does that come from
it comes from the front of your mouth so
it is also an unvoiced sound or
voiceless sound how about the n sound
mm-hmm
you can feel a slight vibration here so
it is a voiced sound
mmm about the Z sound or the Z sound you
can feel the vibration here so that
letter is also a voiced sound another
sound that we need to know is the
sibilance sound which is produced by
forcing air out through your teeth it is
characterized by the hissing sound or a
buzzing sound also the sound that
someone makes
when they want you to be quiet Shh those
are sibilant sounds now we know the
difference between voiced/unvoiced and
sibilant sounds we can learn the correct
pronunciation of the final s at the end
or words in English the first group is
of words that end in a sibilant sound a
sibilant sound is a hissing or buzzing
sound with these words the final s is
pronounced as is this is sound is
pronounced as an extra syllable
for example the word race ends in a
sibilant sound a/c race you can hear the
hissing at the end of the word race so
when we add an S to the end of the word
and plural it becomes races
notice how race is one syllable and
races is two syllables
let's look at some words that end in a
sibilant sound
[Music]
race becomes races bus becomes buses
box boxes prize prizes kiss kisses watch
watches
dish dishes change changes so if the
word ends in a sibilant sound then you
add that is sound to the end
the next group are the words that end in
a voiceless sound a voiceless sound is
when the vocal cords do not vibrate as
the sound comes from the mouth and not
the throat
if the last consonant of the word ends
in a voiceless sound like that peon
sleep then the S is pronounced as an S
or sound so sleep becomes sleeps
let's go through the list and pay
attention to the sound of the yes at the
end
sleeps
books hats cliffs laughs the gh air is
pronounced like an F so it is laughs
graphs the pH here also sounds like an F
graphs
these words end in a voiceless consonant
so they all end in an S or sound
the third group contains words that end
in a voiced sound a voiced sound uses
the vocal cords and they produce a
vibration or humming sound in the throat
if the last letter of the word ends in a
voiced sound like the bien crab but is a
voice sound so the yes is pronounced as
a sound so crab becomes crabs
let's go through the list and pay
attention to the sound of the final s
crabs words bags Falls dreams
fans sings wears gloves they all end in
a sound
also when a word ends in a vowel sound
we also use the voiced pronunciation for
the final s for example play ends in an
a sound so play becomes plays C becomes
C's try becomes tries follow becomes
follows continue becomes continues
so in summary there are three ways of
pronouncing the S at the end of a word
in English the pronunciation of words
ending in s depends on the final
consonant sound
so let's look at some example sentences
listen to the pronunciation of the words
ending in S
all of the prizes are in the boxes
he reads books about hats
butler's wear white gloves
it's listen again at normal speed all of
the prizes are in the boxes he reads
books about heads Butler's wear white
gloves
how do you pronounce the final s and the
following words the answers will appear
in five seconds click pause if you need
more time
one pauses
- ends
three bridges
for sings
five cups
six reaches
seven students 8p
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improve your English have an awesome day
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