PRONUNCIATION – 3Lesson4

1    2    3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10     11     12  

 

PRONUNCIATION – 3 Lesson  4

1.Silent Letters

2.Polite Phrases – 3

3.Conversation Examples

4.Exercises

 

Lesson 4

PRONUNCIATION – 3

1.SILENT LETTERS

 

This lesson shows a small list of the silent letters from A to Z and is designed to be used as a guide to help you pronounce words.

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A SILENT LETTER?

A silent letter is left unpronounced, such as the ‘d’ in handkerchief, the ‘n’ in autumn and the ‘p’ in cupboard. When talking fast, silent words like ‘t’ are very lightly pronounced in words like Christmas and little.

ARE THERE MANY SILENT WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE?

Sadly yes. It is said that as much as 60% of words in the English language have a silent letter in them. This makes spelling a lot more difficult for learners and even some native speakers.

Try pronouncing these words:

gnat, honour, psychology, hour, write, knowledge

Now let us see the rules governing these silent letters. Remember that most of these rules are only guidelines and there are exceptions to these rules.

Wednesday (commonly pronounced as Wens-day)

1.SILENT ‘a’

When ‘a’ is followed by a ‘lly’   –>ally                                                                                                                                 

artistically, musically, practically, physically

2.SILENT ‘b’

a) When ‘b’ is preceded by ‘m’ –> mb

comb, bomb, thumb, dumb, plumber 

b) When ‘b’ is followed by ‘t’ –>bt

doubt, debt, subtle

3.SILENT ‘c’

a) When ‘c’ follows an ‘s’ –> sc

ascend, descend, conscience, conscious , science, scissors, disciple, fluorescent, crescent, scene, scent, obscene, muscle, fascinate, discern

b) When ‘c’ comes before ‘k’ –>ck

pluck, frock, lock, track

c) When ‘c’ comes before ‘q’ –> cq

acquire, acquit, acquaintance

4.SILENT ‘d’

a)  When ‘d’ is followed by ‘g’ –> dg

badge, edge, grudge, pledge

b) When ‘d’ is sandwiched between two consonants

handkerchief, sandwich, handsome, hands, bands

c) When ‘d’ is followed by ‘n’ –> dn

5.SILENT ‘e’

a) When the word ends in ‘e’

age, cage, badge, stare, edge, like,  fake, take, table, trouble, vegetable

b) When ‘e’ comes before ‘d’ –> ed  –> in the past tense or perfect tense

fixed, danced, played, tried, walked

6.SILENT ‘g’

a) When ‘g’ is followed by ‘n’ –> gn

gnat, gnarl, align, sign, design, consign

There are some exceptions like magnet and signature.

b) When ‘g’ is followed by ‘ht’ –>ght

sight, night, bright, thought, daughter

7.SILENT ‘gh’

When ‘gh’ is preceded by a vowel

sight, weigh, light, right, through, thorough, dough

8.SILENT ‘h’

a) When the word begins with ‘h’ (sometimes)

honour, hour, heir, honest

 b) When ’h’ is preceded by ‘c’  –> ch

architect, mechanic, chemical, chorus, character, technology, school, scheme

c) When ‘h’ is preceded by ‘g’ –> gh

ghost, ghee

d) When ‘h’ is preceded by ‘r’ –> rh

rhinoceros, rhyme, rhythm

e)When ‘h’ is preceded by ‘w’ –>wh

what, why, when, whether, where, while, white, while, whisper

f) When ‘h’ comes after ‘ex’  –>  exh

exhibition, exhaust, exhale

g) When ‘h’ comes between two vowels

vehicle

9.SILENT ‘i’

Unique occurrences

business, parliament

10.SILENT ‘k’

a) When ‘k’ precedes ‘n’   –>  kn

knack, knead, kneel, knew, knife, knickers, knock, knowledge, knob

11.SILENT ‘l’

a) When ‘l’ is followed by ‘f’  –> lf

half, calf

b) When ‘l’ is followed by ‘k’  –>  lk

talk, stalk, walk, chalk, folk, yolk

c) When ‘l’ is followed by ‘m’  –> lm

balm, palm, calm, salmon

d) When ‘l’ is followed by ‘d’ –>  ld

should, could, would

 12.SILENT ‘n’

When ‘n’ is preceded by ‘m’   –> mn

autumn, column, hymn, condemn

13.SILENT ‘p’

a) When ‘p’ is followed by ‘sy’  –> psy

psychology, psycho, psychiatrist

b) When ‘p’ is followed by ‘n’  –>  pn

pneumonia

c) When ‘p’ is followed by ‘s’  –> ps

pseudonym, psoriasis, psalms, lamps, tramps

d) Unique occurrences

coup, receipt

14.SILENT ‘s’

When ‘s’ has ‘i’ as a precedent   –> is

aisle, island, debris

15.SILENT ‘t’

a) When ‘t’ is preceded by ‘s’ and followed by ‘en’  –> sten

listen, moisten, chasten, fasten

 b) When ‘t’ is preceded by ‘s’ and followed by ‘le’  –>  stle

apostle, bristle, whistle, wrestle, castle

c) When ‘t’ is followed by ‘ch’  –> tch

butcher, batch, fetch, latch, scratch, watch

d) Other occurrences

Christmas, soften, mortgage, ballet, rapport

16.SILENT ‘u’

a) When ‘u’ is followed by ‘i’ –> ui

biscuit, building, guide, guitar

b) When ‘u’ has ‘g’ preceding and ‘e’ following it  –> gue

tongue, rogue, guess, guest

c) Other occurences

guard, silhouette

17.SILENT ‘w’

a) When ‘w’ is followed by ‘h’ –> wh

who, whole, whom, whose

b) When ‘w’ is followed by ‘r’ –>wr

wring, write, wreck, wrist, wrap

c) Other occurences

two, answer, sword

Now try pronouncing the following words correctly:

climb, logically, honour, calm, dumb , folk, salmon, talk, parliament, honest, herb, rhyme, Wednesday, doubt, blackguard, Chevrolet, aisle, depot, listen, diaphragm, gnash, corps, coup, cupboard, plaque, island, debris , veqetable , autumn, chimney pneumonia, Connecticut

We should also keep in mind one thing – Silent letters are sometimes heard depending on a person’s accent.

TONGUE TWISTERS

a) If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper, where is the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?

b) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

 

2.POLITE PHRASES – 3

 

You already know to say “Please”, “Thank you,” and “Excuse me” – but here are 15 more ways to make your English sound more polite!

 

1.WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING

Don’t say: I want a hamburger.

 

Say: I’d like a hamburger. or: I’ll have a hamburger, please.

 

“I want ” sounds like a demand, as if you are commanding the other person to fulfill your desires. “i”d like” is a more polite and diplomatic phrase. When ordering food and drinks, we often use “I’ll have…” 

 

2.WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING TO BE DONE

Don’t say: Send me the report.

 

Say: Could you send me the report?

 

To maintain good relationships with people, it’s best not to use imperatives (starting a sentence directly with a verb like “Reply to my e-mail”, “Go to the bank”, “Finish this project” etc.)

3.WHEN YOU WANT SOMETIME TO FINISH YOUR WORK

Don’t say: Go away. Leave me alone.

 

Say: Could you give me a minute?

 

If a colleague approaches you at a bad time and you want the person to leave, use “Could you…?” when you just need a few moments to finish up what you’re working on, and then you’ll talk with them.

Otherwise, you can say, 

Sorry, I’m a bit busy right now. Can we talk a little later?

 

 4.WHEN YOU WANT TO KNOW SOMETHING/ SOME INFORMATION

Don’t say: Tell me when you’re available.

 

Say: Let me know when you’re available.

 

“Let me know” is a nicer and more indirect way to say “tell me.” It’s a casual way to ask for some information. Alternatively, you could simply ask the question, “When are you available?”

 

5.WHEN YOU ARE POINTING OUT SOMEONE’S MISTAKE

Don’t say: You’re wrong. 

 

Say: I’m afraid that’s not quite right. or: Actually… (say the correct information) or: I’m sorry but I don’t agree.

 

We need to avoid using the word “You”, as it can make the listener more defensive. It’s best to use a more indirect phrase when pointing out someone’s mistake. And always try to provide a possible solution for the issue, or at least some direction.

 

6.WHEN YOU WANT TO STATE YOUR OBJECTION

Don’t say: That’s a bad idea.

 

Say: I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. or: I have a few concerns.

 

Instead of using strong and direct words like “bad,” it’s more polite to say “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.” Another option is to state your specific objections by pointing them out as “concerns.”

 

7.WHEN YOU NEED TO TELL SOMEONE TO IMPROVE THEIR WORK

Don’t say: Your work isn’t good.

 

Say: I’m not quite satisfied with this. or: I’m not quite happy about this.or: To be honest, this needs some improvement.

 

One of the hardest things to do is telling somebody that their work doesn’t meet the standards or expectations. You can make it easier for the other person to accept by using these phrases. The phrase “to be honest…” is used when you are going to state an opinion that other people might not like very much.

8.WHEN YOU WANT TO STATE YOUR OPINIONS, LIKES AND DISLIKES

Don’t say: I don’t like American food.

 

Say: I’m not too fond of American food.or: I prefer Indian food.

 

When reviewing work, avoid statements like “I don’t like…” Instead, you can use a more indirect form like “I’m not too fond of…” or “I’m not a fan of…” Another option is to state what you would like instead: “I prefer…” or “I’d rather…”

 

3.CONVERSATION EXAMPLES

4.EXERCISES

 

TRY PRONOUNCING

acquire, acquit, blackguard, gnash, gnaw, cap, ice, cub, cupid, peace, pelvic, cyclonic, stage, badge, germ, gap, goitre, big, bag, bug, stag, tug, tag, game, truck, crib, receive, truck, cattle, clone, couple, cyclones, bribes, badges, beagles, beautifies, climb, logically, honour, calm, dumb, folk, salmon, talk, parliament, honest, herb, rhyme, Wednesday, doubt, guard, Chevrolet, aisle, depot, listen, diaphragm, champagne, corps, coup, cupboard, plaque, island, debris, veqetable, autumn, chimney, pneumonia, toys, heroines, stories, niece, topic, custom, cinema, certificate, clay, finger, bring, hanger, cupid, peace, dictation, capture, tall, friction, pelvic, club, track, century, fables, rays, hopes, hubs, hives, waves, tools, boys, fools, various, studious, ratio, vulture, taste, toys, tremble, courage, drastic, house, brush, ration

BUILDING A CONVERSATION

Preetha is a new employee, who is on her first day at work.

Talk to her regarding her previous work place. Also try to make

a friendly conversation like asking her  about her family, her hometown etc.

TONGUE TWISTERS

a) How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?

b) If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes would he chose?

c) Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear. Fuzzy Wuzzy has no hair. Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn’t fuzzy, was he?

TOPICS TO DISCUSS

a) About your native place

b) About your siblings (at least 3 – Real or Imaginary)

c) An experience when someone was rude to you (Real or Imaginary). And what should they have done/ said to be more polite?