QUIZ

Look at the following paragraph and choose the words that should be stressed in each sentence. Next, decide which syllable should be stressed in each word.
 

Do you ever look around you and wonder whether you are dressed appropriately for your job? Do you notice men coming to work without a tie and think they’re underdressed? Dress codes in many companies today are relaxed, and in many cases “business-casual” clothing is normal. Khaki pants and shirts without ties are common and acceptable. This is especially true in professions where employees are not in face-to-face contact with customers. Some employees in more relaxed areas of business can even go to work in jeans and t-shirts. Even if their workplace requires more formal clothing, like suits and ties, they might have one day a week when employees can relax and dress down, usually called “casual Friday.” The best way to understand how to dress for your workplace is to analyze what your coworkers are wearing. Whatever your company requires, be sure to wear clothing that feels good. That way, even if you don’t like the dress code, at least you’ll be comfortable!

LISTEN

Compare your answers to the audio recording below.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

It is important to not only stress the correct syllable in your words but also to shorten the unstressed syllables. The vowels in the unstressed syllables usually get shortened to either an /I/ sound or /ə/ sound. Practice these examples. Pay careful attention to the sound of the unstressed syllables.

Some unstressed vowels are so weak that they disappear altogether.  

WATCH THE VIDEO

ARE THERE ANY RULES FOR CONNECTING SOUNDS?

Yes. Any words within thought groups can be linked together, but some sounds are easier to connect than others. Here are a few basic rules to help you connect your sounds more accurately.

Consonants Connect to Vowels:

have a --> hava

meeting at --> meetin-gat

Aptos office --> Apto-soffice

Vowels Connect to Vowels:

you and --> you-wand

the Aptos --> th-yaptos

Consonants Connect to Consonants:

and Dave --> anDave

pass your --> pass-shor

DO I NEED TO MEMORIZE SPECIAL CONNECTING RULES?

No. The best way to learn how to connect is to extend the ends of your words and let them connect with the next word naturally. The rules are useful for helping you understand how words connect, but if you think too much about the rules while you are speaking, your speech will not sound fluent.

Instead of memorizing rules, try memorizing the sound connections in groups of words that you commonly use. This will make it easier to add connections to your speech more naturally.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Rule: When a word ends in a consonant and the next word begins with a vowel sound, connect the words with the consonant sound. Practice connecting the words that end in consonants with the words that begin with vowels.

PRACTICE

For the items below, first mark the thought groups. Next, practice reading the sentences while connecting the consonants and vowels inside the thought groups. Read each one three times.
 

Shares of the company rose 15 percent.
The Dow Jones Industrial average is at an all-time high.
Airplanes are lightening up in order to reduce fuel costs.
Home equity loans are drying up for some people.
Turning out the lights will help save energy costs.
 

PRACTICE

Memorize one of the sentences above and practice saying it while looking in the mirror. Focus on connecting the sounds within the thought groups.

Sometimes connecting can make your words sound like other words. However, your listeners will be able to understand your meaning by thinking about the context of your message.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Rule: When a word ends in an /i/ sound and the next word begins with a vowel, the words are connected by a light /j/ (pronounced “y”) sound.

Practice connecting the words that end in vowels with the words that begin with vowels. Read each one three times.

PRACTICE

Rule: When a word ends in a /u/ sound and the next word begins with a vowel, the words are connected by a light /w/ sound.

Practice connecting the words that end in vowels with the words that begin with vowels. Read each one three times.

PRACTICE

For the items below, first mark the thought groups. Next, practice reading the sentences while connecting the vowels inside the thought groups. Read each one three times.

The company had to change the way it did business.
The company opted to deploy a new infrastructure.
Because customers don’t have to pay an annual fee, membership is way up.
Although he knew it was illegal, he occasionally parked in a tow away zone.
They had a powwow to see if they could finally agree on a new advisor.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Rule: When the first word ends in a consonant and the next word ends in the same consonant, say the consonant only once.

Practice connecting the words that end and begin with the same consonant sound. Read each one three times.

PRACTICE

Rule: When a word ends in a consonant “stop” such as /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, or /g/ sound, and the next words starts with a consonant “stop” or the /tʃ/ or /dʒ/ sound, do not release the air from the sound at the end of the first word. Instead, hold the air and release it at the beginning of the second word.

Practice connecting the words that end in consonant stops and begin with consonant stops. Read each three times.

PRACTICE

For the items below, first mark the thought groups. Next, practice reading these sentences while connecting the consonants inside the thought groups. Read each one three times.

Investors were discouraged by the data on new home sales.
Your old notebook can still be put to use.
Our first choice didn’t accept the position, so we’ll give it to our second choice.
We need help discovering our competitive advantage.
The help desk is always there when you need it to be.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Rule: When a word ends in a /s/, /z/, /t/, or /d/ sound, and the next word starts
witha /j/ sound (pronounced “y”), the words are connected by a new sound. This only happens when the “y” word is unstressed.

Practice connecting the words below by changing the sound.

PRACTICE

For the items below, first mark the thought groups. Next, practice reading the sentences while connecting the /s/, /z/, /t/, and /d/ sounds to the word that begins with “y.” Read each one three times.
 

Did you really understand your data?
They raised 3 million dollars in Series A funding last year.
Could you help me fix the bugs in the system?
The first users of the product had to deal with many issues.
The consultant should point you toward a realistic solution.

QUIZ

Choose the places in this paragraph where you should pause. Analyze the thought groups, and practice connecting the words within thought groups.

Venture capitalists are important for start-up companies that are not large enough to raise capital in the public markets or stable enough to qualify for direct bank loans. The investors in these companies usually have a great deal of say in how the companies will be run. Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, California is seen as a symbol of private capital, just as Wall Street is a symbol of the stock market because of the large number of venture capital companies located there.

LISTEN

Compare your answers to the audio recording below.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

1) Notice the places where the speaker paused in this conversation.
2) Practice reading the conversation.
 

A: Do you have a minute to talk?
B: Sure. What’s on your mind?
A: I was wondering if you had a chance to talk to Eve about the project deadline?
B: I just found out that it’s okay to move the deadline to next week.
A: That’s great. Should I tell the team?
B: No, that’s okay. I’m going to send everyone an email
right now.

QUIZ

Look at the words below and on the lines write the sounds that should connect. Practice reading and connecting the sounds in the phrases.

Read the sentences below and practice reading with the connected sounds.

1. New web browsers offer a host of innovations.
2. Some browsers sit on top of, rather than inside of, a computer’s operating system.
3. Security is not the only thing to worry about.
4. You will be able to forget your old problems easily.
5. What is your opinion of the old browsers?

LISTEN

Compare your answers to the audio recording below.

WATCH THE VIDEO

DO NATIVE SPEAKERS SPEAK THE SAME WAY IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL SITUATIONS?

No. When speaking informally, native speakers often speak in a more casual and relaxed style and sometimes do not follow grammatical rules. Native speakers often connect words together and delete some sounds.

WHY ARE NATIVE SPEAKERS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND?

Native speakers are difficult to understand because they often delete sounds within words and change vowel sounds. Have you ever heard English speakers use the words “gotta” and “innernet”?

WHEN CAN I DELETE AND REDUCE MY SOUNDS?

You can use these patterns only when speaking casually. We usually speak this way with family and friends. We do not use this style when we are speaking formally, trying to make a good first impression at work, or giving a formal speech or presentation.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Practice reading these sentences three times each. Underline the key words in each sentence. Notice that we only delete sounds in words that are NOT stressed.
 

Deleted Letter “H” (This happens with the words he, him, his, her & them.)

I saw him in his cube. → I saw ’im in ’is cube.
I think he went to the headquarters. → I think ’e went to the headquarters.
Do you think he cares? → Do you think ’e cares?
 
Your example:

Deleted Letter “D” (This happens with the word and.)

I work for the R and D division. → I work for the R an’ D division.
We had wine and cheese at the party. → We had wine an’ cheese at the party.
Follow up with an email and phone call. → Follow up with an email an’ phone call.

Your example:

Deleted Letter “T” (This often happnes when a word ends with the letter t.
Put your tongue into the t position and stop the sound with your throat instead of pushing the air out of your mouth. This is also called a glottal stop. See page 89 for more practice. When a word begins with the prefix inter-, the /t/ becomes an /n/ sound.)

I can’t seem to get this page to open. →I can’(t) seem to ge(t) this page to open.
Internet shopping is very convenient. → In(t)erne(t) shopping is very convenien(t).
The report was known internationally. → The repor(t) was known in(t)ernationally.

Your example:

Deleted Letter “G” (This often happens with words ending in ing.)

I think everyone is getting a pay raise. → I think everyone is gettin’ a pay raise.
It’s going very well. → It’s goin’ very well.
 

Your example:

Deleted Vowels The middle vowel is sometimes silent in three- or four-syllable words.

Other Deletions Letters are sometimes deleted order to make difficult sounds easier to pronounce.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

When we speak, we often use contractions like can’t or I’ve. We pronounce contractions just like they are spelled, not like the original words. Practice pronouncing these contractions.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

In the unstressed words in a sentence, the vowel sounds often change. In these words, the vowels become /ə/ or /I/. (See Appendix B for pronunciation guide for these symbols.) Because these are weak sounds, we say that we are “reducing” the sound.

PRACTICE

Read these questions three times each. Practice reducing the sounds in the underlined words.

When are you moving?
Did you get my message?
What’s your son’s name?
Is your computer backed up?
Who did you give it to? (To is not reduced here because it’s a stressed word.)
Do you have to miss the meeting?
Did you park in the front or the back?
What can you do about it?
Your example:
Your example:
Your example:

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Look at the following paragraph and read the underlined words as they are written. The underlined words represent commonly reduced vowel sounds.
 

Enid was an engineer noted fer ’er research in computer network security systems. Although she often analyzed complicated attacks on computers, the security system fer ’er house baffled ’er. When she first installed ’er own alarm system, she avoided turnin’ it on because it beeped at regular intervalsan’ bothered ’er. She believed that a system wasn’t needed fer ’er house. She felt that ’er neighborhood was safe. But after hearin’ that a thief had climbed through a neighbor’s back window an’ robbed ’im of $500, she finally asked a technician fer help.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Common Phrases: The sounds in the phrases below often change in casual speech. You should avoid this kind of speech when you are speaking in formal situations (like at work), but you can use these phrases when you are talking with friends, when you are texts, or when writing messages on social networking sites.

QUIZ

Find all the possible deleted and reduced sounds in these sentences.

What is your future?
Will you spend your life
working for someone else?
Or, are you brave enough
to start your own business?
Starting your own business
requires courage,
perseverance,
and optimism.
Do you have what it takes?

LISTEN

Compare your answers to the audio recording below.

QUIZ

Read these questions and add linking, deletion, and reduction where possible.

1. What is your name?
2. Where are you from?
3. What do you do?
4. Where do you work?
5. What did you do last weekend?

LISTEN

Compare your answers to the audio recording below.

WATCH THE VIDEOS

Names of Letters and Numbers

Consonant Sounds

Vowel Sounds

Voiced and Unvoiced Sounds

HOW ARE "SOUNDS" DIFFERENT FROM "LETTERS"?

Every letter of the English alphabet has a name. For example, the letter “f” is pronounced /ef/ when we say the name of the letter. If you spelled the word fan, you would say /ef/-/ei/-/en/ (f-a-n). On the other hand, when we talk about pronouncing the sounds of a letter, we are not talking about the spelling, but how we pronounce the letter when it’s in a word. When we pronounce the sound “f” we say /f/ rather than /ef/.

There are nearly twice as many sounds in English than letters. This is because some letters have multiple sounds. For example, the sound of the letter “a” is different in these words: cap, fate, and pasta. The sound of the letters “th” are different in these words: bath and bathe.

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THESE SOUNDS?

The way you pronounce individual sounds is not the most important pronunciation skill. If you mispronounce a sound, your listener may still be able to guess what word you are saying based on the context or situation. However, it is a good idea to improve your sounds so that your listener does not have to work as hard to understand you. This is especially important in words that are similar except for one sound (star/store, light/right, fan/pan, for example).

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Look at the list of IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols and practice pronouncing each one. Notice where your tongue is in your mouth and how your mouth is shaped. Record yourself and compare your pronunciation with a native speaker’s pronunciation.

PRACTICE

Make a list of words that you have trouble pronouncing. Look in the dictionary and write the IPA symbols for each word. Practice pronouncing the words.
 

Ex)       patent       
→    p æ  t ɛ n t

READ

Imagine that you are whispering to someone because you need to be very quiet. When you do this, you are not using your vocal cords or voice. You are just blowing air out of your mouth. Some English sounds are pronounced this way.

Touch your hand to your throat and whisper this sentence: I am not using my voice. You should not feel any vibration in your throat. Now, put your fingers over your ears so that you cannot hear. Say it again: I am not using my voice. You should not be able to hear yourself. This is because you are not using your vocal cords.

Touch your hand to your throat and say this sentence at your normal volume: I am using my voice. You should feel vibrations in your throat. Now, put your fingers over your ears so that you cannot hear. Say it again: I am using my voice. You should hear your voice because you are using your vocal cords.

Sounds that do not use your vocal cords are called unvoiced sounds. Sounds that use your vocal cords are called voiced sounds.

These sounds are unvoiced: /s/, /ʃ/, /t/, /ʔ/, /ʧ/, /p/, /f/, /θ/, /k/, /h/
 

These sounds are voiced: /z/, /ʒ/, /dʒ/, /b/, /v/, /ð/, /g/, /m/, /n/, /ŋ/, /l/, /r/, /j/, /w/ + all vowels

Did you notice that some of the voiced and unvoiced sounds are made using similar tongue and jaw positions? The following sounds are ìpartnerî sounds. Both sounds in each pair are formed the same way in your mouth, but one sound is voiced and the other is unvoiced.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Practice transforming the unvoiced sounds to voiced sounds by vibrating your vocal cords. Practice each pair five times.

Practice these tongue twisters and pay attention to voiced and unvoiced sounds.
 

f (unvoiced) / v (voiced)
Five valuable vases were valued at fifteen billion.
 

s (unvoiced) / z (unvoiced)
The six sisters zipped to the city zoo.
 

p (unvoiced) / b (voiced)
Pam bans people from blasting punk beats.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Do you pronounce the first letter of these words differently:
vile - file - while - bile - pile? You should.

Practice these sounds. Look in the mirror and check your teeth and lip position.

/v/ sound: (voiced) Top teeth touch bottom lip. The sound vibrates lip.

/f/ sound: (unvoiced) Top teeth touch bottom lip. Air is blown out.

/w/ sound: (voiced) Lips start in a small circle and expand as sound is made. Do not use teeth.

/b/ sound: (voiced) Lips start together and then separate.

/p/ sound: (unvoiced) Lips start together and then separate. Air is blown out.

PRACTICE

Practice these words five times each. Look in the mirror and check your teeth and lip position.

PRACTICE

Read these sentences three times each. Pay attention to the V, F, W, B, and P sounds.
 

Please leave the oven off if you don’t plan to use it.

The cab driver smiled when I tipped him well.

Phone applications are more popular than ever.

Live life to the fullest every day.

Welcome to our first ever benefit party.

Put your best foot forward to leave a positive impression.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Do you pronounce these words differently: light -right? You should.

Practice these sounds. Look in the mirror and check your teeth, tongue and lip position.

/l/ sound at the beginning of a word: Put the tip of your tongue just behind the front top teeth. Make a voiced sound as you drop it down and begin the next vowel sound. (If you have trouble with this sound, stick your tongue outside your mouth to practice.)

/l/ sound in the middle or at the end of a word: Put the tip of your tongue at the roof of your mouth and make a voiced sound while you hold your tongue in this position.

/r/ sound at the beginning of a word: Make an “o” shape with your lips. Pull your tongue to the back of your mouth make a voiced sound while tensing your tongue. Do not let the tip of your tongue touch the top of your mouth! Begin the next vowel sound from this position.

/r/ sound in the middle or at the end of a word: Move from the vowel sound into the ìrî by pulling your tongue to the back of your mouth. Do not let the tip of your tongue touch the top of your mouth! Make a voiced sound while tensing your tongue.

/n/ sound: Press the tip or front half of your tongue against the top of your mouth just
behind your teeth. Hold your tongue in this position and make a voiced sound through your nose. You should feel a vibration in your nose.

/m/ sound: Press your lips together and make a voiced sound through your nose. You should feel a vibration in your nose.

PRACTICE

Practice these words five times each. Look in the mirror and check your teeth and lip position.

PRACTICE

Read these sentences three times each. Pay attention to the L and R.

Lock the golf clubs in your car trunk.

Laughter is the best way to relieve stress.

Technology is not a silver bullet.

Don’t mock me for trying to improve.

Nothing is worse than being woken up by a phone call at one in the morning.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Do you pronounce the “TH” differently in these word pairs: thank - this and bath - bathe? You should.

Practice these sounds. Look in the mirror and check your teeth, tongue and lip position.
 

/θ/ sound: (unvoiced) Put your tongue between your top and bottom teeth, blow air out without your voice. (If you have trouble with this sound, stick your tongue outside your mouth to practice.)

/ð/ sound: (voiced) Put your tongue between your top and bottom teeth, blow air out with your voice. This sound will vibrate your tongue. (If you have trouble with this sound, stick your tongue outside your mouth to practice.)

Imagine that you have to make the sound in front of your mouth. If you look in a mirror, you should see your tongue sticking out a little.

PRACTICE

Practice these words five times each. Look in the mirror and check your teeth and lip position.

PRACTICE

Read these sentences three times each. Make sure your tongue is between your teeth when you pronounce the TH sound.

I don’t think that this thesis has been thought through thoroughly.

Thank you for thinking of me on my birthday.

That was very thoughtful of you.

Bathing suits are difficult to buy in cold weather months.

The Olympic athlete was not thrilled to have placed fifth.

It’s important to think about your pronunciation throughout the day.

PRACTICE

Attach practice to a habit! Choose any sound that is difficult for you and practice it every time you do something like wash your hands, check your email, get out of your desk chair, or make a phone call.

Pronunciation Check: Are you remembering to pause between thought groups and stretch your sounds at the end of thought groups? If you forgot to do that, reread the sentences above and add pausing and stretching! While you are practicing your sounds, remember to maintain your rhythm!

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Do you pronounce the vowels in these words differently: wow - why - boy - no? You should.

Practice pronouncing these sounds. Look in the mirror and make sure your mouth first opens up wide then closes when you pronounce these sounds.

/aʊ/ sound: Start with your mouth open wide and make the /a/ sound. Then close your mouth and make the /u/ sound. Blend the two sounds together smoothly.

/aɪ/ sound: Start with your mouth open wide and make the /a/ sound. Then smile, pull your tongue back and make the /i/ sound. Blend the two sounds together smoothly.

/ɔɪ/ sound: Start with your lips in a wide circle say “oh.” Then smile, pull your tongue back and make the /i/ sound. Blend the two sounds together smoothly.

/oʊ/ sound: Start with your lips in a wide circle say “oh.” Then make the circle smaller and make the /u/ sound. Blend the two sounds together smoothly.

Tip: Close two fingers together and hold them horizontally next to your mouth. This is your mouth “measuring stick.” Look in the mirror as you do this. When you practice these double vowel sounds, your mouth should open wider than your two fingers at the beginning and then close.

PRACTICE

Practice these words five times each. Look in the mirror and check your teeth and lip position.

PRACTICE

Underline all of the double vowel sounds in this paragraph. Read it aloud and record yourself. Open your mouth wide for all the vowel sounds.

In order to organize your life, you must prioritize your goals. First, think about why you want to organize your life. Do you need more time for home? Did you vow to find joy in life before you die? Now, write your goals down in order from the highest priority to the lowest priority. Next, find a friend for support who will not be annoyed but will enjoy helping you reach your goals. Tell her why you want to try to prioritize your life. When you are tired of trying, your friend should remind you of your priorities. Finally, revise your priorities every now and then, but don’t compromise or forgo your goals.

QUIZ

Read this paragraph and practice all of the skills you have learned so far. Record yourself and listen to the recording. Rate your pausing, stretching, stress, connections, and sounds.

Being ‘green’ isn’t as hard as you think. There are many things that people can do quite easily to reduce the amount of damage they do to the environment. Whether it’s turning down the thermostat or switching over to energy efficient light bulbs, almost everyone can make a difference by doing something small. Although you may have accomplished these first steps toward saving the planet, here are some more things you might want to consider. One, recycle your used printer cartridges—thousands of these end up in landfills throughout the country. Two, inform your community. Invite green experts to talk at your local community center. Try to make a real difference within your zip code. Three, get outside. Depending on the weather, go outdoors for your entertainment. Instead of visiting an air-conditioned movie theater, gather some friends and go for a hike or a picnic.

LISTEN

Compare your own recording to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

What are ten words that you commonly use in conversations at work? Make a list of these words and write the IPA symbols for each word. (Check your dictionary.) Is there a sound in each word that is difficult for you to pronounce? Write it down. Record yourself pronouncing these words. Practice pronouncing each word 10 times.

If you do not know what sounds to focus on, ask a friend or teacher to diagnose your problems.

WATCH THE VIDEO

WHAT DO WORD ENDINGS TELL US?

The sounds at the ends of words give the listener information about the tense and number of the word. The meaning of the word can change depending on the ending:

They wait for the call. (Habit) Give me the paper. (One paper)

They waited for the call. (Past) Give me the papers. (Multiple papers)

WHY DO NATIVE SPEAKERS HAVE TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING NONNATIVE SPEAKERS' WORD ENDINGS?

If people have trouble understanding your word endings, you are probably not holding the final sound long enough. Or, you may be adding an extra vowel sound when the word ends in a consonant.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Practice holding onto the final consonant of these words for one second longer than you feel is natural. Read each word five times.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

As you learned at the beginning of this book, it is important to stretch your word endings. This will help your English rhythm sound correct. In order to pronounce your word endings clearly, however, you also need to stretch the final consonant sounds.

Read this paragraph and practice holding and stretching the final consonants that are underlined.

Opening up a large health club in Suntown was a risk for entrepreneur Trish Slaven. Although she had opened three other successful businesses, Ms. Slaven was unsure of the timing. The recession had hit the town hard, and many people were tightening their purse strings and didn’t have extra money to spend. Her idea was met with skepticism by some business leaders, but she felt that a health club would be a great way for this community to improve their lives. She had three good reasons to open up a club. First, the only place to exercise was the rec center at the local college, and many people didn’t feel comfortable working out with the students. Second, a recent influx of new residents had given the economy a boost. Third, the mayor was a former triathlete who supported her vision. Ms. Slaven opened the club and named it “Laps and Relax.” It’s been open six months. When asked about the club, Steph Brown, a member, raved, “It’s a great place to work out. Sometimes I go there just to relax at the spa.” It looks like Ms. Slaven made the right decision.

LISTEN

Listen to the audio recording below.

PRACTICE

Groups of consonant sounds are called consonant clusters. Read these clusters and practice clearly pronouncing all of the sounds in the clusters.

Ending in “p”:    -rp    -sp    -mp

Practice:      warp      sharp      clasp      wasp      bump      stump

Ending in “s”:    -ds    -rs    -ts    -ps    -rts    -ves

Practice:      attends adopters      credits      ships      exports      lives

Ending in “k” & “ks”:    -rk    -nk    -lk    -sk    -sks    -ks

Practice:      work think      balk      ask      asks      attacks

Ending in “t”:    -rt    -nt    -ct    -ft    -pt    -st

Practice:      alert account      affect      draft      accept      receipt* first

(*The word receipt is irregular, the “p” is never pronounced.)

Ending in “th” & “ths”:    -nth    -nths    -fth    -ths    -thes

Practice:      millionth months      fifths      youths      bathes

Ending in “ch”:    -nch    -rch    -tch

Practice:      launch search      pitch      crutch

Ending in “ing” & “ings”:    -ing    -ings    -inging

Practice:      according buildings      singing

Endings that blend with “r”:    -rf    -rb    -rn    -rm    -rd

Practice:      turf blurb      torn      uniform      word