Introduction to Consonant Sounds – JSS1 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

Consonant sounds are speech sounds made when the tongue, teeth or lips block or narrow the air coming from the lungs.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. recognise the consonant sounds /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/, /g/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/, /f/, /v/, /s/ and /z/;
2. give example words that contain each of these sounds;
3. separate voiced sounds from voiceless sounds in pairs;
4. identify words in which the letter p is not pronounced.

What are consonant sounds?

Consonant sounds are speech sounds that we show with phonetic symbols such as /p/, /b/ and /t/.

• Phonetic symbol: a sign that stands for one sound, written between slanted lines, as in /p/.
• Sound and letter: a sound is what we hear, while a letter is what we write.
• Scope of this note: twelve consonant sounds, from /p/ to /z/.
• Positions: each sound can occur at the beginning, middle or end of a word.

Which words contain each consonant sound?

The table below matches each of the twelve sounds with example words.

Where does a consonant sound occur in a word?

A consonant sound can come at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a word.

• /p/: beginning in pot, middle in happy, end in nap.
• /b/: beginning in bag, middle in rubber, end in rub.
• /t/: beginning in tape, middle in heater, end in seat.
• /d/: beginning in day, middle in rider, end in hide.

Why is the sound different from the letter?

One sound can be written with different letters, and one letter can stand for different sounds.

• cough: the letters gh give the sound /f/.
• child: the letters ch give the sound /tʃ/.
• page: the letter g gives the sound /dʒ/.
• place: the letter c gives the sound /s/.
• has: the letter s gives the sound /z/.
• Rule: always listen to the sound before you pick the symbol.

What are voiced and voiceless consonant sounds?

A voiced sound makes the vocal cords vibrate, while a voiceless sound does not.

• Voiceless: the throat does not vibrate, as in /p/, /t/, /k/, /tʃ/, /f/ and /s/.
• Voiced: the throat vibrates, as in /b/, /d/, /g/, /dʒ/, /v/ and /z/.
• Quick test: put your fingers on your throat and say the sound.

The twelve sounds form six pairs. Each pair is made in the same way, but one is voiceless and one is voiced.

In which words is the letter p not pronounced?

In some words the letter p is written but the /p/ sound is not spoken, so we call it a silent p.

• pneumonia: the p at the beginning is silent.
• psalm: the p at the beginning is silent.
• receipt: the p before t is silent.
• cupboard: the p in the middle is silent.
• press: the p is pronounced, so it is not a silent p word.

How do we practise the consonant sounds?

1. Listen as the teacher says each sound and its example words.
2. Repeat each word aloud, with the class and then alone.
3. Say the pairs in the voiced and voiceless table and feel the throat.
4. Sort a list of new words by their first sound.
5. Say the silent p words aloud without the /p/ sound.

Evaluation

1. Write the symbol for the first sound in each word: child, job, zip, fork.
2. From the words below, choose the word in which the /p/ sound is pronounced.
   1. pneumonia
   2. press
   3. cupboard
   4. receipt
   5. psalm
3. Give the voiced partner of each sound: /p/, /t/, /f/, /s/.
4. Give two example words for the sound /dʒ/ and two for the sound /k/.

Assignment

Write down the twelve consonant sounds in this lesson. Beside each sound, write two of the example words given in the table.