Speech Work: Consonant /w/ and /j/ – JSS2 English Lesson Note (Third Term)

/w/ and /j/ are consonant sounds called semi-vowels or glides.

• /w/: a voiced bilabial sound made with rounded lips, as in “well”.
• /j/: a voiced palatal sound made with spread lips, as in “yet”.

Behavioural objectives

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

1. describe how the consonants /w/ and /j/ are produced;
2. list the common spellings of /w/ and /j/ and pronounce words that contain them;
3. transcribe words that contain /j/;
4. explain what antonyms are and form opposites with the prefixes dis-, un-, in-, ir-, im- and il-;
5. write a narrative composition on a memorable journey.

What is covered this week?

This week covers six areas of English Studies.

• Speech work: consonants /w/ and /j/ (words: university, win, yellow).
• Grammar: antonyms, using adequate examples.
• Reading and comprehension: as in week 1.
• Vocabulary development: conflict resolution.
• Composition: a topic on “A memorable journey I once made”.
• Literature in English: (i) identification of the moral import of the recommended prose text; (ii) setting and plot of the recommended prose text.

Lesson one: What are the consonant sounds /w/ and /j/?

/w/ and /j/ are voiced consonants in which the tongue and lips glide quickly into the vowel that follows.

What is the consonant /w/?

/w/ is a voiced bilabial consonant, as in “well” /wel/ and “win” /wɪn/.

To produce /w/:

1. Raise the back of the tongue towards the soft palate, slightly higher than for /u:/.
2. Round the lips as you do for /u:/.
3. Let the vocal cords vibrate.
4. Glide quickly into the vowel that follows.

• No contact: the upper and lower lips do not touch to block the air.
• Still bilabial: /w/ is described as bilabial because both lips are active in making it.

What are the spellings of /w/?

/w/ is spelt in three common ways.

• “w”: as in well.
• “wh”: as in when.
• “qu”: pronounced /kw/, as in quick.
• Less common spellings: found in words like one, once and choir.
• Silent “w”: the letter is not sounded in words like write, wrong and answer.

Pronounce the following words, in which /w/ occurs:

• Initial position: wear, wise, when, way, well, win.
• After another consonant: swear, swim, twice, twine, dwarf, dwell, swell, squash, queen.
• Within a word: always, toward.

What is the consonant /j/?

/j/ is a voiced palatal consonant, as in “yet” /jet/ and “yellow” /ˈjeləʊ/.

To produce /j/:

1. Raise the front of the tongue towards the hard palate, slightly higher than for /i:/.
2. Spread the lips.
3. Let the vocal cords vibrate.
4. Glide quickly into the vowel that follows.

• Position: /j/ does not occur at the end of words.
• Do not confuse: the sound /j/ is usually spelt “y”, but the letter “j” represents /dʒ/.
• Example pair: “yet” is /jet/ and “jet” is /dʒet/.

What are the spellings of /j/?

/j/ is spelt in five common ways.

• “y”: as in yet.
• “ew”: as in few.
• “eau”: as in beauty.
• “ui”: as in suit.
• “u”: as in tune.

Why are /w/ and /j/ called semi-vowels and glides?

They are called semi-vowels because they share features with the vowels /u:/ and /i:/.

• /w/: resembles /u:/ in lip rounding and in the raised back of the tongue.
• /j/: resembles /i:/ in the raised front of the tongue and the spread lips.
• Glides: the tongue glides at once to the position of the vowel that follows.

What is the difference between /w/ and /j/?

/w/ is made at the back of the mouth with rounded lips. /j/ is made at the front of the mouth with spread lips.

Which words begin with /j/?

Many words that begin with the letter “y” start with /j/.

• Words: yard, you, yen, yet, yours, yoke, year, yaw, young, yes.

How are words with /j/ transcribed?

Words with /j/ are transcribed with the symbol /j/, even when the spelling uses “u” or “ew”.

Study the transcription of these words:

Lesson two: What are antonyms?

Antonyms are words that are opposite in meaning.

How are antonyms formed?

There are two main ways of getting the opposite of a word.

• A different word: the opposite is a separate word, as in love and hate.
• A prefix: a small word part is added to the front of the word, as in obey and disobey.

How do prefixes form antonyms?

A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning to the opposite. This is the commonest method.

Points to remember:

• ir-: used before words that begin with “r”, as in irregular.
• il-: used before words that begin with “l”, as in illegal.
• im-: used before words that begin with “m”, as in immature, and often “p”, as in impossible.
• Check a dictionary: not every word takes every prefix, so confirm the correct form.

Lesson three: Reading and comprehension, the dictionary

A dictionary is a reference book that lists words in alphabetical order and gives their meanings, spellings and pronunciation.

• Reference: New Oxford English for Junior Secondary School, Book 2, Unit II, pages 108 to 109.
• Instruction: answer the comprehension questions that follow the passage.

What is a dictionary used for?

• Meaning: it gives the meaning of a word.
• Spelling: it shows how a word is spelt correctly.
• Pronunciation: it shows how a word is said, using phonetic symbols such as /ju:z/.
• Word class: it tells whether a word is a noun, verb, adjective and so on.
• Examples of use: it gives sentences that show how a word is used.
• Related words: many dictionaries list synonyms and antonyms.

Lesson four: How do you write a composition on a memorable journey?

A narrative composition tells a story of something that happened, in the order in which it happened.

To write the composition:

1. Choose the journey and think about the order of events.
2. Begin with when, where and with whom you travelled.
3. Describe the preparation and the start of the trip.
4. Describe the places you passed and the things you saw.
5. Write mainly in the past tense and in the first person (“I”).
6. End with how the journey finished and how you felt.

Read the sample composition below.

It was the 3rd of August 2013, to be precise. I travelled with my uncle to Cotonou. My uncle told me to prepare for the journey, which was to visit a friend of his, since it was break time from school. I was very happy and packed my clothes and other useful materials. Because it was my first time, I woke up very early and got ready, and my uncle came to pick me up at exactly 7:00 am.

On our way, we got to the Badagry border, where my uncle showed his passport and mine to the Customs officers. We were allowed to go immediately. After about a 30-minute drive, we got to Cotonou. Not long after, I saw their airport, which was very big, decent, beautiful and fascinating. I wished to stop and walk around it, but because we still had a long way to go, my uncle could not grant my request.

Cotonou is a big city. From the little I could see, the motorcyclists in their uniforms looked decent, and their market is well kept and neat. There is no avenue for street boys or vagabonds. The roads are well-tiled and clean.

I saw companies and factories, schools, relaxation centres, hotels, churches, stadiums and theatre halls. There is no selling by the roadside, unlike in Nigeria. There is no hawking on the road, except in the garage.

To cut a long story short, Cotonou is a decent, beautiful city. We finally got to my uncle’s friend’s house. He took good care of us, and after the third day we travelled back to Nigeria. I wish I had stayed there or could visit the place once more.

Evaluation

1. Describe how the consonant /w/ is produced.
2. Why are /w/ and /j/ called semi-vowels and glides?
3. Give three spellings of /w/ and three spellings of /j/, with one example word for each.
4. What are antonyms? Give three examples.
5. Add a suitable prefix to form the opposite of each word: obey, certain, adequate, regular, mature, legal.

Assignment

1. Speech work: Transcribe the following words correctly, as studied in this lesson: (i) feud (ii) use (iii) hew (iv) year (v) stew.
2. Grammar: Give the antonyms of the following words: (i) admiration (ii) abyss (iii) miserly.
3. Reading and comprehension: Write five uses of the dictionary.