Consonant Sounds, Adverbs of Manner & Argumentative Essay – JSS3 English Lesson Note (First Term)

This lesson covers consonant sounds, adverbs of manner and the argumentative essay.

Behavioural objectives

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

1. State how a consonant sound is produced and name the three factors used to classify consonants.
2. Give examples of words containing each English consonant sound.
3. Explain what an adverb of manner is and where to place it in a sentence.
4. Complete sentences with suitable adverbs of manner.
5. Name the five types of argument claims and write a thesis for an argumentative essay.
6. Describe how to organise the introduction, body and conclusion of an argumentative essay.

What is a consonant sound?

A consonant is a speech sound made by obstructing the flow of air from the lungs somewhere in the mouth.

• Speech sounds in English: there are forty-four, made up of twenty vowels and twenty-four consonants.
• Obstruction: the airstream is always blocked to some degree when a consonant is produced.
• Partial obstruction: the air is narrowed but still escapes, as in /s/ and /f/.
• Total obstruction: the air is completely blocked for a moment, as in /p/ and /t/.
• Sounds, not letters: consonants are sounds, so “come” begins with /k/, “cough” ends with /f/ and “page” ends with /dʒ/.

How are consonants classified?

Consonants are classified by three factors: place of articulation, manner of articulation and state of the glottis.

What is place of articulation?

Place of articulation is the part of the mouth where the airstream is obstructed.

• Bilabial: both lips, as in /p/, /b/, /m/ and /w/.
• Labiodental: lower lip and upper teeth, as in /f/ and /v/.
• Dental: tongue tip and upper teeth, as in /θ/ and /ð/.
• Alveolar: tongue tip and the ridge behind the upper teeth, as in /t/, /d/, /s/, /z/, /n/ and /l/.
• Post-alveolar: tongue just behind the ridge, as in /r/.
• Palato-alveolar: tongue blade and the area between the ridge and hard palate, as in /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/ and /dʒ/.
• Palatal: tongue and hard palate, as in /j/.
• Velar: back of the tongue and the soft palate, as in /k/, /g/ and /ŋ/.
• Glottal: the glottis itself, as in /h/.

What is manner of articulation?

Manner of articulation is the way the airstream is obstructed or released.

• Plosives: air is blocked completely, then released suddenly: /p, b, t, d, k, g/.
• Fricatives: air escapes through a narrow gap with friction: /f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h/.
• Affricates: a plosive released slowly into a fricative: /tʃ, dʒ/.
• Nasals: air escapes through the nose: /m, n, ŋ/.
• Lateral: air escapes over the sides of the tongue: /l/.
• Approximants: the organs come close but do not cause friction: /r, w, j/.

What is the state of the glottis?

The state of the glottis tells whether the vocal cords vibrate (voiced) or do not vibrate (voiceless) during the sound.

• Test: place a finger on your throat and say /s/, then /z/. You feel vibration only for /z/.

What are the consonant sounds of English?

English has twenty-four consonant sounds, shown below with example words.

What is an adverb of manner?

An adverb of manner is a word that tells how an action is done.

• Question it answers: How? For example, how did the boys run?
• Word it describes: mainly the verb, as in “ran quickly”.
• Common form: adjective plus -ly, such as quick (quickly), slow (slowly) and careful (carefully).
• Irregular forms: some have no -ly, such as well, fast and hard.
• Use in writing: adverbs help the reader picture how a scene is happening.

How do adverbs of manner change meaning?

Adding an adverb of manner makes the action clearer.

• The boys ran. There is no adverb, so we cannot tell how fast they ran.
• The boys ran quickly. The adverb is quickly. It tells us the boys were in a hurry.
• The boys were tired, so they ran more slowly than before. The adverb is slowly. They covered less ground than before.

Where do adverbs of manner go in a sentence?

An adverb of manner usually goes after the main verb or after the object.

• After the verb (no object): She sang beautifully.
• After the object: He closed the door quietly.
• Not between verb and object: do not write “He closed quietly the door”.
• Before a preposition: the adverb may come before the preposition, as in “She looked carefully at the picture”.
• After the object of a preposition: “She looked at the picture carefully” is also correct.
• Before the main verb: placing it here adds emphasis, as in “He quickly agreed”.
• At the start of a sentence: this catches the reader’s attention, as in “Slowly, the old man crossed the road”.

How does position change the meaning?

The same adverb can give different meanings when its position changes. The adverb is in italics in each sentence.

• He quickly agreed to go to the store for milk. (His agreement was quick.)
• He agreed to go to the store for milk quickly. (He would go to the store quickly.)
• She quietly asked me to leave the room. (Her request was quiet.)
• She asked me to leave the room quietly. (I am not to make noise when I leave.)
• The doctor woke the gently sleeping patient. (The patient was sleeping gently.)
• The doctor gently woke the sleeping patient. (The doctor was gentle while waking the patient.)

What is an argumentative essay?

An argumentative essay states a position on an issue and gives several reasons, supported by evidence, for agreeing with that position.

• Where topics come from: newspaper headlines, or people trying to persuade each other at home, in the market or at school.
• Cause questions: What caused this?
• Importance questions: How important is it?
• Action questions: What should we do about it?

What are the five types of argument claims?

There are five types of argument claims: fact, definition, value, cause and effect, and policy.

1. Fact: is it true or not?
2. Definition: what does it mean?
3. Value: how important is it?
4. Cause and effect: what is the cause, and what are the effects?
5. Policy: what should we do about it?

How do you write a thesis?

A thesis is the sentence that states your position and answers the question your essay asks.

Step 1: Turn the topic into a question

Step 2: Answer the question and build the thesis

• Answer: your answer to the question is your thesis. The question can be your title or the last line of your introduction.
• Refute objections: begin with a phrase that answers other views. Example: “While some people think there is no way to divorce-proof your marriage, studies have shown that there are fewer divorces when people carefully prepare for that commitment.”
• Roadmap: add a few words naming the three or more main points you will cover.

Example with a roadmap:

• “While some people think there is no way to divorce-proof your marriage, studies have shown that there are fewer divorces when people carefully prepare for that commitment by taking time to get to know the other person before becoming engaged, spending time with one another’s family and friends, talking about hot-button issues like finances, and getting extensive premarital counselling.”

How is an argumentative essay organised?

An argumentative essay has an introduction, a body and a conclusion, and together they must do seven things.

1. Interest the audience and make them think the issue is worth learning about.
2. Explain the controversy or problem clearly.
3. Explain the sides of the debate.
4. Tell them your side.
5. Convince them that your side is the best one to take.
6. Refute any objections they may be thinking about as they read.
7. Urge the audience to adopt your point of view, and to do, think or believe something.

Introduction

The introduction explains the subject and the controversy, and ends with your thesis.

• Title: use it to present your point of view. It can be a question.
• Audience: think about which parts of the issue would most interest or convince your readers.
• Thesis: make it clear, make it answer the question, and usually place it as the last sentence.

Body

The body gives the reasons your audience should agree with your thesis and answers opposing views.

• Reasons: give three or more. Each one becomes a topic sentence.
• Support: back each reason with argument, examples, statistics, authorities or anecdotes.
• Link to your position: use “if…then” reasoning to connect each reason to your thesis.
• Objections: ask what your readers may object to, then answer with argument or evidence.
• Other positions: state what other people believe and give your reason for rejecting it.

Conclusion

The conclusion makes a final point that tells the reader what to think or do.

• Key question: why should the audience adopt your point of view?
• Objections: you may answer them again here.

What ideas can you use for the introduction and the conclusion?

Introductions and conclusions can each be written in several ways, as the table shows.

Evaluation

1. How many speech sounds are there in English? How many of them are consonants?
2. Name the three factors used to classify consonants.
3. What is an adverb of manner? Write one sentence that contains an adverb of manner.
4. List the five types of argument claims.
5. Where is the thesis usually placed in an argumentative essay?

Assignment

Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

1. The excited baby pounded the table _______________.
   • (a) Badly
   • (b) Hungrily
   • (c) Normally
   • (d) Variously
2. Walk ______________ or you may miss the bus.
   • (a) Quickly
   • (b) Slowly
   • (c) Personally
   • (d) Happily
3. Reading ______________ helps you to understand concepts better.
   • (a) Rapidly
   • (b) Briefly
   • (c) Carefully
   • (d) Always
4. Playing music too _______________ can damage your hearing.
   • (a) Slowly
   • (b) Cheerfully
   • (c) Carelessly
   • (d) Loudly
5. A tortoise walks _______________.
   • (a) Mostly
   • (b) Slowly
   • (c) Happily
   • (d) Eagerly