Check your knowledge

Exercise 1. Continue writing monosyllables ending in

1. ss

grass …

chess …

hiss …

toss …

2. ll

call …

tell …

chill …

bull …

poll …

3. ff

cliff …

muff …

Exercise 2. To fix in mind the spelling of the given words, copy them under the corresponding double consonant letters.

MODEL: nn rr

banner carry

dinner cherry

arrow ballet barrel berry bitter bottle brilliant butter channel college

cotton current dazzle fellow flatter gallery horror latter lobby luggage

manner matter message middle narrow patter penny possible quarrel riddle

settle shallow shilling sorrow stammer suffer supper swallow terror valley

Add to the columns you have as many words as you can think of.

Lesson 6 Mute (Silent) Consonants

1. b is silent when it comes before t and after m: e.g. doubt, debt, lamb, bomb; However b is often pronounced in its final position in the words iamb, rhomb, and always in its medial position in such words as bombard, timber, lumber, number, amber, somber, humble, mumble, etc.

2. n is silent after m (finally and in inflected forms): e.g. autumn, column, solemn, damn, condemn, hymn. However, n is always pronounced in their derivatives: e.g. autumnal, solemnity, etc. But solemnly, solemnness have a silent n.

3. d is silent in a few words between n and a consonant which follows d: e.g. handsome, handkerchief, sandwich, Wednesday, grandchild, grandmother.

4. g is silent before n in its initial position: e.g. gnat, gnaw, gnash; finally in -gm, -igm: e.g. paradigm, diaphragm, reign, sign; medially in the following words: champagne, physiognomy, signor(a), chignon, cognac. However, in some derivatives g is always audible in its medial position: e.g. malignant, resignation, signify, signal, pragmatic, phlegmatic, etc. Medially g is usually pronounced in gn: e.g. agnostic, dignify, diagnosis, cognitive, magnet, stagnation, magnificent, recognize, etc.

5. h is silent after ex, g, k, t, r, w and before a vowel in its initial position: e.g. exhibit, ghost, khan, Thames, rhythm, when + Esther, Anthony, catarrh + honour, hour, heir, honest; medially between a stressed and an unstressed vowels: e.g. vehicle, rehabilitate, between a consonant and an unstressed vowel: e.g. silhouette, saccharine + spaghetti, Fahrenheit; in -ham: e.g. Birmingham, Durham, Berkhamsted; after a vowel in its final position: e.g. ah, bah, hurrah.

6. gh is silent before t, after a long vowel or diphthongs [eI], [aI] (igh(t), eigh(t), aight, aught, ough(t)): e.g. high, night, neighbour, weight, straight, daughter, through, fought.

7. k is silent before n in its initial position: e.g. know, knit, knee, knife. But acknowledge.

8. l is silent in -alf/-alv-, -alm, -a(u)lk, -olk, -oln, -olm-: e.g. half, calves, calm, talk, folk, Lincoln, Stockholm + colonel, should, could, would.

9. p is silent before s (in words containing pseudo-, psych(o)-, psalm), n, t in the beginning of the word: e.g. psychology, pneumonia, Ptolemy + receipt, corps, sapphire, cupboard, coup.

10. t is silent after s in its medial position and after f and s in its final position: e.g. castle, nestle, often, listen; in some words of French origin: e.g. ballet, buffet, argot, debut, bouquet. But haste, pistol, Christ, soft, hostel, crystal, etc.

11. w is silent before r and h+o in the beginning of the word and between a consonant and vowel in its medial position: e.g. write, who, whole, two, sword, answer.

12. s and z are silent in some words of French origin: e.g. aisle, chamois, chassis, corps, Illinois, Arkansas, isle, island, islet, précis, pince-nez, rendezvous.

13. f is silent in a few words: e.g. halfpenny, halfpence. In colloquial speech it is often dropped in the preposition of in an unstressed position before a consonant: e.g. a pint of milk, etc.

14. c is silent in b(-)sc(-) before e, i, y: e.g. scene, discern, reminisce; in -scl- in a few words: e.g. muscle, corpuscle; before t in a few words: e.g. indict, victual, Connecticut; also in some names of English countries: e.g. Gloucester, Leicester; But muscular, sceptic; in acqu-, exce-, exci-, cz-: e.g. acquaint, except, excite, czar.

15. h is silent in a few words: e.g. yacht, fuchsia.

Exercise 1. Copy the words given below, group them according to their silent letters, underline the silent letters. Get ready to explain in what position the letter is silent.

Crumb, handkerchief, phlegm, haughty, kneel, balm, attempt, islet, whistle, knowledge, sword, Christmas, psychiatry, hymn, Lincoln, knob, exhilarate, plough, gnarl, landscape, doubt, dishonest, daughter, walk, highway, column.

From your memory add as many words as you can to each column.

Exercise 2. Look up the pronunciation of the following words in your dictionary and write out those that contain the silent letter g.

Agnostic, foreigner, ignorant, sign, gnaw, benignant, resign, assignment, campaign, dignity, gnarl, champagne, signature, design.

Exercise 3. Copy the following words into two groups: 1) with silent w, 2) with silent h. Explain when w and h are silent.

What, who, wharf, whether, which, whoop, while, whole, whisker, whom, wheeze, whirl, anywhere, whose, wholesome, whisper, wheat, white.

Exercise 4. Copy the words and underline those that contain the silent h.

Perhaps, forehead, honest, exhaust, ahead, rheumatism, humour, ghastly, hotel, heir, shepherd, exhibit, hesitate, whisper, ghost.

Write these words to dictation.

Exercise 5. Insert the missing silent letters b, d, g, h, gh.

-nome lan-scape ex-ibition plou-

-onour fore-ead We-nesday r-om-

campai-n hau-ty plum-er dou-

wei-t su-tle g-ost lam-

r-etoric phle-m san-wich crum-

com- pli-t w-imsical thou-

Exercise 6. Insert the missing silent letters k, l, n, p, s, t or w.

ans-er solem- cu-board ca-f -not -hoop

s-ord mor-gage consum-tion Ra-ph -nickers glis-en

-nave ba-m glim-se sof-en -rinkle recei-t

nes-le -rest -neumonia Linco-n -neel condem-

shou-d hym- ras-berry mois-en -retch a-ms

Exercise 7. Insert the missing letters.

1. Some nau-ty boys have cut a bou- from the tree. 2. I dou-t if he will ever pay his de-ts. 3. Please, -rap the -nife in paper. 4. Take care not to -nock your -nee against this plou-. 5. I have felt very -retched the -hole day. 6. The plou-man cut his thum- and the shep-erd tied it up. 7. My nei-bour is very hau-ty. 8. We’ll go to Wes-minster on We-nesday. 9. They are lis-ening to the lan-lady’s story about the cas-le. 10. Both the w-ite and the yo-k of the egg are useful. 11. Look thorou-ly throu- these notes. 12. Ra-ph is a han-some boy. 13. We are ex-austed after our long wa-k. 14. Give ha-f the ras-berries to the gran-mother. 15. The san-wiches and sa-mon are in the cu-board. 16. Cou-d you ans-er more ca-mly? 17. -onestly, I of-en heard soft w-is-les at midni-t. 18. There is neither r-yme nor r-ythm in your verse. 19. He -nocked his fore-ead on the -nob of the door. 20. Consum-tion, -neumonia and r-eumatism are serious diseases.

Exercise 8. What English words are these? Write them out using the normal English alphabet.

1. ['sIzqz] 6. [kqn'dem] 11.['bxleI] 16.[kL]

2. [In'daIt] 7. [sAtl] 12.['krIsmqs] 17.['RkqnsL]

3. [dI'sE:n] 8. [tHm] 13.['paudq] 18.['vJImqns]

4. [saID] 9. [aIl] 14.[sLd] 19.[Ig'zLst]

5. ['Lkwqd]10.['SxmwR] 15.[hHp] 20.[haIt]