Lesson 9: Pronouncing /s/ and /z/ in English
The reason /s/ and /z/ are grouped together is because they have similar pronunciation. Watch the video below by teacher Heyden Smith and pay attention to every detail, otherwise, you will easily make mistakes.
1. Pronouncing /s/
Step 1: Pull the corners of your mouth to both sides
Step 2: Close your teeth together. The tip of the tongue touches the base of the teeth in the lower jaw
Step 3: Push air through the gap between the teeth.
Remember not to round your lips too much and exhale too strongly, and your lips need to stretch out or else you will switch to another sound in English /ʃ/.
Note: To check if you are pronouncing correctly or not, raise your hand in front of your face and say /s/. Because /s/ is a voiceless consonant so you may feel a light stream of air blowing onto the palm of your hand.
Practice
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/s/
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six
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sun
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sing
2. Pronouncing /z/
/s/ and /z/ are a pair of sounds because they have similar mouth shapes:
Step 1: Pull the corners of your mouth to both sides
Step 2: Close your teeth together. The tip of the tongue touches the base of the teeth in the lower jaw
Step 3: Pronouncing /z/
Note: Because /z/ is a voiced consonant, there is no breath blowing onto the palm of your hand. During the process of learning English, there are many pairs of sounds with similar pronunciation, so you need to pay attention to these small tips to check, okay?.
Practice
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/z/
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close
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size
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zoo
3. Practice some sentences:
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Everything is possible
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Speak less, listen more
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Always look on the bright side
Hope after this lesson you have learned how to pronounce s and z in English. Remember to practice regularly to achieve the best results.
ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION DOCUMENT SET
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