Reading of English Consonant Clusters

English sibilants and interdental sounds which don’t have their equivalents in the Latin alphabet are denoted by combinations of consonants, the second element of which is “h”, e. g. she, chain, thus, three.

All the combinations of consonants, except “ sh ”, have the primary and the secondary sound meanings. The combinations of consonants are read in the primary sound meaning in most English words. In the words of foreign origin they are read in their secondary meaning.

cluster	sound	where	examples
ch	[t∫] [k] [∫] [d3] [h]	Geek and Latin French	cheap, chair, watch ache, school machinery, chef sandwich, spinach Loch
th	[θ] [t] [ð]	word end and beginning proper names between and before vowels	throw, tooth Thomas, Thailand this, leather
ph	[v] [f]	Greek and Latin	Stephen philosophy, phonetics
sh	[∫]		shelf, wash

Reading of “ng, nk”

cluster	sound	where	Examples
ng	[ŋ]	In final position or before suffixes –er, -est, -ed, -ing	Sing, singing, singer
ng	[ŋg]	In the middle of a root word	Anger, hunger but angel, conglomerate, congratulate
nk	[ŋk]	Any position	Ink, pink

READING OF LETTER “n”

The leter “n” denotes:

[n] in prefixes – con, - non, - in, -un (income, nonsense, confident, unread)

[ŋ] before: c, k ([k] function, tank), ck, qu ([k] conquer, ancker), xi ([k∫] anxious), g ([g] England, longer), the suffixes and endings –er, -est, -ed, -ing (sing, singer, singing).

Ex. 9.1 Read the words with letter “n”:

condition tranquil non-stop confidential constant cleanest

hank infamous unbroken conquer singing interrupt

hang anxious lighting fore-finger unconscious inkpot

Ex. 9.2 Transcribe the following words and divide them into groups according to the reading of the combinations:

linked, wings, inkpot, jungle, anxious, mounting, singer, single, anger, anxious, nonsense, eating, finger, income, function, conquer, having, confident, eaten, English, concentration, nonplus, indirect, frank, hanger, linked, wings, jungle, anxious, mounting, condition, nonunion, invisible, tank, function, belonged, nice, can't, sing, incredible, land, giant, pane, strong, bringing, long, banker.

Ex. 9.3 Find the odd word:

1. jungle, nonsense, Frank, sorting, single.

2. uneasy, nonplus, convention, English, irritation.

3. ring, tongue, boring, chunk, conversion.

4. dinner, convenient, nonstop, involve, undid.

5. unclaimed, nonsense, link, inhale.

6. finger, hang, frank, stronger.

7. singer, hanger, belonged, doing.

Ex. 9.4 Add the word according to the rule:

1. informal, non-aggression, unable,...

2. tank, frank, hank,...

3. longer, stronger, younger,...

4. sung, wing, finger,...

5. consult, industry, indulge,...

6. stinks, tank, inkpot,...

7. boring, sorting, lying,...

Ex. 9.5 Find the way from Start to Finish. You may pass a square only if the word in it has the sound [ŋ]. You can move horizontally or vertically only.

Start ↓

sing	think	thick	strong	wrong	rung
sign	uncle	unless	drug	strange	comb
thanks	angry	signal	drank	English	finger
anxious	angel	single	monkey	money	young
language	tongue	skiing	skin	came	ink
lounge	danger	band	dream	swim	wing

↑ Finish

Ex. 9.6 Explain the rules of reading in these proverbs:

1. What is done cannot be undone.

2. Wars the sport of kings.

3. He who swims in sin will sink in sorrow.

4. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

5. Better unborn than untaught.

6. Honey is sweet but the bee stings.

Ex. 9.7 Join consonant clusters with the sounds they can denote. There are 4 sounds that don’t fit here.

[d3]	[t]	[t∫]	[v]	[ð]
[s]	CH SH TH NG PH NK	[n]
[ŋk]	[h]
[f]	[θ]
[g]	[ŋ]	[∫]	[k]	[ŋg]

Find the word with each sound:

Chandelier, worth, anger, triumph, Anthony, sandwich, cheekbone, Stephen, shrewd, bang, Frank, than, monarchy

Ex.9.8 Find the odd word according to the way of the reading of consonant clusters:

1. accept, success, soccer, accede, access, accent.

2. anchor, young, conquer, conclude, function.

3. think, thunder, throne, thyme, thick, thing.

4. chaos, chord, stomach, monarchy, chaste.

5. tooth, scythe, truth, thumb, throw, thin.

6. go, gargle, gage, glove, stage, give.

7. chef, chic, champagne, charade, chick.

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