Can you hear the difference between the words:
Can you say these words accurately?
Can you say the sentence
accurately, like this?
Today we are going to work on consonant clusters with the /s/ and /k/ sounds.
A consonant cluster is when we have to pronounce
2 or more consonants one after the other
without adding any vowel sounds in between.
Examples of consonant clusters with the /s/ an /k/ sounds are:
There are four typical errors that Vietnamese people make
when saying English words with consonant clusters containing the /k/ and /s/ sounds:
First, the most common mistake is that they forget
to say the /s/ sounds in these consonant clusters.
So they will say "tack" instead of "tax",
"Mac" instead of "max",
"Mick" instead of "mix".
The best examples of this error are the Vietnamese pronunciation
of "Excuse me" as /*ekju: mi:*/ instead of /ɪkskju:z mi:/
and "relax" as /*rɪlӕk*/ instead of /rɪlӕks/.
Second, sometimes Vietnamese people forget to say the /k/ sound
sound in these consonant clusters.
So they will say "miss" instead of "mix",
"nest" instead of "next", "sis" instead of "six".
The third problem is that when the consonant cluster falls at the end of a word,
Vietnamese people often skip the entire cluster.
So they will say /*ne*/ instead of "next"
and /*tӕ*/ instead of "task".
The fourth problem is that very often
the different ways of spelling of these consonant clusters
especially the spelling combinations with the letter "X"
cause difficulties, so Vietnamese people don't know how to say these words correctly.
In this video
- we will learn how to say consonant clusters with the /k/ and /s/ sounds accurately,
- we will examine how we typically spell words with these consonant clusters
- we will practice saying words and sentences with /k/ and /s/ consonant clusters
- and we will test your newly acquired skills.
So, let's correct these mistakes and start SPEAKING accurate English.
Are you with me?
Let's go!
There two main reasons why Vietnamese people can't say
consonant clusters with the /k/ and /s/ well in English:
The first reason stems from the fact that in the Vietnamese language
there is always a vowel after a consonant,
but in English we have a lot of words where consonants come one after the other
without a single vowel between them,
like in the word "school",
which begins with 2 consonants,
or "asks" which ends in 3 consonants.
So to a Vietnamese speaker it feels strange
to say two or more consonants together,
so they simply say only one and forget the others.
In addition, not pronouncing final consonants is already a big problem for Vietnamese people speaking English
and this problem only gets worse when there are more consonants
at the end of a word.
We covered final consonants extensively in Episode 9,
so if you need any help on this topic,
you can find the detailed instructions in that video lesson.
The second reason is that the tongue of most Vietnamese people
cannot move fast enough to change quickly between the /s/ and /k/ sounds.
The /s/ sound is made at the front of the mouth
while the /k/ is made at the very back of the mouth,
and Vietnamese speakers of English often can't control their tongue
precisely enough to make it quickly travel the full distance
from front to back, and they can't say the /s/ and /k/ sounds clearly,
so the result is an incorrect English pronunciation
that foreigners find very difficult to understand.
If you want to speak accurate English,
you need to train your tongue to make it stronger and better controlled,
so you are able to move it into the necessary positions
and make the correct English sounds.
There are two basics sounds in the consonant clusters of today's lesson: /s/ and /k/
The /s/ in these consonant clusters is a strong sound and it is longer than the /k/.
It is made at the front of the mouth with the lips pulled wide slightly and the tongue flat.
It's very important to point out that you have to say a a /s/ sound, not a /ʃ/ sound,
Please don't confuse the two.
If you have a problem with the /s/ sound
or can't quite distinguish it from the /ʃ/ sound,
then please watch episode 1
where you will find detailed instructions and practice exercises.
The /k/ in these clusters is a weaker sound and it is shorter than the /s/.
It is made at the back of the mouth by pulling your tongue back.
There is a total of 6 combinations of consonant clusters with the /s/ and /k/ sounds.
The two basic combinations are /sk/ and /ks/.
If you master these two, you will be able to say the other combinations easily.
The other combinations are:
/sks/, /skt/, /ksk/, and /kst/.
The first /s/ and /k/ combination is the /sk/ cluster:
Start this cluster by saying a /s/ sound and holding it out longer:
Remember that your lips should be slightly wide,
and that your tongue should be flat in your mouth.
Use a mirror to check your lip position
to make sure that you are saying the correct /s/ sound and not a /ʃ/ sound.
With the /s/ sound the lips are wide while with the /ʃ/ the lips are rounded.
Next, say a long /s/ and simply add a /k/ at the end:
While you're holding the /s/ long,
use the time to prepare for the /k/ sound:
/sssss/ + /k/
If this is difficult for you at first, then say them separately:
/sss/ + /k/
and practice switching from one to the other.
Feel the tongue moving from the front of the mouth on the /s/ to the back of the mouth on the /k/.
Then slowly start reducing the space between the two sounds:
Practice switching between the /s/ and the /k/ until you get it right.
When you can say the /sk/ with a very long /s/,
start reducing the /s/ to a normal length:
Pause this video and practice saying the/sk/
and feel the tongue moving from the front of the mouth to the back of the mouth.
Pause now.
OK, now let's practice the /sk/ cluster in words.
The /sk/ at the beginning of words:
Say the /ssss/ part long and use the time of the long /s/
to prepare for the /k/:
Be careful not to say a /ʃ/ sound.
Lot of times VN people confuse the /s/ with the /ʃ/.
Watch episode 1, to learn the differences.
The /sk/ in the middle of words:
If you find it difficult to say the /sk/ in the middle of words,
then do the following:
Cut off the first syllable, so that the /s/ becomes the first sound of the word:
"sssssket", "ssssscover", "sssquito"
and practice saying these half words.
When you can do this well, then add the first syllable and practice saying the whole word:
"bassssket", "dissssscover", "mossssquito"
Another way to practice the /sk/ is to separate /s/ and /k/ and say the two half words with a space between them:
"bassss" + "ket" / "disss" + "cover" / "mosss" + "quito".
Say the /s/ longer to give you time to change the tongue
and to remember that the /s/ is an important sound.
Then start reducing the space between the two word halves and finally put them back together:
"basss ket", "basss ket", "basss ket", "basss ket", "basssket"
The /sk/ at the end of words:
Say the /ssss/ part long and use the time of the long /s/ to prepare for the /k/:
Pause this video and practice saying these words with the /sk/ cluster accurately.
Pause now.
The second /s/ and /k/ combination is the /ks/ cluster:
Start this cluster by saying a /k/ sound
and then add a long /s/ sound:
Make sure that your lips are slightly pulled (not rounded)
and that your tongue is flat in your mouth,
so you'll say a /s/, not a /ʃ/.
If this is difficult for you at first,
then say them separately:
/k/ + /sss/
and practice switching from one to the other.
Feel the tongue moving from the back of the mouth on the /k/
to the front of the mouth on the /s/:
Then slowly start reducing the space between the two sounds:
Practice switching between the /k/
and the /s/ until you get it right.
When you can say the /ksss/ with a very long /s/,
start reducing the /s/ to a normal length:
Pause this video and practice saying the /ksssss/
and feel the tongue moving from the back of the mouth on the /k/
to the front of the mouth on the /s/
Pause now.
OK, now let's practice the /ks/ in words.
Fortunately, the /ks/ never occurs at the beginning of words in English,
only at the end of words and in the middle:
The /ks/ in the middle of words:
If you find it difficult to say the /ks/ in the middle of words,
then cut the /ks/ consonant in half
and say the two half words separately first:
/tӕk/ + /sɪ/, /ek/ + /sələnt/, /sək/ + /ses/.
Say the /s/ longer to remember that the /s/ is important here.
Then start reducing the space between the two word halves
and finally put them back together:
Pull the lips a little and keep your tongue flat
to make sure you say a /s/ and not a /ʃ/:
The /ks/ at the end of words:
Say the /ssss/ part long
to remember that it needs to be pronounced:
/mɪkssss/, /bʊkssss/, /wərkssss/
If this is difficult, then divide the /ks/ into two parts,
/k/ + /s/
and first say the words with the /k/ as the final sound:
/mɪk/, /bʊk/, /wərk/
When you can say the words like this,
put the /s/ at the end:
/mɪksss/, /bʊkssss/, /wərksss/
Pause this video and practice saying these words
with the /ks/ cluster accurately.
Pause now.
The third /s/ and /k/ combination is the /ksk/ cluster.
This is basically a /ks/ and a /sk/ cluster put together,
so if you can say the two basic combinations of /sk/ and /ks/
then you should have no problem with the /ksk/:
Start this cluster by saying a /ks/ cluster and holding the /s/ longer:
Make sure that you're saying a /s/, not a /ʃ/.
Next, simply add a /k/ at the end:
/ksssssssk/
While you're holding the /ssss/ long, use the time to prepare for the second /k/ sound
If this is difficult for you at first, then say them separately:
/ksss/ + /k/
and practice switching from /ks/ to /k/.
Feel the tongue moving from the back of the mouth on the /k/
to the front of the mouth on the /s/
and then to the back of the mouth again on the second /k/
Now slowly start reducing the space between the sounds:
Practice switching between the /ks/ and the /k/ until you get it right.
When you can say the /ksk/ with a very long /s/,
start reducing the /s/ to a normal length:
Pause this video and practice saying the /ksk/
and feel the tongue moving from the back of the mouth to the front of the mouth
and then to the back of the mouth again.
Pause now.
Now let's practice the /ksk/ in words.
Fortunately, the /ksk/ cluster occurs only in a few words in English
and only in the middle of words:
The /ksk/ in the middle of words:
If you find it difficult to say the /ksk/,
then separate the /ks/ part from the second /k/
and say the two word halves with a space in between them:
/əks/ + /kju:z/, /əks/ + /klu:d/, /əks/ + /kleɪm/.
Say the /s/ longer to give you time to change the tongue and to remember that the /s/ is important here.
If you cannot say the /ks/ cluster as the final sounds,
then go back to the second part of this section of the video and practice the /ks/ there.
Then start reducing the space between the two word halves
and finally put them back together:
Pause this video and practice saying these words with the /ksk/ cluster accurately.
Pause now.
The fourth /s/ and /k/ combination is the /sks/ cluster.
This is basically a /sk/ cluster followed by a /ks/ cluster,
so if you can say /ks/ and /sk/
then you should have no problem with the /sks/.
Start this cluster by saying a /sk/ cluster and then add a long /s/ sound:
Make sure that your lips are slightly pulled (not rounded) and that your tongue is flat in your mouth,
so you'll say a /s/, not a /ʃ/.
If this is difficult for you at first, then say them separately:
/sk/ + /sss/
and practice switching from /sk/ to /s/.
Feel the tongue moving from the front of the mouth on the /s/
to the back of the mouth on the /k/
and then to the front of the mouth again on the second /s/:
Now slowly start reducing the space between the sounds:
Practice switching between the /sk/ and the /s/ until you get it right.
When you can say the /sksss/ with a very long /s/,
start reducing the /s/ to a normal length:
Pause this video and practice saying the /sks/
and feel the tongue moving from the front of the mouth on the first /s/
to the back of the mouth on the /k/
and then to the front of the mouth again on the second /s/.
Pause now.
OK, now let's practice the /sks/ in words.
In English the /sks/ cluster almost always only occurs at the end
of plural nouns and singular third person verbs:
The /sks/ at the end of words:
Say the /ssss/ part long to remember that it needs to be pronounced:
"asssksss", "risssksss", "tasssksss"
If this is difficult, then divide the /sks/ into two parts:
/sk/ + /s/ and first say the word with the /sk/ as the final sound:
ask, risk, task
If you cannot say the /sk/ cluster as the final sounds,
then go back to the first part of this section of the video and practice the /sk/ there.
When you can say the words like this, then put the second /s/ at the end:
asks, risks, tasks
Pause this video and practice saying these words with the /sks/ cluster accurately.
Pause now.
The fifth and sixth consonant cluster combination with the /s/ and /k/ are the /skt/ and /kst/ clusters,
which are a /sk/ and a /ks/ cluster followed by a weaker /t/ sound.
So if you can say /ks/ and /sk/ then you should have no problem with the /skt/ and the /kst/.
When you say the /skt/, you can feel your tongue moving from the front of the mouth
to the back of the mouth and then to the front of the mouth again
When you say the /kst/, you can feel the tongue moving from the back of the mouth
to the front of the mouth and then staying at the front of the mouth for the /t/ sound.
If this is difficult for you at first, then say the /t/ at the end separately.
Feel the tongue moving from the front of the mouth to the back of the mouth
Now slowly start reducing the space between the sounds:
Pause this video and practice saying the /skt/ and /kst/ clusters
and feel the tongue moving between the front of the mouth and the back of the mouth.
Pause now.
OK, now let's practice the /skt/ and /kst/ clusters in words.
In English these clusters only occur at the end of regular past tense verbs:
The /skt/ at the end of words:
The /kst/ at the end of words:
Say the /ssss/ part long to remember that it needs to be pronounced:
"asssked", "risssked", "tasssked", /mɪksssst/, /fɪksssst/, /rɪlӕksssst/
If this is difficult, then divide the clusters into two parts
and first practice saying the words without the final /t/ sound:
ask, risk, task, mix, fix, relax
If you cannot say the /sk/ cluster as the final sounds,
then go back to the first part of this section of the video and practice the /sk/ there.
If you cannot say the /ks/ cluster as the final sounds,
then go back to the second part of this section and practice the /ks/ there.
When you can say the words like this, then put the /t/ at the end:
Pause this video and practice saying these words with the /skt/ and /kst/ clusters accurately.
Pause now.
Let's look at the typical ways how we spell the consonant clusters with the /k/ and /s/ sounds
because it can be confusing for Vietnamese people,
especially the spelling of the /ks/ and /sk/ clusters.
The /sk/ cluster:
"S + K":
"S + CH":
"S + C" + "A":
"S + C" + "O":
"S + C" + "U":
but "muscle" is /mʌsl/, without a /k/!
"S + C" + "L/R":
"S + C" at the end of words:
"S + QU" pronounced as /skw/ at the beginning of words:
The /ks/ cluster:
"X" is pronounced as /ks/
if it's NOT at the beginning of a stressed syllable:
"X + CE" / "X+ CI":
"C + CI" / "C + CE":
The following spellings of /ks/ are usually at the end of plural nouns
and singular third person verbs, which have a letter "S" at the end:
"K + S":
"CK + S":
"CH + S" / "CHE + S":
"QUE + S":
"C + S":
The /ksk/ cluster:
"X + C" + A/O/U/L/R:
The /sks/ cluster at the end of plural nouns and singular third person verbs:
"S + K" + "S":
The /skt/ cluster at the end of regular verbs in the past tense:
"S + K" + "-ED":
The /kst/ cluster at the end of regular verbs in the past tense:
"X" + "-ED":
To show you how important the accurate pronunciation of consonant clusters is in English,
here is a collection of words ending in different /s/ and /k/ consonant cluster combinations:
We have words ending in /s/, /k/, /ks/, /sk/, /sks/, /skt/ and /kst/.
Watch and listen to me saying these minimal pairs
and focus on the differences.
Pause this video
and practice saying these words with the correct consonant clusters.
Although the spelling of the words sometimes looks different,
please remember that the words in each column have the same consonant cluster.
In addition,
remember that the letter "X" is pronounced as /ks/ in these words.
Pause now.
In the first activity,
we will test your ability to recognize the /ks/ consonant cluster in words.
The /ks/ cluster is probably the most common of the six consonant cluster combinations
with the /s/ and the /k/, so please pay close attention.
Also, this is the pronunciation of the letter "X",
and a lot of Vietnamese people have problems with saying this letter correctly.
You will hear 4 words, and you will have to make 4 decisions.
We start at "1".
After hearing each word, you'll have to make a decision:
turn left or turn right, based on what sound you hear in each word.
If you hear a /ks/ sound (so TWO consonants) at the end of the word, you have to turn to the left,
and if you hear only a /s/, /k/ or /t/ sound (so only ONE consonant) at the end of the word, you have to turn to the right.
After 4 words, we will arrive in a city.
Your job is to correctly guess the name of the city where we have arrived.
Let's do an example:
we're going to the left
we're going to the right
we're going to the left
we're going to the left
We are in San Francisco.
Can you hear the final /sk/ consonant cluster in "FranciSCo"?
In the first and second set of words I will say each word twice.
Are you ready?
Where are we?
Write the name of the city in the comments.
Second set of words.
Are you ready?
Where are we?
In the third and fourth set of words I will say each word only once.
Are you ready?
Where are we?
Fourth set of words. Are you ready?
Where are we?
Write the name of the cities in the comments.
In the second activity,
we will test your ability to distinguish the different consonant clusters in words.
You can see 10 numbers on the screen, from 1 to 0,
like on a phone dialing screen.
Each number is represented by a word, so there are 10 different words on the screen.
Number 1 is "aSK"
Number 2 is "aSKS"
Number 3 is "aSKeD"
Number 4 is "neCK"
Number 5 is "neCKS"
Number 6 is "neXT"
Number 7 is "riSK"
Number 8 is "riSKS"
Number 9 is "riSKeD"
Number 0 is "riCK'S"
I'm going to dictate you a phone number using these words.
Your job is to write down the correct phone number.
Let's do an example:
First number is
This is number 3
Next number is
This is number 4
Next is
This is number 6
Next is
This is number 7
Next is
This is number 2
Next one is
Number 5
Next one is
number 2
Next one is
Number 6
Next is
Number 1
and the last one is
This is number 5
So the phone number was 346 725 2615.
In the first set of words I will say each word twice and slowly.
Are you ready?
What is the phone number?
Write it in the comments.
In the second set of words I will still say each word slowly but only once.
Are you ready?
Write the phone number in the comments.
In the third set of words I will say each word once but a little faster.
Are you ready?
Write the phone number in the comments.
In the fourth set of words I will say each word once and even faster.
Are you ready?
Write the phone number in the comments.
This third activity will improve and test your ability
to recognize consonant clusters with the /s/ and /k/ sounds in sentences.
You will see a sentence on the screen,
where one word has two options.
You will hear the sentence with one of the words being said.
Your job is to choose which word was used in the sentence.
Number 1
The options are "tax" and "task"
Number 2
The options are "asks" and "asked"
Number 3
The options are "risk" and "risks"
Number 4
The options are "sick" and "six"
Number 5
The options are "decks" and "desks"
The fourth and final activity will improve your ability
to say consonant clusters with the /s/ and /k/ sounds accurately in sentences.
Look at the sentences,
listen to me saying them and then pause the video after each sentence and practice.
Focus on saying the sentences accurately and slowly first.
Only say a sentence faster if you can say it accurately at a lower speed.
Here are the sentences:
Number 1:
Pause now
Number 2:
Pause now
Number 3:
Pause now
Number 4:
Pause now
Number 5:
Pause now
Number 6:
Pause now
Number 7:
Pause now
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