Pronunciation of inflexional suffix endings -s, -es of the third personal singular affirmative of the present simple, plurals of regular nouns, and genitives
In chapter 4 (pages 676 to 68) we looked at alveolar fricatives: /s/ and /z/. These are very important as they play a major part in the pronunciation of inflectional endings in English. What follows is an explanation of their role followed by exercises.
Pronunciation of inflectional suffix endings -s, -es of the third personal singular affirmative of the present simple, plurals of regular nouns, and genitives. Take into account that /r/ does not appear after vowels in RP and that /h/ is not found at the end of a syllable, nor are /j/ and /w/.
1) after unvoiced consonant (except sibilant) = /s/:
|
3rd. person singular affirmative of present simple. |
Plural of regular nouns |
Genitives |
p |
pops |
pups |
Zip’s |
t |
hits |
hats |
Pat’s |
k |
cooks |
ducks |
Rick's |
f |
laughs |
laughs |
Geoff’s |
θ |
unearths |
sheaths |
Smith’s |
2) after vowel/voiced consonant (except sibilant) = /z/:
|
3rd person singular affirmative of present simple |
Plural of regular nouns |
Genitives |
b |
rubs |
ribs |
Bob’s |
d |
rids |
pads |
Dad’s |
g |
hugs |
rags |
Dug’s |
v |
loves |
gloves |
Dave’s |
ð |
breathes |
wreathes |
Hythe’s |
l |
lulls |
dolls |
Lil’z |
m |
hums |
hams |
Mum’s |
n |
sins |
sons |
Don’s |
ŋ |
sings |
songs |
Hang’s |
Some examples of words ending in vowels: |
|||
i |
pities |
cities |
Crissy’s |
ə |
bothers |
mothers |
|
iː |
sees |
keys |
|
uː |
sues |
shoes |
Lou’s |
ɜː |
errs |
furs |
Kerr’s |
ɑː |
bars |
cars |
Marr’s |
ɔː |
snores |
floors |
Gore’s |
aɪ |
dies |
flies |
Di’s |
eɪ |
weighs |
days |
May’s |
ɔɪ |
cloys |
toys |
Joy’s |
əʊ |
goes |
toes |
Joe’s |
au |
ploughs |
cows |
Mao’s |
ɪə |
rears |
tears |
Mia’s |
eə |
bears |
shares |
Pear’s |
ʊə |
moor |
sewers |
Moor’s |
3) After word ending in sibilant = /ɪz/:
|
3rd. person singular affirmative of present simple |
Plural of regular nouns |
Genitives |
dʒ |
dodges |
badges |
Madge’s |
tʃ |
hatches |
churches |
Rich’s |
z |
gazes |
blazes |
Liz’s |
s |
passes |
places |
Ross’s |
ʒ |
rouges |
beiges |
Serge’s |
ʃ |
wishes |
flashes |
Cash’s |