-ng and -nk - Answers

Last week our Phonics Investigation challenge related to the ending blends -ng and -nk.  Here were the challenge questions:

1. How many pairs of words like BANG and BANK can you find?  The first word should end with the -NG blend and the second word should sound exactly the same, but with an additional K sound.  The second word will be spelled with the -NgK blend.
2. The -ng and -nk blends are used after every vowel ... except one!  Can you figure out which one isn't combined with the -ng and -nk blends?
3. Can you think of any other occasions where a letter is pronounced even though it isn't written?

Here are some answers:

1. Some possible examples are: sang/sank, sing/sink, 
2. So far as I know, the -ng and -nk blends are not used after the vowel -e.  Or, put another way, we definitely have examples of those blends being used after the vowels -a, -i, -o and -u and have not been able to come up with any examples of it being used after an -e ... except perhaps the word "England" ... which may not "count" since it really sounds more like "Ingland".
3. We still couldn't!  Can you?  It's not too late to contribute!!

Phonics Investigation Challenge #4: -ng & -nk

This week's phonics fun fact is pretty simple!  Here we go!

When fireworks explode, they make a big sound; they say

BANG

Now, say that word again, but add a K to the end:

BANG-K

Does that sound like a word you know?  Maybe like this word:

BANK

Sure it does.  Because the ending blend -nk is really and truly pronounced as if it were spelled -ngk!  The word BANK has every single sound you hear in BANG ... plus the K!  Think of it like this:

-NgK

Sometimes we have a letter that is written but not pronounced (a "silent" letter).  However, in this case, we have a letter that is pronounced, even though it isn't written!

So, here is your challenge for the week:

1. How many pairs of words like BANG and BANK can you find?  The first word should end with the -NG blend and the second word should sound exactly the same, but with an additional K sound.  The second word will be spelled with the -NgK blend.
2. The -ng and -nk blends are used after every vowel ... except one!  Can you figure out which one isn't combined with the -ng and -nk blends?
3. Can you think of any other occasions where a letter is pronounced even though it isn't written?

As usual, keep an eye out for this interesting phonics feature as you read this week.  And be sure to share what you find in the comments below!!

Why C is My Favorite Letter - Answers

Here are the challenge questions we were investigating this week:

1. Can you find examples of c making a team with a k and examples of c making a team with s?
2. Can you find other examples of words with a double c in which each c is making a different sound?
3. Can you think of any other example in English of the same consonant repeated twice in a row (a "double consonant") where each of the letters makes a different sound?  (Note: There may not be an answer to this challenge, but if there is, I would be fascinated to know!!)

Answers:

1. Many possibilities, such as "clock" or "scent".
2. Many possibilities, such as "success".
3. We have not yet been able to come up with any answers to this question, but it isn't too late!  If you come across anything, please let us know!

Phonics Investigation #3: Why C is My Favorite Letter!

The letter c can be a very tricky letter for little learners.  With many consonants in English, the name of the letter gives a good clue as to how to pronounce it.  t is called "tee" and says /t/.  b is called "bee" and is pronounced /b/.  But c is pronounced "see" and yet it often says /k/.  Except when it says /s/!  I have read that the two letters that can be completely omitted from the English alphabet are the letter c (which could be replaced by either s or k, depending on the sound needed) and q, which could be replaced by kw.

As fascinating as it is to contemplate two letters that do not make any unique sounds, I would be very sorry to lose the letter c, because it is my favorite letter in the whole alphabet.  Let me take you on a journey all about the fascinating properties of the letter c!



Sometimes we use two consonants together to make what we call a "blend", like this ...

snap
play and
twin

The letter c can be a part of some of these combinations, like ...

scat and
crow

However, when we see double consonants (the same letter repeated twice), we pronounce them as one sound, like in the words ...

buzz
fill and
glass

The same is true of the letter c in words like this ...

account

We might be inclined to describe this by saying that when the same letter is repeated, it counts as one sound.  But a more accurate description would be to say that when the same sound is repeated, we count it as one sound!  Check out this word ...

duck

Both the c and the k say /k/ and so they are counted as one sound: /k/!  But hold onto your hat because this is where it gets really fun.  You may have noticed that there is a pattern to when a c will make the /s/ sound.  Generally, c says /s/ when it is followed by an e, i or y, as in the words:

ccertain
city and
cycle

So, c can pair with k to make a single sound (like in "duck") but c can also pair with "s" to make a single sound, like in the words ...

scene
science and
scissors

So c can be a double letter making a /k/ sound, or it can partner with either k or s to make a single sound.  But here, by far, is my favorite phenomena.  Sometimes, two c's can appear side-by-side ... and yet the are not working as a team to make the same sound!!  Check out this word ...

access

The first c makes a /k/ sound because it is not followed by an e, i or y (it is followed by another c!).  But the second c is followed by an e, so it makes an /s/ sound!  I am willing to be corrected, but I cannot think of any other English consonant which can be written as a double letter ... and the letters do not work as a team to make a single sound!!

So, here is the challenge for the week:

1. Can you find examples of c making a team with a k and examples of c making a team with s?
2. Can you find other examples of words with a double c in which each c is making a different sound?
3. Can you think of any other example in English of the same consonant repeated twice in a row (a "double consonant") where each of the letters makes a different sound?  (Note: There may not be an answer to this challenge, but if there is, I would be fascinated to know!!)

-s and -ed Phonics Investigation - Answers!

Last week we talked about the different sounds that are made by the endings -s and -ed when they are added onto a base word.  The challenge has come to and end and it's time for answers and shout-outs!

Last week's challenge questions:

1. Can you figure out what the relationship between the /s/ and /z/ sounds of the -s or the /t/ and /d/ sounds of the -ed is?
2. Can you notice any patterns in the base word (the word that you add endings to) that will give you an idea about whether the -s will say /s/ or /z/ or whether the -ed will say /ed/, /t/ or /d/?
3. Bonus: One of these endings is more complicated to pronounce today than it was a hundred or two hundred years ago.  Do you know which one and how it has changed?

Answers:

1. /s/ is the unvoiced version of /z/ and /t/ is the unvoiced version of /d/.
2. The sound that -s or -ed make when added on to a base word depend on whether the base word ends with a voiced or an unvoiced sound.  For example...
   
   "cat" ends with an unvoiced sound (/t/) and so the -s added to the end makes an unvoiced sound (/s/) also, whereas "dog" ends with a voiced sound (/g/) so the -s also makes a voiced sound (/z/)
   
   "stay" ends with a voiced sound (/ā/ - vowels are always voiced) so when you add -ed it also makes a voiced sound (/d/).  "pack" ends with an unvoiced sound (/k/) so the -ed also makes an unvoiced sound (/t/).  Words that end with a /t/ or /d/ sound, however, cannot be pronounced by adding on an additional /t/ or /d/ sound, so instead an extra syllable is added, as in the word "braided".
3. It used to be the case that the -ed ending was always pronounced as an extra syllable.  If you sing old hymns or listen to someone reading the Psalms, for example, you may observe one word that is still mid-transition in our language: blessed.  Some people pronounce it "bless-ed" and some people pronounce it "blest"!

This week's shout-out goes to my daughter, Ruth!  The entirety of #2 above was something she discovered completely independently!  We had already learned that base words that end in -t or -d cause the -ed to make it's own syllable.  But we wanted to investigate if there was anything about the base word that would predict whether the -ed would say /t/ or /d/ in other situations.

As we read through our chapter of the Bible, we made a chart of all of the -ed words we came across and whether the -ed ending made an /ed/, /t/ or /d/.  When we were done, Ruth eagerly pointed out that all of the /t/ words were unvoiced at the end of the base word, while all of the /d/ words were voiced!  We called this "Ruth's Theory" and continued to "test" it as we read.  We haven't found anything to disprove it yet.  Can you?

Phonics Investigation Challenge #2: -s and -ed

Welcome to this week's Phonics Investigation Challenge!  If you explore this challenge with your kiddos this week, be sure to leave a comment below so that we can include you in the shout-out next week!  You can watch the Scope below or read the text that follows.


Last week we explored the difference between voiced and unvoiced sounds.  This week we are going to expand on that concept by looking at two endings we sometimes add to words: -s and -ed.  We add an -s to nouns (naming words) so that they can name more than one (one cat, two cats).  We add an -s to verbs (action words) so that they can match with the subject of the sentence (We see.  Bill sees.)  We add an -ed to the end of action verbs so that they can tell about something that happened in the past.

But have you ever noticed that these sounds aren't always pronounced the same?  Say these two words out loud and think about the sound of the -s at the end.

cats
dogs

Sometimes the -s says /s/ and sometimes it says /z/!  Now try these three words and think about the sound of the -ed at the end.  (Hint: You might want to try saying the word without the -ed and then adding on the -ed to see how it changes the word.)

braided
stayed
packed

If you have studied the -ed sound much, I am sure that you have already learned that sometimes the -ed adds a syllable; it says /ed/.  But sometimes instead of adding a new syllable, it only adds the sound /d/ or /t/ to the end of the word.  Look around at words you see with -s and -ed endings.  Do you notice the different sounds those endings can make?  That leads us to our challenge for the week!

1. Can you figure out what the relationship between the /s/ and /z/ sounds of the -s or the /t/ and /d/ sounds of the -ed is?
2. Can you notice any patterns in the base word (the word that you add endings to) that will give you an idea about whether the -s will say /s/ or /z/ or whether the -ed will say /ed/, /t/ or /d/?
3. Bonus: One of these endings is more complicated to pronounce today than it was a hundred or two hundred years ago.  Do you know which one and how it has changed?

Happy exploring!  As usual, be sure to share what you found in the comment so I can mention you in next week's shout-out!

Voiced and Unvoiced - Answers!

Our first Phonics Investigation Challenge has come to an end.  Time for answers and shout-outs!

Here were the three challenge questions:

1. When you read, keep an eye out for the "th" sounds.  Which one do you hear more often - the voiced or the unvoiced "th"?
2. There are several other pairs of sounds just like this: your mouth, lips, teeth and tongue stay in the same position and only the presence or absence of the "buzzing" of the vocal chords makes the difference between sounds.  Some of these pairs can be found among the basic sounds of letters of the alphabet, so start there.  But there are some more complicated versions as well!
3. As you experiment with the sounds of the letters of the alphabet, you may notice that there is one type of letter that is always voiced.  Can you discover what that category might be?

Answers:

1. This answer may vary depending on what you were reading.  The unvoiced "th" occurs in more English words, but the words which use a voiced "th" (like "the", "this", "that", "these" and "those") appear much more frequently in English!
2. Here are some other pairs of voiced and unvoiced sounds.
   /b/ like the b in book and /p/ like the p in pet
   /g/ like the g in gum and /k/ like the k in king or the c in cat
   /d/  like the d in dog and /t/ like the t in ten
   /j/ like the j in jump and /ch/ like the ch in church
   /v/ like the v in van and /f/ like the f in fun
   /z/ like the z in zoo and /s/ like the s in sip or the c in city
   /zh/ like the g in genre or the si in vision and /sh/ like the sh in ship or the ti nation
3. While consonants and consonant "team" sounds can be voiced or unvoiced, vowels (all of the different sounds that they each make) are always voiced!

Congratulations to Doug W. for answering the third part of the challenge correctly!

If you are on Periscope, you can catch our next Challenge live tomorrow afternoon (details at the bottom of this page)!  If not, be sure to check the website tomorrow evening and I'll put a link to the Scope on Katch.  Happy Investigating!