ENGLISH FOUNDATION
LESSON 8
Focus Pronunciation: /j/, /m/ and /n/
Grammar: Subject and Verb agreement
PRONUNCIATION
How to make the sound /j/
Look at the diagram. Listen and say the
sound. /j/ is like a very short /i:/ sound
(Recording B65a)
Sound and spelling
/j/ is usually spelled y, but has different spellings in some words.
/ju:/ is often spelled u or ew. Listen and say these words.
- y: yes yesterday year young
- /ju:/ usual student university new interview beautiful queue
Listen and say these phrases and sentences. (Recording B65c)
1. a young university student
2. a beautiful view
3. waiting in a queue for an interview
4. the European Union
5. I usually walk to work but I used the car yesterday.
Exercise: Write these words.
1. /kəmˈpjuː.tər/ ___________
2. /ˈjel.əʊ/ ___________
3. /jes/ ___________
4. /ˈjɒɡ.ət/ ___________
5. /juːθ/ ___________
6. /ˈjes.tə.deɪ/ ___________
7. /ˌjuːzəˈbɪləti/ ___________
8. /ˈfjuː.tʃər/ ___________
How to make the sound /m/
When you say /m/, the air comes
through your nose, not your mouth.
Look at the diagram. Listen and say
the sound. Your lips are together, and
there is voicing. (Recording B42a)
Sound and spelling
/m/ is usually spelled m or mm, but sometimes mb or mn. Listen and say these
words.
- m: me more lemon film some
- mm: summer swimming hammer
- mb: comb remember climb
- mn: autumn
Now listen and say these phrases.
1. sometimes in summer
2. more for you, most for me
3. in the middle of the film
Now listen and say these sentences
1. Maybe my mother will make something.
2. I'm coming home with them tomorrow.
3. Would you like homemade muffins?
Exercise: Match the word with the correct transcription.
1. sum a. /ˈmɪrər/
2. game b. /taɪm/
3. term c. /meɪk/
4. make d. /tɜːm/
5. time e. /sʌm/
6. mirror f. /geɪm/
How to make the sound /n/
When you say /n/, the air comes
through your nose, not your mouth.
Look at the diagram. Listen and say
the sound. Your tongue is pressed
against the roof of your mouth behind
the teeth, and there is voicing.
(Recording B43a)
Sound and spelling
/n/ is usually spelled n, nn or kn. Listen and say these words.
- n: new now sun one gone
- nn: dinner sunny funny
- kn: know knew knife
Now listen and say these phrases.
1. a sunny afternoon
2. sun and moon
3. nine months in 1990
Now listen and say these sentences
1. The sun shines.
2. The thin man is an African dancer.
3. Tony has taken the train.
4. I haven’t eaten a banana.
Exercise: Listen to the teacher and tick the words a) or b) that you hear.
1 a) combs b) cones
2 a) mine b) nine
3 a) name b) mane
4 a) some b) sun
5 a) warm b) warn
6 a) money b) mummy
GRAMMAR: SUBJECT AND VERB AGREEMENT
Subjects and verbs must agree with one another in number (singular, plural)
Here are 12 subject-verb agreement rules:
Rul Subject Example
Verb
e
Singular noun The tiger is running really fast.
1 Unaccountable noun singular Money is important in our life.
He/She/It He/she/it needs more time
Plural noun The tigers are running really
2 plural fast.
I/You/We/They
I/You/We/They need more time.
3 Gerund (V-ing) singular Travelling abroad is expensive.
Collective noun The group meets every week.
4 (group, government, family, singular The government is going to
…) have a new plan.
The majority of, some of, agree with A lot of the equipment is new.
5 none of, all of + noun noun A lot of my friends are here.
Everyone, everybody, Everyone in my class is very
6 everything, someone, singular intelligent.
something, anything,…
7 Each of / every + noun singular Every day is a new experience.
8 Either + noun 1 + or + noun agree with Either my parents or I am going
2 noun 2 to the supermarket to buy food
for lunch.
Neither + noun 1 + nor +
noun 2
Noun 1 + as well as / with / My father, as well as other
agree with
9 together with + noun 2 people in my family, is very
noun 1
friendly
Noun 1 + and + Noun 2 My dad and my mom are
10 plural
having meals.
Noun 1 + or + Noun 2 agree with The members or the student
11
noun 2 writes every day.
The + adj The poor need to be helped.
12 (indicating a group of plural The deaf are the people who
people) are not able to hear.
Practice: Fill in the blank the correct verb forms:
1. Houses in this city ............................. (be) large and beautiful.
2. Lan often ......................... (watch) TV and .......................... (go) swimming in her
free time.
3. The English ............................. (be) famous for their calmness.
4. The majority of students in this school ............................. (speak) English quite
fluently.
5. Each student ............................. (have) answered the first three questions.
6. Either John or his wife ............................. (make) breakfast each morning.
7. Everybody who ............................. (have) a fever must go home at once.
8. John, along with twenty friends, ............................. (be) planning a party.
9. The Chinese ............................. (have) an interesting history.
10. The scissors on the table ............................. (be) my sister’s.
