Check your knowledge

Exercise 1. Look up the pronunciation of the following words in your dictionary and write out those that contain the silent letter b.

limb catacomb bombing comber timber

number lumber plumber limber mumble

Exercise 2. Write the homophone without h below each word. Think of sentences for each pair homophones.

When, whine, whether, which, while.

Exercise 3. Copy the list of words given below, underline those words in which the letter l is silent. Explain in what position it is silent.

talk folk salmon yolk bulk should

silk calm milk walk could chalk

palm elk calf helm stalk skulk

Exercise 4. The following words have two silent letters in their spelling. Copy them and underline the silent letters:

Granddaughter, rhomb, wrestle, psalm, whistle, corps.

Exercise 5. Write the words in phonetic script in the correct spelling for the context.

1. Don’t build [kRslz] in the air.

2. Don’t [klaIm] the hill until you get to it.

3. Don’t meet troubles ['hRfweI].

4. Don’t leave the [haI] road for a short cut.

5. Don’t put your finger in a too [taIt] ring.

6. Do not neglect your own field and [plau] your ['neIbqz].

7. No mystery in the life of our planet will escape the eager eye of ['saIqns].

Exercise 6. There are spelling mistakes in the sentences below. Find the mistakes and write out these words correctly.

1. Where there is wispering there is lying.

2. It is the yoke when the cart comes to the oxen.

3. Eat bread that is light and cheese by weit.

4. A man cannot whisle and drink at the same time.

5. There is no hansom woman on the wedding day except the bride.

6. Drunken fouk seldom take harm.

7. No one has ever scene tomorrow.

8. Too much water drouned the miller.

9. A strait stick is crooked in the water.

10. Whisdom is humble that he knows no more.

11. To accuse the whicked and defend the retched is an onour.

12. March comes in like a lion and out like a lam.

13. The weigh to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

14. Creditors have better memories than detors.

List of words with silent consonant letters

1. Words with silent b

bomb catacomb climb comb

crumb debt doubt dumb

lamb limb numb plumb

rhomb subtle succumb

tomb thumb womb

2. Words with silent d

granddaughter handkerchief landlady sandwich

grandchild handsome landlord Wednesday

grandmother landscape Windsor

grandparent

grandson

3. Words with silent f

halfpenny halfpence

4. Words with silent g

assign condign feign gnarl phlegm

benign deign foreign gnash reign

campaign design gnaw gnat resign

champagne diaphragm gnome paradigm sovereign

5. Words with silent gh

besought drought knight ought taught

bough eight light plight thigh

bought fight might plough thorough

bright fought naughty right though

brought fraught neigh sigh through

caught fright neighbour sight tight

daughter haughty night slaughter weigh

distraught height nought sought weight

dough high onslaught straight

6. Words with silent h

annihilate ghost whack whiff whisk

exhaust rehabilitate wharf while whisker

exhibit rhapsody what whim whisky

exhibition rhetoric wheat whimper whisper

exhilarate rheumatism wheedle whimsical whistle

exhort rhinoceros wheeze whin white

heir rhomb when whine whittle

honest rhyme where whip whizz

honour rhythm whether whirl whop

hour shepherd which whir why

forehead vehemence

ghastly vehicle

7. Words with silent k

knack knee knife knob knot

knap kneel knight knock know

knave knell knit knoll knuckle

knead knick-knack

8. Words with silent l

almond calm halve Ralph talk

alms chalk Lincoln salmon walk

balk could palm should would

balm folk psalm stalk yolk

calf half qualms

9. Words with silent n

autumn condemn damn solemn

column contemn hymn

10. Words with silent p

corps psychic

coup psychology

cupboard Ptolemy

pneumonia raspberry

psalm receipt

psychiatry sapphire

11. Words with silent s

aisle island isle islet corps

12. Words with silent t

bristle Christmas jostle often whistle

bustle christen listen rustle wrestle

castle fasten moisten s often

chasten glisten mortgage thistle

chestnut hasten nestle

13. Words with silent w

answer whom wrath wrestle wrist

sword whoop wreak wretch write

Greenwich whose wreath wriggle writhe

two wrack wreathe wring wrong

who wraith wreck wrinkle wrung

whole wrangle wrench wry

wholesome wrap wrest

LESSON 7

Word Stress (Accent)

Word stress is making one or more than one syllables in a word prominent. There are:

1. Words with the stress on the second syllable (ямбическое ударение): e.g. be’hind, in’deed.

2. Words with the stress on the first syllable (хореическое ударение): e.g. ‘hidden, ‘ mother.

3. Words having two stresses. Many polysyllabic words have primary and secondary stresses. To this group belong the words:

1. having prefixes and suffixes which give a new meaning to the words: e.g. ,prehis’toric, ,re’write, ,six’teen, ,super’market;

2. words formed from the verbs with the suffix -tion [Sn]; the stress of the verb is kept in the noun as a secondary one: e.g. ‘celebrate - ,celeb’ration, ‘demonstrate - ,demonst’ration;

3. words which are to be remembered: e.g. ,Chi’nese, ,Japa’nese, ,Portu’guese, ‘tape-re’corder.

In disyllabic words the stress is usually on the first syllable if it is not a prefix, the stressed vowel is read according to the type of syllable it forms (four types of syllables): e.g. ‘murder, ‘sofa, ‘killer.

In the words consisting of three and four syllables the stress is usually on the third from the end syllable, the stressed vowel is pronounced as a short one according to the way it is read in a closed syllable: e.g. ‘different, ‘document, de’velopment, ac’tivity.

If a word consists of four or more syllables it usually has two stresses: the primary one is on the second or third from the end syllable and the secondary one on the first or second from the beginning syllable: e.g. ,civili’zation, ,patro’nymic, ,oppor’tunity, ,possi’bility.

In nouns with the suffix -tion the primary stress is on the vowel preceding the suffix: e.g. ,inter’ruption.

In words with the prefixes a-, be-, com-, con-, dis-, mis-, im-, in-, pre-, re- the stress is on the second syllable: e.g. a’long, be’hold, com’pare, con’sult, dis’miss, mis’take, in’side, im’possible, pre’pare, re’write.

In compounds the stress as a rule is on the first syllable: e.g. ‘blackboard, ‘bookcase, ‘something, ‘textbook.

Home assignment: Read the notes thoroughly; find your own examples (3) in the dictionary to illustrate each case of stressing words.

Exercise 1. Mark the stresses in the following words.

Indeed, brother, prehistoric, demonstration, Japanese, sofa, document, opportunity, dislike, textbook.