CONSONANT CLUSTERS AT THE END OF A WORD
EXERCISE 1: remove a consonant sound from the end of each word. Which
word do you get?
Example: think
thin
1. went _____________
6. shelf _____________
2. field _____________
7. wealth_____________
3. change _____________
8. guest _____________
4. six _____________
9. wild _____________
5. build _____________
10. hold _____________
EXERCISE 2: What are these words? Practise pronouncing them.
1. /Өɪn / __________
/Өɪɳ/ __________
/Өɪɳk/__________
2. /hel/ __________
/held/ __________
/help/__________
3. /fɜ:/ __________
/fɜ:s/ __________
4. /peɪn/ __________
5. /nek/ __________
6. /ten/__________
/fɜ:st/__________
/peɪnt/ __________
/nest/ __________
/tens/__________
/peɪnts/ __________
/nekst/__________
/tents/__________
EXERCISE 3: read one of the sentences and test your partner. Which sentence
was it?
1. Is that your guess/guest?
2. They learn/learnt quickly.
3. They burn/burnt the food.
4. I don’t need more pain/paint!
5. It was hell/held in Paris.
6. This is the next/nest.
7. I have some new plans/plants.
8. I like the rose/roast.
EXERCISE 4: how many final consonant sounds to the words in the box have,
1, 2, 3 or 4?
Accents
Against
Aspects
Attempts
Axe
Contexts
Diamonds
Ears
Earth
Laughed
Risked
Sculpts
Stamps
Talked
Tempts
Touched
1 final consonant sound
2 final consonant sounds
3 final consonant sounds
accents /nts/
4 final consonant sounds
attempts /mpts/
Some final clusters with three or four consonants can be difficult to pronounce
even for native speakers, so they tend to be simplified. Look at the following
examples:
Twelfths /twelӨs/
Products /prɒdʌks/
Texts /teks/
EXERCISE 4: Dictation. Listen and write down the sentences you hear.
1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________
6. ________________________________________________________
STUDENT A
Dictate the following sentences to your partner. Pay attention to the
pronunciation of final clusters.
1. Most students left their desks.
1. My best friend arrived dressed in the latest fashion.
2. I can’t stand the president’s friends.
3. Mrs Williams looked distant and unpleasant.
4. Vincent didn’t send me a postcard.
5. I just think you must forget the past.
6. The tasks were difficult but pleasant.
STUDENT B
Dictate the following sentences to your partner. Pay attention to the
pronunciation of final clusters.
1. In fact, I last had crisps in August.
2. I jumped and almost crashed the lamp.
3. She wrapped the gifts with striped paper and ribbons.
4. Don’t forget to ask the parents to bring their masks.
5. She thinks most tourists are just objects.
6. Consonants at the end of words must be pronounced.