Say: set … sat. Again, the mouth opens wider for the second word. Word What it means A sentence set to put something in its place; also a group of things that go together Please set the plates on the table. · I have a full set of colour pencils. sat the past of sit — it tells us the sitting has already happened The frog sat on the lily leaf all afternoon. Why it matters: These two words do completely different jobs. Set is something you do to another thing. Sat is something that already happened. If the sound slips, the meaning slips with it — “I set on the chair” is not English; “I sat on the chair” is. Practise: “I sat down and set my bag beside me.”

Say: leg … lag. Open a little for leg ; open wide for lag . Word What it means A sentence leg the part of the body we stand and walk on A frog’s back leg is long and folded like a spring. lag to fall behind the others; to move too slowly Do not lag behind — the whole line is waiting for you. Practise: “If you hurt your leg , you will lag behind in the race.” One short sentence with both words is the best test of all.

NCERT Solutions for Class 5th English Chapter 5 B. Listen and repeat — Let us Speak

Book page 59 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.

Your teacher will say aloud the following pairs of words. Listen carefully and repeat each pair. bet — bat

Answer

Say: bet … bat. Only the middle sound changes, and that one sound changes the whole word.

The two sounds:
e as in bet — the mouth is open only a little; the lips are relaxed and spread, as in pen, red, ten.
a as in bat — the mouth opens wider and the jaw drops down, as in cat, hand, man.
Put a finger under your chin. Say bet, then bat. On bat your chin drops lower. That drop is the whole difference.

Word	What it means	A sentence
bet	to say confidently what you think will happen	I bet you cannot catch that frog.
bat	the wooden stick used to hit the ball in cricket (it is also the name of a night animal)	Rahul carried his new bat to the ground.

Practise: bet–bat, bet–bat, bet–bat. Then say the full sentence: “I bet he will hit a six with that bat.”

Q2.

set — sat

Answer

Say: set … sat. Again, the mouth opens wider for the second word.

Word	What it means	A sentence
set	to put something in its place; also a group of things that go together	Please set the plates on the table. · I have a full set of colour pencils.
sat	the past of sit — it tells us the sitting has already happened	The frog sat on the lily leaf all afternoon.

Why it matters: These two words do completely different jobs. Set is something you do to another thing. Sat is something that already happened. If the sound slips, the meaning slips with it — “I set on the chair” is not English; “I sat on the chair” is.

Practise: “I sat down and set my bag beside me.”

Q3.

men — man

Answer

Say: men … man. This pair is the most useful of all five, because it is the difference between many and one.

Word	What it means	A sentence
man	one grown-up male person	A man was selling guavas near the gate.
men	more than one man	Four men lifted the heavy cot together.

Notice something unusual: Most English words add -s to mean “more than one” — frog → frogs, pond → ponds. But man does not. It changes its middle sound instead: man → men. A few other words behave the same way: woman → women, tooth → teeth, foot → feet, child → children, mouse → mice.

Practise: “One man, two men. One man, two men.” Say it until the two sounds feel different in your mouth.

Q4.

leg — lag

Answer

Say: leg … lag. Open a little for leg; open wide for lag.

Word	What it means	A sentence
leg	the part of the body we stand and walk on	A frog’s back leg is long and folded like a spring.
lag	to fall behind the others; to move too slowly	Do not lag behind — the whole line is waiting for you.

Practise: “If you hurt your leg, you will lag behind in the race.” One short sentence with both words is the best test of all.

Q5.

met — mat

Answer

Say: met … mat. This is the last pair, and it works exactly like the other four.

Word	What it means	A sentence
met	the past of meet — you came face to face with someone	I met my old teacher at the bus stand.
mat	a small, flat piece of thick cloth or woven grass, laid on the floor	Wipe your feet on the mat before you come in.

All five pairs together: Every pair is the same lesson — the e sound (mouth a little open) against the a sound (mouth wide open). Look at them in a column and the pattern jumps out.

e — mouth a little open	a — mouth wide open
bet	bat
set	sat
men	man
leg	lag
met	mat

More pairs to try on your own: pen–pan · pet–pat · bed–bad · send–sand · head–had · beg–bag. Say each one with a finger under your chin and feel the jaw drop on the second word.

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