Q1.
When speaking in English, small differences in pronunciation can change the overall meaning of the words. One such difference is in the pronunciation of the consonant ‘c'. The letter ‘c' produces the /s/ sound if it is followed by ‘e', ‘i' or ‘y' (soft ‘c'); it produces the /k/ sound if it is followed by ‘a', ‘o' or ‘u' or a consonant at the end of the word (hard ‘c'). Now, work in pairs. Pronounce the given words aloud. Keep the rules of the soft and hard ‘c' pronunciation in mind. [cell, cable, race, cake, decide, receive, concert, circle, bicycle, echo, uncle]
Answer
| Word | Sound of ‘c' | Why |
|---|---|---|
| cell | /s/ soft | c + e |
| cable | /k/ hard | c + a |
| race | /s/ soft | c + e |
| cake | /k/ hard | c + a |
| decide | /s/ soft | c + i |
| receive | /s/ soft | c + e |
| concert | both: /k/ then /s/ | first c + o = /k/; second c + e = /s/ → “kon-sert” |
| circle | both: /s/ then /k/ | first c + i = /s/; second c + the consonant l = /k/ → “ser-kl” |
| bicycle | both: /s/ then /k/ | first c + y = /s/; second c + l = /k/ → “bai-si-kl” |
| echo | /k/ hard | c + h here sounds like /k/ → “e-ko” |
| uncle | /k/ hard | c + the consonant l → “ung-kl” |
The rule in one line: ‘c' goes soft (/s/) before e, i, y and stays hard (/k/) everywhere else. The poem's word cinders follows the rule perfectly — c + i, so it is “sin-ders”, never “kin-ders”.
Practise in pairs like this: Student A reads a word aloud; Student B says “soft” or “hard” and gives the letter that follows the ‘c'. Then swap. Watch out for the three words that contain both sounds — concert, circle, bicycle.