Understanding Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

How are voiceless stops (/p/, /t/, /k/) typically pronounced at the beginning of words and stressed syllables?

• With a nasal sound

• With a puff of air called aspiration

• With a very soft, almost silent release

• With a longer duration

What is the primary difference between a voiceless sound (like /p/) and a voiced sound (like /b/)?

• The position of the tongue

• The presence or absence of vocal cord vibration

• The movement of the lips

• The length of the sound

What is the most important auditory clue for distinguishing between final voiceless and voiced consonants (e.g., "back" vs. "bag")?

• The loudness of the consonant

• The length of the preceding vowel

• The pitch of the consonant

• The aspiration of the consonant

If you hold a tissue in front of your mouth while saying "pack," the tissue will move. What causes this?

• Vocal cord vibration

• Aspiration

• Nasal airflow

• Vowel length

The title "Ms." ends with a voiced /z/, while "Miss" ends with a voiceless /s/. How does this affect their pronunciation?

• "Ms." is pronounced with a higher pitch.

• "Ms." sounds noticeably longer than "Miss."

• "Miss" has a stronger vowel sound.

• There is no consistent difference.

The -s/-es ending in the word "classes" is pronounced as an extra syllable. Why?

• Because the word ends in a vowel.

• Because the word ends in a sibilant consonant sound (/s/).

• Because it is a noun.

• Because it has more than one syllable.

What is the pronunciation of the -ed ending in the word "helped"?

• /əd/

• /d/

• /t/

• /ɪd/

What is the pronunciation of the -s/-es ending in the word "dogs"?

• /s/

• /z/

• /ɪz/

• /əz/

The -ed ending is pronounced as an extra syllable (/əd/ or /ɪd/) when the base verb ends in which sounds?

• Any voiceless sound

• Any voiced sound

• /t/ or /d/

• A sibilant sound

In connected speech, the phrase "I saved up" is often pronounced smoothly. What pronunciation feature makes this easier?

• Omitting the -ed ending

• Linking the final /d/ sound to the vowel in "up"

• Stressing the word "up"

• Adding a vowel sound after "saved"