When /s/ becomes /z/
When is /s/ pronounced as /z/?

1. When /s/ is between two vowels.
Examples: reason, season, cousin, easy, music andeasy
2. If the spelling pattern /se/ comes after a vowel, it isusually pronounced as /z/.
Examples: these, use, lose, cause, choose, phaseand tease
3. Final /s/ as the plural form or third person singularform.
**If we add 's' to a noun it becomes plural:
one apple-two apples; one pencil-two pencils**If we add 's' to a verb, it is in the third person
singular.
For example: he loves, she loves...it loves [The final's' here is pronounced as /z/Copyright©2018 English Bell All Rights Reserved.

When /s/ becomes /z/Remember!!!
The sound of the letter /s/ is 's' only if it follows anunvoiced consonant. Otherwise, it becomes a /z/ indisguise. When an /s/ follows a vowel, a voiced
consonant, or another /s/, it turns into a 'z'.

LET'S PRACTICE!
A. Listen and follow as your teacher reads thevoiceless /s/ sound words.
saybosssadthissolipssitsmisty

sound

face

sisterpractice

it'sbouncecatsmousecrosshousemissmissCopyright©2018 English Bell All Rights Reserved.

When /s/ becomes /z/
B. Let's practice the voiced /z/ sound. Take note thatyour vocal cords should vibrate when you make thissound because it is a voiced sound.
wasrose

hers

his

nose

bags

busy

frogs

quiz

boys

buzz

girls

freezefriends

dozen

lies

nosy

noise

Tuesday

ThursdayCopyright©2018 English Bell All Rights Reserved.

When /s/ becomes /z/ACTIVITY!
A. Listen and repeat as your teacher reads the shortparagraph. After mimicking your teacher, you need tosay the words with the /s/ sounds.
Steven, a surly seargent from Houston, Texas, sawa sailor sit silently on a small seat reserved foryoungsters. He stayed for several hours, while theyoungsters swarmed around. Steven asked the sailor
to cease and desist but he sneered in his face. Stevenwas so incensed that he considered it sufficientincentive to sock the sailor. The sailor stood there for asecond, astonished, and then strolled away.Sam wasperplexed, but satisfied and the tots scampered likeants over the see-saw.

Copyright©2018 English Bell All Rights Reserved.

When /s/ becomes /z/
B. Listen and repeat as your teacher reads the shortparagraph. After mimicking your teacher, you need to
say the words with the /z/ sounds.
A lazy Thursday at the zoo found the zebras
grazing on zinnias, posing for pictures, and teasing thezookeeper, whose nose was bronzed by the sun. The
biggest zebra's name was Zachary, but his friends
called him Zack. Zack was a confusing zebra whosezeal for reason caused his cousins, who were naturallyunreasoning, to pause in their conversations. Whilethey browsed, he philosophized. As they grazed, hepractice zen. Because they were Zack's cousins, thezebras said nothing, but they wished he would muzzle
himself at times.

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When /s/ becomes /z/QUIZ!
A. Listen as your teacher read the following sentences.
If you hear S sound in the sentence, type 1 in the chatwindow. If you hear Z sound in the sentence, type 2 inthe chat window.
1) Is Sam his sister?
2) Steve was my son.
3) The seven dogs and elephants stay inside the zoo.
4) She was so sad last Saturday.
5) The sun is so hot.
6) Seven boys and girls sat on the fence outside.
7) The quiz last Saturday was easy.
8) Samantha, please sit beside your friends.
9) Is this house really hers?
10) The seven students took their first driver's license
test last December.

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