December Contest
December 01, 2007
December's contest winner is Kathleen Gereg of
Bradenton, FL – Congratulations!
Words have syllables (beats of energy) that can be counted. Use your hand to tap each time you hear a syllable when you say the word “December.” Three, right? “de-cem-ber.” Again, tap your fingers when you say “December.” You’ll notice that the second tap is louder and longer than the others. That means the second syllable is stressed: de CEM ber.
Now, Here’s the Contest!
It’s the end of the year. Count one point for each syllable in these words. Then add the number of the stressed syllable in the word. For example, “final” has 2 syllables and the first syllable is stressed so it has 3 points. (2+1=3). Find two words with the same number of points.
conclusion
complete
completion
culmination
deadline
expiration
finish
termination
Words have syllables (beats of energy) that can be counted. Use your hand to tap each time you hear a syllable when you say the word “December.” Three, right? “de-cem-ber.” Again, tap your fingers when you say “December.” You’ll notice that the second tap is louder and longer than the others. That means the second syllable is stressed: de CEM ber.
Now, Here’s the Contest!
It’s the end of the year. Count one point for each syllable in these words. Then add the number of the stressed syllable in the word. For example, “final” has 2 syllables and the first syllable is stressed so it has 3 points. (2+1=3). Find two words with the same number of points.
conclusion
complete
completion
culmination
deadline
expiration
finish
termination
October Contest
October 01, 2007
In casual conversation, we sometimes don’t pronounce all the sounds in words that you see when the words are written. It’s sometimes called “relaxed speech.” For example, “I want to” often sounds like “I wanna.” You can’t hear a T sound in “want” and the U sound in the word “to” may sound like UH.
Now, Here’s the Contest!
What letters/sounds might be dropped in these expressions?
Ask her.
See them.
Now or later?
September Contest
September 01, 2007
Words have syllables (beats of energy) that can be counted. Use your fingers to tap each time you hear a syllable when you say the word “September”: “Sep”-1, “tem”-2 “ber”-3. Three syllables, right? Again, tap your fingers in the same way when you say it. You’ll notice that the second tap is louder/longer than the others—that means the second syllable is stressed: “sep-TEM-ber.”
Now, Here’s the Contest!
It’s return-to-school month in many places, so these words are related to school. Find two words on this list that have three syllables with stress on the second syllable:
admission
assignments
classes
credits
homework
notebooks
professors
registration
students
August Contest
August 01, 2007
The March contest winner is Anna Grossklag of
Santa Clarita, CA -- Congratulations!
Some words have "silent" consonants. That means the sound is not pronounced. For example, we don’t pronounce the B in "thumb" or the L in "should."
Now, Here’s the Contest!
Each of these words has a silent letter. What 4-letter word results from these
four silent letters?
mortgage
answer
business
hymn
Some words have "silent" consonants. That means the sound is not pronounced. For example, we don’t pronounce the B in "thumb" or the L in "should."
Now, Here’s the Contest!
Each of these words has a silent letter. What 4-letter word results from these
four silent letters?
mortgage
answer
business
hymn
July Contest
July 01, 2007
The March contest winner is Anna Grossklag of
Santa Clarita, CA -- Congratulations!
In the natural flow of speech, sounds link together; we don’t speak word by word. When one word begins with the same sound that the previous word ends with, we usually link those two sounds together. Try saying "I heard the same message." Notice how "same-message" links together with the result of one slightly longer M sound.
Now, here’s the contest. Most of these words are examples of linking because only one sound is made when you the two words. One pair, however, almost always has 2 sounds pronounced separately—one at the end of the first word and one at the beginning of the second word. Which pair is it?
1. what-time (What-time is it?)
2. nineteen-ninety (I moved in nineteen-ninety.)
3. bus-stop (The bus-stop is crowded.)
4. finish-shopping (We will finish-shopping early.0
5. orange-juice (Would you like some orange-juice?)
6. will-later (Yes, I will-later.)
In the natural flow of speech, sounds link together; we don’t speak word by word. When one word begins with the same sound that the previous word ends with, we usually link those two sounds together. Try saying "I heard the same message." Notice how "same-message" links together with the result of one slightly longer M sound.
Now, here’s the contest. Most of these words are examples of linking because only one sound is made when you the two words. One pair, however, almost always has 2 sounds pronounced separately—one at the end of the first word and one at the beginning of the second word. Which pair is it?
1. what-time (What-time is it?)
2. nineteen-ninety (I moved in nineteen-ninety.)
3. bus-stop (The bus-stop is crowded.)
4. finish-shopping (We will finish-shopping early.0
5. orange-juice (Would you like some orange-juice?)
6. will-later (Yes, I will-later.)