Home > Lesson 2: VC Connections > Unit 2.1 What are VC connections?
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Presentation
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Quiz
#1. What is a VC connection?
#2. Which phrase has a VC connection between syllables?
#3. VC connections are:
#4. True or false: it is physically easier for native speakers to pronounce VC connections, compared to the other three connections.
#5. VC connections and ________ connections are both easy to pronounce, making them good connections.
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Discussion
- Are VC connections important in pronouncing your L1?
- Are you comfortable pronouncing CC, CV, and VV connections in your L1, despite them being bad connections in English?
- Do you find it easier to pronounce bad connections than good VC and friendly connections in English?
- Do you have silent letters in your L1? Give some examples of words with silent letters.
- What do you know about the letters ‘-w’, ‘-y’, ‘-r’ in English? Did you know that they are usually silent at the end of a syllable, unless the next sound is a vowel sound, when they become activated as consonant sounds, e.g., ‘how it’ = HOW WIT.
Practice
- Write ten words or phrases with VC connections, e.g., ‘ba tter’.
- Practice the words on slide 6. Enjoy the smooth VC connections.
- Practice saying nonsense phrases with only VC connections, e.g., ‘BABABABABA’, ‘MAMAMAMAMA’, ‘BIBIBIBIBI’, etc. Hopefully, after completing this course, all your English speech will be VC and friendly connections.
- Try to build a normal sentence that makes sense with only VC connections. How easy is it? Do you feel limited? VC connections are usually only one type of connection in regular sentences.
- Words of more than one syllable usually have VC or friendly connections when we break them into syllables. Write 10 words with three syllables or more that have only VC connections, e.g. A MA ZING. Say them aloud.
- Practice saying the phrases with good connections on slide 17.
- Write down more English words ending in ‘-w’, ‘-y’, ‘-r’, and ‘-gh’. Note that these consonant sounds are usually silent at the end of a syllable.