The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · No. 126 · Part 8: Special sounds
93. Th in one and in more than one: the end of No. 126
Goal: Your child hears that some nouns ending in th have a breathy th in the singular and a buzzing th in the plural.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
The last part of No. 126 has the rule "The following, when nouns, have the aspirated sound of th in the singular number, and the vocal th in the plural", with its words, and sentences such as "Great and sudden changes sometimes do hurt."
The lesson, step by step
Review
Read a column of No. 126 from the page before (twelve, shelf, cash).
The rule
Read the rule on the page together:
The following, when nouns, have the aspirated sound of th in the singular number, and the vocal th in the plural.
SayAspirated means breathy, as in "thin". Vocal means buzzing, as in "this".
Hear it
Your child puts a hand on the throat and reads the words of this list, first the singular, then the plural. Is there a buzz in the plural? Use words like bath and baths, path and paths, mouth and mouths if you want more examples.
Spell aloud
Your child spells each pair aloud, singular then plural. The spelling only adds s; the sound changes by itself.
Read the sentences
Read the rest of the sentences on this page (you read the first two with No. 126). One of them:
Great and sudden changes sometimes do hurt.
Dictation
Say four words from the list, singular or plural. Your child writes them. Check the s on the plurals.