How to Pronounce the Letter C in English

How do you pronounce scent? Do you pronounce the letter C in scent as the soft C [sen] or as the hard C [sken] ?

English learners can have a hard time choosing which sound to use in words containing the letter C, but the rule is actually very simple – with the usual few exceptions.

HARD C – The letter C is pronounced [k] :

— when followed by a, o, u or a consonant at the end of a word

Examples:

ca-: car, cast, recall;

co-: coat, copper, accomplish;

cu-: cut, acute, accurate;

c + consonant: article, acros

SOFT C – The letter c is pronounced [s] :

— when followed by e, i or y

Examples:

ce-: celebrate, recede, peace;

ci-: cigar, Cinderella, principal;

cy-: cymbal, fancy, Lucy;

Hard C and Soft C

Exceptions:

There are very few exceptions to this rule, not counting foreign words which have been borrowed into English.

One notable exception is Celt [kelt], describing e.g. the Irish and Scots. More exceptions are soccer [sokker]; we don’t pronounce it as soser and muscle [musle]; we don’t pronounce it as muskle.

Mixed sounds

Some words have both of the features explained above. Apply the rule for each C separately.

Examples:

conceal [konseel] – ‘co’ is hard, ‘ce’ is soft

reconcile [rekonsīl]

recycle [reesīkl]

This also applies to words with two c’s together.

Examples:

access [aksess] – c + consonant (the second c) is hard, c + e is soft

accent [aksent]

vaccine [vaksīn]

Other exceptions

A Note on “c+h”

You know all about the [tsch] sound of “ch” in words such as church, match, choice, cheer, arch, achieve, chief, and children.

However, the combination c+h is not always pronounced this way. Sometimes the H is there between A C and A “soft vowel” to indicate that the hard [k] sound is needed, e.g. architecture, ache, scheme, anarchist,archive, catechism, schism, chiropodist, monarchy,psychiatric, chasm, chemical.

Sometimes “ch” in words of foreign origin is pronounced [sh], e.g. in mustache, cache, niche, chic, machine.

Prefixes and Suffixes

There are many prefixes and suffixes in English. What I posted here is just a few of them. You might need to consult your dictionary to know other kinds of prefixes and suffixes.

If you put a certain prefix to a root word, it will change the meaning of the word. For example, if you put the prefix in- before the root word ‘active’, it means not active.

To change the function of the root word, just add a suffix at the end of the word. For example, if you place the suffix -er at the end of the verb ‘compute’, so now it becomes ‘computer’ and functions as a noun.

The following prefixes mean ‘not’ – the opposite of the root word:

un- : unnatural

dis- : disagree

im- : immoral

in- : inactive

il- : illegal

ir- : irregular

non- : non-living

The prefix re- means ‘again’

redo

replay

rewind

rewrite

The prefix bi- means ‘having two’

bicycle (having two wheels)

bilingual (having two languages)

The prefix di- means ‘twice’ or ‘double’

dilemma

dioxide

The prefix co- means ‘jointly’ or ‘equally’

co-operate

co-worker

The prefix ex- means ‘out’, ‘out of’ or ‘out from’ also‘former’

extract

expatriate

ex-husband

The following suffixes are used to form nouns:

-ness : togetherness

-ance or -ence : disturbance difference

-ment : development

-ion : generation

-er or -or : banker, editor

The suffix -ly is used to form adverbs of manner

nicely

friendly

The suffix -ous is used to form adjectives

dangerous

hazardous

Check out this video from cambridgeenglishtv.

How to bargain in English

Go over this situation:

You are at a flea market and see a vase you like. The vendor tells you it’s $20. You think the price is rather expensive. How do you bargain his price (you might also try to haggle the price)?

Take a look at these expressions:

1. Start from the lowest price: “I’ll give you $8.” – The vendor will then either accept it or counter with another price.

2. Let say, he counters you with another price, you may say “Is that the best price you can give me? How about $10? That’s my last offer.”

Another situation: You are at an automobile dealership, and the salesman quotes you a price on a new Cadillac. Here’s how you want to handle that situation:

1. When he tells you the price, you raise your eyebrows with surprise, as if you can’t believe what you’re hearing. You then ask him “is that the best you can do?”

2. When he starts making excuses, you interrupt and mention the salesman at (name a competing dealership) quoted you a price that was $3,000 less for a fully loaded Lincoln. (Lincoln is a car comparable to a Cadillac, but made by a different manufacturer.)

3. When the salesman tells you that’s the best he can do, you thank him for his time, then turn and start to leave. Most of the time, he will stop you and say “Hold on, let me talk to my manager, I think we can do business.”

Some generic phrases you can use when bargaining:

• Is that your best price?

• Can you lower the price?

• Can you make it lower?

• That’s too expensive. How about $…?

• Is there any discount?

• Can I get a discount?

• How much is this and this (pointing at the items) altogether?

Here are some examples how you handle a situation when you don’t get a good deal on something:

1. Well, I was just going to look around, I wasn’t sure I’d be buying today. If only it was $10 less … (said in a mock-hesitant, undecided voice)

2. I’m still looking around, I think I might be able to find it at a better price. Thanks for your time.



Useful Expressions Used in Daily Conversation

"I'm snowed under"
BE SNOWED UNDER -- mempunyai pekerjaan yang menumpuk
Meaning: Have too much work.

"It's getting me down"
GET DOWN -- melelahkan, menimbulkan perasaan tertekan
Meaning: Make someone depressed, unhappy, exhausted, etc.

"You need to seriously chill out"
CHILL OUT -- santai
Meaning: Relax

"I could do with a holiday"
DO WITH -- menginginkan, mau
Meaning: Wish for or ask for (usually after can or could)

"I've come up with a fabulous idea"
COME UP WITH -- mempunyai
Meaning: Think of a solution, excuse, etc.

"I'm all ears"
ALL EARS (Idiom) -- tertarik mendengarkan
If someone says they're all ears, they are very interested in hearing about something.

Don't forget to LIKE the post and share it with your friends.

“Need a lift?” (also: “Need a ride?)
— “Mau nebeng/numpang gak?”

When you say “(Do you) need a lift?” to someone, it means you’re offering someone a ride in a car with you. “Give someone a lift” means to provide transportation for someone e.g. take someone somewhere in your car (also “give someone a ride”).

Examples:

• I’ve got to go to the train station. Can you give me a lift?
• Can you give me a lift to work tomorrow? My car is being repaired.
• It’s too late to walk home. Need a lift?

Photobomb & Backie

Have you ever been in a photo where a friend of yours acting weird or funny in the background? If yes, then you have beenphotobombed.

Photobombed?? What is photobombed? Well, I guess some of you have never heard this word before. The word photobomb was first added to the dictionary in recent year. In fact in 2014, Collins English Dictionary named this word as its Word of the Year.

Photobomb (verb): to drop in a photo unexpectedly; to hop in a picture right before it is taken. 

Julie : Why was Barry in our reunion picture? 

Anne: I don’t know. He must’ve photobombed us at the last second.

Backie

Backie is the new selfie!

Backie is just another way of taking a selfie of someone’s back. The Cambridge Dictionary has added the word Backie as a new word on March 2, 2015.

The Oxford Dictionary proclaimed the word selfie as“The Word of The Year for 2013. And that word was added both online and in the 2014 print edition of Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

Selfie is old-school now; it’s time for backie selfie because taking a selfie is so yesterday!

Telephone Language

Here are some typical phrases that you can use in a telephone conversation:

ANSWERING THE PHONE

• Hello? (informal)

• Thank you for calling Learning English Center, Demi speaking. How can I help you?

• Doctor’s office.

INTRODUCING YOURSELF

• Hey Rina. It’s Julie calling. (informal)

• Hello, this is Julie calling.

ASKING TO SPEAK WITH SOMEONE

• Is Barry in? (informal)

• Can I talk to your sister? (informal)

• May I speak to Mrs. Kime, please?

— This is she. (formal)

— Speaking.

• Would the doctor be in/available?

CONNECTING SOMEONE

• Just a sec. I’ll get her. (informal)

• Hang on one second. (informal)

• Please hold and I’ll put you through to his office.

• One moment, please.

MAKING SPECIAL REQUESTS

• Could you please repeat that?

• Would you mind spelling that for me?

• Could you speak up a little, please?

• Can you speak a little slower, please? My English isn’t very strong.

• Can you call me back? I think we have a bad connection.

• Can you please hold for a minute? I have another call.

TAKING A MESSAGE FOR SOMEONE

• Barry’s not in. Who’s this? (informal)

• I’m sorry, Sonali’s not here at the moment. Can I ask who’s calling?

• He’s busy right now. Can you call again later?

• I’ll let her know you called.

• I’ll make sure she gets the message.

• I’m afraid she’s stepped out. Would you like to leave a message?

LEAVING A MESSAGE WITH SOMEONE

• Yes, can you tell him his wife called, please.

• No, that’s okay. I’ll call back later.

• When do you expect her back in the office?

• Thanks. Could you ask him to call Brian when he gets in?

CONFIRMING INFORMATION

• Okay. I’ve got it all down.

• Let me repeat that just to make sure.

• You said your name was Snehal, right?

FINISHING A CONVERSATION

• Well, I guess I better get going. Talk to you soon.

• Thanks for calling. Bye for now.

• I have to let you go now.

• I have another call coming through. I better run.

• I’ll talk to you again soon. Bye.

The most important thing on a telephone conversation is to be polite and friendly. The way that you speak to your best friend on the phone is very different to the way you should speak with someone in a business setting. Many ESL speakers make the mistake of being too direct on the telephone. It is possible that the person on the other line will think that you are being rude. Sometimes just one word such as “could” or “may” is necessary in order to sound polite.

Filler Words

Filler Words

Have you ever paused and unconsciously added“um”, “like”, “I mean”, “actually”, and other meaningless words in between your speech or conversation? — Well, I have. I guess everyone has too.

An apparently meaningless word, phrase, or sound that marks a pause or hesitation in speech is known as a pause filler or filler word.

Some of the common filler words in English are um, uh, er, ah, like, okay, right, and you know. In general, we use filler words because we’re thinking. Maybe we’re searching for the right word, or we need to stop and formulate our next sentence. Often we use them to indicate that we’re going to talk, whether or not we have something to say at that very moment.

Here are two general tips that sould help you minimize using the filler words:

Relax

The more stressed you get by it, the more anxious and nervous you’re going to sound. It’s okay to let a few filler words slip out. After all, it’s a natural part of speaking.

Slow down

Don’t be afraid to slow down a bit. If you talk too fast, you’re likely to get a little tongue-tied, especially if you haven’t quite figured out what you’re going to say next. If your mouth moves faster than your brain, you’re going to use a lot more filler words.

The most irritating filler words

I’ve come up with some most irritating filler phrases. Here they are:

1. “To be honest” – Why, are you normally not honest with me? What a crazy thing to say!

2. “You know” – Is this a question or a statement?

3. “Like” – This is especially annoying if it is inserted a number of times into every single sentence. Why, oh, why?

4. “Literally” – Should mean ‘figuratively’ or exactly as you say. It makes so sense to ‘literally explode’ or to ‘literally die’.

5. “Seriously” – Are you saying that you are telling me the truth or are you using it as a replacement for ‘yeah’ – I am, like, seriously confused!

6. “I mean” – Some people litter this phrase into every single sentence they say. It must be one of the most meaningless phrases of all.

7. “I die” – Although it’s an iconic phrase by a celebrity, still it irritates me to hear her saying this at almost anything she finds amazing or great.

How would you feel if you hear someone saying this to you at a conversation?

“Awesome! This is, like, I mean, totally seriously, like, the most epic band I have ever heard. You know what I’m saying. I am literally going to, like, die if I can’t go and see them.”

I feel like I WOULD DIE! SERIOUSLY!

Underneath or Beneath

Basically, as prepositions, underneath and beneath mean the same thing: under or below.

Examples:

• She didn’t wear anything underneath her long coat.

• We live underneath the same roof.

• Have you looked beneath the cooker?

As an adverb, underneath also means under.

Example:

• He was wearing a thin jacket with nothing underneath.

Beneath as an adverb means underneath or below.

Example:

• He looked out of the plane at the mountains beneath.

In the context of rank and position, underneath refers to people who are in a lower position in a hierarchy. So you could say “The employees of a company are underneath the chief executive officer”.

Beneath has a similar meaning, but carries the added meanings of being inferior or less important. It means unworthy or below the level of someone else. So, if you said to someone “You are beneath me”, that person would have the right to be quite insulted and slap you in the face!