LISTEN

/ʃ/…/ʃ/…/ʃ/…/ʃ/

push…show…shrimp…pressure

WHAT IS IT?

Pronunciation:
The sound /ʃ/ is a voiceless, alveo-palatal, fricative consonant.

• Lightly press the middle of your tongue between your alveolar ridge and your soft palate. The sides of your tongue should lightly touch your back upper teeth.
• Breathe out and allow air to flow past your tongue.
• Your vocal cords should not vibrate.

The sound /ʃ/ can be in these consonant clusters:

Spelling:

• “sh” – shoe, push
• “ss” (+ “u”/“i”) – pressure, mission
• “ch” – champagne, machine
• “ci” – special, precious
• “ti” – patience, station
• “sci” (not common) – conscious, luscious
• “ce” (not common) – ocean, groceries 
• “s” (not common) – sugar, sure

​Grammar Tip:
The sound /ʃ/ is present in the suffixes “–tion” and “-ssion”. These suffixes may turn a verb into a noun if the verb ends in /t/ or /s/.

• create –> creation
• direct –> direction
• educate –> education
• express –> expression
• discuss –> discussion

COMPARE

Compare /ʃ/ and /s/:

/ʃ/…/s/…/ʃ/…/s/…/ʃ/…/s/

These are both voiceless fricative consonants pronounced near the alveolar ridge. However, /ʃ/ is an alveo-palatal fricative and /s/ is an alveolar fricative. When you pronounce /s/, your tongue is slightly farther forward than when you pronounce /ʃ/.

You can hear the difference between /ʃ/ and /s/ in these words.

1. A. shine, B. sign
2. A. shame, B. same
3. A. plush, B. plus
4. A. cashed, B. cast
​5. A. meshing, B. messing ​
6. A. furnishes, B. furnaces

​Practice recognizing words with /ʃ/ and /s/ by taking the quiz here (external site).

Now compare /ʃ/ and /tʃ/:

/ʃ/…/tʃ/…/ʃ/…/tʃ/…/ʃ/…/tʃ/

These are both voiceless alveo-palatal consonants. However, /tʃ/ is an affricate while /ʃ/ is a fricative. When you pronounce /tʃ/, the air in your mouth should stop (like a /t/) before it is released (like a /ʃ/).

You can hear the difference between /ʃ/ and /tʃ/ in these words.

1. A. sheep, B. cheap
2. A. share, B. chair
3. A. bash, B. batch
4. A. washed, B. watched
5. A. dishes, B. ditches​
6. A. Porsches, B. porches

Practice recognizing words with /ʃ/ and /tʃ/ by taking the quiz here (external site).

PRACTICE

Now, practice /ʃ/ in sentences. Say the words first, then the sentences.

​1. technicians – rushed – machine
The technicians rushed to repair the machine.
2. she – groceries* – cash
She paid for the groceries with cash.
3. essential – share – information
It’s essential that we share this information with the public
4. invitation – mention – location
The invitation didn’t mention the location of the party.
5. chef – selection – dishes
The chef prepared a selection of dishes for us to try.
6. wash – shampoo – conditioner
​I always wash my hair with shampoo and conditioner

(*In some varieties of American English, “groceries” may be pronounced with /s/.)

To practice with different varieties of English, choose another native English speaker by clicking one of the links below:

Male – US Midwest (St. Louis)

Male – US Midwest (Iowa)

Male – US Midwest

Female – US Northeast

Female – US Southeast

​Prepare:
What does a person gain from a college education? Look at this list and choose the 3 things that are most important.

• Professional knowledge and skills
• The ability to question your own assumptions about the world
• The ability to see connections between ideas, cultures, and disciplines
• ​Strategies for managing your emotions
• Information about career development
• Strategies for financial planning
• Long-lasting relationships
• Excellent communication skills

Record:
Imagine you are persuading a young person to go to college. Using the ideas above, describe 3 benefits of going to college.

©2024, Christine Wingate

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.