Unit 3: The Power of Words
Grammar Focus: Plurals and Soft Sounds
Plural Nouns: Most nouns form their plural by simply adding -s (e.g., weekdays). However, if a word ends in -s, -ss, -ch, -sh, -x, or -z, we add -es (e.g., dismiss becomes dismisses). For nouns ending in a consonant followed by y, change the y to i and add -es (e.g., specialty becomes specialties) [1-3].
Soft c and g: The letter c usually has a soft sound (/s/) when followed by e, i, or y (e.g., conceived, appreciated). Similarly, g has a soft sound (/j/) when followed by e, i, or y (e.g., genuine, apologize). When followed by other letters, they usually have a hard sound [4-6].
Silent Letters: Some words contain letters we do not pronounce. In the pattern kn (e.g., knoll), the k is silent. In the pattern wr (e.g., wrong), the w is silent [7-9].
Match the following vocabulary words with their correct definitions.
- Genuine a. To ask for forgiveness.
- Apologize b. Not likely to hurt anyone.
- Harmless c. Real; sincere; not fake.
- Desperate d. Tosend someone away; to allow to leave.
- Dismiss e. Having a great need or desire; almost hopeless.
- Commotion f. Extremely hungry.
- Famished g. Noisy confusion or activity.
- Endured h. Suffered through something difficult with patience.
Write the plural form of each noun using the rules you learned (-s, -es, -ies).
- Specialty _____________
- Address _____________
- Weekday _____________
- Ambulance _____________
- Definition _____________
- Speech _____________
- Enemy _____________
- Match _____________
Read the words below. Write them in the correct column based on the sound ofthe bold letter.
apologize, cranky, appreciated, genuine, neglected, conceived, commotion, garden
| Soft Sound (/s/ or /j/) | Hard Sound (/k/ or /g/) |
|---|---|
| 1. _____________ | 5. _____________ |
| 2. _____________ | 6. _____________ |
| 3. _____________ | 7. _____________ |
| 4. _____________ | 8. _____________ |
Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the box: slithered, obedience, motivate, appreciated, interact, misunderstood, neglected, cranky.
- The tired baby became very __________ and started to cry.
- The snake __________ quietly through the tall grass.
- The teacher tried to__________ the students to read more books.
- He __________the directions and went to the wrong room.
- We __________ the help our neighbors gave us after the storm.
- Training a dog requires patience and __________ from the pet.
- The old garden was __________ and full of weeds.
- It is important to __________ nicely with your classmates.
Circle the silent letter in each word below (kn or wr).
- Kneel
- Wreath
- Knowledge
- Wrist
- Knapsack
- Wreckage
- Knitting
- Wrinkle
Choose the word that means the same as the word in bold.
- Exasperated: a) Happy b) Annoyed c) Sleepy
- Conceived: a) Thought of b) Forgot c) Dropped
- Comply: a) Argue b) Obey c) Run
- Select: a) Choose b) Refuse c) Lose
- Imitate: a) Ignore b) Copy c) Invent
- Genuine: a) Fake b) Real c) Old
- Secure: a) Safe b) Lost c) Loose
- Motivate: a) Stop b) Encourage c) Sleep
