☆ Teacher Master Key • Lessons 124 & 125

Singular & Plural Forms • Morpho-Phonology of Suffix -s • Pages 67–68

INSTRUCTOR REFERENCE KEY
1. Orthoepic & Morphological Matrix of Suffix "-s" (Representative Vocabulary)
Acoustic Allomorphy of Plural -s
Singular Singular IPA Plural Form Plural IPA Allomorph Coda Voice Environment & Phonetic Rule
lark /lɑːrk/ larks /lɑːrks/ /s/ Voiceless velar stop /k/. Suffix assimilates to voiceless [s].
brook /brʊk/ brooks /brʊks/ /s/ Voiceless velar stop /k/. Short lax oo /ʊ/. Voiceless [s].
street /striːt/ streets /striːts/ /s/ Voiceless alveolar stop /t/. Suffix assimilates to voiceless [s].
carpet /ˈkɑːr.pɪt/ carpets /ˈkɑːr.pɪts/ /s/ Voiceless alveolar stop /t/. Final unstressed syllable takes [s].
road /roʊd/ roads /roʊdz/ /z/ Voiced alveolar stop /d/. Plural suffix preserves voiced [z].
flower /ˈflaʊ.ər/ flowers /ˈflaʊ.ərz/ /z/ Voiced liquid coda /r/. Suffix realizes as voiced [z].
day /deɪ/ days /deɪz/ /z/ Open voiced diphthong /eɪ/. Vowels are inherently voiced → [z].
pencil /ˈpɛn.səl/ pencils /ˈpɛn.səlz/ /z/ Voiced lateral liquid /l/. Suffix realizes as voiced [z].
friend /frɛnd/ friends /frɛndz/ /z/ Voiced cluster /nd/. Suffix realizes as voiced [z].
orange /ˈɔːr.ɪndʒ/ oranges /ˈɔːr.ɪndʒ.ɪz/ /ɪz/ Voiced palato-alveolar affricate /dʒ/ + silent -e → epenthetic [ɪz].

1. The Three Acoustic Allomorphs of "-s"

Although spelled uniformly with the single letter -s, English plural nouns exhibit 3 distinct phonetic realizations conditioned by the preceding sound:

  • Voiceless /s/: Follows voiceless consonants /p, t, k, f, θ/ (larks, parks, brooks, streets, carpets, baskets).
  • Voiced /z/: Follows vowels and voiced consonants /b, d, ɡ, v, ð, m, n, ŋ, l, r/ (roads, flowers, days, years, pencils, friends, clouds).
  • Syllabic /ɪz/: Follows sibilants /s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ/ with silent -e (oranges).

2. Wheeler's Grammatical Concept of "Number"

Wheeler introduces formal grammatical classification within spelling:

  • Singular Form: Means "but one of each thing named" (Latin singularis = single, solitary).
  • Plural Form: Means "more than one" (Latin pluralis = pertaining to more).
  • Pedagogical Value: Establishes the foundation for subject-verb agreement ("A lark sings" vs. "Larks sing") covered in succeeding lessons.
3. Oral Dictation Sentences (Administer in Class)
Contextual Decodability • Suffix Agreement
1. The merry larks sang sweetly above the green parks and shaded roads.
2. Fresh flowers bloomed in sunny gardens throughout all weeks of the year.
3. Diligent scholars kept their sharp pencils and neat pictures upon wooden tables.
4. Our kind sisters sent long letters to all their dear school friends.
5. Two large baskets of red apples and golden oranges stood by open windows.

Diagnostic Pitfalls & Remediation

  • Apostrophe Intrusion: Students often write apple's or flower's. Remind them: "An apostrophe shows ownership; simple plurals only add -s without a hook!"
  • Phonetic Voicing Substitution: Writing roadz, dayz, friendz because of the voiced /z/ acoustic output. Explain that English spelling preserves the base unit -s.
  • Dropping Base Silent -e: Writing orangs instead of oranges. The e must remain to protect the soft /dʒ/ sound of g!

Socratic Oral Discussion Prompts

  • Grammatical Definition: "If I say 'one pencil', is that singular or plural? What if I hold three?"
  • Acoustic Vibration Test: "Place your fingertips on your throat. Say 'parks', then say 'roads'. What buzzing sound do you feel at the end of 'roads'?"
  • Spelling Consistency: "Why do we write '-s' for both 'larks' and 'roads' even though our voices buzz differently?"

Evaluative Scoring Rubric (20 Points Total)

1. Plural -s Suffix (6 pts)

Accurately attaches -s to all 24 singular nouns without omitting base letters or inserting apostrophes.

2. Acoustic Coding (5 pts)

Demonstrates oral discrimination between voiceless /s/, voiced /z/, and syllabic /ɪz/ allomorphs.

3. Sentence Syntax (5 pts)

Successfully integrates plural nouns into syntactically sound, grammatically agreeing original sentences.

4. 26px Penmanship (4 pts)

Letters strictly adhere to 26px baseline; lowercase letters align with 13px dashed midline; proper spacing.