☆ Teacher Master Key • Lessons 126 & 127

Unstressed Prefix a- (/ə-/) • Homophones Their/There • Epenthetic Sibilant Plural -es • Page 68

INSTRUCTOR REFERENCE KEY
1. Orthoepic & Morphological Analysis Matrix (Representative Vocabulary)
Lessons 126 & 127 Linguistic Keys
Word Syllabication IPA Class / Structure Morphological & Etymological Insight
above a•bove /əˈbʌv/ Prefix a- Old English onbūfan (on + by + up). Unstressed initial a- reduces to schwa /ə-/.
asleep a•sleep /əˈsliːp/ Prefix a- Old English on slǣpe (in/into a state of sleep). Forms predicate adjective.
their their /ðɛər/ Possessive Pronoun Old Norse þeira (of them). Shows ownership: their branches, their homes.
there there /ðɛər/ Adverb / Expletive Old English þǣr. Deictic locative triad: here, there, where. Expletive in "there is".
fishes fish•es /ˈfɪʃ.ɪz/ Plural in -es Base ends in voiceless postalveolar sibilant /ʃ/. Suffix adds full syllable [ɪz].
peaches peach•es /ˈpiːtʃ.ɪz/ Plural in -es Base ends in voiceless affricate /tʃ/. Suffix inserts epenthetic vowel [ɪ] + voiced [z].
boxes box•es /ˈbɒks.ɪz/ Plural in -es Base ends in consonant cluster /ks/. Plural /ɪz/ prevents unpronounceable /kss/.
glasses glass•es /ˈɡlæs.ɪz/ Plural in -es Base ends in twin sibilant -ss /s/. Suffix adds syllable [ɪz]: singular glass (1 syl) → plural (2 syl).
watches watch•es /ˈwɒtʃ.ɪz/ Plural in -es Base ends in trigraph -tch /tʃ/. Singular forms by omitting -es → watch.

1. Phonological Law of Epenthetic "-es"

Why do words ending in -s, -x, -z, -ch, -sh take -es instead of simple -s?

  • Articulatory Clash: The vocal tract cannot articulate two successive sibilants (e.g. */fɪʃs/ or */bɒkss/) without an intervening vowel.
  • Syllable Addition: Adding -es creates an entire new syllable pronounced /ɪz/, increasing syllable count by one (box [1] → box-es [2]).
  • Reverse Deduction: Wheeler instructs students to reverse this process: drop -es to discover the base singular root.

2. Unstressed "a-" Prefix & Homophone Syntax

Syntactic and morphological discrimination in Lesson 126:

  • The "a-" Prefix (/ə-/): Historically derived from prepositional phrases (on sleep → asleep, on ground → around, of loud → aloud). Never separated with a hyphen or space.
  • Their vs. There:
    • Their: Modifies a noun (their branches, their homes). Contains heir.
    • There: Indicates location or existential subject (there is a way). Pairs with here and where.
3. Oral Dictation Sentences (Administer in Class)
Contextual Application • Exact Decodability
1. The little birds flew above the green bushes and were not afraid to sing aloud.
2. All the scholars were asleep in their warm beds while the wind blew around the house.
3. There were three large wooden boxes of ripe peaches and fresh glasses upon the table.
4. The boys saw many silver fishes swimming among the reeds near the old stone churches.
5. Where there is a will, there is a way for all diligent students to learn their lessons.

Diagnostic Pitfalls & Remediation

  • Dropping 'e' in Sibilant Plurals: Writing boxs, fishs, peachs. Rule: "After a hissing snake sound (-sh, -ch, -s, -x), we must write -es!"
  • Homophone Confusion: Writing there branches instead of their branches. Test: Replace with our or his. If it makes sense, use their.
  • Prefix Separation: Writing a loud or a round as two words. Emphasize that a- is an inseparable prefix in these words.

Socratic Discussion Prompts

  • Syllable Counting: "How many syllables in 'peach'? How many in 'peaches'? What letter made the extra syllable?"
  • Sibilant Sensation: "Make the sound at the end of 'box' (/ks/) and 'wish' (/ʃ/). Can you add an 's' without opening your mouth to say /ɪz/?"
  • Visual Clue for 'Their': "Notice the word 'heir' inside 'their'. An heir inherits property, so 'their' always shows who owns something!"

Evaluative Scoring Rubric (20 Points Total)

1. Prefix a- Words (5 pts)

Correctly transcribes and spells all 12 initial a- words without accidental word splitting.

2. Homophone Syntax (5 pts)

Accurately distinguishes possessive their from locative/expletive there in Dickson verse and proverb.

3. Plural -es Reversal (6 pts)

Correctly identifies base singular forms by omitting -es across all 12 sibilant nouns.

4. 26px Penmanship (4 pts)

Baseline alignment at 26px; midline touches dashed 13px guide; uniform letter proportions.