English Collocations- Counting Syllables Consonant Clusters Practice

English collocations counting syllables consonant clusters practice

Put the words in one group below together to make common English collocations (mainly compound nouns) with two syllables, three syllables, four syllables and five syllables. There should be one of each length in each section, so label the collocations with their number of syllables to check, making sure that you can actually pronounce them that way.

 

cloak                                               cleaning

dry                                                  presenter

freelance                                       room

TV                                                   writer

 

classical                                        glasses

spring                              music

sun                                                  roll

windscreen                                   wipers

 

orange                                           five amps

sixth                                               place

the Czech                                     republic

thirty                                              squash

 

fifteen                                             bullying

handbag                                        hundredths

straight                                          line

workplace                                     strap

 

blue                                                chip company

filmed                              in 3D

plastic                              straw

track                                                suit

 

hair                                                ankle

Phillips                                          label

sticky                               screwdriver

strained                                         spray

 

day                                                  analysis

horror                              film

needs                              links

URL                                               trip

 

Go through the answers as a class, saying the collocations from the shortest to the longest in each section, making sure you pronounce them with the right number of syllables each time.

Answer key

 

2- cloak room

3- dry cleaning

4- freelance writer

5- TV presenter

 

2- spring roll

3- sunglasses

4- windscreen wipers

5- classical music

 

2- sixth place

3- orange squash

4- thirty five amps

5- the Czech Republic

 

2- straight line

3- handbag strap

4- fifteen hundredths

5- workplace bullying

 

2- track suit

3- plastic straw

4- filmed in 3D

5- blue chip company

 

2- hairspray

3- strained ankle

4- sticky label

5- Phillips screwdriver

 

2- daytrip

3- horror film

4- URL links

5- needs analysis

 

Find individual words above with consonant clusters (= two or more consonants together without a vowel between them, like “pl-” or “-ths”). Mark the number of syllables on those words and make sure you can pronounce them that way, without adding extra unnecessary syllables and without losing sounds.

Test each other on counting syllables:

• Say an expression from above and see if your partner can count the syllables
• Say a single word from above and see if your partner can count the syllables
• Say half of an expression above and how many syllables the whole expression should have, and see if your partner can complete it