2
Vase, vest, west, wet: sounds v and w
Connect Primary 5 Term 2, Unit 9: pp. 42–49
GoalHear and say the sounds /v/ and /w/ in the right way.
New words
vet · a doctor for animalsvase · a pot for flowersvest · clothes you wear on your chestwest · the side where the sun goes downwet · not drywheel · the round part of a bike or car
Explanation
The sounds /v/ and /w/ are voiced sounds. Put your hand on your throat. You feel a buzz when you say them. For /v/, press your top teeth on your bottom lip: vet, vase, vest, violin, volcano. For /w/, make a small round circle with your lips. Your teeth do not touch your lip: wet, west, wheel, whale, water, winter. Be careful: wheel and whale begin with the letters wh, but we say /w/. Say vest and west slowly, and look in a mirror.
| Sound /v/ : teeth on lip | Sound /w/ : round lips |
|---|---|
| vet | wet |
| vase | west |
| vest | wheel |
| violin | whale |
| volcano | water |
Worked examples
Listen and repeat the /v/ words.
Listen and repeat the /w/ words.
Listen. The two words are almost the same, but the first sound is different.
Now you. Say this sentence slowly, then quickly: The vet wore a wet vest in the windy west.
Class activity
Buzz and mirror. Put your hand on your throat and say vet, wet, vase, west. Feel the buzz. Look in a mirror: for v, can you see your teeth on your lip? For w, can you see your lips make a circle? The grown-up says a word and the child shows v with the teeth or w with the round lips.
Practice
1
Listen. Which word do you hear? vest or west
…
The word is vest.
2
Listen. Which word do you hear? wet or vet
…
The word is vet.
3
Look. Which picture word begins with the /w/ sound? Say its name.
The whale.
4
Write v or w: ___ ater and ___ iolin.
w and v: water and violin.
5
Odd one out: vet, volcano, wheel, violin. Which word does not begin with /v/?
wheel. It begins with /w/.