Session Three
1. The Unvoiced TH Sound
2. The Voiced TH Sound
3. THR Blends
4. Voicing the T Sound
The Unvoiced TH Sound
Flat tongue protruding through your teeth. Maintain a steady air stream. Stretch out the TH sound.
Example:
Think of the word Thumb as having two beats
Th . umb
1 2
Unvoiced TH at the beginning of words
Thanks
Thick
Thunder
Thursday
Think
Unvoiced TH at the middle of words
Anything
Bathmat
Toothpick
Athletic
Mouthwash
Unvoiced TH at the end of words
Bath
North
Beneath
Fourth
South
The Voiced TH Sound
Voiced TH at the beginning of words
The (The book)
That (That house)
They (They came over)
Them (Give them water)
There (There it is)
This (This is my nose)
Those (Those boys are good)
These (These are my parents)
Voiced TH in the middle of words
Clothing
Leather
Mother
Another
Weather
Northern
Voiced TH at the end of words
Smooth
Bathe
Breathe
Practice Phrases
This and that
A tablecloth
Winter clothing
Athens, Greece
That’s the one
Her skin is smooth
Thirty Day’s notice
A famous author
Here and there
False teeth
Thread the needle
A thoughtful gift
Thunder and lightening
Thumbs up
Practice Sentences
Thelma arrived in town last Thursday.
I’m having trouble threading this needle.
I need 33 thick thermometers.
The thing they like best about Athens is the weather.
This thrilling novel was written by a famous author.
He will be through with his work at three-thirty.
Now and then, she likes to buy new clothing.
They thought they were going to Northern Spain.
Which tablecloth shall we use for the party?
That was the thirty-third theatre to open.
THR Blends
Thread (thread the needle)
Throw (throw the ball)
Throat (my throat is sore)
Thrill (a thrilling ride)
Three (three more days)
Threw (he threw the ball)
Throne (the king sits on a throne)
Paragraph Practice
Nurse Thatcher was thankful it was Thursday. She knew that on Thursday she had to deliver 33 boxes of thermometers to the North American Athletic Club. They thought that thermometers were necessary for testing the hydrotherapy baths. This was thought to benefit the athletes with arthritis. The athletic trainers required authorization to provide hydrotherapy to the youthful athletes on the three bulletin boards with thumbtacks throughout the athletic club. Rather than risk the health of the athletes, they thoroughly checked the thousands of thermometers to insure their worthiness; otherwise they needed to be thrown away.
TH Exceptions
Although the following words are spelled with a ‘TH’, they are pronounced as a T.
Thomas
Thompson
Theresa
Thailand
Thames
Esther
Thyme
Voicing the T Sound
If a T falls within two voiced sounds (usually vowels), the T becomes voiced like a D.
Examples:
Water Wader (the whole word is voiced)
Better Bedder
Butter Budder
Voiced T Practice
Betty bought a bit of better butter. But, said she, this butter’s bitter. If I put it in my batter, it’ll make my batter bitter.