The 's' sound: /s/ or /z/

On page 10 of your book, Poorvi, you read aloud some words from 'A Bottle of Dew'. They all have the letter 's', but the letter 's' does not always make the same sound.

Sometimes 's' makes a /s/ sound, like a hissing snake: sssss. You hear it in 'sage', 'promising' and 'sand'.

Sometimes 's' makes a /z/ sound, like a buzzing bee: zzzzz. You hear it in 'wisdom', 'trees', 'beds' and 'keys'. Notice that when we add 's' to make more than one tree, bed or key, it often sounds like /z/.

The word 'surprise' has both! The first 's' makes a /s/ sound, and the second 's' makes a /z/ sound. Say it slowly: sur-prize.

To check a word, say it aloud slowly and listen: does the 's' hiss, or does it buzz?