Did you know that ‘s is one of the most common “words” in the English language?
‘s may seem simple, but there are a few secrets to using and pronouncing it perfectly.
Three meanings for ‘s
‘s can mean three things in English:
- Possessive
My car is blue, but Mary‘s car is green. - Short form of “is”
My brother‘s a student.
(= My brother is a student.) - Short form of “has”
She‘s finished her work.
(= She has finished her work.)
Two ways to pronounce ‘s
‘s is pronounced like S in these words:
- It’s
- That’s
- What’s
‘s is pronounced like Z in these words:
- He’s
- She’s
- There’s
- Here’s
- Where’s
- When’s
- Why’s
- Who’s
- How’s
What’s the rule?
- ‘S is pronounced S when it follows an unvoiced sound (a sound where you only hear air, like P, T, K, F, and TH)
- ‘S is pronounced Z when it follows a voiced sound (where you add sound with your voice – R, D, M, N, most other consonants, and all vowels)
Practice Sentences: Listen and Repeat
‘s pronounced S:
- It’s almost midnight.
- That’s not a good idea.
- What’s the best way to learn English?
‘s pronounced Z:
- He’s eighteen years old.
- She’s angry at me.
- There’s a problem with my computer.
- Here’s the book you asked for.
- Where’s my calculator?
- When’s your brother arriving?
- Why’s the boss so upset?
- Who’s that guy?
- How’s work going?
Fluency Tip: Use ‘s as a connection
For native speakers, words that end in ‘s are connected to the next word:
- It’s almost midnight. (not connected)
- It’sssalmost midnight (connected – more natural)
Can you hear how the ‘s is connected to “almost”?
Here’s another example, this time with ‘s being pronounced as Z:
- He’s eighteen years old.
- He’zzzeighteen yearzold.
