2.16: The Consonant Sound [n]

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Spelling [n]

There are six different ways of spelling [n], but the two most common are <n> and <nn>.

Double consonants such as <nn> can be caused by twinning or assimilation or simple addition. Sometimes twinning can cause an <nn>: fan + n + ing = fanning. Sometimes assimilation can cause an <nn>: ad + n + nounce = announce, and com + n + nect = connect. And simple addition can cause an <nn> when an element that starts with <n> is added to another element that ends with <n>: un + named = unnamed, and stubborn + ness = stubbornness.

Examples

Sometimes [n] is spelled <n> as in the word balance.

Sometimes [n] is spelled <nn> as in the word announce.

Review

Underline the letters that spell [n] in the following words.
\begin{align*}
& \text{balance} && \text{nuisance} && \text{candidate} && \text{conclusion}\\
& \text{immense} && \text{columnist} && \text{immunity} && \text{dictionary}\\
& \text{efficient} && \text{judgement} && \text{solemnity} && \text{coupon}\\
& \text{economics} && \text{bundle} && \text{nourishment} && \text{island}\\
& \text{nonalcoholic} && \text{enormous} && \text{diamonds} && \text{underexposed}
\end{align*}

How is [n] spelled in all of these words? ______. Usually [n] is spelled this way - about nine times out of ten, in fact!

All of the following words contain an <nn> that is caused by one of the three things described above. Analyze each word enough to show where the two <n>s come from. Then in the ‘Cause’ column write the cause for the <nn> in each word - “Twinning,” “Assimilation,” or “Simple Addition.”

Words	= Analysis	Cause
3. announce	= ad + n + nounce	Assimilation
4. connect	=
5. innocent	=
6. tinny	=
7. unnourishing	=
8. nonnuclear	=
9. skinny	=
10. unnecessary	=
11. nonnative	=
12. innumerable	=
13. beginner	=
14. commonness	=
15. annihilate	=
16. unnodding	=
17. annex	=
18. annul	=
19. nonnoble	=
20. suddenness	=
21. connive	=
22. beginning	=
23. cannot	=
24. stubbornness	=
25. sunniest	=
26. twinned	=

27. So far you have examined two different ways to spell [n]: _____ and _____. The sound [n] is spelled these two ways about ninety-nine times out of a hundred.

Show Answer

\begin{align*}
& bala \underline{n}ce && \underline{n}uisa \underline{n}ce && ca \underline{n}didate && co \underline{n}clusio \underline{n} \\
& imme \underline{n}se && colum \underline{n}ist && immu \underline{n}ity && dictio \underline{n}ary \\
& efficie \underline{n}t && judgeme \underline{n}t && solem \underline{n}ity && coupo \underline{n} \\
& eco \underline{n}omics && bu \underline{n}dle && \underline{n}ourishme \underline{n}t && isla \underline{n}d \\
& \underline{n}onalcoholic && e \underline{n}ormous && diamo \underline{n}ds && u \underline{n}derexposed
\end{align*}

How is [n] spelled in all of these words? <n> . Usually [n] is spelled this way – about nine times out of ten, in fact!

Words	= Analysis	Cause
3. announce	= ad + n + nounce	Assimilation
4. connect	= com + n + nect	Assimilation
5. innocent	= in + nocent	Simple addition
6. tinny	= tin + n + y	Twinning
7. unnourishing	= un + nourishing	Simple addition
8. nonnuclear	= non + nuclear	Simple addition
9. skinny	= skin + n + y	Twinning
10. unnecessary	= un + necessary	Simple addition
11. nonnative	= non + native	Simple addition
12. innumerable	= in + numerable	Simple addition
13. beginner	= begin + n + er	Twinning
14. commonness	= common + ness	Simple addition
15. annihilate	= ad + n + nihilate	Assimilation
16. unnodding	= un + nodding	Simple addition
17. annex	= ad + n + nex	Assimilation
18. annul	= ad + n + nul	Assimilation
19. nonnoble	= non + noble	Simple addition
20. suddenness	= sudden + ness	Simple addition
21. connive	= com + n + nive	Assimilation
22. beginning	= begin + n + ing	Twinning
23. cannot	= can + not	Simple addition
24. stubbornness	= stubborn + ness	Simple addition
25. sunniest	= sun + n + y + i + est	Twinning
26. twinned	= twinned	Twinning

27. So far you have examined two different ways to spell [n]: <n> and <nn>.

Explore More

The other four ways to spell [n] are: <gn>, <kn>, <pn>, and <mn>. Examples are as follows:

Sometimes [n] is spelled <gn> as in the word sign.

Sometimes [n] is spelled <kn> as in the word knew.

Sometimes [n] is spelled <pn> as in the word pneumonia.

Sometimes [n] is spelled <mn> as in the word mnemonic.

Spelling <nn> and the VCC Pattern

Two of the ways to spell [n] are <n> and <nn>. Remember: The sound [n] is spelled one of these two ways about ninety-nine times out of every one hundred.

The <nn> spelling occurs for many reasons: assimilation, twinning, simple addition, or VCC.

Examples

Word	Reason for <nn>
innocently	Simple Addition
beginner	Twinning
tennis	VCC
annihilation	Assimilation

Review

Read over the list carefully. Starting with the vowel right in front of the <nn> in each one, mark the VCC pattern.

[n] Spelled <gn>

The sound [n] is also spelled <gn> in the word reign, as in “The king reigned for fifty years.” Reign comes from the Latin word regnum, which meant “the power of a king” and in which the <g> was pronounced.

But [n] is also spelled <gn> in sovereign and foreign, which come from the Latin words superanus and foranus, with no <g>s. So why are there <g>s in sovereign and foreign? Long ago people decided that sovereign and foreign must have come from the word reign. So they changed the spelling to make the three words look more alike.

Examples

There are several English words in which [n] is spelled <gn>. Many of them come from the Latin word signum, which meant “mark, sign.”

[n] Spelled <kn>

The most common words with [n] spelled <kn> have know as their base.

Examples

Here is another little group of <kn> words, all dealing with the knees: