Sorting Plural Endings in Work and Study — B1 English Pronunciation Practice Test

About this practice test

Practise B1 English pronunciation by sorting workplace and study nouns according to their spoken plural endings.

What you’ll practice

Hear the difference

Recognise vowel and consonant contrasts in clear recordings.

Stress and rhythm

Identify strong syllables and emphasized words.

Listen and review

Replay each recording and learn from answer explanations.

What to expect: 8 questions with explanations to review after submission.

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level
B1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
Question formats
Sorting into categories

How to approach this practice

Read the instructions and work through the questions before opening the answers.

  1. Question 1 · Sorting into categories

    Sort each word or phrase into its correct category.

    Say and sort the words by the sound of their plural ending. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling.

    Categories

    • Ending sounds like /s/
    • Ending sounds like /z/
    • Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Word bank

    • courses
    • teams
    • meetings
    • messages
    • reports
    • projects
    Check answers and explanations
    1. courses
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    2. teams
    Ending sounds like /z/
    3. meetings
    Ending sounds like /z/
    4. messages
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    5. reports
    Ending sounds like /s/
    6. projects
    Ending sounds like /s/

    Sound groups: Ending sounds like /s/: reports, projects; Ending sounds like /z/: meetings, teams; Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/: courses, messages. After a sibilant sound, the ending adds a syllable; otherwise use /s/ after a voiceless sound and /z/ after a voiced sound.

  2. Question 2 · Sorting into categories

    Sort each word or phrase into its correct category.

    Say and sort the words by the sound of their plural ending. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling.

    Categories

    • Ending sounds like /s/
    • Ending sounds like /z/
    • Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Word bank

    • tasks
    • plans
    • changes
    • groups
    • goals
    • offices
    Check answers and explanations
    1. tasks
    Ending sounds like /s/
    2. plans
    Ending sounds like /z/
    3. changes
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    4. groups
    Ending sounds like /s/
    5. goals
    Ending sounds like /z/
    6. offices
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Sound groups: Ending sounds like /s/: tasks, groups; Ending sounds like /z/: plans, goals; Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/: offices, changes. After a sibilant sound, the ending adds a syllable; otherwise use /s/ after a voiceless sound and /z/ after a voiced sound.

  3. Question 3 · Sorting into categories

    Sort each word or phrase into its correct category.

    Say and sort the words by the sound of their plural ending. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling.

    Categories

    • Ending sounds like /s/
    • Ending sounds like /z/
    • Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Word bank

    • skills
    • lessons
    • colleges
    • notes
    • languages
    • tests
    Check answers and explanations
    1. skills
    Ending sounds like /z/
    2. lessons
    Ending sounds like /z/
    3. colleges
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    4. notes
    Ending sounds like /s/
    5. languages
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    6. tests
    Ending sounds like /s/

    Sound groups: Ending sounds like /s/: notes, tests; Ending sounds like /z/: skills, lessons; Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/: colleges, languages. After a sibilant sound, the ending adds a syllable; otherwise use /s/ after a voiceless sound and /z/ after a voiced sound.

  4. Question 4 · Sorting into categories

    Sort each word or phrase into its correct category.

    Say and sort the words by the sound of their plural ending. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling.

    Categories

    • Ending sounds like /s/
    • Ending sounds like /z/
    • Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Word bank

    • files
    • emails
    • services
    • packages
    • workshops
    • breaks
    Check answers and explanations
    1. files
    Ending sounds like /z/
    2. emails
    Ending sounds like /z/
    3. services
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    4. packages
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    5. workshops
    Ending sounds like /s/
    6. breaks
    Ending sounds like /s/

    Sound groups: Ending sounds like /s/: workshops, breaks; Ending sounds like /z/: emails, files; Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/: packages, services. After a sibilant sound, the ending adds a syllable; otherwise use /s/ after a voiceless sound and /z/ after a voiced sound.

  5. Question 5 · Sorting into categories

    Sort each word or phrase into its correct category.

    Say and sort the words by the sound of their plural ending. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling.

    Categories

    • Ending sounds like /s/
    • Ending sounds like /z/
    • Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Word bank

    • advantages
    • managers
    • products
    • resources
    • costs
    • customers
    Check answers and explanations
    1. advantages
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    2. managers
    Ending sounds like /z/
    3. products
    Ending sounds like /s/
    4. resources
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    5. costs
    Ending sounds like /s/
    6. customers
    Ending sounds like /z/

    Sound groups: Ending sounds like /s/: products, costs; Ending sounds like /z/: customers, managers; Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/: resources, advantages. After a sibilant sound, the ending adds a syllable; otherwise use /s/ after a voiceless sound and /z/ after a voiced sound.

  6. Question 6 · Sorting into categories

    Sort each word or phrase into its correct category.

    Say and sort the words by the sound of their plural ending. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling.

    Categories

    • Ending sounds like /s/
    • Ending sounds like /z/
    • Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Word bank

    • results
    • ideas
    • questions
    • speeches
    • choices
    • facts
    Check answers and explanations
    1. results
    Ending sounds like /s/
    2. ideas
    Ending sounds like /z/
    3. questions
    Ending sounds like /z/
    4. speeches
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    5. choices
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    6. facts
    Ending sounds like /s/

    Sound groups: Ending sounds like /s/: results, facts; Ending sounds like /z/: ideas, questions; Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/: choices, speeches. After a sibilant sound, the ending adds a syllable; otherwise use /s/ after a voiceless sound and /z/ after a voiced sound.

  7. Question 7 · Sorting into categories

    Sort each word or phrase into its correct category.

    Say and sort the words by the sound of their plural ending. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling.

    Categories

    • Ending sounds like /s/
    • Ending sounds like /z/
    • Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Word bank

    • teachers
    • prizes
    • addresses
    • colleagues
    • students
    • experts
    Check answers and explanations
    1. teachers
    Ending sounds like /z/
    2. prizes
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    3. addresses
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    4. colleagues
    Ending sounds like /z/
    5. students
    Ending sounds like /s/
    6. experts
    Ending sounds like /s/

    Sound groups: Ending sounds like /s/: students, experts; Ending sounds like /z/: teachers, colleagues; Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/: addresses, prizes. After a sibilant sound, the ending adds a syllable; otherwise use /s/ after a voiceless sound and /z/ after a voiced sound.

  8. Question 8 · Sorting into categories

    Sort each word or phrase into its correct category.

    Say and sort the words by the sound of their plural ending. Focus on the final sound, not the spelling.

    Categories

    • Ending sounds like /s/
    • Ending sounds like /z/
    • Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Word bank

    • rules
    • dates
    • forms
    • topics
    • wages
    • branches
    Check answers and explanations
    1. rules
    Ending sounds like /z/
    2. dates
    Ending sounds like /s/
    3. forms
    Ending sounds like /z/
    4. topics
    Ending sounds like /s/
    5. wages
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/
    6. branches
    Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/

    Sound groups: Ending sounds like /s/: dates, topics; Ending sounds like /z/: rules, forms; Ending adds a syllable: /ɪz/ or /əz/: wages, branches. After a sibilant sound, the ending adds a syllable; otherwise use /s/ after a voiceless sound and /z/ after a voiced sound.

What to review next

Review the feedback and revisit the topics you found difficult before trying again.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.