JAMB English Language 2023 Paper

Concept:The underlined "s" in "pleasure" represents the voiced palato-alveolar fricative $/ʒ/$, not the usual $/s/$ sound.Explanation:This question tests your ability to recognize the exact consonant sound made by the letter "s" in the given word.In "pleasure", the letter "s" is pronounced like the "si" in "vision" or the "z" in "azure", producing the voiced sound $/ʒ/$.Now examine each option to find the word that contains the same consonant sound.In "rejoice", the letter "j" gives the sound $/dʒ/$, and the letter "c" gives $/s/$, so there is no $/ʒ/$ sound present.In "surge", the final letter "g" produces $/dʒ/$, as in "judge", so it does not match either.In "seizure", the letter "z" is pronounced as $/ʒ/$, giving $/ˈsiːʒər/$, which is exactly the consonant sound heard in "pleasure".In "reassure", the letters "ss" produce the sound $/ʃ/$, like "sh" in "ship", which is different from $/ʒ/$.Therefore, the only word that shares the same consonant sound $/ʒ/$ with "pleasure" is "seizure".Answer:C. seizure