When NG is one sound and when it is two

1. 1
   sing/sɪŋ/

   verb

   Make musical sounds with your voice.
2. 2
   single/ˈsɪŋɡəl/

   adjective

   Not married and not in a relationship with anyone.
3. 3
   young/jʌŋ/

   adjective

   Having lived or existed for only a short time so far.
4. 4
   younger/ˈjʌŋɡər/

   adjective

   Said of the younger of two people who share a name, usually a son and his father.
5. 5
   finger/ˈfɪŋɡər/

   noun

   One of the parts at the end of your hand that you point and grip with.
6. 6
   hanger/ˈhæŋər/

   noun

   Something you hang other things from, like the shaped piece a shirt goes on.
7. 7
   linger/ˈlɪŋɡər/iAlso said ˈlɪŋər.

   verb

   Leave slowly, in no hurry to go.
8. 8
   language/ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

   noun

   A system of words and sounds a group of people uses to talk to each other.
9. 9
   stranger/ˈstreɪndʒər/

   noun

   Someone you have never met.
10. 10
    along/əˈlɔːŋ/

    adverb

    With someone else, keeping them company.

The sentences

1. Does anyone here actually sing at these parties?

2. I've been single for about a year now.

3. Everyone at this party looks so young to me.

4. Is he the younger brother or the older one?

5. I cut my finger opening the wine bottle.

6. Is there a hanger for my coat somewhere?

7. We can linger a bit before heading home.

8. What language were they speaking in the kitchen?

9. I came alone, so everyone here is a stranger.

10. Do you mind if I bring a friend along?

Pronunciation

• sing/sɪŋ/

  There's no separate g at the end, just one sound made through the nose.

• single/ˈsɪŋɡəl/

  Here the g does come back: SING-gul, two sounds where sing has one.

• young/jʌŋ/

  Begins like the y in yes and ends in the ng sound with no g after it.

• younger/ˈjʌŋɡər/

  Adding -er brings a hard g back in: YUNG-ger, not 'yung-er'.

• finger/ˈfɪŋɡər/

  Two sounds in the middle, FING-ger, with a real g.

• hanger/ˈhæŋər/

  No g here, unlike finger: HANG-er.

• linger/ˈlɪŋɡər/

  Hard g, so LING-ger, and the first vowel is short like in lip.

• language/ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

  LANG-gwij: a g and a w run together, and the ending is short, closer to 'ij'.

• stranger/ˈstreɪndʒər/

  This NG isn't the nose sound at all: it's n plus a j, STRAYN-jer.

• along/əˈlɔːŋ/

  The stress is on the second half, and the first vowel is a quick uh.

Questions

What do I say if I don't know anyone at the party?

You can say 'I came alone, so everyone here is a stranger.'

What does linger mean?

Linger means to leave slowly, in no hurry to go, as in 'We can linger a bit before heading home.'

How do I ask what language people are speaking?

Say 'What language were they speaking in the kitchen?'