COMBINATIONS OF CONSONANTS

Consonants, like vowels, often appear in combination. If you select a book at random, a cursory glance of even a few lines will show many different groupings. For example, in the following words one consonant sound must quickly follow another for correct pronunciation: still, splendid, blast, strand, thread, clamp, church, grudge, Scotch, splinter, sprinkling, stumble.
But separate sounds are not always formed when two letters representing consonants appear together. Although two such symbols are combined in the, who, she, thing, only one sound is made. Conversely, a single letter may represent more ‘than one sound. In producing the consonant x in axe, the sounds k and s are made; in exact, g and z are formed. According to some speech experts, a compound consonant is heard in gem, jet, jug, huge. They believe that, in order to pronounce g and j in these words, the tongue moves quickly from d to that for 7 (as in azure).
To utter such succession of sounds acceptably requires quick adjustment of the articulatory organs. Tongue, lips, and jaw must be flexible and readily responsive to demands placed upon them.