I.Pronunciation/Phonetics

1.New initials: Initials: z [kids], c [cats], s [see]

2.New finals: iong [i+ong], uang [u+ang], ua [u+a]

3.Retroflex ending (final). A retroflex final is represented by the letter “r” added to the final.  Example: “er” is pronounced like the ur in cur.  In writing, “儿” is added to the character in question.  Example: nǎr (哪儿)

II.Spelling Rules

1.There is a summary of spelling rules in Workbook (pp. 32-33) which covers the spelling rules for “i/y”, “u/w”, “ü/y”, and the position of tone marks. Here are a few examples:

•When “i” is an initial followed by vowel(s), the “i” is changed to “y”.  Examples: ia – ya; ie – ye; ian – yan; iang – yang; iao – yao; iou – you; iong – yong; in – yin, ing – ying

•The same principle applies to “u” when it is an initial followed by vowel(s), and it then becomes “w”.  Examples: ua – wa, uan – wan, uo- wo, uen – wen, uai – wai, uang – wang, uei – wei, ueng – weng

•When “ü” is an initial followed by vowel(s), a “y” is placed before the “ü” while removing the two dots above the “u”.  Examples: üe – yue, üan – yuan, ün – yun

•If there is a consonant initial “n” or “l” before a “ü”, the two dots above the “u” cannot be removed.  Examples: nü, lü

III.Grammar

1.Questions with an interrogative pronoun. The word order in a question with an interrogative pronoun is the same as that in a declarative sentence.  In such a case, a question pronoun simply replaces the part of the sentence to which the interrogative pronoun corresponds. Examples:

•那是我们老师 (statement). 那是谁? (question)

•我姓马 (statement). 你姓什么? (question)

•他是中国人 (statement). 他是哪国人? (question)

•餐厅在二层(statement). 餐厅在哪儿? (question)