When we study phonetics, we talk about consonants and vowels.
To describe consonants, we talk about voicing, place and manner of articulation.
Voicing = do your vocal cords vibrate?
Place = where do you make the sound?
Manner = how do you make the sound?
The Flash Animation Project shows vowels and consonants very clearly.
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics
Go online and play with this website.