- •The Syllable. The Principles of Syllable Division. The nature of the syllable.
- •Syllable division rules for simple words and parts of compound words
- •The Primary and the Secondary Meaning of Letters.
- •Reading of vowels in stressed syllables
- •The Primary Sound Meanings of Vowels in Different Types of Syllables.
- •Test II
- •Reading of Stressed Vowels in Combination with Letter ”r”
- •Idioms, sayings:
- •Reading of Vowel Digraphs*
- •Principles of Reading Vowel Digraphs
- •Reading of digraphs “oo”, “ou” in homographes:
- •Vowel Letter Combinations
- •Reading of Unstressed Vowels.
- •Reading of Consonants
- •Reading of “c, g, j”
- •Reading of Endings -(e)s, -(e)d
- •Reading of combinations of vowels with consonants.
- •Mute Consonants
- •Reading of English Consonant Clusters
- •Reading of “ng, nk”
- •Reading of letter “n”
- •Revision and Consolidation Practice
- •I) Each word here has the sound [u:]. How many ways are there to spell this sound? Arrange the words into the groups:
- •Additional Practice in Reading and Memory Work
The Primary and the Secondary Meaning of Letters.
In English one letter can denote a few different sounds (polysemantic letters). That’s why there are the primary and the secondary sound meanings of them. The primary meaning of a letter is the sound which this letter:
denotes in the alphabet: a – [eI], e – [i:]. E.g. bake, be;
doesn’t correspond to the alphabetical letter: a – [æ]. e.g. cat;
approximates the alphabetical letter: f – [f], y – [aI].
The secondary meaning of a letter is the one which differs from its primary alphabetical meaning and depends on the consonants preceding or following this letter. E.g. a – [ a:] - staff, [æ ] – wander, [ɔ:] – war.
The sound formation of the English language distinguishes long and short vowels. According to this peculiarity in English each stressed vowel can have two meanings: alphabetical (long) and short.
Reading of vowels in stressed syllables
Letter |
Primary meaning |
Secondary meaning |
||
long |
short |
Vowel + r |
Vowel +re |
|
a |
Kate |
cat |
car |
hare |
e |
he, Pete |
hen, help |
her |
here |
i\y |
I, Mike, mine |
sit, gym |
bird, Byrd |
hire, tyre |
o |
no, stone |
not |
for |
more |
u |
use |
but |
turn |
cure |
The Primary Sound Meanings of Vowels in Different Types of Syllables.
In disyllabic and polysyllabic words the vowel letter has its alphabetical (long) primary meaning if:
it is used in word final position e. g. he, no, my;
it is separated from the following vowel letter or from the combinations –le, -re by only one consonant letter e.g. pilot, idle, fibre;
it is followed by a consonant + r +vowel e.g. library, April;
in some vowel combinations* e.g. diet, going.
The vowel letter has its short primary meaning:
if it is separated from the following vowel or the combination –le by two or more consonants e.g. render, silly, fiddle.
if the vowel letter (apart from “u”) is in the third stressed syllable from the end e.g. family, cylinder; but: funeral;
if the vowel letter is followed by a single letter “v” e.g. river, never; but: uvula [\ju:vju:lə], fever [\fi:və], over [\əυvə];
if the vowel letter is followed by a consonant and one of the combinations, such as –-ic, -ish, -ity e.g. tragic, polish, cavity;
in disyllabic words with the sound [I] and [ju:] in the last unstressed syllable the vowel letter of a stressed syllable has a short meaning: e.g. tribune, facet; but: stupid.
But if the word ends in –y, -ie as in the words ladies, Edie the letters “a”, “e” have their alphabetical (long) meaning.
*For more information about the rules of reading of vowel combinations (digraphs), see further rules.
READING SINGLE VOWEL LETTERS IN STRESSED NON-FINAL SYLLABLES
meaning |
spelling |
examples |
exceptions |
I. Primary long |
1) vowel + vowel |
diet |
|
2) vowel + consonant + vowel vowel + consonant + “r” + vowel vowel + consonant + “le” vowel + consonant + “re” |
pilot library idle fibre |
|
|
II. Primary short |
1) vowel + consonant cluster + vowel vowel + consonant cluster +“le” |
Render
fiddle |
|
2) vowel + consonant + “ic” vowel + consonant + “ish” vowel + consonant + “ity” |
tragic polish cavity |
|
|
3) vowel + “v” + vowel
|
never
|
∙fever ∙over ∙uvula |
|
4) vowel + syllable + syllable
|
fa∙mi∙ly |
cases with “u”: funeral |
|
5) vowel + [ı]-closed syllable vowel + [(j)u:]-closed syllable |
fa∙cet tri∙bune |
stupid |
Ex. 3.1 ( , track 2)
Read the following names and decide, from their spelling, if the vowel is short or long. (If there is more than one vowel, focus on the vowel receiving most stress.) If you are not sure, check the recording.
Example: Mick = short Susan = long
-
Mick
Susan
Dean
Sammy
Cathy
Martha
Jane
Luke
Tammy
Rose
Bert
Muriel
Patty
Pete
Ross
Ted
David
Becky
Bud
Simon
Beth
Mike
Mary
Tom
Jean
Timmy
Joan
Bonnie
Sheila
Bill
-
Primary short meaning
Primary long meaning
Ex. 3.2 Read these words according to the rules:
Letter “A” (primary short and long meanings):
-
barrel
gas
bat
land
shall
angry
cab
bag
band
marry
tangle
fat
tan
pack
cattle
back
has
sand
dad
carry
-
sail
brain
paper
baby
lady
main
able
bacon
wait
parade
famous
mate
lain
pain
fate
Letter “E” (primary short and long meanings):
-
best
clever
led
met
peck
bell
seven
set
beg
shell
send
very
men
lend
merry
berry
when
pen
bend
kettle
-
he
we
these
agree
evening
she
be
me
even
deep
Letters “I/Y” (primary short and long meanings):
-
thimble
thin
chips
wish
wiggle
scribble
twin
little
picnic
fiddle
kitchen
history
ministry
primitive
system
-
why
mine
vice
imply
rise
idle
license
while
by
fly
nylon
byre
rhyme
arrive
bicycle
triangle
line
kite
file
white
why
mine
vice
imply
Letter “U” (primary short and long meanings):
-
crumple
under
humble
hungry
duck
must
funny
ugly
begun
thus
thunder
bungle
buck
lust
fuss
yuck
cluck
bud
puck
luck
tube
duty
dual
music
tune
computer
tune
muse
humour
unit
use
student
human
cube
tunic
Letter “O” (primary short and long meanings):
|
dot stop chop flop |
cost doctor bottle body |
robber coffee promise fox |
cod shot stock con |
cock cop wop doll |
|
so nose go probe phone open |
hope rose joke |
note whole quote |
tone hole drove |
Ex. 3.3
A: Here are the twelve pairs of rhyming words. In each case, one has an expected spelling for the particular sound and one has not. Choose which has the more predictable spelling.
Example: cheque neck
(compare neck with peck, deck, wreck, speck and so on)
-
1
dome
some
5
rich
stitch
9
file
style
2
mash
cache
6
chest
breast
10
taste
waist
3
steak
make
7
wand
bond
11
want
pant
4
moon
prune
8
blood
mud
12
cut
put
Ex. 3.4 ( , track 3)
A: In this section the spelling is 100% predictable from the pronunciation. Listen to the recording and write these individual words down.
-
1
________
5
________
9
________
13
________
2
________
6
________
10
________
14
________
3
________
7
________
11
________
15
________
4
________
8
________
12
________
16
________
B: Now see if you can read the following words aloud before you listen to them on the recording. Remember that the pronunciation is still predictable from the spelling.
-
1
scoop
5
patched
9
puddle
13
shun
2
muted
6
rotter
10
stutter
14
candle
3
glitch
7
hugged
11
handy
15
rumbled
4
spine
8
treck
12
budge
16
trash
C: Now do the same with the following nonsense words.
-
1
flape
5
snork
9
frake
13
spump
2
spline
6
preck
10
drumble
14
flinge
3
smotted
7
glumpy
11
duddle
15
chinker
4
gatter
8
chandy
12
shunker
16
strended
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what the words in A and B mean; you can always check them in a dictionary afterwards. Don’t look in a dictionary for the nonsense words in C.
Ex. 3.5 Find and practice the reading vowels in their short meanings:
Letter” A”
a) Read as quickly as possible:
A cat, a black cat, a black cat sat, a black cat sat on a mat, a black cat sat on a mat and ate. A black cat sat on a mat and ate a fat rat.
b) Read the sentence:
There was a red van traveling West, and several cars and vans behind it. The van driver suddenly turned and crashed into the taxi. The taxi driver wasn’t badly hurt, but he was very angry.
Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager, imagining an imagery menagerie.
c) Proverbs and idioms:
Flat as a pancake.
A hungry man is an angry man.
d) Rhymes and tongue-twisters:
Pat’s black cat is in Pat’s black hat.
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat
Can you catch that bad fat rat?
If you catch that bad fat rat,
You will have some milk for that.
Letter “E”
a) Hens, red hens, best red hens, ten best red hens, Ted sells ten best red hens. Every day Ted sells ten best red hens.
b) Only ten per cent of Kensington Express readers take regular exercise. Ten per cent felt that they were healthy or very healthy.
c) All’s well that ends well.
d) Better late than never.
e) Lesser leather never weathered wetter weather better.
f) Fred fed Ted bread and Ted led Fred bread.
g) Can you retell ten texts in twelve seconds?
Letters “I, Y”
a) As fit as a fiddle.
b)Which witch wished which wicked wish?
c) Needles and pins, needles and pins,
When a man marries, his trouble begins.
d) I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.
Letter “O”
a) Bob’s dog got a hot pot of porridge and some chops.
b) I’ve got a job in a sports shop at the moment.
c) Honesty is the best policy.
d) A proper cup of coffee from a proper copper coffee pot.
Letter “U”
a) A duck, an ugly duck, an ugly duck was in a cup, an ugly duck was in a funny cup, an ugly duck was in a funny cup on Sunday. An ugly duck was in a funny cup on a sunny Sunday.
b) Lucky in cards unlucky in love.
c) Mummies munch much mush.
d) Double bubble gum bubbles double bubbles.
Ex. 3.6 Practice reading vowels in their long meanings:
Letter “A”
a) This amazing lake in Wales is a famous place for great races.
b) I can explain. The Daily Mail came late.
c) Make hay while the sun shines.
A stitch in time saves nine.
d) Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day.
e) Billy, Billy, come and play
While the sun shines bright today.
Letter “E”
a) A man of words and not of deeds
Is like a garden full of weeds.
b) He speaks Chinese and Japanese with equal ease.
c) Easy come easy go.
Letters “I, Y”
a) Mike likes spicy pies with fried pike.
b) Hi, Mike! I’m busy typing. I have ninety-nine pages to type by Friday.
c) Out of sight out of mind.
Variety is a spice of life.
d) Why do you cry, Willy?
Why do you cry?
Why, Willy, why, Willy?
Why, Willy, why?
Letter “O”
a) The road below goes from Rome to the south coast. We are very close to our home.
b) Chip-chop, chip-chop,
Chipper-chopper Joe,
One big blow.
Oh! My toe!
Ex. 3.7 Read the following words and see how –e changes the pronunciation.
WITHOUT –e: WITH –e: |
|
NOW PRONOUNCE: man same take that lemonade bale safe tap tape |
||||||||||
WITHOUT –e: WITH –e: |
|
NOW PRONOUNCE: fit inside still mile hid ride tide like pipe strip |
||||||||||
WITHOUT –e: WITH –e: |
|
NOW PRONOUNCE: job stone rose God joke dome bone on spot coke |
||||||||||
WITHOUT –e: WITH –e: |
|
NOW PRONOUNCE: much fuse cube cub fuss tune gun fun duke luck |
||||||||||
EXCEPTIONS: some come one have give live love |
Ex. 3.8 Put the words given below into a suitable column according to the rules of reading of stressed vowels:
Twilight, crying, Friday, magic, transport, limit, fiddle, panic, student, trying, bypass, never, uncle, letter, river, alphabet, timid, numeral, being, stupid, apricot, atomic, cinema, majority, better, hunting, visit, novel, palace, luggage, sentence, alcoholic, beginner, British, cucumber, famine, forever, Labrador, laser, microphone, noble, novel, poet, printer, puritan, puzzle, regular, Roman, secret, stupidity, syllabic, typical.
Primary long meaning |
Primary short meaning |
|
|
Ex. 3.9 Place the following words in the grids according to their vowel sound:
Rich, curl, month, cart, suit, breath, flashed, loom, herd, still, hemmed, torn, scene, cruise, floor, dock, just, don, sword, hoop, banned, rang, bin, love, hat, bird, stabbed, hood, farm, ought, ridge, ton, cloth, chalk, hoot, son, link, next, calm, germ, hymn, cab, wood, breath, creep, itch, blood, cough, should, could, black, said, foot, monk, dog, stood, piece, arch, move, purr, feast, palm, pearl, edge, shopped, eve, barred, soup, leaf, bard, begged.
Short vowel sounds
[I] |
[æ] |
[e] |
[υ] |
[o] |
[Λ] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long vowel sounds:
[i:] |
[3:] |
[ɑ:] |
[o:] |
[u:] |
|
|
|
|
|
Test I
Divide into groups and transcribe these words:
Worry, student, apricot, oppose, novel, after, magic, limit, visit, excuse, sentence, bypass, money.
primary alphabetical meaning |
primary short meaning |
secondary meaning |
|
|
|
Find the odd word:
little, silly, fiddle, middle, quite
tragic, pathetic, paste, falls
ruling, tulip, truthful, trustee, numeral
3. Transcribe these words:
Archery, point, cricket, victory, golf, runner-up, water polo, racket, rugby, swimming, championship, spectator.