Better Pronunciation through Phonetics and Phonics

Copyright 2010 SANOOK ENGLISH

Mieder van Loggerenberg
E-mail: ajarn_mieder@hotmail.com




Index

Phonetic Alphabet 1
Phonetic Tones .. 7
Phonetic Alphabet vs. Thai Alphabet . 9
25 Common English Pronunciation Problems for Thai Speakers ... 12
Phonetic Reading . 14
Heteronyms .... 15
Homophones .. 17
Homophones Exercise . 25
Phonics Guide 36
Verb endings - 'ing' 47
Verb endings - 'ed 48
Word endings - Final ('s) . 50
Phonemes . 52
The Alphabet Code . 54
Syllables .. 57
Accent Rules . 59
Sight Words .. 60
Phonetic Alphabet Guide 61



1
Phonetic Alphabet

Consonants
b boy bad blue
job rob babe
d dad dog did
red bad good
l fat feet phone
leaf knife laugh
g go got girl
jug pig wig
d June gin John
( ) age large orange
h ( ) he hen how
] yes yellow young
k cat king queen
back cake look
l leg lie low
bill call feel
n man map moon
jam come some
n net no nice
bin pen ten
q ( ) sing ring long
p pan pie pen
mop pop top



2


Consonants
r British accent
American accent / r
/
red bread arm
s so see song
( ) chase kiss piece
] she sheep shoe
( ) dish fish finish
I tea tie toy
cat sat rat
I] chin cheek cheap
( ) rich catch lunch
e thin thick thank
( ) bath tooth both
then that they
( ) bathe with myth
v voice van very

( ) ( )
give five love
w wet week won
z zoo zebra zero
( ) size rise nose
vision measure
( )

garage rouge

3





4



Note: Phonetic characters doesnt have (c / q / x / y / ch / gh / ck / th / ph / ps / pn / le / nk / mb)

Tip 1: l is the base form for e } } v
Tip 2: z is the base form for } d
Tip 3: d } } v } z } are vibrating consonants
Tip 4: l } h } ] } s } ] } w are blowing consonants

Vowels
i: - see she we
i - / bit hit sit
e - bet net ten
- bat cat hat
a: - arm card start
b got shot what
o: door floor saw
o good put pull
u: boot too shoe
t - cup hut won
s: - fur bird work
o - ago the better







5



Diphthongs
ei - ( ) day rain page
oo - know home old
ai - by five I
ao - now sound down
oi boy join noise
io - beer here near
eo - ( ) bear hair there
oo poor sure tour

Thai vowels and diphthongs

Note: The following phonetic symbols are primarily used for Thai language but rarely used in English.

Short sound Long sound
u u:
o o:
o o:
ia ia:
ua ua:
ua ua:
au

Additionally, there are three triphthongs, all of which are long:

iow uc]
uc]



6




7
Phonetic Tones



Symbol Placement Tone level Thai character Thai word
a 1 * Extra High *
k 1 2
nd
High * ( ) ( )
! 1
st
Mid *
ka ! 4
th
Low * ( ) ( )
ka 1 * Extra Low *
l 3
rd
Rising * ( ) ( )
k 1 5
th
Falling * ( ) ( )
ka 1 * High Rising
ka ! * Low Rising
ka * Rising-Falling






8



'
Down step In phonetics, downstep is a phonemic or phonetic downward shift
of tone between the syllables or words of a tonal language. For example, when
two mid tones occur together in Twi, the second is at a lower pitch than the first.
'
Up step In phonetics, upstep is a phonemic or phonetic upward shift of tone between the
syllables or words of a tonal language.
`
Global fall Yes, he found it on the street.
[ ]es hi laond iI ] bn o sIri:I ]
,
Global rise He found it on the street?
[ hi laond iI ] bn o sIri:I ]

| Minor Minor (foot) break
|| Major Major (intonation) break
'w
Primary stress Primary stress (symbol goes before stressed syllable)
bi'weo (beware)
tit Linking Linking operates in word sequences whose components are closely linked by
sense, e.g., article + noun, adjective + noun, personal pronoun + verb etc.
o'baoIiI (o'bao IiI)













9
Phonetic Alphabet vs. Thai Alphabet

Consonants


Vowels



10




In addition to the typical Thai letters and vowel markers,
loan words from Sanskrit and Pali employ four special
letters and four special vowel markers. Thai is a tonal
language, meaning that in the pitch just as important to
the correct pronunciation of the syllable as its sounds.

There are five tones in Thai, low, middle, high, falling, and rising. To represent these tones, there are
four tone marks in Thai, with the unmarked letter denoting the fifth tone. However, it is not as simple
as it sounds. The real tone of a syllable is indicated by the tone mark combined with the class of the
letter, conditioned by whether the syllable ends with a stop consonant and whether the vowel is
short or long. It is best illustrated in the following grid.



The combinations with no tone mark might be a little bit confusing. First of all, the headings that
include V and C denote the ending sequence of sounds of a syllable. V
L
represents a long
vowel, V
S
means a short vowel, C
N
represents a nasal consonant (/m/, /n/, /ng/), and C
S
represents a
stop consonant (/p/, /t/, /k/). Sounds placed inside parenthesis means that the sounds may or may
not occur. For example the sequence -V
L
(C
N
) stands for syllables ending in V
L
(a long vowel),
and V
L
C
N
(a long vowel followed by nasal consonant like /m/, /n/, or /ng/). Equivalently, the examples
in Thai also reflect the sound sequence. The vowel markers on top of the black letter denote the long
vowel /i:/ and the short vowel /i/. The grayed out letter means that the sound may or may not occur,
and thus is equivalent to (C
N
).

There is no space or any kind of separator between words, so all the words in a sentence form one
long block of letters. The only division, a space, occurs between sentences or phrases. The direction of
writing, like other Brahmi-derived scripts, runs horizontally from left to right, and then downward
when the horizontal space fills up.


11




Front Back

unrounded unrounded rounded

short long short long short long
Close
i
-
i:
-
u
-
u:
-
u
-
u:
-
Close-mid
e
-
e:
-
x
-
x:
-
o
-
o:
-
Open-mid
c
-
c:
-
o
-
o:
-
Open

a
-, -
a:
-















12
25 Common English Pronunciation Problems
For Thai Speakers


English
Sound
Example
Word
Common
Error
Example
Word
Fix Problem
1.
d
made
I
mate Tip of tongue behind top teeth.
2.
l
leaf
p
leap Make friction with top teeth &
bottom lip.
3.
g
game
k
came Voiced stop: back of tongue to
back roof.
4.
d
beige
I
bait Voiced: Front of tongue to
palate. Friction.
5.
d
wage
I
wait Voiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to
palate.
6.
d
Jerry
]
sherry Voiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to
palate.
7.
k
kick
g
gig Voiced: Tip to alveolar. Front to
palate.
8.
I
bill (dark)
n
bin Air goes over sides of tongue &
out of mouth.
9.
r
right
l
light Sides of tongue to back teeth. Tip
points up.
10.
s
rice
I
right Make friction: tip of tongue
behind top teeth.
11.
]
push
I
put Voiceless. Friction. Front of
tongue to palate.
12.
]
sherry
I]
cherry Voiceless. Friction. Front of
tongue to palate.
13.
I]
watch
I
what Unvoiced: Tip to alveolar. Front
to palate.
14.
O
thin
s
sin Voiceless. Friction. Tongue
between teeth.
15.
O
thin
I
tin Voiceless. Friction. Tongue
between teeth.


13



16.

they
d
day Voiced. Friction. Tongue between
lips.
17.
v
Hove
p
Hope Voiced. Friction with top teeth &
bottom lip.
18.
v
vet
w
wet Voiced. Friction with top teeth &
bottom lip.
19.
z
rise
s
rice Voiced: tip of tongue behind top
teeth. Friction.
20.
ei
late
e
let Tongue moves from front centre
to front high.
21.
oo
note
b
not Tongue central. Then tightly
round lips.
22.
eo
bear
e
Tongue from centre front. Draw
back to centre.
23.
aio
ai o
fire
ai
Tongue low front to high front to
centre.
24.
aoo
ao o
flour
aos

Tongue low front. Then round &
unround lips.
25.

cat
o:
cart Keep tongue front & low and
jaws apart.















14
Phonetic Reading


I take it you already know of tough and bough and cough and dough?
ai Ieik iI ]u: o:l'redi noo bv Itl ond boo ond ko:l ond doo
Others may stumble but not you on hiccough, thorough, laugh and through.
'tos nei 'sItnbl btI nbI ]u: bn 'hiktp 'Otro la:l ond Oru:
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps, to learn of less familiar traps?
wel dtn ond nao ]u: wi] pohps Iu: ls:rn bv les lo'nilio Irps
Beware of heard, a dreadful word that looks like beard and sounds like bird,
bi'weo bv hs:rd o 'dredll ws:d I loks laik biod ond saonds laik bs:d
And dead: its said lie bed, not bead For goodness sae dont call it deed!
ond ded iIs sed laik bed nbI bi:d lo godnos seik doonI ko:l iI di:d
Watch out for meat and great and threat
wbI] aoI lo ni:I ond greiI ond OreI
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt)
ei rain wi swi:I ond sIreiI ond deI
A moth is not a moth in mother nor both in bother, broth in brother,
o no: is nbI o no: in nto no: booO in 'bbo brbO in brto
And here is not a match for there nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
ond hio is nbI o nI] lo eo no: dio ond lio lo beo ond peo
Just look them up
dtsI lok on tp
and goose and choose, and cork and work and card and ward,
ond gu:s ond I]u:z ond ko:k ond ws:k ond ka:d ond wo:d
And font and front and word and sword, and do and go and thwart and cart
ond lbnI ond lrtnI ond ws:d ond so:d ond du ond goo ond Owo:I ond ka:I
Come, come, Ive hardly made a start! A dreadful language? Man alive.
ktn ktn aiv ho:dli neid o sIa:I o dredll lqwid nn olaiv
Id mastered it when I was five.
aid na:sIcd iI wen ai woz laiv


15
Heteronyms


1. wound The bandage was wound around the wound.

o 'bndid wos waond o'raond o wu:nd

2. produce The farm was used to produce, produce.

o la:n wos ]u:zd Iu: pro'd]u:s 'prbd]u:s

3. refuse The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

o dtnp wos soo lol 'I 'iI hd Iu: ri'l]u:z no:(r) 'rel]u:s

4. polish We must polish the Polish furniture.

wi: ntsI 'pbli] o 'pooli] 'lsniI]o(r)

5. lead He could lead if he would get the lead out.

hi: kod li:d 'il hi: wod geI o led aoI

6. desert The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
dessert
o 'sooldo(r) di'saidid Iu: di'zs:I hiz di'ss:I in o 'dezoI

7. bass A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

o bs wos peinIid o:n o hed ov o beis drtn

8. dove When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

wen ]bI I o dtv doov 'inIo o bo]os

9. object I did not object to the object.

ai did nbI ob'dekI Iu: o 'bbdikI

10. invalid The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

o in']oorons wos in'vlid lo o 'involid







16



11. present Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present
the present.

sins eo is noo Iain loik o 'presonI hi: eo:I iI wos Iain
Iu: pri'zonI o prezonI

12. row There was a row among the oarsman about how to row.

eo(r) wos o rao o'ntq o 'o:znon o'baoI hao Iu: roo

13. close They were too close to the door to close it.

Oei wo Iu: kloos Iu: o do:(r) Iu: klooz iI

14. does The buck does funny things when the does are present.

o 'btk dtz 'ltni Oiqs won o doos o:(r) prezonI

15. sewer A seamstress and a sewer fell down into sewer line.

o 'sensIris ond o 'sooo(r) lel daon inIu: o su:o lain

16. sow To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

Iu: help wi pla:nIiq o la:no(r) Io:I hiz sao Iu: soo

17. wind The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

o wind wos Iu: sIrbq Iu: waind o seil

18. number After a number of injections my jaw got number.

'o:lIo(r) o 'ntnbo(r) ol in'dek]ns noi do: gbI 'ntno(r)

19. tear Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

'opbn 'si:iq o Ieor in peinIiq ai ]ed o Iio(r)

20. subject I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

ai hd Iu: sob'dekI o 'stbdikI Iu: o siori:z ol IesIs



17
Homophones


1. allowed You are not allowed to smoke until you are 16.
]u: a:(r) nbI o'laod Iu: snook on'Iil ]u: a:(r) sik'sIi:n
16
aloud She spoke her thoughts aloud. (To say something so it can be heard.)
]i: spook ho Oo:Is o'laod

2. bear A bear is a large furry animal.
o beo iz o la:d ls:ri 'ninl

bare She walked on the beach with bare feet.
]i: wo:kI bn o bi:I] wi beo li:I

3. bored To be bored is to have lost interest in something.
Io bi: bo:d iz Io: hv lbsI 'inIrosI in stnOiq

board A board is a flat piece of wood.
o bo:d iz o llI pi:s bv wod

4. break If you break something you damage it
'il ]u: breik stnOiq ]u: 'dnid iI

brake When you brake the car slows down.
wen ]u: breik o ka: sloos daon

5. caught He caught a large fish.
hi: ko:I o la:d li]

court You play tennis on a tennis court.
]u: plei 'Ienis bn o Ienis ko:I






18



6. check Did you check that the door is locked?
did ]u: I]ek OI o do: iz lbkI

cheque You can write a cheque to pay your bills.
]u: kn raiI o I]ek Io: pei ]o: bils

7. find I cant find my socks.
ai ka:nI laind nai sbks

fined She was fined 40 for driving too fast on the motorway.
]i: wos laind 'lo:Ii paons lo 'draiviq Iu: la:sI bn o 'nooIowei
40
8. flower A daffodil or a rose is flower.
o dlodil o: o rooz iz o 'llaoo

flour You need some flour to make a birthday cake.
]u: ni:d stn llaoo Iu: neik o bs:Odei keik

9. hair She has really long hair.
]i: hz 'rioli lbq heo

hare A hare is an animal like a rabbit.
o heo iz on 'ninl laik o 'rbiI

10. here Please come over here.
pli:z ktn 'oovo hio

hear Can you hear that noise?
kn ]u: hio 'OI noiz






19



11. heal His leg is broken, but it will heal (get better).
hiz leg iz 'brookon btI iI wil hi:l

heel Your heel is at the back of your foot.
]o: hi:l iz I o bk bv ]o: loI

12. hire When we go to Spain well hire a car.
wen wi: goo Io: spein wi: wil 'haio o ka:

higher The mountain was higher than the clouds.
o 'naonIin wos haio on o 'klaods

13. hour There are 60 minutes in an hour.
eo a:(r) sik'sIi 'niniIs in on aoo
60
our This is our house.
is iz aoo haos

14. maid The maid cleaned all of the 15 rooms.
o neid kli:nd o:l bv o lilIi:n ru:ns
15
made I made the bed this morning.
ai neid o bed is 'no:niq

15. new I split wine on my brand new shirt.
ai spilI wain bn nai brnd n]u: ]s:I

knew I knew the answer to all the questions.
ai n]u: o 'a:nso Io: o:l o 'kwesI]ons





20



16. one There was only one piece of birthday cake left.
eo wos 'oonli wtn pi:s bv 'bs:Odei keik lelI

won She won the running race.
]i: wtn o 'rtniq reis

17. pear I ate a pear and a banana for breakfast.
ai eiI o peo nd o bo'nno lo: 'breklosI

pair I won the card game with a pair of aces.
ai wtn o ka:d gein wiO o peo bv eisis
A
18. piece I ate a very large piece of pie.
ai eiI o 'veri la:d pi:s av pai

peace He went on a march for world peace.
hi: wenI bn o na:I] lo: ws:ld pi:s

19. plain I painted over the wallpaper in a plain color.
ai peinIid 'oovo o 'wo:lpeipo in o plein 'ktlo

plane The plane landed late because of heavy fog.
o plein lndid leiI bi'kbz bv 'hevi lbg

20. pour Can you please pour some milk on my cereal?
kn ]u: pli:z po: stn nilk bn nai 'sioriol

paw The cat hurt his paw in a fight.
o kI hs:I hiz po: in o laiI





21



21. saw He cut the tree down with a saw.
hi: ktI o Iri: daon wi o so:

sore His ankle was sore after he fell over.
hiz 'qkl wos so: a:lIo hi: lell 'oovo

22. see She couldnt see without her glasses.
]i: 'kodnI si: wi'aoI hs: gla:siz

sea I went swimming in the sea while on holiday.
ai wenI swiniq in o si: wail bn hblidei

23. sight Dont let the children out of your sight.
doonI leI o 'I]ildren aoI bv ]o: saiI

site There were four cranes on the building site.
eo ws: lo: kreinz bn o 'bildiq saiI
4
24. stairs She ran down the stairs to answer the phone.
]i: rn daon o sIeos Io: 'a:nso o loon

stares He stares out of the window at the neighbor.
hi: sIeos aoI bv o 'windoo I o 'neibo

25. steal The thief got caught trying to steal the diamond.
o Oi:l gbI ko:I Iraiq Io: sIi:l o 'dainond

steel The buildings were made of steel and glass.
o 'bildiqs ws: neid bv sIi:l nd gls





22



26. theyre There is a shorter way to say they are.
eo(r) iz o ]o:Io wei Io: sei oi a:(r)
Theyre they are
their It was their dog that bit the postman.
iI wos eo dbg I biI o 'poosInon

there The supermarket is over there.
o 'so:pona:kiI iz 'oovo eo

27. through I walked through the door into the room.
ai wo:kI Oro: o do: inIo: o ru:n

threw She threw the ball a long way.
]i: Oro: o bo:l o lbq wei

28. to He isnt going to work today.
hi: iznI gooiq Io: ws:k Io'dei

too Too is another way to say as well.
Iu: iz o'nto wei Io: sei z wel
Too well
two Two is the number between one and two.
Iu: iz o ntnbo bi'Iwi:n wtn nd Ori:

29. waste Waiting for the wrong train was a waste of time.
weiIiq lo: o rbq Irein wos o weisI av Iain

waist Her old dress was a bit tight around the waist.
hs: oold dres wos o biI IaiI o'raond o weisI





23



30. week A week is seven days long.
o wi:k iz 'sevn deis lbq

weak He was too weak to lift the heavy box.
hi: wos Iu: wi:k Io: lilI o 'hevi bbks

31. where Where are you going tonight?
weo a:(r) ]u: gaoiq Io'naiI

wear Which tee-shirt are you going to wear out?
wiI] Ii:]s:I a:(r) ]u: gaoiqg Io weo aoI

32. whether Im not sure whether to phone her or not.
ain nbI ]oor 'weo Io: loon hs: o: nbI

weather Sun, rain, wind and snow are types of weather.
stn rein wind nd snoo a:(r) Iaips bv 'weo

33. which Which ice cream would you like?
wiI] ais kri:n wo:d ]u: laik

witch The witch was seen flying on a broomstick.
o wiI] wos si:n llaiq bn o 'bro:nsIik

34. whole Two halves make a whole.
Io: ha:vz neik o hool

hole There was a hole in his sock.
eo wos o hool in hiz sbk





24



35. worn I am tired and worn out.
ai eon 'Iaied nd wo:n ooI

warn He tried to warn her about the wet floor.
hi: 'Iraid Io: wo:n hs: o'baoI o weI llo:




































25
Homophones Exercise


Word Identification Abbreviation (WIA)


adj. adjective adv. adverb art. article
conj. conjunction interj. interjection n. noun
prep. preposition pron. pronoun v.a. auxiliary verb
v.i. intransitive verb v.t. transitive verb

Word 1 WIA

Word 2 WIA

Phonetics
1 ad add
2 aide aid
3 ail ale
4 air ere
5 aisle I'll
6 ate eight
7 all awl
8 ant aunt
9 ante anti
10 arc ark
11 away aweigh
12 aye eye
13 bail bale
14 bait bate
15 ball bawl
16 band banned
17 bare bear
18 base bass
19 be bee
20 beach beech


26



21 beat beet
22 beau bow
23 beer bier
24 berth birth
25 bight bite
26 blew blue
27 bloc block
28 boar bore
29 board bored
30 boarder border
31 bode bowed
32 born borne
33 bough bow
34 brake break
35 bread bred
36 bridal bridle
37 broach brooch
38 but butt
39 buy by
40 cache cash
41 capital capitol
42 carat carrot
43 cast caste
44 cay key
45 cede seed
46 cellar seller
47 censer censor
48 cent scent
49 cents sense
50 cereal serial

27



51 chased chaste
52 chews choose
53 chili chilly
54 choral coral
55 chorale corral
56 chute shoot
57 cite sight
58 clause claws
59 close clothes
60 coarse course
61 cocks Cox
62 colonel kernel
63 complement compliment
64 coo coup
65 core corps
66 creak creek
67 cue queue
68 cygnet signet
69 cymbal symbol
70 dam damn
71 days daze
72 dear deer
73 defused diffused
74 dew do
75 die dye
76 discreet discrete
77 doe dough
78 draft draught
79 earn erne
80 ewe u

28



81 fain feign
82 fair fare
83 faze phase
84 feat feet
85 file phial
86 fir fur
87 flair flare
88 flea flee
89 flew flu
90 flocks phlox
91 floe flow
92 flour flower
93 for fore
94 foreword forward
95 foul fowl
96 freeze frieze
97 friar fryer
98 gait gate
99 gene jean
100 gild guild
101 gnu knew
102 gored gourd
103 grate great
104 grisly grizzly
105 groan grown
106 guide guyed
107 hail hale
108 hair hare
109 hall haul
110 halve have

29



111 hart heart
112 hay hey
113 heal heel
114 hear here
115 heard herd
116 heroin heroine
117 hi high
118 higher hire
119 him hymn
120 hoar whore
121 hoard horde
122 hoarse horse
123 hoes hose
124 hold holed
125 hole whole
126 holey holy
127 hour our
128 idle idol
129 in inn
130 it's its
131 jewel joule
132 knap nap
133 knead kneed
134 knight night
135 knit nit
136 knot not
137 know no
138 knows nose
139 lay lei
140 lays laze

30



141 leach leech
142 lead led
143 leak leek
144 lean lien
145 liable libel
146 liar lyre
147 lie lye
148 links lynx
149 loan lone
150 locks lox
151 made maid
152 mail male
153 main mane
154 maize maze
155 mall maul
156 marshal martial
157 mean mien
158 meat meet
159 medal meddle
160 might mite
161 mince mints
162 mind mined
163 moan mown
164 moat mote
165 mode mowed
166 moo moue
167 moor more
168 moose mousse
169 morning mourning
170 muscle mussel

31



171 mustard mustered
172 naval navel
173 nay nee
174 none nun
175 oar or
176 oh owe
177 one won
178 pail pale
179 pain pane
180 pair pare
181 palate palette
182 pall pawl
183 patience patients
184 pause paws
185 pea pee
186 peace piece
187 peak peek
188 peal peel
189 pearl Perl
190 pedal peddle
191 peer pier
192 pi pie
193 pidgin pigeon
194 pistil pistol
195 plain plane
196 pleas please
197 plum plumb
198 pole poll
199 poor pore
200 praise prays

32



201 pray prey
202 presence presents
203 prince prints
204 principal principle
205 profit prophet
206 quean queen
207 rack wrack
208 rain reign
209 raise rays
210 rap wrap
211 rapt wrapped
212 read reed
213 read red
214 real reel
215 reek wreak
216 rest wrest
217 retch wretch
218 review revue
219 rho roe
220 rhyme rime
221 right rite
222 ring wring
223 role roll
224 root route
225 rote wrote
226 rough ruff
227 rout route
228 rye wry
229 sail sale
230 scene seen

33



231 seam seem
232 seamen semen
233 seas sees
234 sew so
235 shake sheik
236 shear sheer
237 shoe shoo
238 shore sure
239 side sighed
240 sighs size
241 sign sine
242 slay sleigh
243 sleight slight
244 slew slue
245 sloe slow
246 soar sore
247 soared sword
248 sole soul
249 some sum
250 son sun
251 spade spayed
252 staid stayed
253 stair stare
254 stake steak
255 stationary stationery
256 steal steel
257 straight strait
258 suite sweet
259 tacks tax
260 tail tale

34



261 tare tear
262 taught taut
263 tea tee
264 team teem
265 tear tier
266 tease tees
267 tense tents
268 tern turn
269 their there
270 threw through
271 throne thrown
272 thyme time
273 tic tick
274 tide tied
275 to too
276 toad towed
277 toe tow
278 tough tuff
279 troop troupe
280 vain vane
281 vial vile
282 wail whale
283 waist waste
284 wait weight
285 want wont
286 war wore
287 ware wear
288 way weigh
289 we wee
290 we'd weed

35



291 weak week
292 weather whether
293 weir we're
294 whine wine
295 wind wined
296 wood would
297 yoke yolk
298 yore your
































36
Phonics Guide


Consonants Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
1 b
b boy big
2 c (a, o, u)
k cat cut
3 c (e, i, ae, y)
s city cent
4 d
d dog dance
5 f
l fan fish
6 g (a, o, u)
g gun game
7 g (e, i, y)
d

gin gym
8 h
h horse hero
9 j
d

jam jelly
10 k
k king kick
11 l
l lion leg
12 m
n money man
13 n
n name new
14 p
p pig pan
15 q
kw queen quiet
16 r
r red rock
17 s
s sun kiss
18 t
I table top
19 v
v

van love
20 w
w week water
21 x
ks six fix
22 z
z

zoo zebra
23 'bl' beginning of words
bl black blank
24 'br' beginning of words
br brown brick
25 'c' with a 's' sound
s circus cell

37



Consonants Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
26 'ch' beginning of words
I] chair child
27 'ch' end of words
I] beach watch
28 'ch' inside words
I] kitchen orchard
29 'ch' with a 'k' sound
k school chemist
30 'ch' with a 'sh' sound
] chalet brochure
31 'ck' end of words
k back crack
32 'ck' inside words
k cracker buckle
33 'cl' beginning of words
kl clap clean
34 'cr' beginning of words
kr cross crab
35 'ct' end of words
kI act object
36 'dg'
d edgy budgie
37 'dge'
d judge fudge
38 'dr' beginning of words
dr drip drink
39 'dw' beginning of words
dw dwarf dwell
40 'ff' end of words
l off staff
41 'ff' inside words
l coffee office
42 'fl' beginning of words
ll flap flag
43 'fr' beginning of words
lr frog fright
44 'ft' end of words
lI left gift
45 'g' with a 'j' sound
d giant gym
46 'gl' beginning of words
gl glad glove
47 'gn'
n gnome design
48 'gr' beginning of words
gr grip green
49 'kn' beginning of words
n knock knee
50 'ld' end of words
ld cold fold


38



Consonants Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
51 'lf' end of words
ll shelf elf
52 'lk' end of words
lk talk milk
53 'll' end of words
l drill bell
54 'll' inside words
l balloon valley
55 'lm' end of words
ln elm film
56 'lp' end of words
lp help alp
57 'lt' end of words
lI belt bolt
58 'lth' end of words
lO
health wealth
59 'mb'
n lamb plumber
60 'medial y'
i gym crystal
61 'mp' end of words
np bump ramp
62 'nch' end of words
nI] munch pinch
63 'nd' end of words
nd band find
64 'ng'
q bang hanger
65 'nk' end of words
qk bank pink
66 'nt' end of words
nI went sent
67 'ph'
l photo dolphin
68 'pl' beginning of words
pl plan plane
69 'pr' beginning of words
pr press print
70 'pt' end of words
pI attempt except
71 'sc' beginning of words
sk school scooter
72 'scr' beginning of words
skr screw scream
73 'sh' beginning of words
] shop shake
74 'sh' end of words
] crash wish
75 'sh' inside words
] cushion mushroom

39



Consonants Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
76 'shr' beginning of words
]r shrink shrug
77 'sk' beginning of words
sk ski skin
78 'sk' end of words
sk ask flask
79 'sl' beginning of words
sl slow sleep
80 'sm' beginning of words
sn smoke small
81 'sn' beginning of words
sn snap snake
82 'sp' beginning of words
sp spin spoon
83 'sp' end of words
sp gasp wasp
84 'spl' beginning of words
spl splash split
85 'spr' beginning of words
spr spring sprint
86 'ss' end of words
s chess press
87 'ss' inside words
s fossil gossip
88 'st' beginning of words
sI step stool
89 'st' end of words
sI past list
90 'str' beginning of words
sIr string street
91 'sw' beginning of words
sw sweet switch
92 'tch' end of words
I] itch watch
93 'th' beginning of words
O }
/
thin then
94 'th' end of words
O
cloth tooth
95 'th' inside words
O }
/
father birthday
96 'thr' beginning of words
Or
three through
97 'tr' beginning of words
Ir trap train
98 'tw' beginning of words
Iw twinkle twitch
99 'wh - 1'
w when what
100 'wh - 2'
w who whose

40



Consonants Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
101 'wr'
r wrong write
102 'y' end of words - 1
i: very happy
103 'y' end of words - 2
ai my by
104 'zh' sound


casual revision
































41



Vowels Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
1 a (short)
hat fat
2 e (short)
e ten net
3 i (short)
i sit fit
4 i (short) - beginning
i it in
5 o (short)
b on pot
6 u (short)
t sun run
7 a (long)
ei pay bake
8 e (long)
i: bee tree
9 i (long)
ai nine lime
10 o (long)
oo rose nose
11 u (long)
]u: } u: / cute flute
12 'a_e'
ei made amaze
13 'ai'
ei rain paint
14 'au'
o: launch author
15 'e_e'
i: these theme
16 'ea - 1'
i: eat bead
17 'ea - 2'
e bread deaf
18 'ee'
i: feet toffee
19 'eo'
i: people hideous
20 'i_e'
ai pine inside
21 'ie - 1'
ai tie cried
22 'ie - 2'
i: field brief
23 'o_e'
oo bone explode
24 'oa'
oo boat coast
25 'oe - 1'
oo toe potatoes


42



Vowels Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
26 'oe - 2'
o shoe canoe
27 'oi'
oi coin noise
28 'oo' long
u: boot room
29 'oo' short
o look wood
30 'ou - 1'
ao out count
31 'ou - 2'
u: you coupon
32 'ou - 3'
o could should
33 'ou - 4'
oo boulder shoulder
34 'u_e'
]u: } u: / prune use
35 'ue'
u: blue true
36 'ui'
u: bruise juice






















43



Mixed Consonants and
Vowels
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
1 'air'
eo fair chair
2 'al'
o: walk stalk
3 'ar'
a: farm sparkle
4 'ar' end of words
s: - dollar grammar
5 'are' end of words
eo scare square
6 'aw'
o: saw drawer
7 'ay'
ei day crayon
8 'ear - 1'
io beard dear
9 'ear - 2'
s: - earth search
10 'ear - 3'
eo pear swear
11 'ear' end of words
eo bear swear
12 'eer'
io beer deer
13 'ei'
ei reign feign
14 'eigh'
ei sleigh eight
15 'er - 1'
o - banner ladder
16 'er - 2'
s: - verb her
17 'ere'
io here severe
18 'ere' end of words
eo there somewhere
19 'ew'
]u: new nephew
20 'ey' end of words - 1
i money monkey
21 'ey' end of words - 2
ei they grey
22 'igh'
ai sigh high
23 'ight'
aiI fight night
24 'ir'
s: - girl shirt
25 'on'
o:n on convince


44



Mixed Consonants and
Vowels
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
26 'on' end of words
s:n lemon lion
27 'or'
o: for short
28 'or' end of words
s: - motor visitor
29 'oul'
u: ghoul boulevard
30 'our - 1'
o - armour flavour
31 'our - 2'
o: four source
32 'ow - 1'
ao cow towel
33 'ow - 2'
oo show slow
34 'oy'
oi toy annoy
35 'qu' beginning of words
kw quack queen
36 'squ' beginning of words
skw squeak squirt
37 'stle'
sl castle rustle
38 'ture'
I]o picture nature
39 'ur'
s: - hurt burst
40 'ure'
oo sure cure
41 've' end of words
v

have love















45



Prefixes and Suffixes Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
1 'able' - end of words
obl reliable amiable
2 'al' - end of words
l medical musical
3 'ary' - end of words
eri dictionary commentary
4 'ate' end of words
eiI pollinate calculate
5 'cian' end of words
]n musician beautician
6 'ation' end of words
ei ]n - pollination hibernation
7 'cial' - end of words
]l official special
8 'cious' - end of words
]os suspicious delicious
9 'ckle' end of words
kl buckle cackle
10 'cle' end of words
kl article cycle
11 'dle' end of words
dl ladle cradle
12 'etion' end of words
i]n - completion deletion
13 'ette' - end of words
eI brunette baguette
14 'ful' - end of words
ll } lol wishful armful
15 'fully' - end of words
loli hopefully tunefully
16 'graph' - end of words
grl photograph autograph
17 'hood' end of words
hod childhood likelihood
18 'ia' end of words
io amnesia media
19 'ial' - end of words
ol partial crucial
20 'ible' end of words
obl - audible compatible
21 'ic' end of words
ik horrific historic
22 'ical' end of words
ikl biblical musical
23 'ice' end of words
is accomplice practice
24 'ious' - end of words
os infectious cautious
25 'ism' end of words
izon
tourism vandalism
26 'ist' - end of words
IisI dramatist impressionist

46



Prefixes and Suffixes Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
27 'ition' - end of words
i]n - abolition repetition
28 'ity' - end of words
oIi - ability hilarity
29 'ive' - end of words
ov
-
inventive explosive
30 'less' - end of words
los careless blameless
31 'ling' - end of words
liq hatchling duckling
32 'ly' end of words
li weekly happily
33 'ment' end of words
nonI excitement amusement
34 'ness' end of words
nos hopelessness awareness
35 'oid' end of words
oid steroid asteroid
36 'ology' end of words
blodi - biology astrology
37 'otion' end of words
oo]n - motion lotion
38 'ough' end of words
oo bough although
39 'phobia' end of words
loobio xenophobia arachnophobia
40 'ple' - end of words
pl simple crumple
41 'scope' end of words
skoop kaleidoscope telescope
42 'sion' - end of words - 1
]n mansion tension
43 'ssion' end of words
]n admission confession
44 'tion' - end of words
]n action animation












47
Verb endings - 'ing'

Type 1
Verbs with 'ing' - Ending with a Consonant Sound
The final consonant sound must be said with 'ing' which add an additional syllable to the word.
kick (1 syllable), kicking (2 syllables)

Verb without
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Verb with
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
1 kick
kik kicking
ki kiq
* The final consonant sound cant be said with the previous syllable.

Type 2
Verbs with 'ing' - Ending with a Vowel Sound
Usually the sound 'ing' is just added which add an additional syllable to the word.

Verb without
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Verb with
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
2 see
si: seeing
si: iq

Type 3
For the sake of fluency a soft y sound is added with the 'ing' for verbs ending with a (a / i / y) sound.
Verb without
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Verb with
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
3 study
sItdi: studying
sItdi: ]iq

Type 4
For the sake of fluency a soft w sound is added with the 'ing' for verbs ending with a (o / ow) sound.
Verb without
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Verb with
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
4 go
goo going
goowiq
5 show
]oo showing
]oowiq

Type 5
For the sake of fluency a soft r sound is added with the 'ing' for verbs ending with a (r / or) sound.
Verb without
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Verb with
'ing'
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
6 pour
po: pouring
po: riq


48
Verb endings - 'ed


Type 1
For type 1 sound, you make this sound by 'un-sticking' your tongue from the roof of your mouth and
pushing air out of your mouth at the same time. The vocal chords aren't used.
Type 1 sound /t/ Identify by
letters
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
1 s final 'ed' c / s / ss / x
sI passed placed
2 sh final 'ed' sh I washed wished
3 ch final 'ed' ch / tch II watched matched
4 p final 'ed' p
pI stopped trapped
5 k final 'ed' ck / k
kI locked packed
6 f final 'ed' f / gh
lI laughed coughed
7 th final 'ed' th
OI
frothed

Type 2
For type 2 sound, this sound is formed in the same way as type 1, but you must use your vocal chords
at the same time. Words ending in voiced phonemes (with sound produced by your vocal chords) are
pronounced with a type 2 'ed'.
Type 2 sound
/d/
Identify by
letters
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
8 z final 'ed' s / z
zd
buzzed amazed
9 b final 'ed' b / bb
bd grabbed robbed
10 g final 'ed' gg
gd bugged tagged
11 v final 'ed' v
vd

loved craved
12 th final 'ed' th
d

breathed bathed
13 l final 'ed' l / ll
ld piled failed
14 m final 'ed' m / mm
/mb
nd drummed rammed
15 n final 'ed' n / nn
nd rained pinned
16 ng final 'ed' ng
qd pinged wronged
17 dg final 'ed' g / dg
dd judged raged
18 vowel final 'ed' y / i / o / u /
w / - r
vowel
sound
played, tried flowed

49



Type 3
For type 3 sound, the 'ed' adds an additional syllable in the same way as type 3 final 's'.

For example:
The past of 'mend' is pronounced / nen did / (men did) with stress on the first syllable. Words
ending in / I / and / d / sounds are type 3.

Type 3 sound
/id/
Identify by
letters
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
19 t final 'ed' t
Iid waited retreated

wait
weiI waited
wei Iid

Type 3 sound
/id/
Identify by
letters
Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
20 d final 'ed' d
did handed ended

hand
hnd handed
hn did

There are also some adjectives with type 3 'ed'.

naked ragged rugged wicked wretched
















50
Word endings - Final ('s)


Type 1
For type 1, the final 's' should be pronounced with air pushed out between the top of your tongue and
your top teeth, without using the vocal chords. These sounds are all unvoiced, which means that your
vocal chords must be silent when you make the sound.

Type 1 sound /s/ Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
1 p final 's'
ps stops ships
2 t final 's'
Is hits pets
3 k final 's'
ks attacks bricks
4 f final 's'
ls laughs coughs
5 th final 's'
Os
maths moths

Type 2
For type 2, this sound is formed in the same way as type 1, but you must make a sound with your
vocal chords. These sounds are all voiced, which means that your vocal chords must make a sound
when you pronounce them.

Type 2 sound /z/ Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
6 b final 's'
bs grabs robs
7 d final 's'
ds lids rods
8 g final 's'
gs pigs dogs
9 v final 's'
vs

loves leaves
10 th final 's'
s

breathes lathes
11 l final 's'
ls hills fails
12 m final 's'
ns comes trams
13 n final 's'
ns earns burns
14 ng final 's'
qs songs paintings
15 vowel sound final 's' vowel
sound
plays, employees goes, news


51



Type 3
For type 3, these sounds are the only ones which add an additional syllable to the word.

For example:
'miss' / nis / is one syllable, but 'misses' / nis siz / (mis sis) is two syllables. The final / iz / syllable
arent usually stressed.

Type 3 sound /iz/ Phonetic
Symbol
Phonics
Sound
Example A Example B
16 s final 'es'
siz
buses places
17 z final 'es'
ziz
chooses sizes
18 sh final 'es' iz washes wishes
19 ch final 'es' Iiz watches matches
20 dg final 'es' diz judges pages

If a word ends in a consonant sound + 'y', the pronunciation of final 'y' is / i: / and in the plural it has a
type 3 sound, but there is no extra syllable.

For example:
'copy' / kb pi: / (co pi) (2 syllables), 'copies' / kb piz / (co pis) (also 2 syllables).



















52
Phonemes


Consonants Phonemes
1. b, bb
b boy babe
2. d, dd
d dad did
3. f, ff, ph, gh
l fat giraffe
4. g, gg
g go pig
5. h
h he hen
6. j, g, dg, dge, ge
d jelly large
7. c, k, ck, q, ch
k cat back
8. l, ll, le
l leg bell
9. m, mm, mb
n man hammer
10. n, nn, kn, gn
n net knot
11. p, pp
p pan pop
12. r, rr, wr
r red write
13. s, ss, ce, se, c, sc
s sun kiss
14. t, tt
I tea kettle
15. v, ve
v
very love
16. w, wh, u
w wet queen
17. y
] yo-yo yellow
18. z, zz, ze, s, se
z
zoo nose
19. sh, ch, si, ti
]
shoes fish
20. ch, tch
I] chin rich
21. th
e
thin tooth
22. th

mother bathe
23. ng, n
q sing ankle
24. _s_, ge

vision garage



53



Vowels Phonemes
1. a
bat apple
2. e, ea
e ten bread
3. i
i igloo it
4. i, y
i bit gym
5. o, a
b got wash
6. u, o
t bus won
7. ai, ay, a_e, a
ei rain day
8. ee, ea, ie, y, e, ey
i: tree she
9. igh, i-e, y, i ,ie
ai by five
10. oa, ow, o, o-e
oo boat know
11. u-e, ew, ue, u
]u: tube chew
12. oo, ue, ou, ew, u-e
u: moon true
13. oo, u, ou
o good could
14. ou, ow
ao shout cow
15. oi, oy
oi coin toy
16. ar, a
a: arm glass
17. or, aw, a, au, ore, oar, oor
o: fork door
18. er, ir, ur, ear, or
s:
- verb bird
19. u-e, er, the
o
- picture the
20. air, ear, are
eo bear hair
21. ear, eer , ere
io beer here
22. oo, our, ure
oo poor sure








54
The Alphabet Code


Rule 1:
(Closed syllable)
If a word or syllable ends in a consonant, and has only one vowel, the vowel sound is usually short.
Example: at, hat, abet, tidbit, hot, hut, suffix.
(The above Consonant-Vowel-Consonant CVC pattern is the most frequent and stable kind of syllable
in English, and calls for the short vowel sound.)

Rule 2:
Where a word or final syllable ends in a VCV pattern, the last vowel is a silent 'e', the preceding
vowel usually represents its long sound.
Example: ate, mate, complete, invite, vote, mute.

Rule 3:
(Open syllable)
If a syllable or word has one vowel and it is at the end, the vowel is usually long.
Example: me, go.
Note that English words do not end in 'i'. When the long final /i/ sound is needed, the 'i' is
changed to a 'y'.
Example: my, try; deny, but denies; try but tries.

Rule 4:
The vowels 'i' and 'o' followed by two consonants may represent their long sounds.
Example: find, cold, most, child, pint.

Rule 5:
(Third sounds)
The vowel a frequently says its third sound after 'w' (want) or 'qu' (quantity), or before 'l', 'll', (tall),
or 'lt' (salt).

Rule 6:
(Silent e rules)
The silent final 'e' may call for the preceding vowel to represent its long sound.
Example: time, paste
The silent e may call for the preceding 'c' or 'g' to represent its soft sound.
Example: chance (c = /s/), large (g = /j/). (See Rules 7 & 8)
English words do not end in 'u' or 'v'.
Example: have, argue (Exception: you)
Words ending in /s/ preceded by a mixed or vowel digraph must end in 'e'.
Example: house, sense.
In some cases the 'e' indicates that the 's' is not a suffix.

55



Example: lapse.
Every syllable must have a vowel
Example: little, bottle.
Some final 'es' have no function.
Example: are, were.

Rule 7:
When 'c' is followed by 'e', 'i', or 'y', it usually says its second (soft, like /s/) sound
Example: cent, city, and cyberspace (Exception: soccer)

Rule 8:
When 'g' is followed by 'e', 'i', or 'y', it usually says its soft (/j/) sound.
Example: gem, ginger, gymnasium (Exceptions: get, give, giddy, begin, girl, gynecologist)

Rule 9A:
ed added to a word ending in 'd' or 't' forms an added syllable.
Example: mended and acted.

Rule 9B:
ed added to verbs ending in the voiced sounds of 'b', 'g', 'l', 'm', 'r', 's' (like /z/), 'v', or 'z', will
sound only like /d/.
Example: sobbed, sagged, filled, slammed, slurred, praised, saved, razed.

Rule 9C:
ed added to verbs ending in the unvoiced sounds of 'f', 'k', 'p', /s/, or 'x' (/ks/) will sound like /t/.
Example: gaffed, picked, stopped, passed, boxed.

Rule 10A:
'r' after a vowel changes the vowel sound.
For 'e', 'i', and 'u', a key sentence to remember is:
Her first, nurse, works, early.
Notice that the vowel + 'r' sound is the same in all five words, and they are given in order of
frequency of English usage in spelling the /er/ sound.
For other vowel + r combinations, note the change of vowel sound between 'at' and 'are', and
between 'on' and 'or'. (Exceptions: sword, sworn)

Rule 10B:
'ear' says /er/ when followed by another consonant.
Example: earn, early (Exceptions: beard, heart, and hearth)


56



Rule 11:
The /ch/ sound is spelled 'tch' after short vowels in one-syllable words.
Example: catch, fetch, itch, botch, and hutch (Exceptions: much, rich, such, which, attach, detach,
bachelor, duchess, lecherous)

Rule 12:
The soft 'g' /j/ sound is spelled 'dge' after short vowel sounds.
Example: badge, edge, ridge, dodge, and fudge - Need to isolate final e from previous vowel.
(Exception: College)

Rule13:
Divide words with long syllables after the vowel, creating open syllables
Example: vi-tal, ma-ple, pre-vail.
Usually there will be a single consonant between the two vowels. A prefix, e.g., pre is a syllable.

Rule 14A:
Divide words with short vowel syllables after a consonant, creating closed syllables
Example: hap-py, riv-er, tap-ping, sel-ling.
Usually there are two consonants together such that the word may be divided between them.

Rule 14B:
Do not split consonant digraphs
Example: fat-head, but fath-er.


















57
Syllables


Counting Syllables
To find the number of syllables in a word, use the following steps:
1. Count the vowels in the word.
2. Subtract any silent vowels, (like the silent e at the end of a word, or the second vowel when
two vowels are together in a syllable)
3. Subtract one vowel from every diphthong (diphthongs only count as one vowel sound.)
4. The number of vowels sounds left is the same as the number of syllables.

The number of syllables that you hear when you pronounce a word is the same as the number of
vowels sounds heard.
For example:
The word came has 2 vowels, but the e is silent, leaving one vowel sound and one syllable.
The word outside has 4 vowels, but the e is silent and the ou is a diphthong which counts as
only one sound, so this word has only two vowel sounds and therefore, two syllables.

Six Kinds of Syllables
There are six different kinds of syllables in English:

1. Closed Syllables: A closed syllable has one and only one vowel, and it ends in a consonant.
Examples include in, ask, truck, sock, stretch, twelfth, and on.
2. Open Syllables: An open syllable has one and only one vowel, and that vowel occurs at the
end of the syllable.
Examples include no, she, I, a, and spry.
3. Silent-E Syllables: A silent-e syllable ends in an e, has one and only one consonant before
that e, and has one and only one vowel before that consonant. Examples
include ate, ice, tune, slope, strobe, and these.
4. Vowel Combination Syllables: A vowel combination syllable has a cluster of two or three
vowels or a vowel-consonant unit with a sound or sounds particular to that unit.
Examples include rain, day, see, veil, pie, piece, noise, toy, cue, and true.
5. Vowel-R Syllables: A vowel-r syllable is one which includes one and only one vowel followed
by an r, or one vowel followed by an r which is followed by a silent e, or a vowel
combination followed by an r.
Examples include car, or, care, ire, air, and deer.
6. Consonant-L-E Syllables: In these syllables, a consonant is followed by le. The vowel sound in
these syllables is the schwa sound that occurs before the l. Examples include -ble, -cle, -dle, -
fle, and -gle.





58



Dividing Words into Syllables
There are four ways to split up a word into its syllables:
1. Divide between two middle consonants.
Split up words that have two middle consonants.
For example:
hap/pen, bas/ket, let/ter, sup/per, din/ner, and Den/nis. The only exceptions are the
consonant digraphs. Never split up consonant digraphs as they really represent only one
sound. The exceptions are th, sh, ph, th, ch, and wh.
2. Usually divide before a single middle consonant.
When there is only one syllable, you usually divide in front of it, as in:
o/pen, i/tem, e/vil, and re/port. The only exceptions are those times when the first syllable has
an obvious short sound, as in cab/in.
3. Divide before the consonant before an -le syllable.
When you have a word that has the old-style spelling in which the -le sounds like -el, divide
before the consonant before the -le.
For example: a/ble, fum/ble, rub/ble mum/ble and thi/stle. The only exception to this is ckle
words like tick/le.
4. Divide off any compound words, prefixes, suffixes and roots which have vowel sounds.
Split off the parts of compound words like sports/car and house/boat. Divide off prefixes such
at un/happy, pre/paid, or re/write. Also divide off suffixes as in the words farm/er, teach/er,
hope/less and care/ful. In the word stop/ping, the suffix is actually -ping because this word
follows the rule that when you add -ing to a word with one syllable, you double the last
consonant and add the -ing.


















59
Accent Rules


When a word has more than one syllable, one of the syllables is always a little louder than the others.
The syllable with the louder stress is the accented syllable. The unstressed syllable usually takes
the schwa sound.

It may seem that the placement of accents in words is often random or accidental, but these are some
rules that usually work.

Accents are often on the first syllable.
Examples: ba'/sic, pro'/gram.

In words that have suffixes or prefixes, the accent is usually on the main root word.
Examples: box'/es, un/tie'.

If de-, re-, ex-, in-, po-, pro-, or a- is the first syllable in a word, it is usually not accented.
Examples: de/lay', ex/plore'.

Two vowel letters together in the last syllable of a word often indicates an accented last syllable.
Examples: com/plain', con/ceal'.

When there are two like consonant letters within a word, the syllable before the double
consonants is usually accented.
Examples: be/gin'/ner, let'/ter.

The accent is usually on the syllable before the suffixes -ion, ity, -ic, -ical, -ian, -ial, or -ious, and on
the second syllable before the suffix -ate.
Examples: af/fec/ta'/tion, dif/fer/en'/ti/ate.

In words of three or more syllables, one of the first two syllables is usually accented.
Examples: ac'/ci/dent, de/ter'/mine.












60
Sight Words


Many words do not follow these rules, and are called sight words. Because they do not follow the
normal rules, these must be memorized. Examples include the, are, and you. They are also
sometimes called 'irregular words' or 'outlaw words'.

Here are some more examples:
the, to, do, and who These should have long vowel sounds because they are open syllables,
like me and go.
what, was, and whom These should have short vowel sounds because they are closed
syllables, like sat and cot.
again, against, says and said These should have long a sounds because of the ai vowel
combination, like say and pain.
been This should have a long e sound, like seen.
In many words, the o says /short u/ instead of /short o/ or /long o/, as
in of, from, son, month, front, some, love, other, money, and among.

























61
Phonetic Alphabet Guide


Consonants
1 b

boy babe 13
p

pan pop
2 d

dad did 14
r red arm
3 l

fat leaf 15
s so kiss
4 g

go pig 16
] she fish
5 d

June large 17
I tea sat
6 h

he hen 18
I] chin rich
7 ]

yes yellow 19
e
thin tooth
8 k

cat back 20


then bathe
9 l

leg call 21
v

very love
10 n

man jam 22
w wet week
11 n

net pen 23
z
zoo nose
12 q

sing ring 24


vision garage

Vowels
25
i: see she 31
o: door saw
26
i / bit hit 32
o good put
27
e bet ten 33
u: boot too
28
bat cat 34
t cup hut
29
a: arm card 35
s: - fur bird
30
b got shot 36
o - ago the

Diphthongs
37
ei day rain 41
oi boy join
38
oo know home 42
io beer here
39
ai by five 43
eo bear hair
40
ao now down 44
oo poor sure