weird english
TRANSCRIPT
When English is Weird
Expect Exceptions!
Some letters are silent
● Some letters are silent and don't like to sing
● They are there but are quiet, and don't say a thing
One letter can have different sounds
Some letters combine to make new soundsStrategy: Check for H Brothers & Give ng a fling
● CH: hip/chip● SH: hop/shop● TH: hat/that● WH: hen/when● NG: sun/sung
PH & GH can say “F”
A photograph of a phone
A cough can be rough
gh might be silent, like in light
Some letters double at the end
Strategy: Keep Cautious with K & CWhen you hear the hard “k” sound, which will it be?
K takes I & E....C takes the other three
● Kit● Keg
● Cat● Cot● Cut
Strategy: Give Care with G & CSoft or Hard?
-CK or -Kspelling the “k” sound at the end of a word
Vowels can be short, & they can be long
● How can you know how to not get them wrong?
● Short vowels say the sound, long vowels the name
● To know which is which can be quite a pain
Strategy: Note an E at the end
● Silent e at the end makes the vowel say it's name.
● It turns pin into pine● Apart or together, it
works just the same.
● pie or pine, both ways are fine.
Defender D
More ways a vowel can be long
Open Syllables
Strategy: Observe an R
Bossy R likes to tell the vowels what to do
It can change a cat into a cart. (that is true).
5 Bossy R spellings,
3 Bossy R sounds...
you will see Bossy Rs everywhere around.
Sometimes Silent e wins
Sometimes Bossy R does
ar can sound like er
or can sound like er
With an e before ar, anything goes
Open & Closed SyllablesStrategy: Notice a closed or open door
● A vowel that is followed by a consonant is closed in.
● A closed syllable is often short like in pin.
● A vowel is open with no consonant behind
● Open syllables are often long, you will find.
Strategy: Look for vowel teamsVowel Teams can be long & say the first sound
Except for Diphthongs
● Which often make new sounds
● But sometimes not...● AU & AW sound like
the short O in dog● Now don't forget that
OW can also say long O like in grow
Other vowel teams that don't follow“when 2 vowels go walking, the 1st one does the talking”
Same Letters, Two Sounds
● ie says long I as in pie, unless you want to have a piece.
● At times it can briefly steal a long E like a thief.
Same Letters, Two Sounds
● ea says long E when you eat peas, but not bread.
● Did your ear hear the short E that bread said?
Same Letters, Two Sounds
● Find ow in a brown cow, unless there is snow.
● Then it says Long O, don't you know?
Same Letters, Two Sounds
● oo might say boot, unless you put in your foot.
● To make good food, you need a cook book.
Strategy: Discovery of a Y at the end● Y at the end will often
say “I” in a one syllable word like fly
● When more syllables you see, it likely says “E”
Strategy: Be aware of schwa
● Every vowel can make a schwa sound
● So there are lots of schwa's to be found
● A schwa is a quick & weak “uh”
● You can find two in this word: above.
Synonyms & Antonyms Homophones & Homonyms
Homonyms: words with multiple meanings
Homographs & Homophones
● Homographs look just the same but mean something else!
● Watch out for homographs when you say “give me a ring!” (what do you mean?)
Yes, English is Weird
● Now you know that this is true...
● The rules are more like guidelines that give you a clue!
Credits● Boostforreaders.com
● Short/Long Chart: First Grade Wow
● Bossy R: carlscorner.us.com
● Defender D & FLOSS Rule: maketaketeach.com
● Schwa: www.logicofenglish.com
● Synonym/Antonyms: vocabularypage.com
● Homograph/Homophones: heerenshappenings2.blogspot.com