Prepared by Lisa Barrett
University of Phoenix
April 5, 2008
What is Phonics?
• “Phonics refers to
associating letters or letter
groups with the sounds they
represent” (“Phonics
Rules,” 2008, para. 1).
• Mastery of phonics is an
essential instrument for
reading and pronouncing
words.
(Photobucket, 2008)
• There are many phonics rules in English.
• Knowing the phonics rules can help you:
- identify words
- improve reading comprehension
- strengthen conversation skills
• Keep in mind there are some words that don’t
follow the rules.
• Watch out for the exceptions.
The C Rule
followed by e, i, or y usually has the
soft sound of “s.”
Examples:
Central, Celestial, Cedar, Cemetery
City, Circa, Cigar, Cinema, Circle
Cycle, Cylinder, Cynic, Cyst
Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides.
- Rita Mae Brown (Quoteland, 2008, para. 1).
(Photobucket, 2008).
The G Rule
followed by e, i, or y usually has
the soft sound of “j.”
Examples:
Gem, Gentleman, Genuine
Gist, Gigolo, Ginseng
Gym, Gypsy
(Photobucket, 2008)
It's a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you
into hot water.
– Franklin P. Jones (Quoteland, 2008).
Consonant Digraphs
• A Consonant Digraph
represents two consonants
joined together to form one
sound (Doyle, 2008).
• They count as one letter and
are never separated (Doyle,
2008).
• Examples: (ch) cheat,
hatchet, (sh) sheet, (th)
think, without (ph) phone,
graph (wh) what
(Photobucket, 2008)
Short Vowels
• When a syllable ends in a consonant and
only has one vowel, that vowel is short.
• Examples: fat, bed, fish, spot, luck
(Photobucket, 2008)
Uttering a word is like striking a note on the keyboard of the imagination.
- Ludwig Wittgenstein (Quoteland, 2008).
Silent Vowel Rule
• When a syllable has 2 vowels together, the first
vowel is usually long (Doyle, 2008).
• The second is silent (Doyle, 2008).
• Examples: pain, boat, rescue, say, grow
• To help you remember,
click on the rapper
for an entertaining video - - - - >
(Click your browser’s back button
to return to the presentation).
-Controlled Vowels
• When a vowel is followed by an “R,” that
vowel is “R-Controlled” (Doyle, 2008).
• R-controlled vowels are not long, nor
short.
• They usually sound the same, like “er.”
• Examples: term, fir, sir, sugar, order
What is a Diphthong
• “A Diphthong is a
phonetic sequence,
consisting of a vowel and
a glide” (SIL, 2008).
• In a Diphthong, vowels
blend together to form a
single sound (Doyle,
2008).
Diphthong Examples
Oi
Oil
Oy
Boy
Ou
Mouse
Ow
Bow
Au
Clause
Aw
Paw
Oo
Moon
13 Silent Letter Rules
1. E final is usually silent;
as in brave, crime, abide, become.
2. E is often silent before d;
as in bribed, changed, hedged;
cradled, handled, struggled.
3. E is often silent before l;
as in drivel, grovel, hazel, shovel.
4. E is often silent before n;
as in garden, hidden, kitten,
lighten, spoken, taken.
5. I is sometimes silent before l;
as in evil, weevil.
6. I is sometimes silent before n;
as in basin, cousin.
7. O is sometimes silent before n;
as in bacon, deacon, mason,
pardon, reason, weapon.
8. B is silent after m and before t;
as in comb, climb, dumb, jamb,
lamb, tomb; debt, doubt; subtle.
9. C is silent in czar, and muscle,
and before k and t and s;
as in back, crack, lock; indict,
victuals, scene, scythe, scepter.
10. D is silent in Wednesday, and
before g in the same syllable; as in
badge, dodge.
11. G is silent before m and n, and
sometimes before l; as in phlegm,
diaphragm; gnat, feign, consign;
intaglio, seraglio.
12. H is silent in heir, herb, honest;
and after g or r; at the end of a
word and preceded by a vocal; and
sometimes after t; as in ghastly,
gherkin, ghostly; rheum, rhyme,
myrrh; ah, oh, halleluiah; isthmus.
13. K is always silent before n; as in
knee, knee, knife, knob, known
(Sanders, 2005)
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References
Doyle, D. (2008). Phonics, syllable, and accent rules. Glendale Community College. Retrieved April 4,
2008, from http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/phonics.rules.html
“Phonics Rules.” (2008). Howtostudy.com. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from http://www.how-tostudy.com/phonics-rules.htm
Photobucket.com (2008). Clipart/photos. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from
http://www.photobucket.com
Quoteland.com. (2008). Retrieved April 4, 2008, from
http://quoteland.com/topic.asp?CATEGORY_ID=301
Sanders, E. (2005). Phonics. Retrieved April 4, 2008, from http://www.edsanders.com/phonics/
SIL International. (2008). What is a diphthong. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from
http://www.sil.org/linguistics/glossaryoflinguisticterms/whatisadiphthong.htm