Teachers’ Guide to Using Phonemic Principles
Developed by Dr. N. J. Silvaroli & Dr. Jay Blanchard
Programmed Word Learning in Presentation Form
Dr. Silvaroli and Dr. Blanchard’s program for self-teaching phonemic principles has
been adapted for use over 28 mini-lessons (5-10 minutes) during a teaching semester.
Answers are provided during daily large group meetings and the final examination is selected
directly from the word learning packet.
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14
Day 15
Day 16
Day 17
Day 18
Day 19
Day 20
Day 21
Day 22
Day 23
Day 24
Day 25
Day 26
Day 27
CONCEPT
Consonants -- Single Letters
Consonants — With Varying Sound/Symbol Correspondence
Consonants – With Varying Sound/Symbol Correspondence
Consonants — Odd and Consonant Review Test
Consonants — Digraphs
Consonants -- Single Sound Digraphs and Digraphs Review Test
Consonants -- Blends and Blends and Digraph Review
Consonants — Silent Consonants and Consonant Review Test
Vowels — Short
Vowels – Short
Vowels — Long
Vowels — Silent
Vowels — First Review Test
Vowels — Controlled by the Letter R
Vowels — Diphthongs
Vowels — Long and Short Double OO
Vowels — Digraphs
Vowels — A Influenced by L and W & Vowel Review Test
Word Structure — Syllables
Syllable - Rule 1
Word Structure — Syllable Rules 2 and 3
Word Structure -- Syllabic Rules Review Test
Word Structure — Accents
Word Structure — Prefixes
Word Structure — Continue with Prefixes
Word Structure — Suffixes
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University, RDG 322
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PROGRAMMED WORD LEARNING — PHONEMIC PRINCIPLES
Prepared by Dr. N. J. Silvaroli & Dr. Jay Blanchard
CONSONANTS
Consonant letters and their related consonant sounds (phonemes), make up one of the major
letter-form/letter-sound structures of English.
Traditional phonetic programs generally group consonants into the following categories:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Consonants — Single Letters
Digraphs
Blends
Silent Consonants
The reader must recognize that while traditional phonic programs agree on these broad
consonant categories, there is little agreement on the specific elements within the categories.
There, you are urged to learn the four broad consonant categories rather than memorize or
compare the minor elements within each category.
______________________________________________________________________________
1.
Consonants — Single Letters
This category usually consists of 21 single consonant letters. 15 consonant letters have a
consistent one-to-one letter-form/letter-sound correspondence. 6 others have some
additional characteristics. For example, the letter c has two sounds (/s/, /k/).
Our English alphabet has 26 letters, _______________ are called consonants.
Of the 21 consonants, _________ have at least one consistent letter-form/letter-sound
correspondence.
Six of the consonant letters listed below do not have a consistent letter-form/letter- sound
correspondence. Circle the 6 consonants that do not have consistent letter-form/lettersound correspondence.
b
n
c
p
d
q
f
r
g
s
h
t
j
v
k
w
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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l
x
m
y
z
The underlined words in the sentences below illustrate additional characteristics associated with
consonant letters.
1.
The sound of c in cent, circle, cylinder ( c followed by ___, ___ or ___) has the
/______/. This sound usually is referred to as the “soft c” sound.
2.
The sound of c in canoe, coat, curb, crow ( c followed by ___, ___, ___ and most
consonant letters except (h) has the /_____/ sound. This sound usually is referred
to as the “hard c” sound.
3.
Circle the three words that have the “hard” sound /k/ for the consonant letter c.
pacify
4.
acre
vacuum
income
license
Circle the three words that have the “soft” sound /s/ for the consonant letter c.
decide
5.
celebrity
creak
concrete
cypress
narcotic
cigar
Write the appropriate letter /s/ soft or /k/ hard for the following words that contain
the consonant letter c.
cinnamon ______
arctic ______ & _______
bicycle________ & __________
peculiar ______________
vacancy_______ & __________
incite _______________
optical ________
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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The consonant g has a regular consonant sound of its own. But when g is followed by ___, ___,
or ___, it often has the sound /j/ as in jump.
1.
The regular sound of g (as in go) is used in three of the words below. Circle the
regular hard g words:
goose
2.
gas
giraffe
general
wager
Three of the following words use /j/ of g. Circle the /j/ sounds of the consonant g.
region
3.
regular
gold
program
grit
fidget
gem
Write the appropriate /j/ (soft) or /g/ (hard) for the following words that contain
the consonant letter g.
giant
/_____/
generous /_____/
engage /_____/ & /_____/
vagrant /_____/
wagon /_____/
gym /_____/
gutter /_____/
The consonant letter s has a sound of its own but at times the letter s uses the sound of /z/.
What is more confusing, the reader does not have a clue (similar to the e, i, or y that
influences the consonant letters c and g) to determine when s uses its regular sound of /z/.
1.
Write the appropriate symbol /s/ or /z/ for the letter s in each of the following.
has __________
nasal ________
snake __________
misery__________
girls __________
side __________
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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yes __________
husband ______
The letter q is usually combined with u and usually has the sound /kw/. The letter x has
the sound of /ks/ in most words. Write the appropriate letter, q or x, next to the words below.
Notice that these letters do not have a sound of their own.
liquid __________
squeal __________
quack __________
relax ___________
next __________
equinox _______
The final letter in the consonant category is y. We left these until last because sometimes
it is used as a consonant and sometimes it is used as a vowel.
1.
The placement of the letter y in a word is a simple clue that helps to determine
when y is used as a consonant and when it is used as a vowel. In the word yellow
the y is at the ______________ of the word. In the word spry the y is at the
________________ of the word.
Self-Test Consonants
Each of the 21 consonants in the English language is listed below. Circle 15 consonants that have
a consistent one-to-one letter-form/letter-sound correspondence.
b
c
d
f
g
h
j
k
l
m
n
p
q
r
s
t
v
w
x
y
Consonant sounds that interchange with other sounds are:
C
/_____/
or /_____/
Y
_____________
or _______________
(a word with y as a consonant)
G
/_____/ or /_____/
S
/_____/ or / _____/
(a word with y as a vowel)
Two consonants combine to make one sound: Q and X. What consonant sounds do you hear in
these letters?
__Q___
/_____/
and
__X___
/_____/
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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z
2.
DIGRAPHS
This category includes 5 common and different letter-form/letter-sound combinations.
Essentially a digraph sound is made when two consonant letters are joined together to form one
sound (an unexpected sound). For example the consonant t has its own sound, as in top and h its
own sound as in happy. However, when t and h are joined, as in the word those, a new sound -- a
digraph is produced. The five common digraphs are: ______, _____, _____, _____, & _____.
Listed below are twelve words, each containing one of the five common digraph sounds.
Write the digraph next to each word.
thick __________
whale __________ chop __________
bring __________
ship __________
watch __________ whip __________
hush ___________
cloth _________
ring ___________
white __________
young __________
A problem that existed in the consonant category (single consonant sounds) also exists in
the digraph category. Specifically, writers of phonic materials tend to agree on the category but
express different opinions when describing the sounds within the category. We will present
some of the unique sounds related to various digraphs and remind you that the ability to
recognize a digraph is more important than being overly concerned about all the subtle
differences within this category.
When c and h are joined together they form a new sound called a __________________.
A digraph is formed when we join n and _________.
T and ____ make the _______ digraph.
A digraph is formed when we join w and ______.
When s and _____ are joined they make the _________ digraph.
In the word chair we have a ch __________. In many words the ch digraph usually has
the sound of /ch/ as in chair. However, ch has other sounds that are less common.
After each word write “same” if the ch has a sound similar to the /ch/ in chair. Write
“different” if the ch has another sound.
chilly ____________
church ____________
chef ____________
speech ___________
chiffon ____________
match ___________
satchel ___________
character __________
achieve __________
The ch digraph has three sounds : /_____/, /_____/, and /_____/.
The more common sound used for the digraph ch is the /_____/ in a word such as
_______________________________________.
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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The th digraph has two different sounds, usually referred to as voiced or unvoiced. Examples of
these are:
Voiced th digraphs — those, father, that.
Unvoiced th digraphs — teeth, thaw, thin.
We believe that the distinction between voiced and unvoiced th digraphs is difficult to learn and
difficult to teach, therefore, you are urged to learn that th is one of the five common digraphs and
ignore all of the attention given to voiced and unvoiced th digraph sounds.
Other consonant letters are joined together to form single sounds.
ph usually has the sound of /f/ as in for. Another example is ___________________.
gh usually has the sound of /f/ as in enough. Another example is _______________.
gh is silent when joined with t as in night. Another example is _________________.
Listed below are six words that contain digraphs. Next to each word mark the sound of this type
of digraph:
phonics
night
/_____/
/_____/
gopher
/_____/
dough /_____/
laugh
sought
/_____/
/_____/
In some dialects the ‘h’ “moves” in front of the /w/ and wh sounds like /hw/. (Examples
are whip and what). These differences are interesting but not central to our main goal, namely,
learning simple concepts in the consonant area.
Self-Test-Digraphs
Mark the sounds the digraphs below make and think of a word that has that sound.
ch /_____/ as in the word ______________
ch /_____/ as in the word ______________
ch /_____/ as in the word ______________
ng /_____/ as in the word ______________
sh /_____/ as in the word ______________
ph /_____/ as in the word ______________
th /_____/ as in the word ______________
gh /_____/ as in the word ______________
gh /_____/ as in the word ______________
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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3. BLENDS
This category includes consonants that are combined into two-letter and three-letter
clusters. Blends differ from digraphs (which also join consonants) because each consonant letter
in the blend retains some of its regular consonant sound. For example: Say the word blend. You
should be able to hear some of the /b/ and some of the /l/. The bl in the word black is a
consonant __________.
Write the blends next to each word (blends with l).
play _______
flower _______
complex _______
glove _______
Write the blends next to each word (blends with r).
brown _______
tray ________ green _______ drip _______
Write the blends next to each word (blends with s).
stop _______
spring _______
street _______ snare _______
Write the blends next to each word (blends with t).
transom _______
trap _______
twice _______ tree _______
Self-Test — Blends and Digraphs
Listed below are ten words. Next to each word write the appropriate word blend or digraph. In
some cases the individual word may contain more than one element.
drum ____________
skate ____________
score ____________
this _________
bring ________
freeze ____________
shopping __________
church _______
snail _________
Listed below are twelve joined consonant letters (2 letter blends, 3 letter blends and digraphs).
Write at least one word using each of the following consonant groupings.
br _______________ ch _______________
cr _______________ gh _______________
spr ______________ fl ________________
sc _______________
ch _______________
thr _______________
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th _______________
sm ______________
ng ______________
4. SILENT CONSONANTS
This final category is really more of a miscellaneous category. As in the case of blends,
we are not providing new sounds; rather, we are presenting consonant combinations that are
somewhat unique.
The consonant letters g and k are usually silent when combined with the consonant letter
_____. The letter w is usually silent when combined with the letter _____.
Say the following words and write in initial sound for each word.
gnaw /_____/
knife /_____/
wrong /_____/
The silent letters in the words gnaw, knife and wrong occur in the
______________position of the word.
In the words patch and stitch, the letter ________________ is silent.
In the words limb and comb, the letter ________________ is silent.
In the word tight and high, the letters _________________ are silent.
In the word “trick” the letter __________________ is silent.
Self-Test Consonants Review
Identify the phonic element that is present in each group of five words. Example: but,
trip, rabbit, dock, throb. Each word contains a consonant, a vowel and syllable, but the phonic
element common to all those words is the short vowel sound.
ghost, wrap, knob, night, kick ______________________________________
glance, certain, cement, bicycle, voice ________________________________
stratagem, gym, gentle, ginger, logistics _______________________________
white, bring, chip, father, shambles __________________________________
orphan, typhoon, phonics, autograph, phase ____________________________
carry, educate, come, coat, recall ____________________________________
grade, true, clock, replace, best _____________________________________
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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VOWELS
Vowel letters and their related vowel sounds (phonemes) make up another sound-symbol
structure of English. Traditional phonetic programs usually group vowels into the following
categories:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Short Vowels
Long Vowels
Vowels controlled by the Letter r
Diphthongs
Long and Short Double oo Vowels
Vowel Digraph
Vowels Influenced by the Letters l and w
The reader must recognize that while traditional phonic programs agree on the above
vowel categories, there is very little agreement on the specific elements within these broad vowel
categories. Therefore, you are urged to learn the seven broad categories rather than to memorize
or compare the minor elements within the categories.
1. SHORT VOWELS
This category of vowels consists of five single vowel letters: ____, ___, ___, ___ & ___
(sometimes y). When these short vowel letters are used in words the reader must associate the
sound rather than the name of the vowel letter.
In short vowels we associate the ______________ rather than the name of vowel letters.
One consonant letter has a vowel sound when it occurs at the end of a word or a syllable.
That consonant letter is ______.
The five vowels are _____, _____, _____, _____ & _____.
The five short vowels are _____, _____, _____, _____& _____.
Listed below are words with short and long vowels. Circle the short vowel sound words.
ape
igloo
apple
oak
beg
ox
eagle
umbrella
ice
Utah
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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Listed below are 8 more words. Circle the words that have short vowels and listen for the sound
the short vowel makes as you say each word.
cash
clip
must
fuel
dent
rock
bet
note
Sometimes words contain vowel letters that are not sounded (silent) like the a in boat.
However, most vowel letters are sounded. In fact, every English word or syllable must contain
one vowel sound. Pronounce the following word: RMPTF. This word cannot be pronounced
because it does not have a vowel sound.
Words can have long vowel sounds, short vowels sounds, vowels influenced by the letter
r, etc. The category (type) of vowel is not important. The important fact is that all English words
or syllables must contain at least ________________ vowel _______________.
Some dictionaries use a symbol called a breve (
) to identify short vowel sounds as in the
following example:
căt
In the following words mark the short vowel letter with a breve symbol.
tell
cold
wick
lash
base
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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unit
2.
Long Vowels
This category of vowels consists of 5 single vowels: _____, _____, _____, ____ & ____.
When long vowel letters are used in words the reader must associate the name rather than
the sound of the letter.
Our English alphabet has 26 letters; ____________ are called long vowels.
Long vowels and short vowels use the same letters (graphemes) a, e, i, o and u. The
main differences between these two categories are:
________________ vowels are associated with the name of the vowel.
________________ vowels are associated with the sound of the vowel.
Listed below are five words with long and short vowels. Write the appropriate word
(long or short) after each word:
plan __________ bold __________ stop __________ gulf ________ fish _________
Listed below are eight words with long and short vowels. Write long or short and
identify the vowel. Listen for the name (long vowel) or sound (short vowel).
pulp __________
music __________
post __________
hot __________
cap ___________
mink __________
pen __________
seem _________
-
Dictionaries use a symbol called a macron ( ) to identify long vowel sounds as in the
following example:
skāte
In the following words mark only the long vowel letters (names) with a macron symbol.
echo
dent
feast
sale
goat
motive
tame
mice
lash
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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We said that the long vowels a, e, i, o & u are associated with vowel names and that the short
vowels a, e, i, o & u are associated with vowel sounds. You also might have noticed that often
times a, e, i, o & u are silent. Mark the following words with these symbols: (-) long, (u) short,
(x) silent.
ride
frog
sale
moment
plus
faint
foam
jacket
There are two vowels in each of the following words. The last letter in each word is the
vowel letter e. In many words, the final e is silent and the preceding vowel is long. Say
each word and think about this widely used phonic rule.
cape
stove
hope
file
Teachers frequently tell children that words such as cape and hope have a magic e. Cape
with the magic e has a long vowel sound /a/. Cap without the magic e has the short vowel
sound /a/. Add the letter e to the following words and listen to the change in the
preceding vowel — short (sound) to long (name):
hat
pet
hop
kit
cut
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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Because long and short vowels are so important in our language, traditional phonics programs
have used many ways to describe or identify them. What has been presented thus far can be
generalized as follows:
A vowel letter represents more than one phoneme: a short vowel or __________ of the
vowel or a long vowel, the _____________ of the vowel.
Any vowel letter represents short (a) and long (a) sounds or names: therefore, vowels
cannot have a one-to-one correspondence, as do most ________________________.
English words or syllables must have at least one vowel sound: therefore, English words
or syllables must have ___________________ sounds.
When vowels are placed between consonants, in words and syllables, they usually have
short sounds and at times are called closed “syllables”. Mark (u) the closed vowels in the
following words or syllables:
map
plot
When vowels are placed at the end of a word or a syllable, they are usually long and are
called open “syllables”. Mark (-) the open vowels in the following words or syllables:
solo
go
The following words are divided into syllables. Mark (-) or (u) for each vowel. Think
why some are short and others long.
to tem
hel lo
ha lo
rab bit
Self-Test — Short and Long Vowels
Mark the vowels in each of the words below. Use appropriate signs for short and long vowels.
Mark silent vowels with an x through them.
logic
ostrich
latent
obtain
extreme
napkin
peanut
subscribe
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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3. Vowels Controlled by the Letter R
A third category of vowels can be introduced with this often used generalization: The
consonant letter r controls the preceding vowel and gives the vowel a sound that is neither short
nor long. Examples are car, percolator, bird and turtle.
Say each word in the example. Notice that the letter r has some control on each preceding
vowel but degree of control varies. Dictionaries have attempted to deal with this varying degree
of control by using such terms as “half Italian a” and “circumflex o”. We believe it is preferable
to merely learn that the preceding vowel is controlled by the letter r and that the sound of the
vowel is neither long nor short.
Our English alphabet has 26 letters; the 5 vowels are ______________ by the letter ____.
When a vowel is followed by r the vowel sound is neither _________ nor ____________.
A reasonable name for this category of vowels might be __________________________.
Long vowels, short vowels and vowels controlled by r use the same letters (graphemes)
a, e, i, o and u. The main difference between these three categories is:
Short vowels are the ________________________ of the vowel.
Long vowels use the ________________________ of the vowel.
Vowels controlled by r use a sound that is __________________ long nor short.
Listed below are ten words with vowels controlled by r. Underline this sound and listen
to the unique sound of each vowel.
bargain
hermit
stern
tardy
fork
order
burn
murmur
birth
scorch
For each word below, write each vowel, tell if it is long, short, controlled /r/ or silent:
card __________
trigger __________
wick __________
birch __________
spur __________
hope ___________
pump __________
verb ___________
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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4. Diphthongs
This category includes four letter-form/letter sound combinations:
/oi/ as in oil
/ou/ as in house
/oy/ as in boy
/ow/ as in owl
Essentially a diphthong sound is made when two vowel letters are joined together. For
example, the letter o is either long, short, or controlled by r. The letter i is either long, short or
controlled by the letter r. But when o and i are joined in a word, a blended sound — a
diphthong— is produced. The common diphthongs are _____, _____, _____ & _____.
Listed below are eight words. Each contains one of the four common diphthongs. Write
the diphthongs next to each word.
vowel ________
crown __________
cloister __________ found __________
loud _________
alloy ___________
loyalty __________
poise ___________
When o and u are joined together they form a ______________________.
Think back. If we join consonants, i.e. th, sh, ch, we produce a ___________________.
If we join two vowels, i.e. ou, ow, oi, oy, we produce a __________________________.
Some phonetic writers include the au (author) and aw (crawl) in the diphthong category.
Others argue that they should be treated as digraphs and not diphthongs. Rather than
enter into the argument we have elected to arbitrarily place them in the “catch all” twovowel category called vowels digraphs and let it go at that.
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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5. Long and Short Double OO Vowels
When a double oo is used in a word, the sound can be short, long, or controlled by the
letter r.
An example of a word with a short oo sound is _______________________.
An example of a word with a long oo sound is _______________________.
An example of a word with an r controlled oo sound is _________________.
This category is included because we cannot “fit” these double oo sounds in any other
category, yet they occur quite frequently in English words.
Listed below are 9 words. Write the word short if the oo makes the short sound, long if
the oo makes the long sound, and r controlled if the oo is controlled by the letter r:
proof ____________
boom ____________
look ____________
book ____________
floor _____________
goose ___________
door _____________
wood ____________
zoo _____________
The symbols (u) short and (-) long also apply as they did in single vowels. Mark the
appropriate symbol for these words:
soot
food
foot
cool
loop
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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6. Vowel Digraphs
Hey! What’s a digraph doing in the vowel area? Frankly, we don’t have a reasonable answer.
All we can say is that we have many English words that join two vowels, yet they do not make
blended sounds, therefore, they cannot be called diphthongs. We suggest that, if two vowels are
joined and do not make diphthongs or the double /oo/ sound, they should be called vowel
digraphs.
Vowel digraphs do not make new sounds. Essentially what we have are two vowels together, as
in boat, the /o/ sound is heard and the /a/ sound is silent.
We recommend that you ignore the order (first vowel sounded, second silent or first vowel silent,
second vowel sounded) or the type of sound the vowel makes (long or short). It seems
reasonable to remember that vowel digraphs (two vowels: one is sounded, one is silent) occur
frequently and are not diphthongs or double oo sounds.
In the following list of words, underline the vowel digraph and listen for the vowel sound.
soak
beat
heap
seem
tail
please
Underline the vowel digraph in the following. Notice the interchange of the letters and
sounds /ei/ — /ie/. (Any wonder why “ei” — “ie” words are difficult to spell?)
receipt
field
lien
rein
The same problems occur with eu and ew words. Underline these sound interchanges
and listen to their sounds.
deuce
drew
neuron
shrew
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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ewe
7. Letter A Influenced by the Letters L and W
The letters l and w function much the same as the vowel controlled by r. These letters
give the vowel letter a sound that is different from all other categories mentioned. We
elected not to include this category with the vowel controlled r category because the
letters l and w influence only one vowel: the letter ______.
Underline the vowel letter a in each of the following. Listen for the l or w influence.
saw
raw
ball
call
Self-Test — Various Vowel Groups
Note: It is difficult to use words with only one vowel. However, be sure that the word
you select contains the sound and category you wish to represent.
Fill in each line with a word that fits the category and uses the appropriate vowel letters.
a
vowel controlled r
__________
e
i
__________
diphthong (o+vowel)
__________
o
__________
__________
double oo sounds
u
__________
__________
__________
vowel digraphs
__________
letter a with l or w
__________
__________
__________
__________
__________
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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__________
STRUCTURE — SYLLABLES
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary a syllable is defined as:
. . . a word or part of a word pronounced with a single, uninterrupted sounding of the
voice; unit of pronunciation, consisting of a single sound of great sonority (usually a
vowel) and generally one or more sounds of lesser sonority (usually consonants).
Historically, it is believed that syllables grew out of a need created by the advent of the
printing press. Printers needed to “break” words in order to fit them on the printed page. Some
phonetic writers avoid the concept of syllables. They believe that syllable are made up of many
sounds and are not even close to a one-to-one letter-form/letter-sound correspondence. Currently
some linguists are becoming interested in syllables because of the potential “meaning”
relationships supposedly found in certain syllables. Despite the fact that wide disagreement
exists regarding the description and use of syllables, every school child is required to: learn how
to divide words into syllables, hear the number of syllables and mark the stressed or accented
syllables in words. We have elected to present three “reasonably” consistent syllable
generalizations or rules, discuss the placement of accents, and discuss the prefix and the suffix.
Thus, this part of the program will deal with:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Syllables
Accents
Prefix
Suffix
Again we urge you to study these broad categories rather than compare or memorize the minor
elements within each category.
1. Syllables
It is not difficult to hear the number of syllables in words. Write the number of syllables
you hear in each of the following words:
circus _____
bat _____
problem _____
barnacle _____
lantern _____
gate _____
vowel ______
consonant _____
syllable ____
As you may recognize, the difficulty with syllables is not the inability to hear the number
of syllables. The difficulty with syllables appears to be our inability to find stable or consistent
ways to divide words into syllables.
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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Phonetic writers use six generalizations, or rules, for dividing words in syllables. We believe
that only three of these “rules” have the greatest application to English words and that at best
these three rules are only consistent about 60% of the time.
Our purpose in presenting even 3 rules that work slightly better than half of the time is to
provide you with the best of a limited area and to encourage you to be realistic about syllables.
Rule One
When there are 2 consonant sounds between 2 vowels, the division is usually between the 2
consonant sounds. The common visual pattern is: vowel consonant-consonant vowel (vc-cv).
Underline the syllables in the words below. Listen for the number of syllables and note
each vowel sound. For example: gob let (vc - cv)
parka
signal
winter
dinner
rascal
Is the number of syllables in a word related more to vowels or consonants? ___________
Essentially in Rule One we divide between ____________ consonants.
The visual pattern for Rule One is ______________________.
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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Rule Two
When there is one consonant sound between two vowel sounds, the division is usually before the
consonant. The common visual pattern for this rule is vowel-consonant vowel (v-cv).
Put a slash between syllables in each word below. Listen for the number of syllables and
note each vowel sound. For example: la / bor (v-cv)
spider
paper
solar
raven
author
Divide the following words into syllables. Next to each divided word give the appropriate visual
pattern: (vc-cv) or (v-cv).
Divided Word
Visual Pattern
master
__________________
__________________
item
__________________
__________________
pilot
__________________
__________________
garment
__________________
__________________
hammer
__________________
__________________
problem
__________________
__________________
taper
__________________
__________________
razor
__________________
__________________
silver
__________________
__________________
Rule Three
When a word ends with a consonant and the letters le, the final syllable is formed by
dividing before the consonant. The common visual pattern for this rule is consonant plus le ( c +
le). Underline the final syllable in each word below. Listen for the number of syllables and note
each vowel sound. For example: little ( c + le)
twinkle
bungle
uncle
thistle
barnacle
Essentially, in this rule, do we divide before or after the consonant? _______________
Divide the following words into syllables. Next to each divided word give the appropriate visual
pattern: (vc-cv), (v-cv) or ( c + le).
Divided Word
Visual Pattern
lantern
_____________________
_____________________
rumba
_____________________
_____________________
vacant
_____________________
_____________________
trample
_____________________
_____________________
ankle
_____________________
_____________________
acorn
_____________________
_____________________
father
_____________________
_____________________
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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Self-Test — Three Syllabic Rules
Listed below are 20 words. 15 of the words “fit” three common rules. 5 words are exceptions.
Place 15 of the 20 words under the appropriate visual pattern (vc-cv) , (v-cv) or ( c + le).
begin
sterile
corner
climax
humble
fabric
peril
lark
pupil
apple
buckle
rabbit
boiling
forest
over
pencil
aspic
cedar
trample
bumble
(vc-cv)
(v-cv)
( c + le)
(exceptions)
______________
______________
_______________
_______________
______________
______________
_______________
_______________
______________
______________
_______________
_______________
______________
______________
_______________
_______________
______________
______________
_______________
_______________
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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2. Accents
When we accent parts of words (syllables), we give stress, emphasis or pitch emphasis to
the particular part of the word. We are including accents because teaching and/or learning about
accents creates a unique problem.
Each school dictionary divides words into syllables and gives primary (dark marks) and
secondary (light marks) accents. We are acquainted with three major word-recognition studies,
all of which point out that “accent rules” are consistent with and frequently apply to large
numbers of words taught in school. Every major reading program includes accent lessons in their
intermediate and junior-high reading programs.
Despite all of this attention regarding the teaching and/or learning of accents, we are
strongly recommending that you avoid the direct teaching and/or learning of accents. We urge
this because accent use or how we pronounce words is strongly influenced by “local speech
communities”. (A local speech community can be a state, a town, a hill community, an inner
city, etc.) Therefore, attempts to generalize our infinite accent differences during specific school
lessons seem unwise. By direct teaching of accents we mean, statements such as, “place the
primary stress (‘) after the second syllable in the word . . . “ Indirectly teaching and/or learning
that parts of words have different emphasis seems to be a more reasonable approach. Indirect
teaching and/or learning might include:
1. Pronunciation exercises. This might include how words are said in different “local
speech communities”. For example, how is the word father pronounced in the city of
Boston, rural Arizona or inner-city Chicago?
2. Dictionary or glossary exercises. This might include how to “read” and “use” the
pronunciation key.
3. Games. Games might include the finding of words that are spelled alike but have
different pronunciations. For example: present (being at a specified place) or present
(sharing a paper with colleagues).
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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3. Prefix
Some unfamiliar words can be “sounded-out”, “decoded”, “recognized”, “attacked”, etc.
because the reader has learned to recognize specific prefixes that are most frequently used in
English words. According to Lee D. Deighton the following ten prefixes are frequently used:
apo-
intro-
circum-
mal-
equi-
extra-
non-
intra-
syn-
mis-
Knowledge of these ten prefixes will enable you to decode more than six hundred English
words. Next to each of the ten words listed below, write the meaning of the underlined prefix.
You may not know the meaning, so just guess. Use the answer to help you learn the meaning of
the prefix.
Word
Meaning of Prefix
One Meaning for Word
1. apogee
___________________
The point farthest from the earth
2. circumscribe
___________________
To trace a line around.
3. equilateral
___________________
A figure having equal sides.
4. extravagant
___________________
Going beyond reasonable limits.
5. intramural
___________________
Within the walls or limits of a
6. introvert
___________________
To direct one’s interest or mind
7. malice
___________________
Active ill will.
8. misarrange
___________________
To arrange wrongly or improperly.
9. nonchalant
___________________
Without warmth or enthusiasm.
10. syncopate
___________________
To begin on an unaccented beat and
continue it through the next unaccented beat.
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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2. One of the two most common English prefixes could not be included above because it has
more than one meaning. For example: the prefix in- might mean not as in infallible, or the prefix
in- might mean in, into or within as in infield.
Listed below are six words that include the prefix in-. Write the word not if the prefix inmeans not, or in if the prefix in- means in, into or within.
infinite____________
ineffective __________
indoors __________
induction __________
inert _______________
indifferent ________
You can tell the meaning of a prefix by noticing how the prefix changes the meaning of the word.
From the following list of words, identify the prefix and indicate its meaning,
Prefix
Meaning
dislike
______________
____________________
unkind
______________
____________________
inconsistent
______________
____________________
unseen
______________
____________________
retake
______________
____________________
preview
______________
____________________
The meaning of a prefix can be determined by the manner in which it changes the meaning of the
base word.
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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4. Suffix
A suffix is an ending that can modify the meaning of a word. There are about one
hundred or so common suffixes. These common suffixes modify nouns, adjectives and adverbs.
There appears to be approximately 20 suffixes that are most frequently used in English words.
We elected to group several of these suffixes under the following four categories of meaning:
1. Capable of Being:
The suffixes -able as in serviceable and -ible as in credible provide a meaning
clue that denotes capable of being.
2. State of Being:
The suffixes -ance as in disturbance, -acy as in intimacy, and -ment as in
development provide meaning clues that denote state of being.
Below are five words containing suffixes. Write the word capable if the suffix
means capable of being or write the word state if the suffix means state of being.
amendment _________________
maneuverable _______________
reluctance___________________
incredible___________________
democracy__________________
3. One Who Does:
The suffix -eer as in auctioneer denotes one who does.
4. One Who Is:
The suffix -ee as in devotee denotes one who is.
Below are four words containing suffixes. Write the word does if the suffix
means one who does or write the word is if the suffix means one who is.
engineer_________________
employee________________
trustee__________________
racketeer________________
Note: The number of suffixes presented above represent a fraction of the common suffixes that
could be discussed. The purpose for presenting suffixes was to point out that the suffix is -another clue to word learning.
Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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Formatted by Dr. Cory Hansen, Arizona State University West, RDG 322
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