Using the Six
Syllable Types to
Help Students
Unlock Words
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Reading Research Blocks Series
Syllable
division
Word
derivation
Did you know?
• 50%
of English is rule governed and
completely regular
• 37%
of words have only one irregularity
• 13%
irregular
What’s this session about?
This session will address helping those kids
who have splinter reading skills, but have
few skills to unlock unknown words.
They guess based on the first letter or two.
They use pictures (not many pictures at this
level) and what they know, or think they
know, of the content.
Instruction must be cumulative,
sequential, and systematic, so that
students overcome the bad habit
of relying on context and guessing
to decode unknown words.
Louisa Moats
In this session, you will learn
• The 6 syllable types
• How to identify syllable types in a word
• How to divide words into syllables and
identify what the vowel says based on the
syllable pattern
• Gain confidence in your ability to present
vocabulary so that students become more
able and empowered in unlocking
unknown words.
Pretest
Let’s see what we know first
Hang in
there…
Here we go!
Closed Syllable
Yes?
1
2
3
4
No?
1
Closed? Yes or No
bat
coat
try
stamp
grim
grime
no
pick
shut
ask
chip
dream
Closed? Yes or No
bat
coat
try
stamp
grim
grime
no
pick
shut
ask
chip
dream
c
a
t
n
i
p
fantastic
3 vowels
3 syllables
fan tas tic
hundred
n dr
hun dred
shadplit
shad plit
Blend to the end
swashblam
swash blam
sh = digraph
bl = blend
Divide these words into syllables
Count the consonants between the vowels and
group them together
– Remember blend to the end when possible
British
complex
1
2
3
4
consonant consonants
transmit
clupnet
tim id
con test
chinfrob
mim ic
van quish
handshake
vambith
liv id
contrast
brethren
2
Brit ish
clup net
com plex
vam bith
trans mit
chin frob
con trast
breth ren
handshake
Open Syllable
3
Open? Yes or No
hi
I
she
fee
flu
will
Kate
pry
belt
Open? Yes or No
hi
I
she
fee
flu
will
Kate
pry
belt
silo
si
lo
o
o
zero
ze ro
O
O
silent
protest
erupt
si lent
pro test
e rupt
o
c
o
c
o
c
tulip
open
humid
even
frequent
menu
result
began
defrost
4
How’d You Do?
tu lip
o c
o pen
o c
hu mid
o c
e ven
o c
fre quent
o
c
men u
c o
re sult
o c
be gan
o c
de frost
o c
Vowel – Consonant e Syllable
Silent e Syllable
e
e
5
Silent e? Yes or No
quite
chive
slip
squish
eke
glare
dim
dime
camp
Silent e? Yes or No
quite
chive
slip
squish
eke
glare
dim
dime
camp
Let’s Do These Together
apron
think pr between the 2 vowels
blend to the end if possible
ә
a pron
distribute
Think:
4 vowels, but the e on the end is silent
So I will have 3 syllables
Divide between the 2 “i’s str (3 letter blend)
I’ll try putting s with the 1st syllable and blend to
the end with tr – dis tr
Now I have to divide between the i and the u.
I’ll flex the b – dis tri bute
dis trib ute
Distribute is a word I know.
Closed – Open – Silent e (v-e)
athlete
inflate
romantic
economize
stipulate
replenish
microscope
amnesty
rejuvenate
navy
6
Closed – Open – Silent e
ath lete
c
in flate
v-e
c v-e
ro man tic
e con o mize
o
o
c
c
stip u late
c
o v-e
c
o
v-e
re plen ish
o
c
c
Closed – Open – Silent e
mi cro scope
o
o
v-e
re ju ven ate
o o
c
v-e
am nes ty
c
c
o
na vy
o
o
Consonant le
-le
• Always the last syllable
• “e”s only job is to make it a vowel
ble
fle
tle
ple
gle
zle
cle
dle
Watch the spelling
ta
sim
drib
cra
ket
ble
ple
ble
dle
tle
What do you notice?
table
kettle
drizzle
rifle
simple
cycle
riddle
giggle
ta
ket
driz
ri
sim
cy
rid
gig
ble
tle
zle
fle
ple
cle
dle
gle
o -le
c -le
c -le
o -le
c -le
o -le
c -le
c -le
7
Your Turn
grumble
huddle
maple
able
tackle
crumble
bugle
dangle
tumble
How did you do?
grum ble
c -le
hud dle
c -le
ma ple
o -le
a ble
o -le
tac kle
c -le
crum ble
c -le
bu gle
o -le
dan gle
c -le
tum ble
c -le
R Controlled Syllable
ar
or er
ir
ur
smart
for
bird
turn
curve
skirt
short
farm
stork
fern
third
storm
particle
Ә = schwa
ә
par ti cle
r
o -le
8
Putting it together
scarlet
c l o
circus
survive
thirsty
organize
interrupt
paragraph
internalize
candle
tremble
final
Afganistan
e r
tribute
photosynthesis
scar let
cir cus
trib ute
sur vive
thir sty
or gan ize
in ter rupt
ә
ә
par a graph in ter na lize
r
c
r
c
e
r
c
r
c
r
r
c
o
o
e
r
c
c
c
r
e
o
e
ә
can dle
c
trem ble
-le
c
-le
ә
Af gan i stan
c
c o c
ә
pho to syn the sis
o
o
c
o
c
fi nal
o
c
Vowel Team Syllable
stain
First Vowel Says Its Name
ai ay
ee ea (eat, bread, steak)
ey
igh
oa
oe
ow
eigh (eight)
ei (vein)
ie (piece)
ue ui oo ew eu
(Sue, suit, moo, blew, Europe)
oi oy (boil, toy)
ou ow (trout, brow, brown, trowel, power)
au aw (August, flaw, brawl)
flower
flow er
VT
r
9
Try these
freedom
lighter
cruiser
crucify
May
triple
eighteen
frontier
defeat
remember
majority
fraternity
ә
free dom
VT
c
Try these
light er
r
ә
cru ci fy
o o o
crui ser
VT
r
ә
May
VT
tri ple
o -le
ә
eigh teen
VT
fron tier
c VT
ma jor i ty
o r o o
ә
de feat
o VT
re mem ber
o c r
ә
ә
fra ter ni ty
o r o o
Syl
Di
la
vi
ble
sion
www.trcabc.com/media/syllables.
gif
Syl la ble
Di vi sion
Takes the guess work
out of syllable division
Syllable Division Rules
• Step One: Find and underline all the single vowel
sounds. umbrella
• Step Two: Count the number of consonants between
the vowels.
umbrella
3
2
• Step Three: Divide the syllables according to the
number of consonants between the vowels.
um brel la
c
c
o
Count the Syllables
lady
See
2
Syllable(s)
2
rain
See
____
Syllable(s)
________
Try These
grape
sleeve
pillow
thief
crocodile
umbrella
cry
porcupine
10
How Did You Do?
grape 1
sleeve
1
pillow 2
thief
1
Crocodile 3
umbrella 3
cry
porcupine
1
3
Dividing Words Into Syllables
Rule
Share Fair
When there are 2 consonants between 2
vowels, each syllable usually gets a vowel
muffin
balloon
signal
Which word(s) have a schwa sound in
them?
Dividing Words Into Syllables
Rule
Share Fair
When there are 2 consonants between 2
vowels, each syllable usually gets a vowel
muffin
muf fin
balloon
bal loon
signal
sig nal
e
e
Which word(s) have a schwa sound in
them?
Rules for dividing the syllables
between the consonants
• Two or 4 consonants
between vowels
ad mit
c c
– Usually divide the
consonants evenly
swing shift
c
c
rab bit
c
c
Rules for dividing the syllables
between the consonants
• Four consonants
between vowels:
• diph thong (keep digraphs
together)
– in general, divide
• sub scribe (keep 3 letter
them evenly
blends together)
– may experiment
with other ways
• seam stress
• marsh mal low
Dividing Words Into Syllables with One
Consonant Between Vowels
Rule
Flexing
When there is one consonants between 2
vowels, the vowel can go either way. Flex
the vowel – try it with both syllables to find
the real word
bacon
bac on
ba con
polish
bacon
crazy
11
Brazil
camel
• Mark the syllable types.
• Which word can be read 2 ways?
• Which syllables have a schwa sound?
(Hint: there are 3)
How Did You Do?
Po lish
o
c
c
e
Bra zil
c
e
o
ba con
o
c
cra zy
o
o
e
cam el
c
or pol ish
c
c
Rules for dividing the syllables
between the consonants
• One consonant
between vowels:
– Usually divide before
the consonant
• first vowel will be
long
• if it sounds like a
real word you know
– GOOD
tu na
o c
i ris
o c
hu man
o
c
Rules for dividing the syllables
between the consonants (continued)
– If dividing after
the vowel doesn’t
make a
word you know. . .
try dividing after
the consonant
cab in
c c
hab it
c c
trav el
c c
Rules for dividing the syllables
between the consonants
• Three consonant
between vowels:
– Generally put the first
consonant with the
first vowel, and the
other two with the
second vowel
– Try to keep blends
together
BLEND TO THE END
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
sim ply
mis chief
um brella
mon ster
al phabet
con tract
ex treme
When there are 3 consonants between 2 vowels, divide
the syllables and keep digraphs and blends together if
possible
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
purchase
anthem
engrave
electric
orphanage
chemistry
comprehend
12
With a partner pronounce the verb form of each
of these words. What do you notice?
approximate
articulate
associate
deliberate
duplicate
laminate
graduate
intimate
moderate
predicate
Verbs ending in the letters "ate"
pronounce the letter "a" of the last
syllable with the "long a" sound (the
name of the letter "a", the sound of
the words steak and make).
Practice
• suspect
opportunity
• suspense
encouraged
• suspension
polish
• accept
melodramatic
• acceptable
crocodile
13
op por tu ni ty
c
r o o o
en cour ag
c
d
c
Pol ish
c c
or
e
d
s (suffix)
Po
o
mel o dra ma tic
c o o
o
c
croc o
c
o
dile
v-e
lish
c
For which child. . . ?
Discuss how you would use teaching syllable
division to your level students.
• Elementary
• Middle School
• High School
How Would You Divide These?
vygotsky
foutblin
satistrix
squilam
vy got sky
o
c
fout blin
d
c
sat is trix
c
c
c
squil am
c
rishglizim
o
c
rish gliz im
c
c
c
Suffixes
• Depends on syllable type of word &
number of syllables in the word
• Depends on the ending being added
– Suffix begins with a vowel
– Suffix begins with an “i”
– Suffix begins with a consonant
Sample Vowel Suffixes
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
-ed
-en
-able
-er
-ent
-ar
-ation
-ous
-or
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
-itis
-ive
-ing
-ist
-ical
-ible
-ibility
Consonant suffixes
• -ly
tra gic ly
• -ness hap pi ness
• -ment in cre ment
• -ful
• -ship
pen man ship
• -tion
tran si tion
• -less
clue less
• -sion
ses sion
cup ful
• -cian mu si cian
Vowel suffixes beginning with “i”
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
-itis
-ive
-ing
-ist
-ical
-ible
-ibility
The Schwa Sound
Sound is often determined by
placement of the accent
within a word.
Any vowel can become a schwa sound in
an unaccented syllable

Incredible
compliment
beckon
Alaska
Determining Accent
• Easier once students recognize the root in
polysyllabic words
• Accent is most likely to be on the word
root
Patterns of Accent
• Primary Accent:
– Stress (syllable pronounced the loudest) is on
one syllable
• Secondary or tertiary Accent:
– Weaker stress on another syllable
Accent Generalizations
• Accented syllables are pronounced
according to their syllable type.
A las ka
c
• Unaccented syllables are pronounced as a
schwa sound.
A las ka
Accent Generalizations
• Accent the first syllable in two or three syllable
words and pronounce according to syllable type
– If word does not sound like a word you know, move
the accent
• Accent the second syllable vowel and
pronounce according to syllable type
Accent – Two syllable words
continued . . .
• When a word can be either a noun or a
verb . . .
– The prefix is accented if it is a noun . . .
– com ́ bine
– The root is accented if it is a verb . . .
– com biné
Accent in Three Syllable Words
• The first syllable is usually accented while
the vowel in the second syllable is a
schwa.
– miń is ter
• When the word consists of a prefix, root
and a suffix, the accent is usually on the
second syllable.
– in dent ́ ed
Accent in Four Syllable Words
• The accent is generally on the second
syllable in a four syllable word.
– in veś ti gate
– mag net́ ic ly
Accents controlled by suffixes
• Suffixes beginning with “i”
– -ic
• Accent on syllable before this suffix
– -ity
• Accent on syllable before this suffix
– -ion ( pronounced as /e un/ or /yun/ )
• Accent on syllable before this suffix
– -tion, -sion, -cian
• Accent is on syllable before these suffixes
Great Job!!
Now let’s see what you learned
-le
closed
open
r controlled
silent e
vowel team
ble
Thanks for
coming
Don’t forget to evaluate
workshop for credit