Four types of reading vowels in English. English transcription: pronunciation of letters and sounds in English

Knowledge in English has already become the norm and a common thing in society, however, many questions arise before those who are just starting to study it, including the correct pronunciation of not only words, but even letters. By the way, there are 26 of them in the English language. There are much more sounds - to immediately understand how each of the letters is read is sometimes beyond even native speakers. It is the peculiarities of the pronunciation of letters that make English difficult to learn and understand. But with effort, you can always achieve good results.

Independent study of the English language and the rules of reading in it requires a lot of self-discipline. Only by making maximum efforts, you can achieve results - you need to train in reading daily, devoting at least half an hour to this. It's better than going back to school once or twice a week.

Rules for reading letters in English

There are a number of rules in the English language, without knowledge of which the development of literate reading is impossible. Recall that there are as many as 44 sounds in English - this means that one letter can be read in different ways, depending on where it stands and what it is surrounded by.

Reading consonants

Pronunciation a large number English consonants is not difficult, because they are read the same way as Russian ones. These letters arem, n, l, b, f and zother. Consonantst and dcan also be attributed to this group, but with a slight clarification - they should be pronounced with some aspiration:dentist, door, tape, talk.

With the rest of the letters you need to master simple rules, without which it will be difficult to navigate in the correct pronunciation:

Letter c has two types of pronunciation. If it comes before vowels likei, e and y, then it is read as the letter [s]: city, quote, spice, ice.

Otherwise, before vowelsa, O, uand other consonants, it will be read as [k]: comfort, confusion, dictionary, clean.

with a letter gthe situation is the same - in combination with lettersi, e and yit reads like [dʒ]: gymnastics, Georgia, general, age. But there are exception words here, the pronunciation of which must be remembered: inget, give, forget, begin, girlthe consonant reads like [g]. Before vowelsa, O , uand other consonants, the letter is pronounced like [g]: good, gold, galaxy, glad

Letter qin combination with vowels occurs only in the formqu and reads like [ kw]: quality, queen, quake equipment.

Letter pronunciationjeasy to remember: in all cases it is read as [dʒ]: June, jacket, jungle, jet.

Letter s reads like [ s] in those cases when it is at the beginning of a word, in the middle before voiceless consonants and at the end after voiceless consonants:song, hipster, desk, mess. The letter has a second reading option - [z]. It is used in cases where the letter is after or between vowels, as well as after voiced consonants:race, use, beds, is.

At xalso has its own peculiarities of pronunciation. In some cases, this letter will be read as [ks] - when it is at the end of a word, before a consonant or unstressed vowel:Fox, text, next, six. The letter can also be read as [gz], if it comes before a stressed vowel:exotic, exams, example.

Consonant combinations in English

Sometimes adjacent consonant letters give rise to a new sound, not similar to those given by these letters separately. Here are some examples:

ch - [ tʃ]: church, match, champion;

ck- [ k]: back, clock, black;

gh- [-] (no sound):night, right, light;

kn- [ n]: knife, knock, knot;

ng- [ ŋ ]: sing, thing, ring;

nk- [ Lk]: prank, funk, drunk;

ph- [ f]: pharaoh, photographer, physics;

sh- [ ʃ ]: shine, shapes, show;

tch- [ tʃ]: match, watch, stretch;

th- [ θ ] (at the beginning and end of significant words):teeth, thin, think;

th- [ ð ] (between vowels and at the beginning of function words):with, they, father;

wh- [ w] (with vowels excepto): why, when, white;

wh- [ h] (with a vowel o): whose, who, whom;

wr- [ r]: wreck, wrong, wrath.

Reading vowels

Depending on how the word ends, vowels will have different types of reading. There are only four of them - they are all for English vowels in stressed syllables.

open syllable . Such a syllable is called one that ends in a vowel, including in cases where it is not pronounced:

A [ ei] - fame;

O [ ou] - smoke;

E[ i:] - me;

I[ ai] - five;

Y[ ai] - try;

U[ ju:] - tube.

All the words given in the examples end in a silent vowel, and the pronunciation of vowels at the root is the same as in the alphabet.

Closed syllable . It ends in a consonant:

A [ uh] - Mad;

O [ o] - sport;

E[ e] - September;

I[ i] - flip;

Y[ i] - rhythm;

U[ a] - fun.

Vowel + “r” . This consonant affects the sound of the vowel that stands at the root - it gives its sound a length:

A [ a:] - far;

O [ o:] - sort;

E[ e:] - term;

I[ e:] - fir;

Y[ e:] - Byrd;

U[ e:] - turn.

Vowel + “r” + vowel . The consonant, as in the above case, is not read. It only gives firmness to the vowel that follows it:

A [ ea] - care;

O [ o:] - more;

E[ ie] - where;

I[ aie] - fire;

Y[ aie] - tire;

U[ jue] - cure.

Reading diphthongs

Diphthongs are sounds that consist of two vowels. To pronounce a diphthong, the tongue must first move into position for the first of two vowels and then move into position for the second vowel. The first sound is always stronger and more distinct than the second. All these movements must be performed within one syllable. Reading these sounds is quite difficult and is not immediately given to those people who have just begun to learn English:

[ ee] - and - free;

[ ea] - and - tear;

[ oo] - y - soon;

[ all] - ol - wall;

[ ay] - Hey - day;

[ oi] - Oh - joint.

What to look for when reading

Accent

Russian accent is identified by foreigners immediately: we are distinguished by a not too emotional tone of communication, dry pronunciation of sounds. English, on the other hand, needs a more “lively” approach - here the impulsive pronunciation of words, lowering and raising the tone are very important, because with the help of them English-speaking people show their attitude to the conversation, paint it in the right colors.

Intonation

Each language has its own melody of speech, which gives it original features. There are two basic intonations in English: falling and rising. These tones in the language are indicated by a down arrow for descending and up for ascending.

Example:

I read a ↓ book.
Do you read a book?

The first tone is used in questions that begin with interrogative words, imperative, exclamatory and affirmative sentences.

Example:

This house is ↓ white- This house is white ;

↓ Open the door - Open the door;

Where did he ↓ ride? - Where did he ride?

Ascending is used for general questions, transfers, in requests.

Example:

Do you know Sam?- Do you know Sam?
May I ask you a question? -May I ask you a question?;
I have a hat, a shoes, a jacket and a ↓ socks - I have a hat, boots, jacket and socks.

stress

They play a big role in the English language. The stress here is not fixed, which means they are pronounced the way you want - in accordance with the phrase that you pronounce. Different parts of speech can be stressed in sentences: nouns, adjectives, verbs, numerals, adverbs and some pronouns.

How to improve reading skills in English?

As mentioned earlier, in the matter of learning the basics of the English language, constant practice remains the main thing. There are a number of exercises, tips and tricks that can improve your reading skills. new level. You need to contact them as often as possible, even daily.

Speak children's tongue twisters

Suitable for people who want to learn to read from scratch and those who have great difficulty in the correct pronunciation of sounds. They are composed in such a way as to work out each sound separately. Choose those letters that are most difficult for you to pronounce, and repeat as often as possible tongue twisters specially created for them - at first slowly and legibly, you can gradually begin to accelerate.

Interdentalth :

Whether the weather is warm, whether the weather is hot, we have to put up with the weather, whether we like it or not.

Red leather, yellow leather.

Thirty thousand thirsty thieves thundered through the thicket.

Whistlings :

She sells seashells by the seashore.

Would the single singer sing the sad song about them?

I can think of six thin things, but I can think of six thick things too.

Soundsh , which is often confused withth :

We surely shall see the sun shine soon.

She sells sea shells on the seashore.

She slits the sheet she sits on.

Soundf :

The first fly flies forty-four feet,
The fourth fly flies forty-five feet,
The fifth fly flies fifty-four feet.
What fly flies fifty-five feet?

Fat frogs flying past fast.

Soundj :

US students are younger than UK junkers,

UK junkers are cuter than US students.

If US students weren't younger than UK junkers,

Could UK junkers be cuter than US students?

Yankee yachtsmen's yachts yaw for one yard,

Yakut yachtsmen's yachts yaw for two yards.

If Yankee yachtsmen's yachts didn't yaw for one yard,

Could Yakut yachtsmen’s yachts yaw for two yards?

Listen to competent English speech

Auditory memory will be very useful to you: listen to native speakers as often as possible: this can be films in English, radio, podcasts, audio books, educational materials and much more.

To begin with, choose to listen to small, light texts that you have in printed form. At the same time as the announcer says, repeat after him - gradually you will remember how he pronounces sounds that are difficult for you and you will begin to speak much more competently and beautifully.

Work on your pronunciation

Do not forget to communicate with people who have the correct English speech - with foreigners, teachers, people for whom English is like a second native. How well your interlocutors and listeners will understand you depends on pronunciation.

Listen to the people you are talking to very carefully, trying to imitate their intonation and pronunciation. Understand how to pronounce those sounds of the English language that are not in Russian: work on the position of the lips and tongue and try to remember the method of pronunciation of letters.

For example, most of the difficulties are caused by such a common sound in English asth.There are many mistakes in the attempts of Russian people to read it correctly: it often sounds like something between the letters s and z - this sound is not correct. In a number of words such asthis, that and therethis combination of letters should be pronounced as a sound between z and d, and in wordsthree, think and thief- as something between s and f.

Use transcriptions

Transcription is such a system of signs, where each of them conveys its own specific sound. With the help of them, it becomes much clearer how to pronounce complex words, what sounds they consist of. Usually only schoolchildren use transcriptions, and in vain - this method of remembering and assimilating the correct pronunciation of sounds is suitable for any person. A table with transcription signs is presented below:

Let's break the combinations of consonants into groups.

№	Group	Combinations	Sounds	Examples
1	Ordinary	ck	[k]	clock - clock, stick - stick, luck - luck
		qu		queen - queen, quick - quick, question [‘kwest ∫ (ə) n] - question
		(d)g		bridge - bridge, edge - edge, lodge - house
2	sizzling	sh	[∫]	ship [∫ıp] - ship, smash - blow, show [∫əʊ] - show, astonish [ə'stɒnı∫] - surprise
		ch, tch		chat - chat, fetch - effort, such - such
3	Interdental	th	[Ө]	thank [Өæŋk] - gratitude, thin [Өın] - thin, bath - bath, myth - myth, three [Өri:] - three
		th	[ð]	mother [‘mʌðə] - mother, bathe - to swim, clothes - clothes, this [ðıs] - this, the [ðə] - article, than [ðæn] - than
4	Greek	ph	[f]	photo ['fəʊtəʊ] - photography, telephone ['telı, fəʊn] - phone, triumph ['traıəmf] - triumph
5	nasal	-ng	[ŋ]	sing - sing, coming [‘kʌmıŋ] - arrival, wing - wing
		nk, n+[k]	[ŋk]	think [Өıŋk] - think, donkey [‘dɒŋkı] - donkey, uncle [ʌŋkl] - uncle
6	dumb	kn-	[n]	knight - knight, know - know, knee - knee
		wr	[r]	write - write, wrist - wrist, wrong - wrong
		wh	[w]	when - when, why - why, whirl - whirlpool, whale - whale

Ordinary sounds.

The letter combination "ck" replaces the letter "k" according to the rule of three letters. If the word has one vowel, then the letter combination “ck” is written, if there are two vowels, then the letter “k” is written. The sound will be the same in both cases. Compare: lock - lock and look - look.

In the combination "qu", the vowel "u" ​​gives the consonant sound [w]. The combination "qu" is similar to the croaking of a frog.

The letter combination "dg" + silent "e" replaces the letter "g" + silent "e" at the end of the word according to rule of four letters. If there is a consonant before "g", then "g" + silent "e" is written, if not, then "dg" + silent "e" is written. The sound will be the same in both cases. Compare: pledge - pledge, plunge - immersion.

Hissing sounds.

Since the English alphabet does not have special letters for hissing sounds, as in Russian: "ch" and "sh", these hissing sounds are formed by a combination of letters. The sound consists of two letters, but is pronounced together, like the Russian “ch”. It is necessary to remember about deaf-voiced pairs: [∫ - ʒ], as in the Russian alphabet: "sh" - "g", "h" - "j".

At the end of words, the letter combination “tch” is written instead of “ch” according to the four-letter rule: if there is a consonant before, then “ch” is written, if not, then “tch”. For example: inch [ınt∫] - inch, itch [ıt∫] - thirst. Exceptions: much - very, rich - rich, such - such.

Interdental sounds- deaf and voiced. Deaf is used in semantic words: nouns, adjectives, verbs, numerals. Therefore, to read the combination "th" you need to know the translation of the word or part of speech. The voiced sound is used in pronouns and function words: prepositions, conjunctions, in the definite article. Between vowels, the interdental sound is always voiced. For example: mother [‘mʌðə] - mother. Exceptions are borrowed from the Greek word, for example: author [ɔ: Өə] - author, method [‘meӨəd] - method.

Greek by origin, the letter combination "ph" [f] is often found in international words similar to different languages. For example, words similar to Russian: telephone [‘telıfəʊn] - telephone, phone - sound, call on the phone, physics [‘fızıks] - physics.

nasal[ŋ] at the end of a word is most often found in the ending –ing [ıŋ], although there are other cases. It must be remembered that the letter "g" is not pronounced. This letter is pronounced only in the middle of a word, for example: English [‘ıŋglı∫] - English. The sound combination [ŋk] is formed not only by combining the letters “nk”, but also always when the letter “n” is followed by the sound [k], for example: anxious [‘æŋk∫əs] – preoccupied.

dumb consonants are not pronounced and therefore do not require additional explanations. For the letter combination "wh", the rule changes when the letter "o" comes next. In this case, silent letters change places in this combination of letters. For example: whole - whole, who - who, whose - whose.

In conclusion, we note that the letter "h" is the most compatible letter in the English alphabet. So, if you meet this letter in a word, see if it is in any combination of letters.

This article is for those who learning to read english. The twenty-first lesson is devoted to the topic "English alphabet", and to remember it better, a video is attached to the alphabet (classic British version).

There are two ways to teach reading: from sound to letter and from letter to sound. The first twenty lessons of the cycle were based on the methodology from sound to letter and now that we're through all english sounds, you can safely go to another level. Therefore, in the next five lessons we will go "from letter to sound" and today it's time to learn English alphabet.

In Lesson 21 you will learn that

• there are only 6 vowels in English;
• what is an open syllable;
• how vowels are read in an open syllable.

Let's start with the English alphabet. Listen to the song "ABC", watch the video and learn how to pronounce the letters in English. Total in English 6 vowels and 20 consonants.

English Alphabet Video ABC Song

(classic british version)

learned English alphabet? Then let's move on. Here's what the alphabet looks like in writing: Rules for reading vowels in English

REMEMBER:

1. in English only 6 vowels:

aa —

ee —

II —

Oh —

Uu —

Yy —

1. the stressed vowel is read in 4 ways, depending on what type of syllable it is in. There are 24 sounds in total.

Types of syllable in English

Rule (main). In an open syllable, the vowel is read as in the alphabet.

f a mouse = f a-mous

c u cumber = c u-cumber

In English there is also conditionally open syllable. These are monosyllabic words with an "e" at the end. EXAMPLES. P e te, l a te, c o ke.

Letter e at the end of a word unreadable and called " e - mute". It shows that the root vowel should be read as in the alphabet. There are many such words in English.

How to divide a word into syllables? (repetition)

How to divide a word into syllables? Take, for example, the word CUCUMBER (cucumber) and divide it into syllables.

The general rule is: how many vowels, so many syllables.

C U C U MB E R is three vowels, hence three syllables: C U-C U M-B E R

1. The first syllable ends in a vowel => he open
2. The second syllable ends in a consonant => he closed
3. The third syllable ends in a consonant => he too closed

Parsing:

BER: the letter combination ER at the end of a word reads like [ə]

But don't bother yourself with this just yet, the most important thing to remember is that vowels in English in OPEN syllable they are read as in the alphabet. Therefore, if you have learned the English alphabet (the video, of course, will speed up this process), then you can already read the words with open syllable.

Now let's get to repeating the rules for reading vowels. I remind you that there are only 6 of them. Let's take the first letter of the alphabet. It reads "Hey". It's easy to remember if you look at the picture. " Hey, who eats nuts? Find a sound and listen to how it is pronounced -

So, let's move on to reading the first vowel of the English alphabet. Letter A in stressed syllable means 4 sounds. See TABLE below. Besides, if letter A stands in an unstressed syllable, it is read [ə] .

So before you start reading the first vowel of the English alphabet, summarize:

• in the first (open) type of syllable (I) all stressed vowels are read as in the alphabet
• and in the second (II), third (III) and fourth (IV) - according to the table

Reading the English letter A in four types of syllable

So, let's start reading. Here in front of you 4 types of syllable (I - open, II-closed, III, IV). Square brackets indicate how to pronounce the letter Aa in this type of syllable UNDER ACCENT. Phrases are tongue twisters that need to be repeated many times in order to remember reading the letter A in the corresponding syllable type.

For those who have just joined. A dictionary is connected to the site, click on the word and you will hear its correct pronunciation. To hear how the sound in [square brackets] is pronounced, look it up in the phonemic table.

Reading the vowel Aa in 4 types of syllable. Tongue Twisters

1. - This l a ke is a f a mouspl a ce in W a les. (See Lesson #20)

2. [æ] - A bl a ck c a t s a t on a m a t and a te a f a r a t. (See Lesson #3)

3. - The p ar ks, g ar dens and f ar ms are l ar ge and ch ar ming. (Lesson #6)

4. - My p are nts* take c are of r are h are s. (See Lesson #18)

LISTEN to how the sounds , [æ], , — are pronounced

*parents - [`peərənts]

Pronunciation is important! For you author's pronunciation lessons:

Phonetic exercises for reading the letter A in an open and closed syllable

A(I,II):

lake, jam, apple, famous, name, fan, trade, lamp, maze, batman, gate, stand, to behave, matter, skate, as, cable, take, rabbit, amazing , to decamp, to debate, Danish, raffish, rally, slake, snake, slalom, slam, fate, place, blame, can, rage, frank, splash, spade, damp, African, admiral, age, and, to arrange, to attack;

to is a feature of the verb. Most verbs are stressed on the second syllable.

Phonetic exercises for reading the letter A in the third and fourth type of syllable

A(III,IV):

car, large, care, rare, cart, hare, chart, card, stare, dark, market, bare, yard, star, glare, far, bar, apartment, parents, spare, scare, lark, mare, bare, dare, carpet, particle, barefoot, March, larch, square.

Exceptions:
1 - have, vase
2 - any , many [`meni], ate

In an unstressed syllable, A reads like [ə]:
a bout, a round, a cross, to a ttack, alpha bet, Africa, to a dvise, to a ddress

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Phonetic exercises for practicing reading the letter A with audio recording and answers (closed content)

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Title: Phonetic exercises with audio recording

Description: Access to restricted content *Repeat the rules of reading in English*

So let's sum up the results of the twenty-first lesson on learning to read in English and pronunciation at the same time:

• you learned the English alphabet;
• you learned what an open syllable is in English;
• do you know how to read a vowel Ah in an open syllable;
• you fixed the pronunciation English sounds , [æ], , .

Hello friends.

I think each of you - whether you are a parent or a teacher - understands that the rules for reading English for children differ from the rules for adults, but not in content, but in terms of the volume and presentation of the material.

Preschoolers or school-age children who are just starting to learn English need to be given such information in very portions, accompanying all this with vivid pictures, video and audio materials. Of course, you should immediately give memorable examples and, if possible, reinforce everything with exercises. Then this topic will be easy and even interesting for a young student.

On this page you will find very colorful and useful tables with the main vowels of the English language. ().

In the first table you can see the basic vowels and how to read them.

In the second table - the most common combinations of vowels in words and also how to read them.

And in the third and fourth - examples of sentences with words containing the mentioned letters and combinations.

How to work with them?

1. To begin with, explain to the child that each vowel letter in English can be read differently and using the 1st table, look at the examples and read them together (you can also study if it is not clear to the child).
2. Then talk about the fact that in English there are vowels that often stand next to each other, and in this case they will sound together in their own way. On the examples from the 2nd table, you will see this and read it together.
3. In the third and fourth tables, you and your child can read whole sentences, each of which has several words with the same vowel sounds (they are underlined). Before each sentence example, a transcription icon with the sound being practiced is highlighted in red. Read it first, and then the entire sentence.

To make it easier for you, I recorded audio for these materials. Listen and practice.

Letters and sounds

Commentary on table 1: If you notice, every vowel in the English language can be read in two ways: either as we read it in the alphabet, or in a different way. So, usually in alphabetical order, letters "a, e, i, o, u" read in words that end with a letter "e" or consisting of more than one syllable . But in short monosyllabic words ending in a consonant, they are read differently. This must be remembered! Reading a letter "y" you also need to remember in two ways - but here the logic is different - in short words, where it is in last place, we read it alphabetically (to be precise, almost alphabetically), and in long ones - in a different way.

Regularly reread with children examples of short monosyllabic and longer English words with vowels - then their reading rules will be “recorded” in the child’s memory, and later he will be able to find out by analogy how the letter will be read. You will find a lot of similar practice in my .

Sentence examples

I hope you liked it!

By the way, I wrote about the important rules for teaching a child to read correctly in English - there you will also find some practice with voiced material.

How to learn to read in English (M. Kaufman) This is a very interesting book for kids. What is very remarkable, in parallel with learning to read, there is an acquaintance with the English-speaking culture. This awakens the interest and curiosity of the child in the language ... And interest, as you know, is already 50% of success! If not more...

If you have any questions, write and ask them in the comments - I will be happy to help.

»We examined the basic rules for reading consonants. Do not think that by memorizing only them, you will correctly read any English word. Be sure to come across an unfamiliar word that will not be read according to the rule. But yes, 90% will submit to you. In any case, knowing these patterns of reading various letter combinations, you can guess how the word you need is read. And if in doubt, still look in the dictionary.

English Reading Rules: Vowels

1. Letter first in line A. What sounds can she make?
   • in an open stressed syllable, in combinations ai, ay , and before the letter combination angle : baker, crane, cable, gain, rain, bay, stay, change, dangerous. Among the exceptions: many, have, said.
   • in combinations ai , ay , age in an unstressed syllable, this letter gives the sound [i]: carriage, captain, storage.
   • [æ] in a closed syllable: cap, dangle, factor, hatch, rash, rat.
   • [Ɔ] in a closed syllable after w, wh : wad, waffle, what.
   • [Ə] in an unstressed syllable: myopia, pasta, regalia.
   • [ƐƏ] in combinations air, are : hair, bare, pair, rare, stair, mare.
   • in combinations ar, aft, ass, ance, ast, ath, ans, ask, ant, alf, anch : card, barge, craft, after, grass, dance, glance, last, past, rather, father, answer , bask, task, plant, grant, half, calf, branch. Among the exceptions: mass, gather, pathos.
   • [Ɔ:] before l or l+ consonant, as well as in combinations au, aw, aught, auth, war, quar : call, football, altogether, paunch, law, caught, authority, warble, quart, quarterly.
2. The second letter will be O. Her range of sounds is as follows:
   • in an open stressed syllable, before a letter l, letter combinations ll, ld, st, as well as in combination oa and ow (at the end of words): so, ago, note, provoke, rose, enroll, bold, coat, oath, oat, road, boast, show, mow, blow, most, post. Among the exceptions: do, does, who, now, how, cost, lost.
   • [Ɔ] in a closed stressed syllable: plot, fox, spot, knot, drop.
   • in combination oo : moon, afternoon, poop, rooter. Exceptions: good, wood, foot, etc.
   • [u] combined oo , but before the letter k : cook, look, brook, hookey, nook, rookie.
   • in combinations ou, ow in the middle of a word: gown, clown, crown, crowd, about, cloud, proud, bound. Among the exceptions: enough, country, double, touch, young, bowl.
   • [Ɔi] in combinations oi, oy : choice, voice, boil, spoil, enjoy, loyal, toy.
   • [Ɔ:] combined or in shock position, as well as in combinations oor, ore, oar, ough+t and our (in the middle of a word): fort, corn, boring, torn, adore, floor, door, therefore, more, board, bought, fought, sought, source, mourn, course, pour. Among the exceptions: poor, moor, courage. Combination our under stress can produce another sound -: hour, sour, lour, but four. The same combination at the end of words is conveyed by the sound [Ə], as well as the combination or in an awkward position: neighbour, labor, doctor, creator, illustrator.
   • [Əs] - this is how we read the combination ous at the end of words: glamorous, tremendous, curious.
   • [Ə:] is the reading of the combination wor in shock position: world, workable, worse, worship. An exception: worn .
   • [ᴧ] - such a sound occurs when reading combinations oth, on, om, ov under stress: mother, other, month, son, some, become, lover, dove. Note: both .
3. The next vowel from the English reading rules is a letter E. What sounds can we meet in her presence:
   • in an open stressed syllable and combinations ee, ea: be, fetor, Steve, feel, peel, teeth, seem, breathe, dean, meal, peace. Among the exceptions: great .
   • [e] in a closed stressed syllable and in combination ea before letters d,n and letter combinations th, sure : nest, pet, mental, spread, steady, feather, weather, measure, treasure, meant, cleanser. Among the exceptions: read , lead .
   • in combinations ey, ey in stressed syllable: prey, convey, eight, freighter.
   • read with combinations eu, ew: few, nephew, Europe, deuterium.
   • [Ə:] should be read in combinations er in the stressed syllable, and in ear followed by a consonant: deserve, Berlin, mercy, earth, pearl, dearth. Among the exceptions: heart. If the combination er is in an unstressed position, the same sound appears, only short, not long [Ə]: limber, answer, producer, perhaps.
   • we will pronounce in combinations ear, eer, ere : near, dear, fear, career, steer, here, hemisphere. Among the exceptions: bear , there [ƐƏ], were .
   • [i] - this is how the letter will be read E in an open unstressed syllable (including the combination er ), in combinations et and ey at the end of words: prevent, erect, exact, regret, restore, regress, bonnet, planet, closet, journey, attorney, honey.
4. Let's move on to the vowel I. In addition to the alphabetic reading, this vowel also produces other sounds:
   • in a stressed open syllable, combined ie at the end of monosyllabic words and before letter combinations such as nd, ld,gn, gh : prime, kite, bite, die, blind, mind, wind(coil), child, wild, design, sign, sigh, high, fight, bright. Among the exceptions: wind- wind, gild ,live, forgive, cinema.
   • in a closed stressed syllable and in an unstressed position, this letter is read as [i]: brick, risk, whist, testimony, handiwork, inclusion.
   • a long sound is obtained when reading a combination ie in the middle of root words: field, priest, grief, believe. An exception: friend .
   • [Ɛ:] requires combination ir in shock position: stir, first, thirty, girl.
   • in combinations ire, ia, io : desire, mire, diagnosis, bias, violinist, riot.
5. The penultimate vowel will be Y . She has five sound options in different occasions:
   • in a stressed open syllable: cry, lye, byway, cynosure.
   • [i] in a closed stressed syllable and in an open unstressed: mystery, syntax, randy, oily, quandary. But: apply[Ə'plai]
   • in combination yr+ consonant this is the sound [Ɛ:]: myrtle. And in the same combination, only in a company followed by a vowel, we get the sound: lyre, pyre, gyration.
   • [j] at the beginning of a word before vowels: yard, yellow, yawl, youth, yet, yolk.
6. And finally the letter U . What should you know about the sounds it produces?
   • in a stressed open syllable: puce, mute, lurid, fuel, cucumber.
   • [ᴧ] in a closed syllable: publicity, pug, mug, mustard, butter, fun, hurry. Among the exceptions: put, push, pull, full, etc.
   • [Ɛ:] combined ur in stressed syllable: purpose, purse, hurl, urban, urge. But: current[‘kᴧrƏnt].
   • and in the same combination, but in an unstressed syllable, as well as simply in an unstressed position in words, this letter reads [Ə]: suggest, supply, mustache, suppose. Note: mercury[‘mƏ:kjuri].
   • before a letter r and the following vowel: pure, furious, mural. But: sure[ʃuƏ].
   • after letters l, r, j in combinations ue,ui : true, blue, juice.

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