Open syllable:

• The last/the only in a word and ends in a vowel: family, me
• Vowel + consonant + vowel: family, date, Pete
• Vowel + vowel: bee

Closed syllable:

• The last in a word and ends in a consonant: bed
• Vowel+ 2,3 consonant: stand

	a	e	i	o	u	y
1. open syllable	[ei] mate	[i:] me	[ai] kite	[əu] rose	[ju:] cute	[ai] my
2. closed syllable	[æ] mat	[e] red	[i] lip	[o] not	[ʌ] hut	[i] myth
3. + r (closed syllable – stressed)	[a:] star	[ɜ:] term                                   firm		[o:] sort	[ɜ:] turn                                 Byrd
4. + re	[eə] care	[iə] mere	[aiə] fire	[o:] store	[juə]cure	[aiə] tyre

A, a

1. [ei] 

(open syllable)

lake, name, plate, vale, lane, paper, sane, plane

2. [æ] 

(closed syllable)

rat, map, plan, stamp, sand, van, tan

3. [a:]

(closed syllable ending with -r)

car, star, bar, mark, farm

4. [eə]/[εə]

(+ re: at the end of a word)

care, stare, dare

 

Exercises

1. Read the words paying attention to sounds [ei] and [æ] (rules 1, 2).

Tape, glad, make, name, pan, date, stamp, late, vale, fan, cat, can, snake, lamp, ant, flake, flat, paper.

Read the names:

Dan, Dave, Pam, Jane.

2. Read the words paying attention to sounds [ei], [æ], [a:], [eə] (rules 1-4).

Bar, carpet, ban, fare, bark, man, tan, stake, far, flare, march, lack.

3. Read the phrases paying attention to the sounds of letter a:

[æ]

Mack is a fat black cat.

A black cat sat on a mat and ate a fat rat.

[ei]

Jake takes a plane.

E, e

1. [i:]

(open syllable)

me, he, Pete, we, she

2. [e]

(closed syllable)

red, pen, hen, test, dress, Ben, leg, ten

3. [ɜ:]

(+ r)

stern, her, term, person

4. [iə]

(+re)

here, merely

! BUT:

• [ɛə]

there, where

• [ɜː]

were [wɜː]

Exercises

1.Read the words paying attention to sounds [i:] and [e] (rules 1, 2).

Men, send, be, eve, belt, felt, tell, bed, dress, leg, ten, hen, Pete.

2. Read the words paying attention to sounds [ɜ:], [iə] (rules 3, 4).

Verb, serve, here, herd, nerve, mere, nerd;

there (!), where (!).

I, i

1. [ai]

(open syllable)

fine, drive, life, nine, mine, side

2.[i]

(closed syllable)

lift, kid, fit, milk, kitten, little, listen

3.[ɜ:]

(+r, closed syllable – stressed)

bird, firm, girl, shirt, third, thirty, thirsty, skirt, mirth

4.[aiə]

(+re)

tired, wire, fire, desire, admire, hire

Exercises

1.Read the words paying attention to sounds [ai] and [i].

Sin, size, if, dive, prize, kit, bid, time, spine, five, bit, sister, nine, rich, listen, bike.

2.Read the words paying attention to sounds [ɜ:] and [aiə].

Fire, third, inspire, flirt, tire, bird, thirst, aspire.

O, o

1.[əu]

(open syllable)

stone, rose, bone, go, zone

2.[o]

(closed syllable)

frog, stop, hot, God, lot, spot

3. [o:]

(+ r)

fork, storm, unicorn, north, forty, port, sport, born, afford

4.=3. [o:]

(+re)

store, core, bore, more, explore, sore

Exercises

1.Read the words paying attention to sounds [əu] and [o] (rules 1, 2).

Rome, spoke, note, spot, soft, slope, on, not, from, zone, dot, stone.

2.Read the words paying attention to the sound [o:] (rules 3, 4).

Sport, tore, restore, form, core, sort.

U, u

1.[ju:]

(open syllable)

cute, tube, student, tune

2. [ʌ]

(closed syllable)

hut, nut, bug, bus, function, production

3. [ɜ:]

(+ r)

turn, hurt, nurse, disturb, urgent, curl, turtle

4.[juə]

(+re)

pure, cure, lure, endure

Exercises

1.Read the words paying attention to sounds [ju:] and [ʌ] .

Must, lump, use, music, mule, mute, guts, hut.

2.Read the words paying attention to sounds [ɜ:] and [juə].

Hurt, pure, spur, curse, purse.

Y, y

1. [ai]

(open syllable)

my, skype, sky, try, style

2. [i]

(closed syllable)

at the end of words without a stress:

family, happy, berry, carry

3. [ɜ:]

(+ r)

Byrd, Myrtle

4. [aiə]

(+re)

tyre

Exercises

1.Read the words paying attention to sounds [ai] and [i] .

Spy, why, teddy, fly, baby, style, study, my, cry.