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Unpronounceable sounds in English (knowledge, father, listen, etc.)

In this article, we will look at cases where letters in English words are written but not pronounced. In English, as in any other language, there are rules for reading words.

According to them, some letters are not read at all the way they sound in the alphabet, and some letters in words are not read at all. In the Russian language, this phenomenon also occurs.

For example, in the word «sun» we do not pronounce the consonant «l» and read the word as «sun», in the word «feel» we do not pronounce «v» after «y».

There are also many words in the English language with unpronounceable letters.

For example, the

Knowledge — knowledge. The first k is not pronounced.

The difficulty arises when we start looking for this word in the dictionary. After all, by ear it sounds like «nowledge». Naturally, we will not find such a word in the dictionary.

There are rules that allow you to determine in what situation certain letters from the word «fall out» and do not give any sounds, that is, they are not pronounced.

In this article, we have collected such rules and organized them for easy use and study. So, these are the rules.

Unpronounceable consonant «b «.

In a combination of letters «mb», the letter «b» is not pronounced if the word ends in these two letters, that is, in «mb».

Example: climb [klaim] climb, lamb [lam] lamb

In a combination of letters «bt», the letter «b» is not pronounced if the word ends in these two letters, that is, in «bt».

Example: debt [det] debt

Unpronounceable vowel «c «.

In the combination of letters «scl», the consonant «c» is not pronounced.

Example: muscle [m sl] muscle.

Unpronounceable vowel «and».

The vowel «e» at the end of a word is not readable.

Example: to breakdance move [mu: v] move, a name [neim] name, a Pink [rouz] rose

Unpronounceable consonant «g «.

In the combination of letters «gn» at the beginning and at the end of a word, the consonant «g» is not pronounced.

Example: campaign [kampein] campaign (meaning “action”, eg anti-smoking campaign),

design [dizain] design.

Consonants g, h.

In the combination of letters «igh», the consonants «gh» are not pronounced.

Example: eight [eit] eight, night [nait] night.

In the combination of letters «ough» and «augh», the consonants «gh» are not pronounced.

Example: thought [] thought, thought, thought.

There are also exclusion words in which «gh» is read as [g] or [f].

Example: cough [kof] cough, ghost [goust] ghost

Unpronounceable consonant «h «.

In the combination of letters «wh», the consonant «h» is not pronounced if after the combination of letters there is any vowel other than «o».

Example: Where [wee] where, white [wait] white.

The letter «h» is often not pronounced at the beginning of a word.

Example: hour [oue] hour, honor [uh: ne] honor.

Unpronounceable consonant «k ».

In the combination of letters «kn», the consonant «k» is not pronounced if the word begins with this combination of letters.

Example: knee [ni:] knee.

Unpronounceable consonant «l ».

The consonant letter «l» is not pronounced after the vowels «a», «o», «u».

Example: Could [ku: d] could (could, could).

In letter combinations «lm», «lk», «ln», the consonant «l» is not readable.

Example: calm [kam] calm, walk [wk] walk, walk, half [haf] half.

Unpronounceable consonant «not».

In the combination of letters «mn», the consonant «n» is not readable.

Example: column [color] column.

Unpronounceable consonant «p «.

Source: https://www.wallstreetenglish.ru/blog/neproiznosimyye-zvuki-v-angliyskom/

Letter combinations in English and their pronunciation. All about English transcription

The combination of letters in English is a phenomenon that is closely related to phonetics, since often the reading of consonants or vowels changes if another letter appears next to them.

It is important not only to navigate in the various variants of such combinations, but also to understand how these or those ways of connecting individual letters differ and what pronunciation features will arise in this case.

Therefore, it is required to consider the main letter combinations in English and give a special classification of such a phenomenon in order to understand the whole algorithm of actions somewhat easier.

Basic principles of combinations of English letters

The norms of the English language allow the combination of letters of the alphabet in such a way that new versions of sounds are subsequently formed. It must be remembered that sometimes such combinations are pronounced completely differently from what it seems at first glance, and the phonetics of both letters used in one combination or another may be lost.

Methods of letter combinations in English allow the formation of new sounds by combining two consonant letters, two vowels, as well as a combined version of vowels and consonants.

In this case, a certain combination can be formed by combining three letters; they are called triphthongs and differ from diphthongs in that they consist of three rather than two elements.

Therefore, it is necessary to consider the basic rules for reading English letter combinations, and you can start with the vowel + vowel options.

Vowel + vowel combinations

When reading English letter combinations that include consonants, it is necessary to take into account both letters that make up a particular construction. The options can be as follows:

ai — — pain, rain;
ay — — game, pay;
ei — — deceive, weight, height;
ea — [e] — head, read, break;
ey — — key, gray, eye;
ee — — tree, screen;
ew — — new, few;
eu — — neutral, feudalism;
oo — [u] [ɔ:] [ʌ] — wool, pool, door, blood;
oa — [əu] — road, soap;
or — — house, mouse;
ie — [e] — friend, field, diet.

All of these variants with vowels are quite common and in English are read only in accordance with the specified reading rules. Their sound conveys only vowel sounds, however, it is important not to confuse the combinations of letters, otherwise there is a risk of incorrect spelling of words and structures.

Combinations of consonants + consonants

It is necessary to remember very well how one or another variant of a combination of consonants is read, since there are much more such types of combinations than with vowels. Below are the most common ways to pronounce English consonants in combination with each other:

ch — [k] [ʃ] — chair, character, machine;
ck — [k] — stock, shock;
tch — the combination tch is consonant with the ch sound — — match, catch; the sound h in English is characterized by two variants of consonant combinations;
bt at the end of a word — [t] — doubt, debt;
gh — after combinations ou, au [f], [-] — cough, slight;
dg — — hedgehog, edge;
th — the th interdental sound is read in two ways. In the service parts of speech and between vowels, the th sound in English gives [ð] — brother, the, and at the beginning or at the end of words, as well as before consonants, it sounds like [θ] — throw, bath;
sh — the sh sound can be read as [ʃ] — shrimp, shell;
gn — [n] — sign, reign;
mb — in the middle of a word — remember, at the end of a word [m] — thumb;
mn — in the middle of a word — insomnia, at the end of a word [m] — column;
kn — in the middle of a word — sickness, at the beginning of a word [n] — knock;
wh — [w] — what, wheel;
ng — in the middle of a word [ŋg] — singer, at the end of a word [ŋ] — ring;
ph — [f] — philosopher, photo;
wr — [r] — write, wrong.

It is important to pay attention to how th, kn and other combinations are read, which have two pronunciation options and sound special depending on the position in the word. The rule of reading all the above combinations must always be observed, otherwise mistakes in the reading process and, accordingly, pronunciation will be inevitable.

Vowel + consonant combinations

Another option for combinations is vowels and consonants. Some letters in the alphabet can form certain ways of pronunciation, and this phonetic variation is also quite common. Here are the ways you can find:

er — in an unstressed position [ə] — worker, looker;
or — in an unstressed position [ə] — doctor, traitor;
an — before consonants — swan, plant;
al — [ɔ:] — chalk, talk. Another reading option is — half, calf;
wa — — was, water;
wor — — word, work;
war — — war, ward;
igh — — right, night;
qu — — quiet, sequence;
ild — — wild, mild;
ind — — find, bind.

All these options, presented with transcription, must be taken into account when pronouncing and reading the corresponding combinations. To display a combination of letters in English, a table can become an element capable of grouping all the main options and presenting information in the most concise form. This is how it might look:

All these methods of combining letters of the English alphabet are very actively used in the language and are taken into account when studying phonetics and reading rules.

All possible options should be memorized gradually, but you need to know them, since, judging by the examples, some of them can be read in different ways.

Being guided in all reading methods, it will be possible to avoid many mistakes, and the interlocutor will be able to assess the level of the speaker’s training, who, in turn, will correctly use the rules of letter combinations and not allow liberties in pronunciation.

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 the volume and presentation of the material.

Preschoolers or schoolchildren who are just starting to learn English should be given such information in a very portioned manner, 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 basic English vowel sounds. ().

In the first table you can see the basic vowels and how they are read.

In the second table — the most common combinations of vowels in words and also how they are read.

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 your child that each vowel letter in English can be read in different ways 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 differently together. In 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 contains several words with the same vowel sounds (they are underlined). Before each example-sentence, a transcription icon with a processed sound is highlighted in red. Read it first, and then read the entire sentence.

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

Letters and Sounds

Commentary on table 1:If you’ve noticed, every vowel letter in English can be read in two ways: either the way we read it in the alphabet, or differently. So, usually in the alphabetical way of the letter «A, e, i, o, u» read in words that end with a letter «and»or more than one syllable.

But in short monosyllabic words ending in a consonant, they are read differently. This must be remembered! Reading a letter «and» in two ways you also need to remember — but here the logic is different — in short words, where it is in the last place, we read it alphabetically (to be precise, almost alphabetically), and in long words — in a different way.

Regularly re-read with children examples of short monosyllabic and longer English words with vowels — then their reading rules will be «written» in the child’s memory, and later he will be able to learn the way a letter will be read by analogy. You will find a lot of similar practice in mine.

Sample sentences

Hope you enjoyed it!

By the way, I wrote about the important rules when teaching a child to read correctly in English — there you will also find a little practice with sounded material.

How to learn to read in English (M. Kaufman) Is a very interesting textbook for children. What is very remarkable, in parallel with learning to read, there is an acquaintance with the English-speaking culture. This awakens the child’s interest and curiosity 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.

Source: https://msutt.ru/bukvosochetaniya-v-angliiskom-yazyke-i-ih-proiznoshenie-vse-o-transkripcii/

English reading rules for beginners

» English » Reading rules in English

If you set yourself the ambitious goal of mastering a foreign language, be prepared to face many challenges. One of them is correct pronunciation in general and learning the rules of reading in particular.

Some European languages ​​do not have this problem. For example, in German and Spanish, words are pronounced in much the same way as they are spelled.

But if you are studying English, then you will have to sweat a lot, mastering the rules of reading in English. However, do not despair: if you remember a number of rules, there will be no more problems.

At the same time, the English language has a certain layer of vocabulary that you just have to learn, since the pronunciation of these words does not fall under any of the rules.

A whole section of the science of languages ​​is devoted to the study of sounds — phonetics. She is seriously studied in specialized linguistic universities.

However, as practice shows, it is possible to master the rules of reading and use them correctly in practice without delving into such a jungle.

At the beginning of your English lessons, you will immediately understand that the differences between him and your native language are very large, including in terms of pronunciation.

Therefore, no matter how you would like to pronounce similar letters in the same way as in Russian, you need to remember that the laws are different here.

Linguists like to joke: «It is written Manchester — pronounced Liverpool.» In fact, everything is not so complicated and incomprehensible.

However, the complexity of reading rules has its roots in history. English developed in parallel with the country itself. In ancient times, Britain was repeatedly invaded by tribes — German and French speaking. In addition, while studying English, you will come across a lot of lexical borrowings that have affected the rules for reading words in English.

The situation is aggravated by the existence of many English dialects, in which their own reading rules are sufficient.

Over the years, these dialectal laws have had a tremendous impact on the official pronunciation of the capital.

In them, the same letters can be pronounced in different ways, and these differences persist in modern pronunciation.

For example, ough can be read differently in words that differ from each other by only one or two letters.

But enough of the «lyrics» — let’s get down to specifics, namely, the study of the rules for reading letters in English.

Vowel reading rules

The English alphabet has the following vowels — A, E, I, O, U, Y. In practice, their sounds are much larger, taking into account diphthongs and dialects.

Moreover, all these letters are not always pronounced as they are called in accordance with the alphabet. It is important to remember that no English word ends in I or U.

Before turning directly to reading vowels, let’s dwell on the consideration of English syllables.

This is important because the vowel can be read differently depending on the type of syllable.

A syllable (or syllable) is one or more sounds pronounced together with one push of air. A syllable is a constituent part of a word that has a direct impact on pronunciation.

There are open and closed syllables. Closed is called such because it ends in a consonant. Open: eye, see

Closed: bad, plan

In an open syllable, there are no problems with vowels: they sound the same as in the alphabet, with the exception of Y, which reads «ah».

You can visually familiarize yourself with the rules using the table below. When this table becomes clear to you, we will give and analyze in more detail examples of all cases.

So, the first letter of the alphabet is A. In a closed syllable, it reads like «e»: fat (thick), cap (cap). In a closed syllable that ends in the letter R, it reads like a long sound «a»: car (car). If the word ends with a combination of letters -re, then A will be read as «ea»: care (care), fare (fare).

The English letter E can be read as «e» (in a closed syllable and when combined -ead: bread (bread)), «e» (when combining the letters -er or -ear: pearl (pearl)) or «ua» (while the same combination –ear: hear).

We will read the letter I in a closed syllable as «and»: big (big). In other cases, it all depends on the combination of letters: igh (ah: night (night)), ir (e: bird (bird)) or ire (aye: tired (tired)).

The rules for reading Y depend on where this letter appears. If it is at the end of a word, and the stress falls on it, then we read it as «ay» (cry — to cry). If it is in the same place, but there is no stress, then «and» (happy — happy). At the beginning of the word Y sounds almost like «y» in Russian (yellow — yellow).

Rules for reading consonants

The English alphabet has 20 consonant letters. Some of them are deaf and voiced pairs. At the same time, unlike Russian, they do not soften here and always sound solid.

The consonants c, g, s, and x have two different readings depending on which letter they are next to. For clarity, we present a table.

As we can see, the reading of consonants is influenced by the letters a, i, o, y, e, as well as consonants and stressed sounds.

There are also a number of rules that indicate how certain consonants are read correctly in different combinations. Let’s turn to another table, and then we will analyze it in more detail using examples.

If there are consonants sh next to them, then we read them as «sh»: sheep (sheep), bookshelf (bookshelf). At the same time, it is important that this combination is pronounced exactly like that, regardless of the place occupied in the word.

The combination ch gives us the sound «h», which is also always preserved, and the position in the word is not important: chain (chain) or March (March).

When reading the combination of consonants ck, correctly pronounce it as «k». However, this rule is true only in those cases when these consonants follow the short A and other sounds: back (back).

Th can be read differently depending on which word this combination is in.

If we see it at the beginning of a significant word or at the end of a word, then it is pronounced like «s», pronounced through clenched teeth: birth (birth) or thin (thin).

At the beginning of a pronoun or service word, this combination sounds more solid: this (this), they (they).

The consonant wh also has two pronunciations. If it is followed by the letter O, then it is correct to read it as «x»: who (who), whole (all).

Before the rest of the letters, it is pronounced as «in»: where (where), what (what).

Qu at the beginning of a word reads «q»: queue.

Compare the pronunciation of the combination of kn and ng: in the first case, we read it as «n» (knight — knight), in the second this sound is nasal (thing — thing). This rule is true for finding kn at the beginning of a word and ng at the end.

The same nasal «n» sounds in the combination nk regardless of the place in the word: bank — bank.

There are also two combinations that, although they consist of two letters, are read as one: ph (read as «f» — phone (phone)) and wr (p — wrong). Note that wr is only pronounced like this at the beginning of a word.

Separately, it should be said about the combination with the English letters a, u, o and i. These rules for reading English are clearly demonstrated in the following table.

As you can see from it, the combination with the vowel al before the letter k is read as a long «o»: walk (to walk). In other cases — «ol», where «o» is also long (small — small).

Regardless of the place in the word, gu turns into «g» (guard — guard). Finally, for the combination with the vowel wa, the pronunciation of «wa» (wonderful — wonderful) or «vo» (before r — work) is characteristic.

Now that we know about all the complexities of consonants in English, it remains for us to consider the staging of stress in English words. After that, you can safely say that you have mastered the rules of reading the English language, and all that remains is to tirelessly practice and hone the knowledge gained.

How to put stress correctly?

Stress plays a huge role in the rules for reading English words. It should be given special attention. If there are fewer problems with the French language in this sense (the emphasis is always on the last syllable), and in Russian you will have to memorize almost every word separately, then with English everything is different. There are a number of laws you need to memorize to help you stress correctly and make your reading of English words correct.

We put stress on the first syllable in most cases when it comes to two-syllable nouns and adjectives: table (table), clever (smart).

The last syllable becomes stressed in the bulk of trisyllabic verbs: to decide (decide). The penultimate is stressed for words that end in –ic, –sion, and –tion: solution, biologic.

The third syllable from the end will be stressed for words that end in combinations with the vowel Y: –cy, -ty, -phy, -gy, as well as –al: biblical (biblical), democracy (democracy), biology (biology).

While all of these reading rules are important and require memorization, keep in mind that English has many exceptions. You will also have to memorize them, or always have special dictionaries at hand.

Learning to read with Capital School Center

Classes at the Capital School Center are characterized by the fact that teachers try to equally combine the study of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. At the exit, all our students have already mastered all the rules of reading in English, and can also speak and write fluently.

A separate difficulty for beginners is the transcription, which is taught to compose in order to just read English words correctly.

It is an excellent tool for memorizing the pronunciation, but very few people will be able to learn how to compose it on their own.

We will help you to master it without any particular difficulties and not delve into the linguistic jungle.

To remember how certain words sound, you need to listen to English speech as much as possible. The auditory element is one of four that we use in our classes in accordance with the 4D methodology. Another element useful for practicing is visual. With regard to our theme, it is important that you have all the visual materials at your disposal — both the drawing and the table.

Of course, in the classroom, we are also directly engaged in reading in English.

At your disposal are excellent adapted English texts on different topics and with different levels of difficulty, suitable for both beginners and those who have been studying the language for a long time.

It is believed that in order to formulate the pronunciation of words and texts, it is best to study with a native speaker. This opinion is fair, because who knows better than a person who speaks English since childhood about all its intricacies and laws in general and the rules of reading in particular? However, it should be borne in mind that such classes are not always suitable for those who are just starting to learn English.

Those who plan to take the IELTS or TOEFL exam are also required to familiarize themselves with the reading rules. 

Another way to practice English is to travel to his country. Our school offers study trips to the UK and the USA, during which you will listen to English language and speak independently with the locals all the time. 

Our school offers its clients a wide range of services. Depending on your needs, we will select the format of teaching English that is convenient for you. We have courses for those who are just starting their studies or want to continue their studies.

Upon completion of the courses, all of our students are tested and receive a certificate proving their level of English proficiency. 

Sign up for a free trial lesson online or by phone. We will be glad to see you and are ready to answer any of your questions!

Source: https://capitalsc.ru/pravila-chteniya-v-anglijskom-yazyke/

How to quickly learn to read English from scratch on your own. Tips for English learners

When you study a foreign language, you learn not only a set of vocabulary and grammar, you in any case come across the culture and peculiarities of the mentality of the people who speak this language. The best way to learn language and culture is reading in original … And in order to read in a foreign language, you must first learn to read in that language.

You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. You can just get people to stop reading them.

~ Ray Bradbury

Does it exist an easy way to learn to read English ? If you studied English at school, you should have gotten an idea of ​​how English letters are read, you know what transcription is and how basic letter combinations are read. If your level is not beginner, but for example intermediate, then you will be interested in the article «Books in English for intermediate level»

But, if at school or university you studied German or French, or your school base turned out to be smaller than you would like, and now you have decided to learn English, then let’s start with the very primary and basic and learn a few methods of where to start in order to master reading rules.

English alphabet

I think you know that English is different from Russian and German, in which we basically read and write. In English, the system is a little more complicated. The very first thing we need to do is learn the alphabet.

The English alphabet has 26 letters, including 21 consonants and 5 vowels. Knowledge of letters and the ability to pronounce them correctly is the key to successful and competent reading in English.

English alphabet with transcription of the names of letters.

A very easy way to memorize letters visually and by ear is with the help of a song. Watch the video and sing the song until you memorize the letters of the alphabet.

You can use the same method to teach the alphabet to your children and sing along with your little ones.

After studying the alphabet, let’s start learning the combination of letters and reading short words. There are a number of rules in English that you need to learn, practice and remember if you want to read English words correctly.

The same letter can be read in different ways, depending on the letters that surround it, as well as whether it is closed or open syllable.

Rules for reading English consonants

Many consonants read similarly to Russian consonants, such as letters m, n, l, b, f, z … You can see it in words like mom, lemon, finger, boy, zebra.

Letters such as t и d sound similar, but pronounced with aspirated… For example, the words table, teacher, dad, dirty.

Letter c has two reading options. Before letters i, e, y it reads like [s]— city, face, cyber. And before the rest of the vowels it reads like [k]— cat, cake, factory.

The vowel rule i, e, y works with the letter g… In front of them, it reads like [dʒ]— gym, George, giant. Before other consonants, the letter is read as [g].

Letter q always occurs in a combination of letters qu and reads like [kW]— quick, queen, square.

Letter j always reads like [dʒ]— jacket, jam, joy.

Table of the ratio of consonants and sounds in English.

How vowels are read in English

In English, a word can end in an open or closed syllable, which affects pronunciation. For example, the words cat, pot, sit end in a closed syllable and have vowels a, o, i give sounds [a, o, i].

Words such as name, home, five end with an open syllable, since there is a letter at the end of the word ewhich is not readable. But, thanks to her, the vowels in the middle of the word are read in the same way as they are pronounced in the alphabet, that is, the word name is read [neɪm].

Types of English vowel reading in stressed syllables.

Reading vowel combinations in English

There are certain combinations of letters that have well-established rules for reading, although English is the language of exceptions, and when reading more complex words, you should refer to the dictionary. The table below shows English vowel combinations with examples how they are read and how they sound.

Table of combinations of vowels in English.

And of course, there are exceptions to all the rules. However, do not worry and think that you will never be able to learn it. Everything can be understood, you just have to try a little and practice.

English diphthongs with transcription

When you learn the basic rules of reading, you will see that there are diphthong sounds that are quite difficult to reproduce in English, especially if you start learning the language not from childhood, but in adulthood.

Table of English diphthongs with transcription.

Transcription of sounds in English

Practice shows that when children learn a language, they must necessarily learn transcription, while adults do not want to learn it and it can be difficult for them.

If you still want to learn how to write and read the transcription, then great! And if not, then you can use online dictionaries where the word will be pronounced for you. One of the best dictionaries today is Multitran and the Lingvo online dictionary.

Remember to use dictionaries, not translators!

Here’s an example of reading short words with transcription:

English vowel table and transcription.

There are some advantages to being in the internet age. Sitting at home, you can learn a variety of knowledge online. For your attention video tutorial, which explains the basic principles of reading. Nevertheless, even having received knowledge through an online lesson, they need to be consolidated in order to form a skill.

In this section, we want to share with you the experience that was gained in practice, teaching students of different levels. These tips have proven their effectiveness and usefulness in language learning. They can be used for beginner to advanced levels. Use)

Learn English tongue twisters

Here tongue twisters, which are often aimed at practicing one sound, can help you. Here are some examples you can use.

English translation

Source: https://ienglish.ru/blog/interesno-ob-angliiskom/kak-viuchit-angliiskiy-bistro-samomu/kak-bistro-nauchitsia-chitat-po-angliiski

The combination of letters in English is a phenomenon that is closely related to phonetics, since often the reading of consonants or vowels changes if another letter appears next to them.

It is important not only to navigate in the various variants of such combinations, but also to understand how these or those ways of connecting individual letters differ and what pronunciation features will arise in this case.

Therefore, it is required to consider the main letter combinations in English and give a special classification of such a phenomenon in order to understand the whole algorithm of actions somewhat easier.

English reading rules

In English lessons, students moan, «Why are reading rules in English so confusing?»

One of the reasons is that English has borrowed words from many languages. Sometimes they kept their spelling, sometimes they changed them for themselves. In good old England, words were often spelled the way they were read, so that one word could be spelled differently. Take, for example, Shakespeare’s manuscripts — all this chaos is there at a glance.

Ultimately, the spelling of words was standardized and entered into dictionaries, but as you study English, you will notice that a word is often read completely differently from how it is spelled. And there are usually historical reasons for this.

There is good news, too. Although many English words are written, it would seem, «as God puts it on his soul,» there are a number of rules. But be careful, there is an exception for every rule.

English has over 1100 ways to record 44 individual sounds — more than any other language. But let study be a game for you, not a duty.

Learn with our tips!

1. Jot down the words you are having trouble with in your notebook. Underline the part of the word that is most difficult for you.
2. Use a dictionary, not a spell checker! Unfortunately, you cannot always trust her.
3. Learn words with all sorts of prefixes and suffixes, for example: biography — autobiography, child — childhood, etc.
4. Learn the rules, but don’t rely on them. We have already said: there is an exception to any rule. We will talk about this below.

“I” is written before “e” (exception — after “c”)

One of the first reading rules taught in English class. The rule works for words in which a long “ee” is pronounced, as in shield.

Examples: piece (part), niece (niece), priest (priest), thief (thief).

But after “c”: conceive (to comprehend, to conceive), receive (to receive), receipt (receipt; not to be confused with recipe — recipe).

For words in which the sound «a» or «i» is pronounced, the opposite is true:

“A”: eight, neighbor, reign, weight

«I»: either (any; or), height (height), feisty (absurd), sleight (agility)

Exceptions: seize, weird, conscience, efficient, etc.

silent letters

English is full of unpronounceable letters. The question arises: why do the British insert letters into words, and then they simply do not pronounce them? ..

Silent witness, or What is an unpronounceable letter

A silent letter is a letter that should appear in a word, even if we do not read it. More than half of the letters of the alphabet can be unpronounceable. They can be at the beginning of a word, at the end or in the middle — from the sound of the word, you will not understand that they are there.

Examples of unpronounceable letters:
a — thread, bread, tread
B — lamb (lamb), bomb (bomb), womb (womb)
c — scissors, science, scent
d — edge, bridge, badge e — see below

h — honor, honest, school

Source: https://skyeng.ru/articles/pravila-chteniya-anglijskogo-yazyka

How To Read English Correctly | English letter combination table — SPEAK ENGLISH

01.07.2019

Consider letter combinations in English in the key of the rules of reading and pronunciation with the ability to listen to each letter combination in the examples. For brevity, the basic rules for reading letter combinations are given in the tables.

Reading vowel combinations

The table below shows the basic (common) set of vowel combinations (see table 1), Russian and English transcriptions with examples of words and notes.

Table # 1. Reading vowel combinations Letter combination Transcription Examples (listen) Notes

ee, ea	[i:] (AND	see [si:], sea [si:]
ai, ai	[ei] (HEY)	straight [streit], May [mei]
oo	[u:] (U	too [tu:]	before a consonant letter, except for k, r; also at the end of a word
oo	[u] (Ooh)	book [buk]	before the letter k; exception: good [gud]
ear	[ɔ:] (Ouch	door [dɔ:]
ow	[au] (au), [u] (eu)	now [nau], window [‘windəu]	under stress in monosyllabic words; at the end of two-syllable words in an unstressed position
oi, oi	[ɔi] (OH)	coin [kɔin], employ [im’plɔi]
ou	[au]	out [aut]
oa	[əu] (EU)	coat [kəut]

Reading letter combinations with consonants

Below (in table 2) are the main consonant combinations.

Table 2. Letter combinations in English. Reading consonant combinations Letter (combination of letters) Transcription When used Examples (listen)

b	[B]	in all cases	begin [bi’gin]
mb	[m]	b is not read at the end of a word after the letter m	climb [climb]
c	[s]	before vowels e, i, y	city ​​[‘siti], nice [nais], cycle [saikl]
[k]	in all other cases	cap [kaep]
k	[k]	in all cases	kite
ck	[k]	in all cases	black [blaek]
kn	[n]	at the beginning of a word	know [nəʊ]
g	[ʤ]	before vowels e, i, y	gentleman
[g]	in all other cases	gate [geit] Exceptions: give [giv], get [get]
j	[ʤ]	in all cases	jacket [ˈʤækɪt]
z	[z]	in all cases	zoo [zuː]
h	[H]	in all cases	happy [ˈhæpɪ]
sh	[ʃ]	in all cases	she [ʃiː]
tch	[ʧ]	in all cases	catch [[kæʧ]
ch	[ʃ]	in words of French origin	champagne [ʃæmˈpeɪn]
[k]	in words of Greek origin	school [skuːl], chemistry [ˈkemɪstrɪ]
[ʧ]	in all other cases	chalk [ʧɔːk]
th	[θ]	at the beginning and end of significant words	think [θɪŋk]
[ð]	at the beginning of service words (pronouns, articles)	the [ðiː]
in significant words between vowels	clothes [kləʊz]
x	[ks]	before a consonant and at the end of words	text [text]
[gz]	before the stressed vowel	exam [ɪgˈzaæm]
ph	[f]	photo [ˈfəʊtəʊ]

Source: https://ekaterina-alexeeva.ru/nachinayushhim/kak-pravilno-chitat-na-anglijskom-yazyke-tablitsa-sochetaniya-anglijskih-bukv.html

Letter combinations in English — reading rules, pivot tables

Consider letter combinations in English in the key of the rules of reading and pronunciation with the ability to listen to each letter combination in the examples. For brevity, the basic rules for reading letter combinations are given in the tables.

Learn to read English from scratch and teach a child — online examples of words

At the initial stage of teaching English, of course, the question arises of how to learn to read in English.

We all learned to read in Russian, therefore, theoretically, we know that we need to start by studying letters, sounds and syllables. You can’t do without it. That is, if you want to learn to read in English, you will have to start from scratch, that is, start from scratch.

Some people think that it is much easier for children to start learning English from scratch, because someone once proved that the ability to master new knowledge, memory and speed of perception in children is greater than that of adults. Yes, and somehow it is a shame for an adult, like a first-grader, to learn elementary rules.

However, as practice shows, adults have an advantage over children in mastering foreign languages ​​from scratch. It is much easier for an adult to analyze the similarities and differences between the native and foreign languages, behind him all the material covered on the theory of his own language, and the experience of communication in his native language is much more.

That is, to compare, draw conclusions and correctly apply the knowledge gained in practice, adults often do much better.

Nowadays, you can learn to read English from scratch online. There are various services and sites describing the correct pronunciation of sounds and the ability to listen. But still, at the initial stage, it is advisable for both adults and children to hire a teacher who will observe the correctness of reading and pronunciation.

Alphabet

So, you decided to teach your child to read in English or you yourself decided to learn to read. Where to begin? The most logical thing is to start with the alphabet. Here is the English alphabet with English transcription.

In the transcription — square brackets, the spelling of English letters is written in the form of sounds. It is very important to immediately, at the initial stage, learn to read the transcription.

This is necessary, firstly, because not all English sounds can be written in Russian letters, and secondly, then, when you have to use dictionaries, knowing the transcription, you can easily pronounce any new word.

But this advice applies, first of all, to adults, because small children who cannot read will learn letters by ear in the first couples.

It will help you learn what the English letters are called, the famous English song — ABC-song. On the Internet, you can easily find many of its interpretations with different options for the video sequence, but we suggest you look at this option:

If we talk about how best to teach a child to read in English from scratch, that is, to teach him the English letters, then the recommendations here will differ little from those given by teachers when studying Russian letters. We teach in the most interesting ways for a child: with the help of songs, toy cubes or magnets, cards and coloring pages — in general, everything that will interest your child more and what he wants to return to.

Rules for reading English vowels

After you get acquainted with the alphabet, you need to pay attention to the fact that letters and sounds are different things. And if the situation with consonant sounds is more or less clear, and the sound that they convey in words, in most cases, coincides with the one that we hear when pronouncing a letter, then with vowels in English the picture is completely different.

There are only 6 vowels in English:

But each of them can be read in four different ways, depending on which letters it is surrounded by in a particular word. That is, in other words, there are 4 types of vowel syllables in English.

Let’s imagine this rule for all vowels in the general table.

syllable type letter	I (open) vowel + acc. + Vowel	II (closed) vowel + acc. (+ Acc.)	IIIpax. + R	IV vowel + r + vowel
A	[ei] take	[æ] cat	[a:] car	[εə] care
E	[i:] Pete	[e] pet	[ə:] her	[iə] here
I	[ai] Mike	[i] pig	[ə:] bird	[aiə] fire
O	[əu] rose	[ɔ] dog	[ɔ:] for	[ɔ:] more
U	[ju:] use	[Λ] cup	[ə:] fur	[uə] sure
Y	[ai] fly	[i] system	[ə:] myrtle	[aiə] tire

If you carefully study the table, you will see that in the third type of syllable, four of the six vowels (E, I, U, Y) are read the same. Moreover, the letters I and Y are read the same in all four types of syllables.

When we learn to read English from scratch, it is important to try to bring the reading of the same type of words, read according to the rules, to automatism, so as not to think every time before reading this or that word.

For example, practicing reading the letter «a» in a closed type of syllable, you can make the following chain of words (you can listen to sound files):

cat, sad, man, hand, stand 

«O» in an open syllable — read

close, nose, note, home, hope 

“I” in the third type of syllable will work in the following chain:

bird, first, girl, skirt, third 

and so on.

To do this, there are many reading exercises, where whole lists of words are given, where the same vowel is read the same way, only the consonants around it change. Repeatedly reading aloud similar words will give a good result. In the absence of a teacher, it is desirable that these exercises be supported by sound or video to control the correct pronunciation.

Letter combinations in English

In addition to the reading rules for vowel sounds, the English language is also known for its numerous letter combinations — that is, certain combinations of letters give a sound that is different from those with which letters in the alphabet are read. Here are the most common ones.

• Vowel combinations

  Source: https://lim-english.com/posts/kak-naychitsya-chitat-po-angliiski-s-nylya/

  English letter combinations English for children

  ›Learning a language› Translation and reading ›English letter combinations — English for children in simple explanations

  Acquaintance of kids with the English language is fun and bright: with songs, rhymes, cartoons and a variety of games. The playful form of classes instills in children an interest in the language and allows them to quickly memorize new information. It is very easy to conduct such lessons when learning the alphabet, sounds or popular words.

  But how can you explain to a child the complex rules of reading that not every adult will understand the first time? Yes Easy! Our material about English letter combinations will teach English to children in an accessible and interesting way.

  Today we will study the basic combinations of English letters with kids, but first, we will explain to adults when to start learning the rules of reading with children.

  At what age to teach a child to read in English and how to conduct classes

  Only a lazy person didn’t joke about the differences in spelling and pronunciation of English words, so it is widely known that reading is one of the pitfalls of British speech. Yes, in Russian we also often write differently than we pronounce. But, as a rule, this is an error of one letter and does not change the meaning of the word. But the grammar of the English language in terms of reading is much more difficult, because here it should be borne in mind that:

  • There are 26 sounds for 44 letters of the alphabet;
  • The pronunciation of some letters depends on the type of syllable;
  • There are «dumb» syllables;
  • Combinations of letters are often used (diphthongs, triphthongs);
  • The duration of the sound affects the meaning of the word.

  All these nuances led to the development of special reading rules, but not all words obey them either! Many English expressions have entered speech use with «wrong» pronunciation and are considered exceptions to the rule.

  In such a confusion, not all adults are able to understand, and even more so for children. Therefore, we would recommend starting to engage in English reading with a child no earlier than 7-8 years old. During this period, children already go to school, become more disciplined and begin to understand the importance of knowledge. At the same time, the rules of reading in English are a rather complex topic, so it must be studied gradually. Here are some tips for class format.

  1. Conduct reading lessons at least 2 times a week.
  2. Be sure to memorize the correct transcription of the pronunciations.
  3. During the lesson, master 3-4 rules with the baby, carefully fixing them in practice. For example, we studied the pronunciation of a letter in an open syllable — read 10-15 words for this rule. In the next lesson, they necessarily conducted a repetition of what was previously learned.
  4. Memorizing letter combinations is best supported by writing. It is recommended to conduct a written dictation every 2 weeks (letter / combination — pronunciation).
  5. Encourage your child to read short texts and dialogues. Entertaining mini-stories will increase interest in classes and help consolidate the knowledge gained.

  In addition to general recommendations, we note that you should not forget about individuality. When conducting classes, focus on the mood and well-being of the child: without the child’s interest, no lessons will bring the desired result.

  Now, after a little theory, it’s time to move on to practice. Let’s consider the rules of reading in English and work them out using examples. Note that the material is largely simplified, since in this article we study English letter combinations in the English for children format. Let’s get started!

  English reading rules for children

  There are 26 letters in the English alphabet. Surely, you already know how they are spelled and how they are pronounced.

  But did you know that pronunciation can change when we put letters into different words? For example, in the word sky (sky — sky) the last letter is read as «ah», and in the word family (family — family) the same last letter y already reads «and».

  So how do you read English words then? In order not to be mistaken, we just need to learn special English rules and get acquainted with the options for the sound of letters.

  Open syllable rule

  An open syllable is the syllable of a word that ends with a vowel. We remind you that any syllable must necessarily contain a vowel sound and cannot consist of one letter.

  For example, let’s analyze the word cake (cake — cake) by syllables:

  1. Take the first letter C.
  2. Add vowel A.
  3. 2 letters K and E remain, but the last E cannot be read, so a new syllable cannot be made with it. It turns out that the whole given word is one syllable cake.
  4. Even though E cannot be read, it is still a vowel. Therefore, we have an example of an open syllable. And in this case, the letter A reads «hey».

  So, if the last letter of a syllable is a vowel, then it is an open syllable. In this case, the vowel is taken into account even in those cases when it is not pronounced.

  Closed syllable rule

  A closed syllable is a syllable ending in a consonant.

  Let’s analyze the word cat (cat — cat): take the first letter C, add the vowel A. One remaining letter T cannot be a separate syllable, so it belongs to the first syllable, and again our whole word consists of one syllable cat. This syllable ends with a consonant letter, which means it is closed and here the rule of reading the letter A as «e» applies.

  Note that if we pronounced the word cat like «Kate», we would not have gotten a cat, but the female name Kate. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to correctly distinguish between open and closed syllables. Now let’s find out what other letters change their sound in different words.

  Vowels

  This table explains the English vowel sounds for children.

  Letter	Sound in an open syllable	Closed syllable sound	Open syllable + R	Closed syllable + R
  A	[ei] «hey» make, lake, game	[æ] «uh» apple, man, map	[eǝ] «ee» care, hair, square	[a:] «aa (p)» car, far, star
  E*	[i:] «and» me, he, she	[e] «e» pen, pencil, red	[iǝ] «ye» clear, here, fear	[ə:] «ё» her
  I	[aɪ] «ah» wife, fine, bike	[ɪ] «and»

  Source: https://speakenglishwell.ru/anglijskie-bukvosochetaniya-anglijskij-dlya-detej/

  English letter combinations — English for children in simple explanations

  Consider letter combinations in English in the key of the rules of reading and pronunciation with the ability to listen to each letter combination in the examples. For brevity, the basic rules for reading letter combinations are given in the tables.

  English letter combinations: rules for reading vowels and consonants, sound length, a list of the first words to study and summary tables

  02.07.2019

  From the previous lessons, we learned how to correctly read the letter combinations AI, as in the word train, and AY, as in the word play. We already know how to pronounce the combination of letters OO in the words book (short sound [u]) and moon (long sound [u:]).

  In addition, we already know how the letter O is read in combination with W — cow [kau]. Now let’s talk about how vowels are read in combination with the letter R. If the letter R comes before a vowel, then it usually reads like [r].

  Pay attention to the peculiarities of pronunciation of the sound [r]: it does not look like the Russian sound [p] and in order to pronounce it correctly, you need to touch the palate with the tip of your tongue. Practice pronouncing this sound using the words rose [rəuz] and rabbit [‘ræbɪt].

  Here are some more examples to illustrate the reading of the letter R in front of vowels:

  My rose is red. — My rose is red (fig. 1).

  His robot is green. — His robot is green.

   Reading vowels before the letter R

  If the letter R is after the vowels, then they will be read differently than in an open or closed syllable. For example, the letter combination AR will be read as a long sound [ɑː]: park [pɑːk] — park, car [kɑː] — car, star [stɑː] — star (Fig. 2), party [pɑːtɪ] — party, farm [fɑːm] — farm, arm [ɑːm] — hand.

  Pay attention to the reading of the AR combination in these sentences:

  We are at a party. — We’re at a party.

  His garden is dark. — His garden is dark.

  The letter combination OR will be read as a long sound [ɔː]: horse [hɔːs] — horse, fork [fɔːk] — fork, morning [‘mɔːnɪŋ] — morning, popcorn [‘ pɔpkɔːn] — popcorn (Fig. 3).

   Quantity

  The longitude of a sound is very important in the English language. If we pull and pronounce Russian words briefly, then only the intonation will change. And in English words, their meaning depends on the brevity and longitude of the sound.

  In the third type of reading, after the vowels, there is the letter R, which affects the longitude of the sound, that is, all these sounds are read as long.

  Compare, paying attention to the short sounds in the left column and the long sounds in the right column:

  cut [kʌt] — cut	cart [kɑːt] — cart
  duck [dʌk] — duck	dark [dɑːk] — dark
  spot [spɔt] — spot	sport [spɔːt] — sport
  pot [pɔt] — pot	port [pɔːt] — port

  Reinforce the difference in pronunciation by practicing reading these pairs of words.

  All other English vowels in combination with R are read the same way: they make a long sound [əː] (Fig. 4). Rice. 4. Combination of vowels and R

  Please note that there is no such sound in Russian. It is a bit like the sound in the word «honey». Practice reading words with this sound:

  purple [‘pɜːpl] — purple, nurse [nɜːs] — nurse, fur [fɜː] — fur, her [hɜː] — her, bird [bɜːd] — bird, girl [gɜːl] — girl, first [fɜːst] — first.

  Now pay attention to the reading of these words in sentences:

  The fur is purple. — Fur — purple (fig. 5).

  The girl has got a bird. — The girl has a bird.

  Reading combinations of vowels before R

  Consider reading some of the vowel combinations before the letter R.

  If there is a letter combination AI before R, then together AIR will be pronounced as [eə]: air [eə] — air, hair [heə] — hair, chair [ʧeə] — chair, fair [feə] — light. His hair is fair. — His hair is blond (Fig. 6).

  My teddy bear is on the chair. — My teddy bear on the chair.

  If there is a letter combination ЕA before R, then together ЕAR will also be pronounced as [eə]: bear [beə] — bear, pear [peə] — pear. However, not all English words read EAR as [eə].

  In some words, it reads as [ɪə]: ear [ɪə] — ear, near [nɪə] — near, hear [hɪə] — to hear, tear [tɪə] — tear. The combination of letters EER — [ɪə] will also be read: deer [dɪə] — deer (Fig.

  7), engineer [ˌenʤɪ’nɪə] is an engineer.

   Read the same but write differently

  There are words in English that are read the same way but are spelled differently. Plus, they have different meanings. Compare:

  meet [mi: t] — meet	meat [miːt] — meat
  flour [‘flauə] — flour	flower [‘flauə] — flower
  their [ðeə] — their	there [ðeə] — there

  Pay attention to these words in sentences:

  Meet me, please. — Meet me, please.

  Source: https://tutorblog.ru/uprazhneniya/anglijskie-bukvosochetaniya-yazyk-dlya-detej-v-prostyh-obyasneniyah.html