Reading English vowels in 4 words. What are these rules for? Reading English letter combinations of vowels and consonants
In English classes, students groan: “Why are the rules of reading in English so confusing?”
One reason is that English . Sometimes they kept their spelling, sometimes they changed it to suit themselves. In good old England, words were often spelled the way they were read, so one word could be spelled in many different ways. Take Shakespeare's manuscripts, for example - all this chaos is there in full view.
Eventually, the spelling of words was standardized and recorded in dictionaries, but... As you learn English, you will notice that a word is often read completely differently from how it is spelled. And usually there are historical reasons for this.
There are also good news. Although many English words are written, it would seem, “as God wishes,” there are a number of rules. But be careful, because for every rule there is an exception.
English has more than 1,100 ways of writing 44 individual sounds, more than any other language. But let studying be a game for you, not a duty.
Learn with our tips!
- Write down words that you have problems with in a notebook. Underline the part of the word that is most difficult for you.
- Use a dictionary, not a spell checker! Unfortunately, you can't always trust her.
- Learn words with all kinds of prefixes and suffixes, for example: biography - auto biography, child hood and so on.
- Learn the rules, but don't rely on them. We have already said: every rule has its exception. We'll talk about this below.
“i” is written before “e” (exception is after “c”)
One of the first reading rules taught in English classes. The rule works for words that have a long “ee”, as in shield(shield).
Examples: piece (part), niece (niece), priest (priest), thief (thief).
But after “c”: conceive (comprehend, plan), receive (receive), receipt (receipt; not to be confused with recipe).
For words in which the sound “a” or “i” is pronounced, the opposite is true:
“a”: eight (eight), neighbor (neighbor), reign (reign), weight (weight)
“i”: either, height, feisty, sleight
Exceptions: seize (grab), weird (strange), conscience (conscience, consciousness), efficient (effective), etc.
silent letters
The English language is full of unpronounceable letters. The question arises: why do the English insert letters into words and then simply not pronounce them?..
The silent witness, or What is the unpronounceable letter
Unpronounceable letter ( silent letter) is a letter that should appear in a word, even if we don’t read it. More than half of the letters of the alphabet can act as unpronounceable letters. They can be at the beginning of a word, at the end or in the middle - you won’t even realize from the sound of the word that they are there.
Examples of unpronounceable letters:
a— thread(a thread), bread(bread), thread(step)
b — lamb(lamb), bomb(bomb), womb(womb)
c— scissors(scissors), science(the science), scent(aroma)
d— edge(edge), bridge(bridge), badge(icon)
e - see below
h - honor(honor), honest(honest), school(school)
k — knot(node), knight(knight), knowledge(knowledge)
l — talk(speak), psalm(psalm), balm(balm)
n — hymn(hymn), autumn(autumn), column(column, column)
p— pneumatic(pneumatic), psalm(psalm), psychology(psychology)
s— isle, island(island), aisle(passage, e.g. in an airplane cabin)
t— listen(listen), rustle(rustle) whistle(whistle)
u — biscuit(cookies; not biscuits!), guess(a guess), guitar(guitar)
w— write(write), wrong(wrong), wrist(wrist)
Unpronounceable “e”
The unpronounceable “e” is the most common mute. There are several strict rules for writing words that end in an unpronounceable “e”.
When you add a suffix to such a word and that suffix begins with a consonant, the stem of the word does not need to be changed.
force (strength) + ful = forceful (strong)
manage (manage) + ment = management (management)
sincere (sincere) + ly = sincerely (sincerely)
If the suffix begins with a vowel or with “y”, then the “e” before the suffix must be omitted.
fame + ous = famous
nerve + ous = nervous
believable (plausible) + y = believable (plausible)
criticise (criticize) + ism = criticism (criticism)
Exceptions: mileage (distance in miles), agreeable.
Prefixes and suffixes
When you add a prefix to a word, you usually don't need to change the base of the word.
anti + septic = antiseptic (antiseptic)
auto + biography = autobiography (autobiography)
de + mobilize = demobilize (demobilize)
dis + approve = disapprove (disapprove)
im + possible = impossible (impossible)
inter + national = international (international)
mega + byte = megabyte (megabyte)
mis + fortune = misfortune (failure)
micro + chip = microchip (microchip)
re + used = reused (recycled)
un + available = unavailable
When you add a suffix to a word, it often changes the base of the word. Below are a few rules. As always, there are exceptions, so if you're not sure how to spell a word, consult a dictionary.
Words ending in a consonant
If the suffix starts with a consonant, just add it to the stem, don't change anything.
Example: treat (treat; treat) + ment = treatment (treatment; attitude).
Doubling a consonant
For most words with a short vowel sound that end in a single consonant, that consonant doubles when you add a suffix that starts with a vowel (ing, er, ed, est).
mop (to wash) + ing = mopping (to wash)
big (large) + est = biggest (largest)
hot (hot) + er = hotter (hotter)
For words that end with an “l” after a vowel, this “l” is doubled.
model + ing = modeling
travel (to travel) + er = traveler (traveler)
Exceptions
For some words ending in “r”, “x”, “w”, “y”, the doubling rule does not apply.
fear (to be afraid) + ing = fearing (fear, afraid, fearful)
box (to box, not box!) + er = boxer (boxer)
know (know) + ing = knowing (knowledge, knowing, knowing)
play (play) + ing = playing (game, playing, playing)
And if a word has two consonants at the end or more than one vowel, the consonant is also not doubled.
maintain (maintain) + ing (two vowels a + i) = maintaining (maintenance)
keep (keep) + er (two vowels e + e) = keeper (keeper; owner)
hang (hang) + er (two consonants n + g) = hanger (hook)
Word endings
Words ending in “ce” and “ge”
When you add a suffix starting with “a” or “o,” the “e” remains.
manage (perform) + able = manageable (doable)
notice (notice) + able = noticeable (noticeable)
courage (courage) + ous = courageous (courageous)
Exception: prestige (prestige) + ous = prestigious (prestigious)
Words ending with “ie”
When you add “ing” to verbs that end in “ie,” the “e” is dropped and the “i” changes to “y.”
die (die) - dying (dying, dying, dying)
lie (lie) – lying (lying, lying, lying)
tie (to tie) - tying (tying, tying, tying)
Words ending in “y” after a consonant
When you add suffixes such as “as”, “ed”, “es”, “er”, “eth”, “ly”, “ness”, “ful” and “ous” to a word ending in “y” ” after the consonant, “y” changes to “i” before the suffix.
eighty (eighty) + eth = eightieth (eightieth)
duty (duty) + es = duties (responsibilities)
lazy (lazy) + ness = laziness (laziness)
mystery (mystery) + ous = mysterious (mysterious)
beauty (beauty) + ful = beautiful (beautiful)
multiply (multiply) + ed = multiplied (multiplied)
cozy (cozy) + ly = cozy (cozy)
Words ending in “y” after a vowel
“y” is preserved before suffixes such as “er,” “ing,” or “ed.”
destroy (destroy) - destroying - destroyed
buy (buy) - buying - buyer
play (play) - playing - player
You may be confused by some of the discrepancies in spelling and reading rules that are caused by . It's not that this option is better and that option is worse, you just need to stop at one, learn it and stick with it. Try not to mix one with the other.
The rules of reading and writing are like a weather forecast: we can rely on them, but we cannot count on them to help us out every time. Therefore, it is very important to read more in English so that the sound of words and their style merge into a single image.
The following method is perfect for this purpose: listening English books with parallel viewing of the original text.
10 English classic books narrated by native English speakers
Mother Goose by W. W. Denslow - “Mother Goose”, W.W. Denslow
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter - “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”, Beatrix Potter
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Audiobook by Lewis Carrol - “Alice in Wonderland”, Lewis Carroll
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain - “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, Mark Twain
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - “A Tale of Two Cities”, Charles Dickens
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - “Pride and Prejudice”, Jane Austen
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley - “Frankenstein, or Modern Prometheus”, Mary Shelley
The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde - “The Happy Prince and Other Tales”, Oscar Wilde
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, Arthur Conan Doyle
It happens that native English speakers ask forgiveness from those who study it... Because the pronunciation of English words and their spelling are so different. So be it, we will accept their apology. After all, anyone who is determined to learn English can handle any difficulties!
And they surprise you English rules reading? Share with us in the comments :)
21768
In contact with
", transcription is used by everyone, sometimes even unconsciously. First, let's refresh our memory, what does the phrase “English transcription” mean?
English Transcription is a sequence of phonetic symbols that helps us understand how to read a particular sound or word. Often, students are faced with transcription at the beginning of learning a language, when it is still quite difficult to read even quite simple words, and then they simply don’t pay attention to it. However, this will not be the case forever.
As soon as a student begins to skillfully use complex grammatical structures and develops a good lexicon for free communication, then the desire immediately appears to speak beautifully, like a native speaker, that is, to improve your pronunciation of English words. This is where we remember the good old transcription.
In order not to have to remember the well-forgotten old things, we suggest returning to the repetition from time to time. Of course, ideally, the transcription should be completed together with the teacher, because writing cannot convey all the subtleties of pronunciation, but if you are reading this article now, the foundation beautiful pronunciation And correct reading already laid down, and you will definitely achieve your desired goal.
Transcription of vowel sounds
There are two types of vowel sounds - single sounds and diphthongs.
[ ʌ ] - [a] - short;
[a:]- [a] - deep;
[i]- [and] - short;
[i:]- [and] - long;
[o]- [o] - short;
[o:]- [o] - deep;
[u]- [y] - short;
[u:]- [y] - long;
[e]- as in the word “plaid”;
[ ɜ: ] - as in the word “honey”.
English diphthongs
A diphthong is a sound that consists of two sounds. Most often, a diphthong can be divided into two sounds, however, this cannot be conveyed in writing. Often diphthongs are indicated not by a combination of several characters, but by their own sign.
[əu]- [ OU ];
[au]- [au];
[ei]- [ Hey ];
[oi]- [ Ouch ];
[ai]- [ouch].
Rules for pronunciation of vowels in English
- Sound " a"has four varieties:
[ ʌ ] - short sound, as in the words “duck”, “cut”;
[ æ ] - soft sound. There is no analogue to it in the Russian language. It is read as in the word “cat”;
[a:]- a long sound that is read as in the word “car”;
[ ɔ ] - a short sound that sounds similar to both “o” and “a”. In British pronunciation, it is more of an "o", as in "hot" or "not".
- Sound " e" can be read in three ways:
[e]- for example, as in the word “let”;
[ ə: ] - this sound is a little reminiscent of the Russian letter “ё”, only it is read a little softer. For example, "bird", "fur";
[ ə ] - one of the most common sounds in English transcription. In sound, this sound is similar to the Russian sound “e”. It occurs only in unstressed syllables and can be practically inaudible or indistinguishable, for example, ["letə", "letter" - letter.
- Sound " i"can be long or short:
[I]- a short sound, for example, as in the word “film”;
[i:]- a long sound, for example, as in “sheep”.
- Sound " O"also has 2 options - long and short:
[ ɔ ] - short sound, as in the word “bond”;
[ ɔ: ] - a long sound, as in the word “more”.
- Sound " u" can also be pronounced in two ways. It can be long or short:
[u]- short sound, as in the word “put”;
[u:]- long sound, as in the word “blue”.
Transcription of consonants
In the transcription of consonant sounds, everything is quite simple. Basically they sound similar to Russian. It is enough to take a thoughtful look at the above-mentioned letter combinations a couple of times, and they will remain in your memory.
Consonants
[b]- [b];
[d]- [d];
[f]- [f];
[ 3 ] - [ and ];
[dʒ]- [j];
[g]- [ G ];
[h]- [ X ];
[k]- [ To ];
[l]- [l];
[m]- [m];
[n]- [n];
[p]- [ P ];
[s]- [ With ];
[t]- [ T ];
[v]- [ V ];
[z]- [z];
[t∫]- [h];
[ ∫ ] - [w];
[r]- soft [r], as in the word Russian;
[ O ]- a sign of softness as in the Russian letter “ё” (Christmas tree).
English consonants that are not in Russian and their pronunciation:
[ θ ] - soft letter “c”, the tongue is located between the front teeth of the upper and lower jaws;
[ æ ] - like “e”, only more sharply;
[ ð ] - like “θ”, only with the addition of a voice, like a soft letter “z”;
[ ŋ ] - nasal, in the French manner, sound [n];
[ ə ] - neutral sound;
[w]-like “v” and “u” together, soft pronunciation.
Features of English transcription
In order to make it easier to navigate reading words, it is important to know the main features of transcription:
- Feature 1. Transcription is always formatted in square brackets
- Feature 2. In order not to get confused about where to place the stress in a word, it is worth considering that it is always placed before the stressed syllable. ["neim] - transcription of the word name.
- Feature 3. It is important to understand that transcription is not the English letters and sounds that make up a word. Transcription is the sound of words.
- Feature 4. In English, transcription consists of vowel sounds, diphthongs and consonants.
- Feature 5. In order to show that the sound is long, a colon is used in transcription.
Of course, knowing only character sets, it is quite difficult to read everything correctly, because there are many exceptions. In order to read correctly, you need to understand that there are closed and open syllables. Open syllable ends with a vowel (game, sunshine), closed- on a consonant (ball, dog). Some sounds in English can be pronounced differently depending on the type of syllable.
Conclusion
It is worth remembering that in any business the main thing is practice (by the way, you can start practicing English remotely right now). Transcribing sounds in English will be easy for you if you work hard at it. Reading the rules once is not enough. It is important to return to them, work through them and repeat them regularly until they are practiced to the point of automaticity. In the end, the transcription will allow you to correctly pronounce sounds in English.
Memorizing English with transcription and correct pronunciation English letters and words will be perfectly supported by dictionaries. You can use both English online dictionaries and the good old ones printed publications. The main thing is not to give up!
Inspiration to you and success in your studies. May the knowledge be with you!
Big and Friendly family EnglishDom
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 various options such combinations, but also to understand how certain methods of connecting individual letters differ and what pronunciation features will arise. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the main letter combinations in the English language and provide a special classification of this phenomenon so that it is somewhat easier to understand the entire algorithm of actions.
Basic principles of combinations of English letters
The norms of the English language allow the letters of the alphabet to be combined in such a way that new variants of sounds are subsequently formed. It must be remembered that sometimes such combinations are pronounced completely differently than it seems at first glance, and the phonetics of both letters used in a particular combination may be lost.
Methods of letter combinations in English allow the formation of new sounds by combining two consonants, two vowels, and combined option of vowels and consonants. In this case, a certain combination can be formed by connecting 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 of reading English letter combinations, and you can start with the variants vowels + vowels.
Letter combinations vowels + vowels
When reading English letter combinations that include consonants, it is necessary to take into account both letters included in the composition specific design. The options may be as follows:
ai –– pain, rain;
ay-– game, pay;
ei –– deceive, weight, height;
ea – [e]– head, read, break;
ey –– key, grey, eye;
ee –– tree, screen;
ew –– new, few;
eu –– neutral, feudalism;
oo – [u] [ɔ:] [ʌ]– wool, pool, door, blood;
oa – [əu]– road, soap;
ou –– house, mouse;
ie – [e]– friend, field, diet.
All 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 letter combinations, otherwise there is a risk of incorrect spelling of words and constructions.
Letter combinations consonants + consonants
It is necessary to remember very well how one or another combination of consonant letters is read, since there are significantly more such types of combinations than with vowel letters. 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 sound ch –
– 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 interdental sound th is read in two ways. In auxiliary parts of speech and between vowel sounds, the th sound in English gives [ð]
– brother, the, and at the beginning or end of words, as well as before consonants, it sounds like [θ]
– throw, bath;
sh – the sound sh 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 differently depending on their position in the word. The rule for reading all the above combinations must always be observed, otherwise errors in the reading process and, accordingly, pronunciation will be inevitable.
Letter combinations vowels + consonants
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 methods:
er- in an unstressed position [ə]
– worker, looker;
or- in an unstressed position [ə]
– doctor, traitor;
an- before consonants
– swan, plant;
al – [ɔ:]
– chat, 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 that can group all the main options and present information in the most concise form. Here's what it might look like:
All these letter combinations 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 it is necessary to know them, since, judging by the examples, some of them can be read differently. By focusing on all reading methods, you will be able to avoid many mistakes, and the interlocutor will be able to assess the level of preparation of the speaker, who, in turn, will correctly use the rules of letter combinations and not take liberties in pronunciation.
Greetings, my dear readers.
Today we continue to talk about how to learn to read correctly, so the topic of today's article is transcription of English letters.
We have already introduced you to the concept and dealt with the pronunciation of sounds in English. Today we will figure out exactly how they are pronounced in various combinations.
I have a clear table for you. It contains the letters of the English alphabet with transcription, Russian analogue letters and my notes so that you can immediately get the correct pronunciation. I also added examples of words with the sounds being studied and their translation.
What else can you find on the blog:
- with letters and transcription (you can study them online, download, print and work with them);
- for children I have a complete one.
Let `s start?
Features of English transcription:
- it is always formatted with square brackets. I can’t say exactly where it came from, but I think it’s just worth taking it for granted;
- to understand where the stress is, the transcription uses the sign [‘] before the stressed syllable;
- It is important to remember that transcription is about the sound, not the spelling of words. Sometimes the spelling can be 90% different from what we pronounce;
- to show that a sound is long we use a colon.
In general, I wrote about English transcription - please!
Letters of the English alphabet and their transcription in Russian and English:
| English letter | Transcription | Russian equivalent |
| Aa | Hey | |
| Bb | Bi | |
| Cc | Si | |
| Dd | Di | |
| Ee | AND | |
| Ff | [ɛf] | Eph |
| Gg | Gee | |
| Hh | H. | |
| II | Ay | |
| Jj | Jay | |
| Kk | Kay | |
| Ll | [ɛl] | Al |
| mm | [ɛm] | Em |
| Nn | [ɛn] | En |
| Oo | [əʊ] | OU |
| Pp | Pi | |
| Q | ||
| Rr | [ɑː] or [ɑɹ] | A or Ar |
| Ss | [ɛs] | Es |
| Tt | Tee | |
| Uu | YU | |
| Vv | In and | |
| Ww | [ˈdʌb(ə)l juː] | Double |
| Xx | [ɛks] | The ex |
| Yy | Wye | |
| Zz | , | Zed, zee |
But do you know what is the most interesting thing about English?
If different letters are combined, they are pronounced differently!
That's why I prepared for you
Examples of English letter combinations in Russian and English:
| Combination | Transcription | How to pronounce | Example |
| ee | /i:/ | AND | bee - bee |
| ea | / ı:/ | AND | tea - tea |
| oo | /u/ | U | cook - to cook |
| th | / ð / / Ѳ / | Z, S (interdental) | thumb - finger |
| sh | / ʃ / | Sh | shout - shout |
| ch | /tʃ/ | H | chair - chair |
| ph | /f/ | F | phone - phone |
| ck | /k/ | TO | snack - snack |
| ng | / Ƞ / | Ng | song - song |
| wh | /w/ | Ua | why - why |
| wr | /r/ | R | write - write |
| qu | /kw/ | Kua | queen - queen |
| igh | /aı/ | Ay | high - high |
| all | /Ɔ:l/ | Ol | tall - tall |
| ai | /eı/ | Hey | Spain - Spain |
| ay | /eı/ | Hey | May - May |
| oi | /oı/ | Oh | point - point |
| oh | /oı/ | Oh | toy - toy |
| ow | /oƱ/ | OU | grow - grow |
| ou | /aƱ/ | Aw | out - outside |
| ew | /ju:/ | YU | knew - knew |
| aw | / Ɔ: / | Ooo | draw - draw |
| ee+r | / ıə / | Eeyore | engineer - engineer |
| ou+r | /aƱə/ | Aue | our - ours |
| oo+r | / Ɔ: / | Ooo | door - door |
| wo+r | / ɜ: / | Y/O | work - work |
| ai+r | /eə/ | Ea | chair - chair |
| oa+r | / Ɔ: / | Ooh | roar - scream |
| might | /Ʊd/ | Oud | could - could |
| ound | /aƱnd/ | Aund | round - round |
| eigh | /eı/ | Hey | eight - eight |
| -y | / ı / | AND | tiny - tiny |
| au | / Ɔ: / | Oo | Paul - Paul |
| gh | /f/ | F | laugh - laugh |
| aught | /Ɔ:t/ | From | taught - taught |
I know this table seems huge right now. Surely you think that remembering all this is unrealistic. I'll tell you this: at a certain point, when you have enough, you won't even pay attention to these combinations. Your brain will learn to quickly remember how exactly these letters sound. Moreover, even when you come across a word that is completely unfamiliar to you, you will be able to read it correctly. The only question is the amount of practice on your part.
How to remember combinations of letters?
- Use cards. Visual perception is better developed in most people.
- Read. Pay attention to combinations of letters when or just texts.
- Don't get hung up. It is not necessary to immediately memorize these combinations and only then move directly to English. Learn as you go!
- Buy paper or download a good one e-book in order to quickly learn to recognize combinations and pronounce them correctly. Even if you, an adult, need it, don’t hesitate to take books for children - everything there is explained in detail and is not without interest.
- Take the course « English from scratch» . This will make your path easier.
That's all, my dears. I hope you found it useful and understandable. Even more similar materials I give it in the blog mailing list - subscribe and receive a dose of useful information regularly.
Having studied the Russian alphabet, we can easily read any texts. But to read correctly in English you will have to put in more effort, because there are many discrepancies between the spelling and pronunciation of words. If you decide to learn this language on your own and cannot understand how to read words in English correctly, then this material– exactly what you need. Today we will look at the nuances of pronunciation of English letters and letter combinations, and find out how easy it is to learn to read English from scratch. A table that shows all the letters and their sounds will help you learn the rules of reading English for beginners.
First, let's get acquainted with the most important law of reading in English - the rule of open and closed syllables. There is no similar norm in the Russian language, so we will analyze in detail what it is. Please pay attention to the transcription.
An open syllable is a syllable that ends with a vowel sound. As a rule, it occurs in the following cases:
- The word ends in a vowel, so the last syllable is always open: t ake[take].*
- A vowel is followed by a consonant, followed by another vowel sound: ed uca tion [education].
- There are two vowels adjacent to the word: cr ue l [cruel].
*Final e in most cases it is considered “dumb”, that is, it is not pronounced, but appears at the heart of the word precisely to form an open syllable.
In open syllables, the vowel is always pronounced smoothly and drawn out. Accordingly, closed syllables are all those syllables in which the vowel sound is closed by a consonant and therefore sounds short and abrupt: c ut[cat].
In addition, special reading rules in English are characteristic of syllables in which the vowel sound ends with the letter r. The fact is that in the British version of the pronunciation of such syllables, the letter r is often completely omitted, i.e. not pronounced. Therefore, there are two options for reading such letter combinations:
- In an open syllable, when r is surrounded by vowels, only both vowels are read: c are[keea]. In such cases, the last e will not be dumb.
- IN closed syllable (voice+r+acc.), r is also unreadable, but affects the sound of the vowel sound, making it longer: start [staat]
The rule of open and closed syllables is the basic law of reading in English, although there are many exceptions to it. But it’s too early to teach exceptions without knowing the main rules. Therefore, now we will look at the sound options of all letters and letter combinations.
Rules for reading English for beginners - letter and sound correspondence table
Even if you started learning English and reading it from scratch, you are probably already familiar with the spelling and sound of all the letters of the English alphabet. But, as we already learned from the previous section, when reading, the pronunciation of letters depends on the type of syllable or letter combination. Therefore, in the tables below you can find several sound options for the same letter. But don't be alarmed, there will be an accessible explanation for each case. So, let's continue to learn English for beginners and learn the rules of reading in English.
Consonants
Let's start with the easiest thing: with a table of consonants, the pronunciation of which is similar to the Russian sound.
| Letter | Transcription | Russian pronunciation |
| B | [b] | b |
| D | [d] | d* |
| F | [f] | f |
| K | [k] | To |
| L | [l] | l |
| M | [m] | m |
| N | [n] | n |
| P | [p] | P |
| R | [r] | R |
| S | [s] | With |
| [z] | z (only in special positions: after voiced consonants, between two vowels and in the suffix –ism.) | |
| T | [t] | T* |
| V | [v] | V |
| W | [w] | V** |
| Z | [z] | h |
*English d and t are pronounced with more aspiration than their Russian counterparts.
**w is pronounced with the lips extended into a tube, the result is something between the Russian sounds v and u.
Now let's look at more complex letters.
| Letter | Transcription | Pronunciation and explanations |
| C | [s] | s (before vowels i, e, y) |
| [k] | to (in other cases) | |
| G | j (before vowels i, e, y) | |
| [g] | g (in other cases) | |
| H | [h] | Very weakly pronounced Russian X (almost just a strong exhalation) |
| Q | kv | |
| X | ks (before a consonant or at the end of a word) | |
| gz (between two vowels) | ||
| [z] | z (at the beginning of a word before a vowel) |
We will also study letter combinations of consonants in English.
| Combination | Transcription | Pronunciation |
| ck | [k] | To |
| ch | h | |
| tch | ||
| ng | [ŋ] | nasal n |
| ph | [f] | f |
| sh | [ʃ] | w |
| th | [θ] | 1) sound intermediate between s and f (tongue between teeth) 2) the sound is average between z and v (tongue between teeth) |
| wr | [r] | R |
| wh | [w] | u/v x (only before o) |
| qu | kv |
In addition, it is worth considering that the English language never allows consonants at the very end of a word to be deafened. Otherwise, you may say something completely different from what you wanted. For example: back [back] – behind, behind; bag [bag] – bag, sack.
Vowels
It is much more difficult to cope with reading English vowels, but the already familiar rules of open and closed syllables will help us understand it. We take them into service and learn to read the vowels of the English language correctly.
| Closed syllable | |||
| Letter | Transcription | Pronunciation | Examples |
| A | [æ] | uh | bat, track, sad |
| E | [e] | uh | pet, red, check |
| I | [ɪ] | And | pit, fill, tin, system, myth, lynx |
| Y | |||
| O | [ɒ] | O | spot, not, cross |
| U | [ʌ] | A | spun, truck, butter |
Do not forget that in a closed syllable all letters are pronounced briefly.
| Open syllable | |||
| Letter | Transcription | Pronunciation | Examples |
| A | Hey | game, flame, lake | |
| E | And | he, be, Pete | |
| I | ah | mine, like, nine, cry, bye, type | |
| Y | |||
| O | [əʊ] | OU | bone, tone, rose |
| U | Yu | pupil, music, cube | |
And the vowels of an open syllable are always smooth and drawn out.
| Open syllable with r | |||
| Letter | Transcription | Pronunciation | Examples |
| A | ea | square | |
| E | [ɪə] | ie | here |
| I | aye | tired | |
| Y | |||
| O | [ɔː] | oo | more |
| U | Yue | cure | |
We remember that the letter r after a vowel, as a rule, is not pronounced.
| Behindcovered syllable with r | |||
| Letter | Transcription | Pronunciation | Examples |
| A | [ɑː] | ahh | dark |
| O | [ɔː] | oo | sport |
| E | [ɜː] | e | pert, bird, myrtle, burn |
| I | |||
| Y | |||
| U | |||
Now we know how to read vowels in English words. But for perfect reading in English, it is necessary to study one more point.
Diphthongs and triphthongs in English
An important aspect of English for beginners is diphthongs and triphthongs, i.e. combinations of two or three letters that have a special sound. Their pronunciation is called sliding, because. First, the main sound is pronounced intensively, and then it is smoothly transferred to the secondary sound. Diphthongs are a kind of exception and do not obey general grammatical laws, so they can only be learned by heart. The table below will help us learn the rules for reading English diphthongs for beginners.
| English diphthongs | ||
| Combinations | Transcription | Pronunciation |
| air, ear, are | uh* | |
| ye, igh, uy, ie | ah | |
| ea, ey, ay, ai, ei | Hey | |
| ere, eer, ier, ear | [ɪə] | IEE |
| oh, oh | [ɔɪ] | Ouch |
| ou, ow | awww | |
| ou, ow, oa, ol | [əu] | oooh |
| ure, ue, our, oor | wow | |
| English triphthongs | ||
| ower, our | aaue | |
| eur, ure | Yuyue | |
| iet, ire, ier, iar, yre | aaye | |
*doubling the letter indicates the length of the first sound in relation to the second.
So, we have looked at the main nuances of reading in English. Treat the stated rules responsibly: conduct reading lessons more often and be sure to learn to distinguish between types of syllables in English. Otherwise, you will make gross mistakes in pronunciation, which will lead to a complete misunderstanding of your words by the interlocutor. Good luck in learning English and see you again!