Open and closed syllables in English. Reading rules

The reading of a vowel depends on the letters adjacent to it and on the type of syllable in which it is located.

Open syllable

A syllable is considered open if it ends with a vowel (to-tal, ri-val, bi-ble, mo-tor). The vowel in this case gives a long sound - that is, it is read as in the alphabet. Words with silent “e” also belong to this type. For example:

• take
• Pete
• kite
• nose
• cute

Some monosyllabic words are also open syllables. For example, me, she, he and no, so, go.

Closed syllable

The closed syllable is the most common orthographic unit of the English language; it makes up about 50% of the syllables in the text. A closed syllable ends with one or more consonants, and the vowel in this case is read briefly.

IN English language many monosyllabic words of a closed type (cat, pin, hen). If a beginning with a vowel is added to them, the consonant before it is doubled. This is done to avoid changing the sound. For example:

• hat-ha tt er
• pin - pi nn ed
• hot-ho tt est
• red-re dd ish
• cut - cu tt ing

Syllable “vowel + r”

The third type of syllable is one in which the vowel is followed by the letter "r". In this case, the vowel gives a long sound, and the “r” itself is not readable (in).

• car
• herb
• girl [ɡɜːl]
• form
• turn

The double "r" does not affect the sound of the vowel. In this case, the syllable is read as closed. Compare:

• smi r k - mi rr or [ˈmɪrə]
• cu r l - cu rr ent [ˈkʌr(ə)nt]
• po r t - to rr ent [ˈtɒr(ə)nt]

Syllable “vowel + re”

In a syllable of this type, the letter “r” is also unreadable, and the vowel forms a diphthong.

• dare
• more
• hire [ˈhaɪə]
• core
• pure

Syllable “consonant + le”

Sometimes this syllable is highlighted separately - it occurs only at the end of the word. If there is one consonant before -le, the syllable is read as open. If there are two consonants before -le, it is read as closed. Compare:

• ta bl e [ˈteɪbl] - da bbl e, ti tl e [ˈtaɪtl] - li ttl e [ˈlɪtl]
• bu gl e-stru ggl e [ˈstrʌɡl], ri fl e [ˈraɪfl] – sni ffl e [ˈsnɪfl]

Not every consonant occurs in combination with -le. Here are those that are typical for the English language:

• -ble (bubble) -fle (rifle) -stle (whistle) -cle (cycle)
• -gle (bugle) -tle (brittle) -ckle (pickle) -kle (tinkle)
• -zle (dazzle) -dle (bridle) -ple (staple)

Vowel combinations (digraphs)

A digraph is a combination of two letters that are pronounced as one sound. In the case of vowels, this may be a long sound, a short sound, or a diphthong. Most often, digraphs are found in old Anglo-Saxon words whose pronunciation has undergone changes over hundreds of years: thief, boil, hay, boat, straw. They are read according to special rules, but there are many exceptions, so such words need to be learned gradually and systematically.

Basic vowel digraphs

A vowel combination is not a digraph if the vowels belong to different syllables. In this case, the first vowel is read as in open syllable, and the second one is in an unstressed position and gives the sound [ə]. For example: lion ["laɪən], diet [ˈdaɪət].

The English vowel system seems very confusing at first glance. Of course, there are only 6 letters in the alphabet, but 20 sounds! But everything obeys certain rules, which are not that difficult to understand. The whole secret is in the syllables into which each word is divided.

It is impossible to learn to read without knowing the basics of syllabification, which is the number of vowels in a word. So, for example, a syllable is considered: a-tom, i-tem. The letters l+e and r+e, where “e” is not pronounced, are also a separate part of the word: ta-ble, ti-tle.

Types of syllables in English are divided into stressed and unstressed.

Drums are formed into specific groups:

1st. Open

First of all, mentally divide the word into syllables, then look at which letter it ends with:

- a vowel at the end indicates an open syllable, which means it is pronounced as in the alphabet (“a” - hey, “o” - oh): see, go, he.

- if the word ends with “e”, it is called silent e, then the syllable is also open: pale, sake, like.

2nd. Closed

Almost all English syllables ending in a consonant can be classified as closed (the exception is the letter “r”): bag, fun, plan.

3rd. Syllable with letter “r”

If after a stressed vowel there is an “r”, which is not pronounced, then the vowel becomes long: firm, sport, car.

4th. Syllable with letter “r” + “e”

The letter “e” is silent, it is not pronounced, just like “r”. It is these letter combinations that are called diphthongs and triphthongs: parents, fire, pure.

Each vowel is pronounced differently depending on whether the syllable is open or closed. All of them must be learned by heart and practiced through various phonetic exercises.

1st: Aa – – correspond to the Russian “ey”, Ee – – similar to the extended Russian “i”, Yy – – to “ai”, Ii – – “ay”, Uu – – to the extended “yu”, Oo – – pronounced like “ OU" .

Aa – make, Ee – we, Ii – time, Yy – type, Uu – tube, Oo – note.

2nd: Aa – [æ] – average of the sound of Russian letters “e and a”, Ee – [e] – “e”, Yy – [i] – “and”, Ii – [i] – “and”, –Uu – [ʌ] – “a”, Oo – [ɔ] – reads like the Russian “o”.

Aa - cat, Ee - bed, Ii - sit, Yy - system, Uu - cup, Oo - not.

3rd: Aa – – correspond to the extended Russian “a”, Ee – [e] – “e”, Yy – [ə:] resembles something cross between Russian “e and o”, a little “ё” sound, Ii – [ə: ] – a mixture of “e and o”, a little from the sound “e”, Uu – [ə:] – “e and o”, Oo – [ɔ:] – extended “o”.

Aa – car, Eee – her, Ii – girl, uu – cure, Oo – more.

4th:: Aa – [ɛə] – sounds like Russian “ea”, Ee – – “ie”, Yy – – “aya”, Ii – – “aya”, Uu – – “yue”, Oo – [ɔ :] – long “o”.

Aa – share, Ee – here, Ii – fire, Yy – tyrant, Oo – more.

Another type of syllable in English is unstressed syllable.

From the name it is clear that this is a syllable that is not stressed. Without stress, English vowels are read especially. So let's see:

Aa, Oo, Uu– read as sound [ə]: a gain, c o ntrol, diffic u lt.
Ee, Ii, Yy- read as sound [i]: b e come, d e cide, cit y.

But:
- e+n+ consonant = [ə] student
- e+ l, n at the end = [-] (disappears, not pronounced) seven
- i+ final l = [-] (disappears, not pronounced) pupil
- o + final n = [-] (disappears, not pronounced): lesson

A lot of? Yes? Training and more training. Gradually, you will easily notice open and closed syllables and develop phonetic intuition.

Closed syllable. In a closed syllable, a stressed vowel is followed by one or more consonants (except r); a vowel in a closed syllable conveys a short sound.

Example words with open type syllables

• pen - [ pen ] - feather
• cat - [ kæt ] - cat

There are four types of syllables in English, more on that. Types of syllables

Rules for reading vowels in open and closed syllables.

The most common rules for reading English vowels are the rules for reading them in four syllable types.

The vowels i and y are, as it were, duplicating each other (in the sense of the rules for reading them). The letter y is found mainly at the end of words, and the letter i is found in the middle of words and almost never at the end.

1 Alphabetical reading, i.e. The pronunciation corresponding to the name of the letter in the alphabet has vowels only in the second type of syllable, which is also called open, since it ends with a vowel.

2 A syllable becomes closed if a vowel is followed by one or more consonants.

3 In polysyllabic words according to the rules English syllables one consonant, finding itself on the syllable boundary between the readable vowels, moves to the next syllable. For example, in the word lad [ læd ] guy, the consonant d refers to the first and only syllable, “closing” it. In the word lady [ ˈleɪdi] Lady the same consonant belongs to the second syllable, while the first remains open.

4 If there are two or more consonants at the boundary of syllables, then at least one of them necessarily goes to the previous syllable, making it closed: splendid [ ˈsplɛndɪd ] magnificent, luxurious.

This also applies to cases where combinations of consonants produce only one sound: funny [ ˈfʌni] funny, amusing ticket [ ˈtɪkɪt ] ticket, coupon

The syllable boundary then passes directly along this sound. The preceding syllable becomes closed, although the sound itself belongs to the following syllable.

5 The letter x conveying two sounds is considered as two consonants boxer [ ˈbɒksə ] boxer

6 The final silent vowel e serves to indicate the openness of syllables ending with the consonants made [ ˈmeɪd ] made . The letter e at the end of a word is read only when it is the only vowel: be [ bi ] be .

7 Sound [ (j) u: ] after sibilants, consonants [ r ] and combinations of consonants ending in [ l ], pronounced [ u: ]

• rule [ ruːl ] rule, rule, power
• blue [ bluː ] blue, light blue
• shoot [ ʃuːt ] shoot, shoot.

In other cases, [ juː ]

• few [ fjuː ] little, a little
• use [ ˈjuːs ] benefit, use, application

In American English the sound [ juː ] occurs much less frequently than in British, which in the following transcriptions is designated as [ (j) u: ].

8 Syllables closed with a consonant r or letter combinations r + consonant are separated into a separate, third type of syllable, with special reading rules. In disyllabic words, with several consonants starting with r at the boundary of syllables, r goes to the preceding syllable, the rest to the following (including cases of rr):

• [German] ˈdʒəːmən ] German
• porridge [ ˈpɒrɪdʒ ] porridge .

9 Finally, if immediately after the r, which closes the syllable, there is again a vowel, an open syllable of the fourth type is formed. If one letter r stands on a syllable boundary in two-syllable words, then general rule syllable division it goes to the subsequent syllable, but at the same time it is an indicator of reading the preceding vowel according to the rules of syllables of the fourth type:

staring [ ˈsteərɪŋ ] bright .

10 The rules for reading open syllables of types 2 and 4 have quite a few exceptions regarding polysyllabic words in which the vowels in the indicated syllables are read according to the rules of closed type syllables.

11 The consonant r after vowels in syllables of the third and fourth type is not readable in British English. However, if next word begins with a vowel, the final “silent” -r or -re ceases to be so:

to take care of [ təˈ teɪk ker əv ] take care . In the American version, the consonant r is always pronounced.

12 The vowels e, i, y and u in syllables of the third type produce the same sound [ ə: ] , and their reading in syllables of the fourth type is easily obtained from the alphabetic by adding the sound [ ə ] .

13 The vowel o in syllables of the third and fourth types is read the same [ ɔː ]

14 Letter combinations -er -re at the end of words that produce the same vowel sound [ ə ] , are considered as the vowel opening the previous syllable: metre [ ˈmiːtə ] meter The letter combination -le at the end of words has a similar property: table [ ˈteɪbl] table . Sonorant consonant [ l ]. similar in sound characteristics to vowels, acts in such cases as a syllabic vowel.

Let's look at open and closed syllables in English. As you already understand, reading vowels in English is closely related to this concept.

The main point here is that vowels can be pronounced differently depending on which syllable they are present in. In English there are only two syllables: open and closed.

Open syllable in English

What is open syllable? This is the syllable that ends in a vowel (usually e, but it itself is not pronounced). In such a syllable, vowel letters are read only as they are called in the alphabet (see table No. 1).

🔊 m e [M AND:] "to me" ;
🔊n i ce [H AI C] "pleasant";
🔊sk y [SK AI] "sky";
🔊s o da [CO U DE] "carbonated drink".

Closed syllable in English

Finally, let's look at the vowels in a closed syllable. Here their pronunciation may seem more familiar to you, perhaps with the exception of the letter u, which is pronounced as a sound similar to [A]. A letter a- [E] (see table No. 2).

🔊l i p[L AND P] “lip”;
🔊 b u t[B A T] “but”;
🔊p e t [P E T] "pet";
🔊h o t [X ABOUT T] "hot".

Comment: Consonants at the end of words in a closed syllable are not devoiced, as in Russian. So, we write “horn” and pronounce [ROK]. There is no such thing in English, otherwise there would be confusion:

🔊ma d [ME D] "crazy" - 🔊ma t [ME T] "rug".

Letter combinations with letters require special attention r(see table No. 3):

Examples of words with syllables from the table:

🔊 bar[BA:] "bar";
🔊 her[HYO:] "her"
🔊fir[FYO:] “spruce”;
🔊 for[FO:] "for" ;
🔊 fur[FYO:] “wool”;
🔊 Byrne [BY:N] “Byrne” (proper noun).

The letter itself r is not pronounced, but the vowel preceding it takes a long time to pronounce.