Prepared by Han Kwai Yow for lessons in 2011

1

1. Vowel [I] and [I:] Vowel Spelling frequency 1 2 3 4 5 6 Short [I]

i, im y, ry, ty,

ui e ie

Some word samples

fit, bit, hit,

ship, police, irritate,

important, him,

impossible

myth, inquiry, country, liberty,

build, circuit,biscuit

pretty, scene,

decline,

sieve, lieutenant,

exception women, busy

fruit, suit

Venetian,

"y" can produce the long vowel sounds of "i", "e" and "a". It also can make a short "i" sound, e.g. "gym". Vowel Spelling frequency 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Long [I:]

ee ea ie ei y e ine eo

Some word samples

see, sheep, sleet,

be, me,

sea, beat, meat

relieve, belief,

receive,

key scene, equal,

machine people

Exception bread, thread, steak near,

eight, neighbour,

weight, sleight, freight sleigh,

Note: 1. The letter i has two main ways of saying it (pronunciation):

a) The letter i appearing in one syllable words usually is short, e.g. hit, fit, fill, fulfill;

b) When a word must be read long, the letter i usually is read as ai, e.g. time, fine, lime. These words usually carry the letter e at the end of the word and you do not need to read out this letter e, hence they are known as silent e ending words.

How Should you spell, read and write: ie and ei You Can Remember these quick tricks.

a. The spelling of a word has the vowel letters ie coming together, they usually make the long [I:]: example: relieve, relief, reprieve, seize.

b. Write ei if a word has the letter c comes in front of them, like: receipt, receive, ceiling, deceive, conceive; and they often make the long [I:] sound but can make other sounds too.

c. You are to read the letter ei in eight, neighbour, weigh, sleigh, freight, etc, as diphthong [ei] the way American people say the letter a.

d. Try this: "What is the weight of the freight on car number eight?"

Prepared by Han Kwai Yow for 2011

2

some exceptions: ei weird, neither, either, forfeit, counterfeit, protein, foreign, sovereign, leisure, heifer, sleigh sleight, height, feisty, seismograph, Exceptions: ie diet, hierarchy, science, society, variety, cried, die, dried, fried, hie, lie, pie, tried, hire, more exceptions: ie friend, lieutenant, orient,

-ealth health death wealth -eath breath stealth -ear near -eer deer

Short [I] it kick kin kiss lick vomit nausea lid lift link lip list lit milk mill miss mitt mix nip pick big pill pin pink resist rich rid rig rim rip shift ship sink sip sit six skin skip slick active determineirritate infinitive

Long [I:] cheap cheat beach cheek cheep cheese chief believe berries bleach bleak brief brownie any babies baby be bead beak beam bean beat beauty beach bean clean cookies county cream

dizzy dream dusty duty each east easy eat neat need niece Ninety only parties party pea peach seal seam seat see seed seek seventy sheep sheet shield shiny shriek siege creep daddy daisy deal deed deep

-ui biscuit build circuit cuisine guilt quick quilt Exception --ui cruise cruiser fruit juice recruit sluice --ui fluid ruin ---if n or s or t come in front of ui, you read it as [ju:]. nuisance suicide suit tuition Exception: suite [swi:t]

--int print, hint mint winter vintage --irr irrational irresistible,irrigate irritate

Added in 2013

Words sounded short e [] spelled as i:

e belie forfeit pretty i bellicose filibuster lyric lyrics lugubrious privilege shiver shivery tragic*

words ending in ic or ics -ib bib crib glib fib jib nib rib

-ich chicanery inch cinch clinch finch flinch pinch rich which

-ick brick chick click crick cricket flick kick lick nick pick picket prick quick sick slick tick ticket thick trick slick stick wick

-id accident bid did forbid grid hid kid lid mid rid skid slid squid valid

-if cliff fifth gif gift if lift miff riff shift shrift short shrift sniff stiff thrift tiff whiff

-ig big brig dig fig gig jig pig prig rig sprig swig twig wig zig

-ique technique antique boutique critique mystique

-ill bill chill dill drill fill frill gill grill hill kill mill pill rill sill spill still thrill till trill twill will

-ilt filth filthy gilt gilt-edged hilt jilt kilt lilt silt up silt stilt wilt milk silk

-im blimp brim chimp crimp dim grim him important improve import limb limber limbo limp pimp primp pimple prim primp rim trim skimp slim swim timber trim whim

-in begin bin din chin fin gin grin in include infinitive infinite infusion inn invent kin pin shin sin skin spin tin thin twin win within

-ing being bing bring cling ding fling king ping ring sing sling sting spring string swing thing wing wring zing

-inge binge cringe fringe hinge singe tinge -ink blink brink click cling clinic clink clip drink fink ink kink link mink pink rink

sink slink stink think wink zinc

-int glint hing lint mint print splint sprint squint stint tint

-ip blip chip clip crisp dip drip flip grip hip lip nip pip quip rip tip trip ship sip skip slip snip strip trip whip yip zip

Added in 2013

-is bliss is disk his hiss fist kiss list mitosis* miss sis this

words ending in sis -istle bristle [ br s()l], epistle [ p s()], gristle [ r s()l], thistle [ s()l/], whistle

[ w s()l] -ish bishop churlish dish fish swish wish

-isque bisque beautique physique risqu

it admit it bit city fit hit kit knit lit mitt nit permit pit remit sit skit slit slither slithery spit split submit transmit whit whiz wit with

-itch glitch itch ditch hitch pitch stitch witch

-ive active* give live relive river rivet

most words ending in ive riven -ix fix mix six

-y baby crystal cylinder gym myth oligarchy oxygen syllable

-izz frizz

-ie sieve view

-ei forfeit forfeiture counterfeit

-et basket market ticket racket

-ui biscuit [ b sk t ] build [b ld] built [b lt] circuit [ s (r)k t] distinguish [d st w ] equip [ kw p] equipment [ kw pmnt] guilt [ lt/] liquid [ l kw d/] marquis [ m (r)kw s] quiche [ki ] quick [ kw k] quickly [ kw kli] quit [kw t] quilt [kw lt] quiver [ k w v] quiz [kw z] quins [kw nz] quin [kw n] quint [kw nt] quintuplet [kw n tju plt] quintessential [ kw nt sen ()l] quintet quilts quince [kw ns] quintets [kw n tet/] squid [skw d] squint [skw nt]

acquire [ kwa ] quiet [ kwa t] quite [ kwa t ] require [r kwa ] prerequisite [pri rekw z t/] bruin [bru n] druid [ dru d] fluid [ flu d] ruin [ ru n] suicide cuisine tuition fruit [fru t] fruitful fruitless gluing [ lu ] nuisance [ nju s()ns] suit [su t] spacesuit pantsuit jumpsuit suitcase

Added in 2013

-y antonym bicycle Byzantine [b znta n] cylinder cymbal cynical cyst gym gypsy hymn mystery myth nymph rhythm sycamore [ s km (r)] syllable syllabus symbol symmetry sympathy symphony symposium symptom synonym synthesis synthetic syphilis syringe sysop system typical typify

-ey alley chimney chutney [ t tni] donkey galley hockey honey jockey kidney Mickey money monkey parsley valley volley

-o woman

English words with ea in the spelling that read as long e [I:]. The diphthong ea in English could be read in 6 ways: (i) as long [I:]; (ii) as short [e]; (iii) as diphthong [eI]; (iv) as diphtong [IE]; (v) as diphthong [eE]; and (vi) as long [E:]. The last three being members of r-control words.

Words spelled ea in a close syllable word (usually stressed), read as long [I:] would have the following words.

-ea pea sea tea flea plea

beacon beaver creature eager eagle feature heathen meager measles reason seaman seamen season treacle treason weasel

-each beach bleach breach each leach peach preach reach teach

impeach overreach pleach preachy -ead bead lead read knead plead

-eaf leaf sheaf

overleaf

-eague colleague league

-eak beak bleak creak freak leak peak speak sneak squeak streak teak tweak weak

-eal deal heal meal peal real really seal squeak squeal steal teal veal zeal

appeal ordeal reveal conceal congeal -eam beam cream dream gleam ice-cream ream seam scream steam stream team

bloodstream crossbeam daydream downstream eyebeam mainstream moonbeam upstream

-ean bean clean dean glean Jean lean mean wean

-eap heap leap reap cheap

-ease cease crease disease decrease ease grease increase lease please queasy release tease

appease decease unease

-eash leash squeamish,

-east beast east Easter feast least yeast

-eat beat bleat cheat cleat defeat eat feat heat meat neat peat pleat repeat retreat seat treat treaty wheat

-eath beneath breathe heath sheath wreath

-eave cleave heave leave sheave weave

-ear beard clear dear dreary ear fear gear hear near nearby rear sear shear smear spear tear theatre theatre weary year

appear

-ear bear pear wear

grotesque picturesque

baroque pique torque plaque

Han Kwai You revised for 2013

12. Vowel [e] = [Z], and [A]

Vowel Spelling frequency

1 2 3 4

Short [e] e ea ai any Some word samples

bed, bend, men, went

head, bread, steak,

said, says any, many

Vowel Spelling frequency

1 2 3 4

Long [A] a ai and -ave Some word samples

fan, man, pan.

brake

plaid sand, band, hand

have, rave,

1. Words with the letter e in the spelling and read as short [e]; but words with these letters -er, -ere. -ew, -ey in its spelling are to be read differently.

2. A word contains the spellings of ea but read as [e]; compare with the group of exceptional words under long [I::::]. Some of these words end with -ead in the spelling.

3. English words that carry the sound [A] mostly have the letter a in the spelling. Other words that have the letter a but read differently are dealt with separately in other section.

More on ea dead [ded] adj. feather ['feTE] n. head [hed] n. heavy ['hevi] adj. instead [in'sted] adv. leather ['leTE] n. pleasant ['pleznt] adj. pleasure ['pleVE] n. sweat [swet] n. sweater ['swet] n. thread [Wred] n. threat [Wret] n. weather ['weTE] n.

-ealth health death wealth

-eath breath stealth

-eck deck heck neck peck check fleck speck wreck

-edge hedge ledge wedge pledge sled sledge dredge

-ed bed fled led shed red sled wed bled fed Ted Sped Shred

-ext next text

-est best nest pest rest

-esh flesh fresh mesh

-eft left cleft theft

break [breik] v. great [greit] adj. steak [steik]

-a any many

-ai said

-eg peg beg keg leg

-ept kept swept crept slept wept

-ength length strength

-ess bless stress mess press dress less

-etch fetch sketch wretch

Han Kwai You revised for 2013

2bad [bAd] adj. bag [bAg] n. band [bAnd] n. bang [bAN] n. fact [fAkt] n. jam [dVAm] n. map [mAp] n. rag [rAg] n. tap [tAp] n. cat [kAt] n.

ae- aeroplane aerodrome aegis aeon aesthete ['i:sWi:t]

--aff chaff staff

aff after, craft, draft, graft, shaft, waft,

--ash cash ash, bash, crash, dash, gash, hash, lash, mash, rash, sash, brash,

-arr arrow ['Arow] n. carrot ['kArot] n. carry ['kAri] v. marrow ['mArou] n. marram ['mArEm] n. marriage ['mAridV] n. married ['mArid] adj. narrow ['nArou] adj.

--ass ass, bass, trass, crass, lass, mass, sass, trass

Exception -ass class glass grass brass

-ack back, lack, tack, pack, quack, sack, crack, black, stack, track, knack, shack,

Tongue twister: All the eggs are on the bed.

1Words ending in the letter e known as silent e

recipe abalone catastrophe apostrophe

Except foreign words (non-English origin words), when you see or use words ending in the letter e, and the letter e is silent, and the preceding vowel letter is read long in its own name, e.g. "take", "scene", "spike", "home", "mule". The exceptions are usually foreign words.

a-e

care cake take make lake late hate made save place blaze stale tape page game safe save brake blazer

o-e

home smoke hope joke complete stone more note nose coke code dose robe froze toe stove come some done gone noise choice

i-e

bribe bride chide dice hide die died dies scribe lice ride lie lied lies knife tribe rife wife strife stride

i-e

spike smile grime vine hide pike vile crime Mike tile chime nine fine mile lime file dime dine

u-e

goose snooze groove choose include truce rule lose true noodle mute tune tube

2

Be careful when you add a suffix to a word which ends in -e. Sometimes you need to keep the -e, sometimes you need to drop it. It all depends on which suffix you use. hope + ing = hoping (With -ing, you need to drop the -e) hope + ful = hopeful (If the first letter of the suffix is a consonant, you need to keep the -e) Remember, a, e, i, o and u are vowels. All the other letters are consonants.

Something to laugh about: When living in Kuala Lumpur, I notice that a pizza comes to your house faster than

an ambulance. The most difficult thing to open is a closed mind. Never be too open-minded. Your brains might fall out.

Designed by Han Kwai Yow Revised in 2011 3. Vowel [Q] and [B:] Vowel Spelling frequency Short [Q] u o o - e ou oo ongue Some word samples

cup, up, just, us, lust, lucky

son, won, love,

done, does, hope,

touch, tough,

enough,

blood, flood,

tongue

* other words with ou in the spelling; but read differently. Vowel Spelling frequency Long [B:] ar a ear augh er Some word samples

bar, car, park bark, farther,

father, heart laugh, clerk, sergeant

un-- unable unaffected uncertain undone unfair unjust unlucky uninformed exception: universal university union

--urr hurricane furrier currency current currant hurrah furrow burrow turret -urry curry hurry --urry furry bury

u except ur bun cup but cut dull Dutch gull hull lunch rubbish suffer vulgar exception: bull full pull push put

Words sounded [], spelled ou:

ou double [ d b()l], couple [ k p()l], couplet [ k plt], country [ k ntri ], cousin [ k z()n], courage [ k r d ], discourage [d s k r d ], enough [ n f], encourage [ n k r d ], encouragement [ n k r d mnt] , flourish [ fl r ], nourish [ n r ], rough [r f], touch [t t ], tough [t f], trouble [r b()l], young [ j],

Designed by Han Kwai Yow Revised in 2011 --ar arch barn dart jar part star Arctic car far lard party start ark card farm large scar starch arm cart garden march scarf tar art warfare smart

bar chart harm mart smart yarn bark dark harp park spark harbour parcel Mark charge guard mark shark target tart artist charm hard farther marsh sharp yard exception: war [wR:] ward [wR:d] warm [wR:m] warn [wR:n] warp [wR:p] wart [wR:t]

--alf calf [kB:f] half [hB:f] --alves calves [kB:vz] halves [hB:vz] --alm alms [B:mz] almond ['B:mEnd] balm [bB:m] calm [kB:m] embalm [im'bB:m] palm [pB:m] --ask task ask basket ['bB:skit] flask mask --ance advance chance dance France glance lance

-ass class glass grass brass --ast blast cast fast ghastly last mast nasty past nasty past plaster *bastard *drastic *plastic

--aff chaff [tFB:f] n. quaff [kwB:f] v. staff [stB:f] n. --aft abaft [E'bB:ft] prep. after ['B:ftE] adv. aircraft ['ZEkrB:ft] n. craft [krB:ft] n. draft [drB:ft] n. graft [grB:ft] n. haft [hB:f t] n. raft [rB:ft] n. shaft [FB:ft] n. waft [wB:ft] v.

Prepared by Steffen Han Revised 2010

4. Vowel [R] and [R:]

Vowel Spelling frequency Short [R] o an ough o - e ost Some word samples dog,

cot, hot, pot,

want, wander

cough, trough,ought

gone, shone,

cost, frost, hostile, exception

roster, ghost, most, host, post, postage,

Vowel Long [R:]

or ore oar orn aw

au our ough augh ar all oor a

Some word samples

for, port, nor,

before, core, bore, shore,

roar, board

worn, torn

law, awful

author, sauce,

exception: aunt, draught, draughty gauge, laugh,

course, mourn

bought, cough,

thought,

caught, taught,

war all, tall, mall,

exception: shall.

door, floor

water, wash, watch,watt,

Prepared by Steffen Han Revised 2010

Most single syllable word with spelling ocould be read as Short [R] Exception comb [koum] front [frQnt] won [wQn] some [sQm]

--an swan, wan, wand, wander, wanigan, want, wanton, exception: wane, wangle

al-- almost, already also alternate although altogether always exception Albert album alcohol alcove algebra allegory altitude alkali

--alk balk talk walk chalk stalk --alt halt, salt, malt, -ault fault vault

--aunch haunch, launch, paunch, staunch, --aunt daunt gaunt haunt jaunt taunt flaunt

-awl bawl, brawl, crawl, drawl, scrawl, shawl -awn dawn fawn lawn brawn yawn pawn prawn

-long bong, dong, long, song, tong, prong, strong, wrong, --oss boss loss moss toss cross floss gloss

--oth moth, broth, cloth froth, sloth, exception:both

--orch porch torch scorch --ord cord, ford, lord, chord, sword --ork cork, fork, pork, stork,

--orm dorm, form, norm, from, storm --orn born corn, horn, morn, torn, worn, scorn, sworn, thorn,

--our four pour,

2009 Revised

5. Vowel [u] and [u:] [U] Vowel Spelling frequency 1 2 3 4 5 6 Short [u] oo u ou o Some word samples

look, cook, book, good,

wood, cookie,

full, pull, put, bush,

push,

could, would, should,

woman,

Vowel Spelling frequency 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Long [u:]

oo u-e ew ou ui o oe eau

Some word samples

root, balloon, moon, roof,

spoon, etc.

rude, blue

grew, brew, chew, brew, blew, crew, drew, flew

soup, croup, group

you,

fruit, suit, juice,

do, to,

who, move

shoe beauty, beautiful

knew, few, etc.

Prepared by Mr Han Kwai Yow for English Class

2

--uce [ju:] ; [ju:s] deduce induce introduce produce reduce seduce you yet yes use union university usual amuse tube endure beauty onion opinion million-5mIljen genuine-5denjuIn genius- [5dI:nIEs] Januarry- [5dnjurI] Febuary [5februErI]

--ew few, new, mew pew, knew dew view --uth Ruth Truth --uke duke puke fluke

--ue [u:] blue clue flue flute glue grue rue slue sprue All these words come with the letter c, d, h, r, and sp in front. They read [ju:]. exception: argue continue cue due fuel hue rescue spew value

-ui biscuit build circuit cuisine guilt quick quilt --ui cruise cruiser fruit juice recruit sluice --ui fluid ruin -- if n or s or t come in front of ui, you read it as [ju:]. nuisance suicide suit tuition Exception: suite [swi:t]

These words look alike, but they dont sound alike.

1. book, foot, good, hood, look, stood, wood

2. aloof, boom, doom, gloom, soon, bloom, broom, noon, proof, roof, zoom

3. floor, door

4. flood, blood

5. moor, poor,

Two new balloons flew to the moon at noon.

2009 Revised

Prepared by Mr Han Kwai Yow for English Class

3

6. Vowel [E] and [E:]

[E] [E:] Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample attention

a above, away, about, among, awake,

aware, America, Malaysia,

China, etc

ir girl, shirt, sir, bird,

ur fur, furl, curb, curd,

turn,

er her, herb, term,

ear pearl, earth, early,

ere were, wor work, word,

worth, sword,

The Sounds of English Language

This Table is prepared by Han Kwai Yow, revised in 2010.

1

The English Diphthongs

[ei] [ai] [Ri] Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention

a-e cake, late, pale, make, made,

i-e

mine, time

oi join, point, oil, noise

choir

ai rain, mail, straight, wait,

aisle i, ign, ind

wife, kind, find, sign, align, science

oy joy, Joyce, annoy, oyster

a paper, Australia, table,

y, ye, eye

my, by, sky, style, dye, eye

ay day, say, pay, play, Malaysia

igh high, sight, height

ei rein, skein,

ie die, pie, height, either, neither

eigh eight, weigh,

uy buy

ey they, grey

ai aisle, da

ea great, break

The Sounds of English Language

This Table is prepared by Han Kwai Yow, revised in 2010.

2

[EU] [aU]

Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention

o-e note, home, bone, wrote,

ow bow, now, cow, crown,

o over, open, so, no, go, post, roll, goes, toes,

ou thousand, loud, flower, out,

oa boat, coat, road, load, goal, coal,

ough bough

oe goes, toes, oax hoax,

coax,

ow shown, know, sow, bow, tow

ou soul, dough,

au mauve

[iE] [ZE] [uE] [RE]/[R:] Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention

ear/ea(r) fear, near, ear, dear, year, hear, here,

air chair, air, fair, hair

our tour, your, gourd

oor poor, door, floor

eer beer, deer, steer, cheer, engineer, volunteer,

are care, share, square, shared,

oor poor, door

our pour

ier pier, tier, fierce,

ear swear, wear, bear, year

ure pure, lure, cure,

endure

oar roar

ere hemisphere, mere, here, sincere,

there, stereo, ceremony, were,

ere where, there,

uel cruel, fuel

ore wore, ore

eir weir, eir their er drawer ea beard,

idea, ideal, real,

ea area ie variety ar wary ae aeroplane

The Sounds of English Language

This Table is prepared by Han Kwai Yow, revised in 2010.

4

English Triphthongs [RE]/[R:] [auE] [aiE] Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention

oor poor, door, floor

our our, hour, sour, scour,

ire

fire, hire, admire

our pour er flower, power, tower,

iar liar

oar roar er buyer, higher, flier,

ore wore, ore

io lion, riot, pious

er drawer oi choir ui quiet,

iro iron

The Sounds of English Language

This Table is prepared by Han Kwai Yow, revised in 2010.

4

English Triphthongs

[auE] [aiE] Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention Alphabet letter and spelling

word sample

attention

our our, hour, sour, scour,

ire

fire, hire, admire

er flower, power, tower,

iar liar

er buyer, higher, flier,

io lion, riot, pious

oi choir ui quiet, iro iron