Even at school, when the kids begin to read words, composing them into sentences, the teacher immediately tries to instill in them correct pronunciation. Remember how an incorrectly pronounced word or a word that was difficult for you to remember, the teacher wrote on the blackboard and paid attention to its composition. He explained which letters are read in it, and which are not. We crossed out such letters with a dotted line so that next time we would not make this mistake. In today's article, we will get acquainted with the topic - unpronounceable consonants in English language, we will determine under what conditions we do not read letters, and give examples.
Unpronounceable consonants in English:
"g"
We don't pronounce g in words: design / dI 'zaIn / - design, plan; foreign, malign, sign, gnaw, campaign.
"gh"
These letters are not readable if they are in a combination of letters igh :
might /mait/ -Maybe,light /lait/ -lamp, Also V words: sigh, bright, fight.
"b"
No need to pronounce b in words: comb / kəum / - comb, crumb, numb, doubt, thumb, plumber, limb, etc.
"l"
This letter is not readable if it is a verb - would, could, should, if there is a combination of letters alk, lf, lm: talk, half, shalk, the exception is gulf.
p
You do not need to pronounce this letter if it is written before the letter s or n. For example: psychoanalise / saIkəu' ænəlaIz / - psychoanalysis, pseudonym, pneumatic.
"n"
If this letter comes after a consonant m, then it will not be pronounced: autumn, column / 'kɔləm / - column.
"s"
We do not pronounce this letter when it is in a letter combination isl: aisle, island.
"t"
It is not necessary to pronounce this letter if there is a combination of letters st, ft: listen, often, bustle /’blsl/ - bustle.
w
If the letter o comes after the letter combination wh, then w is not readable: whole / həul / - full. Also, we do not read it in the letter combination wr: wrap, wrong, wright.
It must be remembered that these rules have their exceptions, our teachers will be happy to help you master the pronunciation of words with unreadable consonants.
There are cases when people come to us who complain about the lack of understanding of the speech of native speakers in English courses. They say that they know grammar well, but when it comes to dialogue at work with an American or an Englishman, they fall into a stupor. Constantly ask again or ask to repeat what the interlocutor said. A native speaker, of course, repeats. Does it slowly, emphasizing the question or statement with intonation. But, at the same time, he feels that he cannot talk to you quickly and in the way that would be convenient. Why run a business with complexity when you can do without it? In any case, you can hire a translator, take him with you to all transactions and pay a good salary, but will it be cost-effective? This awkwardness makes a lot of people work on their speech.
You should be familiar with the expression "swallow letters". With fluent English speech, no one “chews” the text for you syllable by syllable. This is where unpronounceable consonants come into play. A word can consist of eight letters, and only four of them are readable. Don't worry. Over time, you will definitely remember all the cases when we do not pronounce some consonants. In order for this to happen faster, save our article and let it serve as a good helper for you. And at home, when reading texts, when you meet an unfamiliar word, refer to a simple pencil. Lightly cross out the unreadable consonant in the word. Repeat this every time, and visual memory will begin to tell you when and what to say.
Native English School wishes you a good last days of May and get ready for a full summer. The heat has tempered its appetites, so you can confidently inhale the coolness and make the last push to work at the end of the working week. See you at school! =)
Notes: 1. Letter at conveys the same sounds as a letter i, but rarely occurs in the middle of a word. 2. The above rules apply only to stressed syllables. In an unstressed position, vowels are reduced to the sounds [ə] and [i]. For example: arrive[ə "raiv], return , illumination, difficult["difikəlt].
Transcription
In English, the relationship between sounds and letters is much more diverse than in Russian. Each vowel and many consonants have multiple readings. The same is observed when different letters are combined, and under certain conditions a number of letters are not readable at all (the so-called "dumb" vowels and consonants). Sometimes in different words the same sound is transmitted by different letters or a combination of letters. In addition, all English vowels have for the most part not the reading that we are used to associating with the letters of the Latin alphabet: each vowel can convey 4-5 sounds, often completely different.
To record the sound composition of a word using written signs, there is a special system of signs - transcription. In order not to confuse transcription with printed text, it is distinguished by square brackets. A colon is used to denote the length of a sound. Word stress is placed before the stressed syllable. Having memorized the transcription icons, you can accurately read any word in the dictionary.
Enter in brackets the transcription marks corresponding to the pronunciation of the sounds that the underlined combinations of letters give.
Consonants
sh e, sh ip
ch ild, ch eese
j uice
U s actually
Morni ng
y ou, y oung
– w hit- v acant
th ink
th is, th at
Vowel sounds
– sh i p-sh ee p
– c u p-m a rket
– h o t-sh o rt
–p u t-m oo n
–p e n-fl a t
– matt e r
diphthongs
Make, day, play
Where, care
English grammar
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English grammar is a historically established set of rules on which the use of English words and expressions is based. Knowledge English grammar is the guarantee of correct beautiful speech and letters. This section presents the main provisions of English grammar, as well as exercises on English grammar. For learning any kind of activity, it is necessary, in addition to studying the theoretical foundations, to practice it. For the convenience of practice in consolidating the rules of English grammar, English grammar exercises are divided into topics. Studying a specific topic English grammar, the trainee can immediately begin to practice and perform exercises on this topic. Noun(noun) |
Nouns in English, as well as in Russian, denote objects and substances ( a table- table; a house- house; water- water), living beings ( a girl- girl; a cat- cat), phenomena and abstract concepts ( rain- rain; peace- world; beauty- beauty; work- Job; darkness- darkness). Nouns in English have a number of properties that distinguish them from nouns in Russian. The main ones are as follows: 1. Special functional words - articles are usually placed before nouns. a, an, the: I am a student. I am a student. Open the door, please. Open the door, please. 2. Most nouns do not change by case, and only animate nouns have two cases - common ( a boy, boys) and possessive ( boy "s, boys"): What is the boy's name? What is the boy's name? Where are the girls' hats? Where are the girls' hats? 3. Nouns can be used as an unprepositional attribute to other nouns. In this case, they often correspond in meaning to adjectives in Russian: Youshouldgotothesandbeach. To youbettergoonsandybeach. Which do you like best: winter or summer sports? What sports do you like more: winter or summer?
English language online. We continue the topic of idioms about time and provide examples of some of the most common idioms on this topic.
Better Late Than Never - Better late than never
Example: The task is long overdue, but it's better late than never.
On the Spur of the Moment - At the Top of the Moment - Influenced by the Minute
Example: Annie drove to the beach on the spur of the moment
Once in a Blue Moon - Once in a blue moon - When cancer on the mountain whistles
Example: Homebodies Mary and Jim only go out once in a blue moon.
Living on Borrowed Time - Living in Borrowed Time - Living on Borrowed Time
Example: After Andy was struck by lightning, he felt like he was living on borrowed time.
In Broad Daylight - In broad daylight - In broad daylight
Example: Two dogs walked across the lawn in broad daylight.
Against the Clock - Counterclockwise - Hurry up to do something in a timely manner
Example: In movies, writers love to create countdowns where the main characters are working against the clock.
bigtime- Big time— Great success, Serious, Major
Example: When he landed the position as CEO, he knew he had reached the big time.
The Time is Ripe - The time is ripe - The time has come
Example: Raphael was planning a trip overseas, and the time was finally ripe.
Have the Time of Your Life - Have the time of your life - The best time of your life
Example: Billy had the time of his life touring in Switzerland.
We offer to repeat or learn the most common synonyms of the verb to love. Enriching the English vocabulary online with expressions
to care for/about smb, to be fond of smb- to feel tender feelings, affection for someone
to adore- adore
to worship- idolize
to be (totally) enamoured of smb- to be delighted, to be fascinated by someone
to be crazy/mad about smb- obsess over someone
to dote on smb- blindly, passionately adore someone
to be (utterly) infatuated with smb- fall in love without looking back at someone
to be obsessed with smb- to be obsessed, obsessed, obsessed with someone
Learn English idioms online. Examples of idioms about time in English.
Beat the clock - get ahead of time
do time - serve a prison sentence
clock watcher - negligent worker
Against the clock - time works against you
Turn back the hands of time - turn back time
Have a whale of a time - have a great time
Kill time - kill time
Once in a blue moon - very rare
Behind the times - to be old fashioned
Time flies - time flies / runs unnoticed
Wasting time - wasting time
The big time - move up the career ladder / Reach career heights
run out of time - to be late, not to be in time
take your time - take your time
in the nick of time - at the last moment
high time - it's time
two-time - play a double game, cheat on someone
We invite someone in English. Learning new words and expressions in English. We replenish vocabulary.
Come over and visit. - Come to us.
Come to see us tonight. - Come visit us tonight.
Come and see me on Sunday. Come see me on Sunday.
Come to my birthday party. Come to my birthday party.
Come to dinner. - Come to dinner.
Drop in. - Come in.
I want to invite you to lunch. - I want to invite you to dinner.
Call any day you like. - Call anytime.
How about coming with us? - Let's go with us?
Would you like to have some coffee? — Do you want to drink coffee?
Would you like to come for a walk? - Would you like to take a walk?
Would you care to come to my place and have a drink? Would you like to come and have a drink with me?
We offer a list of common introductory words and expressions in English. These words are often used in speeches, reports and letters in English.
Frankly speaking / to tell the truth - Frankly speaking
To cut it short - In short
So to speak - So to speak
By the way - By the way, by the way
It goes without saying - Needless to say
As far as I know - As far as I know
Indeed
In other words - In other words
however - however
So / well - So
Besides / moreover - In addition
also - also
Of course / certainly - Of course
In any case / anyway - In any case
Always / at all - Generally
Therefore - For this reason
Though / although - Although
Meanwhile / meantime - In the meantime, while
Nevertheless - However, nevertheless, nevertheless
Perhaps / probably - Perhaps
During the evolution of the English language, the pronunciation of the language has changed, while the spelling has remained the same. There is a combination or order of letters in a word when some of them are not readable. Here are some examples:
"B" : silent when following "m" climb, crumb, dumb, plumber, thumb
"C": not pronounced at the end of "scle"
muscle
"D" is not pronounced in the following words:
handkerchief, sandwich, wednesday
"E": not pronounced at the end of words and usually lengthens the vowel
hope, drive, gave, write, site
"G" is not pronounced before "n":
champagne, foreign, sign, feign
"GH" is not pronounced before "t" and at the end of many words
thought, through, daughter, light, might, right, fight, weigh
"H" is not pronounced after "w".
what, when, where, whether, why
"H" is not pronounced at the beginning of many words Use the indefinite article "an" in these cases.
hour, honest, honor, heir, herb
"H" is pronounced at the beginning of the following common words:
hill, history, height, happy, hangover
"K" is not pronounced before "n" at the beginning of a word
knife, knee, know, knock, knowledge
"L" is often not pronounced before L, D, F, M, K.
calm, half, salmon, talk, balk, would, should
"N" is not pronounced after "M" at the end of a word
autumn, hymn
"P" is not pronounced at the beginning of many words with suffixes is not pronounced at the beginning of "psych" and "pneu".
psychiatrist, pneumonia, psychotherapy, psychotic
"S" is not pronounced before "L" in the following words
island, isle
"T" is not pronounced in the following common words
castle, Christmas, fasten, listen, often, whistle, thistle
"U" is not pronounced before and after G and before a vowel
guess, guidance, guitar, guest
"W" is not pronounced at the beginning of a word before "R".
wrap, write, wrong
"W" is not pronounced with these three pronouns
who, whose, whom
In English class, students moan, "Why are the rules for reading in English so confusing?"
One reason is that English . Sometimes they kept their spelling, sometimes they changed it for themselves. In good old England, words were often spelled the way they were read, so that the same word could be spelled differently. Take at least the manuscripts of Shakespeare - all this chaos is there in full view.
Eventually, the spelling of words was standardized and entered into dictionaries, but... When you study English, you will notice that a word often reads completely differently from how it is spelled. And there are usually historical reasons for that.
There is also good news. Although many English words it would seem that they are written “as God puts on the soul”, there are a number of rules here. But be careful, because every rule has its exception.
The English language has over 1,100 ways of writing 44 individual sounds - more than any other language. But let study 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 the most difficult for you.
- Use a dictionary, not a spell checker! Unfortunately, you can not always trust her.
- Learn words with all kinds of prefixes and suffixes, for example: biography - auto biography, child - child hood and so on.
- Learn the rules, but don't rely on them. We have already said that every rule has its exception. We will talk about this below.
“i” is written before “e” (except after “c”)
One of the first rules of reading that is 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, conceive), receive (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 (eight), neighbor (neighbor), reign (board), weight (weight)
“i”: either (any; either), height (height), feisty (absurd), sleight (dexterity)
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 they simply do not pronounce them? ..
The Silent Witness, or What is the Unpronounceable Letter
unpronounceable letter ( silent letter) is a letter that should be in a word, even if we do not read it. More than half of the letters of the alphabet can act as 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(a thread), bread(bread), thread(step)
b- lamb(lamb), bomb(bomb), womb(womb)
c- scissors(scissors), science(the science), scented(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), psalms(psalm), balm(balm)
n- hymn(hymn), autumn(autumn), column(column, column)
p- pneumatic(pneumatic), psalms(psalm), psychology(psychology)
s- isle, island(island), aisle(passage, e.g. in the cabin)
t- listen(listen), rustle(rustling) whistle(whistle)
u- biscuit(cookie; not a biscuit!), guess(a guess), guitar(guitar)
w - write(write), wrong(wrong), wrist(wrist)
Unpronounceable "e"
The unpronounceable "e" is the most common unpronounceable letter. There are several strict rules for writing words that end in an unpronounceable “e”.
When you add a suffix to such a word and the suffix begins with a consonant, the word stem 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 (fame) + ous = famous (famous)
nerve (nerve) + ous = nervous (nervous)
believable + y = believably
criticise (criticize) + ism = criticism (criticism)
Exceptions: mileage (distance in miles), agreeable (accommodating).
Prefixes and suffixes
When you add a prefix to a word, you don't usually need to change the stem 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 (unavailable)
When you add a suffix to a word, it often changes the base of the word. Below are a few rules. As usual, there are exceptions, so if you're not sure how a word is spelled, check the dictionary.
Words that end 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 short vowel words ending in a single consonant, that consonant is doubled when you add a vowel-starting suffix (ing, er, ed, est).
mop (wash) + ing = mopping (wash)
big (big) + est = biggest (biggest)
hot (hot) + er = hotter (hotter)
For words that end with an “l” after a vowel, that “l” is doubled.
model (model) + ing = modeling (modeling)
travel (to travel) + er = traveller (traveler)
Exceptions
For some words ending in “r”, “x”, “w”, “y”, the doubling rule does not apply.
fear (to be afraid) + ing \u003d fearing (fear, afraid, afraid)
box (box, not box!) + er = boxer (boxer)
know (to know) + ing = knowing (knowledge, knowing, knowing)
play (play) + ing = playing (game, playing, playing)
And if there are two consonants at the end of the word 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 that end in "ce" and "ge"
When you add a suffix that starts with "a" or "o", the "e" remains.
manage (execute) + able = manageable (executable)
notice (notice) + able = noticeable (noticeable)
courage (courage) + ous = courageous (brave)
Exception: prestige (prestige) + ous = prestigious (prestigious)
words ending with "ie"
When you add "ing" to verbs ending in "ie", the "e" is dropped and the "i" is changed to "y".
die (to die) - dying (dying, dying, dying)
lie (lie) - lying (lying, lying, lying)
tie (tie) - tying (tying, tying, tying)
Words that end 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 a consonant, “y” changes to “i” before a suffix.
eighty (eighty) + eth = eightieth (eightieth)
duty (duty) + es = duties (duties)
lazy (lazy) + ness = laziness (laziness)
mystery (mystery) + ous = mysterious (mysterious)
beauty (beauty) + ful = beautiful (beautiful)
multiply (multiply) + ed = multiplied (multiplied)
cozy (cozy) + ly = cosily (cozy)
Words that end in "y" after a vowel
"y" is stored 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 discrepancies in spelling and reading rules caused by . It's not that one option is better and that one is worse, you just need to settle on one, learn 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.
For this purpose, the following method is perfect: listening English books with parallel viewing of the original text.
10 English Classics Voiced by Native English Speakers
Mother Goose by W. W. Denslow Denslow
// 7 Comments
There are many words in the English language, the spelling and pronunciation of which is rather insidious. Unlike other Western European languages such as Spanish, we rarely pronounce all the letters used to write an English word. As a result, there are entire groups of words whose spelling and pronunciation do not match. With, letter combinations and we have already met. But there are many cases where the letters become "silent", that is, they are not pronounced at all, and this is due to the history of the English language. The English language not only absorbed a huge amount of words from such "invaders" as French, Latin and Scandinavian, but also there was a standardization of sounds, as a result of which the spelling of words remained the same, but the pronunciation changed.
The unpronounceable letter "k"
If the letter ‘ k' precedes the letter ' n’ at the beginning of a word, it is not pronounced, for example, in the word ‘know’ . Word ‘know’(know) it is interesting because, having discarded the first silent ‘k’, we pronounce it differently than ‘ now'(Now). 'know' = - 'now' =
Google shortcode
Here are a few words with an unpronounceable letter "k" at the beginning of the word: knock (knock), knick-knacks [ˈnɪknæks] (trinkets), knee (knee)
The unpronounceable letter "p"
Letter ‘ p' becomes mute if it precedes the letter ' s'. Most of these words are called the mental state of a person and psychology: psychology (psychology), psychoanalysis (psychoanalysis), psychiatry (psychiatry), as well as words with the prefix pseudo(pseudo) - pseudonym [ˈsjuːdənɪm] (alias).
Letter ‘ p' is also not pronounced if it is followed by the letter ' n': pneumonia (pneumonia), pneumatic (pneumatic), Pnomh Penh (Phnom Penh)
You also probably noticed that the letter "p" is dumb in the word receipt (receipt)
Unpronounceable letter "c"
Everyone knows that in combination with ‘ h'letter' c' gives the sound " tʃ', however, when it follows the ' s', often becomes mute: muscle [ˈmʌsl] (muscle), fascinating [ˈfæsɪneɪtɪŋ] (charming), scene (scene).
The unpronounceable letter "g"
Letter 'g' in some cases not pronounced, combined with ‘n’. The classic example is the word foreign [ˈfɔrɪn] (foreign). Other examples are the words sign (sign), design (design), malign (slander).
The unpronounceable letter "b"
There are plenty of such words in English. Silent ‘ b' usually follows ‘ m‘, for example, climb (climb), debt (debt), thumb [θʌm] ( thumb hands), comb (comb), dumb (dumb / stupid), etc.
The unpronounceable letter "n"
This letter is usually silent after ‘ m', as in the words column [ˈkɔləm] (column), solemn [ˈsɔləm] (solemn), damn (curse).
Silent letter "t"
The most famous words that fit this rule are listen [ˈlɪsn] (listen) and whistle [ˈwɪsl] (to whistle), but there is also wrestling [ˈrɛslɪŋ] (struggle), thistle [ˈθɪsl] (thistle), hustle and bustle [ˈhʌslənˈbʌsl] (bustle).
We hope that this little phonetic exercise will make it easier to read words with unpronounceable consonants without a dictionary.