English Reading Rules 1.

Letters rendering vowels:

Reading Letter Alphabetic: Letter + (Consonant +) e /-/ Sound Examples Closed Syllable Sound Examples bag /bg/, at /t/ Letter + r (stressed position) Sound Examples farm /f:m/, art /:t/ Sound Additional Position and Examples a + l + k/l/m/s: talk /th:k/, all /:l/, almost /:lmust/, also /:lsu/ Final position: late /leit/, hope /hup/ e + r (unstressed position): better /bet/, later /leit/ Final postconsonantic position: go /gu/, potato /ptheitu/ Final postconsonantic stressed position: my /mai/, rely /rilai/ Final postconsonantic unstressed position: sorry /sri/, likely /laikli/

Aa

/ei/

take /teik/

//

/:/

/:/

/-/ Ee /i:/ Pete /phi:t/ /e/ bed /bed/, end /end/ /:/ mercy /m:si/ // Ii /ai/ like /laik/, tie /thai/ hope /hup/ tube /tju:b/, use /ju:z/, due /dju:/ /i/ big /big/, it /it/ got /gt/, on /n/ but /bt/, up /p/ /:/ firm /f:m/ for /f:/, order /:d/ burn /b:n/, urgent /:nt/

Oo

/u/

//

/:/

/u/

Uu

/ju:/

//

/:/

/ai/ Yy /ai/ type /thaip/, rye /rai/ /i/ myth /mi/ /:/ myrrh /m:/ /i/

2. Letters rendering consonants:

Letter

Sound

Position

Examples

Bb

Cc Dd Ff Gg Hh Jj Kk Mn Nn Pp Qq Rr

/-/ /b/ /s/ /k/ /d/ /f/ // /g/ /-/ /h/ // /-/ /k/ /-/ /m/ /-/ /n/ /-/ /p/ /k/ /-/ /r/ /z/ // // /s/ // // /t/ /v/ /w/ /z/ /gz/ /ks/ /z/

b + t (final position) in the rest of cases in front of e, i, y in the rest of cases in all cases in all cases in front of e, i, y in the rest of cases in final and pre-consonantal position in the rest of cases in all cases k + n (initial position) in the rest of cases m +n (initial position) in the rest of cases m +n (final position) in the rest of cases p +s (initial position) in the rest of cases in all cases (necessary with u + a/e/i/o) in final and pre-consonantal position in the rest of cases vowel + s + vowel s + ure (initial position) s + s + ure (final position) s + ure (final position) in the rest of cases s + tion, t+eous tion (final position) in the rest of cases in all cases in all cases x + vowel (initial position) unstressed vowel + x + stressed vowel in the rest of cases in all cases

debt /det/, doubt /daut/ by /bai/, about / face /feis/, city /siti/, mercy /m:si/

age /ei/, Gipsy /ipsi/,

myrrh /m:/, John /n/

know /nu/, knife /naif/ mnemonic /njmnic/ autumn /:tm/ pseudonym /sju:dnim/, psychology /saikhli/ quarter /kw:t/, question /kwesn/, quite /kwait/, quote /kwut/ water /wt/, art /:t/ easy /i:zi/, rise /raiz/ sure /u/ pressure /pre/ measure /me/, pleasure /ple/ question /kwesn/, righteous /rais/ nation /nein/

Ss

Tt Vv Ww Xx Zz

Xerox /zi:rks/ example /igzmpl/

3. Letter combinations: Letter combination ai ay au Reading /ei/ /ei/

/:/

Position initial, middle final initial, middle

Examples aim /eim/, main /main/ day /dei/, say /sei/ autumn /:tm/, cause /kh:z/

aw ch ea ee ei ey oo ph sh th wh zh

/:/ /k/

// /i:/ /e/ /i:/ /ei/ /ei/

// /:/ /u/ /u:/

final Greek borrowings the rest of cases all cases initial, middle final l + oo + d oo + r oo + k the rest of cases all cases all cases th + consonant th + vowel wh + o the rest of cases foreign names

law /l:/ Technique /teknik/ read /ri:d/ bread /bred/ deep /di:p/, see /si:/ grey /grei/ blood /bld/, flood /fld/ door /d:/, floor /fl:/ Book /buk/, look /luk/

/f/ // // // /h/ /w/ //

through /ru:/ this /is/ who /hu:/, whole /hul/ Zhukov /u:kv/