How to determine an open or closed syllable. Syllables – what are they? Types of syllables and rules for dividing into syllables

You will come across such words in almost any English textbook. What syllables are is more or less clear. Why are they open and closed? And why do you need to know this at all?

Open syllables end with a vowel (for example, ma-ma). Closed , respectively, to a consonant (for example, briefcase). To read Russian, it doesn’t matter what type of syllable it is. But in English this will determine how to read the word correctly.

So here it is. Percussion vowel reads in an open syllable Also, what is the name of in alphabet ( attention: not any vowel, but only stressed!). Except for the letter Yy (wow), which reads simply (ouch).

Happens three open syllable options:

1)C G SG - a stressed vowel is separated from the next vowel in a word by only one consonant. It does not matter whether there are any further consonants. For example:

i=ai l i ke-[l aI k ] ( like - like it)

a=hey K a te[k eI t ] (Kate)

u =yu p u pil[p ju pl] (puple - student)

By the way: letter Her (AND) at the end of the word is not readable if there are other vowels besides it.

2) C G- the only vowel at the end of a word. For example:

i =аyh i[ h aI ] (hi - hi)

e = and: h e[ h J ] (hee - he)

y =ai m y[ m aI ] (May is mine)

3) C G G - two vowels stand next to each other. Then the first (stressed) vowel is in an open syllable, and the second is not readable at all. For example:

o= ou c o at ( cote - coat)

e = и: s e e[s J ] (si - see)

a= hey p a int ( paint - dye)

IN closed syllable (that is, one that ends with a consonant - one (and there is no vowel immediately after it) or several at once)vowels are read like this :

That is, each letter has its own sound, except for letters II- Ayi Yy- Wy, who read the same- (And).

For example:

What happens?

1. 1) There are syllables open(end with a vowel or immediately after them there is a vowel) and closed(ends with a consonant).

2. 2) B open we read the stressed vowel in a syllable like this: what is it called in the alphabet. IN closed vowels in a syllable indicate brief sounds.

3. 3) Letters II-Ay and Yy-Way read the same: in an open syllable - (ai), in a closed syllable - (i).

:) If it is not clearer, please ask questions!

Hello, dear friends! Today I will tell you about the types of syllables in English language. Some readers will now close the article and say that they do not want to go so deep into learning the language. There's no need to rush. Only at first glance it seems that the English read completely differently from how they write. In fact, there is logic everywhere. Once you know it, you can learn to read with confidence. So let's figure it out.

Why is transcription needed?

Many people no longer teach it at school and you don’t have to memorize these incomprehensible symbols, but there is one secret. It is important to learn division into syllables.

The rule is:

If a stressed vowel is followed by a consonant (except r), then we give it to the next, unstressed one. As in the word stu/dent. When pronouncing, you emphasize u more clearly. The emphasis falls on it. Therefore d goes into the second part. If there are two or more consonants after a stressed word, the first is taken by the stressed part of the word, and the second by the unstressed part (pat/tern).

Do you have any doubts? Open your dictionary. The upper comma in the transcription indicates emphasis.

Open and shut

Now you need to know how to determine the type of syllable. Many of you learned at school, but few will confidently say what an open syllable means. This is the one that ends with a vowel.

Why is the letter r special?

Because she doesn't obey general rules, but dictates his own. In the third type, it comes after the letter under stress and makes it long. Pay attention to fur (fёёё), fork (fook), serve (syoev). Syllable type 4 is similar to type 3, but after the r there is also the letter e. As in care, mere, more.

Let's put all the information in a table:

Therefore, I recommend subscribing to my blog and getting acquainted with other articles. You will also receive as a gift, completely free of charge, an excellent basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main advantage is that there is Russian transcription, so even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.

In English, it is customary to distinguish 4 types of syllables:

1. An open syllable ends with a vowel. In English, a syllable followed by a consonant + an unpronounceable final is considered open. "e".
The vowels in this syllable are pronounced the same way as they are called in the alphabet.

2. A closed syllable ends with a consonant. In this type of syllable, vowels convey short sounds.

3. The third type of syllable is a syllable in which a vowel is followed by a letter "r"(at the end of a syllable) or "r"+ consonant. In this syllable, all vowels convey long sounds.

4. The fourth type of syllable is a syllable in which the vowel is followed by the combination "r"+ vowel. In this syllable, all vowels convey long and complex sounds.

Rules for reading vowels in English

To listen, click on the highlighted word.

Features of vowel pronunciation.

1. If a word consists of two or more syllables, namely, it contains two or more vowels, then the letter e at the end of the word is not pronounced. For example: die , mate , bottle .
2. If the word consists of one syllable and ends with a letter e, which in this case will be the only vowel, then the letter e pronounced as in the alphabet. For example: me , he , she .
3. If a word consists of one, two or more syllables and ends in ee, then this combination is always stressed and pronounced as . For example: fee , employee , see.

The open-closed syllable rule affects the pronunciation of vowels in English.
A stressed syllable is called open if it ends in a vowel not followed by a consonant, or if it ends in a consonant followed by another vowel. For example, me, tea, play or ending in a consonant followed by a vowel, as in place, truly, precise.

4. Stressed vowels in an open syllable a, e, u, i, o

a - place , may,play, take
e - fee , me, tea, meter
u - true , truly, plume
u - pure , fuel, due
i - tie , nice, tiny
o[əu] - bone , toe, go

A stressed syllable is called closed if it ends in a consonant that is not followed by a vowel. For example: pot, tip, pattern, doctor, but, sector. All these words have a closed syllable, that is, a syllable that ends in a consonant, as in the words: pot, tip, but; or followed by another consonant, as in: pattern, doctor, sector.

5. Stressed vowels in a closed syllable a, e, u, i, o pronounced as follows:

a [æ] - bag , pattern , flag, exam
e[e] - bed , message , met, pretend
u [Λ] - but , must , button, disgust
i[i] - insist , pin , tip, pistol
o [ɔ] - bottle , prolong , box, lock

There are many exceptions to the rules of open and closed syllables.

6. Vowel a before a consonant s, followed by another consonant reads: pass , master, past.
7. Vowel a before a consonant th pronounced like: father , path, rather.
8. Vowel a before a consonant w in a closed syllable it is pronounced as [ɔ] or [ɔ:]: want , was, wander.
9. Vowel a before l + consonant pronounced [ɔ:]: walk , also, false.
10. Vowels in a closed syllable a, i, y before combination consonant + le pronounced as in an open syllable: title , maple , cycle , table, idle.
11. Vowel o before consonants m, n, th, v pronounced [Λ]: front , some , dove , brother , glove, won, mother, come.
12. The vowel o in words like host , most, post pronounced as in the open syllable [əu].
13. There are also isolated exceptions, such as the words: put , pull, push, where in a closed syllable the vowel u is pronounced [u], or the word give, where in the open syllable the letter i pronounced the same as in closed.
14. Stressed vowel y in an open syllable it is pronounced as: sky , fly, type.
15. Unstressed y at the end of a polysyllabic word it is pronounced as [i]: happy , truly, ferry.
16. In a closed syllable under stress y pronounced as [i]: myth , rhythm, system.

RULES FOR READING CONSONANTS:

Features of the pronunciation of certain letters at the beginning of a word.

The letter at the beginning of a word is not pronounced w, if it is followed by r: wrong , write, wrist.
No letters are pronounced at the beginning of a word g And k, if they are followed by n: knight , knot, gnat, gnaw.
If at the beginning of a word there is a combination wh, then the letter h not pronounced in this combination: what , where, white.
However, if after the combination wh followed by a vowel O, then the letter is not pronounced w, but not h: who , whose, wholesale.

Features of pronouncing certain letters in the middle of a word.

In the middle of a word there is a combination ng pronounced [ŋg]: angry , finger, singer.

Peculiarities of pronouncing certain letter combinations at the end of a word

Unstressed letter combinations at the end of a word er, re, or, unlike drums, is pronounced [ə]: , brisque.

Features of pronouncing certain letters in combination with other letters.

Letter c pronounced as [s] when it comes before letters e, i, or y: cycle , cell, piece, circus, precise, cynic c pronounced as [k]: cat , cut, pack, back, clock.
Letter g pronounced as if it comes before the letters e, i, or y: college , germ, giant, Gipsy, gym, prodigy. In all other cases the letter g pronounced [g]: guest , game, flag, magnetism, saga, plug.
However, there are a number of exceptions to this rule, where, despite the combination with the letters indicated above, the letter g pronounced [g]: give , girl, bagger, finger and others.

In this lesson:
Alphabet for letter A
Open and closed syllable

There are many reading rules in the English language, but the most, most, most “basic” are the rules for reading vowels in open and closed syllables.

There is NO need to “learn the rules” of reading separately. You need to learn quite a lot of words - examples of this rule. By memorizing the rules, you remember patterns, which you then notice in unfamiliar words.

Let's go through the dictionary

Once upon a time, it seems like a long time ago, there were no electronic dictionaries. Why, back then there were no computers. The translation of unfamiliar words had to be looked for by leafing through a thick, solid book DICTIONARY. Probably, even now every student of English has a large or not very large English-Russian dictionary, which is called “hardcover”.

It is, of course, easier to look for a translation of a word in the electronic version of the dictionary, but when you hold a book in your hands, you see more words, and it is easier to find words in which a vowel denotes a specific sound. So, let's go through the dictionary and look for patterns.

"Alphabet" for the letter "A"

Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn ​​Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz

Open and closed syllable

This table does not contain words for all letters of the alphabet, but this is enough. As you can see, there are a lot of things in English short words type

hat is a closed syllable - after the letter a there is one consonant and nothing else.

hate is an open syllable - after the letter a there is one consonant and a “silent” letter e (it is not pronounced).

Using such examples, the rules for reading vowels in open and closed (stressed!) syllables are the easiest to remember. So,

In the open stressed syllable vowels are read in the same way as they are named (as in the alphabet), i.e. This is alphabetical reading.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Even this “simple” rule does not apply to all words. To read a vowel letter it is important what letters exactly? stand in front of her and behind her. Therefore, the letter a can also be read as [L] or [R]. But more on that in the next lesson.
In the meantime, try to remember the words from the table above and
transcription signs [x] and .
More:

To do this, you need to know the types of syllables in English. Knowledge of several simple rules will take you one step closer to the desired pronunciation like native speakers. Let's first remember the basic things, a syllable is or several vowel sounds combined with a consonant/consonants, which are pronounced with one push of exhaled air. There are four types of syllables: an open syllable, a closed syllable, and two conventionally open (or half-closed) types of syllables. Open and closed syllables are the most common in English, so it’s worth talking about them in more detail with examples and exceptions, but we’ll also definitely talk about the rest.

Closed syllables

This is the syllable that occurs most often. It ends in a consonant (one or more), and the vowel letter in the syllable is read briefly. We have selected several examples for you that will help you remember the rule better:

bad- bad
cat- cat
lip- lip
sad- sad
black- black

As always, there are a few exceptions to this rule that you need to keep in mind:

Free lesson on the topic:

Irregular Verbs English: table, rules and examples

Discuss this topic with a personal tutor for free online lesson at Skyeng school

Leave your contact information and we will contact you to sign up for a lesson

• The letter “a” before “s” and the combination “th” is always read as a long “a”: past, master, glass, father, path.
• The letter “a” after “w” is always read as a short “o”: was, want, wasp.
• In some words, the letter “u” is read exactly the same as in an open syllable: put, pull, bull, push.
• The letter “o” in combination with “–st” is also read briefly: most, lost, host.

Open syllables

The main rule of an open syllable in English is that it must end in a vowel. In this case, the vowel is read exactly the same as in the alphabet and ultimately produces a long sound.

Main characteristics of a syllable:

• Such a syllable does not have a consonant after the vowel in the syllable. (for example in the words: go, my, no);
• Usually has the letter e at the end of the word, which comes immediately after the vowel (for example in the words: pie, toe, bye);
• Immediately after the consonant letter there is a silent (or unreadable) vowel e (for example in the words: name, take, pupil);
• Immediately after the stressed vowel there is a consonant + le (for example in the words: table, noble).

The same rule may apply to some monosyllabic words, such as: me, go, she and some others.

Example words:

male- male
type- type
bite- bite
go- go
late- late
rude- rude
like- like how

There are also exceptions to this rule. It is very important to remember that in words: love, some, done, none, dove– the letter “o” in the first syllable is read exactly the same as the short “a”.

Conventionally open (or semi-closed) syllables

Conventionally open (or semi-closed) syllables come in several types:

1. Syllables that end with a vowel + r;


2. Syllables that end with a vowel + re;


3. Syllables that end in a consonant + le.

In the first case, the vowel makes a long sound, and the letter r is not readable.

car- automobile
girl [ɡɜːl]- girl

In the second case, the consonant r is also unreadable, but the vowel is converted into a diphthong.

pure - pure

The third case (consonant + le) can be either an open or a closed syllable, depending on how many consonants come before le. There are two cases:

1. There is one consonant before le.

   table [ˈteɪbl]- table
   title [ˈtaɪtl]- Name

2. Before le there are two consonants.

   struggle [ˈstrʌɡl]- struggle
   sniffle [ˈsnɪfl]- sniffling

Useful video: