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Are there silent letter rules?
The letter ‘b’ can act as a silent letter when it comes before ‘t’ or if it comes after ‘m’. Words such as ‘comb’, ‘tomb’, ‘bomb’, ‘debt’, and ‘doubt’ are good examples of the ‘b’ acting as a silent letter. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule; the word ‘obtain’ doesn’t abide by the rules.
What are the rules of pronunciation in English?
If an E Appears at the End of a Word, It Is Silent. The Preceding Vowel (Separated from the E by One or More Consonants) Will Be Pronounced as a Long Vowel. 5. If Two Vowels Appear next to Each Other in One Syllable, the Second Vowel Is Silent and the First Vowel Is Pronounced as a Long Vowel.
Why some alphabets are silent in English?
Often silent letters in English are actually diacritic letters. This means that rather than being pronounced, they change the pronunciation of another syllable. Compare the words ‘fin’ and ‘fine’. The ‘e’ isn’t pronounced, but it changes the pronunciation of the vowel by lengthening it.
How are English alphabet divided on the basis of pronunciation?
In English language there are 26 alphabets and they are further divided into 5 vowels (a,e,i,o,u)and 21 consonants (remaining alphabets.) Sometimes “H” is also used as a vowel as in – honor / hour. Here “H” is silent and pronounced as “O”, as in Orange.
What percentage of English words have silent letters?
There are a lot of silent letters in English, it’s said that around 60 \% of words in English have silent letters. This makes spelling and pronunciation more difficult for learners. Below we will look at some silent letter rules that will help you recognize when certain letters are to be silent.
What is a silent letter of the alphabet?
Updated April 26, 2018. In English pronunciation, silent letter is an informal term for a letter of the alphabet (or a letter combination) that’s usually left unpronounced, such as the b in subtle, the c in scissors, the g in design, the t in listen, and the gh in thought.
What is the effect of silent consonants on pronunciation?
Silent consonants make pronunciation much more difficult, especially for English language learners. Authors of A Practical Course in English Pronunciation create rules for pronunciation in the presence of silent letters for learners of English.
What is the silent rule in English grammar?
Silent PH Rule: PH is sometimes pronounced like F. • Sophia, paragraph, elephant, telephone. Silent S Rule: The letter S is not pronounced before L in the following words: • Aisle, island, isle, islet. Silent T Rule: The letter T is not pronounced in the following common English words: • Castle, Christmas,…