Ўзбекистон республикаси олий ва ўрта махсус таълим вазирлиги ўзбекистон давлат жаҳон тиллари университети

B: words with vowel letters

/ı:/ /a:/ /ɔ:/ /u:/ /з:/ /ı/ /ʌ/ /ɔ/ /u/ /æ/ /e/ /ә/ /eı/ /ɔı/ /aı/ /au/ /әu/ /ıә/ /єә/ /uә/

Aa: cake, pat, hard, rare __, __, __, __. Ee: scene, pen, per, here __, __, __, __. Ii: nine, tin, girl, fire __, __, __, __. Oo: hole, pot, born, pore __, __, __, __. Uu: mute, cut, turn, cure __, __, __, __. Yy: clarify, myth, myrtle, tyre __, __, __, __.

B. Discuss and try to guess the reason for the different pronunciation of the same letter in the words given in the task A.
Task 1. Study why an English vowel letter is pronounced differently

Depending on the type of syllable one and the same English vowel letter may be pronounced differently. Four types of syllable are usually differentiated in teaching the reading rules of English vowel letters. They are: open syllable in the first type, open syllable in the second type, closed syllable in the first type, closed syllable in the second type. A syllable ending with a vowel letter is considered as an open syllable in the first type: ma/ke, ro/le, po/le. If a syllable ends with ‘r+vowel’, this type of syllable is called an open syllable in the second type: care, fire, rare. A syllable ending with a consonant letter with the exception of ‘r’ or ‘r+consonant’ is considered as a closed syllable in the first type: cat, pen, red. If a syllable ends with ‘r’ or ‘r+consonant’, this type of syllable is called a closed syllable in the second type: far, card, part.

Task 2. Study the reading rules of English vowel letter ‘a’.

The vowel letter ‘a’ is pronounced as:

1. 
   /eı/ in an open syllable in the first type: pale, tale, male.
   
2. 
   /æ/ in a closed syllable in the first type: pat, dad, fad.
   
3. 
   /єә/ in an open syllable in the second type: care, rare, dare.
   
4. 
   /a:/ in a closed syllable in the second type: car, hard, card.
   

Task 3. Study the reading rules of English vowel letter ‘e’.

The vowel letter ‘e’ is pronounced as:

1. 
   /ı:/ in an open syllable in the first type: scene.
   
2. 
   /e/ in a closed syllable in the first type: ten, red.
   
3. 
   /ıә/ in an open syllable in the second type: here, mere.
   
4. 
   /з:/ in a closed syllable in the second type: per, fern.
   

Task 4. Study the reading rules of English vowel letters ‘i’ and ‘y’.

The vowel letters ‘i’ and ‘y’ is pronounced as:

1. 
   /aı/ in an open syllable in the first type: fine, dely.
   
2. 
   /ı/ in a closed syllable in the first type: pin, myth.
   
3. 
   /aıә/ in an open syllable in the second type: tire, lyre.
   
4. 
   /з:/ in a closed syllable in the second type: bird, myrtle.
   

Task 5. Study the reading rules of English vowel letter ‘o’.

The vowel letter ‘o’ is pronounced as:

1. 
   /әu/ in an open syllable in the first type: hope, rope.
   
2. 
   /ɔ/ in a closed syllable in the first type: cot, pot.
   
3. 
   /ɔ:/ in an open syllable in the second type: core, pore.
   
4. 
   /ɔ:/ in a closed syllable in the second type: lord, corn.
   

Task 6. Study the reading rules of English vowel letter ‘u’.

The vowel letter ‘u’ is pronounced as:

1. 
   /u:/ or /ju:/ in an open syllable in the first type: tube, cute.
   
2. 
   /ʌ/ in a closed syllable in the first type: but, cut.
   
3. 
   /uә/ or /juә/ in an open syllable in the second type: pure, cure.
   
4. 
   /з:/ in a closed syllable in the second type: turn, furl.
   

Note: The mentioned reading rules of English vowel letters are regarded as general rules. There are some exceptions to these reading rules. To be sure if the pronunciation of a vowel letter in a certain word is correct, it is better to use a good dictionary, such as Oxford Advanced learner`s dictionary of current English, Cambridge Advanced learner`s dictionary.
Task 7. Do the following exercises: