TYPES OF SYLLABLES IN ENGLISH

«OPEN SYLLABLE» or Type I.

The English vowel in the first type is pronounced as it is called in the ABC.

Open syllable or type I is the syllable, where:

- after the vowel there are no more letters, for example: be [bi:], he, she, me;

-·after the stressed vowel goes another vowel, for example: foe [fɔu], play, sea, tea

after the stressed vowel goes a consonant, and one more vowel (e,a,y) goes after it, for example lake [leik]; bike [baik]; global ['glәubәl]. place [pleɪs], truly ['tru:lɪ], tune [tju:n], nose [nəuz].

Attention: letter -е, after the consonant is silent (‘dumb’).

Examples: lake [leik]; bike [baik],die [dai], mate [meit], bottle ['bɔtl]

In an open syllable, i.e. in the syllable ending with a vowel:name, like, rose, tune, type, see, tea, sea, he, so, hi, tie , a stressed vowel is read the same way as it is named in the alphabet: [ei] [i:] [ai] [əu] [ju:] (letters i and y in an open syllable are read similarly [ai]).

Letter Sound Example

A [ei] face name gate plate date

E [i:] See he she be Pete we tea sea

I [ai] I tie five mine dive site

O [əu] So rose nose hope stone go

U [ju:] music tune cube flute cute

Y [ai] type byte rye sky dry my

NB! In English the number of syllables is counted by the number of pronounced vowels: face [feis] - one syllable

NB! If a word comprises two or more vowels in its composition, coming directly one after another, and the second one being a, it is not pronounced in the end of the word, for example: sea [si:], tea [ti:], letter y is pronounced as [i], for example: truly ['tru:lɪ], daily ['deilɪ].

NB!! If a word consists of one syllable and ends with letter -e, which is the only vowel, then letter e is pronounced as in the alphabet [i:], for example: me, he, she.

NB!!! If a word consists of one, two or more syllables and ends with -ee, this combination is always under stress and pronounced as [i:]. For example: fee, employee, see.

Exercise 1. Vowels in an open syllable

Repeat after the speaker many times until your mouth and ears get accustomed to these sounds.

A - game, bake, escape

E - scene, theme, extreme

I - bike, line, wide

O - hope, note, code

U - fume, June, huge

Y - sky, spy, cry

Exercise 2. Pronounce the words with vowels in an open syllable

1. am date face gate name plate game bake escape

2. see he she we be Pete tea sea theme

3. dive five mine site bike line wide tie

4. go hope, note, code nose rose so stone

5. cube cute flute music tune fume, June, huge

6. byte dry type sky spy, cry

SYLLABLE of Type II or “CLOSED SYLLABLE”,

in which a vowel is closed with a consonant

The stressed syllable is called closed, if it ends with a consonant or several consonants without any vowels after them: pot, tip, pattern, doctor, but, sector.

In a closed syllable stressed vowels are not pronounced as in the alphabet, but in a specific way.

Letter Sound Examples

A [æ] am map cat Pat flag pan

E [e] pet met net pen hen

I , Y [I] is tip him his six pin film it win

gyp Syn syntax lynx myth

O [ɔ] Stop dog not hot mob

U [ʌ] bus but nut cut sun

[u] put bull pull push

Exercise 4. Pronounce the words with vowels in a closed syllable

a) at hat apple cap back map cat Pat flag pan

b) egg leg red ten end pet met net pen hen

c) tip six pin film win kiss is pig big him his it win

Exercise 5. Pronounce the words with vowels in a closed syllable

1. stop dog not hot mob hop mom clock sock

2. gyp Syn syntax lynx myth

3. bus but nut cut sun hug ugly -[ʌ]

4. put bull pull full - [u]

III. Syllable of Type III –

Vowel + LETTER «R»,

i.е. vowel + r (+ consonant) = -ar, -er, -ir, -or, -ur, -yr. As a result we obtain one vowel sound, that is different from the original letter

Letter Combination Sounds

Examples

a+r [a:] are car far march park party

e+r [ə:] Bert herd nerd verb

+r (+ consonant) [ə:] girl bird sir birch dirt, myrrh [mɜː] byre

o+r [ɔ:] port sort afford [ə'fɔːd] force

u+r [ə:] turn fur curl church [ʧɜːʧ]

Exercise 6. Vowels in the syllable of TypeIII
Listen how these sound are pronounced by Englishmen. First listen attentively, then repeat them several times.

ar - park, arch, darkness
-ir - whirl, girl, dirt

or - corn, storm, uniform, ordinary

ur - burn, furry, blur

Exercise 7. Practice saying the words

1. are car far card march park party dark

2. Bert herd nerd verb pearl serve

3. girl bird sir birch dirt first circle

4. myrrh [m ə ː] byre

5. port sort storm corn ordinary afford [ə'fɔːd] force

6. turn fur curl church [ʧ ə ːʧ] blur burn

Exercise 8. Practice saying the words

1. park furry storm uniform her curl far bird card sort pearl

2. corn ordinary girl darkness dirt are verb march turn first

3. bird sir birch dirt first circle port sort force sir dark fur

4. turn fur church [ʧ ə ːʧ] burn born afford [ə'fɔːd] party car

Syllable of Type IY

Vowel + letter «R» + «E»,

This is a combination of «vowel + r + e» , as in Type III, but with the addition of letter «e» after letter «r»:
-are, -ere, -ire, -ore, -ure, -yre.

Pay attention how the vowel pronunciation is changed under the influence of letter «r», which is not pronounced in British English.

Letter combination Sounds

Examples

A+re [ɛə] hare [hɛə] dare [dɛə] care

E+re [ɪə] here [hɪə] mere [mɪə] ampere ['æmpɛə]

+re [aɪə] hire ['haɪə] dire ['daɪə] tire

y tyre ['taɪə] lyre ['laɪə] byre ['baɪə]

O+re [ɔː] more [mɔː] core [kɔː] adore [ə'dɔː]

U+re [juə] cure pure bureau [bjuə'rəu]

Exercise 10. Practice

Pronounce the following words (The most complicated cases are supplied with transcription).

1. hare [hɛə], dare [dɛə], care, prepare, ampere ['æmpɛə]

2. here [hɪə], mere [mɪə], interfere [ɪntə'fɪə]

3. hire ['haɪə], dire ['daɪə], tire, wire, fire, mire

4. tyre ['taɪə], lyre ['laɪə], byre ['baɪə],

5. more [mɔː], core [kɔː], adore [ə'dɔː], forehead, score, shore

6. cure, pure, bureau [bjuə'rəu], lure, mature [mə'ʧuə], sure

Exercise 11. Test task for all types of syllables

I. place, may, bottle, sort take, button, hot

me, tea, true, truly, pure, tie, nice, tiny not

bone, toe, pearl, turn, but, go, bag, pattern, flag, exam

bed, message, first, him, pretend, met, hop, Syn, are, car, far, card

II. pin, must, fur, bus, dirt, his, box, map, mom, sir, corn

tip, pistol, six, hat, win, it, stop, dog, force, serve, girl, port

at, apple, circle, cap, back, cat, flag, kiss, is, afford [ə'fɔːd]

byte, cute, spy, flute, music, tune, sky, June, huge, film, big

III. egg, party, curl, leg, red, ten, end, net, pen, verb

Syntax, burn, bird, push, myth, clock, church [ʧɜːʧ]

Storm, ordinary, ugly, put, bull, pull, cry, dry

Bus, but, cut, sun, hug, march, park, dark, type