Important Terms
Vowels – The Vowels (a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y) are always voiced. Our mouths are always open when we produce a vowel sound. Vowels can be long or short. The long vowel sound says the name of the vowel.
a, apple, /ă/ a, cake, /ā/ a, baby, /ā/
Consonants – Consonants can be voiced or unvoiced. Our mouths are not fully open. We stop a consonant sound by using our teeth, tongue or lips.
| b, boy, /b/ | c, cat, /k/ | c, city, /s/ | d, dog, /d/ | |
| f, fish, /f/ | g, goat, /g/ | giraffe, /j/ | h, hat, /h/ | |
| j, jam, /j/ | k, kite, /k/ | l, lamp, /l/ | m, man, /m/ | |
| n, nut, /n/ | p, pan, /p/ | qu, queen, /q/ | r, rat, /r/ | |
| s, sun, /s/ | s, nose, /z/ | t, top, /t/ | v, vest, /v/ | |
| w, wind, /w/ | x, box, /ks/ | y, yo-yo, /y/ | z, zebra, /z/ |
Syllable – A syllable is a word or part of a word with a vowel sound. Every syllable has a vowel.
Consonant blends – consonant blends are two or three consonants. You can hear the sound of each consonant, but the sounds blend together because they are said very closely together.
Examples, bl (block), br (brush), cl (clock), cr (crab), dr (drum), fl (flag), fr (frog), gl (glass), gr (grapes), pl (plate), pr (prince), sc (scarf), scr (screw), sl (slide), sm (smell) sn (sniff),
sp (spot), spl (splash), spr (spring), squ (squid), st (stop), str (stripe), sw (swing).
Diagraph – two letters that make one sound.
Example: ch (chin, punch), ck (track), ph (phone, graph), sh (ship, wish), th (thumb, path), wh (whip).
Trigraph – three letters that make one sound.
Example, tch (witch), dge (fudge).
Compound words – two words that combine to make a new word with new meaning.
Examples: baseball, cupcake.
Base word – A word that can stand alone and have meaning.
Examples: cat, fox, farm, hard, fun, wise
Suffix – Added to the end of a base word and changes the meaning or function of the word.
Examples: cats, foxes, farmer, rented, hardest, funny, wisely
Jobs of e
The letter ‘e’ has several jobs in the English language. It is used to make the long vowel sound in the v-e syllable type.
Examples: cake, eve, bike, home, cube, flute
There are no words in the English language that end in the letter v, unless they are abbreviations (rev which is the abbreviation for revolution). This explains the use of the silent e in words where the vowel sound is not long such as have and give.
Examples: cave, eve, hive, stove
If a word ends in s and is not plural or a floss word, silent e comes at the end of the word. It helps to show the difference between words that are base words and base words that end in s.
Examples: The bats fly at dusk. (base word bat + suffix s)
The phase is over. (phase is a singular base word)
It follows a z at the end of words that are not floss words.
Examples: maze, size, doze
It follows the letters c and g to make their soft sounds, /s/ and /j/.
Examples: face, mice, age, lodge
Parts of Speech
Noun – A person, place, thing or idea.
Verb – An action word.
Adjective – Describes a noun.
Adverb – Describes a verb, and adjective or another adverb.
Spelling Generalizations & Rules
Spelling Generalizations:
FLSZ (floss) Spelling generalization – in a one syllable word, where f, l,s, z follows a short vowel, double the f, l, s, z.
Examples: buff, fill, cross, jazz
Cat/Kite Spelling generalization – A /k/ sound at the beginning of a word is spelled with c when followed by a, o, u or the consonants l and r.
Examples: cast, cop, cup, clip, crop.
A /k/ sound at the beginning of a word is spelled with k when followed by i or e.
Examples: kit, keg
k-ck Spelling generalization – the /k/ sound at the end of a word is spelled with k when it immediately follows a consonant or a long vowel.
Examples: milk, lake, jerk, bike, fork, puke.
The /k/ sound at the end of a word is spelled with ck when it immediately follows a short vowel.
Examples: lack, speck, trick, clock, truck
ch-tch Spelling generalization – the /ch/ sound at the end of a word is spelled with ‘ch’ when it follows a consonant.
Examples: ranch, bench, birch, porch, lunch.
The /ch/ sound at the end of a one syllable word is spelled ‘tch’ when it immediately follows a short vowel.
Examples: latch, fetch, witch, notch, hutch
Rabbit Spelling generalization – The first syllable is closed, with the short vowel sound. Add a consonant to the second syllable. The extra consonant “protects” the vowel to keep the sound short.
Examples: rabbit, better, litter, bobbin, summit
Soft ‘c’ – c says /s/ when followed by e,i, or y.
Examples: city, cent, cycle.
Soft ‘g’ – g says /j/ when followed by e, i, or y.
Examples: gem, giraffe, gym
‘er’ Spelling generalization – er is commonly used to spell the /er/ sound at the end of longer words.
Examples: remember, December, paper
se/ve/ze Spelling generalization – e will follow the letter s (note: NOT suffix s), v and z at the end of words.
Examples: phase, tense, have, drive, froze, daze
ge-dge Spelling Generalization – the /j/ sound at the end of words will be spelled with ‘ge’ when it follows a consonant or a long vowel.
Examples: large, page, strange.
The /j/ sound at the end of a one syllable word will be spelled ‘dge’ when it immediately follows a short vowel.
Examples: badge, wedge, fridge, lodge, fudge
Spelling Rule:
Doubling (CVC) rule – This rule states that when you have a 1 syllable base word or a multi-syllable word that ends with 1 vowel followed by 1 consonant, you will double the consonant when adding a vowel suffix.
Examples: starred, shopper, hottest, beginning, funny,
Syllable Types
Closed – A closed syllable has a vowel followed by 1 or 2 consonants. The vowel sound is short.
Examples: bath, test, kit, chop, stump.
VCe – The vce syllable has a vowel followed by a consonant followed by the letter e. The vowel sound is long.
Examples: cake, eve, bike, home, cube, flute.
Open – The open syllable ends in a vowel. The vowel sound is long.
Examples: we, hi, go, flu.
R-controlled – The r-controlled syllable has a vowel followed by the letter r. The r-controlled syllables are ar, or, ir, ur, er.
Examples: car, fern, bird, corn, nurse.
Syllable Division Patterns
VC/CV – The syllable divides between the consonants.
Examples: admit, concert
VC/CCV, VCCCV AND VCCCCV -The syllable division depends on where consonants blends and diagraphs are in the word. Keep blends and diagraphs together.
Examples: lobster, pumpkin
VCE/CV – The syllable divides after the e.
Examples: homework, makeshift
V/CV – The syllable divides after the first vowel. The first syllable has a long vowel sound.
Examples: hotel, baby, item, unit, event
Suffixes
-ed (ěd,d,t): means in the past.
Examples: rented, hanged, missed
-er: means one who does something or comparing two things.
Examples: farmer, faster
– es: eans more than one (noun) or creates a verb.
Examples, catches, buses, boxes, clashes, fizzes
-est: compares three or more people/things.
Examples: fastest, wettest, slimmest, shortest.
-ing: means happening now.
Examples: landing, herding, fitting, hopping, running
-ly: creates adverbs
Examples: wisely, hardly
-s: means more than one (noun). It is also used for third person single when it is a verb.
Examples: cats, dogs, s/he runs, s/he farms
-sion: creates nouns
Examples: (explode) explosion, (conclude) conclusion, (impress) impression
-tion: creates nouns
Examples: (educate) education, (communicate) communication,
-y: means ‘full of’ or ‘cute one/dear one.’
Examples: dirty, funny, sloppy,
