Silent Letters | English Pronunciation & Vocabulary | PART 1
Summary
TLDRThis video dives into the tricky world of silent letters in English, helping learners understand when to pronounce certain letters and when to skip them. The presenter explains simple rules for silent letters like A, B, C, D, E, and more, offering practical examples for each. Viewers can follow along with subtitles, and there's a focus on making pronunciation easier by breaking down words step-by-step. Part one covers half of the alphabet, with a link provided to continue learning in part two. Viewers are encouraged to engage on Facebook for further discussion.
Takeaways
- π Silent letters are common in English, appearing in about 60% of words.
- π °οΈ The letter A is often silent in words that end in '-ally'.
- π ±οΈ The letter B is silent when it follows M, and often silent before T.
- π ² The letter C is usually silent after the letter S.
- π ³ The letter D is silent in certain words like 'sandwich' and quiet when followed by G.
- π ΄ The letter E is silent at the end of words but can change the vowel sound before it.
- π Ά The letter G can be silent in words like 'sign', 'champagne', and 'design'.
- π · The letter H is often silent when following W or at the start of certain words like 'hour'.
- π Ί The letter K is silent when it comes before N, such as in 'knight' or 'know'.
- π » The letter L can be silent in words where it's hard to pronounce, like 'half' and 'calm'.
Q & A
Why are silent letters in English words considered frustrating?
-Silent letters are frustrating because they are present in about 60% of English words, making pronunciation tricky and inconsistent.
When is the letter 'A' silent?
-The letter 'A' is often silent in words ending with '-ally', such as in 'basically' or 'logically'.
What is the rule for the silent 'B' after the letter 'M'?
-The letter 'B' is always silent when it follows the letter 'M', as in words like 'lamb', 'comb', or 'bomb'.
Can the letter 'B' be silent before another letter?
-Yes, the letter 'B' is often silent when it appears before the letter 'T', as in 'debt' or 'doubt'.
What is a common rule for the silent 'C' in English?
-The letter 'C' is often silent when it follows the letter 'S', as seen in words like 'science', 'scissors', and 'muscle'.
When is the letter 'D' silent in English?
-The letter 'D' can be silent in words like 'sandwich', where only the 'N' sound is pronounced. It can also be very quiet in front of a 'G', as in 'bridge' or 'edge'.
How does a silent 'E' affect the pronunciation of words?
-Although the 'E' is silent at the end of many words, it affects the pronunciation of the vowel before it, making the vowel sound longer. For example, 'hid' becomes 'hide'.
What is the rule for silent 'G' in words?
-The letter 'G' is silent in words like 'sign', 'champagne', 'design', and 'foreign'. The combination 'GH' is also silent after a vowel sound, as in 'night' or 'though'.
When is the letter 'H' silent in English?
-The letter 'H' is silent after a 'W', as in 'whale' or 'what'. It can also be silent at the beginning of words like 'honest' or 'hour', or when following the letters 'C', 'G', or 'R'.
Why is the letter 'K' silent before 'N'?
-In English, the letter 'K' is always silent when it comes before the letter 'N', as in 'knife', 'knock', and 'know'.
Outlines
π€ Why Are Silent Letters So Common in English?
The speaker expresses frustration with silent letters in English, questioning their purpose. They explain that about 60% of English words contain silent letters, which makes pronunciation tricky. While these letters can be silent, they aren't always, and understanding basic rules is essential to pronouncing them correctly. The speaker introduces rules for silent letters like 'A' in words ending with '-ally', and 'B' when it follows 'M' or precedes 'T'. Silent letters can complicate speech, but mastering these rules will improve pronunciation.
π Exploring Silent E, G, and H Letters
This paragraph focuses on how silent letters E, G, and H behave in different situations. The letter E is often silent at the end of words but can still influence the preceding vowel sound, making it longer. Examples show how silent E shapes pronunciation. G can also be silent in words like 'sign', while the combination GH can be silent after a vowel. The letter H is frequently silent, especially after W or at the beginning of words like 'honest'. Additionally, CH is mostly pronounced as 'ch', though there are exceptions where the H is silent.
π€ Silent K, L, and a Wrap-Up for Part 1
The speaker highlights silent K and L in English. The letter K is silent before N, while L is often silent in challenging-to-pronounce words, making them easier to say. The speaker acknowledges that even native speakers find these words tricky and encourages embracing the silence of L in such cases. The video concludes by urging viewers to continue practicing silent letters by watching part 2 and interacting with the speaker on social media, especially Facebook. The speaker expresses enjoyment in making these educational videos and invites more engagement from viewers.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Silent Letters
π‘Pronunciation Rules
π‘Letter A
π‘Silent B
π‘Silent C
π‘Silent D
π‘Silent E
π‘Silent G
π‘Silent H
π‘Silent K
Highlights
Introduction to the frustration with silent letters in English and their prevalence in around 60% of words.
The letter A is often silent in words that end in '-ally'.
Rule: The letter B is silent when it follows the letter M, as in 'lamb' and 'comb'.
The letter B is also often silent before the consonant T, like in 'debt' and 'doubt'.
Silent C appears after the letter S, in words like 'muscle' and 'scissors'.
The letter D can be silent in words like 'sandwich', where the consonant N takes prominence.
In combinations like 'DG', the D and G blend to form a 'dg' sound, as in 'edge' and 'judge'.
Silent E at the end of a word changes the vowel sound before it, as in 'hid' versus 'hide'.
E can also be silent in past tense regular verbs, where it's not pronounced, as in 'jumped' and 'talked'.
The letter G can be silent, especially in words like 'sign', 'design', and 'foreign'.
GH can be silent when it comes after a vowel, as in 'light', 'sight', and 'through'.
The letter H is often silent following a W, such as in 'what', 'where', and 'why'.
H can also be silent at the start of a word like 'honest' and 'hour'.
K is silent when it comes before an N, in words like 'knight', 'knife', and 'knee'.
The letter L is silent in tricky words like 'calf', 'half', and 'yolk'.
Transcripts
Oh my gosh guys! How annoying are silent
letters in English words? What are they
even doing there?!
This video is all about English words
with silent letters in them. When do you
pronounce those letters and when don't
you pronounce those letters? I'm going to
teach you a few simple rules to help you
pronounce English words correctly.
Don't forget to turn on the subtitles
either. The button is just down there, so
you can follow along. There are a lot of
English words that have silent letters
in them. And there are lots of silent
letters in English! About sixty percent
of all English words have a silent
letter! No wonder pronunciation is so
frustrating, right? And they can be silent
these letters, but they're not always
silent! So you have to be careful!
You need to know a few basic rules to
help with the pronunciation of silent
letters in English words.
Okay, let's start at the top with the
letter A. Now the letter A can be silent
especially in words that end in '-ally'.
Like these:
So, I'm not pronouncing:
Cut the A out. Get rid of it!
Now there's a rule
to remember with the letter B. It's
always silent when it follows the letter M
So, practice them with me. I'm not
pronouncing the B, I'm just pronouncing
the M consonant sound.
And the letter B is
often silent when it before the
consonant T, so think of these examples:
So, see in all of
those examples, my lips are closing and
coming together to form the B sound,
I'm just pronouncing the T.
Now, the letter C can cause a
few problems because it's often silent
after the letter S, like in
these very common examples - they are quite tricky!
So that's the silent C.
So what about the letter D? Yep, it can be
silent too!
So, I'm not pronouncing the D in 'sandwich'
I'm just pronouncing the consonant N
sound before it. Try it with me one more time.
And a D can be very quiet, not quite silent, but
very quiet in front of a G, like in these
examples:
So in these examples the D and the G
combined together produce the 'dg'
consonant sound 'dg'
Okay, so the letter E can often be silent
at the end of a word. I'm pretty sure
you know this one already, like these
examples:
But that E on the end, although it might be silent,
it can affect the pronunciation of the
vowel sound before it.
Let's look at these examples:
So see how the E at the end, although it's not
pronounced, is affecting the vowel sound
before it. It makes it longer. So hid /i/
becomes hide /i:/
But if the E is the final letter in
the word but it's the only vowel sound
then it needs to be pronounced, like in
these examples
E can also be silent at the end of past tense regular
verbs, which all end in ED, right?
But they're not always pronounced like it is
in 'wanted'. So, you can hear the ED sound
there '-ed', '-ed'. It's its own syllable.
But a lot of the time that E isn't pronounced
Now they could be a little bit tricky, so
let's do it again!
Okay, so a G can also be silent too! Think
about the word sign, champagne, design, or
foreign. All of these examples have a
silent G. And the combination GH can also
be silent when it comes after a vowel sound
Now, the letter H
is often silent too, often when it's
following a W, like in the examples
And sometimes it's not pronounced at the
start of a word like honest and hour.
And sometimes the H is not pronounced
when it follows any of these three
letters: C, G or R.
Now, most of the time
CH is pronounced 'ch' but on small occasions
or rare occasions
it's not pronounce, the H is silent.
Good news!
The I is not usually silent, it's usually
pronounced. Except in the word business!
Okay, K! Now I know you know this one!
A K is not pronounced when it comes before an N.
The letter L can be silent too and it's
quite common when you look at this list.
But consider this rule to be a bit of a
cheat because the letter L is quite
difficult to pronounce in all of these
words, even for a native speaker!
So, this makes it easier! In these
words where /l/ is really difficult to
pronounce then it's silent! Ready? Let's try it.
So, we got through quite a bit but
we're only halfway through! So, if you
want to keep watching and keep
practicing with silent letters in
English then click the link in the
description box and go to part 2 of this video.
Guys, I love making these videos
for you and I love hearing from you as
well, so if you want to say hi
come over to my facebook page at
mmmEnglish and say hello, ask question,
introduce yourself!
I'd love to hear from you there. Make sure
you check out part 2 - the links down
there! See you soon!
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