The syllables are pieces in a word and are the rhythm of a word. Each syllable of each word must have at least one vowel sound. A vowel can be autonomous in a syllable, as in a nit and an illness. It can also be surrounded by consonants, as in the jet, the nap • parent and fan • tas • tic.
The open syllables are those that end with a vowel sound and may not include a consonant. Examples of open syllables are: “go”, “no”, “she”, “il”, solo and “zebra”. The word “solo” has two open syllables “therefore” and “lo”.
The closed syllables are those which end with consonant sounds using the vowel model of the spelling vowel. Examples of closed syllables are: “pumpkin”, “witch”, “cat”, “bed”, “sun” and “dog”.
But why are we interested in open syllables and closed syllables? Because depending on the type of syllable, we will decide if the sound of the vowel will be a short vowel sound or a long vowel sound.
Rules for vowel sounds:
- When an open syllable is stressed, the sound of vowel is long.
- When a closed syllable is stressed, the sound of vowel is short.
For example, the word “towel” has two closed syllables “NAP” and “Kin”. The vowel sounds take the form of short sounds. The word “solo” has two open syllables “therefore” and “lo” and the vowel sounds take the long shape. The word “hotel” has an open “ho” syllable and another closed “such” syllable.
Once the student understands that the syllables compensate for the words, you can then practice pronunciation by breaking the syllables in unknown words. Here are the steps to divide a word into syllables and to obtain the right pronunciation.
- Mark the first vowel.
- Mark the second vowel.
- Mark all the constants between the first and second vowels.
- If the model is VCCV – Divide between the consonants. If the first syllable is closed, use a short vowel sound.
- If the model is VCV, divide before the consonant (there are some exceptions to this rule). If the first syllable is open, use a long vowel sound. Tip: If this does not translate into a word that your student recognizes, try to divide after the consonant (closed syllable).
- If the pattern is VCCCV, look for the Digraph (SH) or the mixture (ST). Divide between the three consonants, keeping the diagraph or mixing (for example, under / tract).
Tip: it is best to start with the words that the reader knows very well, so they recognize when they get the correct sounds.
I hope it's useful, thank you for reading.
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