I is read as ai. Rules for reading in English. Pronunciation of English sounds

Hello dear friends! If you have just started learning English, then the first thing you need to do is learn to read.

This can be done quickly and easily, as English language there are certain reading rules. First, let's get acquainted with to find out how English letters are read.

English letters are followed English transcription so that you can easily learn to read English letters on your own. Why do you need to know the English alphabet?

First of all, while you are learning English and do not know many more English words, you will often be interlocutors to spell words unfamiliar to you, helping you understand the word. You will do the same when the interlocutor does not understand you or he does not know the word you said.

Rules for reading English words depending on the type of syllable

Syllable type
open syllable	closed syllable	vowel + r	vowel +re	without stressed syllable
BUT	[æ]			[ə]
make	cat	car	share	ago
E	[e]	[ɜː]	[ɪə]	[ə] [i]
we	bed	her	here	absent
I/Y	[i]	[ɜː]		[i]
time	sit	girl	fire	music
U	[ʌ]	[ɜː]		[ə]
tube	cup	turn	cure	success
O [əʊ]	[ɒ]	[ɔː]	[ɔː]	[ə], [əʊ]
note	not	short	more	more

Why "Liverpool is written, but Manchester is pronounced" or how to read the word correctly in English?

First, let's learn the 4 main types of reading vowels E, A, Y , U ,O, I in stressed syllables in English

I type of syllable is an open syllable, it ends in a vowel. For example: make, note.
The II type of syllable is a closed syllable, it ends in a consonant. For example: cat, system.
Type III - a syllable where the stressed vowel is followed by the letter "r". For example: girl, turn.
Type IV - a syllable where the stressed vowel is followed by "re". For example: cure, fire.

Check your pronunciation of English vowels

Let's fix the reading of vowels with the following exercise:

I type of syllable- open syllable

Note, lone, mice, rice, type, tune, shy, lay, say, he, hay, name, same, nine, nice, game, came, make, Kate, Pete, five, tie, life, eve, me, size, no, cope, smoke, rose, nose, spine, sly, cry, vine, maze, home, tube, made, fume, cube, pace, lace, sky, hale, spine.

II type of syllable- a closed syllable (a syllable ending in a consonant is considered closed). This is the second row in the table. Pay attention to the words rat, hot, red, bit, myth, run, at the end of which there is no mute vowel. These words sound like "rat, hot, red, beat, miss, run."

Cap, pen, bed, ten, not, spot, lot, bad, rat, sit, send, test, pit, in, send, spell, tin, less, ban, mad, fat, Sam, land, did, fit, sat, pet, tin, slip, sad, glad, bag, jam, gap, lag, can, kin, Jim, Jack, yes, ink, cup, run, cod, spin, not, doll, hop, hot, bank, rank, spin, up, us, bus, bun, cut, fun, vet, well, but, nut.

III type of syllable- vowel + letter “r”, which affects the sound of the vowel in the root of the word, giving it some length. So the words car, sort, term, fir, Byrd, fur sound like “ka: so: t, those: m, fe: be: d, fe:”.

stern , Far, curt, hard, hart, car, card, cart, fork, cork, work, sort, term, first, Byrd, furs, curl, her, curb, turn, girl, sir, burn, turn, word, born, torn, bird, form, serf, herb.

IV type of syllable– vowel + letter “r” + vowel. Letter "r" in this case also unreadable; all three vowels together sound like this: care, store, mere, tire, cure - “kea, one hundred:, mie, taie, kyue”.

Fare, here, pure, rare, cure, during, mare, fire, bare, mire, stare, tire, sere, mere, store, core, more, care.

Check the pronunciation of English diphthongs

Click on the image to listen!

Pronunciation of English consonants

Click on the image to listen!

Check the pronunciation of English consonants

Click on the image to listen!

Like and learn with our tips!

1. Write down words that you have problems with in a notebook. Underline the part of the word that is the most difficult for you.
2. Use a dictionary, not a spell checker! Unfortunately, you can not always trust her.
3. Learn words with all kinds of prefixes and suffixes, for example: biography - auto biography, child - child hood etc.
4. Learn the rules, but don't rely on them. We have already said that every rule has its exception.

“i” is written before “e” (except after “c”)

One of the first rules of reading that is taught in English classes. The rule works for words that have a long “ee”, as in shield(shield).

Examples: piece (part), niece (niece), priest (priest), thief (thief).

But after “c”: conceive (comprehend, conceive), receive (receive), receipt (receipt; not to be confused with recipe - recipe).

For words in which the sound “a” or “i” is pronounced, the opposite is true:

“a”: eight (eight), neighbor (neighbor), reign (board), weight (weight)

“i”: either (any; or), height (height), feisty (absurd), sleight (dexterity)

Exceptions: seize (grab), weird (strange), conscience (conscience, consciousness), efficient (effective), etc.

English reading lessons from scratch

So let's continue learning to read in English. And let's start reading the third vowel - I. I remind you that there are SIX vowels in English. Here they are: A , E , I, O, U, Y.

If you don't remember well english alphabet, then repeat again!

ABC Song (British Classic)

So, in Lesson 23 you will learn:

• how to read a letter I- the third vowel in English;
• and consolidate the pronunciation of sounds, [i], [ə:] studied earlier.

Rules for reading the English letter I in four types of syllable

We remind you that letter I, like other vowels in English, are read in 4 ways, depending on the type of stressed syllable. . Below are phrases that you need to learn and repeat several times a day in order to remember rules for reading the letter I in English.

By the way, the English letter I is read in the same way as the letter Y. We can say that Y is an understudy of the letter I. The only difference is that the letter Y usually stands at the END of a WORD, and the letter I is in the middle. Therefore, we will learn to read the letters I and Y at the same time.

Reading the letter I in 4 types of syllable. Tongue Twisters

1. : I l i ke h i king and c y cling. wh y do you cr y, Will y?

2. [i]: J i m th i nksth i s D i sney f i lm i s i interest i ng.

3. [ə:]: Th ir teen g ir ls came to Sh ir ley's b ir day.

4. : The f ire man is t ire d.

Phonetic exercises for practicing the rules for reading the letters I and Y in an open and closed syllable

I,Y(1,2):

Rice, drive, milk, style, brick, like, lyme, picnic, spice, fly, mystery, disco, strip, pike, litter, tie, ice, to invite, to divine, distinct, district,

to dispatch, to dislike, daffodil, cycle, cinder, Friday, ill-fated, lion, violin, writer, written, dining, sitting, tiger, title, tidy, ticket, giant, history, Iceland, wise, insect, spring, tile, final, mist, science

Phonetic exercises for practicing the rules for reading the letters I and Y in the third and fourth types of syllables

I,Y(3,4):

Third, tired, birch, fire, dirt, Ireland, skirt, girlish, admire, myrtle, tire,

fireplace, sir, fireman, wire, hire, first, firework, bonfire.

Exceptions:

1. city [‘siti], pity [‘piti], river [‘rivə], to live, to give, to ski

ALSO REMEMBER:

guy - guy

buy - buy

bye - bye

In an unstressed position i, y reads like [i]: The party is very merry.

Phonetic exercises for practicing reading the letters I and Y with audio recording and answers (closed content)

Paid content is hidden. The right to view paid content is reserved for registered users who have paid for access.

Title: Phonetic exercises with audio recording

Description: Access to restricted content *Repeat the rules of reading in English*

Phrases for practicing the rules for reading the letters I and Y in English

Check the pronunciation of a word by clicking on it with the mouse!

• The little inn is in this village. This little hotel is in this village. ( short sound[i])

• This is a silly film. - It's a stupid movie. (short sound [i])

• It isn't easy to please Lizzy. It's not easy to please Lisa. (sounds [i] -)

• Silly sheep weep and sleep. “Stupid sheep bleat and sleep. (sounds [i] -)

• Mr Vernon is an interpreter. His version of German verses is perfect. — Mr. Vernon is a translator. His version of the translation of poetry from German is excellent. (sound [ə:])

• Thirteen girls came to Shirley's thirteenth birthday. Shirley was in white skirt. The girls came to Shirleys birthday at one thirty. Happy birthday to you dear Shirley, happy birthday to you. (sound [ə:])

So let's sum up the results of the twenty-third lesson on learning to read in English and pronunciation at the same time:

• you learned how to read the vowel I in four types of syllable;
• you fixed the pronunciation of english sounds , [i], [ə:].

When you start learning English, the first thing you encounter is the English alphabet (english alphabet [ˈalfəbɛt]). Writing English letters is not something completely new even at the very initial stage of learning, because any modern person daily encounters English letters on a computer and telephone keyboard. Yes, and English words are found at every step: in advertising, on the labels of various goods, in shop windows.

Article navigation

But while the letters seem familiar, pronouncing them correctly in English is sometimes difficult, even for those who speak English tolerably well. Everyone is familiar with the situation when you need to spell an English word - for example, to dictate an email address or a website name. This is where the wonderful names begin: i - “like a stick with a dot”, s - “like a dollar”, q - “where is the Russian th”.

English alphabet with Russian pronunciation, transcription and voice acting

The English alphabet with Russian pronunciation is only for the very beginners. In the future, when you get acquainted with the rules of reading English and learn new words, you will need to study transcription. It is used in all dictionaries, and if you know it, it will once and for all remove the problem of the correct pronunciation of new words for you. We advise at this stage to compare the transcription icons in square brackets with the Russian equivalent. Perhaps, in these short examples, you will remember some of the ratios of English and Russian sounds.

Below is a table showing the English alphabet with transcription and Russian pronunciation. Notice how the uppercase and lowercase letters look.

← Move the table to the left to view it in full

Letter

Listen

Transcription

Russian pronunciation

Below, you can listen to all the letters of the English alphabet at once:

Alphabet Trainer

Choose the letter that matches its pronunciation.

English alphabet cards

Very effective cards of the English alphabet in its study. Bright and large letters will be easier to remember. See for yourself:

Such cards can be made independently, for example, according to the above sample. Next, print, cut out the letters and arrange them in the correct sequence.

For children, on the cards of the English alphabet, you can depict animals in addition to the letters in order to immediately memorize new words, and the learning process was not boring.

Features of some letters of the English alphabet.

In the English alphabet 26 letters: 20 consonants and 6 vowels.

The vowels are A, E, I, O, U, Y.

There are a few letters in the English language that we want to pay special attention to because they have certain features that need to be taken into account when learning the alphabet.

• The letter Y in English can be read as a vowel and as a consonant. For example, in the word “yes” it is a consonant sound [j] (th), and in the word “many” it is a vowel sound [i] (and).
• Consonants in words, as a rule, convey only one sound. The letter X is an exception. It is transmitted immediately by two sounds - [ ks ] (ks).
• The letter Z in the alphabet is read differently in the British and American versions (as you probably already noticed in the table). The British version is (zed), the American version is (zi).
• The pronunciation of the letter R is also different. British version - (a), American version - (ar).

To make sure that you pronounce English letters correctly, we recommend that you not only look at them and read (using transcription or the Russian version), but also listen. To do this, we advise you to find and listen to ABC-song. This song is usually used when teaching children the alphabet, but it can also be useful for adults. ABC-song is very popular in teaching, it exists in various variations. If you sing it with the announcer several times, you can not only check the correct pronunciation of the letters, but also easily remember the alphabet along with the melody.

Listen to a song about the English alphabet:

A few words about spelling

So, we learned the alphabet of the English language. We know how English letters are pronounced individually. But turning to the rules of reading, you will immediately see that many letters in different combinations are read in a completely different way. A reasonable question arises - as the cat Matroskin would say - what is the use of memorizing the alphabet? In fact, there are practical benefits.

The point here is not the ability to tell the alphabet from beginning to end, but the ability to easily spell any English word. This skill is necessary when you need to write down English names under dictation. If you need English for work, this skill can be very useful, since English names, even if they sound the same, can be spelled in several ways. For example, Ashley or Ashlee, Mila and Milla, not to mention surnames. Therefore, for the British and Americans themselves, it is considered absolutely natural to ask to spell the name if you need to write it down (spell it) - hence the word spelling, which you can see in various tutorials.

Online exercises to consolidate the alphabet

Choose the letter that goes

Write the letter that starts the word.

Write the letter that ends the word.

Decipher the code and write down the secret message in letters. The number corresponds to the order of the letter in the alphabet.

You can apply the knowledge gained in practice with the help of. With the help of unique exercises, even at the most basic level, you can master not only reading, but also writing English words, as well as learn the basic grammar rules and continue learning further.

is there any rule for the letter "i" ? when "ay" and when "and"? Or is it just memorize these words...? and got the best answer

Answer from Ўliya Shchenyavskaya[guru]
The reading of a vowel depends on the type of syllable and on whether or not the stress falls on it.
Syllables in English words are divided into open and closed.
An open syllable is a syllable in which:
- stressed vowel ends a monosyllabic word: hi (hello)
- the stressed vowel is followed by another vowel (mute e): pie, lie, tie.
- a stressed vowel is followed by a consonant and a vowel (mute e): time, ride, Mike
In an open syllable, the vowel is read as in the alphabet: die, pike, like, dive, hide, i = ai
A closed syllable is a syllable in which:
- a stressed vowel is followed by one consonant: fit, big
- the stressed vowel is followed by a double consonant: kiss, miss
- a stressed vowel is followed by two or more consonants: middle, milk, since
In a closed syllable, the vowel is read briefly: hit, i = and
You asked when the letter i is read like [ay] and like [and] , This is exactly the 1st and 2nd type of syllable, but i can also be read [ə:] - bird, girl, firm, shirt and - tired, fire , hire, iron, these are already the 3rd and 4th types of syllables, respectively. You didn’t ask about other reading options for the letter i, but in addition I’ll add the following.
The pronunciation of the vowel changes under the influence of sonorous sounds and some noisy consonants. A special role among them is occupied by the sound [r], which lengthens and expands the preceding vowel. The sound [r] itself is not pronounced.
Thus, when classifying various variants of vowel reading, four main types of vowel reading in a stressed syllable are distinguished.
Type I syllable alphabetic reading of a vowel in an open syllable.
II type of syllable - a short reading of a vowel in a closed syllable.
III type of syllable - reading a vowel in combination vowel + r (+ consonant) i = [ə:]
IV type of syllable - reading a vowel in combination vowel + r + vowel. i =

Answer from ita[guru]
In an open syllable under stress - "ay", without stress "and"
In a closed syllable with or without stress - "and"
A syllable is called open if there is no consonant after i or there is (except for r, this is a separate case) but after this consonant there is a vowel.
Examples: I, ice, life, rice, etc.
You need to remember the words of the exception to the rule, for example: find. The syllable is closed, but reads like "ay".
In some cases i may not even be pronounced.
I simplified this, of course, all this is true only if i is alone. For i in combination with other vowels or the r following it, there are rules. For example, in the -tion suffix, the combination io is either not pronounced at all, or is pronounced as a weak sound e, reminiscent of a, at your discretion.

Answer from Oriy Karanda[guru]
There are reading rules. In the alphabet, it reads "ai", and it is also read in words with an open word type. (which end in e)

Answer from Yeghina Golovatyuk[guru]
but I didn’t learn these rules at all, I just knew how words are read and that’s it, and on in. enrolled)

Answer from 3 answers[guru]

Letter II no wonder it's called - "AI", so it is read, but ... not always.
A English short sound [i]- "And" is not just spelled as a printed lowercase letter i. Letter II can be read [i].
We read the letter II in open and closed syllables and letter combination igh:

*** The reading of English vowels is influenced by other letters that make up the word (see). How to read a letter or a combination of letters in English word, exactly show the signs of transcription - the icons inside square brackets.

Here are examples open syllable, after the letter i there are no other letters, and it is read :

One letter word I always capitalized and read = "AY" - this is the pronoun "I"
hi- - "hi" - hello

Closed syllable, after a vowel i there is a consonant that "closes" the vowel, making the syllable closed. Letter i read [i]:

big- "BIG" - big
pin- "PIN" - pin

But if you add a vowel at the end of such a word, for example, a dumb letter e, the syllable will be open:

pine- "PINE" - pine

Vowel e at the end of such words it is not readable, but forms a second syllable. The first stressed syllable is open:

Read:

The letter combination igh reads:

h igh- high
h igh t - height
l igh t - light
n igh t - night
br igh t - bright
...
*** Remember the letter combination gh( t) - "gee-h (tee)". It also occurs with other vowels, for example:

dau ght er ["dɔ: tə] - daughter
lau gh- laugh
bou ght- bought
bou gh- bough
plou gh- (British) plow (Amer., plow)
borou gh[ˈbʌrə] - (small) city, ...

and [i] !!!

Do you remember the signs of transcription ("AI") and [i]("AND") ! ?