At the initial stage of learning English, you inevitably have to deal with differences between your native language and a foreign language. Reading in English for beginners, children and adults, is usually one of the first stages in learning. And the first such differences between Russian and English appear as soon as you begin to learn to read English. You are faced with transcription and reading rules of the English language. These two concepts are related, since with the help of transcription we can write down and read the sounds that are conveyed by vowels and consonants in different combinations. But the reading rules explain exactly how letters are pronounced in different environments.

There are quite a lot of reading rules in English, and they concern both vowels and consonants. In addition, a huge number of words are not read according to the rules, that is, they are exceptions. Therefore, it begins to seem that it is extremely difficult to learn all this. In fact, the rules of reading need to be learned, but there is no need to learn them by heart. After doing several exercises on reading rules, you will already know how exactly the same type of words is read. As you learn, as you read and listen to a variety of educational materials, spelling, pronunciation and meaning of new words will be remembered as a whole.

Features of English pronunciation

Reading in English for beginners at first presents some difficulties due to the peculiarities of pronunciation - words are often pronounced differently from how they are written. Linguists even have a saying: “We write Manchester, we pronounce Liverpool.” This situation is due to the fact that historically there were, and still are, many dialects in the English language in which the same letters and combinations of letters were read differently, which over time became entrenched in official English. An example is the letter combination ough. The words though, through, thought differ in only one letter, and the letter combination ough is read differently in all words.

The role of transcription in teaching reading in English

So, as we have already said, in addition to the numerous rules for reading in English, difficulties arise when mastering the transcription of the English language. Transcription is the recording of speech sounds using special symbols. You should not avoid it, as it is the best assistant in learning a language, which, firstly, will save you time when learning new words, and secondly, will help you avoid mistakes in pronunciation. After all, when you write out or memorize new words, you definitely need to know how to read them correctly. There are two options on how to do this. The first is to listen to it in some online resource, and the second is to watch the transcription.

Now in some tutorials, as well as on training sites, you can find “English transcription in Russian”. It is believed that write down English word Russian letters are much easier than learning some obscure phonetic symbols. In fact, this is a misconception. English phonetics differs from Russian so much that Russian letters can only approximately convey the pronunciation of English words, mostly the simplest ones, the reading of which is not particularly difficult even without this kind of “transcription.” Some English sounds simply does not exist in the Russian language, and the correct pronunciation of seemingly similar English and Russian sounds may have certain differences.

Therefore, we recommend that you take the time to learn the transcription symbols and read the sounds. This is one of the basic knowledge when mastering the rules of reading English for beginners. Knowledge of transcription will serve you faithfully at all stages of your training.

Let's look at the rules of reading English

There are different classifications of rules for reading consonants and vowels in English. For vowel letters, as a rule, 4 types of syllables are distinguished. These are 4 types of environments in which a vowel may find itself, and which affect its pronunciation. Some textbooks consider only the first two syllable types - open and closed, but consider whether the letter r is involved in these syllable types - as it affects the reading of vowels. Consonants in different combinations can also be read differently. It must be said that the number of exceptions and reading options for the same letter combinations in in different words give reason to consider the reading rules rather as generalized recommendations that should be studied before you start reading.

To familiarize yourself with the rules of reading in English, we suggest that you take as a basis the tables with options for reading letters, which are given in our textbook for children “English Language. Grades 1-4 in diagrams and tables” N. Vakulenko. These English reading rules for children cover almost everything possible options reading vowels and consonants in English. But before we move directly to the tables, let’s look at two more concepts that you will definitely come across when getting acquainted with the rules of reading. This open And closed syllable.

The syllable is called open, When

• ends with a vowel and is the last of the word
• a vowel is followed by a consonant and then a vowel again
• a vowel is again followed by another vowel

Examples of words with an open syllable type (You can listen with sound):

age, blue, bye, fly, go

The syllable is called closed, When

• ends with a consonant and is the last of the word
• a vowel is followed by several consonants

Examples of words with a closed syllable type:

bed, big, box, hungry, stand

So, let’s formulate the rules for reading English for beginners: tables for reading vowels and consonants.

Vowel Reading Charts

Consonant Reading Tables

Intonation in English

Even if a student learns all the basic grammatical rules and 10-12 thousand lexemes, this will not make him close to the native speaker, because he also needs to delve into the phonemic structure of the language, in particular, to learn in which cases to use which type of intonation.

There are two main types - ascending and descending.

The first is used in request sentences, when addressing a person, when announcing a list (in this case, the intonation goes up on each of the words except the last), after adverbs and introductory words at the beginning of a phrase, at the beginning of an alternative question, in a dividing question.

The second type of intonation, lowering the tone, is relevant in statements when giving orders. It can be found in exclamations and special questions.

How to train this skill?

• Listen to how native speakers speak, how this or that word, sound, phrase is read in audiobooks.
• Watch videos on this topic. Moreover, English should be the narrator’s first and main language.
• Use educational materials and apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Read aloud in English, after listening to the recording, talk at least several times a week.
• Record your speech and do a comparative analysis with the native language.

Accent in English

If the accent is incorrectly placed in certain letter combinations, it will be difficult for a native English speaker to understand you. However, it is pointless to memorize the stress for each word, since there is a certain systematicity in this aspect.

Most words have stress on the first syllable. But there are those who obey a different rule. For example, the suffix formations -tion, -cian and -cial require an accent in front of them (inform A tion, opt i cian). The suffixes -(g)nomy and -logy (ge) also behave O logy, ec O nomy).

With prefixes it’s even simpler - they are skipped and remain unaccented. This works with the prefixes in-, en-, con-, com-, re-, de-, ex-, etc.: exch A nge, enc O mpass.

Prefixes with the meaning of negation (non-, un-, in-, ir-, not-) also fall under this rule: un U sual, irr E levant

There are a number of words that change the stressed syllable type in English to unstressed, depending on the meaning:

• to object - object; O bject - object;
• to press E nt - to give; pr E sent - gift, present moment.

Having learned the basic provisions that regulate stress and with a little practice, you can easily reach a high language level.

How to learn reading rules. Online exercises

As we said earlier, there is no need to memorize the rules of reading. You just need to use them. To begin, go through several exercises on reading rules, reading aloud the same type of words in a row. This will help reinforce reading rules and develop pronunciation skills. For additional control, you can take exercises with audio accompaniment. In fact, the rules of reading are practiced automatically by themselves, since by regularly studying English, you listen, read, write - that is, practice for practicing the rules of reading is quite enough.

Choose words that have similar vowel sounds

Choose words that have the same consonant sounds

Make up an English tongue twister from the words

You can apply the reading rules in practice on our website. By going through unique exercises using the Lim English method, you will be able to master not only reading, but also writing English words, as well as learn basic grammatical rules and continue learning further.

Sounds expressed by letters are conveyed using transcription signs. How to read the transcription is described on the page: Transcription

What are open and closed syllable types: Open and closed syllable

Vowel sounds.

Stressed vowels

eɪ]-c a se - [keɪs]- case.

æ ] -t a nk - [tæŋk ]- tank, tank.

Vowel + r - [ ɑː ] -c a r - [kɑː ]- car, car.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ ɑː ] -p a rk - [pɑːk ]- a park.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ eə]-v a ry - [ˈveəri]- vary.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ iː ]-sh e - [ʃiː ]- she.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ e]-b e t - [bet]- bet, bet.

Vowel + r - [ zː ]-h e r - [hɜː ]- her, her.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ zː ]-t e rm - [tɜːm ]- term.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ ɪə ] -m e re - [mɪə]- only.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ aɪ]-l i ne - [laɪn ]- line.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ ɪ ] -b i t - [bɪt ]- bit, a little.

Vowel + r - [ zː ]-s i r - [sɜː ]- sir.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ zː ]- th i rd - [θɜːd ]- third.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ aɪə ]-h i re - [haɪə ]- rent.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ əʊ ] - z o ne - [zəʊn]- zone, district.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ ɒ ] -l o t - [lɒt]- a lot of.

Vowel + r - [ ɔː ] - o r - [ɔː ] - or.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ ɔː ] -b orn - [bɔːn ]- was born.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ ɔː ] - st o ry - [ˈstɔːri ]- story.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ jʊː ]-n u de - [njʊːd ]- naked.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ ʌ ] -c u t - [kʌt ]- a cut.

Vowel + r - [ zː ]-f u r - [fɜː ]- wool, skin.

Vowel + r + consonant - [ zː ]-b urn - [bɜːn ]- burn.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ jʊə ]-p u re - [pjʊə ]- clean.

In an open syllable it reads like - [ aɪ]-m y - [maɪ ]- my.

In a closed syllable it reads like - [ ɪ ] -m y th - [mɪθ ]- myth.

Vowel + r + vowel - [ aɪə ]-t y re - [taɪə ]- tire.

Vowel combinations

[iː ]

ee-s ee - [ˈsiː ]- see

ea-s ea - [siː ]- sea

ie-bel ie ve - [bɪˈliːv]- believe

[ɑː ]

a + ss - gr ass - [ɡrɑːs]- grass

a + st - l ast - [lɑːst]- last

a + sk - t ask - [tɑːsk ]- task

a + sp - gr asp - [ɡrɑːsp]- grasping

a + lm - c alm - [kɑːm ]- calm

ea + r - h ear t - [hɑːt ]- heart

[ɔː ]

au- au thor - [ˈɔːθə ] - author

aw-s aw - [ˈsɔː ]- saw, saw

oo + r - d oor - [dɔː ]- door

aught-t aught - [tɔːt ]- learned

ought-th ought - [θɔːt ]- thought

a + l - w al l - [wɔːl ]- wall

a + lk - t alk - [ˈtɔːk ]- conversation, conversation

wa + r - war m - [wɔːm ]- warm

[ɒ ]

wa- wa nt - [wɒnt ]- want

[uː ]

oo-t oo - [tuː ]- too, too

ou - gr ou p - [ɡruːp ]- group

[juː ]

ew-n ew - [njuː ]- new

[ʊ ]

oo-b oo k - [bʊk ]- book

[zː ]

ea + r - l ear n - [lɜːn]- teach, study

wo + r - wor k - [ˈwɜːk ]- Job

[ʌ ]

o-s o n - [sʌn ]- son

ou-c ou ntry - [ˈkʌntri ]- a country

oo-fl oo d - [flʌd ]- flood

[eɪ]

ai-r ai n - [reɪn ]- rain

ay-d ay - [deɪ]- day

ey-th ey - [ˈðeɪ]- They

eigh- eigh t - [eɪt]- eight

[aɪ]

i + gn - s ign - [saɪn]- sign

i + ld - ch ild - [tʃaɪld ]- child

i + nd - bl ind - [blaɪnd]- blind

igh-n high t - [naɪt ]- night

[ɔɪ ]

oi- oi l - [ɔɪl]- oil, petroleum

oy-t oh - [tɔɪ ]- toy

[aʊ ]

ou - ou t - [aʊt ]- from, outside

ow-d ow n - [daʊn ]- down

[əʊ ]

oa-c oa t - [ˈkəʊt ]- coat

ow-kn ow - [nəʊ ]- know

o + ll - t oll - [təʊl ]- losses

o + ld - c old - [kəʊld ]- cold

[ɪə ]

ea + r - n ear - [nɪə ]- near, about

ee + r - engin eer - [ɛndʒɪˈnɪə ]- engineer

[eə]

ai + r - ch air - [tʃeə ]- chair

e + re - th here - [ðeə]- there, there

ea + r - b ear - [beə]- bear

[ʊə ]

oo + r - p oor - [pʊə ]- poor

our-t our - [tʊə ]- tour, travel

Consonant sounds.

Consonant combinations

[k ]-lu ck - [lʌk ]- luck, chance

[ʃ ] - sh ip - [ʃɪp ]- ship

[tʃ ] - ch ip - [tʃɪp ]- chip

[tʃ ]-ca tch - [kætʃ]- catch, catch

[ɵ ] - th ick - [θɪk ]- thick

[ð ] - th is - [ðɪs ]- this, this, this

[f ] - ph one - [fəʊn ]- telephone

[kw ] - qu ite - [kwaɪt ]- enough

[n ] - kn ife - [naɪf ]- knife

[ƞ ] -thi ng - [θɪŋ ] -

[ƞk]-si nk - [sɪŋk ]- sink, drain

wh + o - [h] - wh o - [huː ]- Who

wh + other vowels - [w ] - wh at - [wɒt ]- What

wr at the beginning of a word before vowels - [r] - wr iter - [ˈraɪtə ]- writer

Consonant sounds with two reading options.

Reads like [ s ] before: e, i, y. ni c e - [naɪs ]- good, city - [ˈsɪti ]- city.

And How [ k ] in other cases: with ome - [kʌm ]- come, c atch - [kætʃ]- catch.

Reads like [ ʤ ] before: e, i, y. lar g e - [lɑːdʒ ]- big, en gine - [ˈendʒɪn ]- engine.

Exceptions: g et - [ɡet]- receive, be g in - [bɪˈɡɪn]- start, g ive - [ɡɪv]- give.

And How [ g ] in other cases: g ood - [ɡʊd]- good, pleasant, g o - [ɡəʊ ] - go, go.

Reading types

Additional material, partially duplicating the previous one. Taken from another source and given for a deeper understanding of this topic.

The tables show how to correctly pronounce diphthongs, vowels and consonants in the English language.. The sound conveyed by a letter or letter combination is indicated using transcription signs, and the pronunciation of English sounds indicated in Russian letters should be understood as a hint to transcription, and not as an exact pronunciation of English sounds.

Rules for reading vowel sounds

	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound
			Word	Transcription
Table. Types of reading in English. Vowel sounds.
I,Y	ɪ	And Short, open "and"	i t it	ɪt	(it)
			si x six	sɪks	(six)
			empty	ˈɛm(p)ti	(empty)
E	e	uh How "uh" in the word "this"	e mpty empty	ˈɛm(p)ti	(empty)
			ten ten	ten	(ten)
A	æ	uh Open sound "e" (between "e" and "a")	a nt ant	ænt	(ent)
			ma p card	mæp	(map)
O	ɒ	O Short "o" sound	ho t hot	hɒt	(hot)
			o range orange	ˈɒrɪn(d)ʒ	(orinch)
U	ʌ	A Short sound "a"	under	ˈʌndə	(ande)
			su n sun	sʌn	(san)
U,OO	u	y short "y" lips are rounded	put it down	ˈput	(put)
			boo k book	buk	(beech)
A, E, ER	ə	uh Short sound "e" (between "e" and "a")	a bout oh, oh, oh	əˈbaʊt	(about)
			sile nce silence	ˈsʌɪləns	(silence)
			lawyer	ˈlɔːjə	(l oh yeah)
EE, EA	i:	And Long "i" sound	ea sy easy	ˈiːzi	(i:zi)
			Queen n queen	kwiːn	(kui:n)
			see see	ˈsiː	(si: )
A, AR	ɑ:	A Long and deep "a" sound	ha lf half	hɑːf	(ha:f)
			car a car	kɑː	(ka: )
O.O.	u:	at Long “u” sound without rounding the lips	foo d food	fuːd	(ugh:d)
			too too, too	tuː	(that: )
ER, IR	h:	e Reminds me of the “e” sound in the word “beet”	bir d bird	bзːd	(byo:d)
OR,AW	ɔ:	O Long "o" sound	or or	ɔː	(O: )
			for m form	ˈfɔːm	(fo:m)
			law law	lɔː	(lo: )

Rules for reading consonant sounds

English letters and letter combinations	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound	Examples of pronunciation of English sounds
			Word	Transcription	Pronunciation in Russian letters
Table. Types of reading in English. Consonant sounds.
P	p	P	pen pen	pen	(pen)
			pap er paper	ˈpeɪpə	(P e´ ypa)
			cup cup	kʌp	(cap)
B	b	b	b oy boy	ˌbɔɪ	(the battle )
			tab le table	ˈteɪb(ə)l	(T e´ybl)
			pub beer	pʌb	(Pub )
T	t	t Sound “T” but the tongue is not at the teeth, but at the gums.	t en ten	ten	(ten)
			sixteen sixteen	ˌsɪkˈsti:n	(sykstin)
			eight eight	eɪt	(eith)
D	d	d	d og dog	dɒɡ	(dane)
			ladd er staircase	ˈladə	(l a´ta)
			bed bed	bed	(trouble)
C, K, CK	k	To	c at cat	kæt	(ket)
			tick and ticket	ˈtɪkɪt	(T and´ whale)
			cake	keɪk	(cake)
G	g	G	g irl girl	ɡɜ:l	(gel)
			tiger tiger	ˈtʌɪɡə	(T a´yga)
			big big	bɪɡ	(big)
CH, TCH	ʧ	h	ch air chair	tʃɛ	(h e´)
			watch ing	ˈwɒtʃɪŋ	(V rank)
			match match	matʃ	(match)
J, G, DGE	ʤ	j	j ump jump	dʒʌmp	(jump)
			log ic logic	ˈlɒdʒɪk	(l o´jik)
			fridg e refrigerator	frɪdʒ	(fridge)
F, PH	f	f	ph oto photography	ˈfəʊtəʊ	(f o´utau)
			coff ee coffee	ˈkɒfi	(To o´fi)
			cliff	klɪf	(cleave)
V	v	V	v iew view	vju:	(ugh)
			lov er favorite	ˈlʌvə	(l a´va)
			five e five	faɪv	(five)
T.H.	θ	c Like the sound "s" but tongue between teeth	th in thin	θɪn	(syn)
			Cath erine Catherine	ˈkæθrɪn	(To eh´srin)
			month month	mʌnθ	(mons)
T.H.	ð	h Like sound "z" but tongue between teeth	th is this	ðɪs	(zys)
			moth er mother	ˈmʌðə	(m a´ze)
			breathe e breathe	bri:ð	(bri:z)
S, C	s	With	six six	sɪks	(syks)
			parc el package	ˈpɑ:s(ə)l	(P a´ sl)
			class	klɑ:s	(cla:s)
S, Z	z	h	z oo zoo	zu:	(zu)
			laz y lazy	ˈleɪzi	(l e´zi)
			dogs dogs	dɒɡz	(dogz)
SH	ʃ	w	sh e she	ʃi	(shi)
			fish fishing	ˈfɪʃɪŋ	(f and´ tires)
			wash	wɒʃ	(fosh)
S	ʒ	and	vis ion vision	ˈvɪʒ(ə)n	(V i´zhen)
			beige beige	beɪʒ	(beizh)
H	h	X Short exhalation - “x”	have to have	hæv	(hav)
M	m	m	m e me, me	mi:	(mi: )
			farmer	ˈfɑ:mə	(f a´ma)
			hom e house	həʊm	(home)
N	n	n	name name	ˈneɪm	(n e´ im)
			runn er runner	ˈrʌnə	(R a´ on)
			son son	sʌn	(san)
NG	ƞ	n Nasal sound "n" using the back of the tongue	singer singer	ˈsɪŋə	(With and´nya)
			boxing	ˈbɒksɪŋ	(b o´ xin)
L	l	l	I like it	ˈlaɪk	(l a´ yk)
			ball et ballet	ˈbaleɪ	(b a´lay)
			football football	ˈfʊtbɔ:l	(f u´ solid waste:l)
R	r	R “r” - without vibration	red red	red	(ed)
			lorr y truck	ˈlɒri	(l o´ri)
Y	j	th	y ou you	ju	(Yu )
			lawy er lawyer	ˈlɔ:jə	(l oh yeah)
W	w	at the sound is similar to “u”; the lips are stretched and rounded	w in to win	wɪn	(vin)
			flow er flower	ˈflaʊə	(ow a´ ua)

Diphthongs. Reading rules.

English letters and letter combinations	Phonetic symbols	Approximate Russian sound	Examples of pronunciation of English sounds
			Word	Transcription	Pronunciation in Russian letters
Table. Types of reading in English. Diphthongs.
A,AY,AI	eɪ	Hey	ai m goal	eɪm	(eym)
			say	ˈseɪ	(With Hey)
I, UY, Y	ai	ah	I I	ai	(ay)
			buy	baɪ	(bye)
OY, OI	ɔɪ	Ouch	oi l oil	ɔɪl	(oil)
			toy toy	tɔɪ	(that one)
O.O.W.	əu	OU	ow n own	əʊn	(oun)
			ho me home	həʊm	(home)
			low low	ləʊ	(low)
OW, OU	au	aw	out out	ˈaʊt	(out)
			cow	kaʊ	(kaw)
EA, EAR, ERE	ɪə	ie “and” + between “e” and “a”	ear ear	ɪə	(ie)
			bear d beard	bɪəd	(beed)
			here here	hɪə	(hie)
AIR, ARE	eə	ea "e" + between "e" and "a"	care	keə	(kee)
			hair hair	heə	(heh ´ )
URE, OUR	uə	uh "y" + between "e" and "a"	tour travel	tʊə	(tue)
			insure	ɪnˈʃuə	(inshue ´ )

Knowledge of the English language has already become the norm and commonplace in society, however, those who are just starting to study it face many questions, including about the correct pronunciation of not only words, but even letters. By the way, there are 26 of them in the English language. There are many more sounds - sometimes even native speakers cannot immediately understand how each letter is read. It is the peculiarities of pronunciation of letters that make English difficult to learn and understand. But with effort, you can always achieve good results.

Independent study of the English language and the rules of reading in it requires great self-discipline. Only by making every effort will you be able to achieve results - you need to practice reading every day, devoting at least half an hour of time to it. This is better than returning to study once or twice a week.

Rules for reading letters in English

There are a number of rules in the English language, without knowledge of which mastering competent reading is impossible. Let us remind you that there are as many as 44 sounds in English - this means that one letter can be read different ways depending on where it stands and what it is surrounded by.

Reading consonants

Pronunciation large quantity English consonants do not cause any difficulties, because they are read the same way as Russian ones. These letters includem, n, l, b, f And zand others. Consonantst And dcan also be included in this group, but with a slight clarification - they should be pronounced with some aspiration:dentist, door, tape, talk.

The remaining letters need to be mastered simple rules, without which it will be difficult to navigate the correct pronunciation:

Letter c has two types of pronunciation. If it comes before vowels likei, e And y, then it is read as the letter [s]: city, cite, spice, ice.

In other cases, before vowelsA, O, uand other consonants it will be read as [k]: comfort, confuse, dictionary, clean.

With letter gthe situation is the same - in combination with lettersi, e And yit reads like [dʒ]: gymnastics, Georgia, general, age. But there are exception words here, the pronunciation of which must be remembered: inget, give, forget, begin, girlthe consonant is read as [g]. Before vowelsA, O , uand other consonants, the letter is pronounced like [g]: good, gold, galaxy, glad

Letter qin combination with vowels it occurs only in the formqu and reads like [ kw]: quality, queen, quake, equipment.

Pronunciation of the letterjIt’s not difficult to remember: in all cases it reads like [dʒ]: june, jacket, jungle, jet.

Letter s reads like [ s] in cases where it is at the beginning of a word, in the middle before voiceless consonants and at the end after voiceless consonants:song, hipster, desk, mess. The letter has a second reading option - [z]. It is used in cases where the letter appears after or between vowels, as well as after voiced consonants:rase, use, beds, is.

U xIt also has its own pronunciation features. In some cases this letter will be read as [ks] - when it comes at the end of a word, before a consonant or unstressed vowel:fox, text, next, six. The letter can also be read as [gz], if it comes before a stressed vowel:exotic, exams, example.

Combinations of consonants in English

Sometimes consonant letters adjacent to each other give rise to a new sound that is not similar to those produced by these letters individually. Here are a few such examples:

ch - [ tʃ]: church, match, champion;

ck- [ k]: back, clock, black;

gh- [-] (no sound):night, right, light;

kn- [ n]: knife, knock, knot;

ng- [ ŋ ]: sing, thing, ring;

nk- [ ŋk]: prank, funk, drunk;

ph- [ f]: pharaoh, photographer, physics;

sh- [ ʃ ]: shine, shape, show;

tch- [ tʃ]: match, watch, stretch;

th- [ θ ] (at the beginning and end of significant words):tooth, thin, think;

th- [ ð ] (between vowels and at the beginning of function words):with, they, father;

wh- [ w] (with vowels excepto): why, when, white;

wh- [ h] (with a vowel o): whose, who, whom;

wr- [ r]: wreck, wrong, wrath.

Reading vowels

Depending on how the word ends, the vowels will have different reading types. There are only four of them - all of them are for English vowels in stressed syllables.

Open syllable . This syllable is one that ends in a vowel, including in cases where it is not pronounced:

A [ ei] - fame;

O [ ou] - smoke;

E[ i:] - me;

I[ ai] - five;

Y[ ai] - try;

U[ ju:] - tube.

All the words indicated in the examples end in a silent vowel, and the pronunciation of vowels is fundamentally the same as in the alphabet.

Closed syllable . It ends with a consonant:

A [ uh] - mad;

O [ o] - sport;

E[ e] - September;

I[ i] - flip;

Y[ i] - rhythm;

U[ a] - fun.

Vowel + “r” . This consonant affects the sound of the vowel, which is at the root - gives its sound length:

A [ a:] - far;

O [ o:] - sort;

E[ e:] - term;

I[ e:] - fir;

Y[ e:] - byrd;

U[ e:] - turn.

Vowel + “r” + vowel . The consonant, as in the above case, is not readable. It only gives firmness to the vowel that follows it:

A [ ea] - care;

O [ o:] - more;

E[ iе] - where;

I[ aie] - fire;

Y[ aie] - tire;

U[ jue] - cure.

Reading diphthongs

Diphthongs are sounds consisting of two vowels. To pronounce a diphthong, the tongue must first move into position for the first of two vowels and then move into position for the second vowel sound. The first sound is always stronger and more distinct than the second. All these movements must be performed within one syllable. Reading these sounds is quite difficult and is not immediately easy for those people who have just started learning English:

[ ee] - And - free;

[ ea] - And - tear;

[ oo] - y - soon;

[ all] - ol - wall;

[ ay] - Hey - day;

[ oi] - Ouch - joint.

What to pay attention to when reading

Accent

The Russian accent is immediately identified by foreigners: we are distinguished by a not too emotional tone of communication and dry pronunciation of sounds. The English language needs a more “lively” approach - here the impulsive pronunciation of words, lowering and raising the tone are very important, because with the help of them English-speaking people show their attitude to the conversation, coloring it in the right colors.

Intonation

Each language has its own melody of speech, which gives it original features. In English there are two main intonations: falling and rising. These tones are indicated in the language by an arrow down for falling and up for rising.

Example:

I read a ↓ book.
Do you read a book?

The first tone is used in questions beginning with question words, imperative, exclamatory and affirmative sentences.

Example:

This house is ↓ white- This house is white ;

↓ Open the door - Open the door;

Where did he ↓ ride? - Where did he ride?

Ascending is used for general issues, transfers, in requests.

Example:

Do you know Sam?- Do you know Sam?
May I ask you a question? -May I ask you a question?;
I have a hat, a shoes, a jacket and a ↓ socks - I have a hat, boots, jacket and socks.

Accent

They play a big role in the English language. The stress here is not fixed, which means they are pronounced the way you want - in accordance with the phrase you pronounce. Stress in sentences can be different parts of speech: nouns, adjectives, verbs, numerals, adverbs and some pronouns.

How to improve your English reading skills?

As mentioned earlier, the main thing in learning the basics of the English language is constant practice. There are a number of exercises, tips and tricks that can improve your reading skills. new level. It is necessary to contact them as often as possible, even daily.

Speak children's tongue twisters

Suitable for people who want to learn to read from scratch and for those who have great difficulty in correctly pronouncing sounds. They are designed in such a way as to work on each sound separately. Choose those letters that are most difficult for you to pronounce, and repeat tongue twisters specially created for them as often as possible - at first slowly and legibly, you can gradually begin to speed up.

Interdentalth :

Whether the weather is warm, whether the weather is hot, we have to put up with the weather, whether we like it or not.

Red leather, yellow leather.

Thirty thousand thirsty thieves thundered through the thicket.

Whistlings :

She sells seashells by the seashore.

Would the single singer sing the sad song about them?

I can think of six thin things, but I can think of six thick things too.

Soundsh , which is often confused withth :

We surely shall see the sun shine soon.

She sells sea shells on the seashore.

She slits the sheet she sits on.

Soundf :

The first fly flies forty-four feet,
The fourth fly flies forty-five feet,
The fifth fly flies fifty-four feet.
What fly flies fifty-five feet?

Fat frogs flying past fast.

Soundj :

US students are younger than UK junkers,

UK junkers are cuter than US students.

If US students weren't younger than UK junkers,

Could UK junkers be cuter than US students?

Yankee yachtsmen's yachts yaw for one yard,

Yakut yachtsmen’s yachts yaw for two yards.

If Yankee yachtsmen's yachts didn't yaw for one yard,

Could Yakut yachtsmen’s yachts yaw for two yards?

Listen to competent English speech

Auditory memory will be very useful to you: listen to native speakers as often as possible: these can be films in English, radio, podcasts, audio books, educational materials and much more.

To begin with, choose to listen to small, easy texts that you have in printed form. At the same time as the announcer speaks, repeat after him - gradually you will remember how he pronounces sounds that are difficult for you and you will begin to speak much more competently and beautifully.

Work on your pronunciation

Don't forget to communicate with people who have the correct English speech- with foreigners, teachers, people for whom English is like a second native language. Your pronunciation determines how well your interlocutors and listeners will understand you.

Listen to the people you are talking to very carefully, trying to match their intonation and pronunciation. Understand how to pronounce those sounds of the English language that are not in Russian: work on the position of your lips and tongue and try to remember the method of pronunciation of letters.

For example, most of the difficulties are caused by such a common sound in English asth.There are many mistakes in the attempts of Russian people to read it correctly: it often sounds like something between the letters s and z - this sound is not correct. In a number of words such asthis, that And therethis combination of letters should be pronounced as a sound between z and d, and in wordsthree, think And thief- like something between s and f.

Use transcriptions

Transcription is a system of signs where each of them conveys its own specific sound. With their help it becomes much clearer how to pronounce Difficult words what sounds they consist of. Typically, only schoolchildren use transcriptions, and this is in vain - this method of memorizing and mastering the correct pronunciation of sounds is suitable for any person. A table with transcription signs is presented below:

"We looked at the basic rules for reading consonant letters. Don't think that just by remembering these, you will be able to read any English word correctly. You will definitely come across an unfamiliar word that will not be read according to the rule. But yes, 90% will obey you. In any case, knowing these patterns of reading various letter combinations, you can guess how the word you need is read. And if in doubt, still look in the dictionary.

Rules for reading English: vowels

1. The first letter in line A. What sounds can it make?
   • in an open stressed syllable, in combinations ai, ay , and before the letter combination ange : baker, crane, cable, gain, rain, bay, stay, change, dangerous. Among the exceptions: many, have, said.
   • in combinations ai , ay , age in an unstressed syllable this letter gives the sound [i]: carriage, captain, storage.
   • [æ] in a closed syllable: cap, dangle, factor, hatch, rash, rat.
   • [Ɔ] in a closed syllable after w, wh : wad, waffle, what.
   • [Ə] in an unstressed syllable: myopia, pasta, regalia.
   • [ƐƏ] in combinations air, are : hair, bare, pair, rare, stair, mare.
   • in combinations ar, aft, ass, ance, ast, ath, ans, ask, ant, alf, anch : card, barge, craft, after, grass, dance, glance, last, past, rather, father, answer , bask, task, plant, grant, half, calf, branch. Among the exceptions: mass, gather, pathos.
   • [Ɔ:] before l or l+ consonant, as well as in combinations au, aw, aught, auth, war, quar : call, football, altogether, punch, law, caught, authority, warble, quart, quarterly.
2. The second letter will be ABOUT. Its range of sounds is as follows:
   • in an open stressed syllable, before the letter l, letter combinations ll, ld, st, and also in combination oa And ow (at the end of words): so, ago, note, provoke, rose, enroll, bold, coat, oath, oat, road, boast, show, mow, blow, most, post. Among the exceptions: do, does, who, now, how, cost, lost.
   • [Ɔ] in a closed stressed syllable: plot, fox, spot, knot, drop.
   • in combination oo : moon, afternoon, poop, rooter. Exceptions: good, wood, foot, etc.
   • [u] in combination oo , but before the letter k : cook, look, brook, hookey, nook, rookie.
   • in combinations ou, ow in the middle of a word: gown, clown, crown, crowd, about, cloud, proud, bound. Among the exceptions: enough, country, double, touch, young, bowl.
   • [Ɔi] in combinations oi, oh : choice, voice, boil, spoil, enjoy, loyal, toy.
   • [Ɔ:] combined or in the shock position, as well as in combinations oor, ore, oar, ough+t And our (in the middle of a word): fort, corn, boring, torn, adore, floor, door, therefore, more, board, bought, fought, sought, source, mourn, course, pour. Among the exceptions: poor, moor, courage. Combination our under stress it can produce another sound - : hour, sour, lour, But four. The same combination at the end of words is conveyed by the sound [Ə], just like the combination or in a non-impact position: neighbor, labour, doctor, creator, illustrator.
   • [Əs] - this is how we read the combination ous at the end of the words: glamorous, amazing, curious.
   • [Ə:] is the reading of the combination wor in impact position: world, workable, worse, worship. Exception: worn .
   • [ᴧ] – this sound occurs when reading combinations oth, on, om, ov under emphasis: mother, other, month, son, some, become, lover, dove. Note: both .
3. The next vowel from the rules of reading English is the letter E. What sounds can we encounter in her presence:
   • in open stressed syllables and combinations ee, ea: be, fetor, Steve, feel, peel, teeth, seem, breathe, dean, meal, peace. Among the exceptions: great .
   • [e] in a closed stressed syllable and in combination ea before letters d, n and letter combinations th, sure : nest, pet, mental, spread, steady, feather, weather, measure, treasure, meant, cleanser. Among the exceptions: read , lead .
   • in combinations ei, ey in a stressed syllable: prey, convey, eight, freighter.
   • read with combinations eu, ew: few, nephew, Europe, deuterium.
   • [Ə:] should be read in combinations er in a stressed syllable, and in ear followed by a consonant: deserve, Berlin, mercy, earth, pearl, dearth. Among the exceptions: heart. If the combination er is in an unstressed position, the same sound appears, only short rather than long [Ə]: limber, answer, producer, perhaps.
   • we will pronounce in combinations ear, eer, ere : near, dear, fear, career, steer, here, hemisphere. Among the exceptions: bear , there [ƐƏ], were .
   • [i] – this is how the letter will be read E in an open unstressed syllable (including the combination er ), in combinations et And ey at the end of the words: prevent, erect, exact, regret, restore, regress, bonnet, planet, closet, journey, attorney, honey.
4. Let's move on to the vowel I. In addition to alphabetical reading, this vowel also produces other sounds:
   • in a stressed open syllable, in combination ie at the end of monosyllabic words and before letter combinations such as nd, ld,gn gh : prime, kite, bite, die, blind, mind, wind(turn), child, wild, design, sign, sigh, high, fight, bright. Among the exceptions: wind- wind, gild ,live, forgive, cinema.
   • in a closed stressed syllable and in an unstressed position this letter is read as [i]: brick, risk, whist, testimony, handiwork, inclusion.
   • a long sound is produced when reading a combination ie in the middle of root words: field, priest, grief, believe. Exception: friend .
   • [Ɛ:] requires combination ir in impact position: stir, first, thirty, girl.
   • in combinations ire, ia, io : desire, mire, diagnosis, bias, violinist, riot.
5. The penultimate vowel will be Y . It has five sound options in different cases:
   • in a stressed open syllable: cry, lye, byway, cynosure.
   • [i] in a closed stressed syllable and in an open unstressed one: mystery, syntax, randy, oily, quandary. But: apply[Ə’plai]
   • in combination yr+ consonant this is the sound [Ɛ:]: myrtle. And in the same combination, only in the company of a subsequent vowel we get the sound: lyre, pyre, gyration.
   • [j] at the beginning of a word before vowels: yard, yellow, yawl, youth, yet, yolk.
6. And finally, the letter U . What should you know about the sounds it produces?
   • in a stressed open syllable: puce, mute, lurid, fuel, cucumber.
   • [ᴧ] in a closed syllable: publicity, pug, mug, mustard, butter, fun, hurry. Among the exceptions: put, push, pull, full, etc.
   • [Ɛ:] in combination ur in a stressed syllable: purpose, purse, hurl, urban, urge. But: current[‘kᴧrƏnt].
   • and in the same combination, but in an unstressed syllable, as well as simply in an unstressed position in words, this letter is read [Ə]: suggest, supply, mustache, suppose. Note: mercury[‘mƏ:kjuri].
   • before the letter r and the following vowel: pure, furious, mural. But: sure[ʃuƏ].
   • after letters l, r, j in combinations ue,ui : true, blue, juice.

If you are studying with a teacher (

Learn more about what the prime, colon, parentheses, and other symbols mean.

You can look at another version of the English transcription and, if necessary, print or copy it for editing in Microsoft Word
English Transcription

Pronunciation of English sounds.

Pronunciation of English vowels.

The pronunciation of English sounds is presented in Russian letters, you should understand what to convey the correct English pronunciation Using the Russian alphabet is not possible.

• ɑː long, deep
• ʌ short vowel a, as in the Russian word run.
• ɒ = ɔ - short, open about
• ɔː - long o
• zː - long vowel e, as in the Russian word hedgehog.
• æ - open e
• e - like e in the word these
• ə - unclear unstressed sound, similar to e
• iː - long and
• ɪ - short, open and
• ʊ = u - short u, pronounced with a slight rounding of the lips.
• uː - long u pronounced without strong rounding of the lips.

Two-vowel sounds

Pronunciation of English consonants.

• p - p
• b - b
• m - m
• f - f
• v - in
• s - s
• z - z
• t - resembles the Russian sound t, pronounced with the tongue positioned at the gums.
• d - resembles the Russian sound d, pronounced with the tongue positioned at the gums.
• n - resembles the Russian sound n, pronounced with the tongue positioned at the gums.
• l - resembles the Russian sound l, pronounced with the tongue positioned at the gums.
• r - very solid sound, pronounced without vibration of the tongue. Corresponds to the sound r in the word lot
• ʃ - soft Russian sh
• ʒ - soft Russian zh, as in the word yeast.
• tʃ- h
• ʤ - similar to the Russian sound j (voiced ch)
• k - k
• h - inhale, reminiscent of a faintly pronounced x sound
• ju - long yu in the word southern
• je - sound e in the word spruce
• jɔ - sound ё in the word fir-tree
• jʌ - the sound I in the word pit
• j - resembles the Russian sound й before vowels. Occurs in combination with vowels.

English consonant sounds that have no approximate correspondence in Russianː

• w - formed with the help of rounded lips (as in whistling). It looks like a sound uttered with just lips. In translation it is denoted by the letters в or у ː W illiams - Williams, Williams.
• ƞ - Open your mouth slightly and say n without closing your mouth.
• ɵ - Move the slightly spread tip of your tongue between your teeth and pronounce Russian with
• ð - Move the slightly spread tip of your tongue between your teeth and pronounce Russian z