Principles of Reading Vowel Digraphs

1) The 1^st letter is read in its primary long meaning: s ea [i:], oa k [əυ], etc.;

2) The 2^nd letter is read in its primary long meaning: n eu tral [u:], ei ther [aı], etc.;

3) Two letters are read in their primary short meanings, forming a diphthong: b ei ge [eı], th ey [eı], b oi l [ ɔ ı], oy ster [ ɔ ı];

4) One of the letters is read in its primary short or secondary meaning: au nt [ɑ:], th eo ry [ıə], etc.

Ex.1 Read the following words with digraphs ei|ey. Identify the sound of each line.

[ ] 1. beige, deign, heinous.

[ ] 2. either, seismograph, deictic.

[ ] 3. seize, inveigle, ceiling, receive, deceive, conceive, perceive.

[ ] 4. heir, heiress.

[ ] 5. leisure, Leicester.

[ ] 6. counterfeit, sovereign, foreign, surfeit, forfeit.

[ ] 7. eight, freight, neighbour, weight, sleigh, weigh.

[ ] 8. height, sleight.

[ ] 9. they, survey, grey, obey.

[ ] 10. eyrie.

[ ] 11. key.

[ ] 12. monkey, money, whisky, hockey, trolley.

Ex. 2 Pick out the odd word.

1. Toilet – tortoise – boycott – buoy

2. joy –oily –voyage – connoisseur

3. annoy – choice – they –joy – poison.

4. pear — swear — near — bear

5. eight — freight — sleigh — sleight

6. cream — head — leave — fleet

7. jeopardy — leopard — Leo — Leonard

8. ooze—wood—kangaroo—booze

9. courage — soul — trouble — nourish

10. plaintiff — raider — plaintive — plaid

Ex.3 Read the poem. Explain the reading of vowel combinations.

A little h ea lth, a little w ea lth

A little h ou se and fr ee dom

With some few fr ie nds for certain ends,

But little c au se to need them.

Ex.4

a) Put the following words in the correct column according to the pronunciation of “ea”. Careful! Three of the words have two different pronunciations (and different meanings).

scream bean bread gear tear breath dread lead

spear break heal steak dead yearn spread read

knead plead pear bead great team breathe fear

bear thread instead wear head year mean pearl