Phonetic Sounds and Spelling Patterns

Front

What is a short vowel sound?

Back

A short vowel sound is a vowel sound that is pronounced shorter and softer than a long vowel sound. Examples include the 'a' in 'cat', 'e' in 'bed', 'i' in 'sit', 'o' in 'hot', and 'u' in 'cup.'

Front

Which word has a silent 'e'?

Back

The word 'fine' has a silent 'e' at the end, which makes the 'i' say its name.

Front

What is capitalization?

Back

Capitalization is the use of uppercase letters at the beginning of sentences or for proper nouns, like names of people or places.

Front

When do we capitalize the days of the week?

Back

We capitalize the days of the week, such as 'Monday', 'Tuesday', etc., because they are proper nouns.

Front

What is a proper noun?

Back

A proper noun is the name of a specific person, place, or organization, and it always starts with a capital letter.

Front

What is a vowel?

Back

A vowel is a letter in the alphabet that represents a speech sound made with an open vocal tract. The vowels are A, E, I, O, U.

Front

What is a consonant?

Back

A consonant is a letter in the alphabet that is not a vowel. Examples include B, C, D, F, G, etc.

Front

What is a sentence?

Back

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought and always starts with a capital letter.

Front

What is a syllable?

Back

A syllable is a single, unbroken sound of a spoken (or written) word. For example, 'cat' has one syllable, while 'banana' has three.

Front

What is a digraph?

Back

A digraph is two letters that make one sound, like 'sh' in 'ship' or 'ch' in 'chair'.