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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > about vowels
about vowels
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lazzy
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about vowels
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Hi guys
I am looking for some vowel songs on youtube and found out that my belief that vowels are / a e i o u/ seems not really correct because some song they just sing/ say the letters � names and called it vowels. So which one is correct? Letters a e i o u or sounds / a e i o uh/??? |
4 Dec 2015
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FrauSue
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I suppose it is the sounds rather than the actual letters if you are discussing the use of a/an. Hour begins with a written consonant, but with a vowel sound , so we say, "an hour". Uniform begins with a written vowel, but with a pronounced "y" at the beginning, so we say, "a uniform". |
5 Dec 2015
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MoodyMoody
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FrauSue is exactly right. For a, e, I, and o, a word that starts with one of those letters always uses "an." Words that begin with any consonant letter other than h always follow "a." However, if a word starts with a silent h, as with FrauSue �s example of "hour," use "an." If it starts with a pronounced h, use "a," such as "a house." For words that start with u, as you noticed, "an" is used before a short u sound, such as "an umbrella." Almost every word that begins with a long u sound also has the "y" sound before the u, so use "a," such as FrauSue �s "a uniform." Always go by the sound, not just the letter. |
5 Dec 2015
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lazzy
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thank u guys, That;s what I believe but then, I am going to have a lesson about the / u:/ / o/ and / au/ sounds.To warm up I want to let the kids sing the vowels song, then I looked on youtube and found these stuffs. There is only few songs use the sounds / a e i o uh/ and many use the letters, that �s really confusing me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR-BLFZyAWs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh11mx9tF9o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEbaEXf6BqM |
6 Dec 2015
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FrauSue
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Hi again, The songs you link to are for younger learners so don �t introduce the vagaries of silent letters! The a/e/i/o/u rule is a really good rule of thumb when you first introduce the idea of vowels and consonants. The subtleties can come later. |
8 Dec 2015
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