Write a short note on long and short vowels.
In English, vowels can represent a variety of sounds. The first step in mastering different vowels is to learn the difference between short vowels and long vowels. Between the two, long vowels are easier for children to learn because long vowels sound exactly like the names of the letters. For example, long “a” sounds like the “a” in the word “able”, long “o” sounds like the “o” in the word “over”, and long u may sound like the “u” in the word “use” or blue.
Children generally find it more challenging and difficult to learn the short vowel sounds because many of them sound so similar to each other: The short “i” in the word “pig” sounds very similar to the short “e” in the word “peg”. The short “o” in the word “pop” sounds a lot like the short “u” in the word “pup”.
Before children can learn the rules of spelling and reading short and long vowel sounds, they must be able to recognize and create these words reliably. Short vowels can be represented by a curved symbol above the vowel: ă, ĕ, ĭ, ŏ. Long vowels can be represented by a horizontal line above the vowel: ā, ē, ī, ō. Here are some examples of short vowel words: at, egg, it, ox, and up. Here are some examples of long vowel words: eaten, each, ice, oak, and use.
Read More: What are the functions of intonation?
