Double consonants, apostrophes and silent letters
Four videos clarify the often tricky areas of double consonants, apostrophes and silent letters.
Double consonants 1 (Video 1)
If you see a double consonant, just say the sound once – happy, fizzy, runny, hopping, stopped.
What is making this boy cross-eyed? Did that baby really say “off”? Jellyfish are amazing when they swim. Do all grandpas make their grandsons dizzy like this?
Double consonants 2 (Video 2)
When do we double consonants?
The vowels are “a e i o u” and sometimes “y”. All other letters are consonants.
hoping – Any other vowel can do the same thing as a silent “e”, the “i” makes the “o” say its name.
hopping – The extra “p” protects the “o” from the “i” so that the “i” can’t make the “o” say its name.
Apostrophes (Video 3)
We only use an apostrophe to show that something belongs to someone, or if letters have been left out.
“The boy’s dog. (one boy) The girls’ cat. (two girls) Let’s go out. No, we can’t go.”
We never use an apostrophe just for a plural (more than one of something). “Here is one crocodile, but there were lots of crocodiles.”
Silent letters (Video 4)
English words cannot end in “v” and sometimes a silent “e” is used to stop a word being mistaken for a plural – have, give, solve, serve, please, house, horse, because. But, it is generally better to teach “ve” and “se” on the ends of words just as single sounds, rather than silent “e”, at least initially.
Often other letters are thought of as being silent – e.g. “w” before “r”, “u” after “g”, “k” before “n”, “b” after “m”, “h” after “r” … – write, wrong, answer, guitar, knee, know, thumb, climb, rhythm, rhyme. But, it is better to think of “wr” and “rh” as different ways to make a /r/ sound, etc. Silent Letters?
| Updated video 2 with extra videos. |
Click on the bottom right hand corner of each video to see it full screen. If you have trouble seeing the videos try double consonants 1, updated double consonants 2, apostrophes, words ending in ve or se
Memory aid “ff” – © A.H.M. Wherrett. Jellyfish – Thanks to Sydney Aquarium, Sydney, New South Wales for permission to film. Photo of “one crocodile” – A. Wherrett, Lake Argyle, northern Australia, 2013. Graphic of schoolboy eager to answer question. – “know”– (silent letters): Photo by AKARAKINGDOMS, stock photo ID 10069630, www.freedigitalphotos.net
To see the other videos go to Videos for Children
{ 0 comments… add one now }