I'm Rebecca and I am a tutor at Morley College at Beck at Rotherhithe in South London and work with adults of all ages who want to improve their literacy skills including reading.
The sounds of English are important, because the way English is written is often very different from the way we pronounce the word.
The fact is that Britain as a place has had so many influences on it over the ages , and it means that English is made up of words from a variety of languages.
So for example the 'ph' as in phone is written with a PH and that has originated from Greek origin, so its important for people to understand that the same sound can be represented in different ways.
For example the word 'mechanic' is CH in the middle that’s the 'k' sound and also the word 'neck' is spelt with CK which is of the same sound.
English has about 40 sounds. Each can be written in several ways. For instance the 'fu' sound, can be written as ‘f’, ‘ff’ or ‘ph’.
Quick tips for tutors
The sounds of English includes:
- The importance of context in decoding text
- Strategies for recognising sound patterns, silent letters and compound words
- Prefixes and root words
- How English has 'borrowed' extensively from many other languages
Downloadable Factsheets
Entry 1 & 2 - Blending Sounds
An introduction to blending sounds in words.
Entry 3 - Reading aloud
Using the poem, 'Ferry me across the water' by Christina Rossetti, to learn how to read aloud.
Entry 3 - Sounds of English
When you are reading and you come across unfamiliar words it’s important to have a strategy for dealing with them.
Level 1 - The words of English
The English we use today includes words that come from many different languages.
Guide to the phonics tool
Use this tool to show how the sounds – or 'phonics' – of English can help with reading.
Downloadable Worksheets
Entry 3 - Forming compound words
Exercise in forming compound words.
Entry 3 - Recognising compound words
Exercise in recognising compound words.
Entry 3 - Reading words with silent letters
Exercise in reading words with silent letters.
Level 1 - The origin of English words
Exercise in the orign of English words.
Level 1 - Using Prefixes in reading
Exercise in using prefixes in reading.
