The
"magic" e
comes at the end of a word that ends in a single vowel and a single
consonant (for example: pine. There is a single vowel, i, before a single
consonant, n,
and then the "magic" e).
This e
at the end is "magic" because it changes the vowel sound. In these
words, the first vowel "says its name" (sounds like its name). And of
course, the "magic" e
changes the
meaning of the word.
The "magic" e
itself is completely silent.
For example, let's look at the word cap.
A cap
is a kind of hat that you wear on your head. This word is pronounced
with a short a
sound.
But what happens when we add the "magic" e at the end of the
word? Well, the meaning of the word changes, and so does its
pronunciation!
So, what is a cape?
A cape
is a something superheroes wear on their backs! This word is pronounced
with a long a
sound because of the "magic" e at the end.
We say that the letter a
"says its name" because it is pronounced just the way you would name
the letter if you wanted to say its name in English.
Remember that the "magic" e
is silent!
This rule applies with all five vowels in English: a, e, i, o, and u.
Here are some more examples with the vowel a:
at
ate
mad
made
tap
tape
hat
hate
All of the words in the first column have a short a sound, and all the
words in the second column have a long a sound because of
the "magic" e
at the end.
Here are some examples with the vowel e:
pet
Pete
met
mete
There are not many examples with the vowel e, but the same rule
is true here. The words in the first column have a short e
sound, and the words in the second column have a long e
sound.
Here are some examples with the vowel i:
rid
ride
quit
quite
sit
site
pin
pine
The words in the first column have a short
i sound, but the i "says its name" in
the second column.
Here are some examples with the vowel o:
hop
hope
cop
cope
slop
slope
cod
code
The words in the first column have a short
o sound, but the o "says its name" in
the second column. These words have a long o
sound.
Finally, here are some examples with the vowel u:
tub
tube
hug
huge
us
use
cub
cube
The words in the first column have a short
u sound, but the u "says its name" in
the second column.
You can ask someone how many cubes
of sugar they like in their tea.
But you can be sure they do not want any cubs, baby bears, in
their tea!
There
are a few common exceptions to this rule, like the words "have,"
"come," or "love." But in general, the rules discussed above will apply.
Review
So, let's review what we have learned about the "magic" e in English:
The "magic" e
itself is completely silent.
The "magic" e
comes at the end of words that end in a single vowel and a single
consonant.
The "magic" e
makes the single vowel before it "say its name."