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1.5: Listening Tip- Syllables

  • Page ID
    51342
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    When you listen to a word in English, you can hear different parts of the word. These parts are called ‘syllables’.

    For example,

    • the word paper has two parts: pa - per
    • the word beautiful has three parts: beau- ti- ful
    • the word love only has one part: love

    Knowing how many syllables a word has will help you be able to pronounce the word correctly. It will also help you be able to spell the word.

    How do you find the syllables in a word?

    • A dictionary will mark the syllables in a word like this: pa - per
    • Study the spelling of the word- Every syllable needs at least 1 vowel pa- per
    • Put your hand under your chin and say the word. Each time your chin touches your hand counts as one syllable.
    • Listen carefully to each sound you can hear in the word.

    Practice hearing syllables below with the chapter 1 vocabulary words:

    Practice Questions

    Directions: Listen to the pronunciation of the vocabulary words. Write the vocabulary word then listen again and write the number of syllables that you hear in each word. The first word has been done for you. Mark the syllables on each of the words.

    Chapter 1 Vocabulary

    1. Im-por-tant (3)

    2. ________________________

    3. _________________________

    4. ________________________

    5. ________________________

    6. ________________________

    7. ________________________

    8. ________________________

    9. ________________________

    10. ________________________


    This page titled 1.5: Listening Tip- Syllables is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Della Jean Abrahams (PDXOpen publishing initiative) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.