step052.htm/20DEC2001

Step 52‑4

The next letter‑group, ‑le, follows on very easily after ‑e and doubling. –le is the only other letter-arrangement that does the same thing as e (or any vowel), that is, it can jump back over one letter, but not two, to make a vowel say its name.

Study the following, for the five vowels. (needle, feeble, have two e's and would say a long ee anyway. The only example I can find to fit this pattern for the long e with only one e is Keble, which is the name of a college of Oxford University.) There are the five vowels in each column, and all the words end in ‑le, but the a.e.i.o.u in the first column have the long vowel sound, and in the second the short sound. There are not many of the first kind; most ‑le words have the short vowel sound.

table raffle

Keble pebble

trifle little

noble bottle

bugle struggle, snuggle.

When the letters between the vowel and the ‑le are ‑st‑, the vowel is short and the t is silent.

castle pestle (& mortar) whistle jostle rustle

When there is a c between the vowel and ‑le, except in the name of the town Acle, the vowel is short:

miracle, obstacle, oracle, spectacles, particle.

When using the "Is it?" booklet, or any ‑le words in large print, use the same routine of making fingers into a V, the long finger pointing to the ‑le, a space for the (1 or 2) consonant(s), and the index finger will then point to a vowel. Is it long (1 consonant in space) or short (2 consonants in space)?

Teaching how the letters work helps to keep attention on letters, sequence, direction, sounds (and off illustrations, which can distract). This stage should be short and easy. Do not wait until the pupil can spell every word. Go on when he can read the words and play the bingo comfortably. Play (make) the games.

Words for Bingo: apple pebble thimble bottle uncle

battle settle little jungle

crackle tremble twinkle purple

castle whistle cuddle

handle simple puzzle

middle struggle

Words ending in -ible and ‑able break the rule, the i/a is short:

possible, terrible, visible, breakable, tolerable.

table feeble title noble bugle

Bible

rifle

Jokes 1) Why is a pig like (a bottle of) ink?

' Cos it keeps going into the pen and out again.

2) "What is another name for a pig's skin?"

"Dunno, miss. "

"Hide, girl, HIDE!"

"Quick, kids, under the table!"

Tongue‑twister Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?