Vowel
 
 
 
 
Vowel

In this lesson you will learn the definition of a vowel and study examples of vowels.
Vowel Definition
  • A vowel:
  • is a sound in spoken language (or a letter of the alphabet denoting such a sound) that has a sounding voice (vocal sound) of its own
  • is a single sound which forms the basis of a syllable
  • has the following properties:
  • two adjacent vowel sounds can be blended together into a single syllable called a diphthong
  • the letter "W" by itself is not usually a vowel, but can form a diphthong with the vowels "A", "E", or "O"
  • the five primary vowel letters can represent both "long" and "short" vowel sounds (some of the long vowel sounds in English are actually diphthongs)
  • some vowel sounds are represented by combinations of vowel letters, such as "ou" in words like "through" or "thought"
  • English, makes extensive use of combinations of vowel letters to represent various sounds
  • vowels support the neighboring consonants, but often bear little information themselves (cn y rd ths?)
Vowel Examples
A , E , I, O , U and sometimes Y
 
Grammar Tips
Can You Catch These Native Speaker Mistakes?
(Beginner - Listening)

An audio lesson to help with your understanding of common mistakes. The English is spoken at 75% of normal speed. Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this audio program.
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening, reading)

A video lesson to help with your understanding of commonly confused words.
The English is spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page.
Commonly Confused Words: Part One
(Beginner - Listening)

An audio lesson to help with your understanding of commonly confused words. The English is spoken at 75% of normal speed. Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this audio program.
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening, reading)

A video lesson to help with your understanding of commonly confused words.
The English is spoken at 75% of normal speed.
Click here to visit the lesson page.
Commonly Confused Words: Part Two
(Beginner - Listening)

An audio lesson to help with your understanding of commonly confused words. The English is spoken at 75% of normal speed. Click here to visit the lesson page with the written script for this audio program.