Unreliable Patterns
Using patterns as a spelling aid can also present problems for some spellers.
The sounds of patterns are not always consistent. Just when you think you've
determined the sound of a particular pattern, one or, more exceptions surface.
Consider the patterns that follow:
| ear |
near |
bear |
| son |
ton |
on |
| but |
rut |
put |
| bone |
lone |
gone |
| one |
done |
stone |
| gave |
save |
have |
| dough |
though |
tough |
| as |
has |
gas |
| there |
where |
here |
| hard |
card |
ward |
| bead |
read |
head |
| go |
no |
to |
| new |
stew |
sew |
| love |
dove |
move |
| down |
town |
own |
| harm |
farm |
warn |
| hand |
sand |
wand |
| care |
dare |
are |
| moose |
goose |
choose |
| form |
storm |
worm |
| road |
toad |
broad |
| hatch |
catch |
watch |
| good |
hood |
food |
| dome |
home |
come |
| boot |
hoot |
foot |
| how |
now |
low |
| hush |
rush |
push |
| ford |
cord |
word |
| toe |
hoe |
shoe |
| lost |
cost |
most |
| seen |
green |
been |
| speak |
sneak |
break |
| paid |
raid |
said |
| other |
mother |
bother |
| fork |
pork |
work |
| give |
live |
hive |
| hour |
sour |
pour |
| car |
star |
war |
| ease |
tease |
cease |
| ouch |
pouch |
touch |
| rose |
those |
whose |
| is |
his |
this |
| over |
clover |
mover |
The poem that follows cleverly illustrates how unreliable patterns can be:
Our Peculiar Language
When the English tongue we speak
Why is break not rhymed with freak?
Will you
tell me why it's true
We say sew, but likewise few?
And the maker of a verse
Cannot rhyme his horse
with worse?
Beard sounds not the same as heard
Cord is different from word.
Cow is cow, but low is low
Shoe is never rhymed with foe.
Think of rose and close and lose
And think of
goose and yet of choose.
Think of comb and tomb and bomb
Doll and roll and home and some.
And since pay
is rhymed with say
Why not paid with said I pray?
We have blood and food and
good
Cough is not pronounced like could.
Wherefore done but gone and lone?
Is
there any reason known?
And in short it seems to me
Sounds and letters disagree!
(Author Unknown)
Return to Top
|
