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Unit 7, Part 1: Spelling the long vowel sounds

Page 12 of 12

Unit 7: Short vowels, Part 1: a and e

Unit Startpage 1page 2Course Testpage 4page 5page 6page 7page 8Course Testpage 10page 11page 12Unit End

Page 12 of 12

Spelling the long vowel sound /ē/: ee, ea, e-e, y

homophones - learn to spell similar sounding words Homophones from this section:

If you confuse these words the computer spellchecker will not spot your mistake -
so it is especially important to learn them.

hear - with your ears

here - a place		 Did you hear that strange noise?

Don't put it here, put it over there.
Learning tip to help your spelling
1) You hear with your ears.

2) Here is a place - like there and where:

 help with long vowel sound e
"We seek him here, we seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere."
from 'The Scarlet Pimpernel'. 		help with long vowel sound e

beach - sand by the sea

beech - a tree		 Lie by the sea on the beach.

Beech trees drop their leaves.
Learning tip to help your spelling Look at the two sentences above and work out your own learning tip for beach and beech.

read - read a book

reed - tall grass 		My little boy loves to read.

Reeds grow by the river.

heel - part of the foot

heal - get better		 I've got a blister on my heel.

Cover it up until it heals.

week - 7 days

weak - not strong		 You can have a day off next week.

I don't like weak coffee.

real - true

reel -
1) bobbin
2) stagger		 Are those real diamonds in your ring?


1) Fishing line is wound round a reel.
2) The smell made me reel back.

deer - animal

dear - beloved		 Deer are very shy animals.

Start a letter with 'Dear Sir'.

steel - metal

steal - rob		 The knife is made of stainless steel.

A mugger tried to steal my wallet.
Learning tip to help your spelling Steel: Steel is strong - and two ee's are stronger than one.

cheap - not expensive

cheep - sound of a bird		 The food is very cheap in this cafe.

The little chicks went 'cheep, cheep'.

been - past tense of 'be'

bean - plant, vegetable		 Where have you been all night?

Her favourite food is beans on toast.

leek - vegetable

leak - let out liquid		 Leeks taste a bit like onions.

The broken tap is leaking.
Learning tip to help your spelling 1) Leeks are green.
2) The tap leaks with water. 		help with long vowel sound e

meet - face to face

meat - to eat		 Can you meet me at the bus stop?

Some people never eat meat.

feet - to stand on

feat - deed, exploit		 These new boots make my feet hurt.

To sail round the world is a great feat.

peek - small look

peak - highest point		 Take a peek at the sleeping baby.

It was a great feat to reach the peak.

seem - appear

seam - join		 You seem to be doing very well at this course.

Dan stitched up the torn seam of his coat.

need - require

knead - work dough		 I need to get some more sleep.

Knead the dough to make the pizza.
For more words with kn please see Unit 24, Silent Letters.

jeans - denim trousers

genes - part of DNA		 I like my old jeans more than my new ones.

Our genes control what we look like.

sweet -
1) candy
2) cute

suite - a set
1) Too many sweets are bad for the teeth.
2) The baby looks so sweet in that new dress.

The best suite of rooms costs $500 a night.

flee - run away

flea - insect		 The gunman was fleeing from the police.

That dog is covered in fleas.

shear - cut

sheer - very steep		 Shear the sheep in summer.

There is a sheer drop at the cliff edge.

You have completed part one of unit 7. You have learned the long vowel sounds a and e.


Return to course contents.


Or continue to part two of unit 7.
Long vowel sounds i, o and u.

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The Spellzone interactive course is intended to be used online and may not be printed.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for our students!  I'm sure Spellzone will be invaluable in helping them to improve their spellings and therefore improve the quality of their writing in all subject areas!"

Teacher, High School, UK