Spelling the long vowel sound /ī/:
i-e, igh, y,
ie

| The -ind words use just i
use to spell the long /ī/
sound: |
| bind |
Use this tape
to bind round the broken chair leg. |
| blind |
The baby was born
blind and deaf. |
| find |
Fred can never
find his car keys. |
| grind |
To grind
pepper, use a pepper mill. |
| hind |
1) A hind
is a male deer.
2) back: The horse reared up on its hind legs. |
| kind |
1) What kind
of pizza would you like?
2) It's very kind of you to pay for mine. |
| mind |
1) That's not
what I had in mind.
2) Would you mind giving me a lift? |
| rind |
I grated some
lemon rind to mix in the cake. |
| wind |
Wind the
rope around the post. |
|
 |
See how many -ind words you can get in
one sentence.
For example:
The kind girl did not mind helping to find
the blind man.
Can you beat 4 words? |
|
|
|
| The -ign words have i
and a silent g to spell the long /ī/
sound: |
| sign |
Read the road
signs to find your way. |
| design |
Do you like the
design of this web site? |
| resign |
If I don't get
more pay, I'll resign. |
| consign |
A consignment
of goods was sent from the factory. |
| align |
To align
means to match up alongside. |
| assign |
The spy was assigned
to a far country. |
| ensign |
Another word for
flag is ensign. |
|
 |
To remember the silent g:
Think of similar words where you can hear the g sound.
For example:
1) A sign is a kind of signal.
2) Put your signature on your design.
3) To resign from your job, hand in your resignation.
4) A malign tumour is malignant; a benign
one is not malignant.
For more on silent letters, see Unit 22. |
|
|
|
| These words all have an extra e: |
| height |
The tallest man
was over eight feet in height. |
| tyre |
My car has a flat
tyre. (US tire). |
| lyre |
A lyre
is an old musical intrument. |
| rhyme |
Time, crime and
chime all rhyme. |
| eye
|
Two e's in eye
- one for each eye! |
| dye |
Blue dye
has come out of my jeans. |
|
| Some very odd words: |
| aisle |
The bride walked
down the aisle of the church. |
| aye |
'Aye' is
an old way of saying 'yes', still used in Scotland. |
|
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Homophones for long /ī/
words.