The Eight Spellings of Long O

The Eight Spellings of Long O The Eight Spellings of Long O The Eight Spellings of Long O By Maeve Maddox English is blessed with many homophones: one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling (as all and awl; to, too, and two; rite, write, right, and wright) called also homonym (Merriam Webster Unabridged Dictionary) The sound of long o is especially rich in alternate spellings. Such spellings are best learned when we are children, before weve been around long enough to regard such facts of life as something to be complained about. Here are the eight spellings of long o. (not counting exceptions, of course.) o o says /Ã… / at the end of a syllable: so, go, open o+e Silent final e makes the o say /Ã… /: stone, throne, shone (Am.) ow The spelling ow can represent two sounds: /ow/ as in cow and /Ã… / as in show, slow, grow. ou The spelling ou can represent four sounds: /ow/ as in round, /Ã… / as in four, /oo/ as in you, and /Ã… ­/as in country. Note that the second sound of ou is long o. oo The spelling oo can represent three sounds: /oo/ as in boot, /à »/as in foot, and /Ã… / as in floor. oa This is the o of boat. oe This is o of toe ough Ah, yes. This is the most ridiculed of all English spellings, good old ough. This spelling can represent six different vowel (or semi-vowel) sounds. The good news is that once youve learned the following six words, youre home free: /Ã… / as in though /oo/ as in through /uf/ as in rough /awf/ as in cough /aw/ as in thought /ow/ as in bough Note that /Ã… / is the first sound of ough: though TIP: English spelling is not for sissies. It can, however, be mastered by people who use words for a living. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Cost-Effective vs. Cost-EfficientOne Fell SwoopMood vs. Tense

Funny Birthday Quotes to Get a Laugh

Funny Birthday Quotes to Get a Laugh Nothing works better than the gift of laughter. Get a giggle or a guffaw when you send birthday greetings to your friends, family, or business associates. Some people get glum about seeing another milestone birthday, and a laugh can help ease the melancholy. Others are hoping to be remembered on their special day. So, spread the joy with these funny birthday quotes. Make your loved ones birthdays memorable. AnonymousBirthdays are natures way of telling us to eat more cake.Steven WrightLast week the candle factory burned down. Everyone just stood around and sang, Happy Birthday.Samuel JohnsonThe return of my birthday, if I remember it, fills me with thoughts which it seems to be the general care of humanity to escape.Father Larry LorenzoniBirthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.​Robert FrostTime and Tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty.Erma BombeckA friend never defends a husband who gets his wife an electric skillet for her birthday.Mary SchmichLike many women my age, I am 28 years old.George BurnsPeople ask me what Id most appreciate getting for my eighty-seventh birthday. I tell them, a paternity suit.Robert FrostA diplomat is a man who always remembers a womans birthday but never remembers her age.John GlennThere is still no cure for the common birthday.