Each syllable contains one vowel sound. The syllable may contain more than one vowel letter but the letters will represent only one sound. The letter y may represent the long e or long i sound.
Syllable types: closed. open, vowel combination, consonant le, vowel-consonant e, r- controlled. See page 262. Most useful syllable division principles: two consonants between two vowels, one consonant between two vowels, three consonants between two vowels, consonant le forms a separate syllable. See page 264. Other syllable division principles: divide compound words between smaller words, inflectional endings ing, er, etc., form separate syllables, never separate a vowel digraph, diphthong, or r- controlled vowels. One of the syllables in a multisyllabic word receives more stress or emphasis. The unstressed syllable is often reduced to a schwa.
Poor readers Do not pronounce affixes and vowel sounds; Disregard large portions of letter information; Are more likely to omit syllables.