Vowel Diphthongs

English Language Arts, Grade 3

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August You know the vowels are a, e, i, o, and u. Did you also know that y is always a vowel except when it’s the first letter of a word? (as in yellow and yard and yip) This means that when y follows a vowel, it has an effect on it. It creates a vowel pair. When y follows an a or an e, it makes the first vowel before it say its name, as in: playpen donkey (long A) (long E) Vowel diphthongs are pairs of vowels. Neither vowel says its name. Instead, the vowels blend to make a new sound. In the examples below, you will see that oy is a vowel diphthong because it makes a whole new sound. In fact, oy and oi make the same sound, even though they are spelled differently. oyster toilet pool Long ago, the letter w was actually two of the letter u. It was a double u. Now when w comes after a vowel, it affects the vowel. The letters blend to make a new sound. Notice that ou and ow make the same sound. So do au and aw. The diphthongs ew and oo make the same sound even though they are spelled very differently. jewelry tools blouse townhouse August lawn Vowel Diphthongs Visit www.newpathlearning.com for Online Learning Resources. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 92-4032
Circle the words in which the pair of vowels blend to make a new sound. There is more than one per row. 1. vowel turnip boast naughty 2. soak shower autumn appeal 3. seem shampoo break broil 4. brew honey food painful 5. friendly chews earth drawbridge 6. hawk laundry birthday praise 7. foolish squeak brain ointment 8. coals flew gnaw hoe 9. field tweet spoiled caution 10. parsley foamy crewcut stool Sweet Honey Shampoo Vowel Diphthongs Visit www.newpathlearning.com for Online Learning Resources. © Copyright NewPath Learning. All Rights Reserved. 92-4032