o, oe, and ou = |ŭ| or |ə| (and sometimes |wŭ|)

I – III NEW PATTERN. Introduce the o, oe, and ou spelling patterns for words pronounced with the short vowel u sound, |ŭ|, or the schwa sound, |ə|, as in of and front. For one or once, pronounce the o as |wŭ|. Words like one, once, and does do follow a pattern (namely, they make use of the schwa sound). Note that the f in of is pronounced |v|. [See Lessons 86 and 89]

Review Lessons 1 – 67

IV – VI REVIEW the spelling and pronunciation patterns presented in Lessons 1 – 67.

Challenge Words

The three challenge words in this lesson are technical terms for symbols used in dictionaries to tell us how to pronounce words. These symbols are pronunciation helps only and are not part of the spelling of the word.

Breve The breve (pronounced |brēv|) is a curved line symbol (akin to a smile) that is placed above a vowel to indicate that the vowel says its short sound. Short-vowel sounds are indicated with the breve in dictionaries, as follows: ă, ĕ, ĭ, ŏ, and ŭ. Thus, we know the pronunciations of săt, rĕd, bĭd, ŏdd, and sŭn.

Macron The macron is a small horizontal line that is located directly above a vowel (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) to show a learner that the vowel is a long vowel. The word macron can be pronounced correctly either |mā΄• krŏn| or |măk΄• rŏn|. A long vowel is pronounced the same as the name of the vowel: a says |ā|; e says |ē|; i says |ī|; o says |ō|; and u says |ū|. When you look up the words bacon, eagle, smile, open, and use in a dictionary, you will see the macron.

Diacritical Marks The breve (˘) and the macron (‾) are both examples of diacritical marks. These are purely reference marks and not part of the spelling of a word. A diacritical mark indicates how to pronounce a word, accent a syllable, or separate a word. Some common diacritical marks, in addition to the breve and macron, are the accent (ʹ), which tells that a syllable should be stressed, and the centered dot (•), which denotes a syllable break.

When Buying a Dictionary, Opt for One with Diacritical Marks

When considering the purchase of a dictionary, buy one that features diacritical marks. Get your money’s worth! A dictionary is of limited use if it does not contain these pronunciation helps. We have found to our dismay that many dictionaries do not supply diacritical marks. A good dictionary will define, spell, and show how to pronounce words.