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3.4: The Vowel (i)

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    Overview of the Vowel <i>

    The sound the <i> spells in hid is called short <i>, and is written [i].

    The sound the <i> spells in hide is called long <i>, and is written [ī]. 

    Examples

    Note whether each letter <i>, or combination of letters, makes a short <i> or [i] sound versus a long <i> or [ī] sound.

    1. kiss - short <i> or [i]

    2. tries - long <i> or [ī]

    Review

    Label each word as having a short or long vowel <i>.

    1. twine
    2. brim
    3. disc
    4. dive
    5. pike
    6. grind
    7. mint
    8. pitch
    9. wild
    10. swift

    Label each word with [i] or [ī]. Note: [i] is the short sound and [ī] is the long sound.

    1. witch
    2. shrimp
    3. vie
    4. mitt
    5. fry
    6. light
    7. chill
    8. mice
    9. pint
    10. glimpse 
    Show Answer

    Label each word as having a short or long vowel <i>.

    1. twine - long <i>
    2. brim - short <i>
    3. disc - short <i>
    4. dive - long <i>
    5. pike - long <i>
    6. grind - long <i>
    7. mint - short <i>
    8. pitch - short <i>
    9. wild - long <i>
    10. swift - short <i>

    Label each word with [i] or [ī]. Note: [i] is the short sound and [ī] is the long sound.

    1. witch - [i]
    2. shrimp - [i]
    3. vie - [ī]
    4. mitt - [i]
    5. fry - [ī]
    6. light - [ī]
    7. chill - [i]
    8. mice - [ī]
    9. pint - [ī]
    10. glimpse  - [i]

    Spelling Long <i>

    Most of the time [ī] is spelled <i> in the regular long vowel patterns VCV, V.V, Ve#, and VCle. The next most common spelling of [ī] is <y> in the regular long vowel patterns VCV, V#, Ve#, V.V, and VCle. Both <i> and <y> often spell [ī] in the V.V pattern when certain suffixes are added to stems that end in <ie>, <ye>, or <y>. 

    Examples

    You can hear the long <i> sound, [ī], in the words ripe, tie, liar, and style.

    Review

    1. Find the <i> that spells [ī] in each of the following words. Mark the <i> and the letters after it to show which of these four patterns each word contains.
      \begin{align*}
          & \text{disguise} && \text{recognize} && \text{violence} && \text{idea} && \text{digest}\\
          & \text{tie} && \text{client} && \text{silence} && \text{pioneer} && \text{bible}\\
          & \text{trifle} && \text{exercise} && \text{appetite} && \text{finally} && \text{triumph}\\
          & \text{acquire} && \text{survival} && \text{annihilate} && \text{bridle} && \text{lie}\\
          & \text{bicycle} && \text{pie} && \text{title} && \text{horizon} && \text{variety}
      \end{align*}
    2. Sort the twenty-five words into these four groups.
      Words in which [ī] is spelled <i> in the pattern...
      VCV V.V VCle Ve#
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
    3. In each of the following words find the <y> that is spelling [ī] and mark the pattern that it is in.
      \begin{align*}
          & \text{analyze} && \text{cycle} && \text{unicycle} && \text{hygiene} && \text{typewriter}\\
          & \text{butterfly} && \text{multiply} && \text{rhyme} && \text{hyena} && \text{xylophone}\\
          & \text{dye} && \text{typist} && \text{qualify} && \text{terrify} && \text{denying}\\
          & \text{occupy} && \text{supply} && \text{testify} && \text{denying} && \text{tying}\\
          & \text{recycle} && \text{hyacinth} && \text{style} && \text{vying} && \text{identify}
      \end{align*}
    4. Sort the words into the following five groups.
      Words with [ī] spelled <y> in the pattern...
      V# VCV V.V VCle Ve#
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
                 
    5. Find the letters that are spelling [ī] in the words below and mark the V.V pattern in each one. Then analyze each word into stem plus suffix to show how the V.V pattern comes about.
      Word = Stem + Suffix
      identifiable = identif y + i + able
      multiplying =
      liar =
      drier =
      qualifying =
      dying =
      identifiable =
      reliance =
      supplier =
    Show Answer
    1. \begin{align*}
          & \text{disguise} && \text{recognize} && \text{violence} && \text{idea} && \text{digest}\\
          & \hspace{3.5mm}vcv && \hspace{3mm}vcv && v.v && vcv && vcv\\
          & \text{tie} && \text{client} && \text{silence} && \text{pioneer} && \text{bible}\\
          & \hspace{1mm}ve\text{#} && \hspace{1mm}v.v && \hspace{1mm}vcv && \hspace{1mm}v.v && \hspace{2mm}vcle\\
          & \text{trifle} && \text{exercise} && \text{appetite} && \text{finally} && \text{triumph}\\
          & \hspace{1mm}vcle && \hspace{3mm}vcv && \hspace{3mm}vcv && vcv && v.v\\
          & \text{acquire} && \text{survival} && \text{annihilate} && \text{bridle} && \text{lie}\\
          & \hspace{3mm}vcv && \hspace{3mm}vcv && \hspace{3mm}vcv && \hspace{2mm}vcle && ve\text{#}\\
          & \text{bicycle} && \text{pie} && \text{title} && \text{horizon} && \text{variety}\\
          & \hspace{1mm}vcv && ve\text{#} && \hspace{2mm}vcle && \hspace{3mm}vcv && \hspace{3mm}v.v
      \end{align*}
    2. Words in which [ī] is spelled <i> in the pattern...
      VCV V.V VCle Ve#
      disguise appetite client trifle tie
      acquire annihilate violence title pie
      bicycle idea pioneer bridle lie
      recognize finally triumph bible  
      exercise horizon variety    
      survival digest      
      silence        
    3. \begin{align*}
          & \text{analyze} && \text{cycle} && \text{unicycle} && \text{hygiene} && \text{typewriter}\\
          & \hspace{4mm}vcv && \hspace{2mm}vcle && \hspace{7mm}vcle && vcv && vcv\\
          & \text{butterfly} && \text{multiply} && \text{rhyme} && \text{hyena} && \text{xylophone}\\
          & \hspace{4mm}v\text{#} && \hspace{4mm}v\text{#} && \hspace{3mm}vcv && v.v && vcv\\
          & \text{dye} && \text{typist} && \text{qualify} && \text{terrify} && \text{denying}\\
          & ve\text{#} && vcv && \hspace{4mm}v\text{#} && \hspace{4mm}v\text{#} && \hspace{4mm}v.v\\
          & \text{occupy} && \text{supply} && \text{testify} && \text{denying} && \text{tying}\\
          & \hspace{4mm}v\text{#} && \hspace{4mm}v\text{#} && \hspace{4mm}v\text{#} && \hspace{4mm}v.v && \hspace{2mm}v.v\\
          & \text{recycle} && \text{hyacinth} && \text{style} && \text{vying} && \text{identify}\\
          & \hspace{4mm}vcle && v.v && \hspace{2mm}vcv && v.v && \hspace{4mm}v\text{#}
      \end{align*}
    4. Words with [ī] spelled <y> in the pattern...
      V# VCV V.V VCle Ve#
      butterfly terrify analyze hyena cycle dye
      multiply testify rhyme tying unicycle  
      occupy deny hygiene hyacinth recycle  
      qualify identify typewriter vying    
      supply   xylophone denying    
          typist      
          style      
    5. Word = Stem + Suffix
      identifiable = identif y + i + able
      multiplying = multiply + ing
      liar = li e + ar
      drier = dr y + i + er
      qualifying = qualify + ing
      dying = d ie + y + ing
      identifiable = identif y + i + able
      reliance = rel y + i + ance
      supplier = suppl y+ i + er

    Long <i> and the VCC Pattern

     

    Digraph Spellings of Long <i>

     

    This page titled 3.4: The Vowel (i) is shared under a CC BY-NC license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by CK-12 Foundation via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

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