Our 3-year-old granddaughter told my husband and me that she wa=
s going fishing with her dad.
Grandpa asked=
if she was going to use worms.
=
=E2=80=9COh=
, no,=E2=80=9D she said. =E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m going to use a fishing pole.=
=E2=80=9D
A young man was planting some flower seeds on a sweltering day, sweatin=
g from the hot sun.
His neighbor said, =E2=
=80=9CYou need to wait until the sun goes down, or plant in the morning whe=
n it is coolest.=E2=80=9D
The man said, =E2=
=80=9CI can=E2=80=99t do that. It says on the package, =E2=80=98Plant in fu=
ll sun.=E2=80=99=E2=80=8A=E2=80=9D
&nbs=
p;
~~QUIZ ANSWERS: Silent Letters~~
Possible answers for =E2=80=9Csilent letters=E2=80=9D in =
some common American words. And some =E2=80=9Crules=E2=80=9D to help you re=
member.
A =3D =E2=80=9Cead=E2=80=9D words =E2=80=93 head, bread, dread, spread, t=
read, lead, read. Adverbs that end in =E2=80=9Cically=E2=80=9D – basically,=
stoically, logically, frantically, fanatically, magically, tragically. Aes=
thetic and aisle, too.
B =3D before =E2=80=
=9Ct=E2=80=9D in debt, subtle, doubt. At end of words following =E2=80=9Cm=
=E2=80=9D like comb, crumb, dumb, lamb, limb, plumb, thumb, tomb, succumb, =
bomb.
C =3D when it follows letter =E2=80=
=9Cs=E2=80=9D – science, scissors, ascent, crescent, descent, descend, disc=
iple, scene, obscene, fluorescent, abscess, fascinate, muscle. Czar, acquir=
e, indict, and yacht. Yacht even slips a silent H in there too.
D =3D pair it with G, as in bridge, ridge, edge, ledge,=
hedge. With =E2=80=9Chand=E2=80=9D in handkerchief, handsome. Wednesday is=
, well Wednesday.
E =3D sleeve (2 silent =E2=
=80=9Ce=E2=80=9D); and end of words like leave, give, imagine, plaque, brut=
e, debate, excite, make, due, true, crime, grace, goose, axe, die, dye, bik=
e, eke, pie, use, toe, cage, dude, mute, candle, adore.
F* =3D fifth (second f is silent)
G =3D tied with =E2=80=9Cn=E2=80=9D in gnarly, gnostic, gnat, gnash, gnom=
e, champagne, cologne, align, assign, benign, sign, feign, foreign, reign. =
Also silent with =E2=80=9Ch=E2=80=9D – sigh, high, sight, light, bright, ni=
ght, fight, though. Unsure about phlegm.
H =3D at start of words hour, heir, honor, herb, homage, honest. When f=
ollows the letter c – anchor, archive, chaos, character, Christmas, charism=
a, chemical, choreography, chorus, choir, echo. Also silent in words where =
it follows the letter w – when, where, which, why, whine, whistle, white. N=
o clue why it is in rhyme or ghost.
I =3D business=
, suit, fruit.
J* =3D marijuan=
a.
K =3D silent at the beginni=
ng of words followed by =E2=80=9Cn=E2=80=9D – knee, knife, knight, knit, kn=
ob, knock, knot, know, knuckle, knick-knack, knowledge, knoll.
L =3D colonel, could, should, would, calf,=
half, chalk, talk, walk, folk, yolk. And salmon.
M* =3D mnemonic
N =3D at end of words after =E2=80=9Cm=E2=80=9D, autumn, damn, hymn, =
solemn, condemn.
O =3D when pa=
ired with =E2=80=9Cu=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Ce=E2=80=9D – enough, rough, tough=
, colonel, jeopardy, leopard, people.
P =3D corps, coup, receipt, raspberry, pterodactyl. Silent before n=
or s as in pneumatic, pneumonia, psalm, pseudonym psyche, psychology.
Q* =3D lacquer.
R* =3D February, forecastle.
S =3D aisle, apropos, debris, island, bourgeois=
, isle, viscount.
T =3D paired=
with the letter =E2=80=9CL=E2=80=9D – whistle, bristle, thistle, bustle, h=
ustle, castle. Lots of French =E2=80=9Cloanwords=E2=80=9D have silent T – b=
allet, gourmet, rapport, ricochet, buffet, crochet, valet, debut, beret. An=
d random assortment of other words – asthma, mortgage, tsunami, soften, lis=
ten, fasten, glisten, moisten.
U =3D following =E2=80=9Cg=E2=80=9D – guard, guide, guilt, guitar, guess,=
disguise, guest, guilt, guise, baguette, dialogue, monologue, league, coll=
eague, rogue, vague, tongue. And random build, biscuit, circuit, laugh.=
V* =3D covfefe
W =3D answer, sword, two, who. When in front of=
=E2=80=9Cr=E2=80=9D words wrack, wrangle, wrap, wreath, wren, wrinkle, wri=
te, wrong, wrench, wrestle, wrist, wring, wrought, wrath, wretch, wreck, wr=
ithe, wrapper, playwright.
X* =
=3D faux, faux pas
Y* =3D be=
yond
Z =3D more words from Fre=
nch – chez, laissez-faire, rendezvous
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
bob=
@grif.net www.grif.net
"Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!"