Lesson 17: Short & Long I (The Silent E Rule & Exceptions)

SPELLING & PHONICS STANDARD: RF.2.3 / RF.3.3 • SHORT & LONG I • VCe EXCEPTIONS STUDENT WORKSHEET

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Phonological Study: Contrast Short ĭ in think, clip with Long ī in mile, shine. Learn exceptions: live, give.

SHORT ĭ (/ɪ/) & LONG ī (/aɪ/)

1. Copy these words carefully. • 2. Spell them orally.

Read each word aloud, spell letter by letter, and copy neatly on the guideline below:

Col 1 • Mixed Patterns

mile

think

wink

live

Col 2 • Silent E Words

give

smile

while

mine

Col 3 • Short ĭ (-ip)

clip

skip

ship

whip

Col 4 • Digraph Words

shine

this

rich

inch

3. Write them neatly from dictation and put the proper mark over each i.

Listen as your teacher dictates the words. Write each word, then place a breve ( ĭ ) or macron ( ī ) over each letter i:

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

📌 Special Orthographic Note (From Textbook Page 15)

“NOTE. — There are a few words like live, give, have, etc., in which a silent e follows a short vowel. These are all common words and you will soon learn them.”

Discovery Question: Which two words from today's list end in silent e but have a short ĭ sound? Word 1:

Word 2:

💡 Phonics & Spelling Rules to Remember

📌 1. Short ĭ in Closed Syllables

When vowel i is closed in by consonants (-nk, -ip, -ch, -nch), it makes the short sound /ɪ/ (think, clip, ship, rich, inch). Marked with a breve: ĭ.

📌 2. Long ī with Silent e (VCe)

In VCe words (mile, smile, while, mine, shine), the silent e reaches across the consonant to make vowel i say its long name /aɪ/. Marked with a macron: ī.

📌 3. Protector e in live & give

Orthographic Rule: English words never end in v. Words like live and give have a silent e to keep the v legal, while the vowel i stays short /ɪ/!