Lindaland - It's all in the details!

Phonics, Syllable and Accent Rules

A. Phonics Rules

The vowels are "a,e,i,o, and u"; also sometimes "y" & "w". This also includes the diphthongs "oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others. The consonants are all the other letters which stop or limit the flow of air from the throat in speech. They are:
"b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,p,qu,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z,ch,sh,th,ph,wh, ng, and gh".

1. Sometimes the rules don't work. There are many exceptions in English because of the vastness of the language and the many languages from which it has borrowed. The rules do work however, in the majority of the words.

2. Every syllable in every word must have a vowel. English is a "vocal" language; Every word must have a vowel.

3. "C" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "s". Examples: "cyst", "central", and "city".

4. "G" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "j". Example: "gem", "gym", and "gist".

5. When 2 consonants a joined together and form one new sound, they are a consonant digraph. They count as one sound and one letter and are never separated. Examples: "ch,sh,th,ph and wh".

6. When a syllable ends in a consonant and has only one vowel, that vowel is short. Examples: "fat, bed, fish, spot, luck".

7. When a syllable ends in a silent "e", the silent "e" is a signal that the vowel in front of it is long. Examples: "make, gene, kite, rope, and use".

8. When a syllable has 2 vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent. Examples: "pain, eat, boat, res/cue, say, grow".

NOTE: Diphthongs don't follow this rule; In a diphthong, the vowels blend together to create a single new sound. The diphthongs are: "oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.

9. When a syllable ends in any vowel and is the only vowel, that vowel is usually long. Examples: "pa/per, me, I, o/pen, u/nit, and my".

10. When a vowel is followed by an "r" in the same syllable, that vowel is "r-controlled". It is not long nor short. "R-controlled "er,ir,and ur" often sound the same (like "er"). Examples: "term, sir, fir, fur, far, for, su/gar, or/der".

B. Basic Syllable Rules

1. To find the number of syllables: ---count the vowels in the word, ---subtract any silent vowels, (like the silent "e" at the end of a word or the second vowel when two vowels a together in a syllable) ---subtract one vowel from every dipthong, (diphthongs only count as one vowel sound.) ---the number of vowels sounds left is the same as the number of syllables. The number of syllables that you hear when you pronounce a word is the same as the number of vowels sounds heard.

For example: The word "came" has 2 vowels, but the "e" is silent, leaving one vowel sound andone syllable. The word "outside" has 4 vowels, but the "e" is silent and the "ou" is a diphthong which counts as only one sound, so this word has only two vowels sounds and therefore, two syllables.

2. Divide between two middle consonants. Split up words that have two middle consonants. For example: hap/pen, bas/ket, let/ter, sup/per, din/ner, and Den/nis. The only exceptions are the consonant digraphs. Never split up consonant digraphs as they really represent only one sound. The exceptions are "th", "sh", "ph", "th", "ch", and "wh".

3. Usually divide before a single middle consonant. When there is only one syllable, you usually divide in front of it, as in: "o/pen", "i/tem", "e/vil", and "re/port". The only exceptions are those times when the first syllable has an obvious short sound, as in "cab/in".

4. Divide before the consonant before an "-le" syllable. When you have a word that has the old-style spelling in which the "-le" sounds like "-el", divide before the consonant before the "-le". For example: "a/ble", "fum/ble", "rub/ble" "mum/ble" and "thi/stle". The only exception to this are "ckle" words like "tick/le".

5. Divide off any compound words, prefixes, suffixes and roots which have vowel sounds. Split off the parts of compound words like "sports/car" and "house/boat". Divide off prefixes such at "un/happy", "pre/paid", or "re/write". Also divide off suffixes as in the words "farm/er", "teach/er", "hope/less" and "care/ful". In the word "stop/ping", the suffix is actually "-ping" because this word follows the rule that when you add "-ing" to a word with one syllable, you double the last consonant and add the "-ing".

C. Accent Rules

When a word has more than one syllable, one of the syllables is always a little louder than the others. The syllable with the louder stress is the accented syllable. It may seem that the placement of accents in words is often random or accidental, but these are some rules that usually work.

1. Accents are often on the first syllable. Examples: ba'/sic, pro'/gram.

2. In words that have suffixes or prefixes, the accent is usually on the main root word. Examples: box'/es, un/tie'.

3. If de-, re-, ex-, in-,po-, pro-, or a- is the first syllable in a word, it is usually not accented. Examples: de/lay', ex/plore'.

4. Two vowel letters together in the last syllable of a word often indicates an accented last syllable. Examples: com/plain', con/ceal'.

5. When there are two like consonant letters within a word, the syllable before the double consonants is usually accented. Examples: be/gin'/ner, let'/ter.

6. The accent is usually on the syllable before the suffixes -ion, ity, -ic, -ical, -ian, -ial, or -ious, and on the second syllable before the suffix -ate. Examples: af/fec/ta'/tion, dif/fer/en'/ti/ate.

7. In words of three or more syllables, one of the first two syllables is usually accented. Examples: ac'/ci/dent, de/ter'/mine.

Lindaland Wants to Know!

How in the heck are syllables in a word determined to be accented or un-accented?

So far, I've looked briefly online, asked Michael the writer, and Tug the Writer. No answer so far.

It's Raining Job Offers in Lindaland

So today - Thursday I got 2 job offers...Am now debating which one, if either, to accept. Both are just 6 months temp jobs - both about the same salary - one a bit more - both could lead to permanent employee (Ha! What does permanent employment mean, nowadays - a year or 2?)
- both offer no bennies and both are a commute....and both have been mean to me in the past...Yeah yeah yeah - can't afford to have feelings in the workaday world.

Took Winston-the cute boxer 11 month old dog-for a run today in Underwood Park - boy - am I getting in shape - it was a very easy run. And, unlike my furry 3, Winston did not pull my arms out of their sockets!

Went to the Tosa library today, too. Checked out some books on XML, C++, SQL, yes I am boring. Chatted with the librarian check-out person. Tosa is thinking of getting out of the Library Federation (The sharing libraries that use each others' resources independent of what urban entity a member library resides in). Thus, if Tosa remains in the Federation - Tosonians can get books out of any member library - like MPL. Tosa has a collection of 100,000 books (and things), while the Federation has 4,000,000. It's all about money. The checkout person said things looked bad, and she thought Tosa would withdraw....Oh well...The Tosa's collection on computer books is pathetic anyway...But it is nice and close to where we live.

Am listening to a Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin when I'm in the car. It is his 2nd novel, The League of frightened Men". I am busy jotting done neat phrases and similes. Here are some:

He is slick as a piece of wet pavement.

He also used the word: rodomont. He used it in the form of an adjective and he meant blustering blowheart. So I am also improving my vocabulary! This Impacting is not all that bad!

from www.dictionary.com:

rodomont
\Rod"o*mont\, n. [F. rodomont, It. rodomonte, fr. Rodomonte, Rodamonte, a boasting hero in the ``Orlando Furioso'' of Ariosto, and the ``Orlando Innamorato'' of Bojardo; properly, one who rolls away mountains; Prov. It. rodare to roll away (fr. L. rota a wheel) + It. monte a mountain, L. mons. See Rotary, Mount, n.] A vain or blustering boaster; a braggart; a braggadocio. --Sir T. Herbert.

Also found out, that Nero Wolfe hates pipe smoking and Inspector Kramer smokes a pipe. And, Archie Goodwin's Bday is October 24! I don't think he is a Libra, though.

btw, if you don't know what a simile is, here goes:

A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as, as in "How like the winter hath my absence been" or "So are you to my thoughts as food to life" (Shakespeare).

Had a nice chat with pop in the car about what job to take - it was a normal conversation. It felt great! He is looking good today and I think he is getting into the teaching of his classes. He seems to be a lot more calm about them, and is entering his attendance info right away. I am proud of him. We need to get him a belt. Said we'd go this weekend, to see what size his expanded tummy is and what belt he feels comfortable opening and closing. He has been wearing blue jeans...he looks really good. Good by to those BUTT-UGLY elastic/draw-string pants.

Almost Homicidal in lindaland

Almost homicidal after a night of interrupted sleep: the pee-machine was quite active. Finally around 130 a.m., I got up and took a sleeping pill and dozed off; the pee-machine kept at it but I was in the arms of morpheus. It's a wonder what pharmecuticals can do.

Well, today I am busy sending out resumes via the OnWisconsin.com job web site. First I fixed my resume up, and now I'm sending....perhaps I should become a hospital chaplin - wonder how much training is involved?

Love these companies that post jobs on job search websites and the only way to apply is through the company website - but one can't find where on the web site....duh!

It's cold and sunny out today - so the snow is brillant white - hurts my eyes...btw - I rarely wear my contacts since I was "impacted" ...which is kind of neat...I guess I don't have any vanity left...

I found a neat web site for lovers of Rex Stout's Nero Wolf and Archie Goodwin mysteries....I am going to join...too bad the meetings are in NYC (but of course that makes sense, as that is where Nero and Archie are based)...wished I'd seen this website before my latest trip to NYC - I would have gone to his brownstone. Check the site out: http://www.nerowolfe.org. The next meeting is March 21, 2005 - as always in NYC - maybe one of my NYC (TUG, BEEP, CL, etc) will go in my stead....or maybe I'll come to NYC for another visit.

The Wolfe Pack meets at: O'Casey's 22 East 41st St., 7 pm to 9 pm

I am listening to the books on tape - they are great...I really enjoy them...did you know that Nero Wolfe sends a monthly check to his mother's apartment in Budapest Hungary?

Other activities when I am not sending include:

• NBCC @ http://www.stopbreastcancer.org - helps me deal with my sister's death from breast cancer June 2, 1998
• WBCC @ http://www.standupandspeakout.org - more of the same, but on a local level
• Worked as a mentor (last year) for the first high school robotics team in Milwaukee - check out the team's website @ http://www.whs.edu/academics/purgold-robotics/index.html
• Working in the Animal Antics Store at the Wisconsin Humane Society - love those dogs - check out their website @ www.wihumane.org. btw, that is where we adopted Ruby
• And, am on the look out for something more to do ....

Letter to the NY Times

First time published - after reading an article in the New York Times about a family dealing with a father with Alzheimer's ... btw - I submit relentlessly to the Milwaukee Journal http://www.jsonline.com all the time and never get published - but the first time I write a letter to the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com - I get a call from the editor about an hour after I emailed my letter, and I will be published in the Sunday times! go figure! So excuse me for bragging....


EDITORIAL DESK
Alzheimer's Sufferers And Their Caretakers
Published: September 19, 2004, Sunday To the Editor:

In 1999, my husband, Michael, suffered a major stroke at the age of 49. We'd just begun our empty-nest phase of life, with the last of our children starting college that fall.

With no warning, we were thrust into the dark world of a neurological nightmare: cognitive, physical and emotional abilities significantly reduced, daily seizures, job loss, rising medical bills, family life turned upside down, anger, sorrow, grief.

As taught by my Depression-era parents, my children and I became the caretakers, advocates, therapists, neurological experts, cheerleaders and wage earners. This was not without a terrible cost.

Today, careers put on hold have started up again. Medical bills are paid off. Some family members and friends turned out to be fair-weather and fickle; others proved to be constant lifesavers. Laughter returned. Plans are under way again.

Faith, morals and love carried us through these past five years of recovery and acceptance. This, I believe, is one of the greatest gifts of enduring the unendurable: Doubts about one's courage and strength become certainties.

Linda Roberts Milwaukee, Sept. 16, 2004

Published: 09 - 19 - 2004 , Late Edition - Final , Section 4 , Column 6 , Page 10

What's Happening in Lindaland?

What am I doing, now that my position at GE Healthcare Information technologies was IMPACTED?

• Looking for another job - sending off resumes and cover letters is hard!
• Waking up without an alarm - what a pleasure
• Volunteering at the Wisconsin Humane Society - selling items in the Animal Antics Store
• Reading mysteries - Found a new series - Rei Shimura by Sujata Massey
• Working on LPB, LLC - Empowering Women
• Running 4 days a week and exercising at the gym 3 days a week - it's about time to get rid of the fat and tighten up those muscles
• Decluttering the house - what a dream!
• Learning XML and the .NET technologies - the more things change, the more they stay the same
• Checking out thirft shops and estate sales - can be creepy going over some one else's stuff

And how would I do this all, if it wasn't for my favorite furry trio of K-9 buddies?

Mel, Roger, and Ruby.