Q.No. 16 (8 × 1/2 = 4 Marks)
Silent letters are a peculiar feature of English spelling. Letters are used in writing but the corresponding sounds are not uttered in pronunciation. This poses problems to learners both in spelling and pronunciation. A study says that 60% of the English words have silent letters !
Careful observation of both the spelling and pronunciation is the only way out to overcome this problem. There are, however, some generalizations about silent letters that will help learners understand this feature to some extent.
In the Intermediate Public Examination, normally, the words that appear in the prescribed selections with a silent consonant letter are set under this question.
Some Guidelines :
- ‘b’ before word final ‘t’ is silent – doubt debt.
- ‘b’ in final ‘mb’ clusters is also silent.
comb
womb
tomb - ‘g’ before word final ‘n’ is silent.
sign
resign
foreign
campaign
reign
sovereign - ‘g’ in most ‘ough’, ‘augh’ combinations is silent.
(But in some words with ‘augh’ it may sound as /f/ as in ‘laughter),
though
taught
through
benign
thorough - ‘h’ in word beginning position (not always) is silent.
honest
honour - ‘k’ in word beginning followed by ‘n’ is silent.
knowledge
know
knit
knee
knave
knuckle - ‘l’ before word final’m’ is silent.
calm
palm (but in realm and film – T is not silent) - Word final ‘n’ preceded by ‘m’ is silent,
condemn
column
autumn - ‘p’ in word beginning position followed by ‘s’ is silent.
’psychology
psalm
pseudo - ‘p’ in words like receipt is also silent.
- ‘r’ followed by a consonant letter is silent,
world
card - ‘f is silent in clusters like ‘astle’, ‘isten’, ‘istle’ as in
castle
whistle
listen - ‘W’ is silent in words like
Write
wrap
know
fawn
lawn
(These guiding principles are by no way exhaustive. They help the learner to a great extent in identifying the silent letters. About vowels – the problem is not this simple or unambiguous. So no generalisation is given here.)
TEXTUAL EXAMPLES
Silent letter – Example words
b – lamb, bomb, tomb, climb, dumb, subtle, plumber, womb, crumb, thumb
c – muscle, blackguard, yacht, indict, scene
d – Wednesday, handkerchief, handbag, handsome, adjourn, adjective, judge
g – gnaw, gnome, phlegm, foreign, resign, campaign, align, sovereign
h – honour, heir, ghost, night, rhyme, rhythm, when, where, hour
k – know, knee, knock, knot, kneel, knowledge
t – talk, folk, salmon, colonel, calf, calm, half, walk, baulk
m – mnemonic . . .
n – hymn, solemn, damn, autumn, column
p – recepit, psychic, pneumonia, psyche
q(u) – lacquer
r – girl, bird, card, teacher, leader, curd, world
s – isle, aisle, viscount, island
t – thistle, fasten, mortgage, soften, watch, tsunami
w – whole, sword, two, who, wrist, wrong
y – prayer, mayor
z – rendezvous
gh – sigh, high, daughter, naughty, caught, brought, bought, night, haughty
Exercise -1
QuestionI.
Underline the silent letters in the following words?
1) knell
2) consign
3) thorough
4) yellow
5) often
6) delight
7) benign
8) almond
9) yolk
10) limb
11) pseudonym
12) cupboard
13) Indict
14) climb
15) half
16) bouquet
17) wreath
18) dumb
19) depot
20) answer
21) aisle
22) exhibition
23) night
24) condemn
25) pneumonia
26) design
27) christmas
28) reign
29) palm
30) debut
31) precis
32) whistle
33) poignant
34) knead
35) castle
36) subtle
37) feign
38) debt
39) knight
40) knack
41) debris
42) comb
43) succumb
44) fight
45) deign
46) chalk
47) folk
48) bustle
49) align
50) malign
51) honest
52) lodge
53) pawn
54) doubt
55) bridge
56) coup
57) rapport
58) ghost
59) through
60) listen
Answer:
1) knell
2) consign
3) thorough
4) yellow
5) often
6) delight
7) benign
8) almond
9) yolk
10) limb
11) pseudonym
12) cupboard
13) Indict
14) climb
15) half
16) bouquet
17) wreath
18) dumb
19) depot
20) answer
21) aisle
22) exhibition
23) night
24) condemn
25) pneumonia
26) design
27) christmas
28) reign
29) palm
30) debut
31) precis
32) whistle
33) poignant
34) knead
35) castle
36) subtle
37) feign
38) debt
39) knight
40) knack
41) debris
42) comb
43) succumb
44) fight
45) deign
46) chalk
47) folk
48) bustle
49) align
50) malign
51) honest
52) lodge
53) pawn
54) doubt
55) bridge
56) coup
57) rapport
58) ghost
59) through
60) listen
QuestionII.
Identify the silent consonant letters in the following words?
Exercise – 1
i) bright
ii) scene
iii) hour
iv) neighbour
v) wrong
vi) knell
vii) wreath
viii) palm
ix) limb
x) design
Answer:
i) bright – gh
ii) scene – c
iii) hour – h – r
iv) neighbour – g, h, r
v) wrong – w
vi) knell – k
vii) wreath – w
viii) palm – l
ix) limb – b
x) design – g
Exercise – 2
i) chalk
ii) knock
iii) depot
iv) teacher
v) often
vi) thought
vii) honest
viii) almond
ix) know
x) talk
Answer:
i) chalk – 1
ii) knock – k
iii) depot – t
iv) teacher – r
v) often – t
vi) thought – gh
vii) honest – h
viii) almond – l
ix) know – k, w
x) talk – l
Exercise – 3
i) lodge
ii) castle
iii) feign
iv) laugh
v) debut
vi) malign
vii) talk
viii) psyche
ix) lighten
x) muscle
Answer:
i) lodge – d
ii) castle – l
iii) feign – g
iv) laugh – …
v) debut – t
vi) malign – g
vii) talk – l
viii) psyche – p
ix) lighten – gh
x) muscle – c
Exercise – 4
i) yolk
ii) would
iii) pneumonia
iv) consign
v) drawing
vi) what
vii) knead
viii) doubt
ix) island
x) aisle
Answer:
i) yolk – l
ii) would – l
iii) pneumonia – p
iv) consign – g
v) drawing – w
vi) what – h
vii) knead – k
viii) doubt – b
ix) island – s
x) aisle – s
Exercise – 5
i) thorough
ii) who
iii) benign
iv) receipt
v) rhythm
vi) diversity
vii) nursery
viii) column
ix) curd
x) kneel
Answer:
i) thorough – gh
ii) who – w
iii) benign – g
iv) receipt – p
v) rhythm – h
vi) diversity – r
vii) nursery – r
viii) column – n
ix) curd – r
x) kneel – k
Exercise – 6
i) bustle
ii) although
iii) parliament
iv) fight
v) knee
vi) brought
vii) bomb
viii) could
ix) hymn
x) which
Answers:
i) bustle – t
ii) although – gh
iii) parliament – r, i
iv) fight – gh
v) knee – k
vi) brought – gh
vii) bomb – b
viii) could – l
ix) hymn – n
x) which – h
Exercise – 7
i) align
ii) ghost
iii) leader
iv) straight
v) calf
vi) plumber
vii) wrap
viii) thistle
ix) attempt
x) burden
Answer:
i) align – g
ii) ghost – h
iii) leader – r
iv) straight – gh
v) calf – l
vi) plumber – b, r
vii) wrap – w
viii) thistle – t
ix) attempt – t
x) burden – r
Exercise – 8
i) through
ii) sovereign
iii) slightly
iv) tsunami
v) watch
vi) tomb
vii) caught
viii) naughty
ix) half
x) leopard
Answer:
i) through – gh
ii) sovereign – g
iii) slightly – gh
iv) tsunami – t
v) watch – t
vi) tomb – b
vii) caught – gh
viii) naughty – gh
ix) half – l
x) leopard – o, r
Exercise – 9
i) wrist
ii) daughter
iii) receipt
iv) solemn
v) hatter
vi) mnemonic
vii) 4umb
viii) damn
ix) should
x) folk
Answer:
i) wrist – w
ii) daughter – gh
iii) receipt – p
iv) solemn – n
v) hatter – r
vi) mnemonic – m
vii) dumb – b
viii) damn – n
ix) should – l
x) folk – l
Exercise – 10
i) knock
ii) autumn
iii) cupboard
iv) tight
v) walk
vi) sword
vii) subtle
viii) psalm
ix) handsome
x) gnaw
Answer:
i) knock – k
ii) autumn – n
iii) cupboard – p
iv) tight – gh
v) walk – l
vi) sword – w, r
vii) subtle – b
viii) psalm – p, l
ix) handsome – d
x) gnaw – g, w
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