What is the vowel sound preceding the final /z/ in words ending in es? Is it /ɪ/, as in the word 'is', or is it /i/, as in the word 'ease'? As in the word "is". Beach, Beaches = Beach is Case, Cases = Case is But when

"the break even point analysis is all right if you have a one product business"?. Just pay extra attention to this point a + singular noun beginning with a consonant: a car, a stare, a dog, a cat ... an + singular noun

It is just convention. English spelling is not 100% consistent or regular. There have been many attempts at spelling reform, but none so far has gained any traction. There is no "academy" for English, as there can be for other languages.

Is it true that in American English, the final vowel sound in CARRIED, VARIED, SOCIETIES and FAMILIES rhymes with that in FEET whilst in British, it rhymes with that in FIT? My examples above are verbs and nouns that end with an EE sound in their

Hi Mathew, Yes, as Mister Micawber says, native English-speakers instinctively know which pronunciation of 'the' to use before a noun (or an adjective + noun), but I can see that it may be a problem for some people learning the language.

Pronunciation is the only determining factor. If the noun or adjective being used starts with a VOWEL SOUND, then it should be preceded by "an." Here are some examples: An apple, an argument, an uncle, an old man, an amazing story, an

There’re phonic generalizations; there’re no hard-and-fast rules. There’ll always be exceptions. Syllabification is a very controversial and contentious subject. Unfortunately your final answer - I hate to admit - lies in any authoritative

Saska wrote: Guest wrote: Why many foreign speakers have such problems with the English language? I mean, I came to the U.S. about two years ago, and in the beginning I've had problems with the language (probably just like eveybody else),

I don't think there is a hard and fast rule here. However: If you have a two syllable word that ends with an 'a', it's typical that the vowel in the first is short. Like 'dada', 'feta', etc. This is not a rule so much as a pattern that should

Lesson 1: Basic Pronunciation The following will make you sound Southern to non-Southerners: Pin pen merger: Pronounce "pin" and "pen" both as pin . Any /E/ followed by an /n/ should be sounded as /In/ No yod dropping: therefore " No