It’s E of course! E is everywhere. It’s the most common letter in the English language. However, not all Es are created equal. Some are special and are known as magic Es. The magic E is usually found at the end of a word. It makes no sound, but it changes the previous vowel sound from a short one to a long one, just like magic! Here are a few short words that are magically transformed by the letter E:
mat -> mate
/mæt/ -> /meɪt/
pet -> Pete
/pet/ -> /piːt/
pip -> pipe
/pɪp/ -> /paɪp/
cod -> code
/kɒd/ -> /kəʊd/
cub -> cube
/kʌb/ -> /kjuːb/
Note that a C or G changes from a hard sound to a soft sound when we add a magic E:
Mac -> mace
/mæk/ -> /meɪs/
rag -> rage
/ræg/ -> /reɪdʒ/
Some longer words also have a magic E at the end:
decorate
/ˈdekəreɪt/
compete
/kəmˈpiːt/
decline
/dɪˈklaɪn/
episode
/ˈepɪsəʊd/
absolute
/æbsəˈluːt/
So far, so good. By now you might be wondering why I’ve put all those funny symbols underneath each word. They’re IPA symbols. IPA stands for International Phonetic Alphabet, where each symbol represents a single sound. Because English spelling is weird – we don’t always write what we say or say what we write – knowing the IPA is extremely useful. I will talk about the IPA more in a later post.
There’s nothing particularly complicated about the magic E, but sometimes the magic just doesn’t work! In some words the E changes the vowel sound into something different to what you’d expect, and other times the E does nothing at all. Now you can hear me say twenty of the many longer words where the final E loses its magic touch:
determine
/dɪˈtɜːmɪn/
examine
/ɪgˈzæmɪn/
machine
/məˈʃiːn/
magazine
/mægəˈziːn/
purchase
/ˈpɜːtʃəs/
purpose
/ˈpɜːpəs/
promise
/ˈprɒmɪs/
opposite
/ˈɒpəzɪt/
ultimate
/ˈʌltɪmət/
delicate
/ˈdelɪkət/
effective
/ɪˈfektɪv/
negative
/ˈnegətɪv/
Except in very rare cases, words ending in V are not allowed in English. They’re prohibited, forbidden, banned. To avoid a final V, we stick an E on the end. That’s why there are lots of words ending in -ve (especially -ive) where the E isn’t magic.
service
/ˈsɜːvɪs/
police
/pəˈliːs/
lettuce
/ˈletɪs/
palace
/ˈpælɪs/
The word surface is similar (/ˈsɜːfɪs/). Don’t say face!
sausage
/ˈsɒsɪdʒ/
shortage
/ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ/
Lots of other words ending in -age also have the /-ɪdʒ/ pronunciation.
college
/ˈkɒlɪdʒ/
minute (time)
/ˈmɪnɪt/
Note that minute has two definitions. As well as “60 seconds”, minute can describe something very small:
“He lives in a minute apartment in the middle of Paris.”
When we use minute to mean “very small”, it has a very different pronunciation, with a magic E:
minute (tiny)
/maɪˈnjuːt/
Unfortunately English pronunciation is irregular and there are no easy rules; you just have to practise. The more you speak and listen to English, the faster your pronunciation will improve!
Oh, and one final one that just crossed my mind:
Europe
/ˈjʊərəp/