26個字母中有5個純元音字母（A E I O U），20個純輔音字母。字母Y為半元音字母，當Y位于詞首時為輔音字母，位于詞中或詞尾時為元音字母，其讀音與字母I相同。掌握五個元音字母的讀音及其組合規律是學好英語的關鍵。元音字母在單詞中可以單獨發音，也可以跟其它字母構成字母組合一起發音，常見的組合有：

一、五個元音字母在重讀開音節與重讀閉音節的讀音

1.元音字母Ａ

１）在重讀開音節中讀字母音[ei ]

例如：name [neim] grade [greid] eraser [i\’reis?] cake [keik] same [seim]table [\’teibl] late [leit] favourite [\’feiv?rit] face [feis] tape [teip] plane [plein] potato [p?\’teit?u] skate [skeit] make [meik] lake [leik] take [teik] save [seiv] station [\’stei??n] baker [\’beik?] place [pleis] tomato[t?\’meit?u] safe [seif] gate [geit] snake [sneik] cage [keid?] baby [\’beibi] paper [\’peip?] famous [\’feim?s] later [\’leit?] radio [\’reidi?u] patient [\’pei??nt]

2）在重讀閉音節中讀[?]

例如：map [m?p] bag [b?g] apple [\’?pl] fax [f?ks] glad [gl?d] hat [h?t] black [bl?k] catch [k?t?] hamburger [\’h?mb?:g?] math [m?θ] rabbit [\’r?bit] bank [b??k] accident [\’?ksid?nt] happen [\’h?p?n] marry [\’m?ri] exam [ig\’z?m] cabbage [\’k?bid?] passenger [\’p?sind??] fact [f?kt] parrot [\’p?r?t]

２.元音字母Ｅ

１）在重讀開音節中讀字母音[i:]

例如：these [ei:z] we [wi:] evening [\’i:vni?] be [bi:] even [\’i:v?n] Chinese[\’t?ai\’ni:z] Japanese[,d??p?\’ni:z] she [?i:] he [hi:] me [mi:] metre [\’mi:t?] Swedish [\’swi:di?] scenery [\’si:n?ri] eve [i:v]

2).在重讀閉音節中讀字[e]

例如：ten [ten] spell [spel] pen [pen] desk [desk] egg [eg] welcome [\’welk?m] let [let] address [?\’dres] dress [dres] next [\’nekst] leg [leg] empty [\’empti] mend [mend] chess [t?es] rest [rest] letter [\’let?] better[\’bet?] left [left] tell [tel] remember [ri\’memb?] invent [in\’vent] December [di\’semb?] wet [wet] message [\’mesid?]

３.元音字母Ｉ

１）在重讀開音節中讀字母音[ai]

例如：hi [hai] nine [nain] minus [\’main?s] Chinese[\’t?ai\’ni:z] fine [fain] licence [\’lais?ns] wife [waif] kite [kait] white [hwait] line [lain] mine [main] beside [bi\’said] knife [naif] rice [rais] ice [ais] ride [raid] Friday [\’fraidi] write [rait] price [prais] hike [haik] exciting [ik\’saiti?] lion [\’lai?n] tiger [\’taig?] quite [kwait] diary [\’dai?ri] science [\’sai?ns] invite [in\’vait] wine [wain] quiet [\’kwai?t] surprise [s?\’praiz]

２）在讀閉音節中讀字母音[i]

例如：six [siks] think [θi?k] picture [\’pikt??] twin [twin] with [wie] drink [dri?k] chips [t?ip] swim [swim] sing [si?] dinner [\’din?] dish [di?] trip [trip] winter [\’wint?] pick [pik] lift [lift] village [\’vilid?]

４.元音字母Ｏ

１）在重讀開音節中讀字母音[?u]

例如：no [n?u] hello [h?\’l?u] home [h?um] those [e?uz] over [\’?uv?] phone [f?un] open [\’?up?n] so [s?u] nose [n?uz] broken [\’br?uk?n] robot [\’r?ub?t] code [k?ud] close [kl?uz] smoke [sm?uk] October [?k\’t?ub?] hope [h?up] ago [?\’g?u] Rome [r?um] suppose [s?\’p?uz] mobile [\’m?ubil] notice [\’n?utis]

２）在重讀閉音節中讀[?]

例如：not [n?t] clock [kl?k] forgot[f?\’g?t] doctor [\’d?kt?] lock [l?k] doll [d?l] from [fr?m] sock [s?k] shop [??p] hot [h?t] fog [f?g] hospital [\’h?spitl] job [d??b] hobby [\’h?bi] problem [\’pr?bl?m] dollar[\’d?l?] college [\’k?lid?] dolphin [\’d?lfin] soccer [\’s?k?] rock [r?k] concert [\’k?ns?t] song [s??] crop [kr?p] opposite [\’?p?zit]

５.元音字母Ｕ

１）在重讀開音節中讀字母音[j u:]

例如：computer[k?m\’pju:t?] excuse [iks\’kju:z] student [\’stju:d?nt] use [ju:z] music [\’mju:zik] usually [\’ju:?u?li] refuse [ri\’fju:z] human [\’hju:m?n] produce [pr?\’dju:s] scuba [\’skju:b?] contribution [,k?ntri\’bju:??n] pupil [\’pju:pl] universe [\’ju:niv?:s] huge [hju:d?] duty [\’dju:ti]

２）在重讀閉音節中讀[?]

例如：number [\’n?mb?] plus [pl?s] cup [k?p] bus [b?s] much [m?t?] us [?s] husband [\’h?zb?nd] uncle [\’??kl] must [m?st] lunch [l?nt?] hundred [\’h?ndr?d] hungry [\’h??gri] jump [d??mp] run [r?n] fun [f?n] discuss [di\’sk?s] pumpkin [\’p?mpkin] summer [\’s?m?] duck [d?k] subject [\’s?bd?ikt] suddenly [\’s?dnli]

二、五個元音字母分別與字母Ｒ組合（ar、er、ir、or、ur）在重讀音節的讀音

１）.ＡＲ讀[a:]

例如：sharpener [\’?ɑ:p?n?] car [kɑ:] dark [dɑ:k] arm [ɑ:m] card [kɑ:d] park [pɑ:k] hard [hɑ:d] farmer [\’fɑ:m?] party [\’pɑ:ti] artist [\’ɑ:tist] garden [\’gɑ:dn] far [fɑ:]

2）.ER讀[ε:]

例如：term [t?:m] certainly [\’s?:t?nli] person [\’p?:sn] university [,ju:ni\’v?:siti] Germany [\’d??:m?ni] serve [s?:v] prefer [pri\’f?:] deserve [di\’z?:v] nervous [\’n?:v?s] expert [ek\’sp?:t]

3）.IR讀[ε:]

例如：skirt [sk?:t] thirty [\’θ?:ti] thirsty [\’θ?:sti] first [f?:st] birthday [\’b?:θdei] circle [\’s?:kl] dirty [\’d?:ti]

４）.ＯＲ讀[?:]

例如：for [f?:] short [??:t] sport [sp?:t] born [b?:n] report [ri\’p?:t] north [n?:θ] fork [f?:k] nor [n?:] order [\’?:d?] corner [\’k?:n?] storm [st?:m] afford [?\’f?:d] performance [p?\’f?:m?ns] pork [p?:k]

５）.ＵＲ讀[ε:]

例如：purse [p?:s] purple [\’p?:pl] Thursday [\’θ?:zdi] turkey [\’t?:ki] turn [t?:n] church [t??:t?] disturb [dis\’t?:b] hurt [h?:t] return [ri\’t?:n] surfing [\’s?:fi?] Turkey [\’t?:ki]

三、ar、er、ir、or、ur分別與字母Ｅ組合的讀音

1）字母ARE組合讀[??]

例如：careful [\’k??f?l] software [\’s?ftw??]

2）字母ERE組合讀 [??]/[ i?]

例如：here [hi?] where [hw??] there [e??]

3）字母IRE組合讀[ai?]

例如：tire [\’tai?] fireplace [\’fai?pleis] hire[hai?]

4）字母ORE組合讀[?:]

例如：before [bi\’f?:] more [m?:] score [sk?:] explore [iks\’pl?:] store [st?:]

5）字母URE組合讀[??]/[ ?]

例如：sure [???(r)] future [?fju:t??(r)]nature ?[]ne?t??(r)] picture [?p?kt??(r)]