City University of Hong Kong CLASS CLASS
Making Sense of Grammar
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DEC TA2 Group 4
asked Apr 7, 2022 in Questions about English Grammar by maryam61 (220 points) | 101 views

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There are long vowels and short vowels, diphthongs (double vowels) and there is irregularity in pronouncing some of the vocabulary, resulting in a different pronunciation


English words are heavily influenced by many different languages like Latin, Greek and French. The pronunciation is dependent on the original word’s pronunciation. Therefore, the pronunciation of words might differ from the origin of the word. 

We discovered that some English words are spelled the same but pronounced differently, and these are known as 'heteronyms.' We discovered that the meaning of a word can changes depending on where the stress is placed or how the vowels are pronounced. 

For example, ‘when shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.’ The first dove refers to the bird whereas the second dove (base form: dive) is the verb, meaning move quickly, both of of the have a different pronunciation, the first dove is pronounced as dʌv, the second dove is pronounced as dəʊv, having a different pronunciation is also easier to differentiate between the two doves.

answered Apr 7, 2022 by maryam61 (220 points)

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1,613 questions
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