R-Controlled Vowels ar, or, er, ir, and ur
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What you will learn
- 1Recognize r-controlled vowels ar, or, er, ir, and ur in words
- 2Say the sound each r-controlled vowel pattern makes
- 3Sort words into the correct r-controlled vowel group
Mini Lesson
When the letter r follows a vowel, it takes over and changes the vowel’s sound completely. We call these r-controlled vowels — also known as bossy r!
ar and or — different sounds
- ar makes the /är/ sound — like the beginning of "are."
- Example: car, star, farm, bark.
- or makes the /ôr/ sound — like the word "or."
- Example: for, corn, sport, born.
er, ir, and ur — one shared sound
- er, ir, and ur all make the same /ûr/ sound.
- er: her, fern, term.
- ir: bird, first, shirt.
- ur: turn, curl, hurt.
How to spot bossy r
- Look for a vowel followed directly by the letter r.
- Say the word — if the vowel sounds "bossed around," bossy r is there!
Words to know
R-controlled vowel
A vowel whose sound is changed by the letter r that comes right after it
e.g. the a in car, the o in corn, the i in bird
Bossy r
A nickname for r-controlled vowels — the r "bosses" the vowel and changes its sound
e.g. star, for, her, bird, turn
/är/ sound
The sound the r-controlled vowel ar makes, like the beginning of "are"
e.g. car, star, farm
/ôr/ sound
The sound the r-controlled vowel or makes, like the word "or"
e.g. for, corn, born
/ûr/ sound
The shared sound made by er, ir, and ur
e.g. her, bird, turn
Ask yourself: "Is there a vowel right before the r? What sound does that vowel-r pair make?"
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