Lots of words have a silent 'e' at the end, like:
plate
The silent 'e' has many jobs. Let's review a few.
A silent 'e' at the end of a word can make the vowel before it long.
Here are some examples.
save
made
alive
The English language has a rule: never end words with the letters i, u, or v.
👉 Sometimes the silent e's job is to keep this rule true. ✅
Take a look:
give
'Give' has a silent 'e', but a short i sound!
👉 The silent 'e' isn't doing job 1 here. It's doing job 2!
Here are more examples of the silent 'e' keeping i, v, and u from being at the end.
have
above
pie
true
The final silent 'e' can show that a word isn't plural.
Take a look. Without the 'e', the words change meaning and become plural.
dense - dens
Dense means compact or heavy. Dens are where wild animals live.
tease - teas
To tease is to make fun of. Teas are flavored hot water drinks.
lapse - laps
A lapse is a brief time of failure. You run laps at recess.
The silent 'e' can soften g or c sounds.
dance
large
Great job learning about the different jobs of silent 'e'!
Now, complete the practice to master spelling these silent 'e' words on your own. 😺