The Schwa and The Jobs of E (Copy)

Understanding the Schwa and the Jobs of E can make spelling much easier. The Schwa is the most common sound in English—it sounds like a quiet “uh” and often appears in unstressed syllables, like the ‘a’ in banana or the ‘o’ in button. Knowing about the Schwa helps learners realise that some vowels sound different when we say them than when we spell them. Meanwhile, the Jobs of E explain why the letter e is used at the end of words. For example, it can make a vowel say its name (like in make), stop a word from ending in v (have), or soften a g or c (like in huge or dance). When pupils understand these patterns, they can make better spelling choices and spot tricky words more easily.