Silent Letters British English Student

GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)
SILENT
LETTERS
1 Warm up
A day out from A to Z: these words relate to visiting the place in the picture. Put the items from the
box into the list in alphabetical order.
adventure boat camera drive1
entrance flower gardeb2 3
journey
4 5 6
mountain nice outside people
quiet road 7 8
village excellent, yellow,

9 10
amazing
1/7
ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)
SILENT LETTERS
It is important to know how to say the names of letters in English so you can talk about spelling. Listen
to the recording and repeat what you hear.
2 Listening
A tour guide is talking to a group of people about the place in the picture. Listen and choose the best
option to complete the sentences.
1. The guide’s name is Jennifer / Jessica / Julie.
2. They are visiting a place called Saint Harry / Saint Mark / Saint Mary.
3. You can buy drinks / hats / ice creams.
4. There is a castle / fort / museum that people can visit.
5. It is four / five / six hundred years old.
6. It takes two hours / an hour / half an hour to visit this place.
T 2/7
ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)
SILENT LETTERS
Listen again and write the missing words in the sentences. If you’re not sure how to spell the word,
you should guess.
1. If you just l i s t e n to me for a few minutes, ...
2. We’re on the lovely i s l a n d of Saint Mary ...
3. There’s also a little business here that sells s a n d w i c h e s , drinks and postcards...
4. Does anyone know the a n s w e r ?
5. If you want to visit the castle while we’re on the island, just follow the s i g n s .
6. ...you will learn more about w h o built the castle ...and why
3 Language point
Read the information in the box.
Silent letters
English words are sometimes hard to spell because many words have silent letters. These
are letters that we use when we write the word, but when we speak, we do not
pronounce them. Most silent letters in English words are the final E: for example, drive. This lesson focuses
When you learn a new word, notice if there are any silent letters. You could record them in your notes like th
3/7
ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)
SILENT LETTERS
Look at the words you wrote in the last exercise. Which letters are silent? Add them to the middle
column of the notes below and put the silent letter in brackets.
silent letter example from listening more examples

exercise
We(d)nesday
D 1 - sandwiches
G 2 - signs
H w(h)at, w(h)ere, w(h)y, w(h)ich,

7-
,
8-
I fr(i)end, 9 -
K 10 -
L 11- , 12 -
S 3-
T 4- 13 -
U g(u)ess, 14 - ,
15 -
W 5- ,6- t(w)o, (w)rite, 16 -
Now add these words to the right column of the table and put the silent letter in brackets.
Practise saying all the words correctly.
Work in pairs. Ask your partner to spell five words from the table.
4/7
ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)
SILENT LETTERS
4 Speaking
Work in A/B pairs. Take turns to ask each other the questions on your list. Answer in full sentences,
as in the example, and be careful with pronunciation of the words in bold.
Example: Who makes the best guide to a city? The best guide to a city is someone who lives there because
they know it really well.
Student A:
What would you like to do after the lesson today?

When did you last listen to a podcast or a radio show?
Where is there an interesting castle to visit in your country (or another country)?
Which island in the world do you think is the biggest?
Who is your oldest friend? Describe them - what are they like?
Do you like sandwiches? Why (or why not)?
Student B:
Why do you sometimes get the answers wrong in class?

Who is your favourite writer?
Which English song do you know all the words to?
Where would you like to go on holiday?
When you are older, would you like to start your own business? Why (or why not)?
What is the tallest building in your town or city?
Extension task: write some or all of your partner’s answers.
5/7
ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)
SILENT LETTERS
5 Writing and pronunciation
The words below are from the lesson today. Write a short story or dialogue (or just some sentences)
and use ten of these words. You should choose words that you often make mistakes with. Then
record yourself on your phone as you read what you wrote out loud. Listen and check. If you
made any mistakes with pronunciation, record yourself again.
6/7
ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)
SILENT LETTERS
6 Optional extension
A day out in London, from A to Z. Look at the picture and imagine you are spending the day here.
Think of one word which starts with (or contains) each letter of the alphabet that can relate to
your visit.
How many of your words have silent letters?
7/7

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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · ELEMENTARY (A1-A2)

adventure boat camera drive1

entrance flower gardeb2 3

mountain nice outside people

village excellent, yellow,

1. The guide’s name is Jennifer / Jessica / Julie.

3. You can buy drinks / hats / ice creams.

4. There is a castle / fort / museum that people can visit.

5. It is four / five / six hundred years old.

6. It takes two hours / an hour / half an hour to visit this place.

1. If you just l i s t e n to me for a few minutes, ...

2. We’re on the lovely i s l a n d of Saint Mary ...

4. Does anyone know the a n s w e r ?

Read the information in the box.

silent letter example from listening more examples

H w(h)at, w(h)ere, w(h)y, w(h)ich,

W 5- ,6- t(w)o, (w)rite, 16 -

Practise saying all the words correctly.

What would you like to do after the lesson today?

Why do you sometimes get the answers wrong in class?

Extension task: write some or all of your partner’s answers.

5 Writing and pronunciation

How many of your words have silent letters?

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