Bossy r: ar

When the letter r comes right after a vowel, it bosses the vowel around and changes its sound. We call it bossy r. With a, it makes /ar/, like a pirate saying 'arr! ' You hear it in 'car', 'star', 'farm', 'park', and 'shark'.

The a is not short or long anymore; it's a whole new sound with the r. Compare 'cat' and 'cart'. Adding r changed the vowel completely. Read: 'The shark swam far past the dark park. ' Treat ar as one chunk.

• 1r after a vowel changes the vowel's sound.
• 2ar says /ar/, like a pirate.
• 3Read ar as one chunk.