The Endings -ture and -sure

Read the endings -ture ('cher') and -sure ('zher' or 'sher') in longer words.

Two more endings that do not sound like their letters are '-ture' and '-sure'. '-ture' usually says 'cher': picture, nature, adventure, future. '-sure' says 'zher' after a vowel, as in measure, treasure, and pleasure, and 'sher' after a consonant, as in pressure. In unstressed syllables, both endings relax with a schwa sound before the r. Read these as one chunk at the end of the word.

Try 'temperature': tem-per-a-ture, ending in 'cher'. Try 'enclosure': en-clo-sure, ending in 'zher'. Read: 'We went on an adventure to find buried treasure, and the picture of the map was our guide. ' Each ending is a single unit you can learn to see quickly.

• 1-ture says 'cher' (picture, nature).
• 2-sure says 'zher' after a vowel (treasure).
• 3-sure says 'sher' after a consonant (pressure).