Review: Decoding Long Words From Start to Finish

Combine affixes, spelling changes, schwa, and vowel patterns to read very long words.

Here is a full routine for reading long, unfamiliar words. One: find the prefix and suffixes and set them aside. Two: undo spelling changes to find the base. Three: decode the base using vowel patterns, including diphthongs and endings like -tion or -ture. Four: blend, then relax unstressed vowels into schwa if it sounds stiff. Five: check meaning. Try 'disappointment'.

Prefix 'dis', suffix 'ment', base 'appoint'. 'Appoint' has the oi diphthong: uh-POINT, with a schwa at the start. Blend: dis-uh-POINT-ment. Meaning: the feeling when things do not happen as you hoped. Try 'adventurously': ad-ven-ture-ous-ly, with -ture saying 'cher'. Each part has a job, and the routine pulls them together.

• 1Set aside affixes, then find the base.
• 2Decode with vowel patterns, diphthongs, and special endings.
• 3Relax unstressed vowels and check meaning.