I is For Me-How To Use I

What does I is for me mean? The letter/word “I” is how it’s used as a subject.  The word “me” is how it’s used as an object. They are both ways to refer to oneself. In other words, for example, I do what I do for me.  Although, in this case, I am writing this article for you, especially if you’re an adult immigrant who wants to learn Englsh.  That’s what I do–teach English to adult immigrants who want to learn English.  So, if you’re ready, let’s learn about the letter “Ii”.

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Let’s Talk about the long sound of I

As is the case with all vowels in the English language, one of the sounds is to say it’s own name. This vowel is no different. 

Having said that, I’ve heard from students who get confused with the difference between I and eye. They sound exactly the same.  When two words sound the same but have different meanings.  they are called a homophone. 

An eye is what we see with.  An “I” is the ninth (9th) letter in the English language.  It is also a stand-alone word that is used as one of the ways for how how a person refers to oneself.

To complicate matters further, according to what I’ve heard from students trying to learn English, some people have a hard time understanding the difference between the words ice and eyes.  That is another example of a homophone.  Ice is frozen wather.  Eyes is the plural version of the word eye.  I have two of them?  Do you?

Remember the rule:  Most of the time, if the letter “e” is at the end of a word, the vowel usually says its own name.  In this sentence, there are three examples of this in the words: rule, time, and name.

Some common English words that use the letter “I” in the long form:  Hi (which means hello), bicycle/bike (a two-wheel vehicle that we pedal to ride it), ride (what we do on a bike or another vehicle), wife (the woman a man marries), and twice (another way to say two times).

I’ve had a wife twice.

Let’s Talk About the Short Sound of I

As with all vowels, this one also has a short sound.  Some examples are: Sit, bit, with, fit, gift, exit, rabbit, commit.  In at least one other languge aside from English, this letter is pronounced like the English version of the long vowel “E/e“. That is not the case in English.  If you can pronounce the word “Enlish” correctly, then you already know that the short “i” sound is in the word.  It is also in the words it, is, and in.

Don’t trip.  It’s a simple letter, that most of the time is pronounced one of two ways.  If there is no “e” at the end, the chances are very good that if the vowel is an “i”, it will make the short sound.  There are several examples of what I mean here in this paragraph alone.

Now Let’s Talk About Some Of the Variations and Exceptions

The English language is full of variations and exceptions.  You may never know them all.  I suggest that you concentrate on learning the rules that apply most of the time.  You can learn the exceptions as you go.

For example,the words variaitions and exceptions both have the letter “I” in them.  In both of the words the “i” does not say either its own name or the short sound.  

In the word “variation”, the first “i” makes the sound of the long “E”.  The second “i” in both variation and exception, combined with the letters around it: t, o, n, makes the sound of the English version of the short u.  The whole sound sounds like the word shun.  It is too complicated to explain why that is but one thing is for sure, or at least as close to sure as I know of.  The combination of the letters “tion” and “sion” almost always make the same sound–shun.

Other examples: Vacation, expression, vision, vocation, tuition, and permission.

Yes, I know it’s confusing.  I apologize for the confusion.

Then There Are The Combinations

When “i” is paired with the letter “r” (ir) after it, it usually makes the same sound as the combination of “er” and sometime “ur”.  Examples: Bird, herd, squirt, hurt, dirt, alert, 

We discussed “ia” and “io” in the above section about variations and exceptions.

When “ie” is paired with the letter “e” after it (ie), it depends on where it is in the word and how many syllables a word is.  If the word is one syllable, the “ie” combination will generally be pronounced like the long sound of “i”. For example: Pie, tie, vie, and die.

However, if the word is two or more syllables, the “ie” combination will generally change.  The “i” will generally make the sound of the long sound of the letter “e” and the “e” will generally make the sound of the long sound of an “a” as in San Diego, or the short sound of an “e”.  as in fiesta.

But, if the letter “w” follows the “ie”, together, the “ie” makes the sound of a long “e” and together with the “w”, “iew” makes the sound of a long “e” and a long “u” as in view. 

Then, there is the “ing” combination which can be found on the tail end of a countless number of words and sounds like the beginning of the word “English”. Some examples: Seeing, being, eating, sleeping, and reading.

Conclusion

I’ve explained, not only why I is for me but different ways to pronounce the letter “i” and how it changes depening on the letters around it. The only thing that I can say for sure about this letter, like so many others in the English language, is, like all vowels, there are at least two ways to pronounce it–a long and a short sound.

I hope this gives you some insight about, not only the letter, the combinations and variations, but about the English language as a whole.

If you have questions or comments, please leave them in the space below and I will addres them and respond to you in a timely fashion.

Watch YouTube video that corresponds with this lesson.

Study some words with the letter Ii