When does Silent E not work in a word?

Question

This question addresses a phenomenon that occurs when a word with Silent E contains double Consonants.

Answer 1

The "Silent E" rule generally indicates that a vowel followed by a consonant and then an "e" is pronounced as a long vowel (e.g., "cake," "hope," "fine"). However, there are exceptions where the silent "e" does not make the preceding vowel long. Here are some instances:

1. Short Vowels: In some words, the "e" does not change the pronunciation of the preceding vowel to a long vowel, such as:
2. Have: The "a" is pronounced as a short "a."
3. Give: The "i" is pronounced as a short "i."
4. Consonant Clusters: When the consonant before the silent "e" is part of a consonant cluster, the silent "e" might not lengthen the vowel:
5. Love: The "o" is pronounced as a short "o."
6. Live: The "i" is pronounced as a short "i."
7. Foreign Words: Some words borrowed from other languages retain their original pronunciation, which may not follow the silent "e" rule:
8. Cafe: The "e" at the end is not silent and the "a" is not long.
9. Resume: The "e" at the end is not silent and the vowel sounds do not change.
10. Certain Suffixes: When a word ending in "e" takes on certain suffixes, the "e" may be dropped, changing the pronunciation:
11. Age becomes aging: The "e" is dropped, and the vowel sound does not change.
12. Care becomes caring: The "e" is dropped, but the "a" remains long.

These exceptions are often influenced by the word's etymology, phonetic patterns, or morphological rules.

Answer 2

The Primary Job of Silent E is to allow the "inside vowel" to say its name, like CAKE, GAME, CUTE, POLE, RULE.

The only time Silent E doesn't get to do its job is when a word contains two Consonants in between, like JUDGE, LODGE, EDGE, HINGE, CHANCE, CRINGE, BUDGE