Page 247 - Basic English Usage

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We do not change -y to -i- after a vowel letter.
buy buying play played = enjoy enjoyment
grey greyish
Exceptions: say said lay laid pay paid

We change -ie to -y- before -ing.
die dying _ lie lying

329 spelling and pronunciation

In many English words, the spelling is different from the pronunciation.
(This is because our pronunciation has changed over the last few
hundred years, while the spelling system has stayed more or less the
same.)
Here are some difficult common words:

two syllables, not three:
asp(i)rin bus(ijness _diff(e)rent ev(e)ning —ev(e)ry
marri(ajge med{(i)cine om(e)lette rest(au)rant sev(e)ral

three syilables, not four:
comf(or)table secret(a)ry temp(e)rature
veg(e)table —_ uS(ujally

silent letters:
shou(I)d cou(ijd_ = woull)d ~~ ca(ijm —wa(i)k ~~ ta()k ~—ha(i)f
whis(tle cas(tle lis(ten fas(t)len -Chris(t}mas _ of(t)en
(w)rite (w)rong
(k)now (k)nife (k)nee (k)nock = (k)nob
si(g)n forei(g)n champa(g)ne
clim(b) com(b) dum(b) hym(n) — autum(n)
wihjere w(h)y w(hjat w(hjen w(hjich — w(h)ether
(honest (h)onour — (h)our
cu(p)board i(sand i(rjon mus(c)le (p)sychology
han(d)kerchief san(d)wich We/(d)nesday
(w)ho (w)hose (w)hole
g(ujess g(ujide g(ujitar
dau(gh)ter hi(gh) hei(gh)t li(gh)t mi(gh)t — ri(gh)t
strai(gh)t throu(gh) ti(gh)t wei(gh) nei(gh)bour
bou(gh)t brou(gh)t Cau(gh)t ou(gh)t thou(gh)t