A syllable is short, if it contains a short vowel followed by a vowel or by a single consonant; as, mea, amat.
Now, if we determine the character of the syllable by the character of the vowel, all syllables are short wherein there is a short vowel, and all are long wherein there is a long one.
The fact that, in certain words, an e mute is preceded by {192} two consonants and by a short vowel, does not militate against the view given above.
He measures by the syllable and determines that the e, although naturally a short vowel, is made long by position.
Such long quantity" as consonants may produce with a close or short vowel, "an English ear has not the least idea of.
So, also, a short vowel followed by a single short consonant, gives a short time or quantity, as in tö give.
Those are short which contain a short vowel or one taken as short, and those which end in such vowels.
In words of two syllables and other words in which the accent comes on the next to the last syllable, a short vowel in an accented syllable should logically always be followed by more than one consonant or a double consonant.
The reverse, however, is not always true, for a few words containing a short vowel followed by a single consonant do take silent e; but there are very few of them.
So we see that in an accented syllable the consonant before a short vowel, as well as the consonant following it, receives part of the stress.
The same stem often shows a long vowel in some of its forms and a short vowel in others.
The above list will hopefully provide you with a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "short vowel" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this group of words.
