Which syllable pattern is described as vowels being long and the final e is silent (as in lime, those, snake)?

• A. Vowel-consonant-silent e syllable
• B. Consonant-le syllable
• C. Consonant digraph
• D. Alphabetic principle

Answer: (A)

Vowel-consonant-silent e is a pattern where a single-syllable word has a vowel followed by a consonant and a final e that is not pronounced, yet it makes the preceding vowel say its name (a long vowel). In lime, the i is long because of the silent e at the end; the m sits between them and the e is not spoken. This is exactly what the pattern describes: a long vowel produced by a final silent e. The other options point to different ideas—consonant-le describes words ending in -le forming a separate little syllable, a consonant digraph is two letters making one sound, and the alphabetic principle is a broad idea about letters representing sounds, not a specific syllable pattern.