Here's how it works:
* Short Vowel Sound: When a word has a single vowel followed by a consonant and a silent e at the end, the vowel usually makes its long sound. For example:
* mate (long a sound)
* cube (long u sound)
* ride (long i sound)
* Long Vowel Sound: If the word has a vowel digraph (two vowels together) followed by a silent e, the first vowel usually makes its long sound. For example:
* home (long o sound)
* fate (long a sound)
Think of the silent e as a little helper that makes the vowel before it say its name.