# Rule 6: Use your long vowels

Easy start. Rule 6 of 6.

> **The rule:** Hold the vowel longer and match its sound to the recording.

Your experience with short and long vowels gives you a useful starting point. Listen for both the length and the vowel sound: sheep needs more than a longer version of ship. A double letter in the sound spellings is a practice cue to hold the vowel longer and match the recording.

## _can_ and _can't_

Say can't as kaant [can't](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-cant.mp3?v=426acd5a1de4): hold the aa, match its sound to the recording, then say a full _t_ [t](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/snd-t.mp3?v=6bf89a5949d1). Say can as kan [can](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-can.mp3?v=51bbb5536739), or as an unstressed kən in the middle of a sentence. Listen for the change in vowel sound as well as length.

> **Say 'cannot' when it matters:**
>
> When the answer matters (a promise, an appointment, a request), say 'cannot' instead of can't.

Listen to all three in a sentence:

- I can come tomorrow. [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/s-can-1.mp3?v=946754cc17e4)
- I can't come tomorrow. [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/s-can-2.mp3?v=444a4ae10373)
- I cannot come tomorrow. [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/s-can-3.mp3?v=9924b1792261)

## Short and long vowels

| Short | Long |
| - | - |
| ship [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-ship.mp3?v=be6a7153ae22) | sheep (shiip) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-sheep.mp3?v=321b84593478) |
| live (liv) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-live.mp3?v=a5044fdb5785) | leave (liiv) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-leave.mp3?v=f8a672913aa4) |
| fill (fil) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-fill.mp3?v=77b39f3ba18e) | feel (fiil) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-feel.mp3?v=d7759e4d27cc) |
| sit [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-sit.mp3?v=24929cff352a) | seat (siit) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-seat.mp3?v=9a5e26b59077) |
| full (ful) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-full.mp3?v=0c2f411588c6) | fool (fuul) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-fool.mp3?v=b00636e197f6) |
| pull (pul) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-pull.mp3?v=29e71d2f246b) | pool (puul) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-pool.mp3?v=fb362dc7e655) |
| cut (kat) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-cut.mp3?v=c7c2f76f1870) | cart (kaat) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-cart.mp3?v=a5b51f62fda9) |
| hut (hat) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-hut.mp3?v=0ee1c57f81bf) | heart (haat) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-heart.mp3?v=fe3b3fcb7d5f) |
| can (kan) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-can.mp3?v=51bbb5536739) | can't (kaant) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/sl-cant.mp3?v=426acd5a1de4) |

As a rough guide, the short i in ship sits between Kinyarwanda i and e; the short u in full sits between Kinyarwanda u and o. Use the recordings to refine these starting points.

> **Practise the ii sound:**
>
> In sheet, beach and piece, match both the vowel sound and its length to the recording. A different vowel can
> change the word a listener hears.

---

From Clear English Rwanda: https://clear-english.rw/rules/long-vowels

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