House tonight: gripping, sad, evocative.

Some Phonics Rules:

1. Short vowel rule: When a word or syllable has only one vowel and ends with a consonant, the vowel is usually short.
   
2. Long vowel rule: When a word ends in a silent "e," preceded by a single consonant, preceded by a single vowel, the first vowel is long.
   
3. Vowel digraph rule: When a word or syllable has two vowels together, the first vowel is long and the second one is silent.
   
4. Long vowel and syllables rule: When a syllable or word ends in a single vowel, other than silent "e," that vowel is usually long.
   
5. R- controlled vowel rule: When a vowel is followed by an "r" in the same syllable that vowel is neither long or short
   
6. Schwa vowel sound rule: vowel sounds that are neither long or short
   
7. Dipthong Rule: vowels together which are neither long or short
   
8. "OO" vowel sound rule: either short "u" or long "u"
   
9. Vowel-sound suffix rule: -es or –ing or other suffix beginning with a vowel added to the end of a word that ends with a vowel does not change the sound of that vowel.
   
10. Y as a vowel rule: Y occurs as a vowel in combination with another vowel usually at the end of a word (day, they). When used by itself at the end of a word or syllable, it makes the long "i" sound at the end of a single syllable word (sky, my) and a long "e" sound at the end of a two or more syllable word (funny)
    

I tend to analyze words automatically now. And I stretch vowels, and I determine if they are long or short, and I can spot a digraph a mile away. I also know what a dipthong is. Now you do too, because you have read rule #7.