Every word in English is made of either one or more syllables. A simple example is the one syllable word "do". Then, there is a 2 syllable word a bov. Every two syllable word usually has a muted vowel in the first or second syllable. In the word above, as in written English, the first syllable is a muted vowel, which is pronounced as "uhh". When the word is spoken the first vowel is accentuated and the second "bov" is less strongly accentuated.

In speaking English words the muted vowel, the silent e and syllable accentuation are used so that English words most often don't sound what they look like in the written form! This is a reality that is overlooked in most English teaching that emphasizes word spelling and correct grammatical

It is a fact that many non-native English speakers learned more on their own than in conventional classroom situations. In fact, most schools, private, public or university in China teach correct spelling and grammar exhaustively so that students are best prepared to pass English tests, but are not prepared well enough to engage in conversation or speak well enough to be understand by either non-native or native English speakers.