NYSTCE Multi-Subject: English Language Arts (ELA) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Dividing before a diphthong is an effective technique for avoiding confusion in syllabication because it helps maintain the integrity and pronunciation of vowel sounds. Diphthongs are complex vowel sounds that begin with one vowel sound and glide into another within the same syllable. By ensuring that syllabication occurs before the diphthong, it allows for clearer articulation of the sounds, thereby preventing potential mispronunciations or misunderstandings of the word's structure.

The other techniques, such as dividing after each letter, do not provide a logical framework for maintaining syllable integrity, as they disrupt the flow of syllables and can lead to confusion rather than clarity. Dividing before a silent vowel may not always be appropriate, as silent vowels do not carry phonetic weight that aids in proper syllabication. Lastly, dividing randomly would lead to complete chaos in written language and would not follow any rule of syllabication, resulting in miscommunications.