How to divide syllables when there's an r in between?

Why is this question not answered?
Is there anything wrong with the question?

The best way to find out how to divide words is to use a dictionary. There is no hard and fast rule as to how they should be divided.


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/merit

Of course to check it up in a dictionary is not so hard. But why I think it's confusing is if you divide it this way: "mer/it" and "cher/ish", I think the first syllable should be a "Vowel-R Syllable"or "r-controlled Syllable", so according to the pronunciation rule, it seemed it should be pronunced [ə:] or [ə], but now that it is pronunced [e], which should be a pronounciation in a closed syllable, I think. Am I right? Anyway, that is my problem. Or maybe it is a pronunciation that can't be explained by common pronunciation rule?

Thank you, Parados.

A pronunciation key describes how a word is generally pronounced. It doesn't prescribe how a word should be pronounced.

Yeah, English tends towards unstressed vowels in unstressed sylables, with schwa being the most common, but in the case of these two words the first sylable is stressed so the vowels aren't unstressed; they're /e/ as in "bet."

Thank you for your reply. So you mean they are not "R-controlled Syllables", they are "Closed Syllables"? According to my English teacher, and many English teachers here, I had thought if they were "R-controlled Syllables", they should be pronunced [ə:] or [ə]. Or you think they are "R-controlled Syllables", but they are the special ones?

From the way it's explained, these two words do not follow the R-controlled syllable rule because the syllabe that the "r" is in is stressed. The rule applies to unstressed sylables.

Thank you very much for your kind help.

All that stuff, and what I have to say is after the R... (ie, after a consonant followed by a vowel):

Par-ameter
Per-ceive
Vor-acious

Do what you will with that, but that's how I was taught, for what it's worth.

Then there is -

pa·rade

so:
the first syllable the second syllable
mer·it stressed r-controlled syllable unstressed closed syllable
cher·ish stressed r-controlled syllable unstressed closed syllable
par·a·meter unstressed r-controlled syllable stressed open syllable
per·ceive unstressed r-controlled syllable stressed closed syllable
vor·a·cious unstressed r-controlled syllable stressed open syllable
pa·rade unstressed open syllable stressed VCe syllable

Thank you, Mame, Parados and InfraBlue. Thank you for all the examples. But I should start with what kind of syllables they are. So am I right in the above list?

mer·it:
the first syllable is a stressed r-controlled syllable
the second syllable is an unstressed closed syllable
cher·ish:
the first syllable is a stressed r-controlled syllable
the second syllable is an unstressed closed syllable
par·a·meter:
the first syllable is an unstressed r-controlled syllable
the second syllable is a stressed open syllable
per·ceive:
the first syllable is an unstressed r-controlled syllable
the second syllable is a stressed closed syllable
vor·a·cious:
the first syllable is an unstressed r-controlled syllable
the second syllable is a stressed open syllable
pa·rade:
the first syllable is an unstressed open syllable
the second syllable is a stressed VCe syllable

Is this list clearer than the first one? Please help, many thanks.

I want to explain more about my difficulties in my English study. But my English is not that good, even basic English, I have such confusing concepts. so...
But Thank you anyway, Parados, InfraBlue and Mame, for your taking touble to help me, even with such simple problem as this.