From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic symbol./ /ɔː/

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word containing the long vowel sound /ɔː/. This is the sound in words like "door," "caught," and "four."

Explain the concept: /ɔː/ is a long, rounded vowel, made with the lips rounded and the tongue pulled back. It is different from the short vowel /ɒ/, which is the sound in "hot" or "pot." Spellings that often give /ɔː/ include "or," "ore," "oor," "aw," "au," and "ough" (as in "bought").

Solution: Transcribe each option.

• A. copy = /ˈkɒpi/. The vowel is short /ɒ/, so this is not the answer.
• B. not = /nɒt/. The vowel is short /ɒ/, so this is not the answer.
• C. bore = /bɔː/. The vowel is long /ɔː/, so this matches.
• D. rock = /rɒk/. The vowel is short /ɒ/, so this is not the answer.

Options A, B and D all contain the short /ɒ/.

Answer: C. bore

Exam tip: Look at the spelling pattern. If the "o" is followed by a silent "e" after "r" (as in bore, more, core, store), or by "r" alone (as in fork, port), it is usually /ɔː/. If the "o" sits between consonants, as in "not" and "rock," it is usually the short /ɒ/. Also remember that the length mark (ː) in the symbol means the sound is held longer.