WAEC 2018 English Language · Question 1

could — choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined

Question

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the letter(s) underlined. could

In the original paper part of this question is underlined. The underline isn't shown here: see the explanation below.

A.cold
B.cod
C.pull
D.cool

Answer: C. pull

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Question analysis: The word "could" has its vowel sound (the "ou" part, presumably underlined) in question. We need a word whose underlined vowel sound matches it. The question is about identifying vowel sounds (phonetics).

Concept: "Could" is pronounced /kʊd/. The vowel is the short vowel /ʊ/, as in "put", "book" and "full". It is a short, relaxed sound, different from the long /uː/ in "food".

Step-by-step analysis of the options:

A. cold /kəʊld/ has the diphthong /əʊ/. This does not match.
B. cod /kɒd/ has the short vowel /ɒ/. This does not match.
C. pull /pʊl/ has the short vowel /ʊ/. This matches "could".
D. cool /kuːl/ has the long vowel /uː/. This does not match, though it is the common trap because "oo" looks similar to "ou".

Answer: The vowel in "could" /ʊ/ is the same as in "pull" /ʊ/, so the answer is C.

Tip: Remember the "could, would, should" family, which all use the short /ʊ/ sound, like "put", "book", "foot" and "pull". Be careful not to match words just because they look alike. Always compare the actual sounds by saying the words aloud. A short sound is quick, while a long sound such as /uː/ in "cool" can be stretched.

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