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

Analyze the question: This is a vowel-sound (phonetics) question. We need the word whose vowel sound matches the vowel sound in "stew."

Explain the concept: In "stew," the letters "ew" make the long vowel /uː/ (as in "food"). The word is pronounced /stjuː/ or /stuː/. The key part is the long /uː/ sound.

Solution, checking each option:

• A. slow has "ow" making /əʊ/, a diphthong (as in "go"). ✘
• B. blue has "ue" making /uː/, a long vowel (as in "food"). ✔
• C. gnaw has "aw" making /ɔː/ (as in "saw"). ✘
• D. good has "oo" making /ʊ/, a short vowel. ✘ This is a common trap, because "oo" is also in "food," but in "good" the sound is short.

Answer: "Stew" and "blue" share the long /uː/ vowel, so the correct option is B.

Tip: Watch out for the "oo" trap. Long /uː/ appears in food, moon, blue, and stew, while short /ʊ/ appears in good, book, and foot. When you are unsure, say the word aloud and ask whether the vowel is stretched (long) or quick (short). Also remember that spellings like "ew," "ue," "oo," and "ou" (as in "soup") can all produce /uː/.