WAEC 2020 English Language · Question 100

/ai/ — choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic symbol

Question

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

A.rare
B.ice
C.air
D.fuel

Answer: B. ice

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word containing the vowel sound /aɪ/, the diphthong in "my", "time" and "fly".

Concept: /aɪ/ is a diphthong that glides from "ah" to "ee". Spelling can mislead you, so listen to the sound of each word rather than looking at its letters.

Step-by-step check of each option:

A. rare is /reə/. The sound is /eə/, as in "care". No /aɪ/.
B. ice is /aɪs/. The vowel is /aɪ/, the same sound as in "price". Yes.
C. air is /eə/. The sound is /eə/, the same as "rare". No /aɪ/.
D. fuel is /ˈfjuːəl/ (or /fjʊəl/). The sounds are /juː/ or /ʊə/. No /aɪ/.

Answer: Only "ice" contains /aɪ/, so the correct option is B.

Tip: Say the word slowly and see whether your mouth starts open ("ah") and ends in a smile ("ee"). Words like ice, time, fly, eye, light do this. Also, don't be fooled by "fuel": it has a "u" but no /aɪ/ sound.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.