WAEC 2021 English Language · Question 3

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 put

Options

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

A.worn
B.could
C.fun
D.pan

Answer: B. could

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: This is a vowel-sound (phonetics) question. The word "put" has the vowel sound /ʊ/ (a short "oo" sound, as in "book" or "foot"). We need the option with the same sound.

Explain the concept: The English letter "u" can be pronounced in different ways:

/ʊ/ as in put, full, pull
/ʌ/ as in fun, cut, bus

The letters "ou" and "oo" can also represent /ʊ/ in some words, such as could, should, would, book.

Solution: Let us find the vowel sound in each option.

A. worn is /wɔːn/. The vowel is the long /ɔː/. ✗
B. could is /kʊd/. The vowel is /ʊ/. ✓
C. fun is /fʌn/. The vowel is /ʌ/ (the "u" here is different from the one in put). ✗
D. pan is /pæn/. The vowel is /æ/. ✗

Only could has the same /ʊ/ sound as put.

Answer: B. could

Tip: Be careful with the letter "u". Put and fun both have "u", but they sound different. Always say the word aloud and match the sound, not the spelling. The words put, could, should, would, full, pull, book, foot all share the /ʊ/ sound, so memorize them as a group.

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