WAEC 2023 English Language · Question 22

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

Question

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

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

A.fool
B.wool
C.cool
D.school

Answer: B. wool

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

The underlined letters didn't come through, but the word is almost certainly "put", since the question ends with it and the vowel sound is the short /ʊ/.

Step 1: Analyze the question We need the word whose vowel sound matches the vowel in "put".

Step 2: Concept English has two similar "oo/u" sounds:

Short /ʊ/, as in put, full, book, good, wool
Long /uː/, as in fool, cool, school, moon

Step 3: Work through the options

Put has the short /ʊ/ sound.
A. fool has the long /uː/ sound.
B. wool has the short /ʊ/ sound (/wʊl/).
C. cool has the long /uː/ sound.
D. school has the long /uː/ sound.

Only wool shares the short /ʊ/ vowel with "put".

Step 4: Answer B. wool

Tip: The spelling "oo" can be tricky because it gives two different sounds. Remember the short-sound group: book, look, good, foot, wool, put, full, pull. If an "oo" word is not in that group, it is usually the long /uː/ sound, as in moon, food, school. Keep practising and you'll get these quickly!

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.