WAEC 2023 English Language · Question 42

there — 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). there

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

A.their
B.fear
C.ear
D.peer

Answer: A. their

Explanation written with AI and checked against the answer key

Analyze the question: The word is "there" (the underlined part is likely "ere"). We need the option with the same vowel sound.

Explain the concept: "there" is pronounced /ðeə/. The vowel sound is the diphthong /eə/, as in "air", "care" and "bear". Different spellings can give the same sound, so we match by sound and ignore spelling.

Solution: Let's check each option:

A. their /ðeə/ has the vowel /eə/. This is a match.
B. fear /fɪə/ has the vowel /ɪə/. No match.
C. ear /ɪə/ has the vowel /ɪə/. No match.
D. peer /pɪə/ has the vowel /ɪə/. No match.

"There" and "their" are homophones (they sound exactly the same). The other three words all rhyme with "here", which has a different diphthong.

Answer: A. their.

Tip: Group words by sound families.

/eə/: there, their, care, bear, air, hair
/ɪə/: fear, ear, peer, here, deer

If two words are homophones, they always share the same vowel sound, so check for homophones first.

AI can make mistakes. Report anything that looks wrong.