Examkin

Oral English

427 questions

All types427Multiple choice216Matching93Fill in the blank118
Question 221Question →

Match each target word on the left with the corresponding word on the right that shares its exact end rhyme sound.

Click a left item, then click its matching right item

Items

quay
chasm
choir
gauge

Matches

Show answer & explanation

Answer

'quay' pairs with 'spree', 'chasm' pairs with 'spasm', 'choir' pairs with 'pyre', and 'gauge' pairs with 'stage'.
The correct pairings rely strictly on exact phonetic sound matching (IPA), overriding deceptive orthographic spellings such as silent letters or unusual vowel combinations.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the accurate phonetic transcription for each target word on the left.
'Quay' is transcribed as /kiː/, 'chasm' as /ˈkæz.əm/, 'choir' as /ˈkwaɪ.ər/, and 'gauge' as /ɡeɪdʒ/.
Phonetic accuracy is required because orthographic spelling in English often misleads sound matching.
2
Determine the accurate phonetic transcription for each option word on the right.
'Spree' is transcribed as /spriː/, 'spasm' as /ˈspæz.əm/, 'pyre' as /ˈpaɪ.ər/, and 'stage' as /steɪdʒ/.
Establishing accurate IPA transcriptions ensures correct identification of terminal vowel and consonant sounds.
3
Match left and right words based on identical nucleus vowels and trailing consonant structures.
/kiː/ matches /spriː/, /ˈkæz.əm/ matches /ˈspæz.əm/, /ˈkwaɪ.ər/ matches /ˈpaɪ.ər/, and /ɡeɪdʒ/ matches /steɪdʒ/.
A valid end rhyme requires identical vowel sounds and succeeding consonant sounds from the last stressed syllable.

Key Concept

Rhymes and Sound Matching
Question 222Question →

In the sentence below, one word is printed in FULL CAPITAL LETTERS to show emphatic stress:

The defense attorney UNEXPECTEDLY cross-examined the key witness during the trial yesterday.

Which of the following contrastive questions correctly elicits this statement?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the defense attorney predictably cross-examine the key witness during the trial yesterday?

Answer

Did the defense attorney predictably cross-examine the key witness during the trial yesterday?
Emphatic stress is used to highlight or correct a specific piece of contrastive information. In the given sentence, 'UNEXPECTEDLY' carries the emphatic stress. The correct contrastive question must present an assertion that contradicts 'UNEXPECTEDLY' (such as 'predictably') while leaving every other syntactic element identical. Answering that question with emphatic stress on 'UNEXPECTEDLY' correctly resolves the contrast.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the given statement.
The word printed in full capital letters is 'UNEXPECTEDLY', an adverb of manner.
Emphatic stress highlights specific contrastive focus within a sentence.
2
Determine the required contrastive question structure for emphatic stress items.
The correct response question must contradict ONLY the stressed word ('UNEXPECTEDLY') by supplying an opposing or alternative word ('predictably' or 'routinely'), while keeping every other element identical.
In English oral communication and JAMB examination standards, emphatic stress corrects an erroneous assumption made by the speaker asking the question.
3
Evaluate the options against the target contrastive focus.
The option asking whether the attorney 'predictably' cross-examined the witness is the only question whose false premise ('predictably') is directly corrected by emphasizing 'UNEXPECTEDLY'.
All other options erroneously alter the subject, the main verb, or the direct object.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 223Question →

Complete the sentence below by providing the correct phonetic representation of the specified consonant sound.

Fill in the blanks below

In the word 'think', the letters 'th' produce the voiceless consonant sound , whereas in 'this', the letters 'th' produce the voiced consonant sound .
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Answer

The letters 'th' in 'think' represent the voiceless dental fricative sound /θ/, whereas in 'this' they represent the voiced dental fricative sound /ð/.
In English phonetics, the spelling 'th' represents two distinct dental fricative consonant sounds: the voiceless dental fricative /θ/ as heard in 'think', 'theatre', and 'path', and the voiced dental fricative /ð/ as heard in 'this', 'that', and 'clothe'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the sound produced by 'th' in the word 'think'.
Pronouncing 'think' demonstrates that the vocal cords do not vibrate during the 'th' sound, identifying it as the voiceless dental fricative /θ/.
Voiceless consonants are articulated without vocal cord vibration.
2
Analyze the sound produced by 'th' in the word 'this'.
Pronouncing 'this' demonstrates vocal cord vibration during the 'th' sound, identifying it as the voiced dental fricative /ð/.
Voiced consonants require active vocal cord vibration during articulation.

Key Concept

Voiced vs. Voiceless Dental Fricative Contrast (/θ/ vs /ð/)
Estimated Time:45s
Question 224Question →

Which International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbol correctly represents the underlined pure vowel sound (monophthong) in each word given below? Match each word on the left to its corresponding IPA symbol on the right.

Click a left item, then click its matching right item

Items

sergeant
bosom
womb
flood

Matches

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Answer

sergeant matches /ɑː/; bosom matches /ʊ/; womb matches /uː/; flood matches /ʌ/
'sergeant' matches /ɑː/ because 'ergea' forms a long open back vowel; 'bosom' matches /ʊ/ as the vowel sound is short and rounded; 'womb' matches /uː/ as the single vowel takes a long back close articulation; and 'flood' matches /ʌ/ because 'oo' in this word represents a short unrounded pure vowel.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the monophthong in 'sergeant'
'sergeant' is phonetically transcribed as /ˈsɑːdʒənt/, containing the long pure vowel /ɑː/.
The letter group 'ergea' irregularly produces the /ɑː/ sound rather than a short front vowel.
2
Determine the monophthong in 'bosom'
'bosom' is phonetically transcribed as /ˈbʊzəm/, containing the short pure vowel /ʊ/.
The letter 'o' in 'bosom' takes the lax rounded vowel sound heard in 'put'.
3
Determine the monophthong in 'womb'
'womb' is phonetically transcribed as /wuːm/, containing the tense long pure vowel /uː/.
The single 'o' before 'mb' lengthens to /uː/ rather than /ɒ/ or /ʊ/.
4
Determine the monophthong in 'flood'
'flood' is phonetically transcribed as /flʌd/, containing the short unrounded pure vowel /ʌ/.
The double 'oo' spelling in 'flood' (and 'blood') is an exceptional spelling for /ʌ/ instead of /uː/.

Key Concept

Phonetic identification of monophthongs with irregular orthographic representations
Question 225Question →

Pair each word in Column A with the corresponding word in Column B that shares the exact same end-rhyme sound.

Click a left item, then click its matching right item

Items

Debt
Quay
Gnaw

Matches

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Answer

'Debt' matches 'Fret', 'Quay' matches 'Key', and 'Gnaw' matches 'Law'.
The correct pairs link words with identical final phonetic sounds: 'debt' /det/ pairs with 'fret' /fret/, 'quay' /kiː/ pairs with 'key' /kiː/, and 'gnaw' /nɔː/ pairs with 'law' /lɔː/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the phonetic pronunciation of each word in Column A.
'Debt' is pronounced /det/, 'quay' is pronounced /kiː/, and 'gnaw' is pronounced /nɔː/.
Rhymes are governed by speech sounds, not by spelling patterns.
2
Determine the phonetic pronunciation of each word in Column B.
'Key' is pronounced /kiː/, 'law' is pronounced /lɔː/, and 'fret' is pronounced /fret/.
Identifying the terminal phonetic sounds allows accurate matching.
3
Pair the words that share identical terminal vowel and consonant sounds.
'Debt' /det/ rhymes with 'fret' /fret/; 'quay' /kiː/ rhymes with 'key' /kiː/; 'gnaw' /nɔː/ rhymes with 'law' /lɔː/.
Matching identical terminal phonetic units completes the true rhyming pairs.

Key Concept

Rhymes and Sound Matching in English Pronunciation
Question 226Question →

Read the statement containing emphatic stress below and complete the contrastive question that correctly elicits it.

Fill in the blanks below

Statement: The astronomer observed a DISTANT galaxy through the observatory telescope.
Contrastive question: Did the astronomer observe a galaxy through the observatory telescope?
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Answer

An adjective providing a contrasting modifier for the noun 'galaxy' (such as 'nearby' or 'close') placed in the blank of the contrastive question.
In Oral English, emphatic stress indicates contrastive focus. To elicit a sentence where 'DISTANT' is stressed, the contrastive question must query the adjective modifying the galaxy while keeping the rest of the sentence identical. Replacing 'DISTANT' with a contrasting adjective like 'nearby' or 'close' makes the given sentence the natural corrective response.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the statement.
The word printed in full capital letters is 'DISTANT', which functions as an adjective modifying 'galaxy'.
Emphatic stress highlights the specific element being focused on or contrasted in the sentence.
2
Apply the rule of contrastive focus to construct the eliciting question.
The correct contrastive question must change ONLY the capitalized word ('DISTANT') while retaining all other grammatical elements unchanged.
Placing emphatic stress on 'DISTANT' contradicts a wrong assertion regarding the proximity of the galaxy.
3
Complete the missing word in the contrastive question.
Inserting an antonymous or contrasting adjective such as 'nearby' or 'close' creates the precise question that is answered by emphasizing 'DISTANT'.
Asking 'Did the astronomer observe a nearby galaxy...?' is naturally contradicted by 'No, the astronomer observed a DISTANT galaxy...'.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 227Question →

Match each word in List A with the word in List B that contains the exact same diphthong sound.

Click a left item, then click its matching right item

Items

rejoice
dough
drought
lure

Matches

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Answer

'rejoice' matches with 'coil' (/ɔɪ/), 'dough' matches with 'coax' (/ə��/), 'drought' matches with 'prow' (/aʊ/), and 'lure' matches with 'moor' (/ʊə/).
Each pair aligns words containing identical diphthong sounds regardless of spelling variations: 'rejoice' and 'coil' both produce /ɔɪ/, 'dough' and 'coax' both produce /əʊ/, 'drought' and 'prow' both produce /aʊ/, and 'lure' and 'moor' both produce /ʊə/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary diphthong sound in each word in List A.
'rejoice' features /ɔɪ/, 'dough' features /əʊ/, 'drought' features /aʊ/, and 'lure' features /ʊə/.
Phonetic transcription isolates the vowel glide within the stressed syllable of each word.
2
Determine the diphthong sound in each word in List B.
'prow' features /aʊ/, 'moor' features /ʊə/, 'coil' features /ɔɪ/, and 'coax' features /əʊ/.
Analyzing the phonetic values of the potential options reveals their exact vowel structures.
3
Pair the words that share identical diphthong vowel sounds.
'rejoice' pairs with 'coil' (/ɔɪ/); 'dough' pairs with 'coax' (/əʊ/); 'drought' pairs with 'prow' (/aʊ/); 'lure' pairs with 'moor' (/ʊə/).
Correct matching pairs words based on spoken sound equivalence rather than spelling patterns.

Key Concept

Diphthong sound matching and identification across diverse spelling representations.
Question 228Question →

In the sentence below, the word printed in CAPITAL LETTERS carries emphatic stress.

Uncle Jude bought a RED bicycle for his nephew.

Which of the following options contains the question that elicits this statement?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did Uncle Jude buy a blue bicycle for his nephew?

Answer

Did Uncle Jude buy a blue bicycle for his nephew?
The sentence places emphatic stress on the adjective 'RED'. The correct contrastive question must question or contradict only this stressed word. Asking whether the bicycle was 'blue' contrasts specifically with 'RED' while keeping 'Uncle Jude', 'bought', 'bicycle', and 'for his nephew' completely intact.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the given sentence.
The word 'RED' is capitalized, indicating that it carries emphatic stress.
Emphatic stress is used to highlight a specific word for contrastive focus.
2
Determine the required contrastive question.
The correct question must contradict ONLY the stressed word ('RED') while retaining all other sentence elements unchanged.
An emphatic stress question queries the specific piece of emphasized information.
3
Evaluate the options to find the correct contrastive question.
The question asking if Uncle Jude bought a 'blue' bicycle directly challenges the color 'RED' while keeping every other word in the original sentence identical.
Only this option isolates and questions the emphasized adjective.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 229Question →

Unlike words in which every written consonant is articulated, one of the words below contains an unpronounced letter 'p'. Which word is it?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: cupboard

Answer

The word 'cupboard' contains a silent letter 'p'.
In standard Received Pronunciation, the word 'cupboard' is pronounced as /ˈkʌb.əd/. The letter 'p' is completely unarticulated (silent) as the bilabial plosive assimilates into the voiced sound /b/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phonetic pronunciation of each word option in standard English (Received Pronunciation).
Identify whether the written letter 'p' corresponds to an articulated sound /p/ or is silent.
English spelling contains historical Silent Letters where graphic consonants are omitted in speech.
2
Examine 'napkin', 'dispute', and 'captive'.
The sound /p/ is clearly produced in all three words (/ˈnæp.kɪn/, /dɪˈspjuːt/, /ˈkæp.tɪv/).
The consonant cluster maintains full articulation of 'p'.
3
Examine 'cupboard'.
The phonetic transcription is /ˈkʌb.əd/, where the written 'p' is completely unpronounced and assimilates into /b/.
In compound word development, the 'p' sound in 'cup' combined with 'board' became silent over time.

Key Concept

Silent Consonant Letters in Oral English
Question 230Question →

Identify the unarticulated consonant letters in the specified English words to complete the statement below.

Fill in the blanks below

In standard English pronunciation, the word *indict* contains a silent letter , whereas the word *cupboard* contains an unpronounced letter .
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Answer

The silent letter in *indict* is c, and the silent letter in *cupboard* is p.
In standard Received Pronunciation, *indict* is pronounced /ɪnˈdaɪt/, leaving the letter 'c' unarticulated. Similarly, *cupboard* is pronounced /ˈkʌbəd/, where the letter 'p' is silent.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the phonetic transcription of the word *indict*.
The word *indict* is transcribed as /ɪnˈdaɪt/. The letter 'c' is not pronounced.
Although retained in spelling due to its Latin origin, the consonant sound /k/ is silent.
2
Analyze the phonetic transcription of the word *cupboard*.
The word *cupboard* is transcribed as /ˈkʌbəd/. The letter 'p' is unarticulated.
Through phonetic assimilation before the voiced plosive /b/, the bilabial plosive 'p' remains completely silent.

Key Concept

Silent Letters in English Phonology
Question 231Question →

From the words lettered A to D, choose the word that has the SAME CONSONANT SOUND as the one represented by the underlined letter in the word 'anxiety'. Which of the following words contains this consonant sound?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: dismal

Answer

The word 'dismal' contains the same consonant sound /z/ as represented by the letter 'x' in 'anxiety'.
In the word 'anxiety' (/æŋˈzaɪəti/), the letter 'x' is pronounced as the voiced alveolar fricative /z/. Similarly, in 'dismal' (/ˈdɪzməl/), the letter 's' represents the voiced sound /z/. Therefore, both words share the exact same consonant sound.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the phonetic pronunciation of the underlined letter in the target word.
In the word 'anxiety' (/æŋˈzaɪəti/), the underlined letter 'x' is pronounced as the voiced alveolar fricative sound /z/.
When 'x' appears in 'anxiety', spelling conventions mask its phonetic realization as the voiced fricative /z/.
2
Analyze the phonetic realization of the target consonants in each option.
'complex' contains /ks/; 'dismal' contains /z/; 'luxury' contains /kʃ/; 'exercise' contains /ks/.
Different orthographic spellings (such as 's' and 'x') can represent the identical phonetic consonant sound /z/.
3
Match the target sound /z/ to the correct option.
'dismal' (/ˈdɪzməl/) contains the voiced alveolar fricative sound /z/ represented by the letter 's'.
Both 'anxiety' and 'dismal' share the identical consonant sound /z/.

Key Concept

Phonetic realization of the voiced alveolar fricative /z/ across different orthographic spellings
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 232Question →

Consider the following sentence where emphatic stress is placed on the capitalized word:

'The renowned archaeologist UNINTENTIONALLY damaged the fragile artifact during the excavation.'

Which question appropriately elicits this sentence as its correct response?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the renowned archaeologist intentionally damage the fragile artifact during the excavation?

Answer

Did the renowned archaeologist intentionally damage the fragile artifact during the excavation?
The statement places emphatic stress on the adverb 'UNINTENTIONALLY'. The question that elicits this response must propose the opposite concept ('intentionally') regarding the manner of damage, while leaving all other elements (the renowned archaeologist, damaging the fragile artifact, during the excavation) entirely unchanged.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the statement.
The capitalized word is 'UNINTENTIONALLY', which expresses the manner or intent of the action.
Emphatic stress highlights a specific item of information to correct or contrast an assumption regarding that specific detail.
2
Formulate a contrastive question targeting only the capitalized word.
The target question must ask whether the action was performed 'intentionally', leaving all other lexical elements unchanged.
A sentence with emphatic stress serves as a direct, contrastive answer to a question that contradicts only the stressed word.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the exact match.
The option asking 'Did the renowned archaeologist intentionally damage the fragile artifact during the excavation?' provides the exact contrast required.
Answering 'No, the renowned archaeologist UNINTENTIONALLY damaged...' directly corrects the misconception in that question.

Key Concept

Emphatic stress highlights a single word in a spoken sentence to provide contrastive focus. The corresponding question must contradict only the stressed word while preserving the exact wording of all unstressed elements.
Question 233Question →

Complete the phonetic observation by filling in the blank with the correct word.

Fill in the blanks below

While words like 'door' and 'floor' are pronounced with the pure monophthong vowel /ɔː/, the word is pronounced with the diphthong /ʊə/.
Show answer & explanation

Answer

The word that completes the statement is 'moor'.
The word 'moor' is pronounced as /mʊə/, featuring a distinct vowel glide from /ʊ/ to /ə/, making it a diphthong. In contrast, 'door' (/dɔː/) and 'floor' (/flɔː/) are produced with the monophthong /ɔː/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the phonetic transcription of the contrasting words 'door' and 'floor'.
Both 'door' (/dɔː/) and 'floor' (/flɔː/) contain a single long pure vowel sound (monophthong), /ɔː/.
Identifying the monophthong baseline helps distinguish pure vowels from gliding diphthongs.
2
Determine the phonetic transcription of 'moor' to check for a diphthong glide.
'Moor' is transcribed as /mʊə/, which involves a vowel glide from the near-close back rounded vowel /ʊ/ to the central schwa /ə/.
A sound that glides from one vowel position to another within the same syllable is classified as a diphthong.

Key Concept

Identifying the English diphthong /ʊə/ in contrast to deceptive monophthong spellings
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Question 234Question →

Which word among the options contains an unpronounced letter 'l' in standard English pronunciation?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: salmon

Answer

salmon
The correct option is 'salmon' because the letter 'l' is completely silent when spoken in standard Received Pronunciation (/ˈsæmən/).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Examine the phonetic transcription of each target word in standard Received Pronunciation.
filter is /ˈfɪltə/, shelter is /ˈʃɛltə/, salmon is /ˈsæmən/, and solid is /ˈsɒlɪd/.
Phonetic transcriptions reveal which written graphemes correspond to spoken phonemes.
2
Identify which word omits the articulation of the written consonant 'l'.
The word 'salmon' lacks the /l/ phoneme in its spoken form.
The letter 'l' in 'salmon' is etymologically silent in standard English phonology.

Key Concept

Silent Consonant 'l'
Question 235Question →

Which of the following words has the same end rhyme sound as height?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: white

Answer

The word 'white' rhymes with 'height'.
The word 'white' (/waɪt/) shares the exact same terminating diphthong and consonant sound /-aɪt/ as 'height' (/haɪt/).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the phonetic pronunciation and ending sound of the target word
The word 'height' is pronounced /haɪt/, ending with the diphthong sound sequence /-aɪt/.
Rhyming depends on matching vowel and consonant sounds at the end of words, regardless of spelling.
2
Transcribe and analyze the ending sound of each option
'eight' is /eɪt/, 'white' is /waɪt/, 'weight' is /weɪt/, and 'freight' is /freɪt/.
Comparing the phonetic representations reveals which word produces an identical final sound.
3
Select the matching option
'white' (/waɪt/) matches the /-aɪt/ ending of 'height' (/haɪt/).
Both words share the identical nucleus vowel /aɪ/ followed by the voiceless alveolar plosive /t/.

Key Concept

Rhymes and Sound Matching
Estimated Time:45s
Question 236Question →

In the sentence below, one word is printed in FULL CAPITAL LETTERS to show emphatic stress:

The meticulous architect UNANIMOUSLY approved the revised skyscraper blueprint.

Which of the following questions is correctly elicited by this statement?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: Did the meticulous architect reluctantly approve the revised skyscraper blueprint?

Answer

Did the meticulous architect reluctantly approve the revised skyscraper blueprint?
Emphatic stress places contrastive focus on the capitalized word 'UNANIMOUSLY'. To elicit a statement with emphatic stress on 'UNANIMOUSLY', the preceding question must introduce a contradictory notion specifically regarding how the approval was given (e.g., 'reluctantly'), while keeping all other details ('meticulous architect', 'approved', 'revised skyscraper blueprint') identical.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the word carrying emphatic stress in the given sentence.
The word printed in full capital letters is 'UNANIMOUSLY', an adverb indicating total agreement.
Emphatic stress signals the specific piece of information being highlighted or contrasted in spoken dialogue.
2
Determine the required content of the contrastive question.
The correct question must contradict ONLY the stressed word ('UNANIMOUSLY') while keeping every other element of the statement unchanged.
Emphatic stress rules require that contrastive focus shifts only the stressed item to resolve false assumptions.
3
Evaluate the options against the contrastive focus rule.
The option asking if the architect 'reluctantly' approved the blueprint replaces 'UNANIMOUSLY' with its opposite ('reluctantly') while leaving the rest of the sentence intact.
This makes it the only question that naturally elicits the emphatic response statement.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress and Contrastive Focus
Question 237Question →

From the options lettered A to D, which word contains the same monophthong (pure vowel) sound as the one represented by the underlined letter in b<u>u</u>ry?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: leopard

Answer

leopard
The underlined letter 'u' in the target word 'bury' is pronounced as the short monophthong /e/ (/ˈberi/). Among the choices, the word 'leopard' (/ˈlepəd/) features the identical short monophthong /e/ in its primary stressed syllable, despite using the rare spelling pattern 'eo'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the pure vowel sound in the target word
The word 'bury' is phonetically transcribed as /ˈberi/. The underlined letter 'u' represents the short monophthong /e/.
Establishing the exact IPA monophthong symbol is required to make a precise sound match.
2
Analyze the phonetic composition of each option
'leopard' is pronounced /ˈlepəd/ (contains /e/); 'fury' is pronounced /ˈfjʊəri/ (contains /jʊə/); 'busy' is pronounced /ˈbɪzi/ (contains /ɪ/); 'duty' is pronounced /ˈdjuːti/ (contains /uː/).
Evaluating vowel quality across options eliminates orthographic traps.
3
Match the target sound to the correct option
Both 'bury' and 'leopard' share the short monophthong /e/.
'leopard' features the identical short monophthong /e/ despite its atypical 'eo' spelling.

Key Concept

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)
Question 238Question →

Read the statement below in which the word printed in CAPITAL LETTERS carries emphatic stress. Then complete the contrastive question that correctly elicits this statement by filling in the blank with an appropriate contrasting noun.

Fill in the blanks below

Statement: The talented pianist played the HARPSICHORD during the evening concert.

Contrastive question: Did the talented pianist play the during the evening concert?
Show answer & explanation

Answer

Any noun that contrasts with 'HARPSICHORD' (such as 'violin', 'piano', or 'flute') correctly completes the contrastive question.
In Oral English, emphatic stress highlights a specific word in a sentence for contrast. When a speaker emphasizes 'HARPSICHORD', they are emphasizing the specific instrument played rather than who played it, what action was taken, or when it occurred. The appropriate contrastive question must therefore introduce a different, contrasting instrument in place of the stressed word to prompt the given statement as a corrective response.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the capitalized word carrying emphatic stress in the statement.
The word carrying emphatic stress is 'HARPSICHORD', which functions as the direct object noun indicating the instrument.
Emphatic stress places contrastive focus specifically on the emphasized word while keeping all other information unchanged.
2
Formulate a contrastive question that questions only the stressed information.
The question must keep the subject ('the talented pianist'), verb ('play'), and time adjunct ('during the evening concert') identical, substituting only the direct object noun 'HARPSICHORD' with a contrasting musical instrument.
Answering 'No, the talented pianist played the HARPSICHORD...' resolves the disagreement introduced by questioning the wrong instrument.

Key Concept

Emphatic Stress in Oral English
Estimated Time:45s
Question 239Question →

Which of the following words contains the same vowel sound as the one underlined in the word ch<u>a</u>os?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: rein

Answer

The word 'rein' contains the diphthong sound /eɪ/, matching the underlined sound in 'chaos'.
The underlined letter in 'chaos' is pronounced as the diphthong /eɪ/. The word 'rein' (/reɪn/) uses the vowel combination 'ei' to produce this identical /eɪ/ sound.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the phonetic sound represented by the underlined letter in the target word.
In the word 'chaos' (/ˈkeɪɒs/), the letter 'a' represents the diphthong /eɪ/.
Isolating the precise target sound is required before evaluating option sounds.
2
Transcribe and analyze the primary vowel sound of each choice.
'rein' has /eɪ/, 'realm' has /e/, 'heart' has /ɑː/, and 'plait' has /æ/.
Phonetic analysis prevents being misled by irregular English spelling patterns.
3
Match the target diphthong /eɪ/ to the option that shares it.
'rein' matches /eɪ/.
Both 'chaos' and 'rein' share the sound /eɪ/.

Key Concept

Identification of the English Diphthong /eɪ/
Question 240Question →

In the word c<u>ou</u>sin, the underlined letters represent a specific monophthong sound. Which of the following words contains the same pure vowel sound?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: tough

Answer

The word with the matching pure vowel sound is tough.
The underlined letters 'ou' in 'cousin' are pronounced as the short pure vowel sound /ʌ/. The word 'tough' (/tʌf/) also uses the 'ou' spelling to produce the exact same short monophthong sound /ʌ/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the monophthong sound in the target word
The underlined letters 'ou' in 'cousin' (/ˈkʌzn/) represent the short central monophthong /��/.
Accurately identifying the underlying phonetic symbol is necessary for sound matching.
2
Analyze the vowel sounds in the options
'doubt' contains the diphthong /aʊ/, 'tough' contains the monophthong /ʌ/, 'soul' contains the diphthong /əʊ/, and 'group' contains the long monophthong /uː/.
Spelling patterns with 'ou' can map to various monophthongs or diphthongs.
3
Select the option with the identical monophthong sound
'tough' matches the /ʌ/ sound present in 'cousin'.
Both words articulate the identical short monophthong /ʌ/ despite differing final consonants.

Key Concept

Identification of monophthongs (pure vowels) across irregular spelling patterns
Estimated Time:45s
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