R-Controlled Vowels (Bossy R) — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which three words all rhyme because they share the /ur/ sound?
A) her, bird, fur
B) car, corn, fur
C) her, star, corn
D) bird, born, burn
Her ('er'), bird ('ir'), and fur ('ur') all say /ur/. Even though their spellings are different, bossy r makes them rhyme. 'Ar' and 'or' make different sounds.
2. Which word has the /ar/ sound like 'star'?
A) stir
B) store
C) scarf
D) surf
Scarf has 'ar' — the /ar/ sound like in star. Stir has /ur/, store has /or/, and surf has /ur/. Only 'ar' makes the /ar/ sound.
3. Which word has the /or/ sound?
A) far
B) fur
C) fort
D) fern
Fort has 'or' for /or/. Far has /ar/, fur has /ur/, and fern has /ur/. Each bossy-r pattern makes its own special sound.
4. Which set of words are NOT rhymes?
A) her and fur
B) bird and curl
C) corn and horn
D) car and her
Car has /ar/ and her has /ur/ — different sounds, so they do not rhyme. Her and fur both say /ur/. Bird and curl both end in /url/. Corn and horn both have /orn/.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. My puppy wags his tail and wiggles his soft fur.
Fur uses the 'ur' bossy-r pattern. It rhymes with her ('er') and stir ('ir') because all three patterns make /ur/. Bossy r teams up with u to say /ur/.
2. The little bird chirps a sweet morning song.
Bird has 'ir' saying /ur/. Even though it is spelled with i, it rhymes with her and fur. The r bosses the vowel no matter which vowel comes before it.
3. I play catch in the yard with my dad and my toy car.
Car has 'ar' for /ar/ — a different sound from /ur/. 'Ar' always says /ar/, so car rhymes with star and jar, not with bird or fur.
4. Grandpa planted sweet yellow corn in his garden patch.
Corn has 'or' for /or/. This is a third different bossy-r sound. Remember: 'ar' says /ar/, 'or' says /or/, and 'er', 'ir', 'ur' all say /ur/.
5. Please take your turn to pick a game to play next.
Turn uses 'ur' saying /ur/. It rhymes with fern ('er') and stern. Three spellings — 'er', 'ir', 'ur' — one shared /ur/ sound. That is the trickiest part of bossy r.