R-Controlled Vowels (Bossy R) — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. My cat has soft gray fur on her back.
Fur uses the 'ur' bossy-r pattern. The r bosses the u so it does not say /u/ like in cup. Instead 'ur' says /ur/, just like 'er' and 'ir'.
2. Be careful — the stove can hurt you.
Hurt has 'ur' which says /ur/. Bossy r changes the u sound. Hurt rhymes with shirt because 'ur' and 'ir' make the same sound.
3. It is my turn to roll the dice now.
Turn uses the 'ur' bossy-r pattern. The r takes the u and they say /ur/ together. Turn rhymes with burn and fern.
4. Hot logs burn brightly in the fireplace.
Burn has 'ur' saying /ur/. The r bosses the u. Notice burn rhymes with turn — both use the 'ur' pattern.
5. My little sister has one curl in her hair.
Curl uses 'ur' for the /ur/ sound. Bossy r makes u change. Curl rhymes with girl — 'ur' and 'ir' are rhyming cousins.
6. Big waves are great for riding a surf board.
Surf has the 'ur' bossy-r pattern. The r bosses the u into /ur/. Your mouth makes the same shape as for her and bird.
7. A car needs gas to go fast on the road.
Car uses the 'ar' pattern, not 'ur'. Bossy r works with every vowel, but each vowel makes a different sound. 'Ar' says /ar/ like in star.
8. I love eating sweet yellow corn on the cob.
Corn uses the 'or' pattern. All bossy-r patterns have r after a vowel, but 'ar' says /ar/, 'or' says /or/, and 'er', 'ir', 'ur' all say /ur/.
9. The baby bird sang a pretty song.
Bird uses 'ir' for /ur/. It rhymes with fur and her even though the spellings are different. Three patterns — 'er', 'ir', 'ur' — all share the /ur/ sound.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
fur
→ animal's soft coat
animal's soft coat
turn
→ to rotate or take a chance
to cause an owie
hurt
→ to cause an owie
to rotate or take a chance
burn
→ what fire does
what fire does
All four left-column words use the 'ur' bossy-r pattern. They rhyme because 'ur' always says /ur/. Linking each word to its meaning builds vocabulary and reading skills.