R-Controlled Vowels — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which word has the ar sound like car?
A) for
B) bird
C) star
D) fur
Star has ar. Ar makes the /ar/ sound like the word car. The other words use or, ir, or ur.
2. Which word has the /ur/ sound like her?
A) car
B) short
C) farmer
D) horn
Farmer ends in er, which makes the /ur/ sound like in her and tiger. The others use ar or or.
3. Which word does NOT have the /ur/ sound?
A) bird
B) girl
C) star
D) hurt
Star uses ar, which sounds like car, not /ur/. Bird, girl, and hurt all make the /ur/ sound.
4. Which word uses the or pattern?
A) turn
B) part
C) sport
D) stir
Sport has or, which makes the /or/ sound like for and horn. The others use ur, ar, and ir.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The baby held onto his mother's arm.
Arm uses ar. The R makes the A sound like the ar in car and part.
2. The train horn was loud and short.
Short uses or. The or pattern makes the /or/ sound like for and horn.
3. I will turn back the page I am reading.
Turn uses ur. The ur pattern makes the /ur/ sound like in curl and hurt.
4. The little girl fed the bird some seeds.
Bird uses ir. Ir makes the /ur/ sound like in girl and first.
5. My older brother is almost thirty years old.
Thirty has ir at the start. Ir makes the /ur/ sound like in first and bird.