R-Controlled Vowels — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. We planted seeds in the school garden.
Garden is a two-syllable r-controlled word. The first part gar uses the ar pattern like car.
2. The farmer rides his tractor every morning.
Farmer has two r-controlled chunks: ar in farm and er in the ending, making it a great Grade 2 word.
3. My little sister is almost thirty years old.
Thirty has the ir pattern in the first syllable. Ir makes the /ur/ sound, like in bird and girl.
4. We roast a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
Turkey starts with tur, which uses the ur pattern. Ur makes the /ur/ sound, like in turn and fur.
5. She could not drink because of her thirst.
Thirst uses ir. The ir pattern makes the /ur/ sound you also hear in first and bird.
6. The horn blew loud to warn the cars.
Horn uses the or pattern. The R makes the O sound like the or in for and short.
7. The baby gave a loud burst of laughter.
Burst uses ur. Ur makes the /ur/ sound, like in hurt and turn, even in short snappy words.
8. My grandma wore a fuzzy fur hat.
Fur uses ur. The ur pattern is a short and simple way to spell the /ur/ sound.
9. Please stir the soup before you eat it.
Before has the or pattern in the last syllable. Or makes the /or/ sound like for and horn.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
garden
→ a place where plants and flowers grow
a place where plants and flowers grow
farmer
→ a person who works on a farm
a person who works on a farm
turkey
→ a big bird eaten at Thanksgiving
a big bird eaten at Thanksgiving
thirty
→ the number after twenty-nine
the number after twenty-nine
Each answer matches a common Grade 2 two-syllable r-controlled word with its meaning, helping you read longer bossy R words.