R-Controlled Vowels — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. After running all day, I felt very thirsty and needed water.
Thirsty has IR making /ur/ in the first syllable: thir-sty.
2. Ten plus twenty equals thirty.
Thirty splits into thir-ty, with IR making /ur/.
3. My shoes got muddy and dirty after the rainstorm.
Dirty is dir-ty; IR gives the /ur/ sound in syllable one.
4. We baked a cake for my sister's birthday party.
Birthday splits birth-day; IR makes /ur/ in the first syllable.
5. A young girl rode her bird to the park.
Bird uses IR to make /ur/ in a one-syllable word.
6. Please throw the trash in the dirty bin.
Dirty shows IR in a two-syllable word: dir-ty.
7. The movie starts at thirty minutes past six.
Thirty uses IR in thir-ty to make the /ur/ sound.
8. Drink some water if you are feeling thirsty.
Thirsty breaks into thir-sty; IR makes /ur/.
9. Grandma's birthday is next Saturday.
Birthday has IR in birth, making /ur/.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
thirsty
→ needing a drink of water
needing a drink of water
thirty
→ the number 30
the number 30
dirty
→ covered in mud or dust
covered in mud or dust
birthday
→ yearly celebration of being born
yearly celebration of being born
Matching IR words to meanings helps Grade 2 readers connect decoding to real vocabulary.