Spelling Patterns — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The bee is fast and flies quick to the flower.
Quick begins with qu because q is almost always followed by u in English.
2. The queen waved to the crowd from her carriage.
Queen starts with qu- since q is paired with u at the beginning of the word.
3. Please be quiet while the baby is sleeping.
Quiet uses qu- because q and u travel together at the start of the word.
4. He did not want to quit the game too early.
Quit begins with qu- because the letter q is followed by u as usual.
5. Ten cents is not a quarter in American money.
Quarter starts with qu- because q is always followed by u in common English words.
6. I asked my teacher a question about math.
Question starts with qu- because q and u almost always appear side by side.
7. The duck has soft quill on its wings.
Quill uses qu- since q is followed by u, and double l ends many short words.
8. Mom made a warm quilt for my bed.
Quilt starts with qu- because q and u stick together at the beginning of the word.
9. Please come quickly before we miss the bus.
Quickly keeps the qu- pattern and adds -ly to describe how something is done.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
quick
→ fast and speedy
fast and speedy
queen
→ royal ruler
royal ruler
quiet
→ not loud at all
not loud at all
quit
→ to stop doing
to stop doing
Each qu- word keeps q and u together, showing the common English spelling pattern for these sounds.