Exploring Vowel Alternation and Schwa Sounds

What does the upside-down 'e' symbol represent in dictionaries?

• A consonant sound

• A long vowel sound

• A schwa sound

• A short vowel sound

Which of the following words contains a long 'a' sound?

• Volcano

• Volcanic

• Compose

• Composition

What is the most common sound in the English language?

• Schwa sound

• Short vowel sound

• Consonant sound

• Long vowel sound

In the word 'admiration', which vowel sound is represented by the schwa?

• A

• I

• O

• E

Which word pair demonstrates a change from a long vowel to a schwa sound?

• Custody - Custodian

• Admire - Admiration

• Oppose - Opposition

• Compose - Composition

What is a helpful strategy for spelling words with schwa sounds?

• Listening to the pronunciation

• Using a dictionary

• Guessing the vowel

• Thinking of the base word

Which word has a long 'o' sound?

• Custodian

• Custody

• Compose

• Composition

In the word 'competition', what sound does the schwa represent?

• A

• E

• I

• O

Which word pair shows a change from a long vowel to a short vowel?

• Define - Definition

• Invite - Invitation

• Divine - Divinity

• Serene - Serenity

What should you use to figure out how to spell a derived word?

• A related word

• A thesaurus

• A grammar book

• A pronunciation guide