I just want to get someone's opinion on a question that was on my son's reading test. He's in first grade.
Which word has the same beginning sounds as spring.
A. spin
B. stripe
C. spray
The answer is C could A not also be an answer. I know the spr in both words but spin begins with sp also. Could someone explain.
I agree with you. However, since there can be only one answer, it must consider the first three letters as a beginning sound.
Please help your child learn to choose the BEST answer when he's confused.
The word spin is close, but spring is closer.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoneme
~~ sp makes one sound; it's a phoneme.
~~ spr makes one sound; it's a phoneme, and it's distinctly different from sp because of the r.
I hope this makes sense.
Thanks. I just wanted another opinion. This a test the teacher made up herself and I just thought it was a little misleading but I guess that's to get them to think about it. Then to make things worse the very first choice is Spin. I'm not a teacher either and I guess I'm going to see some things a little different. Thanks again.
Thanks Writeacher. I guess I was writing my post before seeing your post. Thanks to both of you.
You're very welcome.
I never thought those boring linguistics classes I had to take would ever come in handy, but they have ... especially when I was working with kids right out of ESL classes, still learning to spell English words!
Yes, I can help explain!
The question is asking which word has the same beginning sounds as "spring." Let's break it down:
Option A is "spin." While "spin" does start with an "s" sound like "spring," it does not have the same beginning sound. "Spring" starts with the "s" sound followed by a "pr" sound, while "spin" has an "s" sound followed by a "p" sound.
So, even though "spin" has the same "s" sound as "spring," it does not have the same beginning sounds.
On the other hand, option C is "spray." It not only starts with the "s" sound, but it also has the same beginning sounds as "spring." Both words start with "spr," creating the same initial sound.
Therefore, in this case, option C, "spray," is the correct answer because it shares the same beginning sounds with "spring."
I hope this clarifies the reasoning behind the correct answer for you!