Vowel teams, split digraphs and choosing the spelling

Tests: 7 of 12 right · Exam: 1 of 4 right · Kind: ★ · Understood: 13 of 16 · Run: 2026-10-18, commit f3c23ea72

Lesson 4 of the english course of Mova's primary school, as Mova's small model took its tests: it had read this lesson and the ones before it and learned from their exercises. Each test shows the options in the order the student saw them, its choice, the right answer, the score of every option and why it chose. The lesson itself, sentence by sentence with trees and pragmatics: the lesson in the corpora.

Every question of this lesson and each of its options parsed by Mova, with trees and pragmatics: the lesson's questions in the corpora.

Test 1 · ★ · right ✓

«proper job, my lover! now read: the ___ was on the farm, cow or snow?». Which fits and why?

1. Cow, because ow always says /ow/ — score 3
2. Cow, because a cow fits a farm sentence — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
3. Both fit the farm, so either answer is right — no support
4. Snow, because ow always says /oa/ — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 4, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 3: «It works the other way too: one spelling can make more than one sound. «ea» says /ee/ in «eat» but /e/ in «head»; «ow» says /ow/ in «cow» but /oa/ in «snow»; «…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: the same thing acted on «sentence» (+4); the same action «fit» (+2). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 2 · ★ · wrong ✗

«the e on the end of hope does nothing, it's just decoration innit». Put him right.

1. The e is said quietly, like «hop-eh» — ← Mova's choice · score 6
2. Without it the word is «hop», a different word — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. He's right, silent letters never change anything — no support
4. He's right, «hope» and «hop» sound the same — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 3: «It works the other way too: one spelling can make more than one sound. «ea» says /ee/ in «eat» but /e/ in «head»; «ow» says /ow/ in «cow» but /oa/ in «snow»; «…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «e» (+3); the same action «say» (+2); a different thing acted on (counts against) (+1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 3 · ★ · right ✓

«howay man, oa, ow, o-e, oe, all for one sound, it's canny daft, nobody can learn that». What is the wise move?

1. Sort words with that sound into columns and learn the common one first — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 3
2. Spell each word however it feels that day — score 0
3. Use «oa» for every word with that sound, and the teacher will have to accept it — score 3
4. Give up, because the spellings can never be learned — score 1

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 3, tied with another option at 3 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 3, line 2: «A tricky word is almost never tricky all the way through. In «because» only the «au» is odd; in «said» only the «ai». So the smart move is to find the odd bit,…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same action «learn» (+2); the same doer «smart move» (+2). Against it: a different thing acted on (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 4 · ★ · wrong ✗

«nite» is on a shop sign. Sadie's mum says «see, it's spelled nite». What is true?

1. Both spellings are fine in school work — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. «nite» is the British spelling, «night» the American — no support
3. The sign is right and «night» is old-fashioned — no support
4. Signs can use playful spellings; the real word is «night» — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 5 · ★ · wrong ✗

What would happen if Dev only ever tried the /ee/ sound for «ea»?

1. Nothing, because ea only has one sound — ← Mova's choice · score 5
2. He would misread words like «head» and «bread» — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. He would read faster, because there's only one sound — no support
4. He would read every ea word correctly — score 3

Why: It took the question to ask what happens next. It chose option 1 with score 5, against 3 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 10: ««ea» has two common sounds: /ee/ in «eat» and /e/ in «head».», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «ea» (+2); the same thing acted on «two common sounds» (+2); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). The right option, 2, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 6 · ★ · wrong ✗

«y's a consonant, it's in the alphabet with the consonants, no way it's a vowel». What is the fair reply?

1. At the start of «yes» it is, but in «my» and «happy» it works as a vowel — ✓ the right answer · score 5
2. Y is neither, it is a silent letter in every word it appears in, even «yes» — score 2
3. Y is only ever a vowel, it just looks like a consonant — no support
4. She is right, y is only ever a consonant — ← Mova's choice · score 16

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 4 with score 16, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 4: «The letter y is a shape-shifter. At the start of «yes» it is a consonant; in «my» it says /ie/ and in «happy» it says /ee/, so there it works as a vowel. And «…», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same doer «y» (+4); the same thing acted on «consonant» (+4); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+2). The right option, 1, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 7 · ★ · right ✓

In a cartoon a bear says «I'm a beer!» because «ear» always says /ear/. What should the bear learn?

1. «bear» should be spelled «bare» for the animal — score 6
2. «ear» always says /ear/, so the cartoon is right — score 8
3. «ear» says /air/ in «bear», «pear» and «wear» — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 12
4. «bear» and «beer» are the same word — score 1

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 3 with score 12, against 8 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 14: ««ear» says /ear/ in «hear» and /air/ in «bear», «pear» and «wear».», reached through what was said in the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same doer «ear» (+4); the same thing acted on «air» (+4). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 8 · ★ · right ✓

A friend from Lancashire says «book» so it nearly rhymes with «moon». Is she saying it wrong?

1. No, accents differ; the spelling stays the same — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 5
2. No, and the word should be spelled «boon» — no support
3. Yes, and she should spell it «buke» — no support
4. Yes, there is only one correct way to say «book» in English — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 1 with score 5, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 5: «Accents shape what we hear. In parts of the North of England some people say «book» with a long sound, nearly like «boohk»; the spelling stays the same everywh…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «stay» (+2); the same doer «spelling» (+2); the same property (+1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 9 · ★ · right ✓

«can or not, teacher, I write bird as burd, same sound one». What is the answer?

1. Not allowed: «bird» uses «ir», and each word has its usual spelling — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 8
2. Not allowed: «bird» is spelled «berd» — score 8
3. Can, because all three spellings are the same — score 5
4. Can, but only in Singapore English — no support

Why: It took the question to ask what it is done to. It chose option 1 with score 8, tied with another option at 8 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 3, line 11: «Look, say, cover, write, check is a way to learn a spelling: look at it, say it, cover it, write it from memory, then check.», reached through the remembered sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+6); the same thing acted on «spelling» (+4). Against it: a different doer (counts against) (-2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 10 · ★ · right ✓

★★★ Which word becomes a NEW real word when you add a silent e to the end?

1. bend — no support
2. pin — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 6
3. ship — no support
4. fish — no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 2 with score 6, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 1, line 4: «Schools teach the sounds in a planned order, in stages called phases or sets. First come s, a, t, p, i, n, because with just those six a child can already read…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+3); the same doer «sat» (+2); the same thing acted on «word» (+2). Against it: a different action (counts against) (-1). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 11 · ★ · right ✓

★★★ How many words in this list have the /oa/ sound: boat, cow, snow, home, shout?

1. 3 — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · no support
2. 2 — no support
3. 5 — no support
4. 4 — no support

Why: Nothing it remembers matched the question, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Test 12 · ★ · wrong ✗

★★★ In «the wind blew the bread off the table», one word has the vowel sound of «true» and one the vowel sound of «head». Which pair is it?

1. wind and blew — ← Mova's choice · no support
2. blew and bread — ✓ the right answer · no support
3. bread and table — no support
4. the and blew — no support

Why: No option found support in what it remembers, so it guessed: it took the first option shown. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 1 · formal language · wrong ✗

Which of the following statements most accurately characterises the function of a final silent e in a split digraph?

1. It indicates that the word is of foreign origin — ← Mova's choice · score 8
2. It is pronounced as a separate syllable at the end of the word — no support
3. It serves solely as decoration and has no effect — no support
4. It causes the preceding vowel to be pronounced as its name — ✓ the right answer · no support

Why: It took the question to ask who or what does it. It chose option 1 with score 8, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 2, line 16: «Some common words such as «was» have a tricky bit (the a says /o/, the s says /z/); the rest still follows the rules.», reached through the same lesson line as the sentence the question matched. What matched: it fills the role the question asks for (+4); the same doer «common words» (+3); the same light verb (be, have, do, get, go) (+1). The right option, 4, found no support in what it remembers. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 2 · formal language · right ✓

Ascertain the course of action appropriate to a reader who encounters a letter team possessing two possible sounds.

1. To omit the word entirely and continue reading — no support
2. To pronounce the team invariably in its more common manner, irrespective of the meaning of the sentence in which it stands — no support
3. To attempt each sound in turn and retain that which yields a real word suited to the sentence — ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer · score 4
4. To pronounce each letter of the team separately — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 3 with score 4, the only option with support. Its support: lesson 4, line 3: «It works the other way too: one spelling can make more than one sound. «ea» says /ee/ in «eat» but /e/ in «head»; «ow» says /ow/ in «cow» but /oa/ in «snow»; «…», reached through a sentence linked to the one the question matched. What matched: the same action «try» (+2); the same thing acted on «one sound» (+2). · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 3 · formal language · wrong ✗

Identify the principal distinction between «ai» and «ay» as representations of the same sound.

1. There is no distinction of any kind, the two being interchangeable in all words — no support
2. «ai» occurs exclusively in nouns, whereas «ay» occurs exclusively in verbs — ← Mova's choice · score 5
3. «ai» generally occurs within a word, whereas «ay» generally occurs at its end — ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. «ay» is the American form and «ai» the British form of the same spelling — no support

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 5, tied with another option at 5 (the first shown, or the one claiming less beyond what it knows, wins). Its support: lesson 4, line 7: ««ai» usually comes in the middle of a word (rain) and «ay» at the end (play).», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «ai» (+3); the same action «come» (+2). The right option, 3, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

Exam question 4 · formal language · wrong ✗

Select the response consistent with the established facts concerning the letter y.

1. It is never pronounced and serves merely to mark the end of a word — no support
2. It functions as a vowel exclusively in words borrowed from Greek — ← Mova's choice · score 7
3. It functions as a consonant at the beginning of certain words and as a vowel elsewhere — ✓ the right answer · score 5
4. It functions invariably as a consonant in all words of the language — score 5

Why: It took the question to ask which statement is true. It chose option 2 with score 7, against 5 for the next best. Its support: lesson 4, line 4: «The letter y is a shape-shifter. At the start of «yes» it is a consonant; in «my» it says /ie/ and in «happy» it says /ee/, so there it works as a vowel. And «…», reached through the option's own match among the sentences about the question's things. What matched: the same doer «y» (+3); the same action «work» (+2); the same circumstance (+2). The right option, 3, scored 5. · the question and its options parsed, with trees and pragmatics

This page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/english/4-vowel-teams-split-digraphs-and-choosing-the-spelling/