Phonetics: Describing Vowels with Features 1.1

Please wait while the activity loads.
If this activity does not load, try refreshing your browser. Also, this page requires javascript. Please visit using a browser with javascript enabled.

If loading fails, click here to try again

This exercise requires you to describe vowels in Standard English based on the features [high, mid, low], [front, central, back], and [tense/lax].

Note that these are the parameters referred to at the introductory level. The terms 'mid' and 'central' are not used at a more advanced level.

Start

You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%.

Your answers are highlighted below.

Question 1

Select the best description for the vowel /ε/.

A	mid, front, lax, unrounded
B	high, front, lax, unrounded Hint: /ɪ/ is high, front, lax, unrounded. /ε/ is mid, front, lax., unrounded
C	mid, central, lax Hint: /ʌ/ is mid, central, lax, unrounded. /ε/ is mid, front, lax, unrounded.

Question 2

Select the best description for the vowel/ɪ/.

A	high, front, lax, unrounded
B	high, front, tense, unrounded Hint: /i/ is high, front, tense, unrounded. /ɪ/ is high, front, lax, unrounded.
C	mid, front, tense, unerounded Hint: /e is mid, front, tense, unrounded. /ɪ/ is high, front, lax, unrounded.

Question 3

Select the best description for the vowel /a/.

A	mid, central, lax Hint: /ʌ/ is mid, central, lax, unrounded. /æ/ is low, front, lax, unrounded.
B	low, front, lax
C	low, back, lax Hint: /a/ is low, back, lax, unrounded. back is low, front, lax, unrounded.

Question 4

Select the best description for the vowel /i/.

A	mid, front, tense Hint: /e/ is mid, front, tense, unrounded. /i/ is high, front, tense, unrounded.
B	high, front, lax Hint: /ɪ/ is high, front, lax, unrounded. /i/ is high, front, tense, unrounded.
C	high, front, tense, unrounded

Question 5

Select the best description for the vowel /o/.

A	high, back, lax, rounded Hint: /ʊ/ is high, back, lax. /o/ is mid, back, tense, rounded.
B	mid, back, tense, rounded
C	mid, back, lax, rounded Hint: /ɔ/ is mid, back, lax, rounded. /o/ is mid, back, tense, rounded

Question 6

Select the best description for the vowel /e/.

A	mid, front, tense
B	high, front, tense, unrounded Hint: /i/ is high,front, tense, unrounded. /e/ is mid, front, tense, unrounded.
C	high, front, lax, unrounded Hint: /ɪ/ is high, front, lax, unrounded. /e/ is mid, front, tense, unrounded.

Question 7

Select the best description for the vowel /a/.

A	low, back, lax
B	mid, front, lax Hint: /ɛ/ is mid, front, lax, unrounded. /a/ is low, back, lax, unrounded.
C	low, front, lax Hint: /æ/ is low, front, lax, unrounded. /a/ is low, back, lax, unrounded.

Question 8

Select the best description for the vowel /u/.

A	high, back, tense
B	mid, back, tense Hint: /o/ is mid, back, tense, rounded. /u/ is high, back, tense, unrounded
C	high, back, lax Hint: /ʊ/ is high, back, la, unroundedx. /u/ is high, back, tense, unrounded.

Question 9

Select the best description for the vowel /ʌ/.

A	mid, back, lax, rounded Hint: /ɔ/ is mid, back, lax. /ʌ/ is mid, central/back, lax, unrounded. Note that [ʌ] is, in most English dialects, central rather than back. [ɔ] is further differentiated from a back [ʌ] in that [ɔ] is rounded, whereas [ʌ] is not.
B	mid, back, tense, unrounded Hint: /o/ is mid, back, tense, rounded. /ʌ/ is mid, central/back, lax rounded.
C	mid, central, lax, unrounded or mid, back, lax, rounded

Question 10

Select the best description for the vowel /ɔ/.

A	back, mid, tense Hint: /o/ is back, mid, tense. /ɔ/ is back, mid, lax., rounded
B	front, high, tense, rounded Hint: /i/ is front, high, tense,rounded. /ɔ/ is back, mid, lax.
C	mid, lax, back, rounded

Once you are finished, click the button below. Any items you have not completed will be marked incorrect. Get Results

There are 10 questions to complete.

Return to Phonetics Exercises

Phonetics: Describing Vowels with Features 1.1

Your Subscription Information

Suggestions, Comments, & Questions