American English: Test Your Knowledge

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| By Pedersenerica

Pedersenerica

Community Contributor

Quizzes Created: 16 | Total Attempts: 64,629

Questions: 10 | Attempts: 1,578 | Updated: Mar 21, 2023

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Questions and Answers

1.

Americans change T to a light D sound when the T is between vowel sounds, as in "water."
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
Americans change the pronunciation of the letter "T" to a light "D" sound when it is between vowel sounds, as in the word "water." This phenomenon is known as "flapping" and is a common feature of American English pronunciation.

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1
0
2.

Americans always pronounce the T sound when T follows N, as in "interview."
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
Americans do not always pronounce the T sound when T follows N. In many American accents, the T sound is often dropped or softened in words like "interview." This phenomenon is known as a "flap T" or "alveolar tap," where the tongue quickly taps the roof of the mouth instead of fully pronouncing the T sound. Therefore, the correct answer is False.

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2
0
3.

Americans always pronounce the R sound except when the R is next to last, as in "work."
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
Americans do not always pronounce the R sound, especially when it is next to last in a word like "work." This is a common characteristic of certain American English dialects, such as the non-rhotic variety found in the Northeastern United States. In these dialects, the R sound is often dropped or softened when it occurs before a consonant or at the end of a word. Therefore, the statement is false.

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4.

Americans reduce the L sound (pronounce it lightly) when L is the last letter.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
Americans reduce the pronunciation of the letter "L" when it is the last letter in a word. This means that they pronounce it lightly or with less emphasis compared to when it is in the middle or beginning of a word.

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5.

In American English the syllable stress often changes when a word has two forms such as being both noun and verb.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
In American English, it is common for the syllable stress to change when a word has two forms, such as being both a noun and a verb. This means that the emphasis or accent on a particular syllable may shift depending on the word's function in a sentence. This phenomenon highlights the flexibility and adaptability of the English language, allowing for different stress patterns based on the word's grammatical role.

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6.

Americans pronounce the letter O four different ways in the words "computer," "cop," "hope" and "do."
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
Americans pronounce the letter O four different ways in the words "computer," "cop," "hope," and "do." This statement is true because in American English, the letter O can be pronounced differently depending on the word. In "computer," it is pronounced as /ʌ/ (uh), in "cop" it is pronounced as /ɑ/ (ah), in "hope" it is pronounced as /oʊ/ (oh), and in "do" it is pronounced as /u/ (oo).

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7.

Americans pronounce TH the same way in "the" and "think."
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
Americans do not pronounce TH the same way in "the" and "think." In "the," TH is pronounced as a voiced dental fricative sound, while in "think," TH is pronounced as an unvoiced dental fricative sound. Therefore, the statement is false.

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8.

American English has complex spellings for Short Vowels and simple spellings for Long Vowels.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
B. False

Explanation
American English does not have complex spellings for Short Vowels and simple spellings for Long Vowels. In fact, American English has complex spellings for both Short and Long Vowels. For example, the word "cat" has a short "a" sound and the word "cake" has a long "a" sound, but the spelling of the vowel sound is different in both words. Therefore, the statement is false.

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9.

Americans teach their kids that "an E at the end makes the vowel sound long."
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
The statement is true because in American English, adding an "E" at the end of a word often changes the vowel sound to a long sound. This is a common rule taught to children when learning to read and pronounce words. For example, the word "hat" has a short "a" sound, but when an "E" is added at the end, it becomes "hate" with a long "a" sound.

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10.

In American English, when two vowels are next to each other, the 2nd vowel is often silent.
- A.
  
  True
- B.
  
  False
Correct Answer
A. True

Explanation
When two vowels are next to each other in American English, it is common for the second vowel to be silent. This is observed in words like "boat" and "coat" where the "o" in the second position is not pronounced. Therefore, the statement "True" accurately reflects this pattern in American English pronunciation.

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Current Version
Mar 21, 2023

Quiz Edited by
ProProfs Editorial Team
Feb 21, 2013

Quiz Created by
Pedersenerica

American English: Test Your Knowledge

Americans change T to a light D sound when the T is between vowel sounds, as in "water."

Americans always pronounce the T sound when T follows N, as in "interview."

Americans always pronounce the R sound except when the R is next to last, as in "work."

Americans reduce the L sound (pronounce it lightly) when L is the last letter.

In American English the syllable stress often changes when a word has two forms such as being both noun and verb.

Americans pronounce the letter O four different ways in the words "computer," "cop," "hope" and "do."

Americans pronounce TH the same way in "the" and "think."

American English has complex spellings for Short Vowels and simple spellings for Long Vowels.

Americans teach their kids that "an E at the end makes the vowel sound long."

In American English, when two vowels are next to each other, the 2nd vowel is often silent.