Question

vowel sounds
name
read the paragraphs below. on the line next to the words in bold, write the long vowel sound you hear (a, e, i, or o) when you say the word to yourself.
serena williams started playing _ tennis as a very young child _. by the time she was five years old _, she and her older sister, venus, were already entering tournaments. when serena was fourteen _, she went professional. most _ players don’t have to compete against members of their family, but serena and venus have played each _ other many times.
in 1999, serena defeated _ the world’s top female player, martina hingis. she played straight _ sets and won her first “grand slam title” at the u.s. open. other grand slam titles are the australian open, the french open, and wimbledon. serena has won seven titles playing singles. she and her sister have won all four grand slam titles playing doubles as a team _. they _ are the first sisters to do this since the late 1800s. they were also the first sisters to ever hold ___ numbers one and two in the world rankings.
because she hurt her ankle and knee _, serena had to take a break from tennis for a while. but fans continue to keep _ their eyes on serena williams. she is sure to have a bright ___ future—in the world of sports and in whatever other challenges she chooses.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each bolded word's long vowel sound:

Word: playing

• Pronunciation: /ˈpleɪɪŋ/ (long vowel sound is from "ay" as /eɪ/, but we pick the vowel letter with the long sound. Wait, the task is to write the long vowel sound’s letter (a, e, i, o). Let's re - evaluate. The word "playing" has the long vowel sound of "a"? No, wait, "play" has the long "a" sound? Wait, no, "play" is /pleɪ/, so the long vowel sound here is from "a" (in the "ay" digraph, but the task is to choose a, e, i, o. Wait, maybe I misread. Wait, the task says "write the long vowel sound you hear (a, e, i, or o)". Let's go word by word:

1. playing: The long vowel sound here is from the "a" in the "ay" (but the vowel sound is /eɪ/, which is a long "a" sound? Wait, no, the letters are a, e, i, o. Let's check the correct long vowel:

• "playing" – the long vowel sound is from "a" (in "play")? Wait, maybe the intended answer is "a"? Wait, no, maybe I made a mistake. Wait, let's check the other words.

1. child: /tʃaɪld/ – long "i" sound? Wait, no, "child" has a long "i" (from "i")? Wait, no, "child" is /tʃaɪld/, so the long vowel is "i"? Wait, but the original paper has some markings. Wait, maybe the correct way is to identify the long vowel (a, e, i, o) in each bolded word:

• playing: long "a" (from "ay", but the vowel letter is "a" for the long sound? Wait, maybe the answer for "playing" is "a".
• child: long "i" (from "i" in "child"? No, "child" is /tʃaɪld/, so the long vowel is "i".
• old: long "o" (/oʊld/), so "o".
• fourteen: long "o"? No, "fourteen" is /ˌfɔːrˈtiːn/ or /ˌfɔːrˈtiːn/ (US: /ˌfɔːrˈtiːn/), wait, "four" has a long "o" sound? Wait, "four" is /fɔːr/, so "fourteen" – the long vowel is "o".
• Most: long "o" (/moʊst/), so "o".
• each: long "e" (/iːtʃ/), so "e".
• defeated: /dɪˈfiːtɪd/ – long "e" (from "e" in "fea" – wait, "defeated" is /dɪˈfiːtɪd/, so long "e".
• straight: /streɪt/ – long "a" (from "a" in "strai" – "straight" has a long "a" sound? Wait, "straight" is /streɪt/, so long "a".
• team: /tiːm/ – long "e".
• They: /ðeɪ/ – long "a"? Wait, no, "they" is /ðeɪ/, long "a" sound? Wait, "they" has a long "a" (from "e" in "they"? No, "they" is /ðeɪ/, so the vowel sound is /eɪ/, which is a long "a" sound? Wait, this is confusing. Wait, maybe the correct answers are as follows (correcting the long vowel for each bolded word):

• playing: a (long "a" sound)
• child: i (long "i" sound)
• old: o (long "o" sound)
• fourteen: o (long "o" sound)
• Most: o (long "o" sound)
• each: e (long "e" sound)
• defeated: e (long "e" sound)
• straight: a (long "a" sound)
• team: e (long "e" sound)
• They: a (long "a" sound)
• hold: o (long "o" sound)
• knee: e (long "e" sound)
• keep: e (long "e" sound)
• bright: i (long "i" sound)

But since the question is about solving (maybe correcting or providing the answers), let's assume we need to give the correct long vowel for each bolded word. Let's list them:

1. playing: a
2. child: i
3. old: o
4. fourteen: o
5. Most: o
6. each: e
7. defeated: e
8. straight: a
9. team: e
10. They: a
11. hold: o
12. knee: e
13. keep: e
14. bright: i

If we take one word as an example (say "playing"), the long vowel sound is "a".

Answer:

(for "playing" as an example): a