Schwa Worksheets and Activities.Making English Fun - Free Printable

Problem Description:

The task involves identifying whether the underlined vowel in each word is a schwa sound. A schwa is a neutral vowel sound (often represented as /ə/) that occurs in unstressed syllables of words. The goal is to determine if the underlined vowel in each word makes the schwa sound.

Solution Approach:

1. Understand Schwa:
- Schwa is the most common vowel sound in English, often described as a short, neutral "uh" sound.
- It typically occurs in unstressed syllables of multi-syllable words.

2. Identify Unstressed Syllables:
- Look for words with multiple syllables and identify which syllables are stressed or unstressed.
- The schwa sound usually appears in unstressed syllables.

3. Check Each Word:
- For each word, determine if the underlined vowel is in an unstressed syllable.
- If it is, check if it sounds like a schwa (/ə/).

4. Mark the Words:
- Circle the words where the underlined vowel makes the schwa sound.

Step-by-Step Analysis:

#### List of Words:
1. apple
- Underlined: a
- Pronunciation: /ˈæp.əl/
- The underlined "a" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

2. banana
- Underlined: a
- Pronunciation: /bə.nə.ˈnɑː/
- The underlined "a" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

3. rabbit
- Underlined: i
- Pronunciation: /ˈræ.bɪt/
- The underlined "i" is in a stressed syllable and does not sound like a schwa.
- Do not circle this word.

4. doctor
- Underlined: o
- Pronunciation: /ˈdɒk.tər/
- The underlined "o" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

5. orange
- Underlined: a
- Pronunciation: /ˈɔːr.ɪndʒ/
- The underlined "a" is in a stressed syllable and does not sound like a schwa.
- Do not circle this word.

6. banana
- Underlined: a
- Pronunciation: /bə.nə.ˈnɑː/
- The underlined "a" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

7. continue
- Underlined: u
- Pronunciation: /kən.tɪn.ˈjuː/
- The underlined "u" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

8. support
- Underlined: o
- Pronunciation: /sə.ˈpɔːrt/
- The underlined "o" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

9. banana
- Underlined: a
- Pronunciation: /bə.nə.ˈnɑː/
- The underlined "a" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

10. evening
- Underlined: e
- Pronunciation: /ˈiː.və.nɪŋ/
- The underlined "e" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

11. orange
- Underlined: a
- Pronunciation: /ˈɔːr.ɪndʒ/
- The underlined "a" is in a stressed syllable and does not sound like a schwa.
- Do not circle this word.

12. banana
- Underlined: a
- Pronunciation: /bə.nə.ˈnɑː/
- The underlined "a" is in an unstressed syllable and sounds like a schwa (/ə/).
- Circle this word.

Final Answer:

The words where the underlined vowel makes the schwa sound are:
- apple
- banana
- doctor
- banana
- continue
- support
- banana
- evening
- banana

Boxed Answer:
\[
\boxed{\text{apple, banana, doctor, banana, continue, support, banana, evening, banana}}
\]