Question 18
Cloze PassageJAMB 2006 Passage IV: English spelling (cloze, gaps 16–25)
One of the most difficult and confusing aspects of the English language is its spelling system. There is often .....16..... between the pronunciation of a word and its spelling. One cannot always tell how to spell a word .....17..... its pronunciation.
In order to understand the peculiarity of the English spelling.....18...., it is good to know something about the history of the language. First, it is helpful to realize that English was originally spoken by people who could neither read nor write. While the .....19.... people spoke English, the literate upper classes spoke French and wrote in Latin. Later, when English became a .....20.... language, there was no system for spelling its words. Moreover, the first writers of English were French speaking .....21... who knew English only slightly: therefore, they carried many French spelling ....22.... into English. In addition, these first writers of English, who were used to writing in Latin, often .....23.... letters into words even when they were not pronounced because the ....24... word in Latin was spelled that way. Finally, the confusion increased when the ....25... of certain words changed while the spelling remained the same.
In order to understand the peculiarity of the English spelling.....18...., it is good to know something about the history of the language. First, it is helpful to realize that English was originally spoken by people who could neither read nor write. While the .....19.... people spoke English, the literate upper classes spoke French and wrote in Latin. Later, when English became a .....20.... language, there was no system for spelling its words. Moreover, the first writers of English were French speaking .....21... who knew English only slightly: therefore, they carried many French spelling ....22.... into English. In addition, these first writers of English, who were used to writing in Latin, often .....23.... letters into words even when they were not pronounced because the ....24... word in Latin was spelled that way. Finally, the confusion increased when the ....25... of certain words changed while the spelling remained the same.
Passage IV, gap 18: In order to understand the peculiarity of the English spelling ________ (18), it is good to know something about the history of the language.
- A.difficulty
- B.confusion
- C.system
- D.code
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: C (system)
Explanation
The passage is about the English spelling system.