Identifying the Schwa

[Raj Singh]

Hi,

I have been struggling with the schwa sounds in my test. Can someone help me with the below exercise.

Hint: some of the words contain more than one schwa sound. Again try saying the words aloud a few times to identify them.

newspaper
industry
entertainment
recognise
photograph
photographer
furniture
hesitation
approximate (adjective)

Choose the option below each word which correctly demonstrates all the schwas in the word.

Let's begin:

newspaper

Select one:
a.newspap/ə/
b.newsp/ə/p/ə/
c.newsp/ə/per
d.n/ə/spap/ə/

industry

Select one:
a.ind/ə/str/ə/
b.industr/ə/
c./ə/ndustry
d.ind/ə/stry

entertainment

Select one:
a.ent/ə/tainment
b.ent/ə/t/ə/nm/ə/nt
c.ent/ə/tainm/ə/nt
d./ə/ntertainm/ə/nt

recognise

Select one:
a.r/ə/cognise
b.rec/ə/gnis/ə/
c.rec/ə/gnise
d.recognis/ə/

photograph

Select one:
a.ph/ə/tograph
b.phot/ə/graph
c.phot/ə/gr/ə/ph
d.photogr/ə/ph

photographer

Select one:
a.phot/ə/gr/ə/ph/ə/
b.ph/ə/tograph/ə/
c.phot/ə/gr/ə/pher
d.ph/ə/togr/ə/ph/ə/

furniture

Select one:
a.furn/ə/t/ə/
b.f/ə/niture
c.f/ə/nit/ə/
d.furnit/ə/

hesitation

Select one:
a.h/ə/s/ə/tat/ə/n
b.hes/ə/tation
c.hesit/ə/tion
d.hes/ə/tat/ə/n

approximate (adjective)

Select one:
a./ə/pproximat/ə/
b./ə/ppr/ə/x/ə/m/ə/te
c.appr/ə/xim/ə/te
d./ə/pproxim/ə/te

[Raj Singh]

My replies are below:

newspaper
n/ə/spap/ə/

industry
/ə/ndustry

entertainment
​ent/ə/tainm/ə/nt

Recognise
rec/ə/gnis/ə/

photograph
phot/ə/gr/ə/ph

photographer
ph/ə/togr/ə/ph/ə/

furniture
f/ə/nit/ə/

hesitation
h/ə/s/ə/tat/ə/n

approximate (adjective)
/ə/pproxim/ə/te

[Piscean]

My replies are below:

n/ə/spap/ə/
/ə/ndustry
​ent/ə/tainm/ə/nt
rec/ə/gnis/ə/
phot/ə/gr/ə/ph
ph/ə/togr/ə/ph/ə/
f/ə/nit/ə/
h/ə/s/ə/tat/ə/n
/ə/pproxim/ə/te

Those I have marked in red are not schwas.
Those I have marked in green can be.

[SoothingDave]

"Newspaper" doesn't end in a schwa in rhotic accents. Or the "enter" in "entertainment." Or the vowels in "furniture."

[Tdol]

I'd start furniture off with /ɜː/, but I am strictly non-rhotic.