Why English spelling is so weird – B2 English listening test

B2 Listening Test

Watch a video about the history of English spelling. For questions 1 to 8, decide if the sentences are true or false. You can see the transcription after submitting your answers.

See the full list of B2 listening tests

Listening comprehension test

Page 1 of 8

1 When Christian missionaries arrived in England, they started to use spellings that didn’t reflect how words were pronounced.

a.True

b.False

Page 2 of 8

2 Words like cough, enough, though or thought were originally pronounced with the same sound at the end.

a.True

b.False

Page 3 of 8

3 When the printer was invented, the changes in pronunciation had finished.

a.True

b.False

Page 4 of 8

4 The pronunciation of English vowels changed a lot.

a.True

b.False

Page 5 of 8

5 A big part of modern spelling is due to how words were pronounced in the past or how they were spelled in French.

a.True

b.False

Page 6 of 8

6 Latin started influencing spelling in the late 1500s, when English spelling was still undergoing big changes.

a.True

b.False

Page 7 of 8

7 Latin was responsible for the introduction of letters that are written but not pronounced.

a.True

b.False

Page 8 of 8

8 The pronunciation of the word colonel comes from Italy.

a.True

b.False

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Explanation

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