The U after Q that stays silent

1. 1
   queue/kjuː/

   noun

   A line of people waiting for their turn.
2. 2
   antique/ænˈtiːk/

   adjective

   Made long ago and valued for being old.
3. 3
   unique/juːˈniːk/

   adjective

   The only one of its kind.
4. 4
   opaque/oʊˈpeɪk/

   adjective

   Too solid or cloudy for light to pass through.
5. 5
   plaque/plæk/

   noun

   A flat metal plate fixed to a wall in memory of a person or event.
6. 6
   technique/tekˈniːk/

   noun

   A practiced way of doing a particular job.
7. 7
   bouquet/buːˈkeɪ/

   noun

   A bunch of flowers arranged to be given as a gift.
8. 8
   croquet/kroʊˈkeɪ/

   noun

   A lawn game where players knock a wooden ball through hoops with a mallet.
9. 9
   mosquito/məˈskiːtoʊ/

   noun

   A small flying insect whose bite leaves an itchy bump.
10. 10
    conquer/ˈkɑːŋkər/

    verb

    To take control of a place by force.

The sentences

1. The queue for the estate sale already stretches past the croquet lawn.

2. Is that antique table for sale this morning?

3. This one is unique, so it costs more.

4. The glass is opaque, so I can't see inside.

5. There's a small plaque on the wall by the door.

6. He showed me his technique for cleaning old silver.

7. Someone left a bouquet of dried flowers on the table.

8. The croquet set out back is still for sale.

9. A mosquito got me while we waited outside.

10. It took an army to conquer this town.

Pronunciation

• queue/kjuː/

  One syllable — it sounds exactly like the name of the letter Q.

• antique/ænˈtiːk/

  'an-TEEK', with the stress on the second syllable.

• unique/juːˈniːk/

  Starts with a 'you' sound, then 'NEEK'.

• opaque/oʊˈpeɪk/

  'oh-PAKE', stress on the second syllable.

• plaque/plæk/

  Rhymes with 'black'.

• technique/tekˈniːk/

  'tek-NEEK', stress on the second syllable.

• bouquet/buːˈkeɪ/

  'boo-KAY' — the t at the end is silent.

• croquet/kroʊˈkeɪ/

  'kro-KAY' — the t is silent and the stress is on the second syllable.

• mosquito/məˈskiːtoʊ/

  The middle syllable is 'skee', not 'skwee'.

• conquer/ˈkɑːŋkər/

  'KONK-er', stress on the first syllable and no 'kw' in it.

Questions

What does 'opaque' mean?

It means too solid or cloudy for light to pass through, as in 'The glass is opaque, so I can't see inside.'

How do you pronounce 'croquet'?

'kro-KAY' — the t is silent and the stress is on the second syllable, as in 'The croquet set out back is still for sale.'

What's the word for a bunch of flowers given as a gift?

That's a bouquet, pronounced 'boo-KAY' with a silent t, as in 'Someone left a bouquet of dried flowers on the table.'