The letter A, five different vowels

1. 1
   cat/kæt/

   noun

   A small furry animal with whiskers and a tail, often kept as a pet.
2. 2
   cake/keɪk/

   noun

   A sweet baked food made from flour, sugar, eggs, and butter.
3. 3
   car/kɑːr/

   noun

   A road vehicle with four wheels that carries a few people.
4. 4
   care/ker/

   verb

   To feel that something matters to you.
5. 5
   about/əˈbaʊt/

   adverb

   Close to a number or amount, but not exactly it.
6. 6
   banana/bəˈnænə/

   noun

   A long curved yellow fruit with soft sweet flesh inside.
7. 7
   garage/ɡərˈɑːʒ/

   noun

   A building beside or under a house where a car is kept.
8. 8
   ancient/ˈeɪntʃənt/iAlso said ˈeɪnʃənt.

   adjective

   Extremely old, having been around a very long time.
9. 9
   wander/ˈwɑːndər/

   verb

   To walk around with no particular place to go.
10. 10
    awake/əˈweɪk/

    adjective

    Not asleep, and aware of what is going on.

The sentences

1. I fed the cat before anyone else woke up.

2. We need eggs and butter for the cake later.

3. The car keys are still on the kitchen counter.

4. I don't care which brand of coffee they have.

5. We need about six of them for the weekend.

6. Grab a banana if you get hungry on the way.

7. The car is out in the garage already.

8. The milk in the fridge looks ancient by now.

9. Don't wander off while we go and look for the car.

10. Nobody else is awake yet, so it's nice and quiet.

Pronunciation

• banana/bəˈnænə/

  The three a's are not the same: only the middle one is full and stressed, buh-NAN-uh.

• garage/ɡərˈɑːʒ/

  Stress falls on the second syllable, which ends with the soft zh sound in measure.

• ancient/ˈeɪntʃənt/

  Two syllables, not three: AYN-chunt.

• wander/ˈwɑːndər/

  The a sounds like the o in ponder, not like the a in hand.

Questions

What do I say if I don't mind either way?

You can say 'I don't care which brand of coffee they have.'

What does 'ancient' mean here?

It means extremely old, like something that's been around a very long time — 'The milk in the fridge looks ancient by now.'

What does 'wander' mean?

To walk around with no particular place to go, as in 'Don't wander off while we go and look for the car.'