Oregon Educator Licensure Assessments (ORELA) Practice Exam

Syllabication involves:

1. Creating new words

2. Forming or dividing words into syllables

3. Combining sentences effectively

4. Identifying synonyms and antonyms

The correct answer is: Forming or dividing words into syllables

Syllabication refers specifically to the process of forming or dividing words into their constituent syllables. This skill is essential in reading and writing, as it helps learners break down words into manageable parts, making pronunciation easier and facilitating understanding of the word structure. When students learn to syllabicate, they enhance their phonemic awareness, which is critical for developing strong reading skills. Syllables are the building blocks of words, and understanding how to separate them can improve a person’s ability to decode written language. For instance, knowing that the word "fantastic" can be divided into three syllables (fan-tas-tic) helps with its pronunciation and can aid in spelling as well. This is particularly useful for young learners or those who are learning English as a second language. The other options pertain to different language skills. Creating new words relates to word formation and morphology, combining sentences effectively deals with sentence structure and writing cohesion, and identifying synonyms and antonyms focuses on vocabulary development. While all are important aspects of language and literacy, they do not describe the specific process of syllabication.