© White Educational Products Be a Master Speller: Follow the Rules

© White Educational Products English spelling can be frustrating for native speakers, and especially for non- native speakers. English is consistently inconsistent; therefore, following rules and suggestions offered will help you become a Master Speller and will help you to be able to find exceptions to rules.

© White Educational Products Practice writing words Break words up in syllables Look the meaning up in a dictionary Review for min. daily Create a sentence using spelling words Create a story using spelling words

© White Educational Products We must know and understand the rules of spelling in order to understand the exceptions. English is one of the most difficult languages even for native speakers.

i before e, except after c achieve, believe, bier, brief, chief, fiend, friend, grief, grieve, hygiene, patience, pierce, priest, thief ceiling, conceive, conceit, deceive, deceit, perceive, receipt, receive

© White Educational Products Written by J.Nogowski

© White Educational Products words that make the “a” sound beige, freight, neighbor, sleigh, vein, weight, and weigh Exceptions that do not have a pattern either, feint, foreign, forfeit, height, leisure, neither, seize, weird

© White Educational Products Change y to i when adding an ending supplysuppliessuppliedsupplying worryworriesworriedworrying merrymerrier

© White Educational Products When –ing is added, keep y. When a vowel comes before the y, keep y crycryingcriescried studystudyingstudiesstudied obeyobeyedobeyingobeysobeyer saysaidsayingsayssayer

© White Educational Products Add -s or –es to make words plural. shoe + s =shoes porch + es = porches box + es =boxes bush + es = bushes blitz + es = blitzes

© White Educational Products For proper nouns, keep –y and add -s. Kennedy + s = Kennedys Words with a consonant ending plus -y, change the -y to -i and add -es. company – y + i + es = companies Words with a vowel ending plus –y, keep –y and add -s toy + s = toystoys

© White Educational Products The plain truth is they just need to be memorized. –child= children –foot= feet –goose= geese –louse= lice –man= men –mouse= mice –ox= oxen –tooth= teeth –woman= women

© White Educational Products Words that end in -ss, -sh, -ch or -x add -es. switch = switches Most nouns ending in f or fe add s. Some change the f to v and add s or es. belief = beliefs half = halves Most nouns ending in o add s. Some add -es. studio = studios cargo = cargoes

© White Educational Products Drop silent e if the ending begins with a vowel. advance + -ing = advancing surprise + -ing = surprising Keep silent e i f the ending begins with a consonant advance + ment = advancement like + ness = likeness If a vowel comes before silent e DROP silent e argue + -ment = argument true + -ly = truly

© White Educational Products 1.Single final consonant 2.And follows a single vowel 3.And the suffix begins with a vowel 4.One syllable or is stressed on the last syllable: In the examples the “trol” syllable in control is stressed, while the “en” of enter is stressed. Doubling final consonant when adding –ed, -ing, or a suffix Controlcontrollingcontrolledcontrollable enterenteringentered

© White Educational Products ADMIT + -ed = ADMITTED 1.ADMIT ends with a consonant 2.Follows a vowel 3.Accented on the last syllable 4.Therefore double the t before adding an -ing or –ed 1.admitting 2.admitted FLAP + -ed = FLAPPED The word FLAP is a one syllable word

© White Educational Products COUNSEL + -ing = COUNSELING When there are two syllables with the stress on the first syllable, do not double the consonant before. DESPAIR + -ed = DESPAIRED When there are two vowels together before the consonant, do not double the consonant.

© White Educational Products Change the -c to -ck panicpanicking picnicpicnicking Words that end in -c

© White Educational Products With some verbs ending in -l, -m, and p you can either double the consonant or not. traveltraveling or travelling programprograming or programming worshipworshiping or worshipping

Some words have silent letter combinations. You must memorize these patterns. gn, pn, kn= n gnomepneumoniaknife rh, wr = r rhymewrestle pt, ght = t ptomaineheight ps, sc = s psalmscience wh = h whole

© White Educational Products "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking?" team coat wait NOTE: There are plenty of Exceptions!!

A dding a prefix seldom changes the spelling of a word. misspelled unnecessary dissatisfied disinterested misinform

© White Educational Products Becoming a Master Speller takes a personal commitment and Finding your own method to add this important skill to your writing arsenal.