Unit 7 Strengthening Your Spelling

Chapter 39 Spelling

Tips for Improving Your Spelling Look closely at the words on the page. Use any tricks you can to remember the right spelling. Use a dictionary. Even professional writers frequently check spelling in a dictionary. Use a spell checker. If you write on a computer, make a habit of using the spell check software. Keep a list of the words you misspell. Look over your list whenever you can and keep it handy as you write. Look over corrected papers for misspelled words (often marked sp.). Add these words to your list. Practice writing each word three or four times. Test yourself. Use flash cards or have a friend dictate words from your list. 3

Spotting Vowels and Consonants To learn some basic spelling rules, you must know the difference between vowels and consonants. The vowels are a, e, i, o, and u. The consonants are b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, and z. The letter y can be either a vowel or a consonant, depending on its sound. 4

Doubling the Final Consonant (in Words of One Syllable) When you add a suffix or an ending that begins with a vowel (like -ed, -ing, -er, -est) to a word of one syllable, double the final consonant if the last three letters of the word are consonant-vowel-consonant or c-v-c. plan + ed = planned swim + ing = swimming thin + est = thinnest light + er = lighter 5

Doubling the Final Consonant (in Words of More Than One Syllable) When you add a suffix that begins with a vowel to a word of more than one syllable, double the final consonant if: the last three letters of the word are cvc, and the accent or stress is on the last syllable. begin + ing = beginning control + ed = controlled 6

Dropping or Keeping the Final E When you add a suffix that begins with a vowel (like -able, -ence, -ing), drop the final e. When you add a suffix that begins with a consonant (like -less, -ment, -ly), keep the fi nal e. move + ing = moving pure + ity = purity home + less = homeless advertise + ment = advertisement 7

Keeping or Changing the Final Y When you add a suffix to a word that ends in -y, change the y to i if the letter before the y is a consonant. Keep the final y if the letter before the y is a vowel. happy + ness = happiness portray + ed = portrayed 8

Adding -S or –ES Nouns usually take an -s or an -es ending to form the plural. Verbs take an -s or –es in the third person singular (he, she, or it). Add -es instead of -s if a word ends in ch, sh, ss, x, or z (the -es adds an extra syllable to the word). box + es = boxes crutch + es = crutches miss + es = misses 9

Adding -S or –ES Add -es instead of -s for most words that end in o: do + es = does hero + es = heroes echo + es = echoes tomato + es = tomatoes go + es = goes potato + es = potatoes 10

achieve niece deceive vein Choosing IE or EI Write i before e, except after c or in an ay sound like neighbor or weigh. achieve niece deceive vein However, words with a shen sound are spelled with an ie after the c. ancient conscience efficient sufficient 11

Find the misspelled word in each group. Spell it correctly. 1. technique, vacuum, salery, schedule 2. fourty, certain, justify, label 3. magazine, parallel, minnimum, existence 4. flexible, restaurant, carreer, convenient 5. vacancy, attornies, apologize, desperate 6. misspell, intelligent, amount, answer 7. quantity, hurredly, unique, actually 8. label, competition, committee, gaurantee 9. financial, recommend, jealous, opponet 10. persuade, seperate, annual, jeopardy 12

Find the misspelled word in each group. Spell it correctly. 11. divide, mortgage, continully, origin 12. criticism, quanity, pamphlet, athlete 13. libary, exaggerate, professor, cancellation 14. existence, category, confrence, approximate 15. forward, development, interupt, nickel 16. generally, usualy, brilliant, satisfactory 17. aquaint, questionnaire, parallel, imagine 18. bureau, asistant, unnecessary, strength 19. benefit, laboratory, article, abcense 20. excellent, duplacate, meant, temperament 13

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EXPLORING ONLINE http://www.esldesk.com/eslquizzes/misspelled-words/index.htm Challenge yourself. 500 commonly misspelled words in English. Learn new words and quiz yourself. 15

Look-Alikes/ Sound-Alikes Chapter 40 Look-Alikes/ Sound-Alikes 16

Common look alikes and sound alikes: A/an/and Accept/except Affect/effect Been/being Buy/by It’s/its Know/knew/no/new Lose/loose Past/passed Quiet/quit/quite Rise/raise Sit/set Suppose/supposed Their/there/they’re Then/than Through/though To/too/two Use/used Weather/whether Where/were/we’re Whose/who’s Your/you’re 17

EXPLORING ONLINE http://a4esl.org/q/h/homonyms.html Confused by English words that sound alike? Practice and learn with these excellent quizzes. 18