McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Objectives This chapter will show you how to improve your spelling by using: A dictionary Electronic aids A personal spelling list List of specialized words A list of common English words Four basic spelling rules Part Three, A Brief Guide to Important Word Skills Spelling Improvement

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Poor spelling often results from bad habits developed in early school years. With work such habits can be corrected. Six steps to improve your spelling: Use the dictionary Use electronic aids Keep a personal spelling list Learn key words in major subjects Study a basic word list Learn basic spelling rules

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Use the dictionary Get in the habit of using the dictionary. When you write a paper, allow yourself enough time to look up all the words whose spelling you are unsure of. Through using the dictionary, you will probably improve your spelling 95% almost immediately.

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Use electronic aids Electronic spell-checks are pocket-sized devices that look like pocket calculators. A computer with a spell-checker included in its word processing program will identify incorrect words and suggest correct spellings.

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Keep a personal spelling list Keep a list of words that you misspell in your English or reading and study skills notebook or a separate notebook for that purpose.

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. To master the words: Look at the first word, say it, and spell it. Then look away and try to spell it. After going over other words, go back and test yourself. After learning each new word, go back and review all preceding ones. Review and repeated self-testing are the keys to effective learning. Write out difficult words several times, or “air-write” them with your finger in large, exaggerated motions. Try capitalizing letters you confuse in a word when you write it out. With long words, divide the words into syllables and try to spell the syllables. Try to see, hear, and spell long words in terms of their syllable parts.

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Learn key words in major subjects Make up lists of words central to the vocabulary of your major subjects. Set aside a specific portion of your various course notebooks to be used only for such lists. Study them using the methods for learning described in your Reading and Study Skills textbook.

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Study a basic word list Your Reading and Study Skills textbook provides a basic word list for you to study. They are some of the most commonly used words in the English language. Highlight words that you typically have trouble spelling.

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Learn basic spelling rules 1. I before E, except after C believedeceiveyield fieldgriefdeceit cashierconceitedpriest Note: Here are some exceptions to the rule: heighteitherleisure seizeweirdneighbor efficientscience

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 2. Drop a final e when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel. hope + ing = hopingsense + ible = sensible excite + ed = excitedcreate + ive = creative believe + able = believablefine + est = finest Keep the final e when adding a suffix that begins with a consonant. hope + less = hopelessuse + ful = useful excite + ment = excitementlife + like = lifelike

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 3. When a word ends in a consonant plus y, change the y to i when you add a suffix. reply + es = repliescarry + age = carriage lazy + ness = lazinessdefy + ed = defied happy + er = happierpenny + less = penniless Here are some exceptions: Do not change the y when you add -ing. play + ing = playing Do not change the y when a word ends in a vowel plus y (rather than a consonant plus y). employ + ed = employed

McGraw-Hill © 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. 4. Double the final consonant of a word when all of the following apply: The word is one syllable or is accented on the last syllable. drop + ing = dropping The word ends with a consonant preceded by a vowel. control + able = controllable The suffix you are adding begins with a vowel. equip + ed = equipped