1. Unit 7 Strengthening Your Spelling

2. Chapter 40
Spelling

3. 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.

4. Tips for Improving Your Spelling (continued)
Review the basic spelling rules explained in this chapter
Study the spelling list on page 543.
Read through Chapter 41, “Look Alikes/Sound Alikes” for commonly confused words (their, there, and they’re, for instance).

5. Computer Spell Checkers
A computer spell checker picks up spelling errors and gives you alternatives for correcting them.
What a spell checker cannot do is think. If you have written then for than, the spell checker cannot help.
Proofread your paper after using the spell checker. Run spell check again after you’ve made all your corrections.

6. 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.

7. plan + ed = planned swim + ing = swimming
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

8. the last three letters of the word are cvc, and
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

9. advertise + ment = advertisement
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 final e.
move + ing = moving
pure + ity = purity
home + less = homeless
advertise + ment = advertisement

10. Keep the final y if the letter before the y is a vowel.
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

11. Nouns usually take an -s or an -es ending to form the plural.
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

12. Add -es instead of -s for most words that end in o:
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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

17. EXPLORING ONLINE
Interactive spelling spelling test: three endings
Challenge yourself. 500 commonly misspelled words in English. Learn new words and quiz yourself.

18. Look-Alikes/ Sound-Alikes
Chapter 41
Look-Alikes/ Sound-Alikes

19. 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

20. EXPLORING ONLINE
Excellent look-alikes/sound-alikes quizzes
Confused by English words that sound alike? Practice and learn with these excellent quizzes