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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.
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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.
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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
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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:
1. the last three letters of the word are cvc, and
2. the accent or stress is on the last syllable.
begin + ing = beginning
control + ed = controlled
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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
home + less = homeless
pure + ity = purity
advertise + ment =
advertisement
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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
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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
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Adding -S or –ES
Add -es instead of -s for most words that end in o:
do + es = does
echo + es = echoes
go + es = goes
hero + es = heroes
tomato + es = tomatoes
potato + es = potatoes
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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
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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
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Find the misspelled word in each group. Spell it
correctly.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
divide, mortgage, continully, origin
criticism, quanity, pamphlet, athlete
libary, exaggerate, professor, cancellation
existence, category, confrence, approximate
forward, development, interupt, nickel
generally, usualy, brilliant, satisfactory
aquaint, questionnaire, parallel, imagine
bureau, asistant, unnecessary, strength
benefit, laboratory, article, abcense
excellent, duplacate, meant, temperament
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EXPLORING ONLINE
http://www.esldesk.com/eslquizzes/misspelledwords/index.htm
Challenge yourself. 500 commonly misspelled
words in English. Learn new words and quiz
yourself.
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Chapter 40
Look-Alikes/ Sound-Alikes
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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
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EXPLORING ONLINE
http://a4esl.org/q/h/homonyms.html
Confused by English words that sound alike?
Practice and learn with these excellent quizzes.
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