© white educational products be a master speller: follow the rules

© White Educational Products

Be a Master Speller: Follow the Rules


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.


• Practice writing words

• Break words up in syllables

• Look the meaning up in a dictionary

• Review for 15-20 min. daily

• Create a sentence using spelling words

• Create a story using spelling words


• 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


Written by J.Nogowski


words that make the “a” sound beige, freight, neighbor, sleigh, vein, weight, and weigh

Exceptions that do not have a patterneither, feint, foreign, forfeit, height, leisure, neither, seize, weird


Change y to i when adding an ending

supply supplies supplied supplying

worry worries worried worrying

merry merrier


When –ing is added, keep y.

When a vowel comes before the y , keep y

cry crying cries cried

study studying studies studied

obey obeyed obeying obeys obeyer

say said saying says sayer


Add -s or –es to make words plural.

shoe + s =shoesporch + es = porches

box + es =boxesbush + es = bushesblitz + es = blitzes


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 = toys


• 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


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


Drop silent e if the ending begins with a vowel.

advance + -ing = advancingsurprise + -ing = surprising

Keep silent e if the ending begins with a consonant advance + ment = advancement

like + ness = likeness

If a vowel comes before silent e DROP silent eargue + -ment = argument

true + -ly = truly


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

Control controlling controlled controllable

enter entering entered


ADMIT + -ed = ADMITTED

1. ADMIT ends with a consonant2. Follows a vowel3. Accented on the last syllable 4. Therefore double the t before adding an -ing or –ed

1. admitting2. admitted

FLAP + -ed = FLAPPED

The word FLAP is a one syllable word


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.


Change the -c to -ck panic panickingpicnic picnicking

Words that end in -c


With some verbs ending in -l, -m, and pyou can either double the consonant ornot.

travel traveling or travelling

program programing or programming

worship worshiping or worshipping


Some words have silent letter combinations. Youmust memorize these patterns.

gn, pn, kn= ngnome pneumonia knife

rh, wr = rrhyme wrestle

pt, ght = tptomaine height

ps, sc = spsalm science

wh = hwhole


"When two vowels go walking, the first

one does the talking?"

team

coat

wait

NOTE: There are plenty of Exceptions!!


Adding a prefix seldom changes the

spelling of a word.

misspelledunnecessarydissatisfied

disinterestedmisinform


Becoming a Master Speller takes a personal commitment

and

Finding your own method to add this important skill to your writing arsenal.

© white educational products be a master speller: follow the rules

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