Spelling

presentation on spelling rules

1. Spelling

2. What is the need to learn spellings? English spellings can be confusing especially for the non-native speakers and writers. In the following slide presentations, you will find some rules and regulations to help you. Unfortunately there are exceptions to these rules , but this summary should be helpful.

3. What are spellings? “Spelling is the process of representing language by means of a writing system” ( National Council of Teachers of English, 1996. p. 51). Spelling  is the writing of one or more words with letters. it attempt to transcribe the sounds of the language into alphabetic letters.

4. Spelling knowledge PHONOLOGY – how words sound MORPHEMES – how words are constructed from meaningful elements HOMONYMS – words that sound similar, but have different meanings and spellings

5. Spelling knowledge HOMOPHONE – a word (type of homonym) that is pronounced the same as another word. The words may be spelled differently or the same. CONTRACTION -- A word or phrase that has been shortened by leaving out some of the letters is called a contraction

6. Homonyms HOMONYMS – words that sound similar, but have different meanings and spellings Examples: affect-effect; they're-their-there; fell-fail, cite-sight-site, marry-Mary-merry, pair-pare-pear, there-their-they're

7. Homophones HOMOPHONE – a word (type of homonym) that is pronounced the same as another word. The words may be spelled differently or the same. Examples : foul (odor) / fowl (bird) , rose (flower) / rose (past tense of “rise”),

8. Contraction and model assimilations CONTRACTION - An apostrophe is used to show that the letters have been omitted (won’t - will not), (o’clock - of the clock). example : : *ain’t, can’t, couldn’t, won’t, wouldn’t, shan’t, shouldn’t, *mayn’t, (mightn’t, mustn’t) MODAL PLUS "HAVE" ASSIMILATION : coulda, mighta, shoulda, woulda MODAL PLUS "TO" ASSIMILATION : gonna, hafta, hasta, supposta, useta

9. spelling rules..

10. Short vowel rule To spell a short vowel sound, only one letter is needed :   Examples: c o mb a t  , shr e d ,  e x i t , h o t , s u p e r

11. Long vowel rules.. To spell a long sound you usually must add a second vowel, or you may use the consonants y or w in place of the vowel . Examples: r ea ch , l oo se , s ou p , s ei ze , sk y

12. vowel – consonant – e rule The silent e makes the vowel long. Long a – Sneaky e c a k e a p e n a m e Long o – Sneaky e b o n e h o s e n o s e

13. vowel – consonant – e rule The silent e makes the vowel long. Long i – Sneaky e b i k e d i m e p i l e Long u – Sneaky e c u b e r u l e r u d e

14. Some other spelling rules…. Almost no English words end in " v " exception : spiv " q" is always written as " qu “ . It never stands by itself . Examples: qu ick, qu een, qu arrel

15. " i " comes before " e " when it is pronounced " ee ". EXAMPLES: br i ef, f i eld , pr i est. " i " before " e " except after " c “, or when sounding like " a " as in "n ei ghbour, or w ei gh“. EXAMPLES : rece i ve, dece i ve, ce i ling

16. Some exceptions are EXCEPTION sover ei gn, s ei zed, counterf ei t, Forf ei ted, l ei sure

17. " able " or "ible" endings . Use "able ": After root words . e.g. available , dependable . After root words ending in " e ". e.g. desirable, believable, usable ( drop the "e"). After " i ". e.g. reliable, sociable .

18. "able" or "ible" endings When other forms of the root word have a dominant " a " vowel. e.g . irritable, durable, abominable. After a hard " c " or " g ". e.g . educable, navigable, practicable. Exceptions : formidable, inevitable, memorable, probable, indomitable, insuperable.

19. "able" or "ible" endings Use " ible" After non-root words. e.g . audible, horrible, possible . When the root has an immediate " ion“ form . e.g. digestible, suggestible, convertible .

20. "able" or "ible" endings After a root ending in " ns " or " miss " . e.g. responsible, comprehensible, permissible . After a soft " c " or " g ". e.g. legible, negligible, forcible, invincible . Exceptions: contemptible, resistible, collapsible flexible .

21. SOME PHONETIC VIOLATIONS SAME PRONUNCIATION BUT DIFFERENT SPELLINGS (DIFFERENT MEANINGS ): cite-sight-site, marry-Mary-merry, pair-pare-pear, there-their-they're SAME SPELLINGS BUT DIFFERENT PRONUNCIATIONS (SAME WORD FAMILIES ): nation-national, obscene-obscenity, sign-signature, go-gone, ct. soup-supper

22. Keeping a spelling constant Keeping a constant spelling may involve the use of so- called “silent” letters. Sign  resignation, signal, signature.

23. Keeping a spelling constant In some cases the “g” and “k” are quite empty letters. “g”  gnarled, gnat, gnome. “K”  knee, knife, knock, know .

24. We double " l, f , and s " after a single short vowel at the end of a word. EXAMPLES: EXCEPTIONS: miss us, stiff, bus, stuff. gas, call, of, tall, this, toss yes, plus, nil, pal.

25. For words ending in a single " l " after a single vowel, double the " l " before adding a suffix , regardless of accent. Examples: Cance ll ed, trave ll er, signa ll ing, meta ll ic. " all " and " well " followed by another syllable only have one " l " . Examples: a l so, a l ready, a l though, we l come,

26. Silent e rule….. When a word ends in silent - e , usually drop the - e if you are adding a suffix that begins with a vowel , but retain the -e when you are adding a suffix that begins with a consonant

27. Examples: Silent - e is an -e such as the one in love, which you do not hear when love is pronounced. Since love ends in silent e and the suffix - able begins with a vowel, drop - e when joining love and - able: love + able = lovable However, since the suffix - less begins with a consonant, retain the - e in love when joining love and - less : love + less = loveless

28. In words ending in -ce or - ge , - e is not dropped when you add - able or - ous: Examples are: courageous, manageable, noticeable, outrageous, peaceable, serviceable, Traceable.

29. When a word ends in - y, usually change the - y to -i when you are adding a suffix if the - y is preceded by a consonant , but do not change it if the - y is preceded by a vowel or if you are adding the suffix -ing . Examples stud y+ -ed = studied destro y + -ed = destroyed stud y+ -ing = studying destro y + -ing = destroying

30. A final Y changes to i when an ending is added . Supply become supplies Worry become worried Merry become merrier ……except when that ending is ing …. Crying, studying. …….. and when Y is preceded by a vowel .... Obeyed , saying.

31. When a one-syllable word ends in the cvc combination, usually double the final consonant when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel but do not double it when adding a suffix that begins with a consonant.

32. Examples are........ Ship is a one-syllable word that ends in the cvc combination. ship + - ing = shipping (a suffix begins with a vowel) ship + - ment = shipment (a suffix that begins with a consonant

33. ASSIMILATION : PALATALIZATION When a word that ends with a /t/ is followed by a – ual , - ial , or -ion ending, the palatal vowel <y-> changes the /t/ sound into a /č/ sound. addict  addiction act  actual or action part  partial predict  prediction

34. ASSIMILATION: PALATALIZATION Because /k/ is a stop, and vowels are continuants , an affix beginning with a vowe l often changes /k/ to /s/ . critic  criticize or criticism fanatic  fanaticism romantic  romanticism

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