(Continued from EdWorld At Home)
And 101 words kids often get wrong.
5. General
Double the Letter Tip If a prefix ends with the same letter that the base word starts
with (mis + step), you include both (misstep).
If a suffix (after the base word, remember?) begins
with the same letter the base word ends with (thin + ness), you
include both (thinness).
If you're not sure whether a word has a single
or double consonants, remember that usually a long vowel will come
before a single consonant and a short vowel before double consonants.
(Litter has a short "I" sound; Liter has a long "I"
sound.)
4. To Double
Not to Double Suffixes When a one-syllable word ends with a vowel and a single consonant
(cut), double that final consonant before adding a suffix (cut +
ing = cutting).
When a word with more than one syllable ends with
a vowel and consonant (impel), and the accent is on the last syllable
in that base word (imPEL), double the final consonant before adding
the suffix (impel + ing = impelling).
However, if a word with more than one syllable
does NOT put the accent on the last syllable in the base word (MARvel),
DO NOT double the final consonant before adding the suffix (marvel
+ ous = marvelous).
3. Final
Y When a word ends in a consonant and a Y, change that Y to an
I before adding a suffix (try becomes tried). BUT this isn't the
case with adding ing.
When a word ends in a vowel and a Y, do NOT change
the Y to an I before adding the suffix (stray + ed = strayed).
2. Final
and Silent E For words ending in a silent E, drop the E before adding a suffix
that begins with a vowel (hope + ing = hoping) but not if the suffix
does not begin with a vowel (hope + ful = hopeful).
There are some big exceptions to this rule: The
words acknowledge and judge drop their final Es when adding the
suffix ment, for example (acknowledgment, judgment). You'll see
that Judgment is one of the most misspelled words!
1. IE or
EI? The Oldest Spelling Question in the World First asked by a dazed and confused Noah Webster when being
visited by the devil (no, that's another story, folks!) Seriously,
here's the I and E rule:
I before E except after C or when sounding like
A as in NEIGHBOR and WEIGH.
We've heard there's an exception to this rule on
Tuesdays, but this rumor is not confirmed! Seriously, there are
exceptions:
Either, neither, height, leisure, weird
101 Words
Kids Often Get Wrong
1.
absence
2.
accept
3.
achieve
4.
across
5.
address
6.
all right
7.
already
8.
anyway
9.
arithmetic
10.
a while (always two words)
11.
before
12.
beginning
13.
believe
14.
breath (the noun; breathe is the verb)
15.
break
16.
brought
17.
business
18.
calendar
19.
capital (a capital city, a capital letter, a capital or great idea,
capital punishment)
20.
capitol (a capitol building)
21.
career
22.
ceiling
23.
clothes
24.
column
25.
cough
26.
country
27.
dairy (the cow farm; the thing you write in is a diary)
28.
deceive
29.
dictionary (great word to misspell, huh?)
30.
different
31.
discipline
32.
disease
33.
dissatisfied
34.
effect (the result of something or to make something happen; to
affect is to influence or alter something and also has some other
meanings)
35.
eighth
36.
eligible
37.
eliminate
38.
embarrass
39.
enormous
40.
environment
41.
everybody
42.
faucet
43.
February
44.
feud
45.
foreign
46.
friend
47.
gauge
48.
genius
49.
gorgeous
50.
grammar
51.
guard
52.
guidance (yes, spelled just like the office at the high school!)
53.
handkerchief, handkerchiefs
54.
health
55.
heart
56.
height
57.
hoarse (sore throat; the animal is horse)
58.
humor
59.
illegal
60.
iron
61.
irrelevant
62.
jealous
63.
judgment (remember this one?)
64.
knowledge
65.
leisure
66.
lightning
67.
loose (not tight)
68.
lose (you can't find it anymore)
69.
marriage
70.
mileage
71.
minute
72.
misspelled (another good one to misspell!)
73.
muscle
74.
neighbor
75.
neither
76.
ninety
77.
ninth
78.
noisily
79.
occur
80.
occasion
81.
often
82.
origin
83.
parallel
84.
piece
85.
potatoes
86.
quiet (not loud)
87.
quite (very)
88.
receive
89.
rhyme
90.
rhythm
91.
seize
92.
siege
93.
thorough (complete)
94.
through (the preposition)
95.
tomorrow
96.
vacuum
97.
village
98.
villain
99.
voice
100.
weird
101.
wrestle
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