How to improve your spelling

How to improve your spelling tips and guidance notes on basic spelling skills 1. You can improve your spelling skills by reading and writing as much as possible – and checking your written work. 2. If you are not sure about the correct spelling of a word, look it up in a good dictionary. 3. The best ways to improve your spelling are: learn commonly mis-spelled words learn the common rules of spelling learn good spelling strategies Commonly mis-spelled words 4. The most commonly mis-spelled words are probably there/their, its/it’s, to/too/two, and are/our. 5. This problem is caused because these words sound the same as each other. Here’s how to tell them apart. 6. There refers to a place, whereas their means belonging to them. The table is over there, in the corner there refers to a place We are going to their house their means belonging to them 7. Its means belonging to, whereas It’s is a shortened form of It is. The dog is in its basket its means belonging to the dog It’s too late now It’s means It is too late 8. To means towards, whereas too means very or in addition, and two is the number 2. We are going to the concert here to means towards It was too cold for swimming means it was very cold He ate two chocolate bars means the number 2 9. Are is part of the verb ‘to be’ – as in we are, whereas our means belonging to us. We are in the same class at school This is the verb ‘to be’, as in I am/we are We have flowers in our garden That is, the garden belongs to us Common spelling rules 10. Almost all words have only one correct spelling – but there are occasional exceptions. Judgement for instance can also be spelled judgment. 11. One of the easiest rules to remember is I before E, except after C – but you need to be careful, because there are plenty of exceptions. I before E believe – chief – friend – thief C followed by EI ceiling – receive – deceit – conceive Exceptions either – neither – foreign – height – seize – leisure Doubling of consonants 12. If a word ends in a vowel and a single consonant, double the consonant before adding -ing or -ed. swim/swimming ship/shipped stop/stopping occur/occurred 13. If the vowel is unstressed, or if there are two vowels, do not double the consonant. enter/entering shout/shouted develop/developing appeal/appealed 14. If the word ends in -c, change the -c to -ck before adding the ending. panic/panicked picnic/picnicking Commonly mis-spelled words The following words are often spelt wrongly. There is no short way round this problem. You simply have to learn the correct spelling. acceptable – double c, not -ible. accommodation – double c and double m achieve – i before e except after c assess – two lots of double s believe – i before e except after c communicate – double m convenient – i before e except after c definite – -ite, not -ate disappear – double p [dis+appear] disappoint – double p [dis+appoint] necessary – one c, double s receive – i before e, except after c recommend – double c [re+commend] stationary – means not moving – use a stationery – paper we write on – use e success – double c, double s weird – an exception to the rule