Spelling Rules

 

Rule 1 - One syllable words ending in f, l, s, after one vowel usually have ff, ll, and ss (buff, cuff, huff, puff, stuff, muff, fill, hill, mill, pill, miss, bliss).

Rule 2 - One syllable words ending in a consonant, after one vowel, double the consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel, but not if the suffix begins with a consonant.

Example - win -- winner, big -- bigger, bigness, roll -- roller, robber, beat -- beating, beater

Rule 3 - Words ending in silent e, drop the e, before a suffix beginning with a vowel, but do not drop the e before a suffix beginning with a consonant.

Example - hopeful, hoping.

Exceptions:  words ending in cr or ge retain e before suffix beginning with a or o.

Example -

able age ing different one ous
peace change mile dye due duly outrage
trace charge acre sing true truly advantage
notice manager   hoe whole wholly  
service exchange   shoe awe awful  
replace       judge judgment  
pronounce       argue argument  
        acknowledge argument  

Rule 4 - y following a consonant, drop, add i and suffix (unless suffix begins with i.)

Rule 5 - Words with more than one syllable, ending in a consonant, after one vowel, double the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel, if the accent is on the last syllable.

Example - beginning, opening

Rule 6 - Regular plurals add s

Rule 7 - Plurals of nouns ending in s, x, z, ch, sh, add es (e has the shwa sound.)

Example - glassss????,  topazs???,  try to pronounce ??????

Rule 8 - Nouns ending in y after a vowel add s. Nouns ending in y after a consonant change y to i and add es.

Rule 9 - Plural of nouns ending in o after a vowel add s. After a consonant, consult a dictionary.  

Rule 10 - Most nouns ending in f or fe add s. Some change f or fe to ves:

Example

f fe
beef beeves
calf calves
elf elves
half halves
leaf leaves
loaf loaves
self selves
sheaf sheaves
shelf shelves
thief thieves
wolf wolves

 

f fe
knife knives
wife wives
 life  lives

Irregular

deer deer
sheep sheep
moose moose
grouse grouse/s
swine swine
ox oxen
mouse mice
foot feet
tooth teeth
man men
woman women

More irregular spellings

Rule 11 - Possessives add   ‘s if an s is there because of plural just add.   Personal pronoun need no (aphostrophe).

Rule 12 - Possessive of letters, figures, and sign,  ‘s  

Rule 13 - i before e except after c and all words sounding as a as in neighbor and weigh.

Exception: Neither the weird foreigner, nor the ancient financier can seize our ideas of leisure and sport at their height sufficient, efficient, deficient and science.

Rule 14 - Suffix ful differs from wordfull. Suffix never has twol’s 

Example - joy  joyful

Rule 15 - Add suffix ly to a base word does not change. If the original world ends in l then the next word has two l’s.

Rule 16 - Words ending in a diphthong, the second letter is y, remain unchanged before any suffix.

pray

prayed

praying

play 

played

playing

buy

 

buying

delay

delayed

delaying

relay

relay

relaying

enjoy

enjoyed

enjoying

employ

employed

employing

 

prey

preyed

preying

bray

brayed

braying

stray

strayed

straying

fray

frayed

fraying

dismay

dismayed

dismaying

destroy

destroyed

destroying

display

displayed

displaying

 

Exception: In the following words the y changes to i.

 

day

daily

say

said

lay

laid

pay

paid

gay

Either
gaily/ gaily
slay slain

 

Final y after a consonant changes to i before any suffix except one beginning with i (ing, ist): (accompanist is an exception)

 

pity

pitiful

   

copy

copied

copying

copyist

 

er, est, ly, ness ous ance able ed, ing al ant ist
noisy spooky glory melody rely ply spy study deny ply copy
lucky crafty fury luxury defy pity cry busy   rely  
plucky ready vary harmony comply rely dry pity   comply  
worthy busy study industry ally   shy fancy   defy  
heavy merry envy perfidy     try occupy      
murky steady mystery ceremony     fry justify      
dusty healthy injury parsimony     carry copy      
moldy dainty victory       multiply        
jelly sleepy         supply        
moody          

embody

       

Exceptions:  The following words retain y before ly and ness, but usually follow the rule before other suffixes.

y before ly

ness

But

ier

iest

dry

dryly

dryness

 

drier

driest

shy

shyly

shyness

 

shier

shiest

sly

slyly

slyness

 

slier

sliest

spry

spryly

   

sprier

spriest

wry

wryly

   

wrier

wriest

 

Rule 17 - The prefixes dis andmis are placed before a word without altering its spelling; dissatisfy, misdeed.

Hint: Before you write one these types of words think of the root before and then you will know if it has a doubles.

Rule 18 - The final consonant of a prefix may change to match the following letter or to a letter more easily blended with it.

Example - collide instead of con lide

Double letter are frequently the cause of this.

imperfect

impossible

impure

immovable

immediate

immortal

illegal

illiberal

illegible

irregular

irresponsible

irrepressible

 

Hint: Pronounce words like this and you usually can hear which sounds better - in perfect or im perfect.

 

 

 

Dr. Robert Sweetland's notes
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