English spelling cause a lot of difficulties not only for native speakers, but also for language learners. It is difficult to find a relation between pronunciation of the English words and its spelling for many historical reasons. Due to the The Great Vowel Shift in 1359 – 1600 years, long vowels in English words changed their pronunciation. English spelling became standardized only in the 15th and 16th centuries. As a result, spelling of some words sometimes seems to be completely illogical. However, that is not a reason to make mistakes in writing.
Knowing rules of spelling, and the exceptions, is a great opportunity to show your writing skills and intelligence. In this article, we'll consider the most common spelling rules everyone should learn.
A lot of students think that is they learn all rules by rote, they’ll be able to write without mistakes. Unfortunately, the most difficult task if to learn these ruleЫ by heart and keep in mind which words work with the rule and which words are exceptions to the rule. Some students enjoy studying and learning grammar rules, they know all spelling rules and why spelling is so important. It’s always good to know spelling rules, because it may help you to spell the word properly if you do not know how to write it down. Let's review the most common rules that will help you to understand the mysteries of English spelling. But do not forget that even the strictest rules have their exceptions.
Suffixes -er / -est
Suffixes -er or -est serve for the creation of the Degrees of comparison. Comparative and superlative adjectives are formed adding –er or –est to the end of the word:
old – older – the oldest
kind – kinder – the kindest
clean - cleaner - the cleanest
full - fuller - the fullest
If an adjective ends in a consonant vowel + -y, -y is replaced by -i:
funny - funnier - the funniest
easy – easier – the easiest
happy – happier – the happiest
busy – busier – the busiest
If an adjective ends in a consonant vowel + -e, -e should be dropped:
large - larger - the largest
fine – finer – the finest
nice – nicer – the nicest
rare – rarer – the rarest
If an adjective ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant, final consonant is doubled:
thin - thinner - the thinnest
hot – hotter – the hottest
big - bigger - the biggest
Endings -ing / -ed
Endings -ing and -ed are used to create different verb forms:
work - working - worked
open - opening - opened
stay - staying - stayed
If the verb ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant and the last syllable is stressed, the last consonant is doubled:
begin - beginning
Stop – stopping - stopped
drop - dropping - dropped
But: open - opening - opened (because the last syllable is not stressed)
If the verb ends in a consonant + -e, the -e is dropped:
take - taking
dance - dancing - danced
move - moving - moved
When the verb ends in -ie, -ie it is replaced by -y when we add –ing ending:
die - dying
lie - lying
But, -ie is not replaced by -y when we add -ed ending:
die - died
lie - lied
The suffix –ly
-ly suffix is used to form adverbs from adjectives:
beautiful - beautifully
quiet - quietly
close - closely
sharp – sharply
calm - calmly
intelligent - intelligently
senseless - senselessly
If the adjective ends in double -ll, only -y added the word:
chill - chilly
full – fully
dull – dully
If the adjective ends in a consonant + -le, the final -e is dropped and -y is added:
adorable – adorably
evocable - evocably
possible - possibly
If the adjective ends in -y (exception is one-syllable adjectives), -y is replaced by -i + -ly:
chubby – chubbily
foxy – foxily
funny - funnily
happy - happily
There are only two one-syllable words-exceptions:
gay - gaily
day – daily
Ending -s
Ending -s is used in two cases:
When a word ends in -ch, -s, -sh, -x, then we add the ending -es:
beach – beaches
church - churches
glass - glasses
bush - bushes
fox – foxes
If a word ends in -f / -fe, then -f is replaced by -v and add -es:
leaf – leaves
wife - wives
life - lives
shelf - shelves
This is not a strict rule. There are a few examples of exceptions: cliffs, beliefs, gulfs, proofs chiefs, roofs.
If a word ends in a consonant + -y, -y is replaced by -i and + the ending -es:
baby - babies
academy – academies
accessory - accessories
sky - skies
Most words ending in –o usually have –es ending:
tomato - tomatoes
hero - heroes
volcano - volcanoes
potato - potatoes
However, in modern English words we put the ending -s:
video - videos
studio - studios
photo - photos
tango - tangos
piano - pianos
Suffixes -ible / -able
Many English adjectives have an ending -able or -ible. The suffix -ible is used to create words of Latin origin. The total amount of words is about 180 and new words with this suffix are not formed. Here are the most common examples:
Accessible, audible, credible, defensible, digestible, divisible, fallible, flexible, horrible, inaccessible, incredible, indelible, insensible, invisible, permissible, plausible, sensible, terrible, suggestible, visible, susceptible, tangible ,defeasible, defensible, insensible, legible, reproducible, resistible, responsible, visible, etc.
Suffix -able is used for:
- Some Latin words, such as: dependable
- Non-Latin words, such as: washable, affordable, renewable
- Modern words such as: windsurfable, networkable.
There is a rule that will help you to determine the correct spelling of the adjectives and suffixes. It works almost in all cases. Remember, if you are not sure, it is better to use a dictionary.
As you can see, spelling really matters. If you want to impress your professor in a writing and make sure that the idea is clear for the readers, it’s important to know spelling rules and write without mistakes. GetEssayEditor.com team will help you to improve your written text by editing and proofreading services.
© 2021 Copyright by getessayeditor.com