Rules / Tips for Correct Spellings - Part 1
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The 'beauty' of English is that words are not spelled the same way they
are pronounced and vice-versa. As Ambrose Bierce, American editorialist,
journalist, short story writer, and one of America's greatest satirist,
once said, "Orthography is the science of spelling by the eye instead
of the ear." This implies that words that are written are not
necessarily pronounced the same way! Under such circumstances, mastering
spellings becomes critical to your success, not only in competitive
examinations - where both your oral and written communications is tested
- but also in your career and life.
Here are some Tips / Rules for Correct Spellings
There are certain rules / tips for correct spellings, and it will do you
a 'world of good' if you can remember these rules / tips, and apply
them accordingly while practicing the spellings of words.
1. 'ie' and 'ei' : When 'ie' is pronounced 'i:' as in 'bee', the 'i' comes before the 'e'.
Believe
Belief
Brief
Achieve
Aggrieved
Fierce
Field
Grieve
Relief
Relieve
Chief
Hygiene
when 'ei' is pronounced 'i:' as in 'bee', 'ei' comes after the 'c'.
Deceive
Deceit
Conceive
Conceit
Misconceive
Perceive
Preconceived
Receive
However, some exceptions to this rule are :
Counterfeit, Plebeian, Weird, Seize, where the 'ei' spelling doesn't follow a 'c'. YOu need to learn the spellings for these.
2. The consonant 'l' is usually doubled, even when the
stress does not fall on the last syllable. This rule is applicable for
UK English spellings. However, the US spellings have also been shown
below for your benefit and understanding.
Word
|
Change in the word after
Applying the rule
(UK Spelling)
|
US Spelling
|
Travel
|
Traveller
|
Traveler
|
Signal
|
Signalling
|
Signaling
|
Distil
|
Distiller
|
Distiller
|
Quarrel
|
Quarrelled
|
Quarreled
|
Note : An Exception is 'paralleled'.
3. Doubling Consonants : When adding 'ed' and 'ing'
endings to verbs that end with a single vowel plus a consonant, do not
double the final consonant if the stress doesn't fall at the end of the
word.
Word
|
‘ing’ form
|
‘ed’ form
|
Budget
|
Budgeting
|
Budgeted
|
Inherit
|
Inheriting
|
Inherited
|
when adding 'ed' and 'ing' endings to verbs that end with a
single vowel plus a consonant, double the final consonant if the stress
falls at the end of the word.
Word
|
‘ing’ form
|
‘ed’ form
|
Commit
|
Committing
|
Committed
|
Admit
|
Admitting
|
Admitted
|
Refer
|
Referring
|
Referred
|
Defer
|
Deferring
|
Deferred
|
4. Adding endings to words that end with a double "l" : Drop the final "l" from words that end with a double "l" before adding endings which begin with a consonant. (Such as 'ment', 'ful' and 'li')
Word
|
‘ly’, ‘ful’ & ‘ment’ endings
|
Dull
|
Dully
|
Chill
|
Chilly
|
Will
|
Wilful
(willful in US English)
|
Skill
|
Skilful
(Skillful in US English)
|
Note : The ending 'ness' is an exception to this rule :
- Small- Smallness;
- Ill - illness
5. You must have come across the expression" "When two vowels go walking, the first one does not talking".
This means that when there are two vowels in a row, the first one
usually has a long sound, and the second is silent. "That's why it's
'lean', not 'laen'; 'team', not 'taem'; 'coat', not 'caot', 'boat' not
'baot'; and 'wait' not 'wiat'
Remembering this rule will help you put vowels in the right order.
That's all for now friends. In our next post we shall discuss some more
tips for the usage of Correct spellings followed by some spellings often
confused. Happy Reading :)
Shraboni Chakraborthi
Asstt. Professor
English and Foreign Languages University,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
