Tips and Tricks to Improve English Spellings - Part 2
6. You will be at your best at learning words when you make an
effort to understand them. A good way to understand a word is to break
it into syllables. Look for prefixes, suffixes, and roots. Practice each
short part, and then the whole word.
disappearing ---> dis-ap-pear-ing
traditional ------> tra-di-tion-al
After you break apart a word, ask yourself: How is this world like other words I know ?
Spelling the word "traditional" may make you think of the spellings, 'functional' and 'national'. Finding patterns among words is one of the best ways to learn spelling.
7. It's also helpful when you try making up funny memory aids.
For instance, do you have trouble remembering which has two s's - desert
(dry land) or dessert (a sweet course) ? Remember that with 'desert'
you'd like a second one ;)
Similarly, do you have trouble remembering how to spell separate ? Remember that there is a 'rat' in the middle.
8. Compile a list of words that you find difficult to spell. Go
over a few previous papers and spelling exams to track down the trouble
makers. Once you've got your list in hand, see if some of the above
mentioned tips can help you.
9. Another kind of memory aid is to make up a sentence in which
the first letter of each word can be used to make the spelling word. The
sillier, the better - goofy sentences may be easier to remember!
Chili - Cats have interesting little ideas
Physical - please have your strawberry ice cream and lollypops
Weird - We entered India running directly
Seize - She entered into zoo everyday
10. Make sure that you are pronouncing the words correctly. This
can help you avoid some common spelling errors. Remember, that there
are many words (and phrases) in English that are not spelled the way
they are pronounced, and vice-versa. For example: imborglio, colonet,
plumber, encore, melee, double entendre, Coup d'état, corps, coxcomb,
ricochet, rapprochement, communiqué, laissez, faire, lagniappe, gaol
etc.
How to master correct spellings ?
One way of mastering correct spellings is to be aware of various kinds
of words that are frequently used in written form, such as in news
papers, magazines, journals, novels, biographies, autobiographies,
websites / internet, etc. Practice correct spelling through reading, by
paying attention to the way words are written, and jot down those you
didn't know. Whenever you have any doubt about the spelling of any word,
look up a dictionary immediately, and try to remember the spellings of
such words.
Every day, at least for about half an hour, you should play vocabulary
games such as anagrams, word games, cross word puzzles, scrabble, boggle
etc.
That's all for now friends. Hope this article helped you improving your
English spelling skills. Now lets have a look at some useful books for
improving spellings.
Here are some reference books for improving Spellings
- Webster's Reference Library - Concise Edition Spelling, Grammar & Usage.
- Basic English Usage - Michael Swan (Oxford University Press).
- High School English Grammar and Composition - Wren & Martin.
Shraboni Chakraborthi
Asstt. Professor
English and Foreign Languages University,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
