Spelling Flashcards
All 44 cards in this deck
How do you spell definitely, and what's the trick?
definitely. It contains the word finite: defin-ite-ly. There is no a anywhere in it (not definately).
How do you spell separate, and what's the trick?
separate. There's a rat in sep-a-rat-e. The common slip is seperate.
How do you spell necessary, and what's the trick?
necessary: one c, two s's. Think of a shirt: one collar, two sleeves.
How do you spell embarrass, and what's the trick?
embarrass: double r and double s. Being embarrassed makes you go really red and smile shyly. The same goes for embarrassment.
How do you spell argument, and why do people get it wrong?
argument. The e at the end of argue is dropped: argument, not arguement.
How do you spell beginning?
beginning: double n before -ing. You can hear the stress on the last syllable of be-GIN, so the n doubles (as in winning).
How do you spell believe, and what's the trick?
believe: ie, not ei. Never believe a lie. Belief and relieve follow the same pattern.
How do you spell conscience, and how is it different from conscious?
conscience is con + science: your sense of right and wrong. conscious means awake or aware. She was conscious of a guilty conscience.
How do you spell environment, and what's the trick?
environment. There's iron in environment, and the n before -ment is easy to miss.
How do you spell government, and what's the trick?
government is govern + ment. Most people don't say the first n, so they leave it out (goverment).
How do you spell accommodation, and what's the trick?
accommodation: double c and double m. It's big enough to fit two cots and two mattresses.
How do you spell disappear and disappoint?
disappear, disappoint: one s, two p's. Each is just dis + a word you already know (appear, appoint).
How do you spell tomorrow, and what's the trick?
tomorrow: one m, two r's. Split it into to + morrow.
How do you spell rhythm, and what's the trick?
rhythm. Remember it as Rhythm Helps Your Two Hips Move. It has no vowel apart from the y.
How does spelling earn credit under AO6 in your writing?
AO6 (16 of the 40 marks for each writing task) rewards vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and sentence structures together. At the top level you use an extensive vocabulary with only rare spelling errors. So use the words you need, then save the last few minutes to check the ones you know you usually get wrong.
What's the difference between there, their and they're?
there: a place, or there is/are. their: belonging to them. they're: they are. They're leaving their bags over there.
What's the difference between your and you're?
your: belonging to you (your coat). you're: you are. Test: if you can say you are in its place, it's you're.
What's the difference between to, too and two?
to: direction or part of a verb (to the shop, to run). too: also, or excessively. It has too many o's. two: the number 2.
What's the difference between where, were, wear and we're?
where: a place (it contains here). were: past of be (we were). wear: clothes. we're: we are. We're not sure where we were.
When do you use affect and when effect?
Usually affect is the verb and effect is the noun. Remember RAVEN: Remember, Affect = Verb, Effect = Noun. The noise affected my sleep; it had a bad effect.
When do you use practice and when practise?
In British English, practice (with a c) is the noun and practise (with an s) is the verb. I practise every day; practice makes perfect. Advice and advise split the same way.
Why is could of wrong, and what should you write?
It comes from mishearing could've. Write could have, should have or would have. Of is never part of the verb.
What's the difference between accept and except?
accept means to receive or agree to (accept a gift). except means apart from (everyone except me). Think except excludes.
What's the difference between lose and loose?
lose: to misplace or be defeated (lose a match). loose: not tight (a loose tooth). Loose has room for an extra o.
What's the difference between quiet and quite?
quiet: not loud. quite: fairly or completely (quite tired). Say them aloud: qui-et has two syllables, quite has one.
What's the difference between passed and past?
passed is the past tense of the verb pass (she passed the test, we passed the shop). past is time gone by, or beyond (in the past, we walked past the shop).
What's the difference between then and than?
than compares (taller than me). then is about time or sequence (we ate, then left). Comparing? Use the one with an a.
What's the difference between whose and who's?
whose asks or tells whom something belongs to (whose bag is this?). who's means who is or who has (who's coming?).
Which is right: The cold didn't seem to effect / affect him at all?
affect. It's the verb here (what the cold does to him). You would write the cold had no effect on him, where effect is a noun after no.
What is the i before e rule, and what are its main exceptions?
i before e except after c, when the sound is ee: believe, field, but receive, ceiling. Learn the exceptions: weird, seize, protein, caffeine.
When do you double the final consonant before adding -ing or -ed?
When a word ends in one vowel + one consonant and the stress is on the last syllable: stop → stopping, forget → forgetting, prefer → preferred. No stress at the end, no doubling: visit → visited, open → opening.
What happens to a silent e when you add a suffix?
Drop it before a suffix starting with a vowel (hope → hoping, write → writing). Keep it before a consonant (hope → hopeful, care → careless). Exceptions: argument, truly.
Why do noticeable and courageous keep their e?
The e keeps the c or g soft. Without it you would read noticable with a hard k sound. So: noticeable, manageable, courageous.
What happens to a final y when you add a suffix?
After a consonant, change y to i: happy → happiness, carry → carried. But keep the y before -ing (carrying), and keep it after a vowel (play → played, enjoy → enjoyment).
How do you make plurals of nouns ending in -s, -x, -z, -ch or -sh?
Add -es, because you can hear the extra syllable: bus → buses, box → boxes, church → churches, wish → wishes.
How do you make plurals of nouns ending in -y?
Consonant + y: change to -ies (baby → babies, city → cities). Vowel + y: just add -s (day → days, key → keys).
How do you make plurals of nouns ending in -f or -fe?
Usually change to -ves: knife → knives, leaf → leaves, half → halves. Learn the exceptions: roofs, chiefs, beliefs.
How many l's in the suffix -ful?
One: hopeful, beautiful, grateful. Adding -ly gives two: beautifully, carefully. Full on its own has two.
What happens to the spelling when you add a prefix such as dis-, mis- or un-?
Nothing changes: just join the two parts. That is why some words have double letters: mis + spell = misspell, un + necessary = unnecessary, dis + satisfied = dissatisfied.
How do you spell adverbs made from adjectives ending in -l or -e?
Just add -ly: final → finally, usual → usually (double l), sincere → sincerely (keep the e). Two exceptions: true → truly, and -le words like gentle → gently.
How can you tell whether a word ends in -able or -ible?
A rough guide: if a whole word is left when you remove the ending, it's usually -able (acceptable, dependable). If not, it's usually -ible (horrible, visible). There are exceptions, such as sensible.
When does a word end in -cian rather than -tion?
-cian is used for people, usually made from a word ending in -ic or -ics: music → musician, politics → politician, magic → magician. Things and ideas usually take -tion or -sion.
Add -ing to refer, offer and make.
referring (stress on re-FER, so double the r); offering (stress on OF-fer, so no doubling); making (drop the silent e before a vowel).
How should you proofread your writing for spelling?
Read slowly, word by word, rather than for meaning. Check your own danger words and every homophone (there/their, where/were). Cross out neatly and write the correction above. Examiners don't penalise tidy corrections.