SPELLING STRATEGIES AND RULES

30 SUPER SPELLING RULES

Rule 1: When a word ends with a short vowel followed by a consonant, double the last consonant before adding 'ed'.

Rule 2: Add an 'es' to action words ending with a 'sh'. 'ch', 'ss', 'x' or a 'z' to make the present tense.

Rule 3: When an action word ends with a consonant followed by a 'y', change the 'y' to an 'I' before adding 'es'.

Rule 4: Double the consonant before adding 'ing' to words that have a short vowel followed by a consonant at the end.

Rule 5: When a word ends in a silent 'e', drop the 'e' before adding an 'ing'. The magic 'e' runs away!

Rule 6: When a word ends in a double consonant, do not double the last letter before adding 'ing'.

Rule 7: For action words that end in 'ie', change the 'ie' to a 'y' before adding 'ing'.

Rule 8: Often 'ly' is added to base words to turn them into adverbs, adjectives or describing words.

Rule 9: When adding 'ly' to words which end in 'y', change the 'y' to an 'i' before adding the 'ly'.

Rule 10: When the suffix 'full' is added to the end of a base word, one of the 'ls' has to be dropped.

Rule 11: Before adding 'er' and 'est' to words ending in a consonant, followed bya  'y', change the 'y' to an 'i'.

Rule 12: Double the last letter before adding 'er' or 'est' to words that have a short vowel followed by a single consonant.

Rule 13: Double the last letter of words ending in a short vowel followed by a single consonant before adding a 'y'.

Rule 14: Just add a 'y' to words ending in two consonants to from describing words.

Rule 15: For words ending in a silent 'e', you must first drop 'e' before adding a 'y'.

Rule 16: To indicate possession or ownership by a person or object an apostrophe (') followed by an 's' is added.

Rule 17: To indicate ownership by a person whose name ends in an 's' or a plural noun, just add an apostrophe, (').

Rule 18: An apostrophe (') is also used to create a contraction, indicating where a letter or letters have been left out. 

Rule 19: 'I' before 'e' except after 'c'.

Rule 20: CAPITAL LETTERS are used at the beginning of names and palces.

Rule 21: Prefixes can be added to words to create new words. Prefixes ending in vowels are added directly to base words.

Rule 22: Sometimes negative prefixes are added to words to create new words and change their meaning.

Rule 23: Prefixes can be added to roots to form new words. Roots often have meanings from other languages.

Rule 24: When adding a vowel suffix to words ending in a silent 'e', drop the 'e' and add the suffix.

Rule 25: The letter 'g' may have a soft or had sound. A soft 'g' is usually followed by an 'I' or 'e'. A hard 'g' is usually followed by a consonant or an 'a', 'o' or 'u'.

Rule 26: The letter c' may have a soft or hard sound. When 'c' meets an 'a', 'o' or 'u' its sound is hard. When 'c' meets an 'e', 'I' or 'y' its sound is soft.

Rule 27: CAPITAL letter are used to spell the names of proper nouns, including people and places.

Rule 28: Homophones are words that have the same sound but a different meaning and spelling.

Rule 29: A homograph is a word that may have more than one meaning or pronunciation.

Rule 30: Sometimes when writing, words may be shortened. These are known as abbreviations.

From (Spelling Hints & Tips, 2007).