Applying spelling rules to complex words
Spell correctly and consistently, applying the spelling patterns and rules from KS1-2 to increasingly complex vocabulary encountered in KS3 reading and subject-specific study
What a learner can do afterwards
- Spell subject-specific vocabulary correctly when encountered in new domains (e.g., 'parliament', 'photosynthesis', 'algorithm')
- Apply known spelling rules and etymological patterns to unfamiliar words
- Use proofreading strategies to identify and correct spelling errors in own extended writing
1 · Read
You have checked commonly confused words by thinking about their meaning. Longer subject words need checking too. Many English words have Greek, Latin or French origins. Familiar word parts can give spelling clues, but they do not settle every spelling. Check an unfamiliar word in a dictionary or a trusted subject glossary.
The Greek word part photo- means light. In photosynthesis, plants use light energy to make food. Its parts are photo and synthesis, meaning putting together. The ph represents an f sound. Photograph names a picture made with a camera. It joins photo and graph, meaning writing or drawing. Both parts keep ph.
Algorithm is a computing word for a set of steps used to solve a problem. Learn its checked spelling in chunks: algo + rithm. The final chunk has i followed by thm. Saying a word slowly can help you notice its parts, but sound alone cannot tell you which letters to use.
Government joins govern and the ending -ment. Keep the n at the end of govern and every letter of ment. Check each part separately before joining them. A familiar base can help, but you must also check the ending.
For separate, remember the phrase 'a rat': sep + a + rat + e. The letter immediately after p is a, not e. This memory clue helps with that letter; compare the whole word with the checked spelling too.
A parliament is a law-making body. Its spelling includes r after pa and i after l: parlia + ment. Some accents do not pronounce the r, and the i can be hard to hear. Check the written letters rather than relying only on pronunciation.
Try two proofreading passes. First, check the written words one at a time. Reading backwards, from the last word to the first, can help you focus on spelling. Compare uncertain words with a dictionary or subject glossary. Then read forwards for meaning, since a correctly spelled word can still be the wrong word for the sentence.
Keep a base's final e after soft c or g before adding -able. Soft g sounds like j in jam. Change becomes changeable. For an adverb from an adjective ending in -ble, replace only the final e with y: changeably. The prefix un- means not and does not change these joins: unchangeably. To spell a new form, check the base, suffix and adverb ending in that order.
Check familiar word parts, learn letters that sound cannot settle, and proofread both spelling and meaning. Use a dictionary or subject glossary when needed.
Spelling lesson, questions and flashcards written for this dataset, including the traditional 'a rat' memory clue for separate.
Two original readings written for this dataset. Linked TED-Ed lessons: Making sense of spelling by Gina Cooke and Why is English so confusing? by Arika Okrent. The video licenses have not been verified.
More to read
Make a checked subject-word card
Choose a word from a subject you are studying. Find its spelling in your textbook, a dictionary or your teacher's glossary before making a practice card.
Put the complete word on the front. On the back, write a note about the letters you need to remember. For parliament, the note could say 'r after pa; i after l'. For algorithm, it could say 'algo + rithm'. These chunks help you inspect the spelling. They do not show the word's history or tell every speaker how to pronounce it.
Study the complete word and your note. Turn the card over and write the word without looking at the front. Then compare your attempt with the checked spelling, letter by letter.
If the spellings differ, locate the change. Did you leave out a letter, add one or substitute another? Mark that place on your practice copy. Check the whole word again after correcting it.
A clue only helps if it points to the letters you need. Keep the complete spelling on the card so that the clue never replaces your written reference.
Give a finished paragraph two checks
A draft says: 'We compared the seperate diagrams. Their showing the same process.' One problem concerns letters. The other concerns a word's job.
Check the spelling first. Separate needs a immediately after p. Compare the draft with the checked spelling and change that e to a. A dictionary or subject glossary can help with uncertain subject words.
Next, read for meaning. Their is a correctly spelled word, but it shows belonging. This sentence means 'They are showing the same process.' Replace Their with They're.
Reading backwards can help you examine individual words during the spelling check. It does not replace the forward reading that tells you how the words work together.
After each repair, reread the sentence. A changed word must have the intended letters and fit the intended meaning. You have used meaning checks with commonly confused words before; longer subject writing needs those checks too.
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2 · Watch
به انگلیسیTake it off screen
Where it sits
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.