Introduction

Welcome to this unit on spelling. What sort of speller are you? Do you feel confident about most words? Are you fed up with having to check almost every word you write? Do you have certain words that always trip you up?

Spelling is an important skill because it affects our ability to communicate effectively with others. If we spell words wrongly, our readers may not understand our meaning properly. Spelling is also taken into consideration in many examinations - not just English ones.

Not many people can spell every word accurately, but the good news is that there is something you can do to improve your spelling skills. In this unit there are lots of tips, strategies and reminders that you should find helpful. Try to find methods of learning spellings that are successful for you.

This unit does not cover every spelling rule, pattern or exception - there are just too many! It does deal with many of the areas that tend to catch us out. Here is what is included:

• The Origins of English Spelling
  • Activity 1: Latin and Greek influences quiz
• Dictionaries (and how to make the most of them)
  • Activity 2: Alphabetical order
  • Activity 3: Using guide words
• Tips for Learning Spellings
• Prefixes and Suffixes
  • Activity 4: Prefix puzzle
  • Activity 5: To double or not to double
  • Activity 6: When to double letters
• Plurals
  • Activity 7: Plurals picture quiz
• Homophones
  • Activity 8: Match up
  • Activity 9: Spot the difference
• More Suffixes: Adding Endings to Longer Words
  • Activity 10: Take the doubles test
• Silent Consonants
  • Activity 11: Silent quiz
• Common Letter Patterns
  • Activity 11: Test yourself
  • Activity 12: '-ough' Words
  • Activity 13: '-ought' and '-aught' words
  • Activity 14: The right option
• Common Errors: Activity 15: Hidden word puzzle
• Confusions
  • Activity 16: Confusions test
• Stinkers: Activity 17: Very difficult words
• Glossary