SPELLING - Luzerne County Community College



SPELLING

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|I. TIPS |

|1) consult a DICTIONARY if you are unsure of the spelling |

|2) correctly use the SPELLCHECKER tool provided with most word processing programs |

|•       in Microsoft Word, look under “TOOLS” or simply hit the “F7” key |

|•       Word will also underline in red words not listed in its dictionary |

|3) learn TRICKY WORDS: |

|  |

|II. TRICKY WORDS |

|  |

|A) HOMOPHONES (words that sound the same but are spelled differently): |

|o      *its/it’s:  |

|♣       its=possessive pronoun, does NOT need apostrophe, as in belonging to it |

|♣       it’s=contraction for it is or it has, BUT you will not be using this because there are no contractions in formal academic writing |

|o      *than/then:  |

|♣       than=used for comparisons, as in “My car is dirtier than yours.” |

|♣       then=adverb, as in next, as in “Then, I went to my next class.” also in if-then sentences, as in “If you do not learn these rules now, then you will receive |

|bad grades on your essays.” |

|o      were/where/wear:  |

|♣       were=linking verb |

|♣       where=adverb, as in place, as in “Where did you come from?” |

|♣       wear=verb, as in wear clothes |

|o      there/their:  |

|♣       there=adverb, as in over there or “There was a fly on the wall.” |

|♣       their=possessive pronoun, as in belonging to a group of people |

|♣       they’re=contraction for they are, BUT you will not be using this because there are no contractions in formal academic writing |

|o      your/you’re:  |

|♣       your=possessive pronoun, as in belonging to you |

|♣       you’re=contraction for you are, BUT you will not be using this because there are no contractions in formal academic writing |

|o      who’s/whose:  |

|♣       who’s=contraction for who is, BUT you will not be using this because there are no contractions in formal academic writing |

|♣       whose=possessive pronoun, as in belonging to whom, as in “Whose book is this?” |

|o      too/to/two:  |

|♣       too=intensifier, as in too much/many, in excess—so it has an excess of o’s, as in “I ate too much.” Also means “also,” as in “I want some, too.” |

|♣       to=preposition, starts prep. phrases and infinitives, as in “I went to the store to buy milk.” |

|♣       two=the number 2 |

|o      threw/through:  |

|♣       threw=verb, as in “The pitcher threw the ball to the first-baseman.” |

|♣       through=preposition, as in “The ghost walked through the wall.” |

|  |

|B) TROUBLESOME PAIRS (not “PEARS”): |

|o      accept/except:  |

|♣       accept=to receive; |

|♣       except=excluding |

|o      affect/effect:  |

|♣       affect=verb, to act upon OR to have an effect upon; |

|♣       effect=noun only, a change caused by an action |

|o      allude/elude:  |

|♣       allude=to make reference to; |

|♣       elude=to escape/avoid |

|o      bear/bare:  |

|♣       bear=noun, animal OR verb, to carry; |

|♣       bare=unadorned |

|o      capital/capitol:  |

|♣       capital=government seat or material wealth or uppercase letter; |

|♣       capitol=a building housing a government seat |

|o      cite/sight/site:  |

|♣       cite=to make mention of or to quote as an example; |

|♣       sight=something seen or one of the five senses; |

|♣       site=a place or location (website) |

|o      complement/compliment:  |

|♣       complement=something that finishes, goes with, completes (subject complement); |

|♣       compliment=to praise or flatter |

|o      conscience/conscious:  |

|♣       conscience=noun, moral compass; |

|♣       conscious=adjective, aware, awake |

|o      coarse/course:  |

|♣       coarse=rough; |

|♣       course=class OR route taken |

|o      counsel/council:  |

|♣       counsel=noun, advice OR noun, a lawyer OR verb, to advise; |

|♣       council=a deliberative body |

|o      desert/dessert:  |

|♣       desert=noun, barren land OR verb, to abandon; |

|♣       dessert=noun, after-dinner treat |

|o      elicit/illicit:  |

|♣       elicit=verb, to bring out; |

|♣       illicit=adjective, illegal, unlawful |

|o      fair/fare:  |

|♣       fair=adjective, just, reasonable OR noun, festival, carnival; |

|♣       fare=noun, ticket price OR noun, food OR verb, to get along |

|o      later/latter: |

|♣       later=adverb, refers to a future time |

|♣       latter=refers to the second of the two |

|o      lead/led: |

|♣       lead=present tense of the verb, to guide OR noun, a heavy metal or graphite in a pencil |

|♣       led=past tense of the verb (pronounced like the noun) |

|o      loose/lose:  |

|♣       loose=adjective, baggy, not tight; |

|♣       lose=verb, to misplace OR verb, to fail to win |

|o      moral/morale: |

|♣       moral=adjective, virtuous, good OR noun, lesson taught by a story |

|♣       morale=noun, mood, spirit, mental condition |

|o      patience/patients:  |

|♣       patience=state of calmly waiting; |

|♣       patients=plural noun of person receiving medical care |

|o      personal/personnel:  |

|♣       personal=adjective, private OR adjective, individual; |

|♣       personnel=noun, staff, workers |

|o      peace/piece:  |

|♣       peace=serenity; |

|♣       piece=a part of a bigger portion |

|o      plain/plane:  |

|♣       plain=adjective, unadorned, simple OR noun, level land; |

|♣       plane=short for airplane OR carpenter’s tool OR level surface |

|o      principal/principle:  |

|♣       principal=noun, head of school OR noun, sum of money; |

|♣       principle=basic law or guideline |

|o      quiet/quite: |

|♣       quiet=adjective, silent, still |

|♣       quite=adverb, completely, entirely OR adverb, very, considerably |

|o      stationary/stationery: |

|♣       stationary=adjective, in a fixed position, immobile |

|♣       stationery=noun, writing supplies and especially paper |

|o      straight/strait: |

|♣      straight=adjective, not crooked/curved OR adjective, direct, truthful, honest OR adverb, directly |

|♣      strait=noun, channel between two large bodies of water OR noun, distress, difficulty |

|o      than/then:  |

|♣       than=used in comparison; |

|♣       then=adverb, next |

|o      wear/where:   |

|♣       wear=verb, to dress, put on clothes OR to erode; |

|♣       where=location |

|o      weather/whether:  |

|♣       weather=noun, climate; |

|♣       whether=if |

|  |

|III. Learn SPELLING RULES |

|  |

|•       A) i before e, except after c: |

|  |

|Write i before e |

|Except after c |

|Or when sounded like "ay" |

|As in neighbor and weigh. |

|o      ie words:  believe, brief,  chief, field, hierarchy, niece, obedient, relief, yield |

|o      ei words:  ceiling, conceit, conceive, deceive, perceive, receive, receipt, vein |

|o      exceptions to the rule:  ancient, caffeine, conscience, science, counterfeit, forfeit, either, neither, financier, feisty, foreign, heist, height, (weight), |

|leisure, seize, seismic, sheik, species, efficient, sufficient, weird |

|  |

|•       B) PREFIXES: |

|o      prefixes are letters added to the beginning of words |

|o      when adding a prefix, retain the spelling of the root word |

|o      common prefixes and their meanings: |

|  |

|OLD ENGLISH: |

|  |

|  |

| |

|a- |

|in, on, of, up, to |

|abed, afoot, agog |

| |

|for- |

|away, off, from |

|forget, forswear |

| |

|fore- |

|before, previous |

|foretell, forefathers |

| |

|mis- |

|bad, poorly, not |

|misspell, misfire, mistake |

| |

|un- |

|not, opposite of |

|unhappy, unlock |

| |

|                   |

|LATIN: |

|  |

|  |

| |

|ab- |

|from, away, off |

|abdicate, abjure |

| |

|ante-          |

|  |

|before, previous |

|antecedent, anteroom, antediluvian |

| |

|bi-     |

|two |

|bisect, biweekly |

| |

|circum-                         |

|around |

|circumference, circumnavigate |

| |

|com- |

|with, together |

|commotion, complicate |

| |

|de-    |

|from, down |

|depart, decrease |

| |

|dis-     |

|away from, off, down, not |

|disappear, dissent |

| |

|ex-    |

|out, former |

|expatriate, extract |

| |

|in-                                  |

|in, into |

|invade, intrude |

| |

|inter- |

|among, between |

|intercede, interrupt, interstate |

| |

|intra-         |

|within |

|intramural, intrastate |

| |

|non- |

|not |

|nonsense, nonentity |

| |

|post- |

|after, following |

|post-election, postscript, postpone |

| |

|pre- |

|before |

|prelapsarian, prevent, predict |

| |

|pro- |

|forward, in place of, in favor of |

|produce, pronoun, pro-Choice/Life |

| |

|re- |

|back, again |

|recurrence, revoke, repeat |

| |

|retro- |

|back, backward |

|retroactive, retrospect |

| |

|semi- |

|half |

|semi-pro, semicircle, semicolon |

| |

|sub- |

|under, beneath |

|subordinate, subjugate |

| |

|super- |

|above, extra |

|supercilious, supernumerary |

| |

|trans- |

|across, beyond, over |

|trans-Siberian, translate, transport |

| |

|ultra- |

|beyond, excessively |

|ultra-modern, ultrasonic, ultraviolet |

| |

|   |

|GREEK: |

|  |

|  |

| |

|a- |

|without, lacking |

|amoral, agnostic |

| |

|anti- |

|against, opposing          |

|antipathy, antisocial, anti-war |

| |

|dia- |

|through, across, apart |

|diameter, diagnose |

| |

|hyper- |

|excessive, over |

|hyperdrive, hyperactive, hypertension |

| |

|hypo- |

|under, beneath     |

|hypodermic, hypothesis |

| |

|para- |

|beside, beyond |

|parallel, paramilitary, paradox |

| |

|peri- |

|around |

|perimeter, periscope |

| |

|pro- |

|before |

|prognosis, program |

| |

|sym- |

|with, together |

|symbiotic, sympathy, symphony |

| |

|                   |

|         |

|•       C) SUFFIXES: |

|o      suffixes are letters added to the end of words |

|o      double the root word’s final consonant if: |

|♣       the root word ends in a consonant AND |

|♣       a single vowel comes before the consonant AND |

|♣       the root word is one syllable or the last syllable is stressed |

|♣       rappelled, controlling, recurrence, hittable |

|o      do not double the root word’s final consonant if: |

|♣       the root word ends in 2 consonants (lifting, reminded) OR |

|♣       2 vowels come before the consonant (heading, repeated) OR |

| ♣       the last syllable is not stressed (focused, traveled, labeling) |

|o      drop the final e from the root word if: |

|♣       the suffix begins with a vowel |

|♣       fatal, opportunity, Grecian |

|o      do not drop the final e if: |

|♣       the e is preceded by a c (enforceable, noticeable) OR |

|♣       a soft g (advantageous, courageous ) OR |

|♣       the suffix begins with a consonant (subtlety, fortunately, appeasement) |

|♣       exceptions:  (acknowledgment, judgment, truly, wholly, argument) |

|o      if the root word ends with a consonant + y, then change the y to i: |

|♣       beautiful, craziness, glorify, hungriest |

|o      exceptions: |

|♣       if the suffix begins with an I, keep the , keep the y (studying) |

|o      if the root word ends with a vowel + y, then retain the y: |

|♣       payment, staying, boyhood, annoyance |

|o      exceptions: |

|♣       daily, gaiety, laid, laity, paid, said |

|  |

|•       *common suffixes*: |

|1. NOUN SUFFIXES |

|  |

|OLD ENGLISH: |

|  |

|  |

| |

|-dom |

|state, rank, condition |

|serfdom, wisdom |

| |

|-er |

|performer, maker |

|runner, hunter, dancer |

| |

|-hood |

|state, condition |

|parenthood, statehood |

| |

|-ness |

|quality, state |

|greatness, quickness |

| |

|-th |

|act, state, quality |

|warmth, width |

| |

|   |

|  |

|FOREIGN (Latin, French, Greek): |

|  |

|  |

| |

|-age |

|process, state, rank |

|passage, bondage |

| |

|-ance |

|act, condition, fact |

|acceptance, vigilance |

| |

|-ard |

|one who does |

|wizard, drunkard |

| |

|-ate |

|rank, office |

|delegate, primate |

| |

|-ation |

|action, state, result |

|occupation, starvation, humiliation |

| |

|-cy    |

|state, condition |

|secrecy, accuracy |

| |

|-er     |

|performer, dealer in, result |

|baker, diner, rejoinder |

| |

|-ess |

|feminine |

|actress, poetess, waitress |

| |

|-ion |

|action, result, state |

|union, fission |

| |

|-ism |

|act, manner, doctrine |

|barbarism, socialism, feminism |

| |

|-ist |

|performer, believer |

|socialist, feminist |

| |

|-ition |

|action, state, result |

|sedition, expedition, monition |

| |

|-ity    |

|state, quality, condition |

|civility, acidity |

| |

|-ment |

|means, result, action |

|government, refreshment, enjoyment |

| |

|-or    |

|performer, office, action |

|juror, elevator, governor |

| |

|-tude |

|state, quality, result |

|pulchritude, magnitude, fortitude |

| |

|-ty     |

|quality, state        |

|activity, enmity, animosity |

| |

|                                                     |

|  |

|2. ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES |

|  |

|OLD ENGLISH: |

|  |

|  |

| |

|-en    |

|made of, like |

|wooden, ashen |

| |

|-ful    |

|full of, marked by |

|thankful, cheerful |

| |

|-ish |

|suggesting, like |

|childish, squeamish |

| |

|-less |

|lacking, without |

|childless, hopeless, countless |

| |

|-like |

|similar, like |

|childlike, dreamlike |

| |

|-ly     |

|of the nature of, like |

|friendly, bubbly |

| |

|-some |

|apt to, showing |

|winsome, tiresome, lonesome |

| |

|-ward |

|in the direction of |

|backward, northward, homeward |

| |

|  |

|FOREIGN: |

|  |

|  |

| |

|-able |

|able, likely |

|capable, tolerable |

| |

|-ate |

|having, showing |

|separate, desolate |

| |

|-esque |

|like, in the style of |

|grotesque, picturesque, |

|Capra-esque |

| |

|-ible |

|able, likely, fit |

|edible, possible |

| |

|-ous |

|marked by, given to |

|grievous, religious |

| |

|                                  |

|3. VERB SUFFIXES |

|  |

|OLD ENGLISH: |

|  |

|  |

| |

|-en |

|cause to be, become |

|deepen, strengthen, enlighten |

| |

|   |

|FOREIGN: |

|  |

|  |

| |

|-ate |

|become, form, treat |

|animate, sublimate, delineate |

| |

|-esce |

|become, grow, continue |

|acquiesce, convalesce |

| |

|-fy     |

|make, cause, cause to have |

|glorify, magnify, fortify |

| |

|-ish |

|do, make, perform |

|punish, finish |

| |

|-ize |

|make, cause to be, treat with |

|sanitize, criticize, sterilize |

| |

|  |

|•       D) PLURALS:  |

|    o see "plurals" under the NOUNS section above (follow link) |

|  |

|IV. Realize the LIMITS of SPELLCHECKERS |

|•       homophones |

|•       missing words |

|•       proper nouns |

|•       technical jargon (and other words not included in its database) |

|•       misspelled word is actually another word |

|•       you have used the wrong word |

|• you have used apostrophes incorrectly |

|  |

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