{"id":139,"date":"2017-07-20T16:29:51","date_gmt":"2017-07-20T16:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/chapter\/spelling\/"},"modified":"2017-07-20T16:29:51","modified_gmt":"2017-07-20T16:29:51","slug":"spelling","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/chapter\/spelling\/","title":{"raw":"Spelling","rendered":"Spelling"},"content":{"raw":"<p>Far too many of us use spell checkers as proofreaders, and we ultimately use them to justify our own laziness. I once received a complaint from an outraged professor that a student had continually misspelled <em>miscellaneous<\/em>\u00a0as <em>mescaline<\/em> (a hallucinogenic drug). The student\u2019s spell checker did not pick up the error, but the professor certainly did.\n\nSo proceed with caution when using spell checkers. They are not gods, and they do not substitute for meticulous proofreading and clear thinking. There is an instructive moment in a M*A*S*H episode, when Father Mulcahy complains to Colonel Potter about a typo in a new set of Bibles\u2014one of the commandments reads \u201cthou shalt commit adultery.\u201d Father sheepishly worries aloud that \u201cThese lads are taught to follow orders.\u201d For want of a single word the intended meaning is lost. Always proofread a hard copy, with your own two eyes.\n<\/p><h2>Six Rules for Spelling<\/h2>\nI have a crusty old copy of a book called <em>Instant Spelling Dictionary<\/em>, now in its third edition but first published in 1964, that I still use frequently. I adapted the six basic spelling rules that appear below from that dictionary. Even without memorizing the rules, you can improve your spelling simply by reviewing them and scanning the examples and exceptions until the fundamental concepts begin to sink in. When in doubt, always look up the word. And do not forget that desktop dictionaries work just as well as electronic ones.\n<h3>Rule 1<\/h3>\nIn words ending with a silent <em>e<\/em>, you usually drop the <em>e<\/em>\u00a0when you add a suffix that begins with a vowel:\n<ul><li><em>survive<\/em> + <em>al<\/em> =\u00a0<em>survival<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>divide<\/em> + <em>ing<\/em> =\u00a0<em>dividing<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>fortune<\/em> + <em>ate<\/em> =\u00a0<em>fortunate<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHere are a few common exceptions:\n<table style=\"width: 288px; border-spacing: 1px;\" cellpadding=\"1\"><tbody><tr><td>manageable<\/td>\n<td>singeing<\/td>\n<td>mileage<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>advantageous<\/td>\n<td>dyeing<\/td>\n<td>acreage<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>peaceable<\/td>\n<td>canoeing<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\">lineage<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><h3>Rule 2<\/h3>\nIn words ending with a silent <em>e<\/em>, you usually retain the <em>e<\/em>\u00a0before a suffix than begins with a consonant.\n<ul><li><em>arrange<\/em> + <em>ment<\/em> =\u00a0<em>arrangement<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>forgive<\/em> + <em>ness<\/em> =\u00a0<em>forgiveness<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>safe<\/em> + <em>ty<\/em> =\u00a0<em>safety<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHere are a few common exceptions:\n<ul><li><em>ninth<\/em> (from <em>nine<\/em>)<\/li>\n \t<li><em>argument<\/em> (from <em>argue<\/em>)<\/li>\n \t<li><em>wisdom<\/em> (from <em>wise<\/em>)<\/li>\n \t<li><em>wholly<\/em> (from <em>whole<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Rule 3<\/h3>\nIn words of two or more syllables that are accented on the final syllable and end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, you double the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel.\n<ul><li><em>refer<\/em> + <em>ing<\/em> =\u00a0<em>referring<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>regret<\/em> + <em>able<\/em> =\u00a0<em>regrettable<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nHowever, if the accent is not on the last syllable, the final consonant is not doubled.\n<ul><li><em>benefit<\/em> + <em>ed<\/em> =\u00a0<em>benefited<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>audit<\/em> + <em>ed<\/em> =\u00a0<em>audited<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Rule 4<\/h3>\nIn words of one syllable ending in a single consonant that is preceded by a single vowel, you double the final consonant before a suffix that begins with a vowel. (It sounds more complex than it is; just look at the examples.)\n<ul><li><em>big + est =\u00a0biggest<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>hot + er =\u00a0hotter<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>bag + age =\u00a0baggage<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Rule 5<\/h3>\nIn words ending in <em>y<\/em>\u00a0preceded by a consonant, you usually change the <em>y<\/em>\u00a0to <em>i<\/em>\u00a0before any suffix that does not begin with an <em>i<\/em>.\n<ul><li><em>beauty + ful =\u00a0beautiful<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>accompany + ment =\u00a0accompaniment<\/em><\/li>\n \t<li><em>accompany + ing =\u00a0accompanying<\/em> (suffix begins with <em>i<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIf the final <em>y<\/em> is preceded by a vowel, however, the rule does not apply.\n<ul><li>journeys<\/li>\n \t<li>obeying<\/li>\n \t<li>essays<\/li>\n \t<li>buys<\/li>\n \t<li>repaying<\/li>\n \t<li>attorneys<\/li>\n<\/ul><h3>Rule 6<\/h3>\nUse <em>i<\/em> before <em>e<\/em> except when the two letters follow <em>c<\/em> and have an <em>e<\/em> sound, or when they have an <em>a<\/em> sound as in <em>neighbor<\/em> and <em>weigh<\/em>.\n<table><thead><tr><th><em>i<\/em> before <em>e<\/em> (<em>e<\/em> sound)<\/th>\n<th><em>e<\/em> before <em>i<\/em> (<em>a<\/em> sound)<\/th>\n<\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>shield<\/td>\n<td>vein<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>believe<\/td>\n<td>weight<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>grieve<\/td>\n<td>veil<\/td>\n<\/tr><tr><td>mischievous<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0neighbor<\/td>\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><div>Here are a few common exceptions:<\/div>\n<ul><li>weird<\/li>\n \t<li>either<\/li>\n \t<li>seize<\/li>\n \t<li>foreign<\/li>\n \t<li>ancient<\/li>\n \t<li>forfeit<\/li>\n \t<li>height<\/li>\n<\/ul><h2>Everyday Words that are Commonly Misspelled<\/h2>\nIf you find yourself over-relying on spell checkers or misspelling the same word for the seventeenth\u00a0time this year, it would be to your advantage to improve your spelling. One shortcut to doing this is to consult <a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/textimgs\/Developmental+Reading+and+Writing\/CommonMisspellings.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">this list of words that are frequently used and misspelled<\/a>.\n\nMany smart writers even put a mark next to a word whenever they have to look it up, thereby helping themselves identify those fiendish words that give them the most trouble. To improve your spelling, you must commit the words you frequently misspell to memory, and physically looking them up until you do so is an effective path to spelling perfection.","rendered":"<p>Far too many of us use spell checkers as proofreaders, and we ultimately use them to justify our own laziness. I once received a complaint from an outraged professor that a student had continually misspelled <em>miscellaneous<\/em>\u00a0as <em>mescaline<\/em> (a hallucinogenic drug). The student\u2019s spell checker did not pick up the error, but the professor certainly did.<\/p>\n<p>So proceed with caution when using spell checkers. They are not gods, and they do not substitute for meticulous proofreading and clear thinking. There is an instructive moment in a M*A*S*H episode, when Father Mulcahy complains to Colonel Potter about a typo in a new set of Bibles\u2014one of the commandments reads \u201cthou shalt commit adultery.\u201d Father sheepishly worries aloud that \u201cThese lads are taught to follow orders.\u201d For want of a single word the intended meaning is lost. Always proofread a hard copy, with your own two eyes.\n<\/p>\n<h2>Six Rules for Spelling<\/h2>\n<p>I have a crusty old copy of a book called <em>Instant Spelling Dictionary<\/em>, now in its third edition but first published in 1964, that I still use frequently. I adapted the six basic spelling rules that appear below from that dictionary. Even without memorizing the rules, you can improve your spelling simply by reviewing them and scanning the examples and exceptions until the fundamental concepts begin to sink in. When in doubt, always look up the word. And do not forget that desktop dictionaries work just as well as electronic ones.<\/p>\n<h3>Rule 1<\/h3>\n<p>In words ending with a silent <em>e<\/em>, you usually drop the <em>e<\/em>\u00a0when you add a suffix that begins with a vowel:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>survive<\/em> + <em>al<\/em> =\u00a0<em>survival<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>divide<\/em> + <em>ing<\/em> =\u00a0<em>dividing<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>fortune<\/em> + <em>ate<\/em> =\u00a0<em>fortunate<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here are a few common exceptions:<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 288px; border-spacing: 1px;\" cellpadding=\"1\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>manageable<\/td>\n<td>singeing<\/td>\n<td>mileage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>advantageous<\/td>\n<td>dyeing<\/td>\n<td>acreage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>peaceable<\/td>\n<td>canoeing<\/td>\n<td style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\">lineage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Rule 2<\/h3>\n<p>In words ending with a silent <em>e<\/em>, you usually retain the <em>e<\/em>\u00a0before a suffix than begins with a consonant.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>arrange<\/em> + <em>ment<\/em> =\u00a0<em>arrangement<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>forgive<\/em> + <em>ness<\/em> =\u00a0<em>forgiveness<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>safe<\/em> + <em>ty<\/em> =\u00a0<em>safety<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here are a few common exceptions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>ninth<\/em> (from <em>nine<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li><em>argument<\/em> (from <em>argue<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li><em>wisdom<\/em> (from <em>wise<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li><em>wholly<\/em> (from <em>whole<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Rule 3<\/h3>\n<p>In words of two or more syllables that are accented on the final syllable and end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, you double the final consonant before a suffix beginning with a vowel.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>refer<\/em> + <em>ing<\/em> =\u00a0<em>referring<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>regret<\/em> + <em>able<\/em> =\u00a0<em>regrettable<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, if the accent is not on the last syllable, the final consonant is not doubled.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>benefit<\/em> + <em>ed<\/em> =\u00a0<em>benefited<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>audit<\/em> + <em>ed<\/em> =\u00a0<em>audited<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Rule 4<\/h3>\n<p>In words of one syllable ending in a single consonant that is preceded by a single vowel, you double the final consonant before a suffix that begins with a vowel. (It sounds more complex than it is; just look at the examples.)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>big + est =\u00a0biggest<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>hot + er =\u00a0hotter<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>bag + age =\u00a0baggage<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Rule 5<\/h3>\n<p>In words ending in <em>y<\/em>\u00a0preceded by a consonant, you usually change the <em>y<\/em>\u00a0to <em>i<\/em>\u00a0before any suffix that does not begin with an <em>i<\/em>.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>beauty + ful =\u00a0beautiful<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>accompany + ment =\u00a0accompaniment<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>accompany + ing =\u00a0accompanying<\/em> (suffix begins with <em>i<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If the final <em>y<\/em> is preceded by a vowel, however, the rule does not apply.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>journeys<\/li>\n<li>obeying<\/li>\n<li>essays<\/li>\n<li>buys<\/li>\n<li>repaying<\/li>\n<li>attorneys<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Rule 6<\/h3>\n<p>Use <em>i<\/em> before <em>e<\/em> except when the two letters follow <em>c<\/em> and have an <em>e<\/em> sound, or when they have an <em>a<\/em> sound as in <em>neighbor<\/em> and <em>weigh<\/em>.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th><em>i<\/em> before <em>e<\/em> (<em>e<\/em> sound)<\/th>\n<th><em>e<\/em> before <em>i<\/em> (<em>a<\/em> sound)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>shield<\/td>\n<td>vein<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>believe<\/td>\n<td>weight<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>grieve<\/td>\n<td>veil<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>mischievous<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0neighbor<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div>Here are a few common exceptions:<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>weird<\/li>\n<li>either<\/li>\n<li>seize<\/li>\n<li>foreign<\/li>\n<li>ancient<\/li>\n<li>forfeit<\/li>\n<li>height<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Everyday Words that are Commonly Misspelled<\/h2>\n<p>If you find yourself over-relying on spell checkers or misspelling the same word for the seventeenth\u00a0time this year, it would be to your advantage to improve your spelling. One shortcut to doing this is to consult <a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/textimgs\/Developmental+Reading+and+Writing\/CommonMisspellings.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">this list of words that are frequently used and misspelled<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Many smart writers even put a mark next to a word whenever they have to look it up, thereby helping themselves identify those fiendish words that give them the most trouble. To improve your spelling, you must commit the words you frequently misspell to memory, and physically looking them up until you do so is an effective path to spelling perfection.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-139\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Style For Students Online. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Joe Schall. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: The Pennsylvania State University. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/\">https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/<\/a>. <strong>Project<\/strong>: Penn State&#039;s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences&#039; OER Initiative. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":19,"menu_order":6,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Style For Students Online\",\"author\":\"Joe Schall\",\"organization\":\"The Pennsylvania State University\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/\",\"project\":\"Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences' OER Initiative\",\"license\":\"cc-by-nc-sa\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-139","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":132,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/139\/revisions"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/132"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/139\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-geneseo-styleguide2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}