Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Spelling Improvement

Spelling ImprovementSpelling Improvement

Sentence Skills: A Workbook for Sentence Skills: A Workbook for Writers, Form AWriters, Form A

John LanganJohn Langan

Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Spelling Improvement

5 Steps to Spelling Improvement

1. Use the dictionary1. Use the dictionary2. Keep a personal spelling list2. Keep a personal spelling list3. Master commonly confused 3. Master commonly confused wordswords4. Use electronic aids effectively4. Use electronic aids effectively5. Understand basic spelling rules 5. Understand basic spelling rules and plural formationand plural formation

Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Spelling Improvement

Using the DictionaryUsing the Dictionary

• The best way to master the dictionary is to use it use it frequentlyfrequently.. Get into the habit of opening the dictionary and looking up unfamiliar words while you read and write.

Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Spelling Improvement

Keep a Personal Spelling List

• Keep a list of words you misspell on the back of a frequently used notebook and study the words regularly.

•Write down any hint that will help you remember the spelling of a word. •Break a long word up into syllables.

•Study a word by looking at it, saying it, and spelling it. •Review and self-test.

Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Spelling Improvement

Master Commonly Confused WordsMaster Commonly Confused Words

• Words that sound alike but have different meanings give all writers trouble. See the chapter in your text on COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDSCOMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS for a list of such tricky word pairs.

Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Spelling Improvement

Using Electronic Aids Effectively

• The The spell-checker spell-checker on your computer is a on your computer is a tremendous tool to help you identify and tremendous tool to help you identify and correct spelling errors. Learn to use it!correct spelling errors. Learn to use it!

• If you don’t write with a computer, think If you don’t write with a computer, think about purchasing a hand-held about purchasing a hand-held electronic electronic spell-checker. spell-checker. It too can save you time It too can save you time and effort in perfecting your spelling.and effort in perfecting your spelling.

Sentence Skills, Form A, 7E ©2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Spelling Improvement

Learn Key Rules for Spelling and Forming Plurals

While no English spelling rule is true ALL THE TIME, you can greatly improve your spelling by learning some simple rules that function for most words. This is also true of the rules for forming plurals. A few moments spent mastering these ruleswill help you avoid a vast number of the most common spelling mistakes.