(or Stuff designed to help you improve your English in Mr Evans’ Lessons!)
Capital Letters, Homophones, Apostrophes, Confusable Words, Basic
Grammatical Terms, Key Literary Terms and Definitions, Spellings.
Otherwise, we risk the following text:
i sore u siting under
a u lookin at a u
1
Contents
Capitals
3
Homophones
6
Apostrophes
8
Confusable Words
12
Basic Grammatical Terms
20
Key Literary Devices and Definitions
24
Spelling
29
2
When do we Use Capital Letters?
1. Always use a capital letter for the personal pronoun 'I':
•
What can I say?
Not What can i say?
Your Example:
2. Use a capital letter to begin a sentence or to begin speech:
•
The man arrived. He sat down. • Suddenly Mary asked, "Do you love me?"
Your Example:
3. Use capital letters for many abbreviations and acronyms:
•
G.M.T. or GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
•
N.A.T.O. or NATO or Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Your Examples:
4. Use a capital letter for days of the week, months of the year, holidays:
•
Monday, Tuesday
• Christmas
• January, February
• Armistice Day
Your 4 Examples:
5. Use a capital letter for countries, languages & nationalities, religions:
•
China, France
•
Japanese, English
Your 3 Examples:
3
• Christianity, Buddhism
6. Use a capital letter for people's names and titles:
• William Shakespeare
•
Mr Parker, Professor Jones, Dr Smith
• Captain Kirk, King Henry VIII
Your 3 Examples:
7. Use a capital letter for trade-marks and names of companies and other
organizations:
• Pepsi Cola, Walkman • Microsoft Corporation, Toyota
• the United Nations, the Red Cross
Your 3 Examples:
8. Use a capital letter for places and monuments:
•
London, Paris, the Latin Quarter
• the Eiffel Tower, St Paul's Cathedral
•
Buckingham Palace, the White House • Oxford Street, Fifth Avenue
•
Jupiter, Mars, Sirius • Asia, the Middle East, the North Pole
Your 6 Examples:
4
9. Use a capital letter for names of vehicles like ships, trains and spacecraft:
• the Titanic
Enterprise
• the Orient Express, the Flying Scotsman
• Challenger 2, the
Your 3 Examples:
10. Use a capital letter for titles of books, poems, songs, plays, films etc:
•
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
• The Taming of the Shrew
•
• If, Futility •
Someone Like You
The Lion King, Gone With The Wind
Your 5 Examples:
11. Use capitals letters (sometimes!) for headings, titles of articles, books etc, and
newspaper headlines:
• HOW TO WIN AT COD. • Chapter 2: PRINCESS KATE'S EARLY LIFE • MAN
BITES DOG!
Your3 Examples:
5
Some Key Homophones to learn
We’re We are
Where Place/Location
Were Past tense of are
Your 3 Example Sentences:
Hear Use your ‘ear’ / Listen
Here Place/Location
Your 2 Example Sentences:
Two The number 2
Too Also, as well, excessively
To Use when not Two/Too (it is a preposition and adverb)
Your 3 Example Sentences:
You’re You are
Your Belonging to / Relating to
Your 2 Example Sentences:
They’re They are
Their Belonging to them
Your 3 Example Sentences:
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There Place/Location
It’s It is / it has
Its Belonging to
Your 3 Example Sentences:
Weather Sun, Rain, Snow etc
Whether introduces an alternative
Your 2 Example Sentences:
Who’s Who is / Who has
Whose belonging to
Your 3 Example Sentences:
A lot is two words! (just like, ‘a little’)
jobs
Allot is a verb: to give out portions or
Your 2 Example Sentences:
Remember: Should have not should of. Also, could have and would have not could of or
would of.
Your 3 Example Sentences:
7
The apostrophe
Contractions
One use of the apostrophe is in contracted words. The apostrophe is used to
indicate that a letter or letters has/have been removed. If you follow this rule then it
will avoid confusion about where the apostrophe should be.
He is = he's
I am = I'm
Do not = Don't
They have = They've
It is = It's
I would = I'd
Let us = Let's
She has = She's
Who is =who's
Your Examples: (e.g. do not, cannot in their shortened form)
This is not an exhaustive list of contractions. There are many more but all follow the
same rule. In examples such as "she'd" (the contracted form of she would) the
apostrophe replaces several letters. Obviously, only one apostrophe is needed to
indicate that several letters have been omitted.
There are exceptions such as: will not = won’t and Shall not = shan’t
You need to be a bit careful with apostrophes; many people make the mistake of
putting them in all over the place. Contracted forms are very common in spoken
language but should not be used in a formal academic essay in KS4. In
formal/academic writing you must use the full, unabbreviated form.
Steinbeck does not allow his reader a happy ending.
There is no doubt that successive presidents of the United States have found
difficulty in balancing pressures from home and abroad.
Your Example:
The only place they should appear is in quotations or speech.
8
"I'm drowning!" he shouted.
We see Candy differently as he is described as speaking, ‘viciously’.
Your Example:
The apostrophe showing possession.
A second and trickier use of the apostrophe is to show possession. If the possessor
is a singular noun, an -'s is added to the end of the noun. This is true for both proper
nouns (people and places beginning with a capital letter) and common nouns (other
nouns). Here are some examples of the apostrophe at work showing possession:
He found himself lost in Madrid's winding streets.
I cannot understand Tim's point of view.
The building's foundations were very unstable.
The poet's work was highly regarded around the world.
Your two Examples:
A very common mistake is to put apostrophes where they should not be. Many
people, unsure about using the apostrophe, put it in every time they see a word
ending in s. Grammar checkers do not always highlight this mistake, as they do not
know the meaning of the sentence.
Bristol contain's a lot of lovely old building's and street's. [WRONG]
I have never seen the mountain's and the sea's look so beautiful. [WRONG]
9
If the possessor is a plural noun ending in s, simply adding an apostrophe after the
final s indicates possession.
The teacher was always losing her pupils' books.
The monks' meals were served in a cold and damp dining room.
I can never understand the politicians' obsession with spin.
As you can see, the positioning of the apostrophe makes a big difference to the
meaning of the sentence. Make sure when adding the apostrophe that it indicates
your intended meaning very precisely.
The monk's meals were served in a cold, damp room. (one monk)
The monks' meals were served in a cold, damp room. (lots of monks)
Your two Examples:
If the plural noun does not end in an s, the addition of -'s shows possession.
The children's books lay on the table.
The men's boots were lined up outside the door.
The women's race will take place before the children's race.
Your Example:
10
If the possessor is a singular noun that happens to end in an -s, there is some
debate about whether the apostrophe is simply added after the -s or whether an -'s is
needed.
It appears that both are acceptable. Whichever you decide to use, make sure you
are consistent. Personally, I find James’s for example rather clumsy.
Have you seen James' book?
Have you seen James's book?
Your 2 Examples:
The exceptions to this rule are proper nouns that are Latin or Greek in origin.
Odysseus' adventures spanned many miles and many, many years.
Pythagoras' theorem has baffled generations of school children.
Your Example:
11
Some Confusable Words.
English is full of words, which sound the same or similar yet have
different meaning and are easily confused. A computer spell checker will
not highlight a word that is spelled correctly but used incorrectly. If you
are uncertain about the correct spelling of a particular word, the only way
to be certain is to look the word up in a dictionary and check the
definition so you know you are using the correct word. Below are some
commonly confused words with their definitions and examples of their
use.
Affect - is a verb meaning to have an influence on
Effect - is a noun meaning a cause of change brought about by an agent.
Poor grammar may affect your essay marks.
Poor grammar had a huge effect on his academic achievements.
Your 2 Examples:
Loose - is an adjective meaning not fastened, contained or restrained.
Lose - is a verb and has many meanings such as not to win, to mislay etc
That roof tile is loose and might fall at any minute.
You must not lose that cheque.
Your 2 Examples:
12
Practise - his is the verb ‘to practise’ and also the adjective from that verb.
Practice - This is the noun ‘the practice’ (as in ‘piano practice’ and ‘a doctor’s
practice’).
I practise the piano. The doctor has been practising for 10 years. He is a practised
man.
I have done my football practice. Without enough practice, she would not get better
at English. She visits her local doctor’s practice.
Your 2 Examples:
Cite - is a verb meaning to quote as an authority or example.
Sight - is a noun meaning the ability to see or something that is seen.
Site - is a noun meaning a place or setting of something.
In a good essay, it is important to cite expert opinion.
In his old age he had poor sight.
This would be a good site for a new golf course.
Your 3 Examples:
13
Allowed - this is the past participle of the verb to allow and means given permission.
Aloud - this is an adjective and means using a (loud) voice.
You are not allowed to go to the cinema this evening.
He was asked to read the poem aloud.
Your 2 Examples:
Accept - is a verb and has many meanings among which are to receive something.
Except - is a preposition meaning 'with the exclusion of'.
I would like you to accept this gift.
All his friends came to the party except Jim who was in hospital.
Your 2 Examples:
14
Imply - To express or indicate indirectly.
Infer - To conclude from evidence or premises.
Somebody will imply something and the recipient of the implication will infer from it.
She tried to imply that I could not understand the question.
From what he said, I was able to infer that he did not understand the situation.
Your 2 Examples:
Passed - this is the past tense of the verb to pass.
Past - the time before the present, no longer current.
He passed the ball to the striker.
He hoped that the unfortunate incident was now firmly in the past.
Your 2 Examples:
15
Assert - to express or maintain positively/affirm.
Ensure - to make sure or certain.
Assure - to give confidence/remove doubt.
He was very keen to assert his innocence.
I wanted to ensure that the car would be ready on time.
The mechanic was able to assure me that my car would be ready on time.
Your 3 Examples:
Complement - to complete, make whole or bring to perfection.
Compliment - an expression of praise, admiration or congratulation.
The wine complemented the fish perfectly.
The guests complimented her on the lovely meal.
Your 2 Examples:
16
Advice - is the noun
Advise - is the verb.
She gave me some good advice about the problem of noisy neighbours.
I asked him to advise me about my noisy neighbours.
Your 2 Examples:
Dependent - relying on or requiring the aid of another.
Dependant - one who relies on another especially for financial support.
I am dependent on my supervisor for some good advice.
He wanted to emigrate with his wife and all his dependants.
Your 2 Examples:
17
Council - an assembly or collection of persons.
Counsel - (to give) advice, opinions or advice.
He was elected to represent his class on the school council.
I would counsel you to pay the fine and draw a line under the matter.
Your 2 Examples:
Prophesy - to reveal by divine inspiration.
Prophecy - an inspired utterance of a prophet.
The mystic used to sit beneath the waterfall and prophesy.
He would sit next to the waterfall and deliver his prophecy.
Your 2 Examples:
18
Stationary - not moving.
Stationery - office supplies.
The broken down car was stationary.
Finding he had run out of pencils, Mr Bush ordered more stationery.
Your 2 Examples:
Uninterested means to find something boring or dull.
Disinterested means impartial.
I am uninterested in this book; it is totally boring.
The judge and jury are personally disinterested in the outcome of the case.
Your 2 Examples:
19
Basic Grammatical Terms
Adjective: A word which qualifies or modifies the meaning of a noun; as in a 'red
hat' or a 'quick fox'. They can be used to complement the verbs 'to be' or 'to seem'
('Sue seems happy today'). Adjectives are sometimes formed from nouns or verbs
by the addition of a suffix such as '-able' (lovable), '-ful' (heedful), '-ic' (heroic), '-ish'
(foolish), '-ive' (combative), '-ous' (famous), or '-y' (needy).
Give some Examples of your own:
Adverb: A word which qualifies or adds to the action of a verb: as in 'he ran quickly',
or 'he ran fast'. Adverbs can also qualify adjectives, as in 'the grass is intensely
green'. They are usually formed by adding '-ly' to an adjective: 'playfully',
'combatively', 'foolishly'. They can also sometimes be formed by the addition of 'wise' to a noun ('the hands went round clockwise).
Give some Examples of your own:
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Clause: The word is often used but very hard to define. It is a sentence or sentencelike construction included within another sentence. A main clause might be a simple
noun plus verb ('I did it'). A co-ordinate clause is of equal status with the main
clause: 'I did it and she did it at the same time.' A subordinate clause might be
nested within a sentence using the conjunction 'that': 'he said that the world was flat.'
Here 'he said' is the main clause and the subordinate clause is 'the world was flat'.
Relative clauses are usually introduced by a relative pronoun: 'I read the book
which was falling to pieces'; 'She spoke to the man who was standing at the
bar.'
Noun: A word used as the name or designation of a person or thing, such as 'duck'
or 'river'. Abstract nouns denote abstract properties, such as 'invisibility',
'gentleness'. Proper nouns are nouns that designate one thing, as, for example,
personal names and places.
Give some Examples of your own:
Pronoun: A part of speech which stands for a noun: 'he', 'she', 'him', 'her', 'them'. 1st
Person pronoun: I. Possessive pronouns express ownership ('his', 'hers').
Reflexive pronouns are 'herself', 'himself', 'myself' and are used either for emphasis
(he did it all himself'), or when an action reflects back on the agent who performs it
('he shot himself in the foot'). Relative pronouns include 'who', 'which', 'that' and
are usually used in the form 'he rebuked the reader who had sung in the library'.
Interrogative pronouns ask questions ('Who stole the pie?'; 'Which pie?').
Indefinite pronouns do not specify a particular person or thing: 'Anyone who
studies grammar must be mad.' 'Somebody has to know about this stuff.'
21
Sentences: A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb, and it expresses a complete
thought,
‘Some students like to study in the mornings’ or
‘Alicia goes to the library and studies every day’.
A compound sentence contains two independent clauses joined by a coordinator.
The coordinators are as follows: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. (Helpful hint: The first
letter of each of the coordinators spells FANBOYS.) Except for very short sentences,
coordinators are always preceded by a comma,
‘I tried to speak Spanish, and my friend tried to speak English’,
‘Alex played football, Maria went shopping’.
A complex sentence has an independent clause joined by one or more dependent
clauses. A complex sentence always has a subordinator such as because, since,
after, although, or when or a relative pronoun such as that, who, or which:
‘When he handed in his homework, he forgot to give the teacher the last page’,
‘The teacher returned the homework after she noticed the error’,
‘The students are studying because they have a test’.
Give some examples of each sentence type:
22
Syntax (Greek 'together arrangement'): a term designating the way in which words
can be arranged and modified to construct sentences.
Verb: Usually a word which describes an action (such as 'he reads poems', 'she
excels at cricket', they write quickly, he is, they are – think of the French verb être
for the last 2, the verb ‘to be’).
Give some Examples of your own in full sentences (underline the verb):
23
Key Literary Devices and Definitions
Alliteration: The repetition of the same consonants (usually the initial sounds of
words or of stressed syllables) at the start of several words or syllables in sequence
or in close proximity to each other. It is used for expressive or occasionally
onomatopoeic effect.
Your Example:
Assonance: The word is usually used to describe the repetition of vowel sounds in
neighbouring syllables (compare Alliteration. The consonants can differ: so 'deep
sea' is an example of assonance.
Find or Provide Your Example:
Blank verse: is the metre most frequently used by Shakespeare. It consists of an
unrhymed iambic pentameter.
Your Example:
Couplet: a rhymed pair of lines, which are usually of the same length. If these are
iambic pentameters it is termed a heroic couplet.
Dactyl: A metrical foot consisting of three syllables, in which the first is stressed and
the last two are unstressed.
Enjambment/Enjambement: The ‘run-on’ line creating a more conversational
effect..
Foot: the basic unit for describing metre, usually consisting of a certain number and
combination of stressed and unstressed syllables. Stressed and unstressed syllables
24
form one or other of the recognised metrical forms: an iamb is 'di dúm'; a trochee is
'dúm di', a spondee is 'dúm dúm' (as in 'home-made'), an anapaest is 'di di dúm', and
a dactyl is 'dúm di di'.
Feminine Rhyme: a rhyme of two syllables in which the final syllable is unstressed
('mother | brother'). If an iambic pentameter ends in a feminine rhyme the last,
unstressed, syllable is usually not counted as one of the ten syllables in the line ('To
be or not to be, that is the question' - the 'ion' is unstressed and takes the line into an
eleventh syllable). Feminine rhyme can be used for comic effect, as it is frequently in
the works of Byron: 'I've spent my life, both interest and principle, | And think not
what I thought, my soul invincible.' It can also be sometimes used to suggest a
feminine subject-matter, as in Shakespeare's Sonnet 20, which is addressed to the
'master mistress of my passion' and which makes extensive use of 'feminine'
rhymes.
Form: The term is usually used in the analysis of poetry to refer to the structure of
stanzas. It can also be used less technically of the general structural principles by
which a work is organised, and is distinguished from its content.
Free Verse: verse in which the metre and line length vary, and in which there is no
discernible pattern in the use of rhyme.
Genre(from Latin genus, type, kind): works of literature tend to conform to certain
types, or kinds. Thus we will describe a work as belonging to, for example, one of the
following genres: epic, pastoral, satire, elegy. Generic boundaries are often fluid;
literary meaning will often be produced by disobeying the normal expectations of
genre.
Homophones: Words which sound exactly the same but which have different
meanings ('maid' and 'made').
Iambic pentameter: an unrhymed line of five feet in which the dominant accent
usually falls on the second syllable of each foot (di dúm), a pattern known as an
iamb. The form is very flexible: it is possible to have one or more feet in which the
expected order of accent is reversed (dúm di). These are called trochees.
25
Irony: Not only says one thing and means another, but says one thing and means its
opposite. The word is used often of consciously inappropriate or understated
utterances (so two walkers in the pouring rain greet each other with 'lovely day!',
'yes, isn't it'). Irony depends upon the audience's being able to recognise that a
comment is deliberately at odds with its occasion, and may often discriminate
between two kinds of audience: one which recognises the irony, and the other which
fails to do so. Dramatic irony occurs when an audience of a play know some crucial
piece of information that the characters onstage do not know (Birling confidently
describes the Titanic as ‘unsinkable’).
Lexical set: words that are habitually used within a given environment constitute a
lexical set. Thus 'Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...' form a lexical set.
Metaphor: A comparison. The transfer of a quality or attribute from one thing or idea
to another in such a way as to imply some resemblance between the two things or
ideas: 'his eyes blazed' implies that his eyes become like a fire. Mixed metaphors
often occur when a speaker combines two metaphors from very diverse areas in
such a way as to create something which is physically impossible or absurd ('the
report of the select committee was a bombshell which got right up my nose'). These
often result from the tendency of metaphors to become received expressions in
which the original force of the implied comparison is lost. See also Simile.
Metre: A regular patterned recurrence of light and heavy stresses in a line of verse.
These patterns are given names. Almost all poems deliberately depart from the
template established by a metrical pattern for specific effect. Assessing a poem's
metre requires more than just spotting an iambic pentameter or other metrical
pattern: it requires you to think about the ways in which a poem departs from its
underlying pattern and why. Emotion might force a reverse foot or trochee, or the
normal patterns of speech might occasionally cut across an underlying rhythm. See
Iambic Pentameter.
Onomatopoeia: The use of words or sounds which appear to resemble the sounds
which they describe. Some words are themselves onomatopoeic, such as 'snap,
crackle, pop.'
26
Personification: giving a non-animate thing human attributes. The thing personified
is often an abstract concept (e.g. 'Fear possessed him').
Rhyme: When two or more words or phrases contain an identical or similar vowelsound, and the consonant-sounds that follow are identical or similar (red and dead).
Feminine rhyme occurs when two syllables are rhymed ('mother | brother'). Halfrhyme occurs when the final consonants are the same but the preceding vowels are
not. ('love | have'). Eye rhyme occurs when two syllables look the same but are
pronounced differently ('kind | wind' - although sometimes changes in pronunciation
have made what were formerly perfect rhymes become eye rhymes). The Rhyme
Scheme, or regularly recurring patterns of rhyme within a poem or stanza, is
recorded by using a letter of the alphabet to denote each rhyme, and noting the
order in which the rhymes recur (aabbcc... is the most simply rhyme scheme of all,
that of the couplet).
Rhythm: a term designating the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in
verse or prose. Different lines of verse can have the same metre but a different
rhythm.
Simile: a comparison between two objects or ideas which is introduced by 'like' or
'as': The car wheezed like an asthmatic donkey'. Negative similes are also possible
(as in Shakespeare's Sonnet 'My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun').
Sonnet: In its earliest usages this can mean just 'a short poem, often on the subject
of love.' Now it is almost always used to denote a fourteen line poem in iambic
pentameter. There are two main forms of Sonnet: the 'Shakespearean Sonnet'
rhymes abab cdcd efef gg. It was the form favoured by Shakespeare. The three
quatrains can be linked together in argument in a variety of ways, but often there is a
'volta' or turn in the course of the argument after the second quatrain. The final
couplet often provides an opportunity to sum up the argument of the poem with an
epigram.
Stanza: A group of lines of verse (usually not less than four), arranged according to
a definite scheme which regulates the number of lines, the metre, and (in rhymed
poetry) the sequence of rhymes; normally forming a division of a song or poem
27
consisting of a series of such groups constructed according to the same scheme.
This term is preferable to the less technical 'verse', since that word can also refer to
a single line of a poem. In printed poems divisions between stanzas are frequently
indicated by an area of blank space.
Stress: Emphasis given to a syllable in pitch, volume or duration (or several of
these). In normal spoken English some syllables are given greater stress than
others. In metrical writing these natural variations in stress are formed into recurrent
patterns, such as iambs, anapaests or trochees.
Syllable: The smallest unit of speech that normally occurs in isolation, or a distinct
sound element within a word. This can consist of a vowel alone ('O') or a
combination of a vowel and one or more consonants ('no', 'not'). Monosyllables
contain only one syllable ('dog', 'big', 'shoe'); polysyllables contain more than one
syllable. The word 'syllable' contains three syllables.
Syllabic Verse: A metrical system which depends solely on syllable count, and
which takes no account of stress. For example a Haiku. This is the norm in most
Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish), but is unusual (and almost always
consciously experimental) in English.
Trochee: a foot of two syllables, in which the accent falls on the first syllable (dúm
di). Some words which are trochaic include 'broken', 'taken', 'Shakespeare'.
28
Why we all need to learn to spell correctly:

poor spelling creates a bad impression
o
it's the first thing a reader notices
o
examiners, teachers and prospective employers
often place undue weight on spelling

anxiety about spelling inhibits our writing
o

especially our choice of words
even in these days of word processors there are
still times when we need to write
To improve and develop our spelling we need to:

develop an interest in words

feel safe about trying new words
o


not just words they're sure about
learn about
o
the way words are built up using syllables
o
basic spelling patterns of English
o
memorizing strategies
o
the meanings of words
o
prefixes and suffixes
write for their own enjoyment
o
without the fear that they will be criticized

read for pleasure

Play word games for fun, like Scrabble available electronically as well
as the classic Board version, many spelling game Apps also readily
accessible and credible for children nowadays.
29
Some Key Spelling Rules
Some of the traditional rules are complicated and riddled with exceptions. However,
below are some simpler rules to which there are not many exceptions.
Rule 1
The prefix / suffix rule (a prefix goes before the word, e.g. mis+ understand =
misunderstand. A suffix goes at the end of a word, courage + ous= courageous).
The prefix / suffix rule is: never add or subtract a letter at the joint of a word.
For example:

disservice, misunderstand, underrate
Your Examples:
Rule 2
With suc(c), ex, and pro, double e must stay.
By applying that rule, you can remember how to spell preceding (one e because it
doesn't start with suc, ex or pro) but proceeding.
For example:


exceed, succeed, proceed (the exception is procedure)
concede, precede, recede
Your Examples:
30
Rule 3
I before e when the sound is e except after c.
For example:


ie = achieve, grief, piece
ei = conceit, deceive, receive
Your Examples:
Exception:
Seize breaks the rule – e sound, no c, but ei
For example:


ie = cried, fierce, friend
ei = eight, rein, their
Rule 4
When a word ends with e and you add to it. Drop the e when the addition begins with
a vowel or a y.
For example:

acquire/acquiring; bone/bony; hate/hating
Note:
Words ending with ce or ge keep the e when the addition is able or ous.
For example:

courage/courageous; notice/noticeable
Your Examples:
31
Rule 5
When a word ends with e and you add to it, keep the e when the addition begins with
a consonant.
For example:

advance/advancement; hate/hateful; like/likewise
Exceptions:

argue/argument; awe/awful; due/duly; true/truly
Your Examples:
Rule 6
For most words ending with a single consonant you should double that consonant
when an addition beginning with a vowel is made.
For example:


blot/blotting/blotted; mat/matting/matted; begin/beginning;
travel/traveller;
transmit/transmitted; propel/propelling; refer/referring; signal/signalled;
Your Examples:
Rule 7
When full is joined to another word, it loses one l.
For example:

boast + full = boastful; fear + full = fearful
Your Examples:
32
Rule 8
When full is joined to another word with a double l, both words lose one l.
For example:

full + fill = fulfil (but fulfilled); skill + full = skilful (but skilfully); will + full
= wilful (but wilfully)
Your Examples:
Rule 9
When a word ends with double L, it loses one L when it is joined to another word.
For example:

all + so = also; well + fare = welfare
Your Examples:
Rule 10
Words ending with our - drop the u when ous is added.
For example:

humour/humorous; valour/valorous; vigour/vigorous
Your Examples:
Rules for plurals
Most words add s (for example: lamp/lamps)
Your Examples:
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Most words ending with o add es (for example: tomato/tomatoes)

Exceptions: cuckoo/cuckoos; piano/pianos; solo/solos; studio/studios
Your Examples:
Words ending with a consonant + y, change the y into I and add es (for example:
memory/memories; lady/ladies)
Your Examples:
Words ending with a vowel + y, keep the y and add s (for example:
donkey/donkeys; toy/toys)
Your Examples:
Words ending with for fe, change the f or fe into v and add es (for example:
calf/calves; half/halves; loaf/loaves)
Your Examples:
A few words change their vowels (for example: foot/feet; goose/geese; tooth/teeth;
man/men; mouse/mice)
Very few make no change (for example: deer/deer; salmon/salmon; sheep/sheep)
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Spelling Patterns - Double Consonants
Why do some words have double consonants while others have only one?
Here are some basic rules for spelling -ED and -ING words:
Rule 1: Words ending with a Consonant-Vowel-Consonant Pattern
One-syllable words:
ED = If the word ends in a CVC pattern, it gets a double consonant + ED. * note
ING = If the word ends in a CVC pattern, it gets a double consonant + ING. * note
Examples:
 ED = RUB > rubbed, STOP > stopped
 ING = HOP > hopping, SIT > sitting
*note: Words ending in w,x,y,z do not follow this rule, simply add ED, or ING
Examples: snow > snowed, box > boxing, play > playing
Your Examples:
Two-syllable words:
ED = If the stress is on the first syllable, the word only gets one consonant + ED.
ING = If the stress is on the first syllable, the word only gets one consonant + ING.
Examples:
 visit > visited, open > opened
 happen > happening, enter > entering
Your Examples:
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ED = If the stress is on the second syllable, the word gets a double consonant + ED.
ING = If the stress is on the second syllable, the word gets a double consonant +
ING.
Examples:
 refer > referred, admit > admitted
 begin > beginning, permit > permitting
Consonants = b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z
Vowels = a, e, i, o, u
Your Examples:
Rule 2: Words ending in E
ED = If the word ends in E, simply add D
ING = If the word ends in E, drop the E, add ING
Examples:
 ED = smile > smiled, fine > fined
 ING = dance > dancing, skate > skating
Your Examples:
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Rule 3: Words ending in Y
Consonant + Y
ED = If the word ends in Y, and has a consonant before it, change the Y to I and add
ED.
ING = If the word ends in Y, and has a consonant before it, simply add ING.
Examples:
 ED = study > studied, marry > married
 ING = carry > carrying, reply > replying
Vowel + Y
Your Examples:
ED = If the word ends in Y, and has a vowel before it, simply add ED.
ING = If the word ends in Y, and has a vowel before it, simply add ING.
Examples:
 ED = play > played, stay > stayed
 ING = enjoy > enjoying, stray > straying
Your Examples:
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Rule 4: Other words...
words ending in two vowels + a consonant
ED = If the word ends in two vowels + a consonant, simply add ED.
ING = If the word ends in two vowels + a consonant, simply add ING.
Examples:
 ED = dream > dreamed, rain > rained
 ING = need > needing, beep > beeping
Your Examples:
words ending in a double consonant:
ED = If the word ends in a double consonant, simply add ED.
ING = If the word ends in a double consonant, simply add ING.
Examples:
 ED = park > parked, earn > earned
 ING = need > needing, laugh > laughing
Your Examples:
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Key Stage 3 spelling lists
General spelling list
The following list of spellings was compiled by a number of secondary schools who
all identified the following words as common errors among this age group.
The list is not intended for blanket teaching, because most pupils will know how to
spell most of the words, but it is recommended that early in Year 7, pupils should be
helped to learn those spellings about which they still are uncertain.
‘Look, Say, Cover, Write and Check’ is still a useful method to use and develop from
KS2.
accommodation
conclusion
explanation
actually
conscience
February
alcohol
conscious
fierce
although
consequence
forty
analyse/analysis
continuous
fulfil
argument
creation
furthermore
assessment
daughter
guard
atmosphere
decide/decision
happened
audible
definite
health
audience
design
height
autumn
development
imaginary
beautiful
diamond
improvise
beginning
diary
industrial
believe
disappear
interesting
beneath
disappoint
interrupt
buried
embarrass
issue
business
energy
jealous
caught
engagement
knowledge
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chocolate
enquire
listening
climb
environment
lonely
column
evaluation
lovely
concentration
evidence
marriage
material
potential
sincerely
meanwhile
preparation
skilful
miscellaneous
prioritise
soldier
mischief
process
stomach
modern
proportion
straight
moreover
proposition
strategy
murmur
questionnaire
strength
necessary
queue
success
nervous
reaction
surely
original
receive
surprise
outrageous
reference
survey
parallel
relief
technique
participation
remember
technology
pattern
research
texture
peaceful
resources
tomorrow
people
safety
unfortunately
performance
Saturday
Wednesday
permanent
secondary
weight
persuade/persuasion separate
weird
physical
sequence
women
possession
shoulder
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Common homophones and confusions
advise/advice
choose/chose
quiet/quite
a lot of / allot
cloth/clothe
sites/sights
affect/effect
conscience/conscious source/sauce
allowed/aloud
course/coarse
thank you
bought/brought
our/are
threw/through
braking/breaking
practise/practice
to/too/two
of/have
English Specific
advertise/advertisement figurative
preposition
alliteration
genre
resolution
apostrophe
grammar
rhyme
atmosphere
imagery
scene
chorus
metaphor
simile
clause
myth
soliloquy
cliché
narrative/narrator
subordinate
comma
onomatopoeia
suffix
comparison
pamphlet
synonym
conjunction
paragraph
tabloid
consonant
personification
vocabulary
dialogue
playwright
vowel
exclamation
plural
rhythm
expression
prefix
non-fiction
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author
genre
relevant/relevance
article
irrelevant/irrelevance
thesaurus
dictionary
librarian
enjambment /
enjambement
42