TEAS conventions of standard english spelling

homophones

sound exactly alike, but have different spellings and meanings

- "there" and "they’re"

homographs

words that are spelled the same but have different meanings

- "bass = fish" and "bass = musical instrument"

i before e except after c

Rule can help when you’re trying to decide between two similar spellings. Ex: receive, ceiling, receipt, conceited, etc.

Exception(s) to I before E except after C.

codeine, leisure, caffeine

drop the final e when you add a suffix that begins with a vowel

believe + able = believable

advise + ing = advising

guide + ance = guidance

There are exceptions to when you would keep the “e”, when you add a suffix that begins with a consonant

nice + ly = nicely

amaze + ment = amazement

rude + ness = rudeness

double the final consonant if the final syllable is stressed, if not stressed, don’t double final consonant

words like: blurred, planned, splitting.

exceptions: bleeding, plowed, vomited.

both correct: traveling, travelling, canceled and cancelled, modeled and modelled

change the final y to i following a consonant

beauty + ful = beautiful

worry + ed = worried

supply + er = supplier

do not change y following a vowel

day + s = days

obey + ed = obeyed

relay + s = relays

Do not change if the suffix begins with "I"

cry + ing = crying

worry + ing = worrying

supply + ing = supplying

exceptions to change the final y to i rule

shy + ly = shyly

day + ly = daily

memory + ize = memorize

rules for plurals

for regular plurals - adds "s"

for words ending in "ch, s, sh, x, or z" - add es

for some words ending in "f or fe"

- change to ves

What is the rule for adding suffixes to words ending in silent 'e'?

Drop the 'e' before a suffix that begins with a vowel (e.g., "make" + "ing" = "making"). Keep the 'e' if the suffix begins with a consonant (e.g., "hope" + "less" = "hopeless").

When do you double the final consonant of a word before adding a suffix?

When a one-syllable word ends in a single vowel + consonant, double the consonant before adding a suffix that starts with a vowel (e.g., "run" + "ing" = "running").

What’s the rule for changing 'y' to 'i' when adding suffixes?

If a word ends in a consonant + 'y', change the 'y' to 'i' before adding a suffix (e.g., "happy" + "ness" = "happiness"). Keep the 'y' if adding -ing (e.g., "crying").

How do you spell plural nouns that end in 'f' or 'fe'?

Often change the 'f' or 'fe' to 'ves' (e.g., "knife" becomes "knives"), but some just add 's' (e.g., "roofs").

What’s the rule for ‘i’ before ‘e’?

"I before E except after C" (e.g., "believe" but "receive"). There are exceptions like "weird."