Writing: Basic Mechanics & Formation (Review & Accuracy) (B1) - Lesson 1: Consistent Spelling of Common Words & Introduction to Spelling Rules
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Hello B1 Learners! 👋
Welcome! At the B1 level, clear communication becomes even more important. Good spelling helps make your writing easy to understand and look more professional.
Today, we will review some common but sometimes tricky words and learn some basic spelling rules to help you spell more consistently.
In this lesson, you will:
- Practice spelling some frequently used English words.
- Be introduced to a few helpful spelling rules and patterns.
- Apply these rules in interactive exercises.
Part 1: Tricky Common Words
Let's practice spelling some common words that can be a bit tricky. Pay attention to the letters!
Part 2: Introduction to Some Spelling Rules
Knowing some common spelling rules can help you guess how to spell new words and remember difficult ones.
Rule 1: 'i' before 'e' (mostly!)
The common rhyme is: "i before e, except after c, or when sounded as 'a' as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh'."
- Examples (ie): believe, friend, piece, achieve
- Examples (after c with ei): receive, conceive, deceit
- Examples (sounded as 'a'): neighbor, weigh, eight
This rule has exceptions (e.g., weird, science), but it's a good starting point!
Rule 2: Adding -s or -es for Plurals
To make most nouns plural (more than one), we add -s.
- cat → cats
- book → books
If a noun ends in -s, -x, -z, -sh, or -ch, we usually add -es.
- box → boxes
- watch → watches
- bus → buses (or busses)
Rule 3: Dropping the final 'e' before -ing / -ed
If a verb ends in a silent -e, we usually drop the -e before adding -ing or -ed.
- make + ing → making (drop e)
- write + ing → writing (drop e)
- hope + ed → hoped (drop e)
- But: be + ing → being (e is not silent)
Rule 4: Doubling the final consonant before -ing / -ed
For short verbs ending in Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC), we often double the final consonant before adding -ing or -ed.
- stop (CVC: t-o-p) + ing → stopping
- plan (CVC: l-a-n) + ed → planned
- run (CVC: r-u-n) + ing → running
- But: visit (VCVC: i-s-i-t, stress on first syllable) + ing → visiting (no double t)
Part 3: Practice the Spelling Rules
Let's try to apply some of these rules.
✨ General Tips for Improving Spelling ✨
- Read More in English: The more you see words, the more familiar their spellings become.
- Use a Dictionary: If you're unsure, look up the word! Online dictionaries are great too.
- Keep a Personal Word List: Write down words you find difficult and practice them.
- Look-Say-Cover-Write-Check: This is a classic method. Look at the word, say it, cover it, write it from memory, then check your spelling.
- Break Words into Sounds/Syllables: Sounding out parts of a word can sometimes help.
- Be Aware of Patterns (and Exceptions!): English spelling has many rules, but also many exceptions. Learning common patterns helps, but always be ready for tricky words.
Excellent Work on Spelling! 👍
Improving your spelling takes practice, but by learning common words and some basic rules, you can become much more confident!